As Home Stagers, we are going in and out of homes on a daily basis, many of them vacant or only partially occupied. Real estate agents as well are constantly previewing properties, so I thought I would make a little note to remind home sellers to keep in mind. You need to leave your homes in such a state that they are available to be safely seen.
I recently went to view a property where there was a lockbox with a key for entrance to the home. Once entering the home, it was so dark that I literally could not see in front of my face. I fumbled around the walls looking for the elusive light switch, but could not locate it. The only thing I could see was the sunlight filtering through the blinds across the room. So I boldly stepped forth into the darkness to open the blinds.
Unfortunately, I discovered too late that I was standing on a tile landing on a sea of tile flooring and once I took that step I went flying into the air and landed sharply on that cold, hard, tile floor. After taking an inventory of all my parts and pieces, testing all the moving extremities, I got back up and made my way to the window and opened the blinds so I could recover all the things that had once been in my hands.
After gathering the key, keybox, my keys, camera, sunglasses, and the business card I wanted to leave on the counter, I limped back to the door to lock up and head back to the office. I didn’t have to hunt for my cell phone because I learned very early on in my career that no smart person that is traveling on business, meeting with new people or entering vacant homes ever has a cell phone that is not attached to their wrist at all times. I didn’t get a chance to see this entire home, but I can tell you, this is not the way to show a home for sale.
So as a Home Stager or Real Estate Agent, when you walk into a home for the first time, don’t just lunge in. Take care and remember that each home is different. While most of us expect to be able to just walk in and reach for the light, some homes have different layouts and even though we have seen a ton of homes, we have to expect the unexpected.
And home sellers, you must keep in mind, you are selling your home. While you might have your floor plan memorized, your buyers do not. The last thing you want is for your buyers to come in and land kerplunk - sprawled out on the floor because your home was left pitch black dark - in the middle of the day!
Remember, the first step in Staging a home for sale is you have to make it available. If the buyer (Home Stager, Realtor…) can’t see it, how can they know if they want to buy (Stage, Sell) it? And if they get injured just trying to get a look - how the heck is that going to get it sold?
