In August, we loved seeing the impact of our staging with this house that started out occupied, became vacant but unstaged, and then finally professionally staged vacant.
We asked the seller’s agent, Alicia Selliken of Sotheby’s International here in Portland, a few questions about the path of this sale and why she thinks staging sealed the deal.
BEFORE STAGING, OCCUPIED
AFTER STAGING, VACANT
Q: Tell us a little bit about the home before Spade and Archer was involved. What was going on with the property?
A: It's a traditional home in a close in neighborhood. The size works well for both couples or families. The price point was $579,00. There were tenants living in the home when I took the listing. The seller originally wanted to try to sell the home to an investor willing to keep the tenants in place. We had taken listing photos of the house with the tenants' furniture in it with no real staging whatsoever.
Eventually, the tenants vacated and after the home sat on the market empty for a bit, the owner decided to stage with Spade and Archer, which was awesome.
Q: So during the listing process, visitors had come to see the home in three different conditions, is that right?
A: Yes! I had buyers through with the tenant’s furniture, and they looked at it and they liked it. Then they came back through when it was vacant and they liked it, but there was a hesitation.
Once the home was fully staged we had an open house. The same buyers that had seen the home tenant occupied, vacant and now staged, decided to write an offer immediately after the open house. It's interesting to watch people's reactions to a space when it's staged. Spade and Archer has a formula of design that allows people to easily imagine themselves living in this space.
Q: Tell us a little bit about the timing of this home on the market. Before and after staging?
A: The home was originally listed on May 31, 2019. Spade and Archer staging was installed on August 8, 2019. We received an offer and we were pending two days after staging.
BEFORE STAGING, OCCUPIED
AFTER STAGING, VACANT
Wow, so after 69 days on the market it sold just two days after staging?
A: Yes! It was staged on a Thursday. I held open houses Saturday and Sunday. We had an offer in hand Sunday. We were all prepared with new photos and weren't able to even get them all posted until after we were pending!
Q: That's awesome. This project was also a part of the Spade and Archer Guaranteed program. How has Guaranteed Home Staging® worked for you?
A: I love the new Guaranteed Home Staging® program because sometimes the price of staging is a barrier for clients. To have the ability to put just $750 down, and pay for staging at closing makes great staging so much more attainable for sellers.
Q: Tell me more about what you think is going on esthetically that inspires that action?
A: Justin and the team create a comfortable feeling that people feel when they enter the space that says, “I'm home.” It's a feel-good reaction. The use of antique cameras or radios and other vintage pieces helps make the space interesting and relatable so it doesn’t at all come across as sterile. All of these elements let the buyers connect with the space more comfortably.
Particularly for this house, the huge third floor bonus room was a challenge. Sometimes people walk into a big space and can be overwhelmed because of its possibilities. Spade and Archer designed it to be the perfect set up for a multipurpose space for media and games – clearly closing the gap for visitors on what could happen in that room.
BEFORE STAGING, OCCUPIED
AFTER STAGING, VACANT
Q: From your perspective, what do you think really happened for those people who saw this space occupied, saw the space vacant, and then saw the space correctly staged? What do you think happened for them that would make them want to put in an offer so quickly?
A: Right. I think that at first they were kind of wondering if it was the right space for them. It was just a blank slate. And I think that once it was staged correctly, and every space’s function was laid out, it was so much easier to see how it would be their home and how they'd live in it.
Q: We love hearing these success stories! But aside from results like this, why do you pretty consistently choose Spade and Archer to stage?
A: Well, I love Justin for one thing. You always know you're going to get a quality service consistently.
When Spade and Archer is on your team and done their part, it feels a little like Christmas morning... you can't wait to go in and see how they've staged, the colors they’ve used, the pieces they’ve chosen. It’s so exciting and fun!
I greatly respect Justin and the team, not only for their design skills and professionalism, but for their willingness to collaborate and think outside the box. Spade and Archer works with brokers in innovative ways like joint open houses. I love working together with Spade & Archer to deliver the best service to our shared customers. There is a sense of community and common good that is created when we work together...and honestly, it's a lot of fun.
About Alicia Selliken of Sotheby’s International
Alicia recently joined Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty as a broker and lead of the firm’s new charitable giving program. She has been a broker since 2007 and also holds an MSW (Master of Social Work) degree in Family Therapy. She loves using her experience in real estate and social work to help the process of buying and selling homes go as smoothly as possible for all parties involved. Forming a genuine connection with her clients is important, and being a strong advocate is the key to a successful real estate experience. As a native Oregonian, Alicia especially enjoys using the success of her practice to give back to local nonprofits including Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest and I Have A Dream Oregon. Selliken brings not only an innovative and creative spirit to what we are creating here in the Portland Metro region, but her values and heart for community align brilliantly with ours."says Deb Tebbs, CEO, founder and owner at Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty. CSIR’s international reach is also important to Alicia. As the world gets smaller and conversations get bigger she wants to be a part of the unique global reach Cascade Sotheby’s offers.