Ten Steps to Sell a Stale Donut

What is a stale donut?

A stale donut is a real estate term describing a house that has been on the market for a very long period of time, with little traction. It looks just as beautiful as it did the day that it went on the market, but here we are, 225 days later. It’s still exactly the same, and nobody wants it because it's been sitting on a shelf for so long. The instant a home shopper sees the number of days on market they think, "Well what's wrong with it? Must be infested with rats or squatters, I don't know...!?" That is a stale donut.

Let’s talk about the ten steps to transform a stale donut into a mouthwatering, fresh-baked pastry folks are dying to get their hands on.

Step#1: Kill the Listing

Sellers are often afraid to remove the listing because they think their ideal buyer is “coming any minute.” The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If your home has been listed for 385 days, the current strategy has not worked.  You have to change it up. In order to do that, you’re going to have to go home, start from scratch and completely re-evaluate the situation.

Step#2: Move Out

Generally, if your home has been sitting for a long time the reason is one of two major offenders: priced too high or presented poorly.  It may also be a combination of: vacant, empty and not showing well bare; priced too high; occupied and just looks like hell; or terrible staging.  Start with the vacating property and getting out of there. Pack up your stuff, relocate, go to an Airbnb, find a rental apartment, move into the vacation house that you have at the beach, go to the ADU that's in the backyard, get out of that house. You are stopping the sale. Clearing out of the space gives you the opportunity to really prep the house for the next buyer. 

Pack with two different colors of tape – one to label boxes for storage and another color to label boxes going to your temporary apartment. Store the stuff you're not going to use on a daily basis like sentimental or decorative items. Items like enough sets of dishes for your family to eat one meal per day, a TV, a couch, beds and other basic needs, you’ll bring with you to your temporary housing. The home you are listing is going to be prepared correctly which means it’s going to sell really fast which means you're going to be moving into your next house before you know it.

Step #3: Consult a Home Stager

It can be scary to have a home stager come to your house. It might seem invasive to have someone you don’t know knock on your door to evaluate your personal space. They are also going to be the first one to be honest with you about your home because they're the first ones as a service professional to give you honest feedback. Home stagers know how to sell homes and they are coming to judge yours.  This is actually their greatest value. A home stager is going to be the first one to say, "Look, you have to repaint the bathroom, you have to get rid of that brown sponge-paint." You'll be like, "Why?" And the stager will say, "Well, it’s a huge turn off to the next buyer and makes this space look darker." The blunt honesty of telling you what will and will not appeal to the future buyer is no reflection of the home you LOVED, only the home you are trying to sell to another family.

You should not pay a home stager for a consultation. It’s their job to tell you how to get that house ready for market. They're going to give you a lot of fantastic advice but you will not need to confirm a “yes or no” during that meeting.  All you're going to do is take notes of that advice.

Once the home stager is gone, then you're going to take that list and assign three values to them: time, money, and energy. Once you have those three values assigned you can make a decision if you're going to do each one of those things or not. Take a breather after the stager leaves, assign reasonable numbers to each task and make a logical decision not an emotional one.

Step #4: Execute the Scope of Work

Now you have that precious to-do list. That might mean you hire contractors, or DIY it, do some landscaping, painting, etc. Depending on the condition of the house, there may be a lot of moving parts. Coordinate with your partner or family, create a timeline for these tasks and get organized. Figure out which you can do yourself and which you need to hire out.

Step #5: Stage It

Finally, all the basics of the home are set and well-prepared for the next family. Now it’s time to SHOW OFF the features and functionality of the home so your ideal buyer will know from first glance what their life will look and feel like. This is when you're going to hire a home stager. They have the expertise in selling homes, skill in design and all the furniture ready to create a drop-dead gorgeous listing.  Your professional home stager will cost you anywhere from one to two percent of your final sales price, but they're going to bring you 10% more money at closing time.

Your home stager is going to create a design using furniture, color and art in your house that is not reflective of your personal style choices. In fact, of all the people in the world who might buy this house, you are not one of them. Your home stager is going to design for the 90th percentile of people that are looking at your house so they can garner the most offers in the least amount of time. This is not about your taste, this is about visual merchandising for a product that you have to sell, and that's it.

Bad staging can do more harm than good. Seriously reconsider that budget stager and if they would be more of a hindrance than a help. When it comes to cheap staging versus a professional, it's like having K-Mart compete against Nordstrom.

 Step #6 Re-Document the Home

Your house is now perfect and ready for visitors – so let’s show it off with a show-stopping listing. This will include fresh photos, and possibly video or 3D walkthrough.  

Use these new photos, and potential videos and 3D walkthroughs to create a single property website. If you have a stale donut, having a single property website is going to be huge because all of the listing services like Zillow and Redfin are going to have those old, tired photos of your last listing. While it will cost a little bit more, it is worth it. A professional real estate photographer will work wonders for that fresh listing.  

Step #7 Create a New Listing

Create a new MLS number so you can re-assign that to this fresh listing and no longer associate it with the old listing. You may be welcoming back home shoppers that had previously seen the home. Ideally, we want them thinking this is a whole new property.  

Step #8 Change the Price

Again, it’s usually one of two reasons why houses don't sell. The home is either overpriced or it’s not prepared correctly. If you are not prepared to drop your price a single dime, then raise the price by $10,000 dollars, or by $5,000 dollars, or by something, by anything. The way that people search for properties today is that they go to a listing website and they put in their price range. $400,000 to $500,000. And if your number comes up in that same exact range, you're only hitting those people that are looking for $400,000 to $500,000. Give them a slightly different searching number so they’ll get a slightly different demographic of people looking for this space.

Step #9 Throw a Party

It’s a celebration! Time to have a calm, home-focused event to invite folks over.  If you have great views, it might be during the night time. Maybe it's a breakfast event. Whatever the theme or time of day, you want to get that invitation out to every single real estate agent you can possibly find. Reach them any way you can, it might be postcards, it might be emailed, it might be phone calls, get them to your house, give them a drink, and give them food. Any way that you can get people to come to your house, start a buzz around your property. You have a stale donut on your hands and it's toxic. The second you can change the narrative around that project, the faster you will sell that house.

Step #10: Sell the House

Which brings us to step number ten: sell the freaking house. After the party, organize your showings, have your open houses and start watching those bids come in. Good luck!

Staging for Families: 6 Tips and Tricks

Selling your home while living in it can be so hard with kids — we get it. You’re managing jobs, family schedules, homework, animals, and it seems like everywhere the kids go they undo the picture-perfect room that WAS ready for the next listing appointment.

How do you pull off BOTH making life livable in your home while keeping it looking like the dream home for the next family coming to tour?

Here are some easy tips and tricks to shoot for that inspiring, magazine-perfect look when you’ll be shoving things in closets and bins ten minutes before a realtor shows up with home shoppers.

1. Decrease the Chaos, Always “Pre-pack and De-mark the territory”
It is important to remember that when you are selling a home, you are like a small business owner with just one product to sell, your home. If you went into a retail store to buy a T-shirt and the store owner had cluttered up the place with his personal trophies, leftover pizza boxes, and dirty laundry it would be very difficult to see the T-shirt you want to buy in a good light. Instead, you would simply be concentrating on all of the business owner’s things. If you don't find this unacceptable for a retail store owner to do, why would you think it would be ok for you to do this while selling your home? Seriously, de-mark your territory (most people call it depersonalizing) and pre-pack your clutter (most people call it decluttering) your home. Remove any distraction that will take a visitor away from imagining living in the home themselves.

2. Managing Kid Stuff
The last time I sold a home to a kid was… never. Kids don't buy houses, moms do. True enough, most homes are purchased by couples, but ultimately it will most likely be the adult female of the family who will make the decision on which home will be purchased. Have you ever hear a woman say these words? “I love it when my kids leave their toys strewn about our house. In fact, yesterday, I stepped on a Lego with bare feet, I was in downright ecstasy.” No? Yeah, neither have I. Pick up the toys before you show your home. A tidy family home with the kids’ toys organized or scarce will allow young couples to imagine family life without being reminded of the…. er, less than nostalgic facts of kid clutter.

3. Tackling Kids’ Rooms
Shared bedrooms are certainly not the worst thing in the world. We often stage rooms with two twin beds. Here is the secret, go down right cutsie and make the twin beds be exactly identical twins. Human beings love symmetry and making the beds look exactly alike will appeal to that love all thing symmetrical.

4. Organizing Your Closets, Garages and Basements last
When preparing a home for market we must sometimes make priorities. I have often seen homes with closets that are perfect and living rooms that are a total mess, I alway shake my head slowly and roll my eyes uncontrollably. Our priorities go like this.

• First - Public rooms: get the living room, dining room and kitchen in great shape first they will make the first impression

• Second - Master bedroom and bathroom: This is the room that the female of the house will be using so making sure she is taken care of is of utmost importance because as we know the adult female of the family will ultimately decide which house is purchased

• Next - Other private spaces: Kids rooms, bathrooms, guest rooms, offices all follow suit

• Last - Storage and utility areas: These hold the least amount weight and thus can be sacrificed to make other spaces look good

5. Quick Cleaning for Quick Escapes
Make things easy on yourself. Cramming in appointments and showings inside your already busy life is a lot. Set yourself up for success from the start of the staging process. Give each kid in the family a dish barrel (a large triple ply-box roughly 3’x2’x2’). Ask them to fill it with their favorite toys. Once they are done, “pre-pack” all of the rest of the toys. (We say pre-pack and not declutter as it has a more positive ring, you are going to end up packing all that stuff when you sell anyway, why not get started now? Your future self will thank you!) When it is time to play the filled dish barrels can be dumped out and the toys inside can be played with. When it is time for a showing the boxes can be filled with the toys and placed in the closet. This keeps the kids sane as they have something to play with and the parents sane in that there is a finite amount of cleaning to do before each showing.

6. Consider Storage Units
Ultimately if you have more things than storage space, you may want to consider renting storage, you may also want to consider a garage sale or donating items you have not touched in more than six months.

Staged and Sold in Two Days: A Spade and Archer Success Story

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.

Top 7 Worst Pieces of Staging Advice

1. “Keep everything exactly how you live in it, it gives the house personality.”

The truth of the matter is of all the people who might buy this house, you are not one of them. I did not design my business around my needs. I designed it around my client’s needs. Selling a house is like having a small business with one product to sell (the house). Merchandise that product with your client (the buyer) in mind, not yourself.

2. “Bake cookies just before the open house.”

Smell is closely associated with memory. I use to work at Mrs. Field's as a teenager, and the smell of cookies makes me slightly nauseated and a little bit angry. For someone on a strict diet, it may make them think of not being able to eat cookies, like ALL the cookies. We have no idea what smell is going to trigger what memory (or allergic reaction) in your buyer. So please, for goodness sake, leave the scented items out. The smell of “nothing" is the smell of selling, sooner, and for more money.

3. “Just put up signs on all the doors that say “DON'T LET THE CAT OUT!”

Buying a house is already stressful. Your buyer is going to see upwards of 7-10 houses in one day. They ain’t got time to look after your fluffy feline friend. More than likely they will cruise swiftly though your property looking for the “alleged” cat and get out as fast as they can, having not paid any attention to their future life in your home. Find another place for the cat or any other pet to stay when showing your property.

4. “Staging makes it impossible to see the house, leave it empty.”

I have often heard people say that staging gets in the way of seeing their own furniture in the house. This is true for roughly 10% of the population. I am not a betting man, but I would place my bet on the 90% of the people who need a sense of scale and layout to understand a house. When making any decision in business, go with the more likely majority, not the less likely minority.

5. “Color helps houses sell, the more color the better.”

This is a tricky one, because we do use subtle punches of color to help our buyers discuss each room once they get home. ("Remember the house with the red kitchen, well, I think the green bedroom should be your office.") But there is a limit to the amount of color we should add to homes. The truth is a neutral base of wall, ceilings and floors will make it much easier for the next buyer to move in. Keep the color regulated to art, linens and accessories.

6. “People can’t tell the difference between live plants and fake plants.”

Um, yeah dude, they totally can. I get it, live plants are lovely and make spaces seem more home-like. Here is the thing, unless you have somebody specifically assigned to take care of the live plants and freshly cut flowers on a daily basis then there should be no plants in the house. Nothing sends a buyer packing faster than dead plants and flowers in a house. As for fake plants… eww, seriously eww… just stop it. What is this, the set of the Sopranos circa 2002?

7. “Blow-up mattresses look just as good as real mattresses."

Blow-up mattresses are a great idea if you plan on never selling your house. Not only do these monstrosities of design look terrible in spaces, they often deflate leaving your buyer, well… deflated. Seriously, if you use fakery in your staging like blow-up mattresses, you are starting to form a relationship with you buyer based on lies and trickery. We must prove to our buyers that mattresses fit up staircases and down hall ways and through doors. Blow-up mattresses start to cast doubt that anything in the house is real. Suddenly your buyers start questioning the validity of everything in your property as well as your integrity. Once they get stressed enough they simply move on to the next house. You know the one… the one with the real mattresses?

4 Easy Tips to Boost Curb Appeal Immediately

When selling your house, the exterior is usually the very first thing a prospective buyer will see. There are four main areas you should concentrate your energy to instantly boost curb appeal.

#1 Visible Address Numbers
Make sure your address numbers can be read from the street. If your house is hard to find, people will leave without buying. Your address numbers need to be in a contrasting color and well-lit so it can be easily read from the street both day and night.    

#2 Easy Entry
Getting into the home should be simple. If your house is hard to get into, people will walk into your home frustrated. Does the lock set work well without any additional instructions? If not, then it’s time to get it repaired or replaced. If the listing notes need to spell out complicated directions like, “Pull up and to the left to get the deadbolt open,” then you have a problem. Also, get rid of your screen door! I have never seen a screen door that was better looking than the door behind it. The screen door also can make for an awkward entry sequence when attempting to get the key out of the lock box while holding the screen door open. 

#3 Maintained Landscaping
Landscaping should be up to snuff. Don’t get us wrong, it doesn’t need to be Versailles but it also should not be Sanford and Sons. Start by removing all lawn decorations. Your landscape should only consist of nicely-manicured grass, shrubbery or plants.  All weeds should be pulled and fresh mulch (the kind without manure) should be spread in all the beds for a fresh and taken-care-of look. 

#4 Fresh Paint
Make sure there is no evidence of peeling paint on the siding or faded stain on the decks. If needed, scrape, prepare, prime and paint all exterior surfaces so that the house looks easy to maintain for the future buyer.