Zillow Home Value Index

With the real estate market being like it is, sellers and agents are using every trick in the book to sell property. The few that are on the market seem to be moving steadily, but with many would-be movers staying put for now, or not able to get the credit, things are still in the doldrums. MLS or Multiple Listing Service inventory is tight, with fewer properties than usual available, and those that are aren’t selling at all, or very quickly.

The newest trick to sell homes is a step along from home staging, and it’s called “Occupied to sell.”  Home staging is an old trick where an interior designer or professional stager will present a home in the best possible light, using props, rented furniture and other accessories to make the house look like a home a buyer wants. It’s well known that vacant homes take longer to sell, and don’t fetch as much as a fully furnished, lived in one.

To solve this problem, enterprising people are offering a home staging, and occupation service to home sellers. The company will stage the home as required, then have one of their home managers “live” there while it’s being viewed or shown. The manager is responsible for keeping the home pristine and ready to show at any time.

This not only increases the security of a vacant property, but it also creates the illusion of a family home, rather than an empty lot. This allows the seller to achieve a more realistic price and hopefully a quicker sale. In return the seller pays a monthly fee to the company until the home is sold and a “success fee”  once it is. The fees are around a quarter of a percent, and the success fee around three quarters.

This service isn’t for everyone. Typically homes over the $400,000 mark are ripe for occupied staging, as they will see the most benefit. Even a couple of percent increase in price more than makes up for what the staging company would charge, and the home gets looked after while it’s not being lived in.

The selection of a home manager is important, but something that quite a few people seem interested in. Many people would like to live in a luxury home in a gated community, even for a couple of weeks. The catch being that they have to be fastidiously clean and have the house prepared for viewing at all times. Other than that, it’s a breeze.

In return for a small monthly fee, a seller can be happy in the knowledge that their home is occupied and ready to sell to the right buyer. The home has been staged to within an inch of its life and there are people there to paint the picture of the lifestyle that will achieve the highest price.