Imagination and creativity help sell homes.
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The personal stories of one realtor’s battles and triumphs in the highly-competitive Bay Area real estate market, seeking to illuminate and humanize the very real ups-and-downs of homeownership.
From ancestral traditions shared around the campfire, to “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” written more than 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, to the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, storytelling has shaped the way we see the world.
My husband, Cliff, who has taught for two decades as an adjunct professor at Berkeley’s School of Law, is fond of saying, “You can’t change the outcome if you don’t change the narrative.”
Creating a narrative
In Cliff’s classroom, full of eager young law students, he’s speaking of post-conviction remedies, which is a far cry from the work Sarah and I do as Realtors. But in both instances, we’re essentially storytellers. The required preparation of bringing properties to market is no less important to our clients than are the facts of a case to his. How relevant elements are curated, woven, and perceived is the main objective in both our professions, and at the risk of falling into hyperbole: the stories we tell absolutely make a DIFFERENCE in their subsequent outcomes (which accounts for the huge swings in property values).
Earlier this week, I received a phone call from a colleague who had just toured our newest listing at 29 Vista Avenue in Piedmont; a property we’ve been diligently working on for the past several weeks, and she couldn’t have been more complimentary. (She’d seen the “before” version.)
“Wow, you transformed the place,” she said, (Thank you, we had a lot of help.) “You thought of things that wouldn’t have occurred to me.” (I felt the same about her recent listing on Pacific.)
In reality — and if we’re observant — we “borrow” good ideas from one another, but I appreciated the acknowledgment from a trusted colleague just the same.
And while such transformations can often be unsettling for Sellers, who have spent years living in their homes to their liking, the process of bringing a home to market may be an epic journey that often takes a little persuasion before Sellers sign on. While not quite “The Odyssey” (or at least, we hope not), there’s always a story to be crafted with every home we list, and it’s usually NOT the Sellers’.
Why?
Because we’re not selling the house to the Sellers (their friends, neighbors, or family). We’re looking for the next generation of Buyers, and they’re primarily interested in “turn-key, light-filled, fresh, and “Insta-worthy” homes. (Try giving your kids your antiques; they have ZERO interest.) What’s important to understand is that the choices we make when living in our homes is vastly different than choices made when selling them (assuming top-dollar is your goal).
Most of us sink comfortably into our environments, and don’t give a lot of thought about the placement of the furniture, the chipping paint, the scratched floors, the overgrown garden, or the musty smell in the basement. By and large, we are living ultra busy lives that focus on our families, our work, our kids’ activities, and our outside commitments. We’re lucky if we have time to catch up on overlooked repairs and watering the potted plants.
Conjuring an aspirational lifestyle
However, when we sell a home, we’re reaching for an “aspirational lifestyle;” one that doesn’t include junk mail on the countertops, dripping shower faucets, unmade beds, or your teenager’s pile of dirty laundry on the floor. (That’s how they announce they’ve hit adolescence.)
This is where good stagers come in. Above all else, stagers are gifted storytellers, recognizing where a room needs more light, which angle best suits the sofa and chairs, what accessories highlight the space, where to hang a mirror, and most importantly, how to arrange these tried-and-true design details to best create a cohesive and compelling tale – because homes are EMOTIONAL purchases, not practical ones.
With mid-centuries, we’re often seeking a hip, modern vibe. If it’s a cottage, we’ll lean heavily into charm. A gigantic mansion? Let’s create vignettes to make it more accessible, and provide seating areas that invite you to stay instead of feeling overwhelmed by the largesse.
What you’re not going to find at most staged properties are window treatments, TVs and electronics, knick knacks, photos of your family, or exercise equipment (unless there’s a dedicated gym). Granted, these are all things that make our lives better, but to Buyers, they are simply clutter. Buyers need an inviting palette that allows them to envision their lives in the house — not yours.
Finally, if you’re monitoring the renovations, you will undoubtedly walk into the process at different phases that may strike you as unfinished. That’s because you’re focusing on one concern, while we are working toward the entire puzzle. Please give us the opportunity to complete the narrative and tell the WHOLE STORY. (I promise you, we have a plan — and a proven method.)
And while most Realtors® may not think of themselves as storytellers, it’s the most imaginative and creative Agents who invariably rise to the top.
How can we help you?
Julie Gardner & Sarah Abel | Compass Realty
Not just Realtors, but consultants in all things house and home, we’re here to educate, explore, examine and refer . . . In short, you may count on us to take care of your home as if it were our own and anyone who knows us, knows we take pretty darn good care of our homes.
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