A Common Myth About Staging a Starter Home

Purchasing and moving into a starter home can be a homeowner’s scariest, happiest and most thrilling moment of her lifetime. Once she holds the house keys in hand, and walks over the threshold, a sigh of relief falls upon her. She brought her first house and feels a sense of accomplishment.

 So, that’s it. She did it. No more worries.

Well, not really.

Most homeowners can agree the new homebuyer thing does not come with a concrete set of rules. When purchasing a starter home, the homeowner imagines her major desires for the house. In the back of her mind, she may keep the idea of resale value in the purchasing equation. Overall, the homeowner’s biggest thought may be how she will get the sectional sofa through the front door.

After years of living in the house and experiencing the joys and challenges of homeownership, that day comes when the owner wants to sell the house. Consequently, too many homeowners have no idea what’s required on their end to market their starter home for sale.

So what’s a starter home?

A starter home is sort of what it sounds like…a first home that builds a first-time homeowner’s experience in homeownership. The official definition of a starter home means it is a relatively small, economical house or condo that meets the requirements of young people buying their first home. (Oxford Dictionary)

Whether a homeowner’s budget is large or modest, almost any new, first-time homeowner can call their first property a starter home, right?

Is it you, me or the market?

Let’s face it. New homeowners make mistakes. It’s all part of the new homeowner experience. They’ve navigated buying and owning a house. They believe marketing and selling their house should be as simple as calling the real estate agent to list the house. Then, the offers will pour in.

Within a day, the house will sell over asking price.

Well, that all depends on certain factors falling into place at the right time.

With favorable market conditions, this scenario could be a reality. On the flip side, a buyer’s market could result in the homeowner adding extra effort to assist with marketing the house.

If faced with a buyer’s market, many first-time homeowners know the house needs to be presentable for the open house and the photos to market the property. However, “presentable” varies among individual homeowners.

Overall, the well-meaning homeowner believes a general “tidying up” and cleaning (as if friends are visiting) will be enough. What she fails to realize is that buying a house is different than marketing and selling a home.

The benefit of hiring a real estate agent is that she has a variety of tools to market the house. But, still needs the homeowner onboard to make sure the house shows as well as possible.

In many cases that means the homeowner will need to go above and beyond general house cleaning and packing extra items to get the home sold.

What a Homeowner Can Do

As each person has unique qualities about them, the house contains its own valuable qualities waiting to be placed front and center for homebuyers to love.

Once the homeowner decides to sell, it’s up to her and her real estate agent to work together to get the house in a position to attract as many homebuyers as possible. That’s one of the homeowner’s main duties as a ‘side-marketer’ of the house.

First, the homeowner will want to stand back and scan the starter home’s appearance. Looking at each room with a fresh set of eyes will give the homeowner a buyer's perspective. It also helps if the homeowner can recall how her starter home first attracted her from the moment she noticed it in person. Since new homebuyers have enough on their plate, that’s the way the next potential homebuyer wants to feel when he’s looking for his first home.

Ideally, every homeowner can positively impact the home’s sale by setting the way for homebuyer’s to see the starter home as a solution to anything in their lives that brings their unique set of challenges.

If you plan to sell a starter home and need an idea on where to start and what to look for, grab your copy of 21 Tips to a Sellable Starter Home.