Agents - Help Create a Safe ‘In Between’ Place for Home Sellers

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By Stephanie Andre

RISMEDIA, July 17, 2008-Here’s a staggering statistic: 80% of agents recently surveyed believe that decluttering will help sell a home faster-and for more money. Yet, those same agents feel only 30% of their listings will be decluttered.

Why?

“People feel like you’re trying to move them out of the house before it’s even sold,” says Jackie Riggins, CEO, Property Staging Consultants. “All we’re asking them to do is pack up early. Yet, they don’t want to let go. The bottom line is that if they’re not willing to go through the process, they’re not that willing to sell the home. The sellers have to be totally motivated to do this.”

They might be a bit more inclined to do so, however, if there were an easier way. Enter Tampa Bay-based PODS (Portable on Demand Storage), whose containers are used by consumers to store part or all of a home’s belongings during a move or while the home is listed on the market. PODS can either be kept on the homeowner’s property or housed off-site at a PODS Storage Center, located in every area that PODS serves; PODS is now in 48 states and Canada. Belongings can be stored with PODS for as long as the homeowner needs-a week, a month or even years.

“I tell my clients to pretend that they’re camping for six weeks-keep in the house what you can’t live without,” advises Riggins. “Then, move your personal belongings out to the PODS container one room at a time-and take your time with it.

“Homeowners offer way too much ‘eye candy’-distractions,” adds Riggins. “Prospective buyers need to be able to see the floors, for example. They need the house to be totally free of personal belongings. It feels invasive for buyers when personal belongings are there. People don’t want to delve into sellers’ personal property. I explain that they should pretend that they’re having a big garage sale-room to room. Finish one room at a time; mark the boxes and then transfer them to the PODS container.”

The real key, says Riggins, is to move the oversized pieces of furniture out to the PODS container. “Those big pieces-like an armoire, for example-eat up square footage, and so does clutter,” she explains. “So, if we can minimize those items, it looks like there’s more space. Having the PODS container easily accessible is paramount to that movement.”

What’s so helpful-especially when it comes to those larger pieces-is that PODS brings the container directly to your home, explains Riggins. “They bring it to you-and that’s huge,” she says. By setting up the container in the driveway, homeowners are given the appropriate time to go through their items, and then PODS will take it whenever they’re ready.

Especially with the upwards cost of fuel in today’s economy, Riggins says PODS makes more sense than ever. “When there’s something like PODS, it just doesn’t even make sense to rent a truck and do it yourself-not to mention the cost of fuel,” says Riggins. “PODS takes care of everything-from picking up the container, to loading at their storage facility and then bringing it to your new home. You can literally just load it and leave it.”

To gain a leg up on the listing inventory already out there, Riggins says there’s no better way to get a home sold than to declutter-and PODS helps get that done.

“PODS is a huge asset in home staging,” says Riggins. “By providing a safe and solid place for personal belongings, they are helping uneasy homeowners become satisfied sellers.”

For more information, visit www.pods.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

For more articles on working with home sellers, see:

• How to Stop ‘The Toad’ from Sabotaging Your Real Estate Career  
  Real Estate Advice: Rent It Out or Leave It Vacant?  
  Solving the Home Sale Pricing Puzzle - 8 Considerations for Sellers

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