[CASE STUDY] Selling a Home to Follow Their Retirement Dreams

The Staging Consultant recently had the opportunity to help turn one couple’s dream into reality, after their epiphany during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led them to believe life was too short and they didn’t want to spend their time working so much.

The husband who is much older than the wife explained, “they wanted to spend as much time together as they have left.”  The couple met in Charleston, South Carolina and frequent the area often, including this past winter when they booked a trip to Charleston was just what they needed to escape the lull of COVID life.

As the couple visited their favorite places, they came upon a house that was for sale by owner and immediately fell in love with the property’s exterior (Note: pictured above is their home in TN, not SC). A few days past and they were still thinking about that property, so they decided to ring the doorbell to try and tour the property.

They thought, “no one is going to be home” or worse “they will be home, but would be hesitant to show strangers off the street their home.”

Well, the home seller answered the door welcomed them in with open arms, and the couple immediately fell in love with not only the exterior of the property, but the interior too!

They knew it was their next home and made an offer on the spot, not realizing, “now what do we do with our house in College Grove, Tennessee.”   

Their beloved home pictured above was designed, customized and built just for them about 10-years ago after they were married. This home was about 4000 square-feet, with only three bedrooms, not to mention it was on 11- acres, did we mention it was a unique property?

At this point the offer was made and accepted in South Carolina, so the couple knew they needed to get as much equity as possible out of this property to make their retirement work. They hired an agent, who turned around and contacted our staging team to help freshen up the home’s design style that was dating the property. Take a look at the property prior to us tackling staging project below.

What We Did

Our team started by conducting a home staging consultation, where we assessed the property and provided cost vs. value recommendations to help easily update the house with cost-effective tasks.

The couple began to work diligently editing and pre-packing all their treasures so we could perform our next level of service called the Enhanced Staging Package. This service includes bringing in furniture, accessories and anything else needed to create an emotional experience for the buyer. This is a great option if the homeowner could benefit from more than what they already own to market their home to its fullest potential.

Making It Happen, No Matter What

Fast forward to the staging day, our client’s (the couple) went back to South Carolina to set up their new homes, the dogs were sent to the kennel and our team was set to go, but, Mother Nature had other plans…

An ice storm hit the area, postponing the project for a few days.

We waited to thaw, rebooked the project and the staging was back on. We packed the furnishings slated to stage the property into the moving truck and sent out for delivery. But, then the long curvy driveway leading to this gorgeous home, lacked sun — had not thawed yet and made it impossible for the truck to get to the property.

We were postponed again!

Our team was forced to unload the truck back at the warehouse and reschedule the staging, just to start the whole process over again in a few days.

In the meantime, the agent decided to go ahead and list the property before the staging. While the home had showings scheduled, they did not get any offers.

The couple eager to start retirement started to get discouraged, that is, until we were finally able to stage the property. In a mere six hours the home was transformed to highly competitive contender on the market. Scroll through the images below to see the property transformed after home staging.

The Reviews Are In

When the couple arrived home to their staged property, the first thing the wife said was, “feels like I’m living in a parade of homes.”

Once staged the agent enlisted the photographer to share professional photographs of the property online which helped attract over 20 showings, multiple offers and ultimately led to the sale of their beloved home for $159,000 over asking.

The clients could not have been more thrilled. Not only that the house sold quickly and for a lot more money but, most importantly they really could now start the retirement dreams. 

“Kim helped make the whole staging process very smooth despite having had some challenges with the snowstorm. She has been very flexible. She is clear, honest, and responsive with any questions or concerns. Hiring a stager comes with some tough love. It's not always easy to hear that your decor may not be the best for staging, but the results are undeniable. The house looked amazing after her staging. I truly believe that all her choices helped us achieve our very best outcome. We received multiple offers within days that were all at or above asking price. Kim was a crucial part of that success and absolutely wonderful to work with. I would highly recommend her!” - College Grove Homeowners + Couple

 The staging also made the swift sale easier for the agent to navigate:

 “Kim and her team do a wonderful job! They are mindful of the homeowner’s time and space and leave the home in perfect showing condition. Thank you, for, all you do always😊 ” - The Listing Agent

Here at The Staging Consultant we love making our client’s dreams a reality! If you’re looking to begin the next chapter of your life and need to sell a property for the biggest return on your investment quickly, then we urge you to start here.