By George Nicola (Expert Stager)
Recently I wrote a good article on how one can sell a run-down property guide I decided to catch up and share some experience and ideas on selling probate houses too.
On average, probate real estate takes around a year before it assumes ownership, likely due to legal hurdles such as family disputes, unsettled debts, and liens, making it a hard sell.
However, it’s impossible for that quick scoop from potential investors, especially with the right price and an attractive first impression of the property.
And, what better way than utilizing virtual simulation of your probate house through virtual staging.
Probate real estate is not the typical real estate to sell. It is possible to sell it quickly, but many are missing out on the money part by not having the right strategy.”
George Nicola (Expert Stager)
Things consider when selling probate house
Approximately 10% of homes sold on the market are probate properties where it attracts a good number of investors.
The lower price and opportunity to make improvements are some of the most attractive points of probate houses.
But decision-making is difficult that plague 80% of buyers. How can they picture themselves living in such conditions?
Probate properties are not always neglected, but people have lived in such places for a very long time, and with sudden passing away, the property is left without improvements.
Therefore, selling probate houses can be a challenge and even costly.
Probate homes are mostly sentimental places where making any changes may be impossible to do, as with anything that holds many cherished memories.
In addition, it is even more disheartening to discover the valuation price when it is below what they expect.
Probate houses are sold as long as the owner did not pass it on via final testament to someone else, like a relative. So, what is the best way to proceed?
Visualize to sell the probate homes
Where is the home located?
Proximity and access to transportation, grocery, park, or any other essential in the neighborhood.
These factors are just the beginning of what may come next.
However, if the house is empty, buyers can have difficulty visualizing the house in its full glory without some visual aid to demonstrate like real objects.
They need something to inspire them and to convince them to sign the dotted line.
So, that is where the virtual staging process comes in. Thanks to the huge demand for graphics processing power, we now have hardware and software capable of simulating a house’s interior and exterior.
The idea of virtual staging is to take an empty home, devoid of furnishings, and fill it in with virtual staging software.
Potential buyers will have an opportunity to see different ways to improve a house without hammering a single nail down or staging like a movie set. That process is expensive.
Creating the Virtual Simulation for probate properties
When a potential buyer looks at the interior or exterior of a property without a piece of furniture, it’s like staring into a blank canvass.
With powerful software, the actual dimensions are simulated into a 3-dimensional replica complete with furnishing, appliances, walls, ceiling and floor colors, and even decor.
The possible lighting and layer of textures and colors are also showcased with a virtual staging tour.
Everything starts with photos. A photographer goes on location to take pictures of the house’s interior rooms and exterior from all possible angles.
The photos are then uploaded to a computer so the virtual staging process can happen.
Professional visual stagers who usually have a degree or experience in the interior or architectural field process the information and photo documentation.
Until finally, reproduce an interactive three-dimensional space of your probate home or property that allows potential buyers to pan and walk-thru the space.
That is without the mess and other unappealing qualities of the actual probate home.
Effective Staging with probate real estate?
Staging a probate house for sale is pretty much more than just an advertising job.
The goal is to attract the right people to buy a home as they flick through promotional material, whether on a website or a magazine.
It is crucial to ensure that each image of the probate property they gaze upon has the potential to whet their appetite for a new home or investment opportunity.
What is Virtual Staging Best Used For in probate house projects?
· Showcase a house’s potential to a buyer by displaying the necessary furniture and appliances since the actual house may be empty or dilapidated.
The final result can be presented in numerous configurations to find the best combination of furniture, colors, and textures.
· Change old furniture to new or design based on a model of the best buyer’s taste.
Adding things digitally is more efficient, economical, and less time-consuming than installing real furniture.
· For companies selling probate real estate, it is the most economical way to advertise and produce marketing material.
In addition, it makes the service of a real estate agent more affordable since traditional staging is costly, and speaking from experience, agents are not willing to invest in traditional staging for probate, especially if it’s outdated.
· Completing the look of an unfinished home.
For example, if the home is currently being renovated, virtual staging is a great way to showcase what it might look like once the house is finished.
Since most of the tips we’ve gathered here are more on the marketing and presentation side, If you are into the legal side of probate houses, you can check out these 6 tips for beneficiaries prepared by Deeds.com
Why Opt for this Service?
· It is cheap to execute compared to traditional staging. However, it also costs half the price. In some cases, even less than half.
· Can be done in any setting, whether it be a manor house or small apartment.
· It works equally well to attract investors and savvy first-time buyers.
· Even a minimal staging of probate will help buyers visualize themselves inside the house.
· Staged probate homes are more likely to snag the attention of potential buyers.
Cost Savings of Probate Virtual Staging
If a probate house is staged traditionally, the price can easily rocket up thousands per room, and even the renovation costs are not included.
The process of doing it traditionally is almost trying to renovate the room for real to get a feel of it.
Of course, if you are the seller, that is not cheap.
Since the attempt simulates the best look, editing the rooms in real life is expensive and time-consuming.
But with probate virtual staging, selling probates has never been so easy and affordable.
Keeping the Peace
To sell a house under probate, sometimes there need to be some peaceful means to carry out staging.
Traditional staging is too much and can disrupt the house owner, assuming they still occupy the home.
So a better solution is to take pictures of the home, edit out any existing furniture and begin the virtual staging process.
This process can be done as many times as needed every time a new potential buyer comes around or if a potential buyer wishes to make edits until they get the look they want.
Updating the Look of an Old Rustic Home
Beauty is subjective, and what may look cozy to one owner, another may find dull. Old homes still tend to carry the aesthetic it was made, especially if this is the first time it’s being sold.
Like homes built in the 1940s, the aesthetics of such homes carry the trend of that time. So, with virtual staging, the outdated look can be replaced with a modern aesthetic or whatever appearance a potential buyer desires.
Of course, the inverse can be done too, take a modern home and use the software to change its look with something more traditional.
Changing the characteristics like color, texture, lighting, appliances, and furniture allows the home to be virtually renovated to look different.
To do this in real life is just too expensive and time-consuming. If the house is occupied by the current owner, then changing things inside is not exactly feasible.
How Important is Photography for Probate homes?
Viewing Probate homes from photos lacks perspective, especially if it hasn’t been staged or at least decluttered.
How much space is there really inside a particular room? Would it fit the sofa? Where could be the kid’s room? If the decision is to sell the probate without any additional work or marketing, a most important question to ask is:
– Can viewers see beyond the outdated decors and layout of the space
Adding familiar items will help a buyer situate themselves inside the room.
Fake it Till You Make It (Or when it's finished)
If a house is currently under repair, it is not exactly the best time to show it to a prospect. But with just a handful of photographs, virtual staging allows editors to “finish” the home, so the potential buyer has time to decide until the repairs are finished.
With houses under probate always disclose the truth
When showing a photo of a staged property, there’s nothing wrong with disclosing the truth that it was staged, especially virtual.
Allows buyers to look at the property in its entirety and view it when it is empty. This allows them to switch between those two modes and understand the potential.
But, of course, when they first enter the property, they’ll want to know where things will be.
When the client is taken to the empty home, it is always good to bring copies of the staged photos, so they get to see the room for real and use the photos as a guide when they try to visualize different objects going to different places in the room.
Where is Virtual Staging Best Used?
There are many kinds of properties out there where virtual staging can be used. So far, we’ve been talking about probate houses but also think of commercial spaces.
A typical office needs to be comfortable to work in, and what better way to find different configurations for this but with software that will allow simulation.
Tips for Selling Probate House - The Conclusion
It’s really amazing how technology has advanced, particularly in the graphics department, that we found many ways to utilize it.
Much of the credit goes to the video game industry, where gamers demand better and better graphics for every generation.
But, of course, many industries benefited from this advancement, such as the movie industry, medical, engineering, architecture, and interior design.
The real estate industry has truly born the fruits of virtual staging as it allows agents in this industry to advertise and sell real estate with great speed and efficiency.
This is why many realtors should instruct every beneficent to prepare their property for photoshoots.
