REAL ESTATE · 14

have people concentrate on the personal items. So, each room is set up where it looks good on camera, which would then invite people to go further and come through the house for a tour. If the house looks like a fixer-upper or is very cluttered or you can’t get a sense of the house, people might pass it by, especially in markets that are a little bit less vibrant than the one we’re in right now,” Estridge said.

Investing in the staging process has to be done carefully, Estridge warns. Some home fixes just might not be worth it. These include Kitchen (After) - 9213 Cedarcrest Dr., Bethesda, MD. Photo courtesy Estridge Group.

“brand new windows, unless the [existing windows] are absolutely decrepit or sealed shut…. They just don’t have the return right up front,” Estridge said. “We also don’t do very expensive appliances or materials or light fixtures because you want high impact but you know people are pretty good with [seeing] simple things as long as they look modern. Also, ripping out whole kitchens and bathrooms typically doesn’t pay as well as simply painting a cabinet, or putting on a new handle or doing a new countertop. In bathrooms that are dated or colored and the tiles are old, just reglazing can have a high impact versus re-doing all of the tiling.”

While many have heard of the pop psychology of using the smell of freshly baked cookies to entice home buyers on tour, Estridge prioritizes using the smells of fresh and clean surfaces and creating scenes where buyers can imagine themselves living immediately in the space. “Everything is emotional when you’re buying a property,” Estridge said. “You know, the way light shines through the windows. I don’t necessarily think you need the cookie thing, but certainly fresh paint and fresh carpeting smells new and inviting…. We put a lot of window washing and scrubbing things down before we put the home on the market and I think that’s always appealing…. There’s just the emotional thing that you’re walking in and you can envision yourself within the house…. And when things are looking like a model [home], I think most everyone responds well.”

Other tricks of the trade Estridge shared include tending to anything in the home that suggests water leakage, rotting wood, dampness, mold, mildew or staining. Customers who notice hardscaping issues outside, chimney or brick-appointing problems, untended landscaping, or potentially expensive up-front costs can be dissuaded from purchasing. In old and historic Georgetown homes, lighting can also be an issue because of the “railroad track” design of many homes

Melinda Estridge Headshot. Photo courtesy Estridge Group.

with their smaller original windows. So, it’s vital that every room and space be well lighted with modern fixtures.

“Having done hundreds and hundreds of appointments with stagers,” Estridge said, she has gained “a sense of what their thoughts are, what their perspectives are, and what they’re going to want to see…. They can look at a room and know just what they’re going to bring in from their warehouses…. So, I think it’s important to hire a professional stager because they really know what they’re doing.”

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