Staging seals the deal in East Point

Why she sold: To move near her son in Villa Rica. Mitchell and her husband, Tommy, purchased the home in 1983. After Tommy died in July 2011, Mitchell, a former vice president for the East Point office of Wachovia who knew many residents and community leaders, didn't want to move immediately. "It was home, absolutely home. It was the hardest thing for me to make the decision to move," she said. "It was a wonderful place to live for 30 years." She put her home on the market in May 2013.

Time on market: 257 days

Original price: $155,000

Sale price: $135,000

What it took

She had remodeled the kitchen after her husband’s death, with white cabinets, black countertops, black-and-white mosaic tile backsplash, and black-and-white striped valances. The bedrooms and bathrooms were repainted in the Cape Cod-style home.

“Because I loved my house so much I thought somebody would come in and love it in about 60 days but that did not happen,” she said.

Her agent, Norman Bruce, co-listed the house with another agent while working at another brokerage firm. He said the house was almost never shown before he moved to Atlanta Intown Real Estate Services in November 2013. During that time, they also pulled up the carpet to expose the hardwood floors.

Mitchell, who had moved to Villa Rica, also agreed to have her empty house staged. The cost was a $900 flat fee for the initial staging, plus $300 a month until the home sold six months later. The stager brought in more modern furnishings in gray, black and white to buyers in their 20s and 30s, Mitchell said. New furniture included chairs covered with fabric in an ikat pattern and a marble-top table in the living room.

Once the listing moved with Bruce to Atlanta Intown Real Estate Services, it was shown several times and received an offer in three months, he said.

Potential stumbling block

The appraisal came in too low. After her agent contested the initial appraisal, the property value was increased, but not to the agreed-upon sale price of $155,000. The sale price had to be dropped. Also, the property had a stream in the backyard, so Mitchell paid about $1,500 for a fence to be built, because the buyer’s FHA loan required a barrier.

Seller’s hint

Be willing to invest in staging, even though it is an additional expense. “It’s worth it. The house is sold. I’m settled here, making my new friends, and my son is out here,” she said. “The only thing I miss is my good sweet neighbors that lived around me.”