“Your decorating that home with vision and understanding made it a hot item!”

These kind words about our home staging work were shared a few months ago before we started “to be continued.”  I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to share them and believe this is that time.

Hey Cindy

It is Rick Morgan from Mr.Swat Pest Control.  I inspected the Robin property again for the 3rd or 4th time. I have always hated the outlay of that house. 

This time however when I did the inspection I was so impressed with the potential of the home. I would have never thought of using the basement fireplace room as a bedroom.   In addition the upstairs where the step up is to me was always awkward. But when I saw the way you set it up, as well as the bathrooms, I have to tell you I WAS IMPRESSED!!!!

I personally feel, and this is just my thoughts that your decorating that home with vision and understanding made it a hot item.......!

I work hard every day and some appreciate the efforts I put forth, I simply wanted you to know that your work is ........ without a doubt.......... exceptional.

One likes to hear praise for their work.  It is especially gratifying when it comes from a dispassionate source like Rick who was just performing an inspection of the Robin house (http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Robin-Staging.html ). 

His comments provide more testimony that professional staging can make a huge difference in the sale of a house.

Dwell in possibilities!

Cindy

Accessories - The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Today, we will examine Accessories, the final home staging area of concentration. 

Accessories in a home for sale remind me of the opening line of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities --it was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .”  

For most homes, the accessories are the family’s signature imprint on their home.  These accessories often include family photos (usually in great abundance), memorabilia, items of great personal meaning, and things they purchased for a myriad of reasons that are special to the family.  For the seller, their accessories often reflect the “best of times” that they had together and in this house.

For the realtor and professional home stager, these same accessories represent the “worst of times” because they have to convince the seller that these personally valuable accessories need to be removed and boxed up for their next home.  The house needs to be cleared of these personal items so that the potential buyer imagines living in this house and does not become distracted by the seller’s “stuff”. 

It takes great tact and concern to make this case to the sellers (and that process is good fodder for another blog in which I share some stories about the emotional side of removing personal items before staging).

There is another “best of times” part to accessories that is illustrated by today’s pictures of the recent staging of the Evergreen house (http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Projects.html).  I believe that one of my most valuable set of resources for professional staging are the towels, table clothes, place settings, waxed fruit, lamps, paintings, floral arrangements, mirrors, and lamps that I use to stage a house.  You can see their affect in this recent project.

Like frosting on the cake, these accessories give life, color and charm to the house.  They make the online photos pop.  Accessories accentuate the best features of the house.

The art of staging involves the placement of accessories to help the potential buyer understand the function of the space, to feel comfortable being in the space and most importantly, to imagine living the next chapter of their life in that house.  When it works like it did with the Evergreen house, great results happen.

PS – last week’s Homeowner of the Week received an offer on his house the first day after staging.

Dwell in possibilities!

Cindy

“The market is still really tough. A house needs to use everything available to be competitive.”

I had a conversation last week with a Tulsa, Oklahoma realtor that I wanted to continue with you.  She made an interesting observation about the state of the housing market.  “The market is still really tough.  A house needs to use everything available to be competitive.”  She and I agreed that professional staging can play a major role in making a house really competitive.

In my experience, proactive and successful realtors do use advanced techniques to help sell their houses.  And success breeds success as potential sellers want to list their houses with realtors who deliver results.

Staging is one of those advanced techniques that proactive, successful realtors use to set their listings apart from the competition for the right reasons.  Professional staging makes the house competitive.  Professional staging delivers results.  Professional staging sells houses.

We have examples of houses that had offers within the first week of being staged by Transitions.  Check out our website (http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Projects.html ) and look for the Peppergrass, Manor, Evergreen and Camelot Court staging projects as examples of houses that had offers within the first week.

As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, savvy sellers know that the cost of professional home staging is an investment in selling their house quicker and for the best possible price.  Plus, it is important to remember that the price of professional home staging is much less than the first price reduction.  And don’t forget that a professionally staged house dramatically improves the pictures for the online listing – a technique becoming more valuable in our ever increasing online world.  . 

It can be tough to convince the seller to have their house professionally staged.  I suggest you send them to the Transitions website (http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/) for real life examples of the huge difference staging can make in selling a house.

Dwell in possibilities!

Cindy

“What in the world am I going to do with this one? I have nothing to work with!”

I know this quote was not originally intended to describe residential real estate.  But, I often have a different take on things I see and hear.

“Pretty is something you’re born with, but beautiful, that’s an equal opportunity adjective”    Unknown

I am constantly looking for ways to improve my craft.  It is always a challenge to find the right choice of words to help home sellers think out of the box and why they should take the extra steps of home staging before they list their homes.  I find that quotes like this one help set the stage (pun intended).

I think every house has at least one best feature.  Some homes are blessed with many wonderful and obvious best features.  But in the case of other homes, you really have to look hard to find just one best feature.  It is so satisfying to take a frumpy and tired house and make it shine again. 

These houses are not the easiest to stage, but the results can be dramatic and successful. 

I can’t tell you how many times I have walked into a house and thought to myself “What in the world am I going to do with this one.  I have nothing to work with!” But, with serious pondering, imagination and some tricks of the trade, I know that I will make it a place where people will not only want to come into, but will want to stay. 

This diamond in the rough could be someone’s dream home.

Dwell in possibilities!

Cindy

There is no wrong side of the bed. ~ Diane von Furstenberg

Diane von Furstenberg just introduced a home collection of bedding and table top designs at Bloomingdale’s.  I snapped this picture while window shopping last week. 

In staging a home and preparing it for potential buyer viewing, I think it is of utmost importance to have fresh (looking and smelling), crisp and luxurious bedding.  Don’t you?

Dwell in possibilities!

Cindy