Why Stage the Entry Area

I firmly believe that one of most critical staging areas is the entry area.  And the reason is pretty simple.  Buyers make up their mind in the first 30-60 seconds upon entering a house.  The rest of the time in the house is spent justifying their first emotional reaction. 

Entry areas come in all shapes and forms.  From the small closed off “hallway” to the magnificent and open entrance with the grand stairway.  No matter what you have to work with, this space has to look great.  And, it can be done.

There is a simple technique that I use with sellers who are on the fence about having their house staged and/or updated.  I ask the sellers to stand with me at their front door entry and tell me what they see.  Often, there is a soft groan as they begin to look at their house through the eyes of a potential buyer.  They typically come to the realization that the home that they love could benefit from professional help.

As a stager, I must make sure that an entry space makes that all important first impression. I ask questions that relate to the senses:

·         Are all areas within sight of the entry visually appealing and is the room well and softly light?

·         Is there a clean and fresh smell?

·         Does the front door hardware have a nice feel and is the air temperature comfortable?

·         Is there a relaxed, warm and peaceful feeling?

Check out the Transitions website for examples of how we stage entry areas to make good first impressions.  Just click on http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Entry-Ways-I.html  

In summary, the entry area sets the tone for the rest of the home showing.  As we share over and over again, you are never given a second chance to make a good first impression.  With an interesting and inviting entry, the potential buyer begins to see the possibilities of making this house their home. 

Dwell in possibilities! 

Cindy

What’s Selling – “A+ Homes”

I had an interesting conversation this morning with one of my favorite Realtors.  I always learn from her.  She keeps me on my toes and her knowledge of what’s going on in the housing market informs and inspires me. 

This Realtor passed on a statistic about our real estate market based on her experience and the experience of other Realtors.  She said that the houses that are selling now are either deeply discounted foreclosures or “A+ Homes”.  The rest of the homes (roughly 60 percent) are not selling. 

That says to me that in order to sell in this difficult market, a home must be pristine, memorable and priced well.  It must stand out from the crowded market of the “Other 60%”.  It must answer most, if not all, of the questions a prospective buyer has about the form and function of the spaces.  It should be move-in ready if the seller expects a premium price. 

It is easy to describe the “Other 60%” - tired and drab, boring and sad.  Paint colors that were intended to look rich too often make the house dark and dreary.  Furniture is often too large and worn.  Some suffer from outdated kitchens, bathrooms and carpeting.  Others look like every other house that the buyers just visited – nothing unique, nothing memorable. 

In rare cases, some sellers are able to create and maintain an “A+ Home”.  In most cases, the seller needs professional assistance to turn their “Other 60%” house into an “A+ Home”. 

I think in order to transform a house into this category of “homes that are selling”, the home seller is helped dramatically by having a Dream Team consisting of a Realtor, a professional home stager and other professional resources (painters, plumbers, carpet installers, etc.,).  This team can plan and execute the details necessary to make that house pristine, memorable and priced well.  The end result may appear magical but it is the result of experience, expertise and elbow grease.

The seller also needs to buy into the concept that they may receive the return on their investment if they budget for updates, refreshes and professional home staging.  The process is much simpler when the seller realizes that their house is now a product to market and sell and not the same home it was the day before they decided to sell it.

Selling a house is hard work – for the seller, for the Realtor and, if the seller is savvy, for the professional support team.  But it can be done if the seller is open to the realities of the real estate market and the possibilities of transforming their house into an “A+ Home”.

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

Friday Treat – She Is All That and a Bag of Chips

She’s a talented photographer; a self taught designer, collage enthusiast and arranger of flowers; mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and ‘work in progress’; and, supermodel beautiful.  

Slim Paley is all that and a bag of chips! 

Her blog, The Stuff of Life, is fun, entertaining, and inspirational and it is this week’s Friday treat.  It is truly a feast for the senses.  Her photos are breathtaking.  Her sense of style is inspiring. And her blog is just lots of fun.

“Once I packed for a 3 or 4 day trip and put each and every “ensemble” together from soup to nuts, wrapped them all individually already on a hanger.  God that was brilliant. It was the best thing ever that I’ve never done again.  One of the things I’ve come to realize as I get older is that instead of becoming more decisive, I’m going in the opposite direction, and I’m not just talking about packing.  Not really liking this at all- any tips for overcoming??

Where else can you find photos of Garden Dahlias, recipe for Crispy Wild Salmon in Rice Paper, and her current read (Sarah’s Key) and future read (Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness)? 

Indulge your senses and take a break on a Friday during the dog days of August.  Check out Slim Paley today at http://slimpaley.com/ 

Remember to always dwell in possibilities and make sure to have fun in the process!!

Cindy

Having Your House Staged (and Sold) Can Be Very Emotional

Our homes are chocked full of memories.  You can find loved ones and friends; laughter and tears; good times and bad in the photos, paintings, furniture, accessories, books, nooks and crannies of your home.  When it comes time to get that house ready to sell, the process can be emotional.  

When a professional home stager is engaged to help with this process, it can be very emotional.  The home stager has a very specific mission – transform this house of memories into a space that appeals to as many buyers as possible.   

My approach is to help the seller make this transformation with as much tact and compassion as I can muster.  I know that I have to be “tough” enough to make the transformation.  If not, the house would remain being Smith-friendly and not buyer-friendly.  But, I also take more time, listen to the stories about those precious memories, and make sure that the sellers at least understand why we are doing what we are doing. 

In some instances, my approach works.  In other instances it does not.  Here are a few quick examples that will sound familiar to every real estate professional. 

“I need to call my wife and prepare her for what you have done before she gets home.  This is going to be very emotional for her.”  In this case, my Realtor partner and I went in and identified dozens and dozens of items that needed to be removed and boxed up for their new home.  This couple was very sentimental and displayed family heirlooms, treasured gifts from family and friends, and purchases from favorite trips.  The end result was a house full of wonderful things that masked the flow and focal points of their lovely home.  The wife arrived home emotionally prepared for her buyer-friendly house.   

“What you did was too minimal for what I consider pretty.  A buyer can see past all my stuff.  You must put everything back exactly as you found it.”  This one was a shock to my Realtor partner and me.  This seller was a retired corporate executive and so we expected a savvy seller ready to do what needs to be done to get the house on the market.  Instead, we spent 2 hours making the house buyer-friendly; 30 minutes letting the seller vent about all that we had done wrong with the house; and about an hour putting it back to the same condition as when we walked in the door.  The emotions of changing what reflected the taste, style and identity of this seller was greater than the desire to make this house buyer-friendly. 

“I appreciate what is being done and want to do it, but I must confess it is much more emotional and tiring than I expected.”  This seller was ready to sell and stage.  When the time came to transform her house, she was surprised by how emotional it became.  And the irony was that this seller was a professional home stager named Cindy! 

I learned from my experience just as I learned from many, many emotional sellers I’ve assisted over the past 6 years.  These experiences made me even more sensitive to how emotional staging and selling your home can be. 

Dwell in possibilities 

Cindy

Kitchen Staging

A kitchen closes the deal on a house.  The kitchen is second most important room in the home selling process next to the entry area where first impressions are formed.  If the kitchen is remarkable then the house has been sold emotionally.  Of course, there is always that little matter of the price.

It is easy to see why the kitchen can be the deal closer or deal breaker.  It is the space where the family gathers most often.  The kitchen is more than the place they cook.  It is where they plan their day over morning coffee and share their day over dinner.  It is the place where great parties begin and end.  If buyers can imagine those possibilities in this kitchen, it can be the deal closer

Buyers don’t want an outdated kitchen.  Buyers don’t want a cluttered kitchen.  Buyers don’t want a kitchen that needs work.  If buyers have these concerns or issues, then the kitchen is likely going to be the deal breaker.

Kitchens need to be staged!  Professional home staging can help turn a tired kitchen into a fresh and inviting space.  Staged kitchens come alive with the possibilities of fun dinners, comfortable gab sessions and memorable parties.  It is amazing how a teapot, colorful dishes and an open cookbook transforms a dull and drab space.  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I suggest you check out our website for great examples of staged kitchens (http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Kitchens.html ).

Kitchens also benefit from being restyled and updated.  Buyers prefer move-in ready houses.  They don’t want to replace outdated appliances, old countertops and wallpaper from another era.  Buyers will often reduce their offer dramatically if they believe they will need to update a kitchen.  Sellers can restyle and update their kitchens prior to listing their house for a cost significantly less than the buyer’s price reduction.  We have two examples of restyled and updated kitchens that returned the investment back to the sellers - see photos of the Camelot Court and Glynwood kitchens at http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/Kitchens-2.html  

Buyers want to imagine their family and their best selves in the kitchen enjoying life and each other.  Professional home staging feeds the buyer’s imagination with the ideas of the possibilities to be found in that kitchen. 

Remember to always dwell in possibilities

Cindy