Friday Treat – Etsy – Buy, Sell and Live Handmade

This week’s Friday treat is an amazing global market place to buy and sell interesting, cool, cutting- edge and funky handmade items.  If you have not yet heard about Etsy (http://www.etsy.com), I promise that you will not be disappointed by this web find.  Now, I can’t promise that you won’t be overwhelmed the first few times you visit Etsy because there is so much to see and experience.

On any given day, the Etsy home page promotes everything from rustic wood wall sculptures to vintage tank tops and shirts; from a modern burlap table runner to summer wedding accessories.  There may be a blog post about how to capture the look of California Modern.  You can also search Etsy by more 30 categories (such as Art, Furniture, Weddings, Geekery, and of course, Everything Else).  Or, you can shop Colors, Local, Pounce (just listed sellers) or Gift Ideas. 

Who knows, Etsy may replace QVC and the Home Shopping Network as your place to shop.  Just don’t blame me if you become an Etsy addict!

Exactly what Is Etsy?  Their mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers.  Their vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice to “Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade”.  The Etsy community spans the globe with buyers and sellers coming from more than 150 countries. Etsy sellers number more than 800,000 active shops! 

According to Etsy crafter-in-chief and co-founder, Rob Kalin, "we want to allow the makers of the world to claim authorship for what they're making," he says. "This is what Etsy stands for: The little guy being able to organize a better marketplace."  If you are interested, read more about the business side of Etsy in the recent Inc. magazine cover story “Can Rob Kalin Scale Etsy?” (http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110401/can-rob-kalin-scale-etsy.html)

Check out Etsy at http://www.etsy.com.  Truly, the possibilities you will find there are endless!! 

Remember to always dwell in possibilities

Cindy

Sometimes Our Choice, Sometimes Our Surprise

I heard these words in a recent sermon - Sometimes our choice, sometimes our surprise. 

There are so many things in life that we choose to do but are then made special by an unexpected surprise.  Whether it is the out-of-the way restaurant or the family visit; the book gathering dust on the shelf or the quiet moment of self-reflection, there are those moments that sneak up and surprise us with their wonder, splendor and delight. 

While these words were meant to be spiritual and inspirational, I found them to be so representative of the process of selling houses.

There are situations when savvy sellers enthusiastically choose to stage their house for sale.  They recognize that it either lacks something or has too much of many things and can benefit from the trained eye of a professional stager.  I am inspired by those savvy sellers who are willing and able to help me help them transform their house increasing the possibilities it will sell in the shortest possible time for the highest price.  One of the best rewards for me is when the savvy sellers are surprised by how good their staged house looks.  In some cases, they ask if I will “stage” their new house so that it looks as good as this one does.

There are other situations when Realtors and sellers reluctantly turn to a professional stager because the feedback from other Realtors points out an issue or “problem” with a room or a space that puts off potential buyers.  These situations are challenges that I relish because I know that I can help the seller solve this problem and appeal to as many buyers as possible.  It is rewarding to have feedback about their surprise at how my staging transformed their house.

The final surprise happens to me.  I must confess there are houses that present challenges and anxieties as I ponder how to stage that house.  Occasionally, I hit a wall and think “this is the one where I will get me”.  Then, I make choices about what to put where and what to add.  Then, inspiration strikes and the surprise bursts forth!  My choices make sense; the problems melt away and the house is transformed into a space I am proud to claim as one of my better efforts (Truth in staging, like a parent with many children, I love each and every house that I stage – and I hope my love comes through to everyone who enters the door!).

Sometimes our choice, sometimes our surprise – I encourage you to make those choices but also be open to the possibility of being surprised by the family visit, the moment of self-reflection or the house transformed by professional staging.

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

Professional Home Staging as a Standard

It is good to be back at it after the Fourth of July holiday weekend and a wonderful visit in NJ with our newest grandchild.  It was a fun, relaxing and energizing time.  Now, my batteries are recharged and I am raring to go!  Let’s find possibilities to work together!

During my time away, I realized that there are two goals that drive me in my home staging work. The first goal you know quite well if you work with me or follow this blog:

To help my Realtor partners and their savvy sellers use my home staging expertise, experience and resources to sell their houses in the shortest amount of time for the highest possible price. 

It is a worthy goal with many examples of doing just that – check out our website at http://transitions-home-staging.com for specific examples.

My second goal is equally important and in some respects more challenging:

To make professional home staging the standard in our area. 

If home staging is the standard, then Realtors and sellers (partners or not; savvy or not) will realize that their house needs to be staged by a professional because most of the other houses on the market are being staged.  Buyers will expect that the houses they consider visiting first are the ones that have been staged and have “eye popping” online photos.  If home staging is the standard, then those staged houses will sell for all of the right reasons.  And of course, my sincere hope is that Transitions Home Staging will be the first choice for professional home staging in our area.

I must admit that I see glimmers of hope in making professional home staging a standard in our area.  In the past 2 weeks, we worked with three new Realtors and one savvy seller – each one deciding that having Transitions stage their house would be worth the investment.  We continue to grow the readership of this blog (more than 2000 total page views to date) which is another sign that our messages about home staging are being read.  We have daily visitors to our website which tells the home staging story exceptionally well in pictures and results.  We are scheduled to speak at a few sessions (one for Realtors and one for potential home sellers) in the coming weeks which will provide another forum for sharing the benefits and results of professional home staging.

With professional home staging, the transformations are dramatic and the results impressive.  Plus, with home staging, the possibilities are endless. 

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

Professional Home Staging – An Investment and Not Just a Cost (One More Time)

Quality home staging by an experienced trained stager costs money!  For most houses, the home staging cost range can be from an hourly rate for a consultation to $3500 or more for the full staging of a vacant house. 

For some sellers, this is viewed as an unnecessary expense.  They are living in the past and expect their home to………just sell.   Gone are the days when you can just stick a “for sale” sign in the yard! 

For the savvy seller, this home staging cost is an investment in selling their house quicker and for the best possible price. 

The savvy seller and proactive realtor also understand the key benefits of home staging. 

·         They know that it accentuates the home’s best features. 

·         Home staging provides a nice, easy and consistent use of space and movement. 

·         They recognize that a professionally staged house appeals to as many buyers as possible. 

·         Most importantly, home staging helps sell the house quicker and for the highest price possible.

·         Another hidden benefit is that the price of home staging is much less than the first price reduction.

And don’t forget, a professionally staged house dramatically improves the pictures for the online listing (that subject is a blog for another day).

Let us know if we missed any other important benefits of professional home staging by commenting on this blog.

Dwell in possibilities!

Cindy

Dates, Job Interviews, or Selling Your House – Is There Any Difference? (One More Time)

When we are getting ready for a date or a job interview, we make sure that we look our best (that is if we want a second date or the job).  Typically, we are properly groomed and wearing one of our better and appropriate outfits.  We want to impress our date or the person doing the job interview. 

Why should it be any different when we decide to sell our house? 

§  Do we think that our house should not be cleaned and groomed or outfitted as well as we get ourselves ready for a date?

§  Do we not think that the importance of how our house looks is any different than the importance of how we look for a job interview? 

The answer to these questions is very simple –it is very important that our house look its best when a buyer visits. 

Remember – you are never given a second chance to make a good first impression.  If the house is messy, cluttered, or confusing to the potential buyer, odds are they will not be back and you lost a sales opportunity. 

In its simplest terms, home staging involves making sure your house is cleaned, groomed and properly outfitted.  When I stage a house, I make sure that it is ready for its first date with every prospective buyer.  And the results speak for themselves.

Remember to dwell in possibilities!

Cindy