10 REASONS NOT TO STAGE YOUR HOME

Today’s post is a reprint of a great article I wish I had written.  Fellow stager, Janet Jones of Hawaii, was the author and gave us permission to reprint her article.  This one is a keeper!!!

1. We want to test the market for 90 days.  And on the 91st day?  Price reduction--and 90 days worth of potential buyers who have already eliminated your property.

2. It costs too much money.  I have never seen a home where the staging costs would have exceeded the first price reduction.  And that doesn't even factor in the monthly carrying cost of the home.

3. We can't stage the house, we're living in it.  One common misconception is that staging is only for vacant homes.  Every home/condo can be staged, and you can actually live in it after staging.

4. We didn't have to stage any of the other properties we sold over the years.  Yes, once upon a time you could generate three offers by 5 p.m. on the same day your Realtor put the For Sale sign in your yard.  Not now.  Buyers are picky and they have a lot of homes to choose from.

5. Everyone loves our house so buyers will love it, too.  What you, your friends and relatives love about your house may not be what today's buyer wants.  Sellers are often baffled by the feedback they get after showings--amazed that buyers have found things they don't like about the property.

6. We can clean the carpets and declutter without someone telling us how.  Yes, you can (and should) do this, but it is a tiny piece of staging.  Do you know what separates "clutter" from "asset"?  And what about all the other things that staging encompasses, like traffic flows, highlighting architectural features, updating, and appealing to your target market?

7. We have no desire to remove/change our (wallpaper/mirrored tile/gold faucets/paneling/dated light fixtures . . .).  And neither do buyers.  Better to keep your home or be ready to sell at a deep discount.

8. The view alone will sell this place.  Then why many months later are these great view homes/condos still on the market?  Could it be that buyers want something to go with the view--like a comfortable, move-in ready home?

9. We would rather let the buyers makes their own paint/flooring choices.  And that equals a price reduction. If buyers do make an offer on your home they will double or triple the cost of these items and reflect that in their discounted offer price--which includes a deduction for the inconvenience.

10. Our home is professionally decorated.  A professionally decorated home is tailored to the owner's particular needs. Does it work for the new buyer's needs? You could see #1 above . . . .

These are all great reasons--

• for price reductions
• for extended time on the market
• for buyers not coming to look at your home
• for buyers not coming back for a second look

• There are dozens of reasons not to stage, but only one good reason to stage--getting your home sold faster for the highest possible price. Staging is preparing your home for sale and creating a home that buyers want to buy. If you want to be in the best competitive position in this market today, consult with a professional home stager before listing your property for sale.
   
  Janet L. Jones
  Kihei, Hawaii
  Just Your Style Staging and Redesign
  http://www.just-your-style-interiors.com/
   
  
  
  
  

 

 

Enough About Me. What About You?

Last week, I attended the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) convention near San Francisco.  I learned so much and came back brimming with ideas, enthusiasm and new techniques.  Today, I want to share a few of the tidbits picked up at RESA that may be of interest and value to you.  

So instead of too many details about staging tips and strategies, I will share stuff you can use - enough about me and more about you.

·        I learned from a panel of Realtors that professional home staging is assumed In San Francisco.  The vast majority of houses on the market are staged.  The criteria used for choosing a home stager are the product (are you wowed from the front door?) as well as their reliability and experience.

 

·        In areas where staging is not assumed, the competition is not other professional home stagers.  Our competition is not staging at all or seller complacency.  This complacency is based upon the assumption that the only preparation needed before listing a house on the market is to put a “For Sale” sign in the front yard – and the market will do the rest for you. 

·        A few of the top decorating trends include:

o   Colors – Pantone color of the year for 2013 is Emerald Green

o   Global chic – well-traveled, eclectic displays of books and accessories

o   Mixing it up – contemporary with vintage; formal with casual; indoors out and outdoors in

·        Some catchy phrases for Realtors and professional home stagers

o   If they can smell it, you can’t sell it. 

o   Clutter eats equity.

o   “All things being equal” - four most dangerous words in business.

·        Motivational speakers worth remembering (especially if you have to book a meeting speaker or if you are looking for some personal inspiration and motivation):

o   Elizabeth Hagen (Now is Your Time:  The Steps to be Fearless and Extraordinary) - http://elizabethhagen.com/

o   Bodine Balasco (VISION CREATES REALITY – Expanding Your Ability to Create the Results You Truly Want) - http://www.bodinebalasco.com/

o   David Arvin (It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You) - http://www.visibilitycoach.com/

I also came away with a great line used by David Arvin (who is a dead ringer for the British actor, Clive Owen).  His story was that he was at a convention of motivational speakers who can be some of the most extroverted people you will ever meet.  You know, they are the kind of people who will say -- “Enough about me.  Let’s talk about you?  What do you think about me?”

For me, the possibilities are endless when the focus is not on me but on what I can do to help my sellers and Realtor partners get the best price possible in the shortest amount of time by using my home staging services.  But I must confess that when I finish staging a home, I am always interested in the feedback from the seller and Realtor about the finished product – as I want them to be wowed as well as wowing the potential buyer.

 

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

 

PS – I was not selected as the RESA Top Stager – Occupied Stagings in North America.  But I was so proud and so excited to be called up to the stage and stand with the other nine stagers selected as top ten finalists in this category.

 

Home Staging Trends for 2013

I was interviewed by a reporter interested in my perspective on home staging trends for 2013.  After the interview, I decided that the “to be continued” blog was another venue for sharing my perspective. 

EMOTION BEATS NEUTRAL EVERY TIME!  There is a myth that home staging requires that the house be neutral to appeal to as many buyers as possible.  Keep the house a blank slate and depersonalized are parts of this myth. 

For me the new trend in professional home staging is the need to build emotion into the house with the For Sale sign in the front yard.  Buying a house is an emotional decision and buyers need to connect emotionally with the house.  Therefore, the staged house needs to make that great first impression with a statement – and not a neutral, blank canvas.

I find the emotion for the house by discussing the target market and neighborhood with my Realtor partner as well as their vision for how this house should look to potential buyers.  Plus, I bring my experience to bear in terms of how we can highlight the focal points of the house to amplify its emotional appeal.

BUYERS STILL WANT “MOVE-IN” READY.  AND THAT MEANS SELLERS NEED TO DO HOMEWORK BEFORE PUTTING THEIR HOUSE ON THE MARKET.  Many buyers have very busy lives and do not want to face major projects, kitchen upgrades or extensive painting.  It is enough to unpack their boxes, arrange their furniture and settle into the new home and neighborhood.  The want move-in ready without any remodeling or major projects required. 

The growing trend for houses that sold quickly in 2012 and a continuing trend for 2013 will be the need for home sellers to make investments in their house to make it look and feel “move-in” ready. 

For many staging projects, I spend 60-90 minutes giving the sellers “homework” which can be everything from new carpeting and fresh painting to furniture and accessory removal.  I then go in to stage the house only after the “homework” has been completed.  I find that some sellers are excited to do something productive to help make their house more marketable.  There are other sellers who resist and do the work reluctantly – but are usually very happy with the end result.  The big advantage of this approach is that the home staging becomes a team effort among the sellers, Realtor and home stager.

SAVVY REALTORS SET STANDARDS FOR THEIR SELLERS BEFORE THEY PUT THEIR SIGN IN THE FRONT YARD.  Some of my really savvy Realtor partners set clear standards and make sure that the house is ready before they list it.  These Realtors know that buyers will pick “move-in ready” over “fixer-uppers” just about every time.  They also adjust the asking price up in cases when the seller’s improvements and professional home staging truly increases the value of the house. 

These Realtors can be proud of their track record of quick sells and one of the reasons is the expectations they put on their sellers. 

WORD OF MOUTH TESTIMONIALS AND REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF THE POWER OF HOME STAGING WILL DRIVE MORE SELLERS TO STAGE THEIR HOUSES.  In the past, most people knew about professional home staging from shows they watched on HGTV.  The new trend has been friends telling friends about what a difference staging makes and referring their friends to the Realtors who use professional stagers.

For example, I worked for and with a circle of friends who each chose my Realtor partner, and ultimately me, to stage their houses because of the very positive experiences and results shared by their friends and neighbors. 

The best part of the story is that one of circle members had their house on the market for over a year – listed by a friend of Mr. Seller.  When they saw their friends using my proactive Realtor partner and selling their houses quickly, they decided to switch Realtors and had me stage their house.  After being staged, this house sold in less than a month!!  

And the circle of 5 will be expanding to 6 as we are now in conversations with another friend about listing that house.  We are not sure when this circle will end if it will ever end – the possibilities are endless!!!

 

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy

Opportunity of a Lifetime – Decorate and Furnish Housing for Meryl, Julia and the Cast of August: Osage County

2012 was truly an amazing year for me with the most amazing part being the work we did for the movie August: Osage County.  We were hired in August to decorate and furnish the housing for the cast which included Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Julianne Nicholson and Abigail Breslin.

It was one of the more challenging projects for lots of reasons. 

 

·         Our task was to outfit 11 empty lofts in less than 3 weeks making them comfortable, cozy and livable for the cast who would be living there for about 3 months.  We provided everything from furniture, bedding, towels, kitchenware, glassware and accessories.  We had to shop until we dropped and then go back at it the next day.  For example, we bought over 80 pillows for the loft bedrooms. 

·         We were decorating and furnishing for folks used to living quite comfortably including two of the biggest stars in the world (as we were reminded on more than one occasion).  It felt then and continues to feel surreal that these celebrities lived and slept in spaces that we decorated.

·         We had only 2 weeks from possession of the lofts until the cast members arrived in Bartlesville.  Those two weeks included lots of trips to Tulsa for buying sprees filling up our SUVs; lots of coordination with our furniture resources; and lots of late nights getting these spaces ready.

·         We delivered the completed lofts just in time – finishing at midnight on Friday with the cast arriving on Saturday and Sunday.  And, Walt and I were beyond exhausted but very proud of what we had done.

My objective was to transform these lofts into “home” for the cast.  This project was a priority for the movie’s executive producer, Celia Costas.  Plus, I really wanted her to be very happy with the results as she was my client.  You can see photos of this project on our website at http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/August--Osage-County-Cast-Housing.html and see how we achieved our objective.

The August: Osage County cast housing project was also one of the most rewarding I’ve ever done for lots of reasons but not the ones you might expect.  I did not become buddies with Meryl or Julia and actually never really met them, but I was fine with that. 

It was rewarding for the support and partnership I received; feedback given about our efforts; and, relationships we made with key members of the crew. 

·         In addition to what Walt and I did on this project, I also partnered and was helped by local friends who “saved my bacon” on more than one occasion:

o   Price Connors is at the top of the list.  Price is a senior designer, Dujardin Design (http://dujardindesign.com ) who relocated to Bartlesville in 2012.  He helped me immeasurably in taking the design of the lofts for Meryl and Julia to the next level.  I know that I could not have done those lofts without Price’s incredible taste, style and experience.

o   Lauren Taylor was the production assistant assigned to assist us with the cast housing project.  She was a godsend!!!  While she studied film, her DNA is design with an architect father and designer mother.  And we exploited her design roots, work ethic and creativity.  Plus, Lauren was fun to be around.

o   I am grateful for the artwork provided by Royce Myers (http://www.roycemyers.com ) and Leslie Gregory (http://photoleslie.com) as well as Gary Gibson of Ampersand Graphics in Bartlesville.

o   My friends at Cort and Bassett who provided the furniture for these loft spaces.  And I especially want to thank their delivery crews who had to haul furniture up 2 and 3 flights of stairs in these lofts.

o   Lindy Lein, Heather O’Donnell and Megan Burnett for their hard work helping us outfit these lofts.

·         The feedback we heard directly and second-hand from the cast was so rewarding because it reinforced that I did in fact decorate and furnish comfortable, cozy and livable spaces for the cast. 

o   My clients loved it – Celia, the other producers and the key production managers.

o   Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin and her mother, and Margo Martindale told us personally that they really appreciated their “homes”. 

o   We heard that Meryl Streep described her loft as lovely and thanked the production coordinator. 

o   We were told that Julia Roberts said she felt right at home when she moved in that first weekend.

·         The relationships we made with key members of the August: Osage County crew were the most rewarding parts of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  There are great stories attached with each person but I will just name our new friends – Celia Costas (executive producer), Deb Dyer (unit production manager), Evan Beier (production coordinator), Nancy Haigh (set decorator) and Courtney Cunniff (production assistant).   Plus, we were invited to visit the set and were given a cast and crew gift!!

 

Who could have imagined the possibilities when I received that call asking if I would like to meet and discuss a housing project for the movie being filmed locally?  The result of that call became a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity -- and for that I am deeply grateful and honored.

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy

 

My Work Recognized as Top 10 Best Occupied Stagings™North America

2012 was truly an amazing year for me capped off in December by being recognized by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) for my work!  Two examples of my home staging work were recognized as one of RESA’s Top 10 Best Occupied Stagings™North America.  Both are Tulsa properties listed with local realtors -- you can see photos of these houses at our website http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/

This national honor is really a testament to my proactive realtors and savvy sellers who recognize the value and return on their investment in professional home staging.  We work as a team to create buyer-friendly spaces to sell houses for the best price in the shortest amount of time.

The RESA award is also a validation of my work.  It is proof positive that the work that I do in our part of the country is equal to or better than work done in the rest of the country.  Professional home staging may be in its early stages in the Tulsa area but this award shows that what we do here is good work.

And I must confess that it means a great deal to me to know that the top professional home stagers from across the US and Canada voted on all the entries and I ranked among the Top Ten in North America.  You can view all of the entries at http://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/

Today’s Tulsa World features an article about this RESA honor as well as about professional home staging.  Read more from this article (Tulsa-area home-stager earns national recognition) at http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=41&articleid=20130115_44_D2_CUTLIN978677.

I will be competing for the overall title which will be announced at the RESA convention in late January.  And yes, Walt and I have our tickets for San Francisco, the site of the convention. 

Who knows, I might just win!!  After all, anything is possible!!

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy