Dramatic Spaces Home Staging and Design

I have been reading the book Nothing Down for Women: The Smart Woman’s Quick-Start Guide to Real Estate Investing, which I highly recommend, and the author Karen Nelson Bell says “in real estate investing, we are not in the house business, we’re in the people business.” This is so true in the home staging business as well.

As a home stager our objective is to solve problems.  The problem or the goal for most homeowners is to sell their home quickly for as much as they can in order to get on with their life.  It just goes without saying that in doing this we are making their life easier and making the whole process simpler.

Statistics show that predominately women are the ones buying houses.  She is the one who decides where the family lives.   Karen Nelson Bell says that 18% of first time home buyers are single women.  The advantage that women have when selling a house or in staging a house is that we know what we are looking for in a home.  We don’t like cold, impersonal vacant homes, but homes that we can see our family living in, homes that have a warmth, welcoming and relaxing atmosphere.  We want that emotional connection to the home.

Sure we want everything on our logical list, but when a house feels right, it just is. The way you create this for the buyer, again the woman, is to show the homes warmth and potential.  The details are what seals the deal.  The majority of home stagers are women.  We know what to pay attention to, what really captures our heart within a home.  Anyone who tries to tell you that their is no emotion in buying a home is wrong.

If you are selling your home and thinking of hiring a home stager, remember that we want to help you solve your problem. Whatever your circumstances or your budget your home stager wants to help you as a person deal with the selling process as efficiently and as effectively as possible. Home staging is a people business, not a home staging business.

Karen Nelson Bell’s book, with co-author Robert G. Allen Nothing Down for Women: The Smart Woman’s Quick-Start Guide to Real Estate Investing has a lot of great information and ideas on how to become financially free. It is written in bite size chunks for easy reading. It is for those who don’t have a lot of time for reading, but who want to have more time in life for the important things.

Believe it or not the real estate season is slowing down.  Spring is the time that most sellers put there house on the market and there is a flurry of activity.  What if you missed this hot selling/buying period and your home is still on the market or you haven’t even listed it yet?

I went on MLS the other day, as I frequently do, and it is unbelievable the amount of little red dots that pop up.  Those little red dots show the location of all the houses for sale in a particular area (I know you know this).  I often wonder what these homeowners are feeling at this time. Are they totally stressed and freaking out or just feeling it’s okay, someone will eventually come along and want my house.

My guess is most homeowners are experiencing the stress and the freaking out feeling.  Whether to fret or not depends on your selling strategy. You do have a selling strategy, don’t you?

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At this time of year, spring, many homeowners are working on their gardens and lawns. What do you do if you don’t have a green thumb and you have a lawn that needs to be revitalized. I have come across this great recipe called fat grass recipe that will give your yard a thick, luscious look that will have the neighbours envious. If you are selling your home it will boost your homes value. Don’t be put off by the name. It does exactly as the names says.

I have used the fat grass recipe and it works wonders. When you are using the driveway as your hard surface I suggest you put a tarp down or a large piece of plastic to keep it contained. It is not necessary if you want to water down the driveway, however if you live in an area where there is a watering ban you can simply pick up the tarp and shake the excess dirt away on your lawn.

This is a cheaper solution than buying sod, so depending on your budget or time this can be a great solution for the do it yourself (DIY) homeowner.

Once your lawn is back in shape you can put a planter or two at your entrance way and place a hanging basket inside. How simple is that!

To take it a step further, you can use a hanging basket, but this time take it out of the basket and place it in the centre of your pot. I like to use a tall plant in the centre to give it height. If you want a lower profile, just make sure your centre plant is taller than your surrounding plants. Now take several cascading or lower plants and fill them around your centre plant, preferably enough of the same plant to fill the area. Don’t forget to take these out of the baskets.

Keep in mind that containers need to be watered frequently unless you use a product that retains moisture made specifically for container plantings (of course you can’t do this if you are simply placing the basket in the container). You also need to keep in mind how much sun your entrance will get. Buy shade plants if it is on the shady side and sun plants for a sunny area.

Now all you need to do is make sure the area is clean, no clutter and without a lot of expense or effort the front of your home can be stunning. The simple details are usually what makes the most impact. If you are selling you want visitors to want to get out of their cars to see more.

Home renovations or home improvements are a lot of work and finishing a basement can be a daunting task. When it comes to drywalling anything that can make the job a little bit easier is a welcome addition to your tool box. I have come across two products that can really make a difference.

First, here is a drywall scoring square by Johnson which helps you make a cut along your drywall piece that is straight and exactly where you want it to be.

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Summer is just around the corner and by now the barbecues have been dusted off and the outdoor furniture has been set out for your enjoyment, unless you are planning on moving and you wonder if it should stay packed away. The answer would be NO.

With the recent recession and the fast pace that we live in more and more people are looking to their backyards as their sanctuary. A place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life that does not take too long to get too (unless of course you have a ginormous backyard) or cost a lot of money.
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I want to clear up the myth that home staging is only about cleaning your home so that it is presentable and de-cluttering the most common areas. Although this can go a long way in selling your home and I encourage it as a starting point IT IS NOT WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN A HOME SELLING EXTREMELY FAST AND FOR WAY MORE MONEY!

When a homeowner cleans and de-clutters their space to help sell their home they are definitely in a better position than someone who doesn’t put the effort in to sell it (the “as is” sale).

Home staging is pushing it to the limit of the WOW factor, the most desirable home on the block, the “transformed” home. This is where you will really make more money in selling your home and selling fast.
Home staging is striving for PERFECTION. If you look at model homes, they are perfect. They often have high end features and everything is just right. It is not often that a buyer goes into a model home and says “I don’t need hardwood floors, I would much prefer the basic carpet and underlay”. Builders count on you “falling in love” with all the upgrades and that is why they plump these homes up and make them irresistible. And as for the price, are you able to negotiate to get “below” asking price? No, but you can do without the upgrades to lower the price and go for the “basic” model.

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We often talk about applying a fresh coat of paint to update your space and really create an impact. It not only freshens up your space, but you can also ensure a neutral backdrop to capture the attention of more potential buyers.

Another great option to improve your homes appearance is to create spacious rooms. A common mistake I see is boxes and other items piled up in garages and basements. This could be a result of you simply not knowing what to do with these items or what it looks like to a buyer.
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Are you wondering if home staging can increase your list price? It absolutely can. It all boils down to the condition of your home. Now the amount of increase depends on the difference in the look before and after the staging. Remember, we are really looking at perceived value and when a home is presented as top notch it is perceived as higher in value. The better condition your home is in the more money buyers are willing to pay for it.

If your home has everything taken care of down to the last detail, then it compares to a model home. Have you ever been able to negotiate the price of a model home? No, but in these model homes do you see repairs needed, painting that needs to be changed or dirt, even clutter? No and this is why the can ask the prices they ask. People know it is new, clean and ready to go and are willing to pay what builders are asking for.
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Home staging works in any market. And this is why.

In a “buyers” market you are up against many more comparable homes for sale so this means you have to go above and beyond in order for your home to stand out. It is like putting on a red shirt in a crowd of people all wearing white. You get noticed. You have to work harder to get a competitive edge over similar homes that are being sold at the same time as yours. But your hard work will pay off by your home selling faster, for more money and you won’t have to experience the stress of endless days of your house on the market. Think of it as going for a job that 1500 other people are going for. You have to stand out not only to get an interview, but to get the job. It is no different in selling your home. I know you can relate to this with the recent recession.

In a “sellers” market where homes sell quickly you can create an increased demand for your home. Instead of a few people wanting your home you could have 10. And we all know what happens when something is in demand – the price goes up. Just imagine a bidding war going on over your home.

It doesn’t matter what kind of market we are in, selling your home is hard work. The result you get just depends on the effort you put into the process. A lot of work means a higher payoff. A little effort means mediocre results. A home stager can get you the results you want faster. Where do you want to see yourself?

Homeowners, do you have any stories of the hard work you put into preparing your home that has paid off? Maybe you are in the process of putting your home up for sale and are nervous about the competition that you are up against and you have some questions. Please feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

This is a common question that homeowners have when they are in the process of getting their house ready to sell and you may feel the same way. I did when I sold my first home. The problem is it is easy to feel that you are wasting your money on repairs, painting, deep cleaning among other things when you are leaving. You may think “why can’t the new homeowners take care of things, afterall they can do it the way they want it to look?” Bottom line is if it is work for the buyer it will COST YOU!
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