Let me explain.  You go out and buy a lottery ticket and spend $1.00.  You may even buy several spending $10.00.  You hope that your numbers are called and you probably would even be happy with a partial winning, although everyone wants more than the $10 or $100 payout.

After the drawings for the winning number you find you didn’t win a thing and your heart sinks at the thought that it wasn’t your turn, but maybe next time.  If only you could win the lottery to pay some bills and have the life that you dream about.

Now, if you are selling your home you could do the same thing and spend a little money on a home staging consultation.  Yes, your investment is higher than in the lottery, let’s say you spend $300.  After the consultation you have a very specific plan and set out to do almost everything that has been recommended by the home stager.  You put your house up for sale and hope that your investment will pay off.

You are already impressed that the changes you made really make a difference.  You are feeling really good about your home and confident that people will fall in love with it.  You discover why you hear on T.V. shows homeowners say “do I really have to move now.  I just LOVE my place“.

Before I go on, I want to address why most home stagers also do what is called “redesign” work.  What happens is, once the changes are put into place that a home stager has recommended the homeowner tends to falls in love with their own place.  They end up wishing they had made some of the changes while they lived there.  The transformation to their home is usually so dramatic, yet so simple.  Homeowners end up hiring their home stager to come into their new home and help them set it up so that they can enjoy it for themselves.  They see the difference it can make.

The first 2 weeks are the most important time when selling your home.  Staging puts your home closer to the magazine layouts and it is a fresh product that looks like new.  And let me tell you, if you have spent any time looking at homes lately, you know the condition that some homes are in that are for sale.

Your home hits the market and you are amazed at the response you  get.  Your home draws so many more people to it since it is in move in condition and everything has been taken care of.  The pictures on MLS  look stunning and other real estate agents see your home as a hot property.  They may even say to their clients “this house is amazing and will not last long, so if you want to see it you have to move fast.”

Now that the interest is there buyers start coming through and just like your reaction when you saw the transformation, buyers  love your space too.  And we are not talking one buyer, we are talking many.  When you have presented your home in the best possible way, highlighted all its great features, the likelihood of more interested buyers goes up.  You make it “easy” for buyers to love your place.  When you make it easy for buyers they make it easy for you to sell and be happy with the final price.

Back to the lottery winning, when you have more interest in your home the chances are higher that you will get a bidding war.  You create a scenario that the buyer feels pressure to move quickly as they know your home is good and frankly, you do too.  They also have a strong desire to not lose your place that they just love.  You know as well as I do that when you see something good you have to act quickly and you definitely can’t undercut the price, so you eliminate this happening.  This is why you increase your odds of eliminating a price reduction (just saved you at least $5000), get closer to asking price or possibly way over. People are more willing to pay for a good thing.

Your chances of pocketing a winfall are way higher when you stage your home.  It is easy to do when you know exactly how to do it.  I can’t tell you how high your winfall may be, but it is not uncommon for staged homes to attract $10,000 over asking price and in some instances up to $100,000 (this is not the norm, but has happened).  Paying someone $300 to increase your odds of getting even $1000 over your asking price is a pretty good investment.  Expecially when it is not limited to $1000.  It could be higher.  Just think of the possiblities for your home!!

When I talk of winning the lottery it is not limited to money.  The time you will save by selling quickly is priceless.  The stress you will eliminate from taking control over your house selling is well worth its weight in gold.  I know as I did it.

When looking for a home the majority of home buyers are looking for near perfection.  One of the thoughts I had from most of the homes was this place would need work. Now there were a few that could be move in ready, but for me as a potential buyer there were things I would need to do for it to stand up to my expectations.

In a 2 hour time span I was able to visit 5 open houses.   All homes were in the price range I was looking for, with the exception of one which I spotted on my journey and decided to drop in.

Here is a list of what I found:

• a basement rec room with a beautiful fireplace was being used as a master bedroom – there was a bedroom in the basement but it was being used as a den/office. To get your home sold it is so important to show your rooms as they are intended for. This way the buyer is able to envision where their furniture would go and what life would be like living in your home. I know it is inconvenient for a home seller to have to move furniture around, but it will be even more inconvenient if you have difficulty selling your home sold

• cluttered rooms with personal effects – put away your extra stuff and pretend you are moving tomorrow. Pack up as much as you can and only leave enough to showcase your space. If you can’t put it away neatly take your packed belongings off site. As a buyer I want to see how large the rooms are, how my furniture will fit, not your family and the awards you’ve won. This does not help me decide if your home is right for me.

• walls that were painted colours that the majority of buyers would not like and ugly wallpaper/borders – it will only be to your advantage if you neutralize your walls.  A potential buyer only thinks of the cost and work it will take to modernize the walls. This is one of the cheapest things you can do when selling your home.

• a cold home – the agent immediately told me that no one was living there at the time and he was trying to warm it up for visitors.  My feet were cold for the entire walk through and all I could think about was how cold I was.  It distracted me from focusing on the positives of the home. It also did not leave me with a warm cozy feeling about the home simply because of the temperature.  I immediately thought that this homeowner is probably desperate to sell as they are no longer there so if I liked the home my offer would start off low.

• a fairly empty home – it is difficult for a potential  home buyer to think of what the home would look like with their furniture in it as there is no reference point for them. Even with furniture a home buyer can at least consider if they would place their furniture differently or if theirs is smaller or larger than the current owner.  The same point as above – no furniture to me says desperate seller and that I can probably get a good deal on the home

• poor quality home improvement workmanship – in a few of the homes it was evident that the homeowner tried to fix a few things.  The problem is I really noticed the poor quality and all I could think of was that I would have to take down what they did in order to redo it correctly. This is more work for me than if the homeowner had left it alone.

• odd smell in the home - whenever a home smells anything but clean and fresh I think of the effort it will take to remove that smell.  When the smell is smoke it takes carpet, and fabric cleaning to remove it as well as painting.  More time and effort for me if I were to buy this home.  Now if this is my thing then the only way I am going to buy it is if I got it for a very good price and remember – I want a lower price than what it will be for you to fix it as you will pay for my labour.

• I had a cat follow me in one of the homes - I happen to like pets, but I did attend an open house once where the homeowners cat attacked me and my daughter.  A potential buyer does not know your animal and how it will react to visitors so it is best if I do not meet your pets.

• I saw dirt and cobwebs – now this may seem odd, but when I am looking at someone else’s home and could possibly buy it, I don’t want to see their dirt or cobwebs. It makes me think, if this is what I can see what is there that I can’t see or how well have they maintained their home over the years?

These are only a few of my experiences today while looking at homes.  A potential home buyer starts out with a list of what they want to see in a home and the price range they want to buy in.  If your home has enough X’s against it the potential home buyer will keep looking until they find a home with the right feel.

The comments I made for each point is for if I buy the house or not. They are what a potential buyer thinks about when viewing your home.  If you take the time to prepare your home for sale the money will likely go into your pocket instead of the buyers.

If you have any open house experiences I would love to hear them.  Whether you have staged your home or not there is always something a home seller can learn from what a potential home buyer sees or feels while shopping for a new home. If you want even more helpful tips to impress buyers at your open house you can get my free report 7 Open House Techniques That No One Else Is Doing.

What I find interesting is that as home stagers we walk through a clients home looking for its potential and ways to bring it out.  We have our checklist not to judge or criticize the home, but to find ways for it to look its best.  Our purpose is to ensure the buyer sees the home at its best and judges it in this light, not in its not so great state.

This is in high contrast to a home buyer who walks through a home with highly critical eyes, not setting out to look for its flaws, but if they find any, they are amplified.  We both have the same objective – to be extremely critical, but as a home stager I see a homes’ potential and want to uncover its beauty before it is showcased to the world.  In the end it saves the homeowner from the possibility of losing even one pair of eyes.

We want the best for our homeowners.  Anything we can do to ensure your home is operating at its peak potential is our mission.

Homeowners want the best their money can buy. And you can bet if they find anything wrong with your home they will knock a couple of $1000 off the asking price just because it isn’t perfect. At a blink of an eye they can discard your home from their list and move on.

Let’s take a look at all the tests your home needs to pass before the final score.

Pictures – This is the first test your home must pass. The majority of home buyers will start their search for a new home either through a local real estate paper/advertisement or they will see it on the MLS or FSBO site. No pictures scares home buyers. They may immediately move on to the next home without batting an eye. What does it mean to a potential buyer if they see no pictures of your home? It is a fear of the unknown. Too many unanswered questions. My first thought is the home doesn’t look good in order to take photos, then I think what are they hiding or I think was this home put on the market so quickly that there wasn’t time to prepare. My mind starts thinking of all the possibilities of why there are no pictures. The homeowner has a perfect opportunity to show me what they have and they don’t take it – why? This takes too much energy for the busy buyer. You didn’t bother with photos, so I’m not going to bother looking any further into your home. You may think this is harsh BUT it is the truth.

If you have pictures – CONGRATULATIONS! – you’ve probably passed the first test, if I like what I see.

Curb Appeal – If you were able to catch the buyers attention with the pictures then they may do a drive by. This is really the second test. Now, not everyone will take the opportunity to drive by your home before viewing it, but if they do it is another test your home needs to pass in order for the potential buyer to remain interested. Let’s look at what the buyer is looking for. They will be judging your home compared to the others on the street and they want to see what it looks like when an open house is not happening, the in between time. They will look for what is around the neighbourhood, hoping to catch a glimpse at who may live in the area and what the overall shape the house is in. If your home doesn’t look like what they see in the pictures, the potential buyer may move on as they become disappointed with the mismatch of information. Again, too many unknowns as to why the pictures are different from what they see is scary. If your home appears to have too much work to be done, they may move on (I say appears as unfortunately the majority of home buyers are not good at estimating what it takes to fix things).

If you have curb appeal – CONGRATULATIONS! – you may have passed the next test.

The Inside – If your home passes the first 2 tests you get the third test or another opportunity. It is like making the short list when in reality you are no where near this. As soon as the buyer steps into your home they get an immediate impression of your entire house. This may seem unfair, but it is just the way it is. It is harder to increase a persons impression when they start out with a bad one than it is to maintain a good standing. When they walk through your home their first impression is usually confirmed. If they don’t get a good feeling at the front door the rest of the house will more than likely confirm that “this just isn’t right” feeling. When you start on a low it is much harder to convince a buyer of the positives of the home. If you start on a high note, even if there are a few imperfections with your home they can more easily overlook them. Even if a buyer starts off feeling neutral about your home, it is harder to get them to fall in love with it and it will likely be forgotten as soon as they see another home slightly better.

When selling your home, passing the tests are tough. Buyers will criticize every bit about your home if you give them the opportunity. I always say that homeowners have more control over the selling of their home than they realize. It is just a matter of being willing to do what it takes to get your home sold and to get it sold for the price you want.

I was amazed at the creativity that some of the women had to make that critical first impression. There was one that wore sparkling ruby shoes like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, one lowered the window just enough to summons him over to open the door for her and another who ran to him as soon as she stepped out of the limo and jumped into his arms. And there were many more.

What is interesting is that if you go back to the very first episode the women stepped out of the limo, walked over to the Bachelor and introduced themselves. That was it!

Now that we have seen a few episodes, the women have learned that they have to do something original and different to get noticed. It doesn’t always mean that they stay for another night, but they do have a better chance than the women who are quietly hoping that the little time they have with him on that all important first night is enough to carry them through. There are just too many beautiful women, too many options.

This is no different when you are selling your home. The competition is fierce. It used to be that when you were ready to sell, you called an agent and the sign went on the lawn. Buyers were willing to put in the effort to improve their new home and they were staying longer.

Times have changed and now it is important that sellers change as well to meet the expectations of the buyer. Home buyers do not have the time or patience to have to think about what the home may look like if it had furniture in it or if the walls had a better colour on them. They have too many choices to even bother. They move on to the next house. They want a move in ready home, one that they could make changes to if they wanted to.

It doesn’t have to take a lot to get your home in tip top shape for buyers. Make sure it looks good overall, clean, spacious with all repairs done. It also isn’t about spending a lot of money, but it is about the details. You can be creative in making a lasting impression.

If you need to sell your home think about The Bachelor show and how on the first night so many women really put themselves out there to get noticed. You do not have a lot of time to capture your buyers attention so make it count!!

In reality though, if people are out looking for homes at this time of year, they really need to find one so they are in effect more serious about their home shopping. The article points out that “when selling your home, it’s the quality of the buyer you need for a successful sale, not the quantity“. I agree with this comment and if you set up your home to WOW viewers you will have a better chance of getting your home sold.

This is a different perspective to our common train of thought. The positive aspect of selling at this time of year is that you have less competition. If a buyer is looking for a home and they have 5 to choose from instead of 10 or even 15 you have a better chance of selling in these difficult months. If you also put your best foot forward and properly prepare your home to sell, by utilizing a home stager you increase the likelihood of your home being chosen. I think of the phrase “pick me, pick me” and the best of the bunch will be picked. It is in your favour that there is less to pick from.

There are always circumstances that force people to move and we can’t put off moving just because it is winter or the holidays. I think there is a misperception that moving during the holidays will be difficult. Sure there is the cold weather and snow to deal with, but you can make it work.

Here are a few positive reasons to buy and sell during the winter or the holidays:

• more moving companies available and for you to choose from and possibly a discount for moving during the slower months

• you can look at moving in December as a new start, a new year and a new house

• there are less homes on the market so less competition that you are up against

• the quality of the buyer is higher – they are more serious

• if you have kids they have a 2 week break in their schedule and it is a break that allows them to adjust to a new school

Moving is a pain, no matter what time of year you do it. It is a disruption in your life, but it is all in your perception. Selling your home in the slower months can be a beneficial and positive experience. Take a look at all the reasons that selling in the winter is a bad idea or a negative and turn them into positives – use them to your advantage. When you look at the bigger picture and you keep focused on the outcome everything will work out.

I hope this gives you a different perspective on what is thought to be a bad time of year to list your home.

The guy on the show wanted a “man space” in his home so he decided he was going to take over the garage. I thought it was a great idea – until I heard he has never tackled a home improvement project before AND he doesn’t own any power tools. He called a friend to help and away they went (and the friend had no experience either – yikes!).

I was shaking my head in disbelief the whole time. The homeowner decided he wanted a window on one side of the garage. He purchased one, had two friends hold it up on the wall and he eyeballed where he wanted it. Then out came the power tool to cut open the wall.

They had no idea how to finish it once it was in so they called a friend. While explaining the next step the friend was talking about the stud and the homeowner had no idea what he was talking about and said – please speak english.

The other blunder I chuckled over was when they tried to staple the pink insulation to the wall. They were frustrated that it was too thick for the staple to go in. As far as I know insulation needs to placed gently between the wall studs in order for it to do the job it is meant to do.

Finally, they ran out of steam and did not complete the job. I think this is quite common when renovating.

So why am I commenting on this show? Well, with any home improvement project you do it is important to know your skill level. Know when you can do it yourself and when to call in the pros. I am all for saving money when making improvements to your home, but not at the expense of a lower quality job.

If you have no intentions of selling your home in the near future you end up regretting that you tackled the job on your own in the first place. You also don’t increase the value of your home. If you are selling, you either need to bring the workmanship up to a higher quality level or take an even bigger hit in a price reduction.

If you have had a similar do it yourself disaster or have seen the aftermath of one that someone else did, please leave a comment about your story.

Zip Wall is quick and easy to put up, keeps dust in the area that you are working on and you can put a vacuum hose under the plastic, tape around it so that it vaccums up dust while you are working. It comes with a zipper that you can install to provide easy access to your renovation area. It can be reused over and over again.

I couldn’t do this product justice so here is where you can look at a Zipwall video of how this product works. It won the Editors Choice Award by Tools of the Trade Magazine and the readers of Buildings Product Magazine gave it the Readers Choice Award.

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The Earlex Spray Station Paint Sprayer is another tool that can save you time. When you are selling your home one of the common suggestions by a home stager is painting. It is the quickest and least expensive way to give your home a fresh and neutral look.

So lets say you decide to paint your walls that show your personal taste. With the Earlex Paint Sprayer you can paint all your walls without since it is faster that the roller method. You can buy large cans of one paint colour and use the Earlex Paint Sprayer to do a quick job. Time is always a factor when you are selling your home. With this system you don’t need rollers or paint trays and clean up is a breeze. Since the paint does not run through the hose it is super simple to clean.

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Screen Kleen is a screen door cleaning kit. It has micro ducts woven into the fabric that allow it to penetrate every hole. You dip the brush in a container of dish soap and water, run the brush across the screen like you are painting, wipe the screen with a dry cloth, then use a squeegee tool (which is included) to remove the dirt from the roller. Keep doing this until your screen is clean.

It cleans both sides at the same time and it even removes pollen and allergens. Screen Kleen is a cool tool to make the job of getting your home ready to sell a cinch (or your spring cleaning).
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The Magic Stud Finder is a great tool for finding your studs. It isn’t your ordinary stud finder. With this one you don’t need to mark up your walls. There is no mistaking where your studs are.

Home staging is making the news. In a down market it is very stressful selling a home. When there are a lot of houses on the market, there is a lot for the buyer to choose from. They can be picky about their choices.

This is the time that home owners have to step up their game. They have to do what they need to do to get their home noticed. Real estate agents are great at making recommendations on what changes you need to make in your home in order for it to compete.

So often we love our homes and we falsely believe it is ready to sell. The problem is the obvious suggestions from agents are ignored. These obvious changes can make the real difference in your home being sold.

It doesn’t matter where you live – HOME STAGING WORKS!

It doesn’t matter what your homes listing price is.

The good news is a home stager can help at any point in the home selling process. It is best to have a home stager do a consultation before the sign goes on the lawn, but it is never too late.

So, take some of the stress out of selling your home and consider hiring a home stager.

For some it may not matter if they sell quickly as long as they get what THEY WANT for their home. For others, it may only matter that they sell quickly.

Here is a great video on the difference that home staging can make when selling your home from My Fox, Tampa Bay (the results for home staging are universal). I could give you all the statistics behind home staging, but I believe it is more important to show you the difference it can make.

Your home may not have as much “stuff” as this home does, but you would be surprised the changes home staging can make for ANY home. Details matter and it can be the smallest changes that have the biggest impact. A few hundred dollars in home staging could give you a return of a few thousand dollars. So, the question still remains, is it worth it to you?