Dramatic Spaces Home Staging and Design

I recently read a post from a fellow home stager, Sally Weatherley of Exit Stage Right in Vancouver BC, who showed before and after pictures of her vacant home staging job. When I look at the before pictures I do not feel excited about the home. I think it looks blah and boring and it really gives me no reason to put this house on my list. Any buyer would have to do a lot of figuring on how to set up the space and what size furniture would fit. It is the after pictures that trigger a whole array of emotions.

In today’s market the buyer wants things done for them. Using their imagination is not everyone’s strong point so it is up to the home seller to make it as easy as possible for a potential buyer to say yes, I want this house. Don’t make them guess on your space.

In her living room picture the first thing I see is the van out the window and the wires in the corner. When you look at the after picture you immediately feel like it is a warm place that you could hang out in. You don’t even notice what is outside.

Every home also seems to have an area that can stump any homeowner, like a washer and dryer in the bedroom? What do you do with that. Home stagers are creative individuals and have many ideas on how to deal with your homes uniqueness. They are that extra pair of eyes and possess out of the box thinking that can really make a difference with your home.

Sally did some quick thinking on this problem and she emphasizes that home staging is not about “hiding” but de-emphasizing a problem spot.

Take a look at the rest of her photos and notice the difference in your reaction between the before and the after shots. If you were looking for a place to live would you choose the house in the before pictures or the house in the after pictures?

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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I visited a few open houses this weekend and none of them had decor that screamed out to me as needing a lot of work. But as a home stager I did notice a lack in the detail work. There were so many little things that could be done that make a HUGE difference. They were all older homes as I like their character and the fact that every home is not the same.

These are the types of homes that the homeowner may feel that nothing needs to be done to them. Nothing caught my attention when I viewed the pictures on the internet to say that these homes needed work done. But I am a home stager and I can spot every area that can be improved so that the buyer has less to pick apart, which will bring down the price. My philosophy is to create a win-win scenario. A win for the seller so they can sell quickly, for maximum profit and a win for the buyer so they feel they are getting value for their money with little work to the home.

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If you are thinking about selling your home in the near future I have a challenge for you. I want you to take a look at how other homeowners, with comparable homes in your area, are presenting their homes to sell. This will help you understand what is necessary in preparing your home so that it will sell quickly and for a higher price.

Have fun with my challenge!!

Robin

P.S. If you have taken my challenge I would love to hear about your experience. Just leave your comment below.