Stage To Sell

10 Reasons to List Your Home Over the Holidays

Posted on 19 November 2009 | Comments Off

I just received this list from Susan Rose, the productivity coach at the Keller Williams Westside office. With her permission I will share it with you.

It’s a great tool for Realtors to use with sellers who may be on the fence about listing a home during the holiday season.

10 Reasons to List Your Home Over the Holidays

1. People who look for a home over the holidays tend to be more serious about buying.

2. Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the holidays which, in turn, means less competition and more money for you.

3. Starting in January, the amount of listings will dramatically increase. With more properties on the market, there will be less demand for your particular home.

4. Houses show better when decorated for the holidays! Buyers are more emotional during the holidays, so they are more likely to pay your price.

5. Often, buyers have more time to look for a home during the holidays than during a regular work week, especially during winter vacations.

6. Many people want to buy before the end of the year due to tax reasons.

7. Traditionally, January is the month for corporate transferees to begin new jobs. Since these transferees cannot wait until spring to buy, you must be on the market now to capture that market.

8. You can be on the market and still have the option to restrict showings during the holidays for your special family occasions.

9. You can sell now for more money and set up a delayed closing or extended occupancy until early next year.

10. By selling now, you may have the opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the spring, when many more houses are on the market for less money. This will allow you to sell high and buy low!

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Yes, we do Partial Stagings!

Posted on 3 November 2009 | Comments Off

I often get calls from Los Angeles Realtors and sellers asking if we would be willing to just Stage a couple of rooms in a home. Well, the short answer* is yes!

Recently a client called me about Staging his designer decorated 2-bedroom condo in West Hollywood. The catch was that he only needed one bedroom and a patio Staged. The rest of the home had beautiful furniture and looked great. The 2nd bedroom, however, had become a sort of catch-all storage room and lacked the appeal of the rest of the home.

So we brought in a daybed and desk setup, as well as art and accessories, to show buyers how this room could be used as either a guest bedroom and/or a home office. We were even able to use a couple of the seller’s own pieces as accents in the room so he didn’t have to put them in storage.

Here are the before & after photos of this guest room and the small patio we Staged as well.

*Did you notice how I said that the “short answer” was yes in the first paragraph above? Well, here’s the fine print… The rental companies I use have a minimum monthly rental amount. So, for instance, if you just needed a sofa and nothing else, we probably wouldn’t be able to Stage it for you (well we could, but you’d still have to pay the monthly minimum even if you only needed 1 piece). However if you need at least two rooms worth of furniture, we can make it work! Incidentally if it’s just a bed that you need, we do carry camping beds that we stack on a frame and dress to make them look like real beds. These are in our own Staging inventory, so we don’t have to go to an outside rental company…hence no minimums!

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Another Staging Success Story!

Posted on 30 October 2009 | Comments Off

We recently Staged an adorable vacant townhome in Santa Monica. It had been listed for awhile with no offers, so we were brought in to help buyers see the potential.

The townhome had been painted and remodeled, so we had a great canvas to work with! Unfortunately the awkward layout of the living room, a not-so-neutral paint color, and a seemingly unusable loft space above the second bedroom were making it difficult for buyers to fall in love with the home.

Without furniture, the living room felt tiny. The awkwardly placed fireplace didn’t help. Our first order of business was to make this space feel large enough for a regular living room set so buyers could see themselves entertaining in the space.

Properly scaled furniture made the space feel open and inviting and didn’t shut off views to the dining room. Relocating some installed surround sound speakers in the niche above the fireplace allowed us to put in a 46″ faux plasma TV so buyers could imagine themselves snuggling up in front of the TV for a relaxing evening at home. And with furniture in the space, the built-in wine cabinet didn’t feel like an afterthought.

This bedroom was fairly large and had beautiful built-in cabinets (not shown), but the purple color on the walls felt a bit too taste-specific for most buyers.

Since there was no budget to paint, we brought in a black, white and silver color scheme to neutralize the space.

The guest room was small, mainly because of the spiral staircase that took up a good chunk of the usable space.

By using a daybed with a smaller footprint, this guest room now feels spacious and functional.

What buyer wouldn’t love to have a bonus room in a 2-bedroom townhome? Unfortunately the sloping ceiling made this room feel like its only possible function could be storage.

Luckily Stage to Sell came to the rescue with some properly scaled office furniture that gave this space a whole new lease on life!

Well our hard work has paid off. This townhome is now in escrow with a backup offer!

Congratulations to the owner and Realtors on a quick sale.

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Stage to Sell Announces Our New Referral Program

Posted on 20 October 2009 | Comments Off

Los Angeles Home Staging company Stage to Sell has a new referral incentive program that we’re excited to share with you! For every new client* that you refer to us before the end of this year, we would like to thank you with a gift card from one of the following stores: If the client hires us to do a Consultation, you get a $25 gift card. If the client hires us for a Full Staging (for a vacant or occupied home), you get a $50 gift card. Thanks and we look forward to sharing our success with you! *Client must tell us s/he was referred by you when making the first appointment. Gift card will only be awarded if referral hires Stage to Sell for either a paid Consultation or a Staging Job. Gift card will be sent once job is complete and payment has been received. Only one gift card per referral. Promotion valid through 12/31/09.

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Give Your Home a Fresh Look for Fall

Posted on 16 October 2009 | Comments Off

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 10 year wedding anniversary with a trip to New England to see the fall foliage.

That part of the country is breathtaking this time of year, but even in Southern California we can enjoy fall’s bounty.

There’s no better way to get in the fall spirit than by updating your living space with the warm earthy tones of the season.

1. Switch out the throw pillows on your sofa

Consider changing your summery look to the reds, golds, rusty oranges, browns and greens that encourage you to curl up with a blanket and a cup of tea. Try to layer your pillows in different shapes and sizes. Plan on at least four or five pillows for a standard sized sofa to achieve maximum effect. Go for a mix of patterns and solids so the look doesn’t become overwhelming. And remember, the pillows don’t have to match! In fact it creates a richer “designer” look if they are all different. Just make sure the color palette is consistent.

The pillows shown above are from Pier 1, but if you’re looking for a less expensive option and you can sew (or know someone who can), just go to the fabric store and pick out some washable fabrics you love. Get a mixture of solids with small, medium and large prints. Then make simple slipcovers for your existing sofa pillows. This way you can wash them and put them away when fall is over and bring them out again next year!

2. Update your bed

Here’s another way to quickly and inexpensively update your home for fall. Buy a large piece of beautifully patterned fall fabric (or a single flat sheet) and fold it in thirds over the bottom half of your existing bedspread. Then layer the top part of the bed with throw pillows in coordinating colors. Once again, go for a mixture of shapes, colors and sizes. Since your new throw has a pattern, don’t go too crazy with patterned pillows (one or two simple ones will be sufficient). The rest should be solids with a mix of textures to create the optimum effect.

NOTE: This technique will only work if you already have a solid, neutral colored bedspread. If you don’t, you can buy one inexpensively at any of the discount stores like Ross, Home Goods, Anna’s Linens or Marshalls.

As you can see, it’s easy and inexpensive to give your home a new look for the fall season. A little creativity can go a long way!

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Home Staging Stories From the Trenches: “Yes, we can work with your furniture!”

Posted on 7 October 2009 | Comments Off

I often get calls from Realtors who say, “I have a family who is actually going to be living in their home while it’s on the market. They would like to use their own furniture. Do you do that?” It always amazes me that they have to ask whether a full service Home Staging company would be willing to work with (gasp) someone’s OWN THINGS?! But I know why they have to ask.

There are some Stagers out there who refuse to work with anything but a completely blank slate. I once did a consultation for a guy who had a beautiful view home and completely workable furniture. His place just needed some updating and new accessories to make it appeal more to today’s buyers. He told me that the last Stager he interviewed told him she’d only take the job if he removed ALL of his own belongings and let her start from scratch…to the tune of over $30,000 in Staging fees! No wonder there are agents and homeowners out there who have yet to hire a Stager to help them prepare their home for sale!

Not only is it bad business to waste someone’s money on unnecessary furniture rental, but in my opinion it’s just plain lazy for a designer to say that they won’t work with a homeowner’s own pieces. Of course it’s easier (and more lucrative) for us to start from scratch because we can pick every last piece down to the art, rugs and plants and know that it will all coordinate beautifully. But if a homeowner has furniture that’s in decent shape and is properly scaled for his home, why would we ask them to get rid of it?

Though my company does lots of vacant home Stagings and model homes, I work all the time with families who are living in their homes while they’re on the market. For these clients, we start with a Consultation. We spend 2-3 hours on site determining what needs to be done in order to get the property sold quickly and for the best price. Recommendations might include de-cluttering, rearranging, reconfiguring or repurposing some of the furniture, updating paint or light fixtures, replacing worn or filthy carpets, and reaccessorizing. After our meeting, the seller receives a written Consultation Report, which gives them a room-by-room check list of what needs to be done. Often the seller takes this list and runs with it and we never hear from them again (until they call to let us know how happy they are that the property SOLD)! Sometimes, however, the client hires us to bring in the recommended accessories or additional furniture pieces that we’ve noted in the report, and to put the finishing touches on the Staging transformation.

As an example, we were recently brought in by a Realtor to do a Consultation on her client’s 4-bedroom home in Tarzana, California. The client had a gorgeous home with beautiful furniture, but she had seen some Staged properties on the market and knew that her home had a couple of trouble spots that needed to be addressed before it could compete with those Staged homes. One of those trouble spots was her college-aged son’s bedroom. Since the son no longer lived in the home, the family used his room as a junk storage space. It was crowded, cluttered and awkwardly arranged with no unifying style to tie it in with the rest of the home.

As you can see, this room needed some serious help. First, the layout was awkward with a TV that felt out of place and dominated the room. Second, there was just TOO MUCH STUFF in here. There were desks, bookcases, console tables, chairs and a bed. Too much clutter doesn’t allow buyers to see the potential in the space.

Now check out the After photos!

We were able to use the client’s bed (we brought in a headboard to give it a more finished look), their chest of drawers, nightstand, floor lamp and leather reading chair (which we moved in from another room). The client did the recommended work (cleaning the carpets, removing the TV and everything else except a few pieces of furniture). Then we brought in new bedding, art and accessories to complete the look. I think you’ll agree that the “AFTER” will be quite a bit more appealing to buyers!

The next trouble spot in this home was in the master bedroom. This was a large room with lots of potential. There were French doors to the yard and a large seating area with built-in bookshelves. Unfortunately that seating area was taken up by a treadmill.

We simply replaced the treadmill with a cushy loveseat and placed a tray with mugs, a French press and a book on a leather ottoman to help buyers imagine themselves cuddling up with a good book and a cup of coffee.

Now this home is ready to sell. And the best part is that the sellers don’t have to move out! They can actually live in and enjoy these new rooms while their home is on the market. And since we used mostly their own furniture, the Staging didn’t break the bank.

So to all of you who were afraid to call a Home Stager because you couldn’t afford to move your entire home into storage and pay someone else to bring in all new things, there is hope! We’ll be waiting for your call.

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Staging for Low Income Housing – The Ardmore

Posted on 1 October 2009 | Comments Off

In the last couple of years, I’ve done some “staging” work for American Communities, a developer of low income housing in Los Angeles. If you read my posts about Staging 1,  Staging 2 and Staging 3, you will remember that our goal was to make the common spaces in these buildings warm and inviting, as well as functional for the residents to relax, watch TV, attend meetings & classes and use a computer.

We recently completed Staging #4 for American Communities. Like the previous building, this one was designed in a contemporary Art Deco style, so we chose furnishings and art that fit with this theme. But at Stage to Sell, we always have to try something new! So this time we added a graphic element to the walls with vinyl decals. Though these gave us the fun design element we were looking for, their large size made them quite difficult to install (more on that in a separate post).

Below are the “after” photos of this beautiful property. Enjoy

Notice the creative use of a vinyl wall decal as an accessory. The “candelabra” sits atop the console table as a welcoming accent as residents enter the space.

These low income buildings are required to offer certain types of free classes to their residents, so the conference area provides a space for these courses.

While their parents attend classes, the younger children have a place to read or play.

Older kids and adults can make use of one of three computer terminals to access the internet, do email or look for work. (Due to theft in past projects, three laptops will be available for check out in the manager’s office).

The conversation area allows residents to mingle, read or watch television in a group setting.

Notice the two vinyl wall decals in the photo above. The first is the custom lettering with the name of the building. The second is the clock. The best part about this clock is that it actually works! The company sends you both the decal and a working clock mechanism that you apply after installing the decal. Very cool.

And last but not least, the bathroom! I like how the plane decal adds a touch of color and whimsy to this often overlooked space. But tell me the truth, does it look like the plane is about to crash into the person who is sitting on the john?

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Local Stagers Give Back

Posted on 12 September 2009 | Comments Off

Every September, Accredited Staging Professionals (ASPs) around the country and around the world give back to their communities by participating in Worldwide Staging Service Week, an annual service project of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals).

I am a proud board member of the West Los Angeles IAHSP chapter and have been lucky enough to participate in this wonderful event for the last several years.

This year our chapter chose the Richstone Family Center‘s Transitional Living Program as our beneficiary. The program serves young women (ages 18 – 24) from LA County, who have been emancipated from foster care. For the young women in the program, this is often the first time they have experienced a safe, stable and healthy home environment. Richstone’s program provides housing, case management, counseling, life skills, referrals and 24-hour support for residents.

Much of the original furniture in the main house was ripped and filled with holes and the art and furnishings were a mish-mash of hand-me-downs. The walls were stark white and the ceilings were damaged. Thanks to very generous donations from Brook Furniture Rental and Fashion Furniture, paint and supplies from Sherwin Williams and Lowes, fabric from Beach Drapery, cleaning services from Ready Clean, and labor from local painters Carlos Lopez and Albert Hernandez and contractor Brad Erwood (as well as about 10 of our members), our chapter was able to pull off an amazing transformation in record time!

Though the planning took several months, all the work was done in the course of a single week. Chapter members Kevin Htain, Adrienne Sherlock and Karen Keating handmade the window treatments from donated fabric. Our contractor repaired damaged ceilings and installed new ceiling fans to bring in air and light to dark and hot rooms. Our painter painted almost every room in the main house. And Brook and Fashion delivered all their donated items, all before our chapter members arrived en masse this morning!

All the chapter members donated items from their own inventories to add the finishing touches. I brought in art, throw pillows and plants, vases and kitchen decor. Others helped with miscellaneous decor items, even running out to purchase a few last minute items we were missing.

The result was nothing short of astonishing! The board members of Richstone Family Center and a few of the residents arrived once every last piece was in place. As they toured the new house, you could see the amazement in their faces. They noticed every detail, and all agreed that the changes in their environment would make residents take pride in their home and work harder to maintain it.

There is nothing like the feeling of giving back in your community. I encourage each of you reading this post to reach out to a local soup kitchen, battered women’s shelter or senior center – whatever gets you excited about helping. Even a small gesture can bring smiles you will remember for a lifetime!

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Survey Highlights Gender Differences in Home Purchase Decisions

Posted on 26 August 2009 | Comments Off

Earlier this month Coldwell Banker released the results of a survey they created to discover the extent to which men and women differ in the home-buying process. The real estate giant surveyed 1,000 men and women, asking questions like:

“How long did it take for you to know that the last home you purchased was right for you?

and

“Who ‘wears the pants’ in the relationship when it comes to making major financial decisions?”

The results of this survey are important for all Realtors, Stagers and home sellers to understand, so that they can make sure the property they’re selling will appeal to the right audience.

Interesting Finding #1:

“Both men and women are increasingly concerned with having a space to work in their homes.”

At Stage to Sell, we always make sure that homes we Stage have a clear space set aside for a home office. In today’s world everyone (whether they work from home or not) needs a space in their home for a computer to pay the bills, do homework, check email and update their Facebook status! Staging the home to include a work space is especially important when you are selling a small home, which may not have  room for a full office.

Interesting Finding #2:

“Women may be inclined to make up their mind more quickly than men …”

Almost 70% of women made up their mind that the house they purchased was “right for them” the first day they walked into the house (versus 62% of men). Thirty two percent of men (versus 23% of women) needed two or more visits to be sure.

This is why it’s so important to create an emotional connection as buyers walk through the home. It’s not just the furniture, but all the small details, that make us (and by us, I mean the women) fall in love with a home. When my company Stages a home, we always have the buyers in mind. We ask the Realtor who the prospective buyer is so we know who we’re trying to appeal to. If it’s a family, we often create an adorable child’s room that will make the mom & dad imagine their own child living in (and loving) the space. If it’s a young professional, we might shoot for a more contemporary vibe, with a high tech home office space. For retirees, we might use a second bedroom as an office, but we’d include a small daybed too, so the grandchildren can spend the night. These are just a few of the subtle ways that we make sure to tug on the buyers’ heartstrings with each home we Stage.

Interesting Finding #3:

“Couples say that no one ‘wears the pants in the relationship’ in terms of major financial decisions …”

Close to 70% of respondents said that when it comes to major financial decisions (such as the purchase of a home) it’s a mutual decision.

Now this one surprised me a bit because from what I’ve always heard, women tend to influence the home-purchasing decisions more than men. Of course both have input, but generally women tend to feel more strongly about buying one home versus another, and this is where proper Staging can distinguish one home from another. When comparing two homes, both may have the same square footage and number of bedrooms, the same hardwood floors or granite countertops, but the one that “feels like home” is the one that will get the sale (price being equal of course)! Creating those special details that make a buyer fall in love with a home is what Home Staging is all about.

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Selling Your Home When Your Neighbor’s House is an Eyesore

Posted on 13 August 2009 | Comments Off

I just read this interesting article in the Los Angeles Times about the problems associated with trying to sell your home when you live next to a dump.

It was very timely since I encountered this very issue while previewing a beautiful new construction home in Sherman Oaks just last week. The developer built 2 gorgeous, side-by-side, high-end homes with luxury upgrades and beautiful finishes. The homes were identical in layout, but the builder wanted to Stage only one – the less desirable one. Why was it less desirable? Was it smaller? Did it have fewer rooms? Ummm…no. This one was less desirable because of the next-door neighbor.

I didn’t take a photo of the neighbor’s yard, but you can probably picture it. It looked like a junk yard, filled with old appliances, lumber and debris. And the home itself looked like it should’ve been condemned. It hadn’t been painted in decades, the yard was overgrown and it looked a bit like, well, a crack house. Hardly the sort of neighbor the buyer of a brand new luxury home would be excited about.

Of course my Staging plan included large potted plants and window treatments to block the view of the neighbor’s home from the bedrooms and patios. But at some point a potential buyer will open the curtains or peer over the fence, only to find that their future neighbors live in a dump.

So what do you do if you are trying to sell your home and your neighbor’s house isn’t quite as presentable as you’d like?

1) Approach your neighbor about the issue in a non-threatening way.

Attempt to solve the problem amicably (I find this is always the best way to deal with any issue). The article suggests that it might be a good idea to tell the neighbor that a Realtor or potential buyer made a complaint.

2) Offer to help.

Have a solution in mind and offer to help with any labor or costs involved. Simply offering to rake leaves or take a bunch of old junk to the Goodwill may be all it takes to solve the problem. If you don’t want this to seem too personal, try organizing a neighborhood cleanup with all the families on your block. Rent or borrow a truck to take everyone’s extra items to the dump or donate them. Tackle unfinished yard projects and pick up trash around the neighborhood. If everyone is taking part your neighbor won’t feel singled out.

3) If you are uncomfortable talking to your neighbor, ask your real estate agent or home staging professional to make the initial contact.

It may be less threatening if the news comes from a third party. You could even ask your agent or stager to say s/he is speaking to them without your prior knowledge. I am not one to condone lying, but if you are trying to preserve good relations with a neighbor, this type of white lie may be unavoidable.

Once again, make sure your representative addresses your neighbor respectfully (without trying to pick a fight) and offers to help in any way possible.

4) If all else fails and your neighbor refuses to comply, contact the local code enforcement office or neighborhood association. This should be a last resort, as it’s much more pleasant to get a friendly call from your neighbor rather than a complaint.

Just know that you may not get any satisfaction going this route. Oftentimes what may seem like a code violation is actually not against any rules. And filing a complaint doesn’t guarantee a quick fix. Your neighbor could file an appeal or simply drag their feet.

Another important recommendation from the article:

Ask the homeowner before doing any work yourself!

You don’t want to be accused of trespassing.

For keeping your home safe in other areas of California, check out ADT Palo Alto CA.

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