Here's my thought. 'They must not have known the photographer was coming....'
I have seen too many online listing pictures with laundry piled on the end of a bed waiting to be put away, or worse, laundry scattered on the floor waiting to be cleaned. Too many pictures of toiletries covering a bathroom sink. Way too many pictures of cluttered kitchen counters.
I can only wonder, 'Did they not know the photos were going to be taken that day?'
Please, agents, forewarn your Homeowners. And Homeowners, if you don't make your house a showcase, it will sit on the market that much longer and you will get far less than you are asking...
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Less IS more
Daily Tweet Breakdown
Coeur d'Alene...you know you need a home stager if....your online pics are tidy, but still have too much 'personality' in them....
Less is more. Less of YOU in your home, that is. If your 'personality' shines through in your home, then you probably need to tone it down (a lot). What is 'personality' in a home? ANY collections you have on the shelves, on tables, on counters, on walls (that would mean family pictures), get my meaning? Other personality identifiers are plants. Meaning, if you have lots of plants, it means lots of YOU. Your furniture style can say too much as well. If you need, get some chair or couch covers to neutralize while on the market. Color on your walls says too much YOU, as well. Pet stuff is too personal for many buyers, so hide all things pet related.
Your personality needs to be toned-down while your house is on the market. Your interior design/style is great when you are living in your home, under normal circumstances. When you are on the market, your house needs to appeal to EVERYBODY. Just having an immaculate home doesn't make for a fast sell. Having an immaculate home that is neutral, and move-in ready, NOW THAT APPEALS...
Monday, August 16, 2010
Coeur d'Alene, no gnomes are good gnomes...
Daily Tweet Breakdown
Home staging tip-no gnomes, fake deer, flamingos, or outdoor chotchke's. They say YOU, not future homeowner....
Putting your house on the market means taking YOU out of the equation. If your house has too much of YOU everywhere, your buyers won't be able to envision themselves in YOUR space. All your chotchke's need to be pre-packed. They are too personal and buyers will get too caught up in them and not in your house.
Believe it or not, fake deer and flamingos are not appealing to everyone. We are trying to market your house to as many people as possible, so as much of YOU that we can remove, the better. Your yard is often the first impression a buyer will encounter. Make sure it is appealing to everyone by removing all your 'yard decor'. Remember, it's a yard (read; grass,flowers,shrubs,trees,etc.), not a place to display merchandise. Make it memorable for the the right reasons. You don't want buyers remembering your house/yard because of all the fake chotchke's scattered around it.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Daily Tweet Breakdown
Daily Tweet Rehash
You know you need a Home Stager if...
Your 'style' looks anything like homes in TV reruns from the '60's, '70's, '80's.....
This should be self-explanatory, but by the homes I've seen and the listing pictures I see......well, it's not. Your decor really needs to match, first of all the current style, and secondly, your price point. That may be going out on a limb, but I have seen more million dollar homes with trailer-park furnishings. If your home is listed above 3-4 hundred thousand dollars, then I say it should look that way. When I see older furnishings inside a home listed above $300,000.00, the home just doesn't feel like it's worth it. Dated furnishings can ruin a sale, if you ask me.
Now, I'm not advocating buying new furnishings. But, I am asking to update what you can with slip covers, fresh bedding, etc. And I am definitely advocating removing all the spoon collections, wooden magazine holders, lacy valences, and all items that look like they belong in your grandmothers house.... Less is more. I see this in a lot of homes owned by elderly folks. When we are trying to help elderly people sell their homes, it's really best to bring in that third party (read, Home Stager). Stagers can make those delicate suggestions that the listing agent might be wary of making. Now, don't think just the elderly folks are the only ones with dated furnishings, because they are not... Many, many other homes suffer the same fate.
Buying a home is an emotional purchase. How can you connect with a home when it is looking dated and frumpy? Most buyers are buying up, right? Well, that high-end listing doesn't look like a step up if it's looking like grandma's house....! Just saying.
You know you need a Home Stager if...
Your 'style' looks anything like homes in TV reruns from the '60's, '70's, '80's.....
This should be self-explanatory, but by the homes I've seen and the listing pictures I see......well, it's not. Your decor really needs to match, first of all the current style, and secondly, your price point. That may be going out on a limb, but I have seen more million dollar homes with trailer-park furnishings. If your home is listed above 3-4 hundred thousand dollars, then I say it should look that way. When I see older furnishings inside a home listed above $300,000.00, the home just doesn't feel like it's worth it. Dated furnishings can ruin a sale, if you ask me.
Now, I'm not advocating buying new furnishings. But, I am asking to update what you can with slip covers, fresh bedding, etc. And I am definitely advocating removing all the spoon collections, wooden magazine holders, lacy valences, and all items that look like they belong in your grandmothers house.... Less is more. I see this in a lot of homes owned by elderly folks. When we are trying to help elderly people sell their homes, it's really best to bring in that third party (read, Home Stager). Stagers can make those delicate suggestions that the listing agent might be wary of making. Now, don't think just the elderly folks are the only ones with dated furnishings, because they are not... Many, many other homes suffer the same fate.
Buying a home is an emotional purchase. How can you connect with a home when it is looking dated and frumpy? Most buyers are buying up, right? Well, that high-end listing doesn't look like a step up if it's looking like grandma's house....! Just saying.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Coeur d'Alene how do your pictures hang?
Daily Tweet Rehash
Home staging tip - The middle of your hanging wall art should be 60" - 70" from the floor.
That is a general rule of thumb in the industry. I personally feel that 70" is a wee bit high. I tend to keep the middle of all my pictures at about 60" - 65" from the floor, I feel that is a better height.
Having said all that, I tend to bend rules when it come to the size or shape of my wall art. Another rule bender is when hanging anything behind a couch that is up against a wall. If your picture is not very tall, hanging it at the 60" mark might be too high. You don't want a lot of wall space between the top of your couch and the bottom of your picture. It's like having "high-water" pants.....You know, waiting for a flood....
If any of your art is tall and narrow, then try the rule out and if it doesn't feel right, move your art accordingly. And remember, when selling your house, take down all your family pictures. Only neutral artwork should be displayed. Nothing too religious, ethnic, culture specific, ultra modern, or "travel" art (art bought while on vacation - it tends to be too taste specific). A good question to ask yourself about your art, "would I see this same art in a nice, chic hotel?". If your answer is "no", then you might need to think about updating....
Home staging tip - The middle of your hanging wall art should be 60" - 70" from the floor.
That is a general rule of thumb in the industry. I personally feel that 70" is a wee bit high. I tend to keep the middle of all my pictures at about 60" - 65" from the floor, I feel that is a better height.
Having said all that, I tend to bend rules when it come to the size or shape of my wall art. Another rule bender is when hanging anything behind a couch that is up against a wall. If your picture is not very tall, hanging it at the 60" mark might be too high. You don't want a lot of wall space between the top of your couch and the bottom of your picture. It's like having "high-water" pants.....You know, waiting for a flood....
If any of your art is tall and narrow, then try the rule out and if it doesn't feel right, move your art accordingly. And remember, when selling your house, take down all your family pictures. Only neutral artwork should be displayed. Nothing too religious, ethnic, culture specific, ultra modern, or "travel" art (art bought while on vacation - it tends to be too taste specific). A good question to ask yourself about your art, "would I see this same art in a nice, chic hotel?". If your answer is "no", then you might need to think about updating....
Monday, July 19, 2010
Coeur d'Alene homes with stuffed animals?
Daily Tweet Rehash
You know you need a home stager if....your master bedroom is displaying stuffed animals as decorative accessories....
REALLY? Yes, REALLY!
I have been seeing stuffed animals in mature, adult bedrooms being used as accessories. Okay people, as soon as you moved out of mom's house your stuffed animals were supposed to be left behind. Along with the gun safes that I have mentioned in previous blogs, the stuffed animals are not considered decorative items. Guns and stuffed animals are like this yin-yang thing, but it doesn't work while trying to sell a house. Depersonalize your master bedroom.
Buyers are trying to see themselves in your house. How can they if YOU are written all over it? Highly personal items, like stuffed animals, should be the first items pre-packed when selling a house. When your buyers walk into your master bedroom, they shouldn't feel uncomfortable, as if they are intruding on your privacy. If they do feel that way, you can guarantee they won't be making an offer on your house.
If anything in your master bedroom identifies your emotional personality in that space, that is exactly what needs pre-packing. Home Stagers are experts in identifying exactly those "taste specific" or "personality specific" items that need to be packed up.
You know you need a home stager if....your master bedroom is displaying stuffed animals as decorative accessories....
REALLY? Yes, REALLY!
I have been seeing stuffed animals in mature, adult bedrooms being used as accessories. Okay people, as soon as you moved out of mom's house your stuffed animals were supposed to be left behind. Along with the gun safes that I have mentioned in previous blogs, the stuffed animals are not considered decorative items. Guns and stuffed animals are like this yin-yang thing, but it doesn't work while trying to sell a house. Depersonalize your master bedroom.
Buyers are trying to see themselves in your house. How can they if YOU are written all over it? Highly personal items, like stuffed animals, should be the first items pre-packed when selling a house. When your buyers walk into your master bedroom, they shouldn't feel uncomfortable, as if they are intruding on your privacy. If they do feel that way, you can guarantee they won't be making an offer on your house.
If anything in your master bedroom identifies your emotional personality in that space, that is exactly what needs pre-packing. Home Stagers are experts in identifying exactly those "taste specific" or "personality specific" items that need to be packed up.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Dated wall-paper Coeur d'Alene?
Daily Tweet Rehash
Home staging tip-Have wallpaper? Remove it - most buyers don't want a project to do upon move in.
If you have unfinished "honey-do's" your buyers will either a.) be turned off, b.) over estimate the cost of repairs, c.) undercut your listing price, or d.) none of the above because it's just too much work.
Most buyers are looking to make a lifestyle upgrade. With that in mind your house shouldn't feel like a step backwards for them. Update what you can and finish all those projects that you never got around to while you were living in your house.
Buying a home is a major life transition. Most buyers don't want to make a huge move and then have to make repairs or repaint before they can get settled in and enjoy their new purchase. How many times have you made a big purchase and then had to fix it before you could use it? When you bought that new 72" big screen TV did you have to paint, patch, or repair it first? Did you have to reupholster your new car before you could drive it?
Home staging tip-Have wallpaper? Remove it - most buyers don't want a project to do upon move in.
If you have unfinished "honey-do's" your buyers will either a.) be turned off, b.) over estimate the cost of repairs, c.) undercut your listing price, or d.) none of the above because it's just too much work.
Most buyers are looking to make a lifestyle upgrade. With that in mind your house shouldn't feel like a step backwards for them. Update what you can and finish all those projects that you never got around to while you were living in your house.
Buying a home is a major life transition. Most buyers don't want to make a huge move and then have to make repairs or repaint before they can get settled in and enjoy their new purchase. How many times have you made a big purchase and then had to fix it before you could use it? When you bought that new 72" big screen TV did you have to paint, patch, or repair it first? Did you have to reupholster your new car before you could drive it?
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