Freshen Up
The trends change fast enough that older homes that have been remodeled previously can still benefit from an update:
Granite-Slab Yards
Granite-slab yards we considered – all around Miramar Rd. All are good:
Amazon Stones
Rainbow
Picasso
Arizona Tile
Tosca
We were looking for max efficiency, and after I previewed all five, we hit four yards in two trips – which for the homeowners turned into a brief 2.5-hour investment on how to spend smart money to sell your house for top dollar.
Keep going until you find something you like!
Pop-Up Staging
This might work at the entry level, but higher-priced homes deserve the full treatment:
Pop-up staging, a new, inexpensive method that can eliminate the cost of not only hiring a stager, but also renting, transporting and storing décor and furniture. Flat-pack pieces made of lightweight materials like cardboard and corrugated plastic “pop up” in each room, effectively setting the scene as real housewares (and stage productions!) would.
One pop-up sets provider, Dandy Pack, purveys slip-covered cardboard furniture sturdy enough to withstand 1,000-plus pounds without collapsing. The company’s starter kit, which includes a full/queen bed, a sofa, an oversized chair and an ottoman, costs $1,031. The pieces, which ship in as few as two business days, can be assembled by the listing agent or the seller, further controlling costs.
http://blog.rismedia.com/2016/set-selling-scene-pop-staging/
Taller Walls
We’ve talked about the importance of staging, but there are other simple things you can do to improve your look.
Rooms with low ceilings can feel smaller and darker than they actually are. Here are some great ideas to offset that feeling!
http://www.contemporist.com/2016/06/20/11-ideas-for-making-a-room-feel-taller/
Read full article here:
http://www.contemporist.com/2016/06/20/11-ideas-for-making-a-room-feel-taller/
Home Staging
We have mostly older homes around the coastal region that tend to have a dated floor plan – and are filled with dated furniture! With so many to choose from on the high-end, staging is the most efficient way to create so distance between you and the competition. At this point, I think buyers expect it too.
BEFORE
AFTER
An excerpt:
After a walk-through of Schaeffer’s 6,500-square-foot home, Marshall suggested simple fixes: a paint job to remove the wild colors on the walls, removing odd-colored carpets from the rooms and sprucing up the landscaping.
She also swapped out Schaeffer’s colorful furniture for contemporary seating and accessories in more modern white and chrome but kept a few pieces such as coffee tables or simple artwork that wouldn’t be too distracting. Marshall calls this a partial staging, where a few pieces from the owner are retained.
Once done, the home — which Schaeffer spent about $30,000 to stage — was ready for its second debut.
“After she did the staging, we started getting multiple offers,” Schaeffer said. “I got more than I imagined.”
The property, which was listed at $5.2 million, sold for $5.5 million in fall 2014.
A good stager will help a home — not the homeowner — look its best.
“The furniture, accessories and artwork we choose are meant to help enhance the finish of the counters, the color of the walls and floors — everything that you’re buying in a home,” said Marshall.
Though home staging seems very much like interior design, it isn’t, said Meridith Baer, a grande dame of the home-staging industry who has worked with Kanye West, Bob Dylan and Harrison Ford.
“It’s not meant to reflect the style of the clients. It’s not really about them; it’s about selling the home.”
So, that bobbleheads collection? Or that awkward family portrait you have hanging in the living room? That’s all got to go.
Staging Is Good For Photos
A professionally-staged home probably makes buyers feel a twinge of misrepresentation, but all the more reason to get good help!
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/14/setting-the-stage-to-sell-your-home.html
Ask most real estate agents and they’ll tell you that the toughest conversations they have with their sellers are about price and presentation. But let’s put price aside and talk decor.
Everyone is his or her own Martha Stewart, and who wouldn’t want to see beautiful pictures of our loved ones on the mantel? Answer: potential buyers. They don’t want to see your babies, your knickknacks, your artwork or even those adorable macramé potholders you and your daughter made that rainy afternoon a decade ago.
Savvy real estate agents will tell sellers to clean up, clean out and put away most personal items. The idea is that house hunters should be able to picture themselves — and not you — in your house. Odd artwork, even though it’s not staying, is off-putting.
That is why, in a market where picky buyers want move-in ready real estate, staging is becoming more and more the rule.
Staged homes spend half as much time on the market than non-staged homes, according to Coldwell Banker Real Estate.. What’s more, those staged homes on average sell for more than 6 percent above asking price.
The seller “gets probably 10 times what they put into it,” according to Mary Lynn White, a real estate agent with Evers & Co. in the Washington, D.C., area. “I call it aspirational selling,” she added. “Buyers think they’re going to live the way the house is set up.”
The staging is actually more for the pictures than for the people walking through the home. That is because the vast majority of buyers search online and scan the interiors of homes they want to visit. A good set of pictures will draw more buyers, and those pictures should show pretty and pristine spaces.
Read full article here:
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/14/setting-the-stage-to-sell-your-home.html
Home Staging in 2016
Higher prices bring more expectations, and today, buyers want to be dazzled. Staging really helps with the oddball floor plans or houses full of clutter, but should every seller do it?
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/realestate/home-staging-new-york.html?
An excerpt:
Homeowners, reluctant to spend the money or admit that their decorating choices might not be catnip to buyers, are often loath to pay strangers to impose their tastes on their premises.
But as staging has evolved over the past decade, many real estate professionals say it has become more important — and more sophisticated — than ever.
“It always makes a difference, and is essential in this market,” said Richard Balzano, an associate broker at Douglas Elliman Real Estate who frequently refers his clients to stagers and even pays for the preliminary consultations.
In the past, many stagers focused on decluttering and implementing minor tweaks in furnished homes. Or they appointed vacant apartments with basic rental furniture to prove that rooms were large enough for regular sofas and queen-size mattresses.
Today, they are increasingly tackling all-out transformations that aim to present compelling contemporary design, while projecting a complete aspirational package.
“It’s not just about solving a problem now, but much more about presenting a lifestyle to prospective buyers,” said Jane Saidenberg, the design director of Studio D, a staging company with offices in New York and San Francisco. “People want it to look like a shelter magazine, or like something they’ve seen on TV. It’s more elevated than it has been in the past.”
Read full article here (with 200+ comments since Frday):
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/realestate/home-staging-new-york.html?
Staging Tips for the Senses
Good thoughts on appealing to all five senses – I especially agree with keeping the scent and music volume in check:
Staging a home for sale is all about inspiring your buyer, and their senses are the avenue by which you connect with them. French novelist Honoré de Balzac once wrote “love is the poetry of the senses,” and specifically touching on each sense when staging a home creates atmosphere that inspires just that kind of poetic love. No matter the size or style of the home, there are a whole range of small things you can do to make it more appealing to aspiring homeowners (and help you lock in a sale!) Here’s how to get started:
Read full article here:
Simple 1970s Update
With a little new paint and flooring plus a couple of lights, our buyers were able to bring an original 1970’s tract house into this century:
Staging Plus
Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
Broker-Associate, Compass
Are you looking for an experienced agent to help you buy or sell a home?
Contact Jim the Realtor!
- 682 S. Coast Hwy 101, Suite #110
Encinitas, CA 92024 - (858) 997-3801 call or text
- klingerealty@gmail.com
CA DRE #01527365, CA DRE #00873197
