gretchen wheeler's Blog

Home Stager in Erie Pa completes 4th "flip " house in 30 days!

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Sun, 24 May 2009 19:46:18 -0700

We just finished our 4th "flip" house, and we agree it's our favorite one yet! I started a blog with this one that ended up being in our local paper. (www.creativespaceserie.blogspot.com) I had no idea what was in store for us, each house is so different. This one was almost perfect! We were able to finish in 30 days, and just had over 20 people at our open house. We're keeping our fingers crossed for a quick sell because we'd like to get another one finished by the end of summer.

This is the first time I had professional pictures taken, and I will never go back! The house isn't very big (1100 sq. feet) so I kept staging to a minimum and let the house speak for itself.

Thanks to everyone that's checked out my blog- I will update as soon as we get a buyer!

Erie, Pa : Home Staging expert's "house flipping" blog in local paper

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:44:02 -0700

Home staging expert Gretchen Wheeler , and her husband Randy, are presently "flipping" their 4th home in Erie PA. In a recent article in the Erie Times News, Gretchen was quoted as saying "I think one of the hardest things when rehabbing a house is not overdoing it. It is so easy to just keep adding extras. There is such a fine line between creating "selling points" in a house and adding something because you know it would look good ( or be really fun to do). The decorator in me wants to add glass tile backsplashes, and built-in window seats, but the flipper in me is counting every penny we are spending, keeping an eye on the profits."

You can follow along as the Wheelers transform an eyesore into a beautiful investment at their new blog: www.creativespaceserie.blogspot.com

From Grandma's house to modern and move-in-ready in Erie Pa

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:01:37 -0800

When my realtor called me and said "can you come right over?" I knew it was serious. She had received a call from two brothers who had been trying to sell the home they grew up in for the past 18 months , listed with another realtor. They had repeatedly asked the other realtor what they could do to get the house sold and she would only say "there's nothing you can do, bad market, bad economy". My realtor knew better and called me! My name is Gretchen Wheeler and I own Creative Spaces in Erie, Pa. When I entered the home, the first thing that hit me was the smell. Not a foul odor, more just musty and "old". And rightly so, everything in the home was old. Carpets, vinyl, kitchen, no cosmetic changes had been made in at least 25 years. Luckily, the "bones" of the house were good- newer roof, furnace, and windows. We agreed to take the house off the market, spend about a month doing the updates, and then re-list with the new realtor. We replaced all carpet, added ceramic tile, painted every room with today's color's, replaced all light fixtures and kitchen cabinet hardware, and staged the home before putting it back on the market. The asking price had gotten down to $128,000 with no offers when it was taken off the market, but because of the updates, it is now listed at $163,900. On Monday, I will host a realtor openhouse along with my realtor. Her comment was " I don't ever want to sell a house again unless you stage it!"

Wonderful new accessories for staging and decorating

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:47:14 -0800

I have recently signed up to be a rep for www.signaturehomestyles.com It is a great Home Decor company that I feel will really complement my home staging and design business. They have some beautiful pieces. What I will do is have some of my clients host a "decorating show" in their homes . I'll go ahead of time and do a little decorating with some of their own pieces and some of the SHS pieces. Then the hostess will have her friends in to see how nicely her home is decorated, and introduce them to the SHS line. The picture I posted is a system called Wall Wizard. It is a series of frames and inserts that are all interchangeable. www.wallwizardideas.com They will be great for staging.

If anyone would like me to send them a catalog or offer more info, please email me.

www.creativespaceserie.com

Erie Pa rehabbed and staged home sells in 7 weeks- amazing transformation!

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:02:46 -0700

Erie Pa couple breathes new life into a house that was formerly foreclosed on. Randy and Gretchen Wheeler purchased this home from a bank, completely remodeled it, staged it and had a contract on it after only 7 weeks on the market! Gretchen, owner of Creative Spaces Home Staging and Interior Design in Erie realizes the importance of home staging, especially in today's market. "Staging a home, especially a vacant home, helps to create a warm and inviting feeling for a buyer when they look at the home", she says. "I always stage the homes we renovate, from choosing paint colors to furnishing and accessorizing the home". Home owners and realtors in the Erie area are also realizing the importance of having a home staged, and have called on Gretchen to get the job done for them. "The best thing about selling this home", Gretchen says, "is now we get to find another one and start creating all over again!" For more information on Home Staging please go to www.creativespaceserie.com

How many of us remember to "stage" ourselves?

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:22:31 -0700

Today I took a much deserved day off! The only thing I had to do was go to a Dr. appt. I didn't feel like taking a shower , and I wanted to just throw on sweats, but that little voice inside thought otherwise, so I showered, did hair and makeup and wore grown-up clothes. Boy was I glad I did! As I casually mentioned to the doctor what I did for a living, he got all excited and started talking about wanting new paint colors for his office and different carpeting. His nurse has been doing alot of work on her house getting it ready to sell and asked for one of my cards so she could call me to stage it.

NOT that I'm saying we must always be dressed up, but I'm sure my impression on them was much different than if I had not. I also feel more confident when I have "staged" myself effectively. Our clients demand us to be up on what a buyer is looking for, we need to keep ourselves up on what our clients are looking for!

Happy staging!

Gretchen

www.creativespaceserie.com

ATTN STAGERS: Learn the nationally recognized ACTION Scoring System

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:04:19 -0700

I just wanted to let everyone know that there are still some openings for The Staging System 2 day hands-on staging class in Erie, Pa. This is the woman that I trained with www.onedaydecorating.com and the class is amazing! You spend time in the classroom learning her nationally recognized ACTION staging plan (a complete tool to rate every room using a number system, and presenting the homeowner with a "score" of their home and ways to increase that score) and then you actually go into REAL homes for sale and put the plan into action by doing the hands-on staging.You receive a certification from the SDP (www.thesdp.com) , of which JoAnne is a founding member. JoAnne Lenart Weary has been in the business for over 30 years, and now travels around the country teaching her principles to others.

Erie,Pa is only a few hours driving from Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Feel free to email JoAnne (JoAnne@onedaydecorating.com) or myself if you have any questions.

GretchenWheeler

www.creativespaceserie.com

QUESTION: Advertising a home as "professionally staged" Good or bad idea?

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:26:36 -0700

My husband and I "flip" houses and I also do staging and redesign. We have a home we are planning to list for sale next week. Real Estate staging is basically non-existent in my area, and I'm working to change that! I had thought of creating a logo saying "professionally staged home by Creative Spaces" that would be in any advertising and a small sign to go next to the realtors sign at the house. I'm wondering if anyone's done that, and is it something I want to advertise? Do you think it could be seen as a negative to other realtors and the public? Any input would be appreciated-thanks!

Fun Home Staging tip!

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:21:36 -0700

I saw this the other day and thought it was smart - when staging a home for sale, put a large mirror in the front entry way. As the potential buyer comes in, they will already "see" themselves in their new home! Same with when they leave, reinforcing themselves in the home.

I will plan to do that from now on- anyone tried it already?

Erie, Pa - House on market 9 months, Home Stager comes in, sells in 3 weeks!

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:44:01 -0700

I got some great news today- The home I staged 3 weeks ago just sold after being on the market since September! Priced at $550,000, the house is in a beautiful neighborhood but had not had any offers. Before reducing the price, the realtor offered to pay for a few hours of home staging and called me. Although there had been alot of showings, some of the comments from buyers were that the house was "dated" and "would need alot of work". I spent a day with the homeowner de-cluttering, simplifying, and re-arranging to create an enviroment that would be appealing to the largest number of buyers possible. By removing all the area rugs, buyers immediately noticed the beautiful wood floors upon entering. Re-arranging furniture in the large living room/ dining room made a well connected, open space for entertaining. New paint colors, wall paper removal, new bedding, and new kitchen cabinet hardware also helped to create a more modern feel to the space. With all the talk about "the market" today, it is so satisfying to help a home owner get their house sold and move on to the next stage in their lives- I love my job!

Why every home on the market needs to be staged

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:12:16 -0700

"Home Staging" is a term that means many things to many people. When people ask me what I do as a home stager, I could come up with 20 different answers depending on the home I'm working in at the time. HGTV has been a great help for getting the word out on home staging, but the shows ( of course!) go for the most dramatic changes, bringing in full rooms of furniture and accessories for quite some money. Not that that certainly isn't a great part of what we do (such fun!), but something as simple as clearing out clutter, simplifying a room, changing a paint color, can make some big changes with little investment

My definition of staging is "the art of accentuating the positives of a home while minimizing the negatives to make the home appealing to the largest amount of buyers as possible". Think of it as getting ready to enter a beauty pagent, it IS a competition! Especially with the market today, in order to get a house sold quickly and for asking price it must be ready to show off to the world.

I spoke with a realtor in my area recently about staging. She loved the idea of home staging, and said she didn't have any listings right now that needed staging. When I got home, I checked out her listings on the internet, and she had 2 vacant homes, and one (priced at $500,000) with dated wallpaper, formica countertops and a huge tree in the front totally obscuring the view. As you all know, that house could have definitely used the help of professional home staging!

My advice to realtors as well as home sellers is to do your homework, contact a home stager in your area, and have them come in for a consultation with every new listing. How impressive to the seller! We stagers have a knack for explaining why the 1970's decor may not be quite what buyers are looking for, whereas sometimes a realtor's hands are tied. I use a nationally recognized A.C.T.I.O.N. Scoring System when doing a consultation. It let's the seller know what score their home receives according to the cleanliness, clutter, updates and improvements on the home. A numerical score and ways to bring it up is sometimes easier for a seller to digest than saying " no one will EVER buy this house with all this pink carpet!" Not that we haven't all thought it!

Good luck and happy home selling!

Using a Compensation at Closing Plan for Home Staging

gretchen wheeler (Creative Spaces) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:33:39 -0700

I have just started staging a home that has been for sale since October, the asking price is $550,000 and it is somewhat dated. The broker has generously offered the home owner four hours worth of Home Staging time that would be compensated for at the closing. The seller paid me for my time, and then the broker will reimburse her once the house closes.

Once I started, the home owner realized what a big difference it is making and has already had me work for 8 hrs, ( she paid me for the extra 4 hours) plus we're going this week to pick out light fixtures, kitchen cabinet hardware, and paint colors. It is a win-win situation for the realtor and home owner. If for some reason the home would not sell in the contracted time period, the seller would be more likely to re-list with that realtor in order to be compensated for the Home Staging.

I'm curious to see if anyone else has been doing this and how is it working?