Debra Ghysels's Blog

The Magic of COLOR

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:28:58 -0700

TOO MUCH COLOR? WON'T PAINT? WHAT DO WE DO?

This week we had the challenge of a house with strong color and a seller that was willing to paint only one wall! Now what? Understanding the diminished marketability due to the intense red, white, and blue the home seller still did not want to paint.

The solution will be to neutralize the color by balancing it with strong contrasting colors that are strategically spread around the room. This will do two things:

1) it will diffuse the impact of color

2) it will create a fluid path for the eye to follow

In this house we carried the red from the Dining Room through the white halls and into the Blue Living Room so that the eye does not jet from room to room, but flows seamlessly in a logical path to introduce each room to the buyer.

If there are strong colors in a home, you must understand that buyers do not want to have to paint any more than you would want to paint in your next house. Carefully consider your home as a product to be marketed. The more easily the buyer can move in, the more quickly one will receive an offer.

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

If you are located in the Dayton, Ohio area or in Northern Cincinnati, and would like to speak to a Professional Home Stager who is Dayton's Largest Full-Service Home Staging Firm, serving greater Dayton and Cincinnati since 2004, call...

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Do you have something FOR SALE or are you SELLING something?!?!?

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:29:27 -0700

People often tell us, "We are selling our house!" We always want to ask them, "Are you really, are you selling your house or do you just have a sign in the front yard?"

What is the difference??

Marketing is more than having something to SELL...

Marketing is having something desirable to BUY!

Staging a home can mean the difference between having your House For Sale and Selling your House!

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Staging Works!! On the Market for over a Year, is Professionally Staged, sells in 3 months!

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:24:45 -0700

Be sure your PRESENTATION justifies the PRICE you are asking!!!

Price gets the seller in the door (or on the website)but no one buys a house just because the price is right! An offer is made because the house meets the buyer's expectations in the presentation! Only 3 - 10% of buyers can see what the house could be, make sure you show them. A few pieces of furniture, some well placed accessories, a coat of paint and new carpet can transform your house into an offer! This house was on the market for over one year. It sold in 3 months after staging!!

When you are considering putting your house on the market, we are the difference between having your house for sale and selling your house!

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Let's Get into the Christmas Spirit with Home Staging! ...part 5

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:36:11 -0800

Did you know...Candy Canes originated over 350 years ago and the original ones were all white...and straight?!?!

Around the seventeenth century, European-Christians began to adopt the use of Christmas trees as part of their Christmas celebrations. They made special decorations for their trees from foods like cookies and sugar-stick candy. The first historical reference to the familiar cane shape goes back to 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, bent the sugar-sticks into canes to represent a shepherd's staff. The all-white candy canes were given out to children during the long-winded nativity services.

The clergymen's custom of handing out candy canes during Christmas services spread throughout Europe and later to America. The canes were still white, but sometimes the candy-makers would add sugar-roses to decorate the canes further.

The first historical reference to the candy cane being in America goes back to 1847, when a German immigrant called August Imgard decorated the Christmas tree in his Wooster, Ohio home with candy canes.

Stripes...About fifty years later the first red-and-white striped candy canes appeared. No one knows who exactly invented the stripes, but Christmas cards prior to the year 1900 showed only all-white candy canes. Christmas cards after 1900 showed illustrations of striped candy canes. Around the same time, candy-makers added peppermint and wintergreen flavors to their candy canes and those flavors then became the traditional favorites.

A Catholic priest called Gregory Keller invented a machine to automate candy cane production during the 1950's.

Although modern technology has made candy canes accessible and plentiful, they've not lost their purity and simplicity as a traditional holiday food and symbol of the humble roots of Christianity.

How many have you eaten already this season?

******************************************************************************************

Since Thanksgiving, "Sparkie", our family's Elf on a Shelf has helped stopped many arguments amongst siblings. He has also helped all three of my kids make good choices.

Last week, my 7 year old asked me "why do we hang our stockings on the mantle?" I was prepared for that one!

I am waiting for the questions about Christmas Cards...I am knowledgable now to answer that one too when it comes!

Next time I crunch on a Candy Cane I will think about where they came from, so will you!

I hope that all of you have enjoyed these Holiday Newsletters and are ready now for the Christmas Season.

I plan to continue a newsletter from Debra's Designs into the New Year with more Tips and Tricks to Home Staging. Please stay tuned.

All of us from Debra's Designs want to wish each and every one of you a very Blessed and Merry Christmas!!

And Finally...Step # 5.

How about how to prepare and get your home ready for market. How do you make your home a Buyer's Desire?!?

So to incorporate the 2 subjects we will instead of singing the 5 Golden Rings from the "12 Days of Christmas"...lets sing the 5 Tips to Home Staging!

Staging Tip #5

Neutral does not mean white!

Most people find a white house as inviting as a 1950's hospital! When we say neutralize your home, we are looking for a less distinctive decor to appeal to a broader range of buyers. Keep it simple and clean and you will make your home a buyer's desire!

Some buyers are moving from an environment that was very neutral, like an apartment where they couldn't put any color on the walls. They want Color!! You also want to avoid certain things that could offend potential home buyers. Some examples of this would be certain art, decor, displaying political or religious views, pets, pictures and odors. These things are very important to consider and as the home seller it is easily overlooked. Please the buyer with the lifestyle they are looking for, create "The Buyer's Desire."

You can learn more by visiting us at:
www.ByDebrasDesigns.com

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Let's Get into the Christmas Spirit with Home Staging!! ...part 4

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:50:04 -0800

Have you sent your Christmas Cards yet??

I haven't, they are on order and believe me...that is no easy feat. I just hope that they arrive at my doorstep in time to get them addressed and at the Post Office before Christmas. Every year since having children we take a photo of the whole family to update those family members who we haven't seen in awhile. Taking a picture with a tripod and 3 young children is not easy!!

The tradition of sending Christmas cards begun in 1843 - about the same time as the first Christmas seal was published. The first Christmas card was produced in England, and the idea was well-received, because the following year, more than 25,000 Christmas cards were sold. However, the first Christmas card provoked controversy in certain circles in England, because the Christmas card pictured a company of people touching glasses and saying "Merry Christmas". Putting alcohol and holy Christmas in one picture did not please the English citizens then.

For more than thirty years, Americans had to import greeting cards from England. In 1875, German immigrant to the U.S. Louis Prang, opened a lithographic shop with $250, and published the first line of U.S. Christmas cards. His initial creations featured birds and flowers, unrelated to the Xmas scene. By 1881, Prang was producing more than 5 million Christmas cards per year.

Today, Christmas cards come in all shapes and sizes -- from small and simple to big and colorful. The big American producer of Christmas cards, Hallmark, employs a whole army of Christmas card designers who produce new Christmas cards every season. The most popular cards are the old fashioned and nostalgic ones with sledges and pixies, and a big, chubby Santa Claus in a red and white coat. Since the Internet became widespread in the middle of the 90's, sending electronic Christmas cards became the trend.

Fun Facts:

In 2004, the German post office gave away 20 million scented stickers for free to make Christmas cards smell like a fir Christmas tree, cinnamon, gingerbread, or a honey-wax candle.

A surge in Christmas cards came in the 1940s, courtesy of World War II. Friends and family, far away fighting, received cards with patriotic messages and symbols, like Uncle Sam.

Many organizations produce special Christmas cards as a fundraising tool. The most famous of these enterprises is probably the UNICEF Christmas card program, launched in 1949.

An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 cards arrive in their place.

I could go on and on about traditions for the holidays, lets talk about something else... How about how to prepare and get your home ready for market. How do you make your home a Buyer's Desire?!? So to incorporate the 2 subjects we will instead of singing the 5 Golden Rings from the "12 Days of Christmas"...lets sing the 5 Tips to Home Staging!

Staging Tip #4

Pack it early, move it later!
Pack it! Stack it! You're moving it!!

As soon as you know you are moving, start packing! Most home sellers wait until they close on the house to start packing. You send the message to your buyer that you are ready for them to move in if you are half way out the door! Stack packed and labeled boxes in the center one half of your garage or in one area of your basement. Buyers get the message when they see you only have the necessary items left. A home that is packed shows bigger and is easier to keep picked up! Leave only enough furniture and accessories to show room size and highlight the home's features. You may want to hire a professional home stager to assist you in marketing your house.

If you are short on space or want to pack up your belongings, our team will pack, store, and/or move you valuables with care and professionalism that will bring you comfort and ease with your relocation needs. If you are downsizing and have things that you would like to sell, we can get in you touch with the right people to help you do so.

...stay tuned for Tip #5.

You can learn more by visiting us at:

www.ByDebrasDesigns.com

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Let's Get into the Christmas Spirit with Home Staging!! ...part 3

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:32:28 -0800

Ever wonder why we hang our stockings on the mantle??

The tradition of the Christmas stockings began by a story told since ancient time about a kind noble man who had three daughters. The wife of the nobleman expired and the daughters and their father were left in a state of sorrow. The daughters had to do all the work in the house. When the daughters became young and eligible for marriage, the poor father could not afford to give the huge dowries to their husbands.

One evening the daughters, after washing their stockings hung them near the fire place to be dried. Santa Claus being moved by the plight of the daughters came in and put in three bags of gold one in each of the stocking hanging by the chimney. The next morning the family noticed the gold bags and the nobleman had enough for his daughter's marriage. The daughters got married and they lived happily ever after. Since then children have been hanging Christmas stockings.

While I could go on and on about traditions for the holidays, lets talk about something else... How about how to prepare and get your home ready for market. How do you make your home a Buyer's Desire?!? So to incorporate the 2 subjects we will instead of singing the 5 Golden Rings from the "12 Days of Christmas"...lets sing the 5 Tips to Home Staging!

Staging Tip #3

If it's smaller than a basketball, pack it! No more than 3 items to a table or shelf!

Too much stuff is too much stuff!! Space sells!! For accessories use the basketball rule. If your accessories are smaller than a basketball, pack them up! Accessories should only be used to accent a few areas of a room, not fill all surfaces. In closets, leave only clothes for a one month stay. Pack the rest. Arrange pantry like a grocery store shelf, labels facing outward and like products grouped together. Arrange linens like a department store; have only one extra set of sheets per bed, pack up the rest. Remember, space sells! Fold fitted sheets and pillow cases into the flat sheet and stack with rounded fold facing out. Towels should also have the rounded fold facing out and stacked in like colors.

Our stagers have a full inventory of accessories to give that professionally decorated touch which will bring out the special features of a home. We update and/or properly place furniture and accessories to give a warm and custom environment to make the house appeal to the largest number of buyers.

...stay tuned for Tips # 4 and #5.

You can learn more by visiting us at:

www.ByDebrasDesigns.com

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Let's get into the Christmas Spirit with Home Staging! ....part 2

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:25:18 -0800

Family traditions are so important and that's why we fell in love with the Elf on The Shelf book set. Inside the book set you will find an antique-style Elf, formed to sit on a shelf or perch in your house, as well as a book that explains what the Elf is for. He has an important job. This Elf is assigned to watch over your family and report back to Santa each night about who has been naughty or nice that day. By morning he's back but he's in a different place in the house for a daily hide-and-seek ritual that will delight your kids and adults alike.

It is a fun tradition to sit down together at the beginning of the Christmas season and read the book. We chose to start this on Thanksgiving weekend. Your kids can name the Elf and enter the name on the certificate at the back of the book. You can also go online and register your Elf on the author's web site. (Interesting side note, as researching this tradition I found that the Illustrator is a local, she is from Cincinnati. Her name is Coe Steinwart.)This Elf is a fun way to bring the family closer together at the hectic Holidays and remind us of the good ol' fashioned Christmas spirit. We all know that the elves work for Santa. But who knew you could have one work in your own home?

If you have small children, grandchildren, or you just know a child, Elf on the Shelf is fun for a child of any age. Every morning when they get up they would race downstairs to see where the Elf was that day. As we learned, you had better have a story in your hip pocket to explain why the Elf is still in the same spot after you forgot to move it before bed the night before.

Here are some other fun ideas:

Use fake snow to leave a trail around the house, to show where the elf has flown around.
Dribble cookie crumbs on the elf and leave him next to the cookies, as if he ate some.
While I could go on and on about holiday traditions or ways to decorate your home for the holidays, lets talk about something else...

How about how to prepare and get your home ready for market. How do you make your home a Buyer's Desire?!?

So to incorporate the 2 subjects we will instead of singing the 5 Golden Rings from the "12 Days of Christmas"...lets sing the 5 Tips to Home Staging!

Staging Tip #2

If it's dirty, clean it!
If it can't be cleaned, paint it or replace it!

Q-Tip clean is the goal! Leave no crack dusty much less gooey!! Clean walls, floors and fixtures! Wash windows, decks and sidewalks! Professionally clean carpets, if they won't come clean, replacing them with a moderately priced carpet will save you money at the negotiating table.

Take the stress out of that last minute cleaning before an open house. Our cleaning team will dust, vacuum, and clean to give that professional touch that makes a good impression. Moving out and need a thorough cleaning after the home is vacated? Our team will give it the white glove, leaving a home move-in ready for the new owners.

What a Home Buyer perceives as a "bad smell" in a house can make or break a deal. Does your house pass the smell teest? Unfortunately, as much as your pet is a beloved part of the family he/she may leave a lingering odor that non-pet owners do not appreciate and therefore your buyer pool is reduced even more. Do you love to cook with garlic? Many food odors can linger in the air as well as smoke. Try and refrain from smoking in the house while it is on the market. Keep the garbage empty and occasionally grind up an orange peel in your garbage disposal to keep it smelling nice. You can easily purchase a coffee mug warmer and warm scented oil or scented tart in a glass bowl to infuse a pleasant smell throughout the house. Be careful on the scent that you choose. Do not let it overwhelm the space.

...stay tuned for Tips #3 thru #5.

You can learn about us at:

www.ByDebrasDesigns.com

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Let's get into the Christmas Spirit with Home Staging! ...part 1

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:33:47 -0800

The Christmas Season is FAST approaching. I am among many when I say it is one of my favorite times of the year. There are many things that come to mind...Christmas carols, gift giving, dinner parties, smell of pine & peppermint, shopping, baking, wreaths, stockings hung at the fireplace...

I look forward to the day when I retrieve all of the decorations from the basement to adorn my home with them. We have a very tall tree and my husband & I may seem to get frustrated at times when we are decorating it, but at the end of the day when we turn the lights on it is all worth it!

We all do some type of decorating for the holidays, some just more extravagant than others. While I could go on and on about ideas or ways to decorate your home for the holidays, lets talk about something else... How about how to prepare and get your home ready for market. How do you make your home a Buyer's Desire?!?

So to incorporate the 2 subjects we will instead of singing the 5 Golden Rings from the "12 Days of Christmas"...lets sing the 5 Tips to Home Staging!

Staging Tip #1 If it's broken, fix it! If it can't be fixed, replace it!

No buyer wants to move into a house and spend the next couple of weekends fixing things in their new house!! If it's broken, fix it! If it can't be fixed then replace it! NEW is the standard! You are competing with new construction, be sure your house wins by making it work like new!! It has been found that almost 70% of buyers are willing to spend more money on a house that is is "move in ready" vs. one that is a "fixer-upper". When most people move in to a new house they have many things to do to "personalize" it to make their "home", the last thing they want to do is caulk the bathroom shower, paint baseboards, or fix leaky faucets. Sounds pretty elementary but why is that some people spend more time and possibly money getting their car ready to sell than they do their home?!?

We have a Full Service Home Staging Support Team and part of our service is to coordinate a team specific to what it is that your needs are. Not everyone is handy with a hammer and screwdriver! Our handymen are bonded, insured, and skillful. They can fix, build, remove, and restart just about anything. You do not need to look for 3 or 4 people to address the issues in your home, our team has you covered.

...stay tuned for Tips #2 thru #5.

You can learn more by visiting us at:

www.ByDebrasDesigns.com

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Are you in the market for a new home? GREAT NEWS!! Tax Credits Extended & Improved

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:36:39 -0800

Let's Go House Shopping!!

TAX CREDIT FOR HOME BUYERS

First-Time Home buyers (FTHBs): First-time home buyers (that is, people who have not owned a home within the last three years) may be eligible for the tax credit. The credit for FTHBs is 10% of the purchase price of the home, with a maximum available credit of $8,000. Single taxpayers and married couples filing a joint return may qualify for the full tax credit amount.

Current Owners: The tax credit program now gives those who already own a residence some additional reasons to move to a new home. This incentive comes in the form of a tax credit of up to $6,500 for qualified purchasers who have owned and occupied a primary residence for a period of five consecutive years during the last eight years. Single taxpayers and married couples filing a joint return may qualify for the full tax credit amount.

WHAT ARE THE NEW DEADLINES?

In order to qualify for the credit, all contracts need to be in effect no later than April 30, 2010 and close no later than June 30, 2010.

HIGHER INCOME CAPS

The amount of income someone can earn and qualify for the full amount of the credit has been increased. Single tax filers who earn up to $125,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Those who earn more than this cap can receive a partial credit. However, single filers who earn $145,000 and above are ineligible.

Joint filers who earn up to $225,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Those who earn more than this cap can receive a partial credit. However, joint filers who earn $245,000 and above are ineligible.

OTHER NOTABLE POINTS

• Qualifying buyers may purchase a property with a maximum sale price of $800,000.

• A tax credit is just that... a tax credit. The benefit of a tax credit is that it's a dollar-for-dollar tax reduction, rather than a reduction in a tax liability. So, if a first time home buyer were to owe $8,000 in income taxes and would qualify for a tax credit of $8,000, she would owe nothing.

• Better still, the tax credit is refundable, which means the home buyer can receive a check for the credit if he or she has little income tax liability. For example, if a first-time home buyer is eligible for a tax credit of $8,000 but is liable for $4,000 in income tax, she can still receive a check for the remaining $4,000.

You are Informed, what do you do now?!?!

First-Time Home buyers...Have Fun House Shopping!!

Current Owners, research the Home Stagers in your area. Get your house ready to sell, make it a "Buyer's Desire". Then contact a Realtor and you are ready to sell. Staging Works!! Before you know it you will be having fun House Shopping!

Dayton's Largest Full-Service Home Staging Firm, serving greater Dayton and Cincinnati since 2004

Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com

Making your home a Buyer's Desire!

Debra Ghysels (Debra's Designs Home Staging and Redesign) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:13:23 -0700

Making sure your presentation justifies the price!

A quick tip for staging your home!

Market View Point: what the buyer sees first.

Selling Feature: the feature that makes the room uniquely desirable

Be sure the buyer sees what will best sell the room in the best possible presentation!

In this room, the Market View Point AND the Selling Feature is the fireplace and surrounding windows. However, when everything was white, the fireplace was quite small in appearance, painting the walls enhanced the windows and elongated the fireplace drawing a desirable selling feature to the forefront!

Before Staging After Staging

Let us Make your Home a Buyer's Desire

937-272-6966

~Debra Ghysels, President, ASP Master Stager

www.bydebrasdesigns.com

email: debra@bydebrasdesigns.com