In my last post I described the process of getting ready to list my house for sale.  I think it important to share some things I learned in that process and the additional knowledge I gained from the experts that actually do the work of selling homes, Realtors(r).  Remember, we were not selling a vacant home, but even at that, based on what I learned with this (pending) sale, I might be inclined to approach staging a vacant home differently.

As a stager and designer, and in life in general I'm a perfectionist - sometimes to the point of being obsessive.  Being a perfectionist is not a personality trait I would wish on anyone, though I suspect many might disagree with me.  Generally speaking, my house is always 'show ready' because of that obsessivness.  It's just the way we live.  I dislike clutter and love lots of free wall space.  I also like knowing that I don't have to rush around at the last minute should someone want to stop in and visit over a cup of coffee.  Closets and drawers are a bit of a different story though.  I live with other people and they have been known to leave things laying around.  If I'm unsure where the items belong I get them into a closet or drawer - or the infamous 'storage room' we have in our house.  As I was going through the house I knew I had to tackle those areas and I was dreading it.  Where exactly do you put other peoples things so they can find them quickly, or so that you can remember where you put things when they're screaming, "hey, I needed that!"  Here is what I did...

Closets - I weeded them out.  Out of season clothing was put in storage containers, shelves were tidied up and  shoes were lined up neatly.  Other than that, I left them alone.  No one really lives in a show home and I wasn't going to pretend we did.  I cannot begin to apologize enough to my previous clients for being so strict about their closets.  Sure, it's important to show space availability, but not to the extent of leaving closets without a lived in feel.  Potential buyers that came through my house appreciated experiencing the amount of 'real availability' of closet space we have here.

Drawers - Were left in the state they were found in - including the two junk drawers in the kitchen.  Who doesn't have a junk drawer in their kitchen?  As a stager I know better than to leave junk drawers for their intended purpose, but I went with my gut on this one.  Guess what?  It didn't make a bit of a difference to the potential buyers. 

The dreaded storage room - This room was a tough call for me.  The room really is fairly large and it is PACKED with all manner of items, though bulky Christmas decorations take up most of the room.  I thought about renting a storage facility just for the items in this room - I'm selling space, I kept saying to myself; and then I thought differently.  This is a storage room for goodness sakes - shouldn't buyers see its defined and intended purpose?  I did tidy the room up, donated a truckload of whatnots, but other than that the room stayed as it was intended, a storage room.

And finally, The Family Room - My family room is very much loved and used.  The bookshelves are filled to the brim with books.  And they're not perfectly orderly.  We also have an extra TV in this room - hey, who doesn't like playing Guitar Hero?!  I want to tell a short story about those bookshelves and the room in general and then I'll show a picture.  I had an opportunity to speak with a potential buyer immediately after the couple walked through the house.  Before they could say anything I was apologizing for the state of the bookshelves, explaining we love having access to whatever our hearts desire reading and I was having difficulty weeding through what should be packed away.  The feedback was this, "those bookshelves and the game TV set-up give that room the lived in, loved on feeling we want in a family room.  Thank you for not making the room look like a magazine shoot."  Now that was a lesson I'll probably never forget.  Here is the listed pic as taken by our Realtor, Lisa Zemack, of Zemack Real Estate.

Our Realtor (as well as several other Realtors) had repeatedly told me that I was being obsessive about having everything perfect before I would agree to list the house.  At one point, Lisa told me to 'leave it alone', meaning the entire house.  She said enough was enough and the house would sell and probably sell quickly.  She was right - the house went under contract within 2 days, with multiple offers over asking. 

Going forward I'll remember much of this.  I'll ask sellers to do much less than I've asked in the past.  Most importantly I'll ask and respect the answer of the listing Realtor as to what their take is on the condition of the house and the buying demographics they expect to have go through, especially houses that are lived in while listed.  And I'll do everything in my power so the sellers still feel like it's their home, because it is...until the day it sells.

So....what does one long lost blogger write about about regarding staging when it seems like everything has already been said?  Not more of the same, at least not from me.

Instead, maybe I'll talk about the tedious process of decluttering closets, storage rooms and drawers of my own house as I ready to sell it.  Or, maybe I'll write about how it is really important to have a great deal of confidence in the Realtor(r) one chooses to list their house with...after all, the market has morphed into who knows what and we sellers still want the absolute highest dollar we can get out of our homes.  Maybe, I can share what a difficult process it is of letting go of the house I've poured my (creative) heart and soul into for the last four years...all of which I know many other sellers face and hoping the next house I house I buy has every little detail I imagine as I picture it all in my head.

Better yet, maybe I'll just let you know that stagers & designers, at least this one, go through the same mental process as every other seller out there.  I still want to know, from others, that my house is FABULOUS, that there IS a good chance my house won't sit on the market for ever and I'll get close to asking price; and maybe, just maybe my house will be considered that gem amongst a box full of faux jewelry that someone (especially the appraiser!) recognizes.

Calculated Risk recently posted an entry to their blog entitled When Banker’s Decorate…

Let’s hope there is a significant amount of information that Travis Burton, a vice president for Perini Corp. is not conveying – such as interior designers or decorators accompanying the bankers while they make their visits and “consider changing the color palettes and finishes”.

What’s next…bankers offering staging advice to Realtors® or them possibly making recommendations to investors regarding multi-families?  I wouldn't so easily discount the suggestion, remember, it all flows downhill.

It must be noon somewhere.  I need Paul Harvey…and “The Rest of the Story."

Jackie

This morning I had a most delightful conversation with a veteran Home Stager and consummate business woman.  Unfortunately, the call was cut too short for my taste due to her needing to tend to a property and I, after all, really did need to get back to that proposal that has been my nemesis for the last week. 

It happened that this fellow business woman, from an area outside of Massachusetts, had emailed me a few days ago with a referral for a potential local client – a home owner requesting to have their property staged.  I responded, thanking her for considering me and my business and suggested another, more suitable stager for the lead, because they were closer geographically than I am and might better meet the needs of HER contact.

I have a few thoughts on this before I go further.  First, that she, this highly recognized Professional Home Stager is receiving leads for the Greater Boston Area; from out of the State of Massachusetts is a testament to her Professional Staging and outstanding marketing skills.  Additionally, knowing as I do how busy she is, that she has taken the time to consider other Professional Home Stagers, their skills, their businesses and the way they present themselves publicly; that she hand selects those she chooses to refer HER business to, candidly, is somewhat flattering.  Finally, quite surprisingly, in that contact email there was not a mention of a referral fee.

And so, we chatted.  We bantered back and forth a bit about our respective geographic area’s and the market; what we notice about the staging industry and how we are being impacted by the economy, how we are being perceived and what our experiences are with home owners, where our business is coming from, how our business has shifted, the impact our business has on our families… and then we talked about this business of referrals.

I will tell you as I told her, that in my case I have referred out to other local stagers on several occasions and not asked for a referral fee one time.  However, I have always done that believing what goes around comes around.  I had my reasons for those referrals - it was fortuitous (though surely, also due to hard work and other marketing endeavors) that the business came my way at that particular time and it cost me nothing to forward them on when either I was already busy or chose to honor other obligations and so I’ll call it “Karma” for lack of a better word. 

However, had I accepted the referral she contacted me about I would have offered to negotiate a referral fee with her, because I recognized immediately that this was not the same, nor could I in any way rationalize it away as the same.  This referral clearly came on the back of a well executed and well spent marketing dollar.  She in turn responded that she was not expecting a referral fee, but that it has been in issue with some, when after sending multiple (out of area) referrals she did ask for a referral fee and as I understand it (and perhaps misunderstand it) was not paid one.  Of course being the consummate business woman she is, she never did mention names or areas and I don’t care to know. 

Enough already with platitudes and casual ataboys.  We cannot expect a few individuals to carry the marketing expenses of an entire industry allowing a free for all (including business referrals) without reciprocity and compensation.  Where is there industry respect to be found in this?

Jackie 

DID YOU KNOW:

As of the most current reporting period of September 2006, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tells us there are over 500,000 children in foster care in this country. 

The Mean and Median is approximately 10 years of age.

Over 40% of children in foster care are with non-family members.

Almost 90% of these children receive an agency subsidy, which is equivalent to welfare.

I grew up having friends that were in the foster care system.  Their lives had a significant impact on me as a person.  In every case, their foster parents provided a safe haven, but they went without many things I took for granted and they were still wounded from previous battle scars.

Somehow, throughout my life I've become friends with others that have become foster parents themselves.  A few have even gone on to adopt many of those they've fostered.  I've often wondered and asked them how they do it.  One thing is certain, huge sacrifices are asked of and made on everyone's side - sometimes gratefully and other times not so.

I remember being a teen.  I remember raising a teen.  It wasn't easy in either case.  And while I've never been in foster care, I have heard from both sides of the fence about what it's like being a teen or raising one in foster care and I hate to be so blunt, but I'd much rather have walked in my own shoes.

Thankfully, there's a national network; a 501 (c ) 3 non-profit organization known as FosterClub meeting the needs of these youth.  They provide a voice, an ear, and personal growth outlets for those in foster care. 

FosterClub says that child abuse is the number one social concern among teens in the United States.  We're worried about the economy, teens are worried about safety.  It's enough to make you cry, isn't it?  

I'm grateful FosterClub exists.  I'm grateful youth have an avenue to make a difference in their lives.  I'm grateful I have an avenue to make a difference in the lives of the youth in this country that are in foster care through no fault of their own and I'm hoping you will be too.  Foster parenting is not for everyone.  There are many other ways to offer support.  You can find additional information about supporting FosterClub and youth in foster care here.  

One of my favorite tools for helping home owners to "see" what a buyer experiences when their property is being viewed is the screen on my digital camera.  It never lies.  Somehow that camera is able to pick up not only what the room looks like and what's in it, but what's not and often times how it feels.  Most times my clients are surprised when they "see" through the eyes of that lens and believe it or not, it empowers them, because they're not guessing anymore.  I love that A-HA moment.  The real team work frequently begins at that point. 

Get out your digital camera and snap a few photos from different angles.    Upload them on to your computer so you can experience the difference you've made in your own property when all is said and done.  Remember, you have power, you are observing and discerning, using discrimination.

You knew this was coming, right?

If you've not already started, today would be as good a day as any to begin cleaning and de-cluttering that space you evaluated.

You'll want to start separating those items you'll be discarding, donating, storing and placing aside.  I usually place larger (larger meaning, larger than a soup bowl) décor items in a box to be used judiciously throughout the home after this process is complete.  Clean everything including upper door jams and especially those décor items you might be using later to merchandise your space.  Did you know that dust produces odors?  It's true!   

I don't house clean for my clients, but have four consistent recommendations for cleaning and I've been making them for years.

• If you will be cleaning yourself, try diluted vinegar.  Buy it in a jug, because it will save you money.  I learned this growing up and even remember Heloise writing about it (am I aging myself?).  Here's a link from the City of Richland, Washington for those Naysayer's. 

• Magic Eraser®.   This little gem is a true money saver.  Test in an inconspicuous area if you'll be using it on painted walls first. 

• Hire a cleaning company if you are not committed to cleaning top to bottom inside and out.  The one time expense of hiring a company to come in with a crew and clean your home for 6-8 hours may very well be worth the expense.  Be very clear that you are selling your home and you want everything cleaned, including inside window frames - most house cleaners I speak with will not clean windows.  **De-cluttering must be done before they arrive for best benefit!!

• One of the most important recommendations I make - hire a window washing company or wash your windows inside and out.  There is just no room for negotiation on this one.  We know buyers respond to clean and bright windows.

Of course after all that is done you'll need to keep up with the cleaning and we might as well have fun with it, right?  

We fill squirt bottles with water in my home....and hide them to surprise our unsuspecting victims.  What will you do to have fun in the cleaning and de-cluttering process?

Jackie

Class....CLAAAAAASSSS!!!!  Listen up!  We have work to do! 

Jeez, do you remember one of your teachers starting the day that way?  I'm not sure what brought that image to mind - it must have been when I saw these definitions actually written out:

Observe - (verb)

1. to inspect, to watch carefully especially with attention to details or behavior for the purpose of arriving at a judgment
2.  to come to realize or know especially through consideration of noted facts
3. to take notice

Discern - (verb)

1. a:  to detect with the eyes; b:  to detect with senses other than vision
2. to recognize or identify as separate and distinct (discriminate)

Definitions provided by Merriam-Webster Online

Have you noticed a trend here?  I began this series with Power; the context I used it in was a verb.  The two words listed above are also verbs.  Verbs express action or modes of being.  Believe it or not, this is going to be particularly important, because when you prepare your home for sale there are basics that really have to be addressed - this ain't no spectator sport.  Your Realtor® can do what they do best to help you sell your home and you can get active on what you can do to help.

Of all the tools I have available to me as a professional home stager, I consider the two listed above to be the most valuable and important.   Everything else I do flows out of observing and discerning.  I don't want to write another top 10 list for home sellers - I want to share.  So, here goes...

Homework:

Watch this video with music by Phil Collins, Take a Look Through My Eyes  

As you're watching it, be aware of your surroundings.    

Observe everything you can about the immediate space you're in.  If it's too big for you, or it puts you in sensory overload, head for a smaller space like a closet or a cabinet; that's OK, because many of those closets and cabinets need attention too.  Go ahead and notice the smallest of details and peek under things.  Look up, down and around. 

Discern with your senses and discriminate (it's really not always a bad word, I promise) and take written notes of what you find, the good (especially the good), the bad and the ugly.

Do you have an idea why I chose that particular video representation for this Blog post?

Have fun and remember............. You've Got Power!

Jackie

It could be the circles I'm networking with or just the luck of the draw.

I'm seeing home owners that have to sell.

Some contact me as a last ditch effort, hoping for a miracle. 

I've seen a few houses that could be on the market for a long, long time.  Truth is, as soon as I approach the property I get a sense of why that is.  Some of these owners are so afraid they're as frozen as a glacier in the Tundra.  And it's obvious by the way the home is presented.    

You may not have the "eye" or the financial means to stage your property as best as can be done, but there are a few low cost measures you can take so that your home is infinitely more attractive to potential buyers.   The secret is in the details.

Crank up the sound and start moving those feet - Many of you do have the power to make a difference in your house and frequently you can address these issues on your own.

For the next several posts

We'll be breaking down one of my basic staging consultations into bite size pieces. 

There won't be actual merchandising suggestions at this point. We're at the very beginning, but most important phase of preparing your home for sale.

Before you can think about arranging furniture and accessories there are basics that have to be addressed. 

Stay tuned.

Jackie

"For my birthday, I want something that will last forever"

Are you sure you don't want to go to the movies?

    How about money to go shopping?

A really big birthday party?

A pony?

                             Alright, I give.  You never did make it easy.   

Let's talk about this more over a game of Monopoly^R.  Trust me on this...you DO want to play Monopoly^R with Dad and I for your birthday; and you'll want to buy the first railroadyou land on.  There will be no more clues...well, unless you can reach Warren Buffett. 

That gift and the words from this Blog are supposed to be around for a very long time; some say, "forever", but I doubt it.  Stick with Him, Presh. 

Listen for Luxembourg in the You Tube Video...you must have known, I'd "never" forget.

I love you.

Mom.

"The unanswered questions aren't nearly as dangerous as the unquestioned answers."  Dena

Has anyone else received the most recent Ballard Designs catalog in the mail?  Mine actually came several days ago, but I just had time to check it out today. 

I get a real kick out of reading the little blurbs they attach to some of their merchandise.  On page 77 of the catalog they are highlighting the new Kingston Bedroom collection.  There is a handwritten tag describing the process as to how Ballard Designs came to find inspiration for this collection in the original antique piece they found in Brussels.   The title caught my eye because I might expect to see it here, on Active Rain, in Stage It Forward.

"Sometimes, all it takes is a little paint"

And so, I read further.  Funny how that happens, isn't it?  Something captures your attention and you read on or listen more intently to gather more information.

The third sentence began, "To be honest...."  They further say, "it was not love at first sight."

This really caught my attention, because I recently read something that was written cautioning against speaking or writing with this language.  Funny again, don't you think, that a major marketing campaign is out and about using those same words? 

My first point ...  there are very few absolutes.  If you state one, chances are you'll have to defend it at some point.  Why?  There are plenty of folks that consider unquestioned answers dangerous and thank goodness too or we might not grow individually or collectively and I can't help but wonder how difficult it might be to stage a cave, mid-winter, in New England.    

My second point ...  evaluating and presenting something in a different perspective can be beneficial.  In that little handwritten history, Ballard Designs describes how only one person of their crew saw possibilities where all others saw none.  Professional Home Stagers are proving this many times over in the real estate industry by assisting home owners in preparing their homes for sale. 

Finally ...   Any one person can repeat and do what everyone else says and does if they want the same results.  It takes a certain amount of courage and fortitude to know when you're right and be willing to be different.  I'm thinking there are now thousands of Realtors® and home owners that have recognized the difference stagers bring to the home selling process that can attest to this.

Jackie

To order the Ballard Designs catalogue or read additional information about the Kingston Design Collection I referenced go to www.ballarddesigns.com

Special thanks to Dena for always signing her emails with that quote, it has been life altering