Bethel, CT

 

What is your favorite summer memory?  Is it running through the sprinkler pretending to be parting the oceans with one mighty leap?  Is it climbing the big maple in your backyard to get into the shade?  How about parties where family and friends cooked out, played wiffleball, and swam late into the night?  Most favorite memories have an element of home...at your home, in your home, with family and friends enjoying the sun and ease of the summer days and the late sunset of the cooling evenings.
As summer comes upon us, my favorite memory surrounds me just as my mom's hugs used to.  The days usually got a little too hot for me come 3ish.  The sun took it's toll on my fairness.  So, as my brothers and sisters played on, I would have a rest on the living room couch.  All of the windows were always open, the sliders ajar, and the lace curtains would just slightly wave.  The fans were most likely the culprit on still days.  They hummed and shivered, clicking every time they moved their heads.  My very wise mother would snap a cool white sheet into place on the couch so the upholstery wouldn't make us warmer.  And there we would lie, arms around each other, in the machine-made breeze, an hour, maybe two, until I had cooled down.  But the best part of all was that I knew we would come away from that rest knowing who had won the latest tennis open. We saw Borg beat Connors, Connors beat McEnroe, McEnroe beat Lendl, Lendl beat Cash...the list goes on.  Martina and Chris went at it for years until Stefi came along.  My mom passed on more than just her time to me then.  Her love of that sport is very much ingrained into my summer viewing today.  My kids and I still keep tabs on all things tennis.  The fans have been replaced by window units, the turn knob surpassed by remote channel changing, and the tennis might just be faster and fiercer.  But around 3pm everyday, I will still be calling in my fairest ones and seeing who wants to watch a match.  
 

Set on 1.51 acres in Stratford CT, this custom built 9 Room, 3+ Bedroom, 3 full bath Raised Ranch offers 2720 sqft of living space in desirable "Beaver Dam Area" close to Merritt Parkway and Rt. 8/25.

Stratford was founded in 1639 by 25 families who settled along the Housatonic River. From its once rural settlement, other towns have split off, yet Stratford has grown tremendously due to its strategic location. Today Stratford's vibrancy can be largely attributed to its dominance in industrial development and its excellent network connecting with all major highways. Stratford is the home of Sikorsky Aircraft which employs several thousand and is situated at the base of Exit 53 of the historical Merritt Parkway on the Housatonic River. Stratford is an easy commute to the lovely town of Milford which is a shoreline community. The Lordship area of Stratford is a beautiful seaside area.

Stratford is an area of 19.2 square miles with a population of just over 50,000. Stratford town services include Police and Fire. The Stratford Train Station is a commuters delight getting many into Grand Central Station is about 80 minutes. Stratford is about a 45 minute drive to Stamford.

The nearest major hospitals to Stratford are Bridgeport Hospital, St. Vincent's Medical Center, and Yale New Haven Hospital.

Stratford has a state of the art Library.

Stratford has 6 elementary, 2 intermediate, and 2 high schools with a pupil/teacher ratio of 14:1.

Stratford is proud of its 3 public beaches, 5 marinas, 20 parks, public dock and launch ramp, tennis courts, 2 yacht clubs, 3 golf courses, ball fields, swimming pool, YMCA, and Sterling House Community Center.

    

 

  

MLS # 983141653, 1.51 acres, 4 bed, 3 bath, 2720sf.

Listed by:  Ken Caserta, William Pitt SIR, Stratford, CT   -  (203) 386-1783

 

When asked about my business name I always make sure that homeowners and Realtors know that Staging starts right from the property's front door.  That means a few things.  In design, it is that beautiful entry into home, comforting, well lit, and unobstructed.  A house listed for sale will have drive-bys...it is inevitable.  Buyers scope the neighborhood for things that are appealing.  Manicured lawns and flower beds, no trash in the road, and front doors.  Front doors are like the eyes into a property...if the eyes reflect kindness, warmth, and hospitality, that drive-by will become a prospect. 

If you are tech savvy, you'll know that the virtual front door is so important to a virtual drive-by...the Internet house shopper.  Virtual Front Doors are the very first page of your website or your listing web portfolio.  It tells the potential buyer what they will expect from the property right up front.  What are you, as Realtors and homesellers, telling that buyer?  
1.  This house so unappealing in the inside that we are only showing you pictures of the exterior.
2.  We have neglected to update worn carpet and broken fixtures - you decide if we have neglected structure and mechanics.
3.   I am not really ready to move yet as you can see I haven't packed at all...I might be a tough negotiator.
4.   I am so very desperate to have you see this house...I've already moved, my house is vacant, I need any offer I can get!

Now, all of these things might NOT be true..in fact, MOST of the time they are not.  But in merchandising (any product, not just a home) perception is key to getting the buyer to take a nibble at your sale.  For buyers it is "Only what they see is how it will be."  They might not be able to envision a game table in that empty nook,  a warm color where the floral wallpaper is, a full size bed in that guest room turned craft room turned office turned storage area.  How you live in your home is different from the way you need to sell your home.   Staging tackles all of these perceptions and makes them a reality for the buyers.  
1.  We offer our after pictures so that the marketing can seamlessly continue after Staging the property.
2.  Our suggestions don't stop at "making things pretty"... our ethical goal is to help you sell your house in the fastest time possible   for the most amount of money.  That means we will suggest improvements where needed per the market, help coordinate the jobs, and Stage when all work is done.
3.  Deciding what to pack, give away, or throw away can be frustrating and difficult.  Downsizing, upgrading, family loss or gain, life happens.  Our consultation take into consideration all of your needs, time and budget and we will help you along the process of preparing your house and your move.
4.  Leaving a home vacant promotes lower bids, longer time on market, and less showings.  This happens because of the lack of the idea of "home."  Vacant homes feel cold, lead buyers to believe homesellers are desperate, and need any offer.  Let us Stage your vacant to make buyers see that their new home could look and feel like a model home!

Staging reflects back to the buyer all of the appeal the house can muster...buyers look into your front door and see their new home!

 

Maggie B. Kent, Front Door Interiors, Bethel, CT  Serving Fairfield and New Haven Counties

I wanted to comment but it grew so in my head...a funny place to be...after reading Jaynee Acevado's blog "The Fine Line between staging and design"  http://activerain.com/blogsview/206548  and James Fraziers' reply "As you say, you are designing for the client you just don't know yet. But this seems to be a different level of connection and an entirely different thing since by definition you cannot know what will please them in advance so in effect you are designing for no one ,or everyone, or the one who eventually happens to like what you did. (excerpt)" and not wanting to "highjack" - is that the right word? - her blog...

I feel a STAGING of Everyman coming on!

The play was written near the end of the fifteenth century as a morality play. Everyman, a short play of some     900 lines, portrays a complacent Everyman who is informed by Death of his approaching end. First,    Everyman is deserted by his false friends: his casual companions, his kin, and his wealth. He falls back on his Good Deeds, his Strength, his Beauty, his Intelligence, and his Knowledge. These assist him in making his Book of Accounts, but at the end, when he must go to the grave, all desert him save his Good Deeds alone. The play makes its grim point that we can take with us from this world nothing that we have received, only what we have given.

When I was getting my undergraduate, I attended a fantastic performance of Everyman. Those young crazy college thespians were empowered by the suggestion from their crazier still professor to completely perform "un-designed." No sets, no costumes, and yes, even in some scenes, no clothes. Besides the obvious reason why so many 18-22 year-olds were in the audience, the show always sold out. Why? Because in viewing this morality play we understood that perhaps it is in over designing (our life? our houses?) that we fall short of seeing the goal.

This performance worked and has impressed me even ..huh? what?...years later because of what it was in it's essence. The players came together, the cast spoke their lines with feeling and fervor, they listened to the other actors, and they moved together on stage as one even in their separate roles. They evoked emotion from the audience because of what they had to say, not because of flashy visuals or garish Medieval garb. They didn't have to drag that last tear out of the viewers, it just came. And in the end, Good Deeds remained.

Everyman (man being used here as short for huMAN..which we all are, male or female...although some of us don't act so human sometimes...but that remains for another blog...) is vulnerable to being guided by what we think is OUR main design. We say "we must design" (verb) or "we must stage"(verb) but perhaps it is in just saying "we must be" (verb) that will set our career path choice apart from those that hold different degrees. We must be there for the homeowners, we must be there for the Realtors, we must be their first phone call because when we bring our Good Deeds to the stage, everyman gets it.

A vacant lake house (not on lake but very close to boat dock) was sitting un-viewed for many months.  The homeowner contracted with me and we brought real life to the home!

I loved every minute of this one (great furniture rental, agreeable and helpful homeowner, timely staging!)  What more could I ask for!

Here are the Living Room, Family Room, Dining Room, and an Outdoor (best part of house!) b/a.

Don't look further than your own front door to market your home... Stage to Sell!

 

     

Serving Fairfield and New Haven Counties in Connecticut. 

Maggie B. Kent, Front Door Interiors

When I staged a re-sell condo three weeks ago, there were two others in the complex that had just listed.  Their inventory of fixes was pretty extensive:

New Interior Paint job, Updated Cabinetry (Kitchen and Bath), Newer Carpet, Landscaped as they could

My clients informed me right off that they weren't spending money or time to :

Paint the Interior, Put up new Cabinetry, Replace the Carpet, or do any more than put some annuals in pot!

So...I Staged!

The best part was trying to take pictures of the rooms without flash in the mirror, glare from the sliders (behind sofas) or into the bath...here I am balancing on the staircase!!!

See what I mean by Colorful Condo!

Two boys (baby and toddler) share one bedroom...could you guess!  The clients were the Best at de-cluttering, cleaning and setting the Stage each morning when they left the house!  Their investment in that was ten times worth a new kitchen!

 

    

Guess what...two offers after the first Open House and to Contract in three weeks! 

PS...Guess what I found out about the other two listing in the complex?   Many Upgrades But No Staging!

The only things I brought into the house were the rug and coverlet in the toddler room to break up the expanse of ivory carpet. Re-Sells have become my niche (although I am trying to get a few vacants for fun!) and I have found that you truly don't have to look further than your own Front Door to set the stage to sell!  

 

Front Door Interiors of Bethel CT. 

Here are the pictures of a vacant I was asked to "bid" on in Fairfield County CT...

         

 

        

As you can see, the space is beautiful, cleanly painted, and clean-lined enough for major mass appeal.

Here's the problem.  The brokerage that is listing this gave the incentive of a buyout if not sold within their time condition.  When it didn't sell, they acquired the property.  Because they are not in the business of holding and selling their own properties, they don't have any standard as to what to invest in marketing this home - meaning they have no "staging budget."  BUT, they also have not sold the house and are willing to put forth now (after 8 months) anything it might take.  The Realtor I am working with has to present my bid to the corporate holdings office and they will be the ultimate decision makers (at least the Realtor really gets that the vacant feel doesn't work in a family styled home.)  Besides giving the bid as a multi-level approach - for this amount we can do this type of work, but for this amount we can do THIS type of work... do other Realtors/stagers have any ideas about how to entice the brokerage to invest?  How do other stagers deal with "corporate holding" properties? Thanks for any input...this might open up a conversation as to how to market staging to brokerages that are holding these types of properties...another venue for stagers to get into!

And by the way Val...THANKS for getting this group together...just what we needed!

***UPDATE*** Here is the update to the post from the beginning of Vacant Staging:

I didn't get much in the way of money...but put in a little time to make sure the house was set for the Open House.  The Realtor is great and needs kudos for making sure that her staging was how she wished it for how much she had to pay!

 

 

 

 

Serving Fairfield and New Haven Counties in Connecticut

Maggie Kent, Front Door Interiors