Real estate blog entries tagged with home staging by Julia Maher, Connecticut Home Stager (Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes)

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home staging: Are You Marketing to the Fifth Largest Country in the World? Why You Want To! - 07/14/10 05:16 AM

Sellers and real estate agents: are you marketing to the fifth largest country in the world? You certainly want to! What is that "country"? Watch this powerful video. Please have patience; the time spent will be well worth it. This video, "Food for Thought" is five minutes long, but represents a major SHIFT in marketing mentality:

Prudential Connecticut Realty woke up, and will "match marketing resources to the consumer". By recognizing the strong online consumer presence, they will be utilizing more media other than newspapers: Facebook, Twitter, etc. These are forums for your listing. Is your agent taking advantage of … (10 comments)

home staging: Nestings Home Stager and Her Twitter Experience - 07/11/10 05:04 AM

This Home Stager has posted about her experience with Facebook ads, and now about her Twitter experience. In my exploration of social media and their uses to promote my Fairfield County, CT home staging business, Nestings, I have added Twitter! After all, it sort of makes sense; it's another bird reference, right? I can tweet enough to keep followers interested and feather the nest...just have to get the followers to roost. And I'm working on that! Badges, goodies, patches, buttons...I'm trying to download them! Not everything works all the time, everywhere, but I'm learning to have great patience.

Of course, I … (11 comments)

home staging: "Green" Paint May Help Sell Your Connecticut House! - 07/03/10 10:19 AM

"Green" paint may help sell your Connecticut house! With the "greening" of America, more and more clients are asking for environmentally safe paint. More buyers are looking for homes that are environmentally responsible. Most of the time, they really don't know exactly what they want; they just want it to be "green". When it comes to selling your house, having it freshly painted with "green" paint is a great selling feature.
As a professional Home Stager and decorator, color consultations are an important part of my job. Most real estate agents will also recommend a fresh coat of paint to their … (17 comments)

home staging: Association for Design Education Conference! Sign Up Now! - 06/27/10 07:21 AM

The Sixth Annual Northeast Educational Conference
Sponsored by ADE
September 30th - October 1st, 2010Hartford Connecticut

MATTHEW MEAD
Co-Editor, Flea Market Style magazine and former Style-Editor at large for COUNTRY HOME MAGAZINE.
Matthew is a stylist, designer, author, photographer, lifestyle editor, and noted style expert. Matthew is also a regular contributor to Better Homes and Gardens and other national lifestyle and home design magazines.
Matthew is known for styling beautiful spaces using vintage treasures, nature's offerings and what is at hand; guiding others to entertain with ease in a stylish way; and inspiring home-owners to create beautiful … (2 comments)

home staging: Mama's SOOOOOOO Proud! - 06/20/10 10:43 AM

I just love my clients; they make me so proud! As a professional Home Stager, Home Staging Consultations are the cornerstone of my business. For $150 or so (depending on the size of the house), I spend an hour or more going through the house taking notes. I then give the sellers a few pointers orally and turn around a written report within 48 hours. This report is a rather extensive DIY list. If they do everything I tell them to, they will get great results.
Of course, not every homeowner will do 100% of my recommendations, and sometimes I don't … (22 comments)

home staging: Great Art for Home Staging - 06/20/10 06:09 AM

When your home is for sale, you need to select great art to highlight the houses's features. However, you don't want the "Mona Lisa" over the fireplace, nor do you want Andy Warhol's soup cans in the kitchen! Generally speaking, you may need to just re-think the art you already have to stage your sale for sale.
How to select great art for home staging? We're referring to "great art" in the context of art that's suitable for home staging, not famous works found in art history textbooks or on museum walls. There are certain types of art that can really … (25 comments)

home staging: Realtors: Do You Know Your Local Home Stager? - 05/18/10 04:22 AM

Realtors: Do you know your local Home Stager? Two of my recent Home Staging jobs here in Fairfield County were referrals from Realtors. Hooray and many thanks! However, I had never worked with these Realtors before, nor were they on my "farm list". Their clients asked them for a Home Stager, and they found me online. (Thanks to ActiveRain!)
Now, perhaps I should have already had a relationship with these Realtors, but I just haven't reached out to 100% of the real estate community - YET! My question is: Why didn't these Realtors already have a couple of Stagers in their Rolodex or on their … (13 comments)

home staging: Dried Flowers Are Dry Because They're DEAD! Get Rid of Them! - 04/16/10 03:58 AM

Dried flowers are dry because they're DEAD, so get rid of them now!
OK, OK, I know they were popular with my generation in the 80's, and not just in Fairfield County, CT. I admit to having a fabulous spray of dried flowers and twigs myself. Why, I even remember when I purchased it, Mike said, "Where do you think you're going to put THAT bunch of dead sticks?" But you know what? I got rid of them a short while after and moved on with my decor.
Many people around my age are now downsizing; I see their homes on the market, the … (23 comments)

home staging: Home Staging: Simple Fixes in Fairfield County, CT - 04/01/10 04:03 AM

In Fairfield County, sometimes it's a matter of simple fixes to get your home Staged, but it takes a professional Stager to point them out. Here are some real situations along with their solutions, as suggested to Sellers in their Staging Consultations:

The true star of this show is the fireplace behind this children's playhouse. This family room was totally given over to the kids, but needs to be more adult-friendly when it's on the market. Store the toys and bring in some adult-sized seating to focus on the fireplace.

A lot of … (11 comments)

home staging: Many Thanks to Jeremy Blanton and AR University! - 03/22/10 05:20 AM

Many thanks to Jeremy and AR University for Friday's webinar on blog customization. I had customized mine more than a year ago, but forgot how! I really needed to update the look, and Jeremy was right on target. So, how does it look? I wanted something that was easier on the eyes and a little more sophisticated to appeal to the Fairfield County, CT reader. Yes, I was Staging my own blog. I even added some buttons for LinkedIn and Facebook! Yay - I figured out how to do that, too.
I encourage everyone to check out the University schedule for … (8 comments)

home staging: Trumbull, CT: Nestings Home Staging Provides Simple Staging Elegance - 03/07/10 07:54 AM

Trumbull, CT: Simple staging elegance is provided by Nestings Home Staging.
This bathroom is on the first floor, and had some recent updates (the new mirror hadn't been installed yet). It is not a small room. The beadboard wainscotting and trim have sparkling white paint; the walls are a dove grey.
The window is very small, and the valance is not helping. The only art is a small cliche bathtub print.
And yes, I know the toilet lid is up!
Since this is the ONLY facility on the first floor (and next to the first floor master bedroom), it needs more elegance … (6 comments)

home staging: Target Shooting: Going After Big Game (This one's for you, Melissa!) - 01/07/10 04:17 AM

It's that time of year, folks, and I'm going after big game. My target? Top Realtors in Fairfield and New Haven Counties. In anticipation of the annual real estate awards cycle, I have loaded up on my supplies:

Note cards Stamps New black ink pens My physical training routine involves stepping up my carpel tunnel syndrome therapy. Now I just lie in wait for the newspapers which will carry full-page advertisements from the various local real estate companies, congratulating their top performing real estate agents. I will send them a short … (9 comments)

home staging: How to Earn Ds and Fs: Let a Professional Stager Tutor You! - 12/16/09 05:40 AM

Listing a house: It's like sending a child off to school. You hope they've received the right preparation and developed excellent study habits so they will earn straight A+s, go to an Ivy League School, and successfully pursue the career of their dreams. If they need help along the way, you'd get them a tutor, wouldn't you?

You're so proud of your new listing. You've given the Sellers checklists of things they need to do: repaint the kids' bedrooms; power wash the deck; farm out the pets. You're now ready for the MLS photos because the house is clean and neat as … (43 comments)

home staging: Local Artists Are Valuable Resources - 11/15/09 06:48 AM

My charming, talented friend and neighbor, Karin Brey, is an award-winning artist in Fairfield County, CT, with a big heart. Every year my husband plants a large "neighborhood garden" of zinnias for all to enjoy. Karin gave him a small sketch of his garden in thanks. Her work is alternately impressionistic, pointillist, and dreamy. Much of her inspiration comes from the seasons and nature around her. Recently, Karin has introduced collage elements to her canvases. She will do nature "portraits", such as a homeowner's garden. Realtors: What a great gift idea!
Karin Lydia Brey can be reached at: klbrey@sbcglobal.net and you … (2 comments)

home staging: New AR Group for Staging & Design Training - 08/31/08 05:34 AM

Announcing a new group on activerain.com:
Association of Design Education (ADE)
Looking for Staging training or continuing Design education? Have questions about your business plan or décor issues? This non-denominational Group is a forum for Students, Stagers and Trainers alike.
The Association of Design Education (ADE) was formed to promote excellence in the field of specialized design education. Each Education Affiliate offers a variety of programs in interior redesign training, home staging training, and interior decorating training that exceed industry standards.
Please join this AR Group! http://activerain.com/groups/AssociationOfDesignEducation
Everyone is looking for education; that's why AR is so valuable. This Group is looking … (13 comments)

home staging: Stage This Room: Contemporary Family Room - 08/14/08 02:00 AM

Come and Stage along with me! I did a Staging Consultation last year for this contemporary home nestled in the woods. What would your recommendations be?

My recommendations included:
Paint the stark white walls a light taupe Remove the leather chair, ottoman, scatter rug, floor clutter and spindly plants Add end tables and lamps - need more light in here Remove the kimono and carved screen behind the TV (too taste-specific) Place tall stick bundles on hearth to emphasize height of stonework fireplace Move TV to left of fireplace and re-orient seating for one focal point Add large-scale, … (6 comments)

home staging: Home Staging: "Decorating For Dollars" ??? - 08/11/08 08:05 AM

The "Decorating For Dollars" article, written Elizabeth Razzi (a real estate columnist for the Washington Post) caught my eye this Sunday morning. It was in our local paper, Connecticut Post, in the real estate section. I'm a little peeved that our paper ran the article like a news story, when it's really an opinion. Here's the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072600013.html
As a real estate expert, she doesn't know what professional Staging is really all about. This is what she wrote:
"I'm still not convinced most buyers need to spend their money on a stager's advice." (Huh? Isn't the seller/Realtor spending the money? She … (6 comments)

home staging: So You Want To Go GREEN? Go Green The Original Way! - 08/05/08 09:15 AM

So GREEN is the new black...even major catalogs such as Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma Home are featuring "green" furnishings, with reclaimed or sustainable wood sources, organic cottons, and recycled materials. Wait, did I just say "recycled"?
Want to go GREEN the original way? RECYCLE! This is more than the newspaper/plastic/metal cans routine we do once a week. Look for recycled furniture! The easiest sources are estate sales, consignment shops, and antique stores.
There are many local antique galleries, one of which is Stratford Antiques Center, located in Stratford, CT: www.stratfordantique.com. With 200 dealers on 16,500 square feet, there is a lot … (11 comments)

home staging: Sometimes You Have to Make a Bold Choice! - 07/18/08 08:06 AM

Often I am fortunate to work with builders that accept my expertise and trust my judgement. Nestings just finished staging the new Model unit for Renaissance on the Thames, a seven-story luxury condominium high-rise on the river in Norwich, Connecticut. It's all about the view here, folks! It's truly stunning and evokes a fabulous lifestyle whether your tastes run to the glam or the earthy. This was my project - and the first big decision was: "What color should I select that will give the Model a "Wow!" factor, and highlight the view?" It had to be bold, and it had … (13 comments)

home staging: Come On In, The Water's Fine!??? - 07/10/08 03:13 AM

Perception can be everything. In my previous blog post, I addressed the refrigerator in the dining room. Perception: potential buyers might think the kitchen is too small.
Let's talk about water. When you buy a house, you get the water access with it. It might be "city water" or "well water", but you get water. Is that water potable? Does it taste good? You might have the water tested, but in large part one assumes the water is fine!
So how far can we test this perception?
If you open the fridge, you may see bottles of water (or maybe not … (20 comments)

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