These past couple of years with the economy I have seen a steady increase of "Home Stagers" enter the marketplace. With HGTV, come many who believe that after seeing Staging on television that they can do it themselves. As an Accredited Staging Professional Master, who has invested in education and has continually "upped" my knowledge and experience I am perplexed by those who have entered the market and have not taken the time to prepare by equipping themselves with the best tools available to them.

I am also perplexed by the ineffective Staging I have seen in increasing numbers. There is method to the practice of home Staging which true professionals adhere to. Simply putting furniture in a space is NOT, "effective" home Staging! In an effort to save money, many home sellers have chosen to go with the lowest priced Stager. The old adage "You Get What You Pay For" holds true, especially in these times. No pillows, artwork, area rugs, accessories does not equal effective Staging. At least not Staging that will serve the purpose of creating the wonderful aesthetic that draws buyers in and inspires them to make offers. Good Staging should create a visceral, emotional response.

We all know money is tight, but honestly, investing in Staging, GOOD Staging that is, by Accredited Staging Professionals pays much higher dividends to the home seller, Realtor by getting homes sold quickly and for top dollar. Staged homes do sell faster but that is a "qualified" Staged home, that is effectively Staged employing professional methodologies by trained professionals. Quality matters, education matters and ethics matter in the field of Home Staging. Do yourself as a Seller, Realtor or Investor a favor. Choose your Stager based on quality, accreditation and experience not just price. You will find a greater return on your Staging investment when you choose well. 

Stagers, Designers and Realtors alike need to be aware that as of April 22, 2010 the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting program outlining regulations regarding updates done in homes built before 1978 goes in to effect. Contractors must have training and certification in proper lead safety techniques and be able to display it at all homes that may contain lead paint. The EPA has the authority to fine contractors in excess of  $3,000 per incident of abuse civilly and may also seek criminal charges with similar fines. Enforcement efforts will increase over time.

Points to consider when hiring a contractor:

1. No use of grinders and sanders without HEPA filters

2. No use of open torch or high-heat guns

3. Plastic sheeting should be used to seal off affected areas

4. Clean-up must be done with a HEPA vacuum, followed by a wipe test

5. The cost to contractors may be as much as $150 per job and homeowners

can expect to bear the cost

These new regulations are not to be seen as punitive in nature but rather to protect

the health of homeowners. Our responsibility needs to be to our clients by providing

education about these regulations and making sure that the contractors that we recommend follow

the guidelines as outlined by the EPA by receiving the training and certification necessary.

So, I had to laugh the other day when I was staging a property here in Denver. While I was placing furniture and accessories, I was aware that the Realtor was there scrubbing marks off doors and walls. She had her son in the backyard, raking leaves, picking up scattered debris and cleaning windows and doors. After that, she was out front spraying out the garage, dusting the front door and replacing the door mat with a fresh new mat. 

As I watched her, I couldn't help but laugh to myself about the many times I have heard people say that Realtors don't earn their commissions. This Realtor embraces the notion that she has the obligation to do everything she possibly can to get her clients property sold for the highest price in the shortest amount of time.

This "notion" is what sets the bar for high performing Realtors. Her marketing plan is comprehensive, targeting the buyer who is most likely to purchase in this suburban neighborhood. She has counseled her clients about doing the things that are going to garner them the highest return on their investment and protect their hard earned equity. Attending to maintenance issues and making sure the property is well staged are two ways she has provided her clients with the opportunity to receive top dollar. 

I am sure that there are Realtors who have earned the criticism that has been fostered by those that truly do put a sign in the yard,  place the property on MLS and show up to collect their commission check. This particular Realtor, and to be honest, most of the successful Realtors, I have had the pleasure to work with, do in fact earn every dollar they make. They go above and beyond to support and counsel their clients in the venture to sell their property for the optimum price. After all the craziness of the past couple of years, they are still standing, still growing, still believing and are the keepers of the flame. Rock on Rhonda! You epitomize what home sellers and home buyers want in the Real Estate professional they choose. I hope your clients know how fortunate they are. 

Not to overstate the obvious, but it has been a difficult couple of years. The effect has been extremely broad and encompasses just about every individual that I know. I have even heard our economic state referred to as the"Great Recession". Denial is a very strong protection mechanism and fear is a very strong motivator. Both have been uber-prevalent over the past couple of years. 

We cannot dispute the facts regarding the economics that we have grown accustomed to and continue to face as a country. We are all well too aware of the effect that the Real Estate crisis has had on our housing prices, the corporate insanity of so many companies that shall not be named, and the general state of fear that has held our populous in paralysis. It takes me back to my grandmother who shared that her mother said that in the years following the crash in 1929 that the world was "going to hell in a hand basket" and that many believed that the end of days was near. That was in 1965. The pendulum has swung back and forth many times in the forty-five years since then. And as we can all feel sure, the pendulum will continue to swing. 

All that being said, there are a few undeniable truths that we can embrace. 1) What goes up must come down. Add to that, what comes down must go up. 2) What we focus on grows larger. Whether we believe we can or believe we can't, either way....We are right! 3)There will always be storms. That is the nature of human existence. The brave get an umbrella and go out looking for rainbows. 

We can only be absolutely sure that the one constant is change. The words "I can", "It will", "It is", are more powerful in our opportunity to move in the direction of our dreams. It is not about being a Pollyanna, or not embracing reality. We all have the choice to take steps to make our futures whatever we choose. For me, I choose to dance in the rain. It is getting a bit musty inside and who knows, there might be a rainbow out there just waiting to be seen! Baby steps everyone, baby steps. One at a time, in the direction of your dreams. Be the best of who you can be.

Whatever field we choose to pursue, we are driven to be the best at what we do. I have never met anyone who said, " I want to be mediocre at ___." Most people want to feel that they are continually striving to not only improve their skill set but to add new skills to their portfolio. That includes embracing educational opportunities that can assist them with either venture. Staging training in Colorado comes in many forms but none more comprehensive than the staging training offered through StagedHomes.com. Barb Schwarz, the inventor of home staging, has created a two day course for Realtors and a three day course for Stagers that covers the what, the why and the how to add home staging to your skill set. Realtors will have the opportunity to learn everything they need to not only speak to the benefits of home staging to their clients but also find out the many ways that staging actually can increase their own bottom line while receiving the ASP Realtor designation.

Personally, I reviewed all the staging education opportunities available in Denver and I chose Staged Homes to receive my accreditation through. There are many choices but the fact that Barb Schwarz had been a Realtor for several years and presented the concept of staging as a cooperative venture in the field of Real Estate appealed to me  on a very practical level. 

Your opportunity to be a part of the most well respected community of staging professionals is coming up soon. Go to http://StagedHomes.com and sign up for the class January 26, 27 and 28. It is being held at the North Metro Board of Realtors. The class has been approved for 6 CE credits for Colorado Realtors. Sign up today. You will be so glad you did.

All of us would love to place our house on the market and see it receive multiple top offers within a week and be done with the hassle of selling our home. And we all want to believe that we can do this will little or no effort on our part. Funny thing is, rarely, if ever is that the case.

As humans, we surround ourselves with things that we like to look at, sit in, walk on, read, collect,wear, touch and do. This equals clutter, very personalized stuff, pictures, odors from our favorite cooking, odors from our teenagers laundry, hair from our much beloved pets, and the list goes on. When we have lived in a space for a period of time, we lose the ability to see or judge it as a potential buyer would.

Often we have so much stuff that our home appears smaller than it actually is. Perhaps the color orange that our twelve year old daughter "just had to have" on her bedroom walls would be off putting to the general population seeking to "imagine themselves" in our home. Personal pictures remind buyers that they are in someones HOME and can distract them from the process of their "trying the home on to see how it fits". You wouldn't sell your car with all your personal stuff in it if you wanted to get top dollar. To my mind, petrified McDonald's french fries on the floor of the back seat aren't a feature that adds to the value of a vehicle.

Understanding the psyche of the buyer is critical when you begin to merchandise your home for market. Cleaning and de-cluttereing are givens. There are other things that can cost you a great deal of your equity that if addressed properly can curb that loss and maintain your asking price. Things that show as worn and outdated can be a show stopper for many buyers. That includes worn carpet, wood floors that need attention, old vinyl, non-neutral paint colors, old laminate counter-tops, dated finishes and light fixtures. The estimated cost that buyers assign to these things averages about 5-1. Meaning that if it would cost you $100 to fix it, they will reduce their offer by $500 for that item. Providing allowances DOES NOT WORK! First, buyers don't want the hassle of picking out the item and then having to find someone to put it in. They want it done before they buy it and they want it to look good. When they have to do the selecting of materials and trades to install you get a PITA fee on top of reduction for the perceived hassle. PITA stands for Pain In The A**. You get the point.

So yes, it may cost you a bit up front but if you could SPEND no scratch that, invest $5000 to update the look of your home to protect $25000 of your equity would you see that as money well spent? Smart money says you would. There is an old Chinese Proverb that says "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart!" Hopefully, you can take this information and be a little smarter, a little sooner rather than later after months on market with multiple price reductions.

Choose a good Stager to assist you with this effort. They can help you focus on exactly the right things and help you to get your home show ready. With over 90% of buyers searching online before they call and Agent it is critical that those pictures look amazing and getting the updates and Staging done prior to the virtual tour or brochure pictures is a great way to help get your property the very best chance of selling as fast as possible for the highest price possible.

Trish Pachak, ASP Master

Trish@WeStageColorado.com

http://WeStageColorado.com

"Changing the Face of Colorado Real Estate, One Home at a Time!"

When preparing a home for sale, every seller wants to get the biggest value for the least amount of money, to get the greatest return on their investment. We hear this all the time. As Accredited Staging Professionals, we want to help you accomplish this too.

Part of the value that we, as Staging professionals, bring is to help homesellers know and understand that Staging is not a cost but an investment in EQUITY PROTECTION. When a seller is deciding what to invest when updating and Staging their home, they can be sure that a potential buyer will remove FIVE dollars from their offer for every ONE dollar that homesellers choose not to invest. We know that your investment to replace carpeting may be perhaps $2500 but a potential buyer will want to take $10-15 thousand off of a sellers asking price assuming that is what it will take to get the carpet replaced.

Buyers are looking for "turn-key" purchases. Allowances DO NOT work and any seller who thinks that they can sell their home "as is" is asking for buyers to spend their equity. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard a homeseller say that they don't want to paint because they want the new homebuyer to have the opportunity to choose the color they want. Truth is, buyers don't want to HAVE to paint at all. It is not unlike the builder that chooses not to put in any landscaping saying they want the new homeowner to be able to choose what they want. (Really? Is anyone fooled by this logic?)

This does not mean that home sellers need to spend a lot of money. There is a way to prioritize the things that need to be done and choose the most important things to focus on when allocating funds. Together with a professional Stager, homesellers can get the information they need to get their home looking great before it hits the market. Clean and clutter-free is something every homeseller can accomplish. Great visual impact doesn't require big budgets. Using a Staging professional is one of the best investments you can make in protecting your home equity. Note: the key word is "professional". There is method to the madness and watching HGTV does not make someone a "professional" Stager any more than watching Boston Legal makes someone an attorney.

Choose well. Check out the person you are relying on to help you protect your biggest asset. Knowledge is power but you have to trust the validity of the knowledge. Don't just choose on price, because you may find out that you got what you paid for. You can get top dollar for your home with the assistance of a well trained Accredited Staging Professional. It is hard to argue with success.

Case in point: Victorian two-story in Baker neighborhood. With a few minor updates and great Staging. Sold in one week, March 2009. Priced right, Staged beautifully = SOLD (fast, Really Fast!)

Now, today, this point in time, is one of the most precarious times I can remember in my lifetime. Not matter what the path, no matter what the situation, it is imperative that we know that the choices we make are relevant to the here and now. There is so very little that we can control and so much that we have to put our faith in front of us to just move forward. Life can be great, life can be difficult but what is sure is that life does go on. Given that fact, we all have the choice as to HOW we move forward. Fear is the enemy. Fear of the unknown, fear of the possible, fear of that which we do not understand and cannot predict. So, just imagine for a moment what would happen if we tossed fear aside and agreed that we would deal with whatever comes in the moment that it appears? Interesting concept? To be sure.

What we do have control over is not the situations which present themselves to us, but rather how we CHOOSE to react to those situations. Whoever said that change would be easy? If it were easy wouldn't everyone do it? In truth, we go to great lengths to keep things status quo. That includes the situations which are difficult and painful. As humans, we get comfortable in pain because it is familiar. You have heard the saying "Dancing withe the devil you know?" That is why people stay in bad or abusive relationships, jobs, marriages, etc. It takes a certain level of courage to face that which is unknown in order to affect the necessary changes which will increase our joy and satisfaction with our daily lives. 

Consider this: What's the worst thing that could happen? So, I would say to you, have faith. Faith in yourself, faith in something greater than yourself, faith in what is possible, rather than what is. Nothing will change until you truly believe that it can. You are so much more powerful than you know. Your thoughts, your actions, your faith and your beliefs will take you wherever you believe that you can go. You are only limited by your own thoughts and beliefs.

Aren't hope, faith and love the most empowering things you can embrace? Think about it. At least for a moment before you return to that inner voice which says: I can't, It won't, I will never. What a wonderful thought to know that YOU  are the captain and that the rudder is in your hands. What will you do with the gift that is given you? The gift that is the only one guaranteed. This moment, in this day. 

So much grace, so little time :0)

Home › Living › Home & Garden

How to help your home stand out in a tough market

By Lisa Marshall, Special to the Rocky

Friday, April 25, 2008

Steve Peterson, Special to the Rocky

A house-staging team from We Stage Colorado - from left, Amy Tennal, Donna Ward, Vicki Weller and Trish Pachak - gathers in the kitchen of an Arvada home they've spruced up for sale.

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A lime-green bathroom.

Chipped paint on the front door.

A cluttered home office with a dusty elk head hanging on the wall.

A wall-swallowing sports- memorabilia collection.

A few years ago, such subtle imperfections or quaint reflections of a homeowner's individuality may have been overlooked by prospective home buyers eager to catch a deal in a seller's market. But the tables have turned, and any of the above could constitute a distraction at best - and a deal-killer at worst, experts say.

"November through the middle of February was the worst market I have ever seen in 31 years," says Edie Marks, the Denver Board of Realtor's top seller and a three-decade veteran of the local real estate market. "To sell a house today, it has to be in the best possible shape and it has to be competitively priced. People want to walk into the house of their dreams and find it in move-in condition."

According to statistics provided by the Colorado Association of Realtors, a whopping 25,516 homes were on the market in the metro area in March. The average selling price is $223,597, down 3.5 percent from this time last year, and the average number of days a home sits on the market is a daunting 111.

Add all that to the record number of foreclosed-on houses crowding the market at cut-rate prices, as well as the fact that "for sale" signs seem to sprout like tulips during springtime, and a would-be seller has good reason to be nervous. But experts say there are plenty of simple, fairly inexpensive things homeowners can do to make their houses stand out in a competitive market.

"It's all about marketing - about changing your home from a home to a house to a product," says Real Estate of the Rockies Realtor Lisa Hives, noting that homeowners need to "detach" from their homes and work to make them marketable to the masses.

The first step toward that end, professional home stager Trish Pachak says, is to de-personalize and de-clutter.

"The way you live in your home is very different from the way you want to present it to buyers," Pachak explained during a recent walk-through consultation with home-sellers Rob and Carin Bremer, of Arvada. "If it is too personal or too reflective of the individual family, the potential home buyer sees that and they don't have the opportunity to see themselves in that place."

Pachak's We Stage Colorado is one of about 30 professional staging companies in Colorado, which charge anywhere from $150 for an initial walk-through consultation to several thousand to fully "stage" a home for a seller (re- arranging, decorating and remodeling it to make it more marketable).

Unlike interior designers, who aim to help you create a home that reflects your personality, stagers work to take "the you" out of the home, Pachak says.

She recommends sticking with neutral colors (think off-whites and beiges) for all horizontal and vertical surfaces. Meanwhile, weave one or two impact colors throughout the house in items like bathroom towels and kitchen place mats (sea and sky blues and sandy earth tones are in fashion).

She strongly urges homeowners to take down all but a few family photos, any religious items and large collections (China plates, sports memorabilia, hunting trophies) that eat up wall space, distract the potential buyer and may make a home feel crowded.

And when it comes to de-cluttering, Pachak recommends clearing out closets, drawers and home offices, packing away anything you haven't used in eight weeks and leaving only a few essential items neatly organized in place.

"Crammed home offices are one of the No. 1 problems I see," Hives says. "I've seen boxes and boxes stacked almost to the ceilings."

For busy clients like the Bremers, who have three children under the age of 3, Pachak recommends keeping empty laundry hampers with lids in the closet of each room so that if a potential buyer shows up at the door on short notice, they can throw toys, books and anything else into the hamper and shut the door.

"It's hard to deal with showings when you have little kids," said Carin Bremer, holding her 3-year- old on one hip, a handful of toys in the other arm. "We need to sell it quickly."

Lynne Abreu-Martin, a professional home stager with Westview Design, says furniture placement can also have a huge impact. While homeowners tend to arrange their furniture around their favorite pastimes (often the TV), that placement is seldom best for accentuating the home's architecture. For instance a large sectional placed in a U-shape in front of a television can make a room look much smaller than if it were stretched out across the walls.

"Furniture placement is extremely important, and it is one of the least-expensive things you can do," Abreu-Martin says.

Once the home is rearranged, de-personalized, and de-cluttered, it also needs to be spotlessly clean, inside and out.

"While the agent is unlocking the door, the buyer is looking around outside," says stager Jan Lawrence. A messy yard can leave a potential buyer with a preconceived notion about how the house has been maintained.

Leaving nothing to chance

When a fresh coat of paint, a few colorful throw pillows and a good cleaning still don't do the trick, some homeowners turn to higher powers and other unconventional sources to help get their houses sold. Here's a look:

* Bury a St. Joseph statue in the backyard: Centuries ago, nuns prayed to St. Joseph - the earthly father of Jesus and patron saint of workers - when they needed more land for the convents. Today, homeowners bury his statue upside down in the backyard when they're ready to hold an open house.

"Does it work? I'm not sure. But people everywhere do it a lot," says Boulder Realtor Bettianne Shoney Sien, of Global Real Estate Network. "Some people bury him upside down facing out. Others face him toward the sign." A handy St. Joseph Statue Real Estate Kit will run you $13.95 on the Internet.

* Hire a feng shui practitioner: The 3,000-year-old Chinese practice aims to balance the energy in a home, through furniture placement and use of light and sound, to create a space where yin and yang are balanced and the five elements are in harmony. If nothing else, the chimes and mirrors often used make the house seem lighter and sound pretty.

* Have your house cleared and blessed: For as little as $150, a shaman will help you clear out "energetic remnants of thoughts and feelings" (perhaps negative ones left behind by a bad divorce, a violent incident or other unpleasant experiences). Boulder shaman Melanie Mulhall uses drums, herbs, candles and other tools to clear the space and then blesses it. "The space feels lighter, cleared, cleaner, more joyful," she says.

* Give away free stuff: Sien likes to bake cookies and have them sitting on the counter, put out a bowl of chocolate, offer lemonade on a hot day or hand out seed packets come spring. "People associate the house with generosity, and it makes a subtle impression."

* And whatever you do, do not: smoke in or near the house, have your pets present or use an overpowering scent mister. People underestimate the power of a home shopper's nose.

Some hot sales tips

Professional home stagers Jan Lawrence, Trisha Pachak and Lynne Abreu-Martin offer these additional tips for homeowners trying to catch a buyer in our tough market:

In the kitchen

* Remove all pictures, personal notes, etc. from the refrigerator.

* Leave only one or two countertop appliances out in view.

* If your light fixtures or cabinet knobs are outdated, consider replacing them with something darker such as wrought iron or bronze or spray- painting them with metallic spray paint.

In the bathroom

* Put away all personal products.

* Hang colored towels with a ribbon around them. It serves as a nice decoration and keeps home shoppers from using them.

* Replace your shower curtain.

In the living room

* Remove all but one or two family pictures.

* Consider rearranging the furniture to make the room look its biggest.

* Keep a laundry hamper with a lid in the closet. If you have an unexpected showing, sweep the clutter into it.

In the closet

* Pack away anything you haven't used in six to eight weeks.

* Organize what's left in neat categories (shirts, pants, etc.)

Outside

* Paint the front door and wash it regularly.

* Spray off the front porch.

* Rake up dead leaves and grass.

* Place a pot of flowers or a potted evergreen out front to give it color.

At the showing

* Bake cookies or put out a citrus scent (it has a clean smell), but don't overdo it or they'll think you're hiding something.

* Open the shades and turn on all the lights.

* Play soft music.

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Comments

Posted by pgchek on April 26, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The house in Arvada that We Stage Colorado staged was listed at the higher end of the pricing range and sold very near full price in five days! Add to that the fact that there were several other comparable homes at the same price point including the same model in the same neighborhood for sale. Two things sell a house: Pricing and Aesthetics. Pricing is the expertise of a great agent and aesthetics is the expertise of a great Stager. Professional stagers can provide a "huge" market advantage for the home sellers that want to sell their homes quickly and for the highest amount possible. You can contact the pros at We Stage Colorado at http://westagecolorado.com/ or call 303-521-8551 to schedule a no-fee property review.