home staging: Home Staging Makes Homes “Move-in Ready”
- 06/09/10 03:33 AM
Home stagers know that 63% of buyers will pay more for a home that is ready to move into at closing, and they advise their clients accordingly. If it’s that important to considerably more than half of the people looking for a home, sellers need to know what it means to make their homes “move-in ready”. They need to know that buyers don’t want to spend money fixing it up any more than they do, and that the buyers will either not buy the home, or they will offer less for it. The abundance of competition in this market encourages … (5 comments)
home staging: Is Home Staging Worth the Money?
- 02/23/10 06:01 AM
Are you a frugal home seller, wondering whether home staging a good investment? We know a couple that thinks it is! They invested less than 1/2% of their home’s listing price to have Gloria Home Staging prepare their home for sale, and 8 days later, they had an offer. An investment is defined as “something given or lent for a return.” The old saying that you have to spend money to make money usually holds true. Spending a few hundred dollars (or even a couple of thousand, in many cases) in order to sell your home for full price is a … (12 comments)
home staging: Key Room Staging: It's About the First Impression
- 12/07/09 03:05 AM
One of the very most important reasons to stage a home is to create a good first impression. Buyers will have an immediate reaction to any home -- well within the first 60 seconds, they will have formed either a positive or negative opinion of the home. They will spend the rest of their time in the home collecting information that backs up or overcomes that opinion. That's why home staging is such a valuable investment in selling a home. It creates a positive first impression, and then supports that positive opinion as the buyers move through the home. At Gloria … (26 comments)
home staging: Bones in the Basement - Another Good Reason to Stage Your Home
- 11/25/09 03:10 AM
If only the home seller had had a home stager in for a consultation... This morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, host Steve Inskeep told of a Realtor and buyer in Louisiana that discovered a pile of human bones in the basement of a home they were looking at. Apparently, the bones may have come from an Indian burial site and not from foul play (at least not recent foul play), but it’s hard to figure why the owner didn’t think to remove them before the home went on the market. Mr. Inskeep did mention that the home had plainly not been … (24 comments)
home staging: Five Reasons to Stage Occupied Homes
- 11/23/09 11:47 AM
Picture an occupied home -- comfortably furnished, nicely decorated. How would having it staged help it sell? Is it worth the expense? Here are five reasons for sellers of occupied homes to consider a professional home staging consultation: #1 –Getting a home ready to sell can be overwhelming to sellers, and they may not know how to begin or what to do. Home stagers can tell sellers where to start, and then guide them through the process, from paint color selection to furniture placement. #2 – Occupied homes are lived in. The sellers have gotten comfortable with the things they have … (23 comments)
home staging: Light Staging: Less Is More For Orlando Home Sold in 1 Day
- 10/04/09 07:00 AM
Home staging is an investment in selling your home quickly, but these days, many home owners are hard-pressed to make a significant investment in getting their home ready for buyers. This is especially a problem for vacant homes, which need to be furnished to appeal the most to buyers. At Gloria Home Staging, we had the answer to this problem for the owners of this Orlando home. We suggested Light Staging – using fewer and smaller pieces of furniture to keep the price down, but still accomplish the goal of making the home appealing. It worked, too: the owners showed the … (20 comments)
home staging: Home Staging Transformations in Orlando #7: The Log Home’s Master Bedroom
- 08/26/09 12:22 AM
Since master bedrooms are one of the key rooms that buyers consider when purchasing a home, home stagers know that master suites must make a strongly good impression. This Orlando home’s master suite did not. It was a mess, a catch-all room, and not a room to delight anyone. Thankfully, the owner knew that something needed to be done, and she called Gloria Home Staging in to help. First impressions are crucial, and this was one of the room’s major problems. The buyers’ first view from the door was largely blocked by the enormous television. Once they stepped past the TV … (14 comments)
home staging: Home Staging Transformations in Orlando #6: The Loft
- 08/24/09 12:15 AM
One of the best reasons to stage a home for sale is to make it appeal to a wide range of potential buyers. This lovely log home in the Orlando suburbs was owned by a weaver, who had two looms in the home’s loft. Odds were against any buyer climbing the steps, seeing the loft, and exclaiming, “Oh, good! I’ve been wondering where I would put my looms!” There just aren’t enough weavers out there to make this a selling point. The loft itself was the selling point, but the looms were what viewers noticed. The home owner called in Gloria … (10 comments)
home staging: Home Staging Transformations in Orlando #5: A Log Home’s Kitchen
- 08/22/09 11:55 AM
Home staging to the rescue! Just imagine how hard it would have been for buyers to keep their minds on this kitchen if the owner had not wisely had Gloria Home Staging take it in hand. It was fascinating! Diverting! Unforgettable! The first object that demanded a viewer’s attention was the large dog biscuit container on the counter. (Saying more would not be tactful.) Sharing the counter was a unique wooden moose with a small straw bale at one end, and a little pail at the other. Raise its tail, and a raisinette falls into the pail. (Very classy) The counter … (7 comments)
home staging: Home Staging Transformations in Orlando #4: The Great Room
- 08/20/09 09:38 AM
This log home in Orlando was a poster child for professional home staging. It was full of personality – the owners’ personality -- and full of distractions that would have called the buyers’ attention away from the home itself. Many of them, like the antique spinning wheel, were charming. Others were funny; some slightly off-color. Most of them had to go. Where to start? The cowhide rug needed to be removed because it was too personal; plenty of buyers could be offended by it, and it wasn’t the kind of look we wanted for the first room they would see. For … (4 comments)
home staging: Home Staging Transformations in Orlando #3: The Office
- 08/18/09 12:30 PM
Here’s a home staging transformation that was straightforward, but still amazing. The problem for this Orlando home was simple: there was just too much stuff. The owner was a retired pastor with a fully equipped office and an extensive collection of books. Home offices are desirable assets for home buyers, but this office was overpoweringly crowded. So the owner got to work – he had over 20 boxes of books packed before he was done! He also was willing to pare the furniture down to a minimum to free up more space. Here’s a home staging transformation that was straightforward, but … (6 comments)
home staging: Home Staging: Marketing to Head and Heart
- 08/09/09 06:57 AM
Inquiring home sellers want to know: How do people decide which home to buy? Do they use their heads, or their hearts? We've heard time and time again that first impressions are crucial. But why is that so? What parts do reason and emotion play in making choices? Buying a home is a very complex decision, with many variables to consider and options to weigh, like size, price, floor plans, schools, neighborhood, and state of repair. The list of choices is long. It can be, actually, overwhelming, even paralyzing. Author Jonah Lehrer writes in his book How We Decide that the … (13 comments)
home staging: Subtle Changes Can Make a Big Impact in Staging
- 08/03/09 01:51 PM
Gloria Home Staging didn’t have to make any big changes to this Oviedo, Florida home for it to become a standout. In fact, it stood out so far from the competition that it was under contract in 14 days! Before we got to it, the home lacked character and flair. The owner purchased a lot of silk plants to add some life, and then called us in to add the professional touch. We brought in a couple of chairs and a few accessories to add color, but for the most part, we simply rearranged things he already had. See how some … (16 comments)
home staging: Do you advertise in Realtors' magazines?
- 07/02/09 07:47 AM
Fellow home stagers, I have a question for you: We have been approached by the magazine for our local Realtors' association about buying advertising in it. Have you advertised in Realtor magazines? Has it been a good use of your marketing budget? We appreciate hearing your experience -- it's good to not have to blaze the trail alone! … (13 comments)
home staging: What If There’s a Baby in the House?
- 06/20/09 11:17 AM
Decluttering is one of the major jobs home sellers face, but what happens if there is a baby in the family? What member of a family has more furniture, equipment, and just plain stuff than a baby? And it seems that it is all needed! It may be hard for parents to decide what to pack during the selling process, but if they remember that packing as much as possible is very likely to shorten that process, they may find that they can do without some things they didn't think they could. For example, this family decided that they … (15 comments)
home staging: Is 18 Days Fast Enough for Ya?
- 05/13/09 03:04 PM
Gloria Home Staging staged this home in Windermere, Florida, and 18 days after listing, it was under contract. When we first saw it, it was dirty and disordered, but the owner was motivated to sell. She evicted the tenants, had all the damage repaired, and cleaned it from top to bottom. Her Realtor priced it well, and it sold seven times faster than the average Windermere home.
If you are selling a home in the Orlando area, give Gloria Home Staging a call. Our homes have been selling in an … (13 comments)
home staging: Staging Vanilla Boxes
- 03/29/09 08:32 AM
Walk down the hall of this vacant house, look into the rooms and this is what you see. The rooms are freshly painted and carpeted. They are in mint condition, but they are bland. They have no character, and you can hardly tell which one is which.
They are three scoops of vanilla ice cream waiting to become a sundae. So let's get some toppings!
Home staging adds the character vacant houses need to be memorable and appealing to buyers. It shows the buyers the possibilities - staging makes the house feel like home! In the Orlando, Florida … (7 comments)
home staging: StagersLIST.com Expo Reflections
- 03/22/09 10:26 AM
Today is the first day of the rest of my business life. At the StagersLIST.com Expo in Orlando last week, I sat happily at the feet of some very wise and dynamic businesswomen, and it has already made a difference in how I view my business. For one thing, their energy, enthusiasm and commitment are contagious. It's simply difficult not to absorb some of that and come away with a greater determination to work hard and cleverly to make my business a success. For another, each talk held many helpful ideas and suggestions.
Terrylynn Fisher started us out by Demystifying the … (15 comments)
home staging: Staging Makes Small House Look…Less Small
- 03/08/09 08:30 AM
This house is small. There is absolutely no way to get around that fact. It is very small - not even 1000 square feet - and every buyer who looked at it commented on it. It is beautifully remodeled and very charming, but the buyers said it was just too small. The master bedroom was the biggest stumbling block, being only 9' by 11' in size. How would their furniture fit in there? So the realtor took action. She called Gloria Home Staging in to show the buyers how much space there really is in this small home. We … (19 comments)
home staging: Staging Leads to 2d Look, Home Sells in 30 Days
- 03/01/09 12:04 PM
This beautiful home in Oviedo, FL, went on the market on January 26, and was under contract on February 25. That's only 30 days! And Gloria Home Staging was an important part of that success. The buyer originally thought that some areas of the home were too small, but she loved the décor and staging so much that it brought her back for a second look. The staging helped make her want to live in this home, above all the others she saw. This is what she would have seen if the home had not been staged:
Home stagers know that 63% of buyers will pay more for a home that is ready to move into at closing, and they advise their clients accordingly. If it’s that important to considerably more than half of the people looking for a home, sellers need to know what it means to make their homes “move-in ready”. They need to know that buyers don’t want to spend money fixing it up any more than they do, and that the buyers will either not buy the home, or they will offer less for it. The abundance of competition in this market encourages … (5 comments)
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