home staging: Five sold this month!
- 12/07/11 05:51 AM
Tis the season when business typically slows down with the holidays in full swing. It's true that we've gotten fewer new staging clients overall this last month, but there must be something in the air, other than Christmas carols, as five of our current staged listings have or are about to close in this last month. I'm just hoping that along with the new positive stock market swing, this does mark the beginning of an upswing for our Northern California real estate market. And while taking down staging doesn't bring much creative spark, it means a lot of sellers have benefited … (2 comments)
home staging: Get the frump out of my listing!
- 08/28/11 04:08 PM
Big day tomorrow: doing a presentation to my networking group- yes there is technology involved and there lies the rub: I had to cancel the last time because the flashdrive I brought didn't "read" on the PC we were using. So it goes without saying that I'm bringing my own back-up computer just in case the ipad doesn't work...This business is so visual: can't do this job unless you can "see" possibilities from that first walk-through, and you'll have a very hard sell unless you can show potential buyers all the gems this particular property offers (most of them can only … (0 comments)
home staging: Loving the job you're in
- 07/22/11 02:00 PM
I've always been a hands-on kind of gal and there's still nothing that quite gets the juices flowing as a staging job where I can sink my teeth in a good project, even before the detailed planning of the rooms. Not every house lends itself to this- two day turnarounds tend to cramp my style a little- but, when the occasion presents itself, this is where I shine. Like the rambling Orinda rancher with the dated wood dining room chandelier.I designed and built a custom large drum shade, spray-painted the fixture bronze and rehung it at a proper height: that alone … (2 comments)
home staging: Go big or go home.
- 07/15/11 01:46 PM
The last sellers we've worked with were in the enviable position of having a nice equity chunk, but they understood that to minimize their days on market and generate as much interest as possible in their property, a significant remodel was in order. They picked a savvy local agent, told her of their grand plan to do most of the work themselves- the owner is quite handy. But after months had gone by and the reno remained at a standstill despite their best intentions (two busy professional careers tend to do that), they were realistic enough to follow their agent's advice … (0 comments)
home staging: What do you mean we're doing it again?
- 07/08/11 09:26 AM
The weirdest thing just happened, so it's worth a quick word. We got a call from a realtor about this house in the Oakland Hills we had staged and sold on the open house day less than 3 months ago. He was representing the new buyers, a couple from Marin, who had decided after barely moving in that the house just was not working for them. Bottom line was they wanted it back on the market and wanted to re-stage, and could we do it again? I've already been in the situation where, after all contingencies were removed, we were given … (2 comments)
home staging: The 80's and all that brass.
- 06/27/11 07:22 AM
As a stager, the most common challenge I face is performing a 20-30 year facelift on properties about to be placed on the market. And the common theme this month seems to be the hash glare of brass fixtures, beaming out the loud and clear message that the current owners last renovated the house in the mid 80's. Along with unpainted wood trim and dark oak kitchen cabinets, there lies the great divide between the buyer pool's desires and the seller's decorating choices. And these sellers are solid, responsible homeowners who've maintained their homes with great care and love. But when … (3 comments)
Tis the season when business typically slows down with the holidays in full swing. It's true that we've gotten fewer new staging clients overall this last month, but there must be something in the air, other than Christmas carols, as five of our current staged listings have or are about to close in this last month. I'm just hoping that along with the new positive stock market swing, this does mark the beginning of an upswing for our Northern California real estate market. And while taking down staging doesn't bring much creative spark, it means a lot of sellers have benefited … (2 comments)
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