home staging tips: How To Neutralize For Staging Your House - 07/03/13 12:45 AM
A staged dining room used a gray blue wall color and oversized art and lighting to add space and interest
I tell my sellers all the time that neutral doesn’t mean neuter.  One of the best things that Apple did early in its history was to offer their computers in fabulous colors and shapes which was so unique in the marketplace.  They appealed to our senses with something as mundane as a computer and your house needs to do the same.  This can be confusing when all you hear is neutralize, neutralize, neutralize.  I am here to set the record straight … (1 comments)

home staging tips: Which Flooring Sells Faster? - 06/25/13 12:14 AM

Fact:  Hardwood floors sell houses
Fact:  According to the National Association of Realtors, hardwood floors are one of the best home improvements to make for getting a good return on your investment.
Fact:  Hardwood flooring can add 6% to the value of your sale price.
So, now that we have established that hardwood flooring is great for creating perceived and actual value in your house, what do we do with that information?  If you have wood floors already, then, you are in great shape.  Make sure that they are in beautiful condition for your sale and you will make buyers swoon, … (54 comments)

home staging tips: How To Organize Your House To Stage - 06/10/13 09:48 PM
When you are getting ready to sell, you no longer have complete privacy.  
Buyers will be snooping in every nook and cranny of your house.  And, it is amazing what buyers will assume based on the way you keep your closets and cupboards!
You want to sell quickly and for the most money possible so you cannot afford to lose a sale over a pile of dirty socks in the corner of your closet or tipped over condiments in your cupboards.  When closets and cupboards are crammed, buyers assume:
The house hasn’t been cared for, There isn’t enough storage space (even … (1 comments)

home staging tips: What A New Study Can Tell You About A Home Buyer's Wish List - 06/04/13 01:33 AM
  A dated bathroom just needed paint and new accessories to feel completely updated.
How cool would it be to get into the minds of you buyers before you ever list your house?
What do they really want?
What should you highlight in your online listing photos and description? ( I recently wrote about what buyer’s spend the most time looking at in an online listing here)
What an advantage you would be at armed with this kind of buyer insight!  The best part is you can learn this easily and you don’t even need to consult a crystal ball–sorry Madame Zelda.
… (1 comments)

home staging tips: Advantages To Selling In The Summer - 05/24/13 12:48 AM
Photo by Ashlee Hall of Pennsylvania Real Estate Photography
Starbucks does it.
So does Apple.
In fact, I can’t think of many companies that don’t do this.
And, when you think about it, if you are selling a house, there is no reason that you can’t do what these marketing giants do too.
They all sell products right through the summer.  They don’t get nervous about people vacationing or this being a slow time of year for their businesses.  There are actually a lot of advantages to selling at a time when the competition isn’t that can help you sell your … (1 comments)

home staging tips: 3 Reasons To Hire A Home Stager - 05/14/13 01:49 AM
 
Today l’m answering a question that I get asked a lot in a vlog post--video blog (I cannot believe I know that!).  Click on the goofy photo of me to hear what everyone ought to know about hiring a Home Stager.
 

 
 
… (1 comments)

home staging tips: Buyers’ Most Loved Real Estate Photo - 04/30/13 02:58 AM
My mom is my biggest fan.  She seriously thinks that everything I do, well almost everything I do, is great.  I know, I’m lucky, right?  But, to this day, she has one standard that she insists that I adhere to in her presence.
I always thought it was rooted in vanity, but as I grow older and live with two young men who think nothing of leaving the house with bed head and day old shirts on, I understand.  It is really about first impressions and how important they are.  So, yes mom, as I headed out the door this morning, … (4 comments)

home staging tips: 5 Ways To Stage Your Bedroom Beautifully - 04/23/13 04:40 AM
I am pretty addicted to anything design and home decor related but for some reason, I really adore bedrooms–maybe because of my past obsession with my childhood bedroom?  Either way, your master bedroom needs to be especially beautiful and fresh feeling when you get ready to sell.  Using this bedroom from Studio Ten 25, here are the 5 key elements to creating a gorgeous bedroom that will photograph beautifully for you online listing photos.
From Studio Ten 25 (wall color is similar to Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments)
A Beautiful Headboard I’ve written about creating inexpensive headboards for Staging your house in the past.  The great … (2 comments)

home staging tips: Home Staging Tips To Attract The Right Buyer - 04/16/13 06:55 AM
This blog post is inspired by a conversation I had with a prospective client for my Online Listing Audit from Massachusettes.  Her house has been on the market for over three months with lots of showings and no offers.  The feedback has been that the kitchen is beautiful but that the house is too dark and the backyard too wooded.  When I looked at her listing, I knew right away what the problems were.  She had only 7 photos with her listing--definitely not enough!  Three of the pictures were of the beautiful kitchen which obviously enticed buyers. The problem was that … (4 comments)

home staging tips: Sell Your House Faster: 1 Brilliant Way to Do It - 04/09/13 12:36 AM
Ok, I have shamelessly ripped off the concepts for blog today from my favorite marketer, Seth Godin, here but I hope that he will see if for the compliment that it truly is.  He writes:
“There are two kinds of users/creators/customers/pundits.
Some can’t understand why a product or service doesn’t catch on. They can prove that it’s better. They can quote specs and performance and utility. It’s obvious.
The other might be willing to look at the specs, but he really doesn’t understand them enough to care. All he knows is that the other choice is beautiful–it makes him feel good. He wants to … (0 comments)

home staging tips: When Should You Fire Your Realtor? - 04/02/13 01:19 AM
unstaged living room--neat but not staged I have worked with a few clients over the years who had fired their Realtor or were thinking about it when they called me.  Their house was getting next to no traffic and they were frustrated.
No one ever expects that their house won't sell when they list it with their Realtor but a smart Realtor can tell you exactly which one of their listings are in for a long, drawn out sales cycle full of low offers.  How do they know?  It's actually really easy.  It's the sellers that don't listen to their selling … (4 comments)

home staging tips: How to Decorate With Yellow and Gray - 03/26/13 04:22 AM
So many daffodils are popping up here in Philadelphia and I just adore the cheerful yellow pops of color dotting the yards of my friends and neighbors.  You know that I love the color combination of gray and yellow so much that I made it the image of my brand.I also adore this combination in home interiors and wanted to share with you some stunning images of rooms that have been done in this fabulous combination to inspire your next makeover whether for Staging or Staying.
But…yellow is a difficult color to choose for your walls because it is highly reflective … (5 comments)

home staging tips: How I Got My Home Staging Start - 03/19/13 05:03 AM
I am totally putting off my workout this morning–Jillian Michaels, you will just have to wait.  And, I am blowing off my editorial calendar… again!  I hope you’ll indulge me while I reminisce about where my love for all things pretty and the likely start of my Staging career began.
I recently had the best time meeting with my friend and her sweet tweenage daughter.  My friend’s daughter has always had a great flair for fashion and decorating and was in the process of doing a makeover on her bedroom and just needed a little help to get her through the rest … (2 comments)

home staging tips: 5 Staging Tips If Your House Isn't Selling - 03/04/13 11:28 PM
Good houses don’t sell.  It is a sad, frustrating fact.  I have staged houses that were in that circumstance–great houses, no sale (until we staged!).  What I have found is that there are typically two things at play.
Houses that don’t sell often have an issue with price or presentation.
I tell all of my clients that price is definitely the domain of your Realtor.  Don’t ask the Stager–ask and then listen to your Realtor : ).  Now, presentation is a whole other ball of wax.  That, I can totally help you with!  Here are 5 quick ways to clean up and update … (2 comments)