staging: It kills me to turn down a listing....
- 05/04/19 09:53 AM
But sometimes that is the only choice.
I had sold Janice (not her real name) her house 5 years ago, so I knew she was a bit neurotic. I did much more hand-holding in the process than usual but I got a lot of satisfaction too. I got Janice out of a basement apartment, into a pleasant row house with a yard. She took up gardening. She made a good financial move. Her mortgage payment was cheaper than her rent. At 47 years old, Janice became a homeowner building equity.
First red flad: No good reason to sell. Janice is fed up with … (3 comments)
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staging: 35 Things You Can Throw Out Now!
- 12/10/14 10:58 PM
http://personalorganizing.about.com/od/Clutter/ss/35-Items-In-Your-Home-That-You-Can-Get-Rid-of-Right-Now.htm
This list is courtesy of Elizabeth Larkin, an organizing expert. I like this because it is funny--Why are we all holding onto old soy sauce packets???? Getting started is half the battle of de-cluttering.
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staging: The Best of Chestnut Hill, PA 19118
- 09/11/14 01:09 AM
http://mls.homejab.com/?p=350 Take the video tour of 7724 Devon, Philadelphia, PA 19118. Let me know what you think of this charming, low maintenance, 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home.
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staging: Light sells! Bring in the Light!
- 04/09/14 04:51 AM
No one stages better than Starr Osbourne! Love this tip from House Beautiful's interview with Starr:
Bring in the light. "Light sells," says Osborne. Unless you have a really bad view, let your windows breathe, Osborne says. Get rid of the curtains and drapes, and open the sheers. In addition to natural light, make sure that every room has three sources of artificial light, not including overhead fixtures, says Osborne; you'll help cast out shadows and accentuate welcomed attributes. Get Starr's book Home Staging that Works on Amazon. I give it to all my sellers. How to Stage Your Home to Sell … (0 comments)
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staging: 3 fixes that give sellers lots of Punch! for the dollar....
- 02/14/14 11:22 PM
*Get rid of popcorn ceilings. Buyers hate them. They make a house look dated and cheap.
**Replace stained and worn carpet. Buyers prefer hardwood, but if you have carpet, new fresh carpet really makes a room zing.
***Paint! New paint makes a house instantly more attractive and valuable. Blood red dining rooms....orchid pink little girl's rooms...They are taste specific and don't appeal to most buyers. Neutral shades: soft greige....pale celery...subtle yellows. Your house will sell faster and for more money.
More: http://www.househunt.com/news-realestate/5-ways-to-improve-results-before-listing-your-home-for-sale/#.Uv-DqXlcRBW
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staging: Sellers: Don't Suffer more than you have to.
- 01/19/14 01:10 AM
Repeat after me: "My house is now a product." Yes, your children grew up there. You took your holiday pictures in the front yard. Yes, you've spent lots of money on maintenance and remodeling. But now you are selling. Step back. Buy Starr Osborne's book Home Staging That Works. Put away the family pictures and one third to one half of your stuff. Fix what needs to be fixed. Get the house really clean--Q-Tip clean. Re-paint with neutral colors. Your house is now a product--in competition with all the others. Don't take it personally when the buyers say the bedrooms are … (0 comments)
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staging: Bad Neighbors can cost sellers 10% or more!
- 08/13/13 10:43 PM
Thanks to Wayne and Jean Marie Zuhl for your recent tips on sellers's neighbors! Great post. I go even farther: Paint the neighbor's porch if you have to. Offer to have their bushes trimmed. My client had an under-employed neighbor whose front door faced hers across a nice walkway. The neighbor's stucco had cracks and mildew. Every buyer who approached my client's front door walked past the sad-looking neighbor's front. Listing price: $350,000. With that much money at stake, my client had to convince the neighbor to let her pay to spruce up the neighbor's front. The neighbor had pride and … (2 comments)
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staging: For the highest price: Look Great right out of the Gate....
- 07/28/13 07:31 AM
Don't cheap out. I just showed an exceptional house that has been on the market for 100 days. After 60 days on the market and feedback that said that the blue carpet in the entry was a turnoff, the motivated sellers replaced the carpet with a new wood floor. It is a million dollar listing, so that is appropriate. Floors sell houses. After 75 days on the market, the sellers decided to paint the home's trim. Another good move--but it would have paid off big time if these two improvements had been made at the get-go. A woman doesn't put her … (0 comments)
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staging: Nobody wants to buy Granny's House....
- 05/30/13 11:48 PM
Unless it is a real steal, of course. No discrimination against Grannies.... Some Grannies have the coolest houses on the block. By Granny, I mean: dated, cluttered, old fashioned. I just showed a 52 year old woman houses in a hot neighborhood. One "Granny house" had been on the market for 2 years, with others around it selling quickly. It started out way overpriced when the market was still slow. It was very clean, not too much clutter. But the furniture was old and heavy. The drapes were dated. The china cabinet with figurines did the house no favor. My client … (2 comments)
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staging: Replace that carpet...lower the price too...
- 04/27/12 04:37 AM
http://bo.st/Kh3brJ Link to an article in today's Boston Globe. Frustrated seller has the same mustard-colored carpet upstairs that was there when she bought her home. She's put $25,000 in improvements and she's asking basically the same price as when she bought her house. She has a credit for new carpet in her mls write up. I get why she draws the line at new carpet. Really I understand. But when feedback from buyers stresses that the carpet is a turnoff, after 4 months and 7 open houses, it is time to hear that. Don't give buyers any reason to "pass." Put your … (0 comments)
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staging: Say "No" to candles and plug ins.
- 01/03/12 05:11 AM
I hate candles and plug ins. I don't think they help homes sell.
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staging: New series: Getting your house ready for the market in NY Times...
- 09/22/11 10:22 AM
http://nyti.ms/nr5U0U If the house has red walls, should you paint before you go on the market? See what NY Times says! They also suggest some really nice paint colors.
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staging: In a tough, crowded market, it is crazy not to stage....
- 08/27/11 04:41 AM
I am thrilled that stager Starr Osborne and her firm Taylored Transitions www.tailoredtransitions.com has won Best of Philly Home Staging. I give Starr's book Home Staging That Works to all my sellers. Starr outlines all the steps in kind, doable language giving sellers a doable blue print for how to sell their home fster and for more money. Get the book for a very reasonable cost on Amazon or other internet sites. Well done, Starr!
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staging: Scented Candles are So Over............
- 02/01/11 02:15 AM
Stepping into a home and getting hit with a waft of strawberry or vanilla just doesn't help. The art of scent is personal and tricky. Buyers want homes that smell "clean"....not fruity. So what does "clean" smell like? Not like fried fish dinner or cat litter. In a $750,000 house one time, I opened a small closet and was overcome from the smell of stinky shoes--not sneakers...well-worn women's shoes. The biggest offenders needed to be in plastic boxes--or thrown out. A hanging cedar chip or evergreen scent bag would have helped a lot. My trick for open houses is to use … (5 comments)
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staging: Creative way to take real estate photos.
- 12/01/10 10:45 AM
Thanks again to Julia and Hooked on Houses Blog. http://hookedonhouses.net This real estate agent had a bland, unfurnished house to post on the MLS. The solution: bring in two vases of flowers and place them inside the entry on the floor. Then move them from room to room as you photograph each room. The flowers keep you clicking through all the photos. The house features are not hidden, but the impression is memorable. Good thinking, agent who thought this up!
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staging: Thanks, Phoenix. I found another one....
- 12/01/10 10:33 AM
http://uglyhousephotos.com/wordpress/?cat=42 Hookedonhouses.net's Julia mentioned this Ugly House Photos blog. Julia has flair and humor. She is a great editor....Ugly House Photos shows more of the "as is" photos that we see in real life. If we told these sellers that we could make them an extra $10,000 or $20,000 if they would prep their homes for sale, they probably would not believe us. This photo is a great example of how the way we choose to live in our houses is not the way we present them when they go on the market. What is the impression? Not enough storage. All that counter space is … (0 comments)
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staging: Bad MLS Photos from Julia at Hooked on Houses blog.
- 12/01/10 08:12 AM
I bet a Rainer turned me onto Julia and her great blog hookedonhouses.net. I really like her feature: "Bad MLS photos." She'll thank you if you send her some that you find!
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staging: Should realtors Photoshop houses?
- 10/05/10 02:56 AM
Julia, the author of the blog Hooked On Houses http://hookedonhouses.net , bit.ly/cW85YT, showed photos of a listing where the realtor did not bother with staging--he or she just photoshopped in the furniture! What next? you may ask. I am completely convinced that a furnished house sells faster and for more money than an unfurnished one. Even Ph.D clients have a hard time picturing furniture in a space. Doing it for them gives the house such an advantage. But Photoshop? First of all, it looks a little cheesy. Second, I really think it is deadly to have the MLS pictures of a … (6 comments)
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staging: Cheap magic for sellers.......
- 09/18/10 08:17 AM
No, I don't own stock in Procter and Gamble. I just love their product: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Maybe it is because I am not a very good housekeeper that I had never heard of it. I read about it in stager Starr Osborne's go-to book Home Staging that Works ($11.95 at Amazon). I give that to all my sellers too. Magic is no over-statement for the "Magic" Eraser. It takes scuff marks and finger marks off walls...cleans up switch plates and bathroom tile grout. It makes Stainless shine. I have a white plastic Jasper Morrison-designed coffee maker by Rowenta that … (4 comments)
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staging: The Wallop of the Red Front Door
- 08/13/10 03:39 AM
It is amazing how much impact an eye-catching front door brings. Here in Philadelphia, PA, land of row houses, the house with the attractive front door really stands out. The door does not have to be red: One successful flipper goes for the elegant look with shinny black front doors--often with matching shutters. Hunter Green is always nice. That shade of blue that the Brittish like works well. When in doubt though, a classic red makes a house stand out like the cherry on the ice cream Sunday. "I've always wanted a red front door," my sophisticated executive buyer told me. … (6 comments)
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But sometimes that is the only choice.
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