New View Home Staging Blog

Recently I consulted in a home that had a mirror over the living room sofa, to the left of the front door.  But when I stood still and looked, I realized that it was reflecting the open powder room door off to the right, and actually the raised toilet seat, and a silent but resounding "yuck" sprung to mind.  Not only was the powder room unfortunately placed prominently in the middle of the foyer, but we were getting a double whammy of it coming from the living room.

Mirrors can be tremendous assets when showing a home and a properly placed mirror can expand the room visually, but you really need to pay attention to what buyers entering the room are going to see.  Is it reflecting the tops of people's heads around the dining table?  If it is propped on a mantle instead of hung from the wall, then you're likely seeing the white ceiling and where's the interest in that? 

A mirror should be reflecting beautiful things... like a garden just beyond, that you want to bring into the room, or it should be adding to the spaciousness.  It sometime takes a critical eye to hang one properly, the benefits can pay dividends when they bring in the view that you want. 

This is just one of the many features that a trained eye will see... and a professional home stager is your best bet to making that happen.

New View Home Staging offers consultations that are all encompassing... and is available to assist you and your selling clients!

There's always a fine line to be walked when making changes to prepare a home for sale.  As stagers we need to recommend the changes that will have the biggest impact to keep (or get) the house at the top of its price range without eating into the potential returns. 

There are always factors that cannot be changed, primarily location and price range.  Beyond those, buyers are going to be most strongly influenced by fresh paint, flooring, and storage.  It's all about the immediate visuals and forming the best first impression.

Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to transform a space from overly personalized to neutral, or seriously outdated to current, and this applies to both interior AND exterior.  Colour has such an emotional power, it can be warming or cooling, strong or subtle, and it's always best to let a colour specialist or home stager make the recommendations.

Flooring ~ type, style and condition ~ can say a great deal about the rest of the house.   If it's poorly maintained and really dated, then it could be indication of other problems or areas of neglect that might be hiding.  That being said, this is not a recommendation to put down new flooring to hide other problems!  So, hopefully the flooring is in good shape, and only requires professional cleaning, but if it comes to the point of replacing it, carpet is always the most cost effective choice over laminate, vinyl, tile or hardwood.   Again, it's that fine line... hardwood is a huge selling feature and if you pull up carpet and find hardwood then you've hit the mother load.  But don't pull up old carpet with the intention of laying hardwood because remember, this house is being sold and the return will likely not be there.

Storage is the third, really visible feature that sells as house, and it starts right at the front door.  Clean out hall closets, under sinks and garage spaces.  Cleaned and well organized storage space allows the buyer to mentally move their own things in, so you really need to show it off.  And cleaning out the closets costs nothing!

We always say that buying a home is all about the first impressions, and first impressions are almost always based on emotional responses, so address the most immediate and influential features of the home and you're well on your way to receiving an offer.

These are all items covered in our extensive pre-listing evaluations.  For more information about New View Home Staging, visit www.newviewhomestaging.ca. 

This is a piece originally published in my September newsletter...

A mentor to many in the staging profession, and certainly to me, is Christine Rae.  Christine is the founder of Canadian Staging Professionals, known as Certified Staging Professionals in the US.  She travels the world, recently expanding CSP into Australia, and is keynote speaker internationally at both real estate and staging specific conventions.  In her spare time, along with co-author Jan Saunders Maresh, Christine penned Home Staging for Dummies.  Yes, there really is one, although it's for anyone BUT Dummies.
 
I find one chapter of this book to be particularly relevant, and would like to share some of it here.  These are their thoughts, condensed by me. 
 
Reasons Sellers Don't Stage Their Properties (But Should)

"We don't have time for home staging"
 
If you have time to sell your house, you have time to stage it for sale.  Don't undervalue the staging process unless you are prepared to accept less than the property is worth.  No one can guarantee the results, but statistically unstaged properties realize a lower return on investment than staged properties, and they may be on the market longer.  Why would you gamble with the equity?
 
"Location and Price will do the work"
 
While location is important, and price is key, a house that isn't in great condition will probably still stay on the market longer than the seller would like, convincing them to eventually sell for less.   Improving the condition of the home before listing will positively influence the selling price.
 
"I get compliments on my home all the time, so I don't need to stage it."
 
Remember that the home is not being sold to family and friends.  Decorating a home for living, and staging a property for selling are two very different things. 
 
Selling a house isn't about taste or decorating style, it's about what the buyer wants.
 
"My neighbor's house sold without staging"
 
Well done, but we'll never know if they got as much for their home as they could have.  Again, why gamble with your equity?  A property that has been properly staged leaves a positive and lasting impression and stimulates multiple offers.
 
"If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for anyone"
 
Buyers are more educated about the real estate market than ever before.  They're busy, and most make a short list of homes to see off the internet.  Staging before listing gives the property more opportunities to get on that short list because the on-line photos will be so much better.   Remember, buying a home that requires lots of work is only appealing if the price is low.
 
"Staging is just de-cluttering and cleaning and I've done that already"
 
True, these are huge parts of preparing to sell, but far from the entire picture.  There's also furniture editing, reducing, replacing and placement, correct use of colour, lighting,  props and art, all targeted to the buyer most likely to be looking to purchase the home.
 
The home is going to be competing with every other home on the market, and many will have been staged.  In order to sell the property at a price that everyone is happy with, it needs to compete with EVERY home out there ~ and win!

Christine Bird, owner and lead Stager of NEW VIEW HOME STAGING, is a Canadian Staging Professional.

We can be reached in Kitchener-Waterloo at 519-505-0892

www.newviewhomestaging.ca

christine@newviewhomestaging.ca

This is just a quick add-on note I wrote for my newsletter recently.

Keeping curb appeal current with the season is important, and early September is a good time to add some Fall flowers to your landscaping. Some ideas would be the safe standbys mums and pansies but also kale, asters, pumpkins ~white, orange and even funky looking ones.  Fall is definitely the season for deep reds, golds and citrus colours of all shades.

Pull out some of the older annuals that have gotten tired, and dig the late summer plantings into gardens to add a sense of permanence and belonging, rather than just dropping a grocery store container onto the porch.  There's no need to advertise "The house doesn't usually look this nice so I picked this up today".

If you're interested in home staging in and around Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge & Guelph, please contact New View Home Staging.  Christine Bird is a Certified Canadian Staging Professional. 

Call Today!

519-505-0892

www.newviewhomestaging.ca

christine@newviewhomestaging.ca

All too often homeowners are in a scramble to get their house on the market, so that they don't miss the perceived "window of opportunity".  No doubt, that actually does exist in some markets at different times of the year, but is taking an extra couple of days going to make such a huge difference that a home should be photographed and presented while not yet looking it's best?

Actually, rushing to get on the market can work against you. 

Buyers make decisions for a number of reasons, not the least of which is an emotional connection to the house.  They also need to see the "space" without an overwhelming sense of the people that live there, before they can picture themselves moving in.  Both of these connections can best be achieved by putting some extra effort into getting the home ready, and turning it into the "marketable product" that it needs to be.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when preparing to sell:

• Is the curb appeal welcoming and inviting so that prospective buyer's will get out of their cars, or are they going to drive right by?
• When they enter, are they greated with a warm, neutral environment that invites them to linger?
• Are the colours and decor on-trend or outdated?
• Is the home clutter-free?  Have you reduced items and objects by pre-packing? 
• Can buyer's see beyond your personality and taste to truly feel the space you are selling?

A professional stager will guide the homeowner through the process of identifying priorities and the order in which they should be addressed, to ensure your house hits the market looking it's best. 

New View Home Staging is a professional staging and property styling company providing services to both Realtors and Homeowners.  We offer effective and affordable solutions to properly prepare your home for a quick and profitable sale, by creating winning first impressions that appeal to the broadest base of buyers.   Christine Bird, owner and lead stager is a Certified Canadian Staging Professional.

To ensure you are "list ready" call for a consultation!  It takes a couple of hours, and could be the difference between a profitable transaction or a so-so sale.  519-505-0892.

www.newviewhomestaging.ca

1,2,3 SOLD!  Showcasing isn't just for vacant homes.  An occupied home will benefit from showcasing as much as a vacant, we just approach it differently. It's the third step of a three step process -- Consultation; Improvements; Showcasing.  Showcasing creates and promotes the positive feelings and emotions that we want the potential buyer to experience when they view the home, and it's done economically, using primarily items already owned by the homeowner.

While staging consultations may identify literally dozens of projects and enhancements that the homeowner should take advantage of, there still needs to be a plan to present, aka showcase, the home once the work is done.  Some homeowners can do this themselves, but many will end up with the home looking exactly as it had before, which is only natural because because they live in it, and are used to the way it looks and feels.  Bringing in a professional home stager to showcase, the final act of staging, ensures maximum appeal with the least amount of wiggle room in the resulting OFFERS.  ~ A professional stager understands about lighting the space and improving traffic flow,  plus can create focal points and vignettes that pull on the heartstrings ~
 
It's all about creating winning first impressions, and showcasing is a huge part of that.  Great on-line photos and curb appeal will give a buyer incentive to get out of the car and enter the home, while showcasing invites them to stay.  If they can't picture themselves living there, it's going to be reflected in the offer and this is where a professional stager can help!

  Consultation + Improvements + Showcasing = MAXIMUM APPEAL or 1 +2 + 3 = SOLD! 

New View Home Staging
www.newviewhomestaging.ca