The School of Home Staging

I don’t know about you but I’m feeling as though this is the longest summer ever!
It’s taken me a few years of living in Florida to even begin to get used to the heat and humidity let alone the timing of the school holidays in the USA. 
In England some of the schools are only just finishing for the summer, they don’t return until September for fall semester.

What doesn’t change is the sigh of relief that reverberates across the land as the front door closes on the children returning to school. I love my children dearly but, when they were younger,  I must confess to collapsing on the sofa with a coffee on their first day back, surveying my living room and wondering how long it would take to stop it looking like a tornado had blown through it.

Now, this is not a good look if you need to sell your home!

I had coffee with a Realtor yesterday and he confirmed how much busier he becomes once school starts. So if you are in the need to prepare your home for sale why not take advantage of the less frantic pace now the children are back to school and get an action list going?

Ready, Set, Actions for Selling

I have some ideas to get your plan started but if you feel you haven’t the time or you need more help why not go to the SDP website and find a professional in your area?

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, get a pen and we can start to plan. Actually, there is something else I want you to do if you can. Get a digital camera and go around your home taking a picture from the door area into every room. Now download them onto a laptop or print them onto ordinary paper.

Lets start to look at the pictures you’ve just taken through the eyes of a potential buyer or visitor. Take one room at a time and look at the picture. Pretend it is in a magazine you are reading and study it as though seeing it for the first time. Don't be shocked by the pictures. The first time I did this I had to spend the next 2 days clearing my rooms of clutter I hadn't even noticed until I printed out the photo. It's amazing what the eye gets used to.

Let’s use this picture as an example.

This bookcase is in a living room.

   What’s your initial impression?   Calm and peaceful  or  Oh my good gosh!

   What’s the first thing your eye is drawn to?   Is it a lovely focal point or too bright a color?

   Does the room look small because there is too much in it?

   Is it looking tired and in need of a new paint job?

There is so much more to consider when home staging but let's stick to these few actions for now.
All those toys, books and videos will need to be packed away ready for moving. One advantage in doing this while the children are at school is they hopefully won’t remember everything they had!

One of the best tips I was given for moving with children was to get them to choose the 10 items they cannot live without. Whatever is left can be sorted, stored, gifted or thrown. I have a friend who used to hold pre christmas toy swop coffee mornings. It was a great way for us Mums to catch up with each other and the natural De-clutterers amongst us took lots of toys to the event to swop but didn't pick many new ones to take home! Whatever was left over went to a local charity so we all felt good about the day.

Just in case you were curious, here is the room after staging.
The owners called us in before getting the home listed and they achieved a quick sale for more than the asking price. Hooray!

Lets get back to your action plan. You need to carry on this process with all the rooms in your home, looking at the pictures and jotting down what you feel needs to be done prior to listing your home.
Prioritize your list and set aside a little time each day or a longer time at weekends to complete it.
If you call in the Staging professionals they will also consider the furniture placement, color flow, curb appeal, target market and many other factors in and around your home that will help give you the competitive edge.

So, if you are moving, de-cluttering, storing or painting I want to hear about it.

Post any comments or questions you have on Real Estate Staging or anything else for that matter and I will gladly do my best to help you.

Bye for now

Comments

[Annie Doherty]

Thanks for the heads up Theresa, I'm going to look at the site now.

By the way I am enjoying your blog, T's loft, which can be found at Heavenlychic.blogspot.com. Thought the Halloween crows were a wonderful touch in your latest pictures.

If you really want to feel behind in your life...it's only 96 days to Christmas......courtesy of this morning news. Apparently Wal-Mart and some Home Depot stores have ALL their Christmas stock out now as they are scared that we will be so miserable we won't want to buy anything new.

Keep smiling

Annie

[Theresa]

Attention Faux Finishers (or anyone who loves new painting ideas) I have the site for you to visit...

Visit Carol Leonesio at paintit.typepad.com You can spend hours just browsing her blog looking for amazing ideas for different painting projects. Her website is paintit.biz

Enjoy the Inspiration!

Theresa Cox
Heavenlychic.blogspot.com

[Annie Doherty]

Hi Denny

Thanks for the encouragement.
It was Paula Henry who gave the great advice for husbands...thanks Paula.

I am hoping to post a new blog today BUT we have a Hurricane slowly making her way towards us in Florida and we have to pack up and move as we are in a low lying area.

I had such fun at the Conference, with many ideas running around my head and the great people I caught up with, I still haven't finished processing all the information.

Annie

[Denny Gaskell]

Annie-I just want to say that I found all your ideas and comments so helpful!Taking photos to discuss with the client prior to staging is a really helpful idea-before your suggestion, I would have only taken the photos for my own use and reference.
Such a good idea to wait until the kids are back at school before 'decluttering' their rooms! You are absolutely right-with a bit of luck, they won't even remember what they had! I loved the advice about dealing with the husbands, too! Keep that one coming!
Thanks again,
Denny

[Annie Doherty]

HI Paula

thank you for all your ideas and stories. I love the sharing aspect of this blog, we all benefit.

I am not suprised that "the way you live in a house is not the way you sell a house." is your most repeated phrase.

One taught to me by Ann Maurice is " you don't have to love it, you just have to use it"

This is for the times, towards the end of a job with tight budgets, when all that is left to finish dressing the house are some of the original home accessories that had been put to one side.....
that is packed away outside!

We had to make them work or live with a hole in the dressing of shelves etc. It certainly made you inventive.

That's one of the reasons why I am so looking forward to the keynote at Conference. Have you read any of Mary Carol Garrity from Nell Hills books?

If you are at Conference please come and introduce yourself, I'd love to meet you.

Annie