The Decorating Voice

The School of Real Estate Staging - Part 2

For Sale by Owner or to list with a Real Estate agent?
To Stage the home to show better or just sell "as is"?

These are some of the questions you should be asking yourself when you want to sell your home.
Now, as I work in two countries, I first need to explain the differences in selling your home in the USA or UK.

In the USA a Realtor will sell your home for around 6.5% commission....I can hear the sharp intakes of breath from across the Atlantic as I type this. In the UK Estate Agents will charge from 1.50% to .50% commission ( Depending on how good you are at negotiating AND how easily the agents think they can sell your home.) The better presented the easier to sell, another incentive to stage your home prior to selling!

In the USA Realtors, Brokers or Real Estate Agents work with something called a MLS or Multiple Listing Service which means your home is listed for all realtors in the area to review. Many areas also hold a "caravan" of Realtors who visit all the new listings in the area or neighborhood they specialize in. How cool is that, all these professionals knowing your home is for sale. I don't know about you but that would be a HUGE incentive for me to get my home looking the best it possible can. How does that help, I hear my UK readers ask...well that large commission is split between the Agents who sell and the office they work from and also the agent who introduces the buyer and their office. So all those Uk Estate Agents who are packing a suitcase...STOP. The Realtors over here will probably end up with the same commission rate as you after all the splits. The grass is not always greener.

Lets get back on track, during the caravan tour your home will be looked at by many of the real estate professionals that your potential buyers will be using to find their new home. Don't you want to make a great impression on them and have them remembering your home over all the others that they saw on that tour of the neighborhood?

One of the other differences between the two countries is that Realtors over here usually show the home without the owners present. In the UK the Agents generally make the appointment for you and you show the home yourself. Now that I've seen both systems at work, I prefer the USA system.

The potential buyers seem to be more relaxed and give much more honest feedback to the showing agent. Lets face it, if you are being shown a house by the owner you are not really going to tell them it's an ugly or dirty home that you wouldn't touch with a barge pole are you! It is a shame that we are not so honest as maybe then sellers would realize that they need to step up to the plate and go through all the staging processes that would help their home show better.

Which kitchen would you rather see when looking for a new home?
This one is not inspiring me to cook up a storm.
It needs some repair to baseboards or skirting boards as they are called in the UK.
The cabinet doors are tired and not in keeping with the expected price of the home. A de-clutter is also needed.

This renewed kitchen would now get me wanting to cook.
Repairs are completed, new color added.
Some new cabinet doors and some additional wall cabinets update the look. The dryer has been moved and note the change looking through the dining room towards the front entry.
A new sink, de-cluttering and creating a small dining area complete the look.

The owners asked us to stage their home before placing it on the market and it sold quickly and for more money.

One of the items on my to do list when I am getting ready to sell a home is research.
I want to know who my competition is, what houses are also for sale in my neighborhood, how are they priced and how well are they presented.
In the USA your Realtor will pull the "comps" which will tell you what sold when and for how much.
This is useful for working out the listing price for your home, in the UK your Estate Agent will have good knowledge of what is selling in your neighborhood.

There are many web sites to help you estimate the value of your home. For the USA there is, amongst many zillowwhich seems to be one of the easiest to use and in the UK I use Up My Streetand if I really want to be depressed I look at Property Snake which is the source for house price reductions across the UK. Remember not to rely solely on the web for pricing your home, use your realtors experience and comps.

Some of the sites require you to register and some are easier to navigate than others. Have fun researching your area and neighborhood. While you are looking at these sites for price comps spend some time looking at the pictures and seeing how well the homes show. Why not spend time viewing open homes in the area.
Remember, many prospective buyers now use the internet to evaluate available properties. Current research shows that they use the net to ELIMINATE houses from their viewing list to save wasting time. How will your home look on the web?

So, although it is possible to sell your own home and there are various companies that will help you, I believe that a Real Estate professional is the best solution in helping you sell or buy your home.

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Fay is heading towards this part of Florida and I need to pack up this computer and move to spend the next few hours or even days with my daughter.

Have you ever learnt anything interesting from attending an Open House?
Have you ever been shocked by how cluttered and cramped a neighboring house was when you visited, yet it looked great from the outside?
I would love to hear your selling stories. 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

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.

Does Staging "Twiddle" with a Buyer's Mind

According to a new article in Wall Street Journal, The Allure of the Fruit Bowl: Home Staging ‘Twiddles’ With a Buyer’s Mind, we are hearing cries of deception and outrage again about the art of staging. Here is an excerpt from the article itself.

"Looking to buy a house? Beware the allure of home staging. The marketing technique, in which a home’s interior and exterior is carefully prepped, sometimes by a paid professional — can trip-up unsuspecting or naive house hunters, says Curtis Seltzer, a land consultant from Blue Grass, Va."

My comment to this is as follows...I would love to hear what you think about this.

I think the writer has a few misconceptions. Staging is not about deluding the buyer. In fact, it is more about making the seller accountable for what they are selling. I liken it to a blind date, if you went on a date the way you appear in the morning with bedhead, morning breath, and in your favorite torn and overlaundered robe, you wouldn’t get a second date. Yet many people will show a house in its morning attire. 

Staged homes frequently sell for more dollars because improvements that needed to be made, have been, not because they are selling for more than they are worth. A property may appear more desirable and therefore, entertain multiple bids which may realize the seller more money than if they would have shown the property smelling like dog, with a stained carpet, dirty walls, uncleaned ovens, etc. In today’s stressed economy, a seller can not afford to not put their best foot forward, whether they stage it themselves or hire a credible professional who offers staging services. Great staging is evaluating a property for sale and correcting its flaws to allow the new buyer more of a turn key approach to buying a home. It is also understanding that selling a house is a competition, staging helps to make the house stand out from the competition.

Are you an Industry Expert?

Do you want to be known as the Expert?  Do you want to boost your Credibility?  Then audition NOW for your chance to be a conference speaker at "Prospecting for Gold...in the Wild, Wild West"2008 SDP Conference, August 6-8 in AZ!  Last year's success was built on a blend of speakers, so in addition to our exciting Guest Speakers, we will be showcasing a limited number of our successful members' talent and expertise. Share your gold nuggets of information with your peers and gain credibility as an industry expert. Choose to speak during a break-out*session or lunch and learn*.  Speakers may be part of a panel.

Apply Today!

Audition Package:submit all six requirements

NOW!  If you are not contacted within 48 hours of e-mailing, please call 866-737-4737.  Speaker selections will be announced by March 7, 2008.

1. Short Bio
2. Headshot (jpg)
3. Contact Information
4. Three learning outcomes from your presentation
5. What makes you qualified to speak on this topic?
6. Topic of Choice :1* Breakouts (60 minute)-select from topics list below, or  2* Lunch & Learn (20 minutes) -state your topic

All materials must be returned via email  on or before Friday, February 15, to [email protected]

Selected Presenters will receive:

Professional Press Release

Business Card Sized Ad in New SDP Publication

Customized  Presentation Skills Webinar

Presentation Certificate

Select from these Break out Session Topics

• Decorating beyond Redesign
• Creating your Golden Board of Success-dream/vision boards
• There's Gold in them thar Hills (alternative revenue streams, event planning, over 55, etc)
• Successfully Sifting Colors
• Morphing your Talent, when you're too tired to move the sofa
• Eureka-Attracting Attention and what to do with it
• Taking your Business to the next Level...is it time?
• Striking Gold in any Room-10 pieces that never go out of style
• Trash to Treasure-one man's dust is another man's gold
• Creating Clients for Life...with Golden Service
• Fearless Marketing with Techie Tools
• Empty Teepees Never Sell-products, props and profit
• Fabulous Forms and Pricing

It takes a team to build a successful business

It takes a Team to build a Successful Business!

Forgive me Hilary for the play on words but one of the largest reasons for business failure is the insistence of the entrepreneur to "go it alone". Every successful business became so because the owner realized he/she needed support and wisdom from people skilled in areas he/she is not. Now some of the team may be your alter-ego or the other side of your brain, but let's be honest, you can't be expert at all of it. Recognize that and more importantly, take action and you will see a big change in your bottom line. 

Let's talk about what a successful team should include!

#1 YOU!  You are the talent, the heart, the reason that the business came into being.  Take some time and list what you do really well that impacts the business, now look at your list and see what you LOVE to do.  That is what you do, now find "your people" to do the rest.  Some will not cost you anything and some may come with a fee attached. I know, you can't afford it, but hear me when I say, you can't afford not to find someone help you to do the things you are not as qualified to do. 

The Money People-Quick, tell me your total sales for 2007 and how many clients you had.  What was your average sale?  What do you mean you don't know? Is this a weak area for you?  How do you know if you are really making money?  Find the Money People. It may be one or more, an accountant to help analyze your numbers occasionally and a weekly or monthly  person who simply tracks your income and expenses on a computer, or a service who specializes in small business book-keeping.  You will be amazed how reasonable it is.  If you insist on doing it yourself, then set your books up on Quickbooks so you can really analyze your numbers easily. 

Peer Power-This is the person or persons who keep you encouraged and shares successes and failures with you.  They may be in the same business as you, or a fellow entrepreneur struggling with the similar business issues. They may also serve other rolls on your team, if they have strengths in areas you do not. You can perhaps reciprocate by sharing your skills and talents with them.

The Visionary-This is the person who helps you to look at your business in new ways.  They encourage you to go outside your comfort zone and look at your overall business model without the emotion or attachment you have. This person may be a business coach, mentor, or a trainer who is experienced and knows what to look for. This is also the person who tells you kindly, when you are doing something non-productive.

The Networker-This is the person(s) who believes in what you do or sell.  They like you, respect you, and more importantly, like to talk and share with their own circle of influence. You can't pay enough for the validation that The Networker can bring to your business as word of mouth is powerful in raising your business credibility.

The Marketer-This is the person (maybe your alter ego) that plans your marketing strategy and implements it.  the Marketer knows those who take the Field of Dreams approach to business, you know, build it and they will come, will never succeed.  Success is part luck but mostly planned.  The goal of a smart marketing strategy is to build credibility for you and your business. Try this simple test to see if your current marketing strategy has been working for you.  Google your name and business name nationally and regionally and see how many times you  appear on the first two pages. Nationally, it should be mentioned at least once, particularly if your name is at all uncommon. Regionally, it should dominate both page one or two.  If not, "The Marketer" is doing a poor job for you.

Okay, there was a look at the key members of your Success Team.  Do you have someone working in these areas?  Time to treat your business like a business and build a team that will ensure your success.  JoAnne Lenart-Weary, Vice Director of The SDP