Archive for the ‘Staging Your Home for Sale’ Category
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Feb
02
Posted by Kathleen Cragun
When Your home is worth a million it will probably look like a million. The trouble with that is homes selling for over a million have really slowed down. In Issaquah two homes sold above 1 million in January. There are 2 additional in pending sales. With the pending sales closing this marks a big upturn over recent monhs. Still 4 sales in Issaquah, not that great. FYI 3 of the homes are in Issaquah Highlands, one on Lake Sammamish.
The inventory on homes for sale in Issaquah has skyrocketed to 220 under 1 million in price.
To follow my theme, with heavy competition it is important to prepare your home for sale. Too many people take this lightly. Your home must make a knock out good impression when home buyers drop in. This means staging your home for sale properly. It also means that it is inconvenience time for you. The right buyer might want to see your home in 30 minutes. Your home must be prepared and you must be prepared to get right out.
Part of my secret weapon is Kathleen. A high end designer, published in magazines and winner of many Street of Dreams, she is also practical. She is a Certified ASP stager with the know how on how to make that home sell fast and for the highest price.
Last summer Kathleen wrote a series of articles on the subject of preparing your home for sale. I reccommend them to you, click here.
Tags: staging, issaquah, homes, for+sale
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Aug
08
Posted by Kathleen Cragun
Can you go from this:
To this: ………………………………………………………………………… In 6 days?!??????????????
Yes, I know the room isn’t the same but the concept is. My kitchen didn’t look as bad as this office (Larry’s) but I don’t recommend trying to get your home ready for sale in six days. As I preach in my staging articles Fix In, Fix Out, Clean Up, Clean Out and all that entails, is generally more than one (or two) can do in such a short time. What I wouldn’t give for Harry Potter’s magic wand! Nevertheless, our home is for sale. An opportunity arose and we had to strike.
This brought to my mind that I had promised one more staging article on “Showing Your Home”. After you have done all that stuff I suggested in my posts, http://www.issaquahundressed.com/tags/staging-your-home-for-sale/, each day your home is for sale you should set the stage.
1. Tidy up, make beds, no dishes in the sink, spic & span, no tooth brushes on the counter, most of you know the drill. Isn’t this what your mother always made you do (or wished you would do). Floof and Poof to perfection as one of my employers said.
2. Open blinds, etc, so light fills the room, unless it is summer and it would just get too hot.
3. Turn on strategic lights that make your home look its best.
4. Have soft music playing
5. Make sure you empty the garbages, especially the powder room and bathroom ones
6. It is best to NOT set the alarm if you have a security system. They make agents paranoid and often are set off accidently UNLESS you clearly state in the agent info in the MLS EXACTLY how to turn it off AND make sure they KNOW it is armed (before they enter) so they can turn it off.
7. Leave the house when there is a showing if possible. People feel more comfortable looking around, especially if they have a serous interest in your home.
I have to admit that I didnt get to de-personalize my home as much as I teach, we broke the back door blind the day before it went on the market and the CD Player went bonkers so there isn’t soft music. And I still have a few things to fix. Yes, stuff happens to real estate agents too!
For more information on this home for sale click http://ravena.neighborhoodsundressed.com
Posted by Kathleen
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Jun
06
Posted by Kathleen Cragun
Before I get to that rocket science part, I want to refer to an article in last Sunday’s Seattle Times (June 3). In the Real Estate section was an article on tips to make your house sell fast, introduced by a huge picture. Much good advice was given BUT a few things made me cringe, so I just want to warn you what NOT to do. Do not paint your kitchen cupboards Gloss white. I already mentioned not to use gloss white on walls in an earlier post. When was the last time you saw a new model home that had GLOSS white cabinets? White maybe, but NOT gloss. If you are redoing old cabinets Gloss white will show every flaw, every brush stroke, every imperfection! It is a finish that should only be done by professionals ( sprayed on) but also one that is not really a “with it” thing to do. If your cabinets are stained wood, there are products you can get, like Cabinet Magic, Liquid Gold, that will cover scratches and revitalize cabinets, sometimes miraculously. They are also easy to apply, most are rubbed on with a soft cloth. Oak cabinets almost always look bad painted. Regarding painting anything, it is very important that it be done well. If you can’t do it well, you shouldn’t do it yourself. It takes time and patience and skill to do a good job. Prepare to give it that. It isn’t called sweat equity for nothin’.
Other advice in the article regarding fixing up Kitchens and Bathrooms, “You can do all this for cheap.” If it looks like you did it “on the cheap”, it will not help you sell your house. A very good bit of advice given was to hire a home inspector yourself to go through your home and get a list of things that need to be fixed. That way you shouldn’t have any unpleasant surprises when your buyer’s inspection is done. I have done this and it was very helpful and brought peace of mind.
The idea of staging is to present your home to stand out from the rest. It should be a well-maintained home, not just looked like one on the surface. We want the buyer to be happy living in the home, not just happy buying it, don’t we? No cover ups, no law suits.
Many of the clients I have advised on fixing their homes before they sold, did quite extensive things like replacing very outdated kitchens and bathrooms. When they saw how good they looked, every single one wished they had done these things as they lived there and enjoyed it themselves as well. Something to think about!
OK, OK, The Rocket Science part. Presentation. Now that you have done all the things recommended in the first three posts, the fun part begins but also the part that you may want to call in your staging advisor to complete. Not all designers and stagers are created equal. Some are better than others just as some home builders, lawyers and hairstylists are better than others. This is advice I should have given you in the beginning. Ask your real estate agent for a referral to someone who does it right. Check out a portfolio of before and after photos. Look at model homes they have done or if you have the chance to see, what does their own home look like?
Everything that is left now needs to be moved, arranged, and accessorized. What to put in, and what to leave out? Where to hang the pictures and how high for the best effect? A tip here, don’t hang pictures at LeBron James’ eye level! A common mistake is hanging pictures too high where they have no connection to anything else. While you want to keep it simplified this doesn’t mean it needs to be boring and bland. Don’t just line furniture up around the room. How things are arranged in groupings and with just the right choice of accessories and accents are the key. I am realizing I can do it, but it isn’t something I can easily explain and tell you how to do. I guess that is why it is the rocket science part of staging!
The homes below are NOT STAGED, they are from my portfolio many years back. But, they are an example of what I am talking about in the previous paragraph. I would edit and simplify if I were to stage these for sale, especially that secretary in the French family room. At the time I was trying to make it looked lived in!
As I finish the last, for now, in my staging series, I realize I could do an entire blog on staging. I need to get back to ISSAQUAH! I hope this series will help someone. I think I will do one more on keeping your home in showing shape, but it might be awhile!
Posted by Kathleen Leavitt, Interior Designer, ASP a.k.a. Kathleen Cragun
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May
30
Posted by Kathleen Cragun
See Part 1 and 2 for previous information before - Clear Out: After you have fixed and repaired it is time to declutter! And you can’t just stuff it all in the closets because people do want to see how the storage stacks up. They open up drawers, cupboards and closets if they are even somewhat interested in your house. Spend some time tidying these up and cleaning. You will have far less to do when you start serious packing, so it will help in two ways. The best solution is to rent a storage unit. Start packing up the things you don’t use very often, if at all. Too crowded with furniture, store it! 2nd best, pack up smaller stuff in boxes and put in the garage, but a garage isnt too impressive stuffed with excess furniture. Get a storage unit. Call the Salvation Army or St Vinnie’s.
Things to make disappear: Most of the stuff on your kitchen counter tops, i.e. kitchen appliances, except for a toaster; that dead plant you keep trying to revive, any cleaning supplies, soap, dish rags and so on. Only a few stratigic attractive items should be left. Banish as well that pot rack and hanging pots, refrigerator magnets and notes, dishes in the sink, toothbrushes and personal grooming items, towels in bad condition and uncoordinated colors, ugly shower curtains, stuff on window ledges, scatter rugs, too many plants, too many pillows, too many cars, too many accessories, too many of anything! If the things left are arranged with skill, less will be more. It’s the KISS principle. Keep It Simple Staging! If in doubt, throw it out!
NOT THE WAY YOUR COUNTERS SHOULD LOOK YES YES
Clean Up. You will be doing some of this as you go through and are fixing up and getting uncluttered but when all the other is done, go through and check for clean. Carpets should be cleaned, it is best to have a good professional do it or if worn or stained or a color that is hopelessly out of date, or would be difficult for most people to work with it should be replaced before you put your home on the market. This will work much better than giving a carpet allowance if wisely chosen, as far as selling your home. All appliances need to be super clean, as do bathrooms. Clean also floors, walls if soiled, windows, showers, shower curtains, outdoor furniture if on display, drains, exhaust fans and hoods, blinds, light switch plates, garbage cans, fireplaces, dog and cats dishes, side walks and patios and decks and driveways may need pressure washing. Clean is something that will need dailey attention when you market your home. After you do all of this it should smell good! Smelling good is important. At Staged(R) Homes the saying goes “If you can smell it, you can’t sell it.” Unless the smell is good of course, but be careful about artificial perfumey smells. Sometimes that may be interpreted as someone trying to cover up a bad odor. (And sometimes it is)! Also many are allergic to these and won’t stay in your house long enough to look at it.
I was going to go into what I call the rocket science part of Staging but I am tired from just writing about all this work! I need a rest, I guess that will be part 4.
Posted by Kathleen Cragun a.k.a. Kathleen Leavitt, Interior Designer and ASP
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May
26
Posted by Kathleen Cragun
In my first post on staging your home in preparation to putting it on the market, I mentioned Clean up…Clear out…Fix In…Fix Out. Let’s start with Fix Out. Backwards, yes but the saying sounds better that way! Take a note pad with you and go outside. Better than that go across the street and look at your house. Pretend you don’t live there. Can you see the house? Does it look inviting? Is the yard mowed, trimmed, clear of stuff. Is the paint peeling or does the driveway, sidewalk or the roof have moss on it. Imagine the For Sale sign out front. If you (remember you dont live here) drove by and saw that sign would the house beckon you to take a look? We are talking Curb Appeal.
The pots out front add charm but the base of the pots could stand a little scrubbing. You cant see it here but a tree near by is overgrown and parts are dying. Time for a replacement. If you are selling right away get bigger plants instead of waiting for them to grow a bit. Some nurseries will help you select plants and even plant them for you, but there are all kinds of books and magazines that tell you how to do that. And don’t forget to water them daily if the weather is warm. Make sure your front door is in good shape and painted a pleasing color. Spray painting the door is preferable so you don’t have brush strokes. And you need to take the door OFF to do that. New bark in the planting beds is usually a good idea.
Fix In: After you fix up the outside its time to tackle the inside. Using the same approach and notepad, walk around your house taking an inventory of things that need fixing. Having it in one notebook and checking off the items as they are done will keep you on track. A well maintained home will alway sell faster and bring a better price than one that is not. All functioning parts of your house need to do just that, function! Furnace, waterheater, stove, oven, toilets, ect, ect. Speaking of toilets, new toilet seats should be put on so they are bright, sparkling clean.
If you need to paint, and that is usually the case, this is not the time to add bright accent walls. Neutral tones are best and even though dark colors can be used dramatically and effectively, when you are selling is not the time for dark. Do it in your next house, just for you. There are exceptions, a powder room perhaps. (See pictures in part 3) Once I was working with a seller that did a great job of fixing up his home as I suggested. However, he didn’t wait for me to pick out the paint colors, I arrived to find he had painted the whole interior of the house bright, high gloss white! Bad idea. Neutral, yes and sometimes white would be alright but high gloss NO. Even then in most cases it is better to use a soft light beige or tan or taupe, boring maybe but there is a reason builders use neutral colors. Everybodies stuff goes with it. Even then watch those undertones! I once was attending a class on Color, the instructor said there are studies that show the average American man can distinguish between 250,000 colors. Sounds good, right? However, the average American woman (he said) can distinguish between 2 million or more colors. Perhaps this is why Larry can’t match up his socks (and he only has 8 pairs!) Who should pick out the paint colors?! Larry has other redeeming qualities!
Wallpaper. Don’t even get me started! Don’t do it to sell your house. Your chances of picking out something that your buyer would like are almost nil! Wallpaper choice is a very individualized taste.
Next post will be dealing with Clear Out, Clean Up AND the real rocket science part of staging.
Posted by Kathleen Leavitt, ASP a.k.a. Kathleen Cragun
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May
22
Posted by Kathleen Cragun
When you are selling your home, it immediately becomes a product that buyers compare with all the other homes they look at. Preparing to have your home look its best is a very smart idea. However it is easy to spend time and money on things that may not help all that much, and could even have a detrimental effect. A lot depends on the price range of the home. Hiring professional help to put your home’s best face forward is a relatively new phenomena.
Most Interior Designers think they can stage homes and most Staging Professionals think they can do Interior Design. There is some crossover, true, but the philosophies and purpose are very different. There is much more training, talent and skill needed to be an effective designer than most Staging Professionals possess. On the other hand, many designers don’t really understand the common sense or purpose behind Staging. Their egos take over and bad advice is given. Even though I believe I succeeded in my goals with the rooms below, they were Street of Dreams homes, so the final results were to that end.
When you are living in your home you usually want to express your individual tastes. You want it to look great, but you want it to be YOU! Enter the Interior Designer. After determining how you live, what your family’s functional needs are and style, color preferences, etc., she prepares and executes a plan that will make your home the envy of your friends who have no courage to dare to be different. You love it. The designer loves it.
The objectives are different when you are staging your home for sale. You don’t want the prospective buyer to fall in love with your decor, or be green with envy over your art collection, or focused on your great black and white photography collection of your children and pets. You want them to be able to focus on the HOUSE! You want them to get a vision of how their things and their famliy could fit in it. You don’t have to pack up and move completely out leaving it empty, but almost every home needs a little editing. We all accumulate a lot of stuff and a little early packing is in order.
Before I go further, Staging(R) is a Federally Registered Trademark of Stagedhomes.com. Those who complete this cirriculum and pass the exam have the right to the ASP designation, Accredited Staging Professional.
Staging is not rocket science! Much of it is common sense. If successfullly accomplished, prospective buyers will be able to view your home at its best. Best because its good features wil be discovered and enhanced and they can see and feel themselves living there. That usually means a faster sale and a better price. Much of this is related to Clean Up….Clear Out…..Fix In…..Fix Out! The hardest part is to be able to be objective. Pretend you are the buyer. Would you buy your house? If you are a person who can’t remember if you made the bed today, or your friends say to you ” I can’t believe what you did to your house,” (and not in a positive way) you definitly need professional help! (staging help, that is) NO 1. in a series of staging posts.
Posted by Kathleen Leavitt ASP, Interior Designer, a.k.a. Kathleen Cragun Part 1 of a series
