Check out the latest Sensational Home Staging success! This house has been remodeled and features an interior with new amenities while keeping the old-time charm with elements such as the fire place, original wood flooring (refinished) and interior brick walls.
Welcome to the Sensational Home Staging Blog where you can learn from the experts. Whether you are interested in Home Staging for sale or Staging to Live - we have the answers and stories to share that you will find helpful.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tranformation of Occupied House - Dallas ASP Course - April 2013. "It's not about the money - it's about Creativity"
Check out the latest ASP Staging Course from Stagedhomes.com - Before & After Transformation using only what the homeowner had combined with our students' creativity and ideas! Every room is made more sellable with Staging!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Messes Send Messages - What Does Your House or Listing Say?
Messes Send Messages©
What does your house
or listing say?
by Jennie Norris, ASP Master, IAHSP-Premier
Owner, Sensational Home Staging
Denver Region's Premier Home Staging Resource
In life 90% of communication is non-verbal. Body language, tone, expressions - they all
convey our message more than what we actually say.
Houses send messages
too. They communicate with us whether
we are living in, buying or selling them.
Some messages are of sadness.
Some are of depression. Some of
joy. Whatever the situation, we can tell
when people living in a house have had issues because the house looks
neglected. And for good reason - when
life takes an unexpected turn, the last thing we make a priority is making sure
our house looks fabulous.
Mess Causes Stress©. Some of these homeowners don't realize
that by living in disarray they are actually creating stress for themselves and
stress can lead to a myriad of health issues.
The elimination of "stuff" actually helps de-stress not only
the house but the person living IN the house.
When a house is for
sale, what message is it giving to the buying public? Messes
Send Messages. A house communicates
and elicits emotions for a buyer who either loves what they see and feels a
connection to the house or not. When
they feel that connection the house becomes a must have. No connection means it is a must leave. A messy house says, "No one cares about
me," or "Don't buy me because you are going to find other issues with
maintenance." A house also send
messages about the Sellers such as, "We have given up." or "We don't care about getting the most
for our house." And a house that has too much on display also sends the message that there is not enough storage in this house. That simple message can be enough to deter a potential buyer.
It's so easy to address this issue when selling a house and
yet the
big question I have is why are so many houses in poor shape when listed for
sale? It's not like the Realtor
doesn't see the mess. At least I would
hope they notice because it's right in front of our faces. We can give the Seller a little break because
when we LIVE with a mess we get used to it and don't see it for how bad it
really is. But anyone coming in from the
outside who works in this industry HAS to know the house is a mess. And when it's our job to get the seller the MOST
money when selling a house, it is up to US to tell the Seller what they need to
do.
So why do so many
houses for sale still look messy?
Is it because the Sellers don't "get it" that they
need to address the issue? Do they not
see the value in making changes? Do they resist because it's overwhelming to
them? Or do they just not care. I think it could be a combination of all of
those reasons.
There are ways to get
a Seller to cooperate - especially when they see the benefit for THEM. They will get a better offer when their house
shows its best, and their house will sell faster - which means they get to move
on to the next phase of their life and into their new home - wherever that
is. As professionals serving sellers we
need to be equipped with what to say and how to say it so that the Seller is
compelled to make changes. We also have
to be ready to help them. As a professional Stager, my team and I can
and have transformed a house in a matter of hours. It is a very cost-affordable investment with
a high rate of return. This takes the
pressure off the Seller who may be overwhelmed with the move, with life and is
unable to make decisions about what to do.
It's a wonderful service we offer - and it makes the Realtor's role a
lot easier too because we are the ones doing the heavy lifting, packing,
sweating, and setting the scene room by room.
The Realtor can be working on paperwork or meeting with a new
prospective client and leave the Staging to us.
In all of this
process, the key ingredient is to make sure the seller knows we care and this
effort is being done FOR them. When
they know we care and want the very best for them, my belief is that they will
get on board. It might require
hand-holding and helping them through a stressful time but in the end they are
grateful for the results. Their house
can be presented as a stress-free environment for buyers looking for a
connection to a place they can call home.
_____________________________________________________________________
For help in the Denver
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Best Foot Forward - Don't Sell Your Competition
Best Foot Forward
by Jennie Norris, ASP Master, IAHSP-Premier,
ASP-SRS, ASP-REO
Owner, Sensational Home Staging
Helping Sellers & Realtors in the Denver Region
When I was looking for photos to include in this blog post
and Googled "ugly feet" the images made me want to retch. There are some UGLY and totally disgusting feet
out there! However, I wanted to use the
analogy of "Best FOOT Forward" for how we want to sell houses so I am
saving you the nasty images of what I saw (blech!) and instead chose one that
gets the message across without grossing you out.
The truth is in life we do only have one chance to make the
best FIRST impression so we want to have, as they say, our BEST foot
forward! When a house is listed for sale
and a buyer looks at it online or in person - the house either sells itself or sells the
competition. They either want to see more and make an offer or they walk on to the next option.
Buyers compare houses
online and in person. When one looks
great and the other is not prepared for sale - dirty, dated, cluttered, too
dark, smelly, etc. - a Buyer will naturally compare that house to the
one that is ready to show and buy. So your
choice as a Seller or as a Listing Agent is simple. You
either Stage up front to get the positive attention and offers or you don't and
you just SOLD your competition.
As a Listing Agent
you have to ask yourself, "Why would I want to market an ugly foot?" You invest a lot of your time, energy and
dollars to get a house sold. The house
reflects on YOUR reputation. When it
does NOT sell you are often held responsible and blamed by the Seller - and word gets
around the neighborhood. Aren't you in
this business to get referrals from happy clients? Of course.
So YOUR best foot forward is to make it a requirement that all your
listings are Staged BEFORE they are listed for sale. Or else you just help sell YOUR competition
because the neighborhood is watching who gets the pending sign out first and at
what price the house sold.
Yes I know Sellers can resist change and it can be hard to
tell them their house has warts or corns.
Yet you are not doing them (or yourself) any favors by marketing their
house "as is." I know there
are special circumstances that can exist, but for the most part, a Seller wants
ALL the money from the sale of their house. Not just some.
Putting an ugly foot on the market guarantees
they will not net the most from their house and it guarantees their house will
be USED to sell the houses that put their BEST foot forward. Even in a hot market, a Buyer does not want
the hairy foot with warts and icky toenails when they have the option of buying
the beautifully manicured foot with pretty color and jewelry. Those two houses will NOT sell at the same
price and the ugly foot will be used to sell the pretty one.
The changes a Seller needs to make to get
their foot from ugly to pretty are usually simple and very effective. In most markets a Staging Consultation where
the Seller is given a detailed summary of what to do room by room is an average
of $250. That small investment can yield
thousands of dollars in return. Anything
a Seller can do UP FRONT to help their house show better should be recouped in
the sale and help their house sell at the best price.
Best Foot Forward.
Get the house Staged by a professional Stager to ensure the house truly has the
best opportunity to get the best price.
Then when the house closes at the BEST price, treat yourself to a
manicure! After all the running around
we do for our clients we deserve it!
_______________________________________________________________________
For help putting your
best foot forward in the greater Denver
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Do Buyers want to Interview and Date Your House?
Do
Buyers want to Interview and Date Your House?
by Jennie Norris, ASPM, IAHSP-Premier, SRS, REO
Owner, Sensational Home Staging
Online dating is very common these days. People create a profile with pertinent
information about interests, hobbies, background, etc. and add photos for those
looking online for a match. Based on what
is read online, the people decide to set up a date to meet in person. They are
basically interviewing a person online to see if there is more of an interest. It's like a job interview - to get the
appointment to meet in person, your resume or information has to be compelling
and a match to the prospective employer.
Isn't that the same thing we do when we list a house for sale and put
our info on the internet for buyers to see?
When a Buyer looks at your house online, it's an interview. They are checking out the house and reviewing
the information to see if they want to engage further in the relationship. Based on what they see, they either decide to
meet the house in person or move on to the next online option. Remember we only have one chance to make a
good first impression.
The Wall Street
Journal just came out with a highly interesting study that shared 45% of
buyers do NOT read agent comments on properties they find online and instead
rely on the PHOTOS of the house to either convince them to want to see
more or move on to the next online listing.
This is a crucial part of the property interview that either leads to a
date or moves the buyer to the next online option.
The question becomes, "Is your house or listing making a good
Interview impression?" If the photos shown online are of
cluttered, empty, dated, and/or dirty rooms the interview is unsuccessful and
buyers move on to the next option.
Imagine back when we were dating or if you are currently
dating - think about how we present ourselves on a date? Do we go out with our worst clothes on,
uncombed hair and heck - why bother showering?
No. Hopefully we put our best
foot forward to make a good impression and dress nicely, groom appropriately,
and make an effort. We smell good, we look
good.
So the question becomes, "Is your house Date Worthy? When Buyers come in person does your house or
listing make the right first impression for people looking at the house? Does it smell right? Is it clean?
Is it appealing? Does it make
Buyers want to see more? If not, they
will turn around and leave and move on to the next property.
Staging is the KEY to
getting successful Interviews that translate into Dates. Photos online of un-Staged houses do not
create a good impression for the online interview and will not result in a
date. Instead those houses will sit on
the market, not have showings because of how unappealing they look, and
actually be "used" to sell the houses that sell.
When Buyers come in
person for their date, the house better look like it did online - Staged and ready to buy! Using pictures of a furnished house and
selling that house vacant when the Sellers move out does not compute to a
Buyer. It is misleading and is
disappointing to Buyers when the photos do not translate to the reality of what
they experience in the house. It's like
the old bait and switch of online dating - people load up a photo of a really
attractive, fit individual and when they meet in person what they actually get
is a mildly attractive out of shape reality.
The photos need to match what is seen in person or else a buyer will
just turn around and leave. A vacant
house does not cut it to get top dollar.
Without furniture and decor to highlight the rooms, add warmth and
emotional appeal, all a buyer has to look at are the flaws in the house.
I had a client that shared their house was under contract and it fell through. They had already moved out and despite the fact that they received an offer quickly at first, they were now faced with an empty house that did not show well. When the house was furnished they received rave reviews about how nice it looked. When they house was being shown as a vacant product, all the sellers heard were complaints about all the things that were "wrong" with the house - and they had not changed anything except move out. So wisely they invested in Staging so that they could once again create that buyer appeal and give the buying audience more to focus on than the empty rooms.
The last piece of key advice is to keep the house ready to show at all times. Sellers cannot relax in the house once it's Staged. They have to set the scene daily to ensure that any in-person showings or dates leave the best impression. As a professional ASPM® Stager, I have Showing Instructions that I leave with Sellers that include key tips they need to do on a daily basis to make sure their house is date worthy on a daily basis.
In order to Sell successfully the house must interview well
online and be selected for the in person date that will hopefully lead to the
offer to buy the house! It all starts
with Staging for the buying audience - marketing the product properly with
Staging and the Seller can eventually relax and move on to their new home once
their house SELLS with Staging!
_______________________________________________________________________
For help getting your house or listing in the greater Denver area Staged to sell for TOP DOLLAR - give Jennie a call. She has helped over 2,500 clients get the dates and deals they wanted.
303-717-7918 or 888-93-STAGE www.SensationalHome.com
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