Want to “POP” an area, a special feature, or a room to attract that Potential Buyer’s Eye?

Use Vignettes!!

What is a Vignette, you say?  Well, it is “an arrangement” of three items:  one high, one medium, and one low in terms of their height.   The items within an arrangement can be greenery, knickknacks, pictures, small furniture items, etc.

The word vignette is pronounced /vin yet/. 

Vignettes are interesting to the eye.  They are groupings of items that appear to go  together in a way that is perceived to be un-cluttered and pleasing.

Use vignettes to draw a Potential Buyer’s eye to a particular area or space in a room, such as the corner of a great counter in the kitchen.  In staging a kitchen, it is usually recommended to have the least amount of items on your counters–but an interesting vignette on one end or in a corner area shows off the counters and attracts the buyer’s eye to the space. 

Use vignettes to draw a Potential Buyer’s eye to a great feature in your house, such as a fireplace. The vignette could be placed somewhere on the mantle or on the base of the fireplace.  This example below shows a wonderful granite shelf that we wanted to emphasize in a master bathroom. 
The vignette worked well to POP this great feature!

Use vignettes to draw a Potential Buyer’s eye into a room, such as this interesting arrangement in a small half bathroom.  This not only draws them into the room, but the vignette makes the half bathroom more interesting and inviting!

So…Vignettes, Anyone???  We welcome any of your comments about this idea or if you have some “Vignette Ideas” of your own that you would like to describe and share, let us know.

For more information regarding Home Staging Services, feel free to contact me at Homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com and visit our website at www.stlstaging.com.

Sue Rector, ASP Stager
Accredited Staging Professional
HomeStaging Innovations, LLC

White Walls….NOT the New Neutral!

Recently while providing Home Sellers with Staging Consultations, I experienced very similar situations.  I walked into houses that are for sale and all of the walls were white or off white.  In all of these cases, the Home Sellers told me that they had various colors of walls and that their Realtor told them to paint all of the walls white.  They all told me that the Realtors suggested this because the rooms will look bigger, brighter, and cleaner…and that white was a “neutral color”. 

In my previous article, “Color It Cozy” I discussed how important interior wall color is when selling a house.

When a Potential Buyer comes through your house-for-sale for the first, second, or third time, you want them to feel “Warm and Cozy”.  Whether they know it or not, Potential Buyers are looking for that home which emits those “Warm Fuzzies”.

The color white or hues of the color white are NOT colors that will emit warm and cozy feelings.  Does the color white or hues of white reflect light better so that rooms seem brighter…Yes.  Does the color white or hues of white make rooms appear bigger…Maybe.  Does the color white or hues of white make rooms appear cleaner…Not sure about that one.

Think about this…What is the color of SNOW?…WHITE

What is the temperature of SNOW?…COLD

In my experience as a Professional Stager, White = Cold.

Would you want to stay in a COLD room or a WARM room?????

White and hues of white are the Old Neutrals.

There are many different “Warm Neutrals” that will help Potential Buyers to feel “Warm and Cozy” as they go through your house. 

Warm neutrals can be hues of Browns, Golds, or Soft Greens.

I have several favorites that I share with my clients when they are interested in presenting their house-for-sale in the Best Possible Showing Appearance. These are Sherwin Williams colors-which can be purchased through that store or matched to other brands that you prefer.  I hope that these will be helpful to you if you are considering re-painting your interior walls. When at all possible, paint all the walls the same warm color.  It makes your house flow altogether.  You might think this would be “boring”, but remember when you stage a house for sale, you are not decorating. Staging is about creating a mood, a setting in order for the Potential Buyer to visualize themselves living there with their things!

My favorite hues are the hues of Brown and Gold because these will typically go with any décor that you might have, soft hues of Greens may not:

Browns:  SW6106 Kilim Beige, SW6107 Nomadic Desert, SW6141 Softer Tan, SW6142 Macadamia, SW6085 Simplify Beige, SW6086 Sand Dune, SW6093 Familiar Beige, SW6099 Sand Dollar, SW6100 Practical Beige

Golds:  SW6120 Believable Buff, SW6121 Whole Wheat, SW6127 Ivoire, SW6128 Blond.

Remember…staging statistics indicate that the investment in painting whether it is inside or out, gives you the most return for your dollars.  Wall colors create a mood, a feeling for Potential Buyers.  Make your wall colors “Warm and Inviting”!

If you have any questions regarding wall colors or home staging, feel free to contact me at Homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com .

Sue Rector, ASP

Accredited Staging Professional
HomeStaging Innovations, LLC
www.stlstaging.com

“WOW!”

That is what Sellers want Potential Buyers to say… when those buyers walk through their house for sale. 

Any house on the market can achieve “The WOW Factor” by meeting or exceeding a Potential Buyer’s expectations.  When a Potential Buyer’s expectations are met or exceeded…this could very likely lead to a contract, then a FINAL SALE! 

How does a Seller achieve The WOW Factor? 

Staging your house for sale is essential in achieving “The WOW Factor”.  In one of my earlier articles, I discussed the connection between Home Staging and Internet Marketing.  In order for Potential Buyers to say “WOW” when they walk through your house…you first have to get them TO your house. 

Price, Location, and Great Internet Pictures, along with a creative descriptive write-up will get that Buyer to make an appointment to see your house.  A Staged Home makes the Internet marketing pictures of your house for sale look great!   The old saying of “A picture is worth a thousand words” continues to hold true today.  Pictures of a house for sale can impact a Potential Buyer much more than a list of the house’s features.  

But what is very important for Sellers to understand is that pictures can be deceiving.  There is nothing worse than a Buyer arriving at a house that they saw on the Internet, and immediately the house is Below their expectations.   Meeting, but especially Exceeding a Buyer’s expectations of a house they make an appointment to see, will keep their interest, get them inside….and hopefully this will lead to a contract! 

Barb Schwarz, Creator of the Staging Concept and Founder/CEO of Stagedhomes.com, says that staging is the process of preparing a home for sale regardless of price, location, or condition.  

Staging a house for sale gets the house in the Best Possible Showing Appearance. 

Staging defines the home’s space in terms of size and function.

Staging accentuates the special features of a home.

Staging creates a “welcoming ambiance and atmosphere” which will be very pleasing to a Buyer

…and that’s when they say “WOW”! 

Does your house for sale have “The WOW Factor”?  Is it in the Best Possible Showing Appearance?  Based on your internet marketing, will a Buyer’s expectations be met or exceeded when they drive up and come through your house? 

If you are considering selling your house or currently have your house on the market…and you don’t know or don’t feel that it has “The Wow Factor”, then consider Home Staging Services.   An Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) can assist you to achieve “The WOW Factor” through Staging Consultation Services,  Hands-On Staging Services, or Vacant Home Staging Services. 

With excess inventory in this current market, Buyers can be and are being particular about the houses they make appointments to see.  Make sure that your house for sale has “The WOW Factor” online and in person! 

For more information about Home Staging Services and putting the “WOW” in your house for sale, feel free to contact me at homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com .

Clutter…
Too Much Furniture…
Personalized Wall Colors and Patterns…
Those Collectibles…

In this market, anything and everything needs to be done to give your house the edge, whether you are the Seller or the Listing Agent.

There is so much inventory out there, Buyers need not rush into anything until they find that special house….the one where they can visualize themselves living there, with their things.  The house that emits those warm fuzzies!  The house that makes them feel like they are at home!

How does your house become that home that they love?  Make sure it is staged! Whether it is a Staging Consultation Service for ideas and solutions, or Occupied Staging Services where the staging is completed for you with your belongings and budget, or Vacant Home Staging Services, with added furniture and accessories to define and accentuate….Houses that are Staged sell faster than Non-Staged houses, that is a fact!

Staging puts your house in its best possible apperance!  The MLS pictures will look great, attracting Buyers and their Realtors to make that appointment for a personal visit. 

Then when they get there…WOW!

Our staging team, We Stage St. Louis, has helped to sell over $7.6 Million in Homes within the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area, since January, 2007.  Our Staged properties sell in an average of 40 days, and we are helping to get our Sellers 98.1% of the LP at closing.  90% of our Staged properties have SOLD! 

Staging make a difference, especially in a more challenging housing market! 

Reduce your nice clutter and your not-so-nice clutter, neutralize your walls and other areas, and accentuate your house’s special features through staging…..Get your house Sold!

Accredited Staging Professionals (ASP Stagers) are available to help you get your house sold with ideas and solutions based on professional guidelines that have proven to be successful.

If you are planning to place your house on the market in the near future or if your house has been on the market for awhile, decide to have your house staged!  It is never too early or too late!

Make the decision TO STAGE….

Sue can be contacted at suerector@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

Tags: St.+Louis+Real+Estate, Home+Staging, ASP+Stagers

The Buyer’s Eye

The Buyer’s Eye…that is what every home seller wants to attract! Home Staging is all about attracting the Buyer’s Eye.

In all types of real estate markets, but especially in a market as we have currently, home sellers must do as much as possible to make their house stand out from the large competition pool of houses in their neighborhood.  Staging your home, whether occupied or vacant, presents the house in the Best Possible Showing Appearance for internet marketing pictures and most importantly, for the personal showings…that is for the Buyer’s Eye.

ASP Stagers are trained to look at each room and each space within a house as a potential buyer would.  Did you ever realize an area or a room within a house may have a different showing appearance depending on how a potential buyer enters and/or walks around that area or room?

I have found that most home sellers are not able to look at their houses for sale, through a buyer’s eye.  That is not in anyway meant to be disrespectful or condescending to a home seller. In an occupied house, home sellers are emotionally connected to their décor and have looked at their special features for so long that they may not realize what may need to be staged in order minimize clutter and/or to draw attention to the special features.   Home Staging is about selling the house’s spaces and special features and not the décor inside.

When I am invited to conduct a Staging Consultation for home sellers who are attempting to sell an occupied home, I always look at the house through a Potential Buyer’s Eye.  I focus in on the house’s positive attributes such as large rooms, bay windows, a great fireplace, a great view, etc. Once focused into the special features, I make staging recommendations to enhance them and I make sure the home seller understands why I have made these staging recommendations.  I also walk into an area or room within a house from as many different ways that I think a potential buyer would do when touring the house, making recommendations to make the room or area show its best. 

In vacant houses for sale, home sellers typically know that the house would present itself better in terms of space, special features, and function of rooms, if they have at least the key areas of the home staged.  It just comes down to the important decision to make the investment in staging. Placing furniture and accessories within a vacant home, using the same guidelines of looking at the rooms through a Buyer’s Eye, presents the house in the Best Possible Showing Appearance. “A buyer only knows what they see, not what is meant to be”…Barb Schwarz, Creator of the Staging Concept

Generally speaking, the investment in staging a vacant home for 8-12 weeks, which includes inventory usage, staging, de-staging, and delivery/pickup, will be less than the price reduction of the house, if it does not sell. 

Consider using an ASP Stager, a trained professional, who will look at your house for sale, through the Potential Buyer’s Eye. That will give you yet another edge over your competition!

For more information about Home Staging Services, contact us at homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com or visit our website at www.stlstaging.com

Sue Rector, ASP Stager
HomeStaging Innovations, LLC
 

Interior Walls…Color Them Cozy!

As an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) Home Stager, I am asked frequently at Staging Consultations….Do you think we need to repaint?…and…What color should we use?

In terms of dollars, painting is a considerably “low” investment that a Home Seller can make and receive a “higher” rate of return at closing.

Home Staging is all about presenting the house for sale in the Best Possible Showing Appearance.  When potential Home Buyers come through a house for sale, they are attracted to a property for many reasons.  The Mood or Feeling that a house presents is very important!  The interior wall color or colors of a house are extremely significant in helping to set the mood or feeling of a house.  Wall color can be one of the most important factors in a Home Buyer’s perception that turns a “House for Sale” into the “Home They LOVE!”

Consider the following if you are thinking about repainting your house as you prepare it for sale…or if your house has not sold and you are considering some repainting updates:

1.  A home is more appealing when it emits “Warm Fuzzies”…remember that phrase?  It is still pertinent today. ASP Home Stagers, through wall color consultations, can assist you in making your house as “warm and inviting as possible” to potential Home Buyers.  Hues of whites, although very neutral, tend to present a COLDER setting,  Hues of blues, although recommended for relaxation by some, tend to present a COOLER setting in rooms. Other more dramatic colors of red, yellow, darker greens, and orange are more “personalized colors” (Remember from Staging 101:  Home Staging is de-personalizing and Decorating is personalizing).  When choosing wall color for your house for sale, it is typically recommended that you choose a color to present a feeling…one that will not be a distraction within a room. In fact, wall color should be a non-factor within a room, just helping to set the mood, set the feeling.  Medium hues of browns, golds, taupes, and sometimes greens will warm up a rooms setting….making it feel inviting and cozy to Potential Buyers.  Darker hues of any color within rooms can make the room appear to be more closed in and smaller.  Lightening and brightening rooms are areas that ASP Home Stagers will recommend to improve in order to present your space in the Best Possible Showing Appearance.  A new “splash” of paint can greatly help in these areas, if the color is chosen wisely.

  
2.  If you decide to repaint, choosing a warm and inviting color, consider this in terms of what to repaint…when a house has several different colors within different rooms, the house can appear to be “choppy” in regards to the flow of the house.  So whenever possible, use that “warm color” throughout the house.  It will sustain the flow of the inviting mood to each room and area.  If you can not or do not want to repaint your whole house, then consider repainting the main areas of the house such as the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, master bedroom suite, and all hallways.

3.  A new coat of paint makes a house feel clean and fresh!  In today’s housing market, Home Sellers need every advantage in making their house stand out from their competition.

ASP Home Stagers can assist you in choosing paint color to emit those “Warm Fuzzies” to those Potential Home Buyers, if you need help in this area.  We are not decorators… We are a part of the Real Estate Industry!  ASP Home Stagers know what helps to sell houses, faster.

If you are a Realtor, Home Seller, or Potential Home Buyer…what color do you think is the most appealing in setting an inviting mood:  Hues of browns, golds, taupes, or greens?  Any specific color and brand you like best?   Let us know.

If you would like more information on Home Staging Services, we invite you to visit www.stagedhomes.com and http://www.stlstaging.com/.  For any specific questions regarding Home Staging Services, please feel free to contact us as well, at homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

Remember—Color It COZY!

Home Staging…It’s NOT Just About Vacant Houses!

Home Staging is the process of preparing a home for sale, regardless of price, location, or condition (Barb Schwarz, Creator of the Staging Concept).

From my experience as an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP), I continually receive inquiries for Home Staging Services, predominantly for vacant homes. I love staging vacant homes! It provides me with a “blank palate” to be creative in using my professional staging skills to define space and function of rooms and areas, as well as accentuating the special features of a house for sale.

BUT…there is so much MORE that Home Staging Services can offer Realtors and Home Sellers at affordable costs which can really impact the overall appearance of the house.

My favorite Home Staging Service to provide to Realtors and their Home Sellers is a Verbal Staging Consultation. Within my business, the dollar investment for this Home Staging Service typically ranges from $75-$150 and the time investment for the Home Seller is typically 1-2 hours. As an ASP Stager, when I meet motivated Home Sellers who are receptive to making changes in their home to present it in the Best Possible Showing Appearance, this type of consultation is all they need!

A Verbal Home Staging Consultation begins by sharing the general concepts of Home Staging. Then, the Home Seller is encouraged to grab a pen and paper and we are off! Looking at each room and/or area of the house, general and specific staging recommendations are shared and the reasons for the recommendations…furniture re-arrangement, de-cluttering, defining space and function, accentuating special features…ideas are quickly shared with the Home Sellers to changes that will appeal to a wide range of potential buyers.

What I have overwhelmingly found after these Verbal Staging Consultations is that this affordable, 1-2 hour consultation really helps Home Sellers to look at their home in a different way….through the eyes of potential buyers. I find that the majority of my clients understand why I made recommendations and after I leave they make the changes. The results…on a revisit that I make (at no extra charge), my clients have typically made dramatic changes through their own staging that I feel, as a professional, presents their home in a much better showing appearance. Some of my clients’ staging work looks as if a professional stager had completed the project!

As a Realtor or Home Seller, have you considered contacting an ASP Stager for a Verbal Staging Consultation? If so, did it help, did it make a difference in the overall appearance of the house? If not, WHY NOT? It’s affordable, it’s valuable information, and a consultation such as this is just another step to getting your house in the Best Possible Showing Appearance!

The pictures on the MLS will look their best as well, drawing potential buyers to make that appointment to view the house in person.

Home owners, if you are considering placing your home on the market, consider a Staging Consultation from an ASP Stager. If you already have your home on the market and it is has not sold…it is never to late to stage your home, consider a Staging Consultation as well.

Realtors…consider using an ASP Stager to offer additional value services to your clients, whether you pay for the Staging Consultation yourself or refer your clients to an ASP Stager.

Remember New Conventional Wisdom: What sells a house?…
Price, Location, Condition, Best Possible Showing Appearance, and Great Internet Marketing!

Need to find an Accredited Staging Professional in your area? Want to find out more consumer-related information regarding Home Staging? I encourage you to visit www.stagedhomes.com, http://www.stlstaging.com/ , or feel free to contact our staging team at homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com.

Tags: St.+Louis+Real+Estate, Home+Staging, Vacant+homes, ASP+Stager

But times have changed with the use of the Internet being the primary means and essential part of marketing houses in this country, as well as all over the world. Research notes that over 75% of buyers are looking online for houses before they ever contact a Realtor. Research also notes that the more photos you have of your property and the better the photos, potential buyers are going to stay on your site longer— increasing the possibility that they will call to make an appointment to view your property. In today’s housing market, potential buyers, as well as Realtors are typically going to be looking at photos of your house online FIRST, and then making a decision to see the house in person….or NOT.

So what does marketing your home on the Internet have to do with Home Staging?
What does the quality of the photos of your home on the Internet have to do with Home Staging?
The answer to the above questions: EVERYTHING!

The “quality of the photos of your property” has to do with 3 Significant Factors:

1. GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY, find a highly qualified real estate photographer,
2. WHAT is being photographed, and
3. HOW the areas and special features of a house are presented in the photos.

According to Barb Schwarz, Creator of the Staging Concept and CEO/Founder of stagedhomes.com,
the 3 C’s of Home Staging are:

1. Clean,
2. Clutter-Free, and
3. Color (ie neutralizing color)

Photos of an occupied home for sale will typically not show whether the house is clean…or not; however photos do reflect if rooms are cluttered and photos do reflect the colors within rooms. Cluttered space and personal color and/or color patterns can be very distracting to potential buyers whether they are viewing photos of a house online or viewing the house in person. Great houses can be overlooked by potential buyers seeing it online because the houses have not been put in their BEST POSSIBLE SHOWING APPEARANCE.

In a vacant home for sale, photos of an empty room tell buyers very little about which room it is, in many cases. Photos of empty rooms can present the color of the walls and the flooring, as well as special features; however, in vacant houses, photos of empty rooms do not adequately present the space, size, or function of those rooms. Home Staging Services that bring in furniture and accessories can really impact the way your “vacant” house is presented and viewed in photos, as well as in person.

If you are a home seller or a Realtor with an existing listing, I invite you to take a second look at your Internet marketing photos. Try to look at these photos through the eyes of a potential buyer. Can you see the great fireplace or the hardwood floors in the room among all of the furniture, rugs, and knickknacks? Can you tell which room is being displayed, if the house is vacant? What is the potential buyer seeing…too much color, outdated color or patterns?

STAGING your home is crucial in making the photos of your property more appealing and more inviting to potential buyers. STAGE your home BEFORE it goes on the market to make sure your Internet photos reflect your great house! If your home is already on the market, it is never too late to STAGE your house, take new and better photos, and present it in the BEST POSSIBLE SHOWING APPEARANCE.

STAGING presents your home in the BEST POSSIBLE SHOWING APPEARANCE, whether on Internet marketing sites or as potential buyers walk through.

What sells a house? NEW Conventional Wisdom…Price, Location, Condition, Best Possible Showing Appearance, and Great Internet Marketing!

Need to find an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) in your area? Want to find out more consumer-related information about Home Staging? I encourage you to visit www.stagedhomes.com, http://www.stlstaging.com/, or feel free to contact our staging team at homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com.

STAGING®….The New BUZZ Word in St. Louis Real Estate by Sue Rector, ASP Stager, HomeStaging Innovations, LLC

Home Staging is a fairly new concept here in the Midwest; however, this process of preparing a home for sale has been around for a long time, especially on the West Coast. The word “STAGE®”, as it refers to turning a home into a product for sale, was coined by Barb Schwarz, over 30 years ago. Barb Schwarz began her career in residential real estate in 1976 in Bellevue, WA. She realized that challenges existed in how she communicated to her clients about ways to get their homes in the best possible showing appearance, without offending them. Barb started educating her clients on “how to set the scene and how to set the STAGE®” in order to get their properties sold fast and for the most dollars. This is when she coined the phrase “Staging the home for sale”. In 1990, the US Government granted Barb, the Stage® Federally Registered Trademark. The rest is Real Estate history! Barb Schwarz is the CEO and Founder of Stagedhomes.com, which prides itself as “The World Standard in Staging Education”. Through Stagedhomes.com, Barb has developed the “Accredited Staging Professional™ (ASP™) Course”. An ASP is an Accredited Staging Professional trained under strict guidelines using proven Staging techniques developed and used successfully by Barb. The ASP™ designation, which is earned through this course work, is one that consumers have begun to recognize as the True Professionals in this fast growing business…which is part of the Real Estate Industry and not the Decorating Industry.

In addition to developing professional staging education, Barb Schwarz was also instrumental in the creation of the “International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP)”. In any industry or profession, it is the standard to have a professional association to build its members’ level of knowledge and abilities, as well as maintaining a standard of excellence. In addition to professional development, IAHSP has also dedicated itself to widening community service projects through its annual “World Wide Staging Services Week” in the fall of each year. These are the goals of IAHSP with over 50 chapters in the United States, as well as Canada. The local St. Louis Chapter of IAHSP meets monthly for all interested area ASP Stagers and ASP Realtors to share ideas, learn new ideas, and to perform community service activities.

Need to find an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) in your area? Want to find out more consumer-related information about Staging? Maybe you want to become an ASP.

I encourage you to visit www.stagedhomes.com for information regarding the above and/or feel free to contact our Staging Team at homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com.

Be mindful when looking for an ASP in your area. It is important to find one with an established business, insurance, references….and equally as important are success statistics for their staged properties. What is their average days on market until an accepted contract and what is their average % of the List Price at the time of closing? These will be important questions to ask and have answered as you consider staging services for your home.

More Staging information in the weeks to come from our Staging Team to keep sellers, as well as Realtors updated on how they can make their listed property STAND OUT among the large “for sale” home inventory in our St. Louis market.

Sue Rector, ASP Stager
HomeStaging Innovations, LLC
Part of the http://www.stlstaging.com/  Team