I was browsing the internet today and found The Home Staging Cheat Sheet by US News & World Report that was an interview with one of my staging teacher, Barb Schwarz.

Barb listed out 6 points for sellers that can help them in a sluggish market:

1. Get them inside (curb appeal)
2. Pretend you are camping (clutter)
3. Balance hard & soft surfaces
4. Work in Ones or Threes
5. Decide from the doorway
6. Make your place Q-tip Clean

I want to especially highlight #1, 2, and 6. You only have ONE chance to make a great impression for your buyers, and Curb Appeal is very important. You want to give people a great impression that you have been taking care of your house. So if you see paint peeling off your exterior walls or unruly trees, it’s time to do something about it.

Do: Show a nicely maintained exterior. It gives people a great impression that you have been taking care of it and it’s nice to live in. (photo credit notnek)

Don’t: Show a haunted house (it’s only cool 1 day out of 365 days a year). A house that is ill-maintained on the outside gives people a bad feeling and impression when they first see the house. (photo credit mar52laine)

With #2, we are in the business of SELLING REAL ESTATE and that is your square (more…)

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(photo by ShutterSparks)

I recent took on a client who wants me to redesign her existing home right now but at the same time preparing it for sale 2-3 years down the line. When I suggested green finishes, she was very open to it.

This is why:

a) Green finishes are healthier to live in the home, especially if you have young children and pets. They roll around in those finishes every day on the floor, touching the wall, you want to make sure the finishes are quality green materials that is safe to live in. It’s also better for your installer, they don’t need to breathe in those terrible chemical smells. Moreover, you are not exposed to off-gasing from non-green materials or chemical glue. In typical carpet installation, the chemical glue emits toxic off-gasing for 8 years after it is installed. 8 years!!! Do you want your children or grandchildren to breathe that toxic in for 8 years?!

b) Quality green finishes and materials perform just as well as non-green finishes, if not better. Take the new green fabrics for example, they breath well therefore reduce the chance for skin allergy. They are not processed in chemicals so they are healthier to wear or to sleep in. You are not rubbing those chemicals off your skin that can cause irritations and rashes, you sleep better. You sleep better, you perform better during the day. Not a bad bargain at all.

c) Green finishes increase RESALE value. It’s true. By being more environmentally conscious and by installing green finishes and green appliances, you are reducing the costs to maintain your home, utilities and helping the planet out. With an rapid increase awareness of being green and eco-friendly, using green finishes and materials make the (more…)

Popularity: 6% [?]

I know, I write mean emails. But if you are not serious about making a career change into something you are not familiar with and you are easily intimidated, think again.

(photo by oberazzi)

—–Original Message—–
From: Aspiring Stager
To:cindy@staged4more.com
Subject: Re: Business of Staging homes

Thank you Cindy for your prompt response. Basically I want to know how
to go about getting into the home staging business. Do you need a
background in interior design or can it be something you pick up by being
in the industry. I have a background in Advertising and art, so I was
wondering if that could benefit me in any way or I need more.

If you have any suggestions and/or advice, I would greatly appreciate
it.

Aspiring Stager

————————————————————————-

First of all staging is very different from interior design. If you
can’t see the differences between the 2, you will be in trouble when you
get in the business. I would recommend to do some research and see if
this is something that you want to do.

I would recommend you to figure out first: (more…)

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I recently toured 2 homes that are on the market and both had very strong odors. The first one was a blend of pet pees & overwhelming perfume and the second had overwhelming cheap carpet shampoo.

Here is my question to you: A lot of times people suggest baking scents to have and open houses. I also used to place diffusers in the homes (but now I don’t do them because I am afraid of triggering allergies. I was told by someone that even fabreeze can trigger allergy). People also seem to respond well to citrus type of smells.

How about you? From your experiences, what scents are best at open houses to suggest a clean, well-maintained, calming, pleasant home?

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photo: DoBeRaGi
From: Ms. D

Subject: Advice for budding stager

Hi Cindy,

My name is [Ms. D] and I am what you would call a budding stager who has a flair for design and is passionate about interior design.
I’ve been reading your blogs and have been inspired by your beliefs and accomplishments. I wonder if you can share some of your wisdom with this newbie. Which home staging course would you recommend? There are so many! Did the course have practical training? Would you recommend specific videos or book?
I am not interested in pursuing a home staging business right now. Instead I would like to work with a group of home stagers and learn by experience. I really believe you learn by doing.
Thank you in advance for your time and help! I sincerely appreciate your advice.Sincerely,
[Ms. D]*** *** ***

Hi Ms. D

I would recommend a nationally recognized staging course, because the bigger the company is, the more liability and responsibility they must have to answer to their students and consumers. I am about to take CSP as continue education this weekend, and so far I have heard wonderful things about it.

I also think it’s all depending on what you want your niche to be and how strong you are in terms of business skills. A lot of staging courses really focus more on the business side, which ASP was when I took it in early 2006. I think they have since added more design elements into their course, but frankly you learn best from working in the fields. I personally took (more…)

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I went to a great presentation put on the Benjamin Moore showroom couple weeks ago for author and cancer survivor Jennie Nash’s latest book “the last beach Bungalow.” She used many vivid and brilliant colors for her presentation. She also reflected upon how her personal experiences of living with and surviving cancer had played into constructing this story of a cancer survivor who became obsessed with winning the right to buy the last bungalow.

What really struck me is the inspiration of her book. She told a story that she was trying to buy this home but lost in the bidding war. Many days later she found out that the home was purchased by the real estate agent who bid against his own clients. Needless to say, he lost his license. One morning when she was chaperoning her child’s field trip, she realized the agent was the other parent chaperoning. She walked up to him and said: “You (more…)

Popularity: 8% [?]

(this is a guest post for 3 Ocean Real Estate Blog)

Unlike Hollywood, sex scandal is not a career launcher for politicians like Eliot Spitzer, now former New York Governor and someone who had single-handedly tanked his own career.

First of all, he is no Paris Hilton. People don’t want to link him with a sex scandal. Second of all, there is a drastic difference between his political image & persona comparing to his exposed image, unlike Paris Hilton who has at least been very consistent in her image as a party girl. So it was not a huge shock that Paris made a sex tape somewhere.

Eliot Spitzer, right, apologised to his family for “private failings” [AFP]

What does that have to do with Real Estate & Listing Photos?

Like someone in the limelight, your listing needs to present a consistent image front and back, inside and out. In a competitive market, your buyers are critical and they will be picking your listing apart. Also with the ease of internet shopping, it is very easy to overlook your listing while someone else’s looks much nicer and easier on the eye.

I see many MLS photos that present an inconsistent story that does not tell the story of the house.

Let’s look at some real MLS photos I recently pulled off the web: (Read the rest of the post over at 3 Ocean)

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