Duluth, GA Home Stager Solves Problems, Atlanta, Suwanee

A few months ago I was called on to stage a cute little vacant townhome in Duluth.  As I previewed the property in order to bid on the project, I saw a potential problem that needed to be addressed through home staging.

Men and women tend to preview properties differently.  Women seem to notice things like appliances, kitchen layout and the garden tub while men typically have one question forefront on their minds: "Where does the TV go?"  For them, it's all about their electronics.  (I hope I've not offended either sex with this broad, general statement!)  In this home, I realized we had a problem, but being a home stager who solves problems, we quickly found a solution.

The entire right half of the downstairs was a large open space which was a combination sitting area on the front, family room with fireplace in the center and dining area to the back (see below).  The photo to the left is the front to back shot, while the photo to the right shows back to front.

While the most logical place to stage the plasma TV was above the mantle, the homeowner didn't want to put it there, as that area was not wired for TV and he didn't want to have to go to the trouble and expense to do it.  The wiring was actually in the front area on the wall opposite the fireplace.

So how did this home stager solve the problem?  Even though the wiring was on the back wall, we knew it could easily be extended to reach the front wall.  With the furniture & TV placement shown below, the family could sit in front of the fireplace and while viewing the TV or in the chaise (made for 2) in front of the TV and still enjoy the fireplace. 

The homeowners were happy, the agent was happy, and the next door neighbor ran back and forth between properties numerous times to stage her home exactly as we had done this one.  The townhome has since sold.  (Actually, BOTH of them!)

If you have home staging problems, we offer solutions!  Call Stage, Show & Sell today!

A Stager's Advice to Realtors

Lately I've been on the agent circuit, having done recent home staging presentations for local Keller Williams, Re/Max and Prudential GA Realty offices.  On the third presentation I realized that there are several key points that I always emphasize when I have the chance.  I'd like to share them with you.  Here they are:

• Never lose sight of the fact that the photos you post to your listings are infinitely more important than the VTs.  Why?  Because buyers shopping on the internet will always click on the photos first since they pop up immediately and do not require time to load.  If they like what they see of the photos, they will then click on the VT.  Always place your best photos at the top of the page and make sure they are just as impressive as the VT.
• A nicely decorated home and a staged home are NOT the same thing.  In the three years I've been staging homes, my most difficult clients have always been those who have spent big bucks to have their homes professionally decorated.  Yes, they are lovely, but they are also highly personalized.  Decorating is all about surrounding yourself with colors, furniture, accessories, window treatments, etc. that please you.  While you are living in the home, that's fine; when you are selling your home, having a beautifully decorated, personalized home can prevent offers.   Bring in a trained stager who knows the difference and can prepare the home in the proper way by neutralizing and depersonalizing it.  Once your client moves, he/she can call in a decorator to repersonalize the new home.
• Remind your clients what, exactly, they are selling; namely space, architectural detail, floor plans and views.  If clutter is rampant, buyers will never see the space.  If the rooms are crammed with furniture and lighting is poor, the architectural detail will never be noticed.  If there is an overabundance of rugs and furniture is not placed properly for traffic flow, the floor plan will be overlooked.  If windows are dirty and/or covered with tacky blinds or overbearing window treatments, the views will never be seen. 
• Homeowners will work much more diligently to make necessary changes in the presentation of their homes when a 3rd party stager is brought in.  Agents repeatedly tell me they are surprised and even shocked that the homeowners will "take" the staging suggestions from me after a staging consultation.  I don't say this to toot my own horn, but I know this is typically the case when homeowners work with stagers.  There is something about bringing in the "expert" that causes them to take note, even though you may have told them the same thing.  (I'm sure the case is similar when they hear directly from the home inspector or mortgage broker.  They are all ears!)
• Having your clients work with a home stager will help to preserve your relationship with the homeowners.  You have other battles to fight with them -- namely pricing, so take the day off (or go on a listing appointment) while your stager plays the "presentation game" with your clients.

There's lots more, but these are just a few things that come up repeatedly.  Remember that your goal and your stager's goal are one and the same -- to get the house sold.  Call a stager today!

Agents, do you have a listing that has been on the market for 3 months or longer?  Do you think the home would benefit from home staging?   I am a member of the The International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP) Atlanta Chapter.  We just launched a contest in which a homeowner whose house has been on the market 3 months or longer, is owner-occupied and is listed with a Real Estate Agent can enter to win a prize package valued at over $2,500, including FREE Home Staging!    In addition, after the staging is complete, we'll help sponsor your open house so you can show off the transformation and attract more buyers.   Your clients only have until June 5th to send in their entry form.  Please direct them to www.homestagingcontest.com where they will be able to fill out the entry form.    If you don't have a listing that has been on the market 3 months or longer, please forward this information to a fellow agent that does.     This is a great way for you to help your clients in this tight economy.  Let us help you get your listing sold!    

Have you ever walked into a beautiful, well-maintained home only to be put off by a pungent odor?  That was my experience a few weeks ago.  As a result, I started a discussion on LinkedIn to get some ideas from other stagers as to how they get rid of them.  Knowing that we all run into this problem from time to time, I wanted to share what I learned with you.  Here are the results:

1. Nancy Lee - Replace all air filters and clean all sink traps.  Saturate and resaturate the room with an enzyme spray (meant for pet odors).  Set up a hepa air purifier and run it once the spray has dried (and on and on).  Insure that carpet padding is replaced when the carpet is replaced, as the odors can seep down deep.  And finally, change the air filters!
2. Andy Capelluto - Recommends a non-toxic product called Biocide Systems (www.biocidesystems.com).  She's had very good results with it.
3. Heather Stewart - For general purpose household odors, she uses Fresh'n Home (www.freshnodorfree.com).  Her second recommendation was for a home spray she makes from distilled water, lavender, eucalyptus and lemongrass essential oils.  It seems to not mask odors, but to absorb them.  (Interesting!)
4. Mary Habres - Pure Ayre.  (I think most of us are familiar with this.)  It's organic and guaranteed to get rid of tough odors.  It also is supposed to prevent them from returning.  You can purchase it on Amazon.com.
5. GraceAnn Simoni - A carpet cleaner once suggested to her that the carpet be pulled up and just the padding be replaced!  Then the carpet was cleaned.  Quite a money saver!  Also, she has used KILZ on the subfloor after replacing both carpet and padding to take care of "puppy" odors and prevent the stains from resurfacing.
6. Louise Henry - Charcoal!!!!  Buy a 10 lb. bag, open it, and leave it inside the front door to get rid of odors.  (Can't wait to try this one!)
7. Michele Rose - Have the air ducts cleaned.  This freshens the whole house.
8. Veronica Vera Sarkissian - If the home has been closed up and there are mildew odors, use Damp-Rid.  She has put some of the white crystals inside vases and plastic containers and scattered them around the house.
9. Linda Schleihauf - Open the windows and give the home a good airing out.  Try a Lampe Berger (???) and use an unscented fragrance to purify the air.  Check the floor vents and clean the microwave.
10. Darla DeMorrow - Fresh Air by EcoQuest (www.ecoquest.com).  This is sold as a single unit, which is about the size of a small sound system.  After the home has been treated, it will have that "fresh air" smell, like after a rain storm.  She used it on one of her problem homes inhabited by two chain smokers.  They repainted, replaced carpet and padding and removed all belongings.  Still the house smelled of smoke.  Two weeks after using Fresh Air, the home was completely fresh and had a "For Sale" sign in the front yard.  (This sounds fantastic!)

Okay, that's it.  Please let me know if you've tried any of these methods or have others to share.   

This Lawrenceville, GA staged home has a story to tell.  In January I received a frantic call from the homeowner who had already vacated the property.  "Please help me.  I don't know what else to do," she said.  The home had been on the market for 6 months with only 1 lowball offer.  I got the property address and told her I would take a look.

When I got there I found that the house was in pretty good shape.  It had been painted and updated, but had no "flair."  Plus, there was that awful blue carpet in the basement.  (Some homeowners think that since it's in the basement, it doesn't matter.  Guess again!)  Here's a photo of the family room as I found it:

The homeowner had left some furniture, but it needed more with added accessories to bring it to life.  I put together a home staging plan and  pitched it to her.  Here is the final result for the family room:

The home went under contract in a few (2-3) weeks!  In speaking with the homeowner recently she said, "That's the best money I ever spent."  We like to use the word "invested," but who's quibbling? 

Some time ago I went on a staging consultation that was quite unique.  The home was small, but in good condition.  As staging always begins with curb appeal, I noticed the house gave a pleasant first impression with a well-kept lawn and freshly painted front door.  But then I entered the home.

As I walked through the front door I couldn't help but notice a sturdy pool table in the living room.  How could I help but notice, as I bumped right into it?  As the homeowner and I got to know one another and began to discuss why her home had not sold, I said, "I think I've got a pretty good idea without even seeing the rest of the home.  Have you thought about removing the pool table?  It absolutely eats up the living room leaving no space for ‘living.'  You are definitely narrowing your market, as the only people who will walk through the front door and tell themselves ‘This is the house for me!' are (bachelor) pool sharks."  She understood my comments and agreed with me, but said her husband plays pool on the table regularly and was not interested in moving it while they were still living there.

(I didn't take a photo of that property, but do have a shot of a pool table properly placed in the basement of another staged home.  See below.)

Pool Table Properly Placed

We continued the staging consultation as we walked throughout the house.  In the kitchen we removed cereal boxes from the top of the fridge and created a "pantry" to the side that was not in the site line.  In the bedroom we discussed putting away all personal photos and packing up clutter that was stacked on the dresser.  In the office we packed away miscellaneous books and discussed turning the room into either an office or bedroom, but not both.  But there was still the matter of the pool table in the living room.

As the consultation was coming to an end, the homeowner and I found that we shared a common faith and we had a glorious time sharing with one another.  She was a precious woman whose company I enjoyed immensely.  When it was all said and done, I couldn't even bring myself to charge her for the consultation; but there was still the matter of the pool table in the living room.

As I departed that day I explained, "No matter what sort of staging we do in the rest of your home, if you can't remove the pool table from the living room your chances of selling this house are very slim.  Potential buyers will make their first impression of your home in 8 seconds as they walk through the front door.  If they are not specifically looking for a home that would make a great pool hall, then they will go on to the next property.  Please reconsider removing the pool table from the living room."

The moral of the story is this:  when staging your home, don't overlook the pool table in the living room.  The potential buyers certainly won't.

What is Home Staging?  Home staging is the process of preparing a home for the market in such a way that it appeals to the widest possible audience.  This is accomplished by depersonalizing, updating and neutralizing the space.  It also encompasses minimizing the negative and emphasizing the positive elements of the house.  Home staging transitions a dwelling from a home to a house to a product. 

Home staging involves, in varying degrees, the following:

• decluttering
• removing personalized items
• neutralizing and color coordinating rooms
• rearranging furniture, rugs and accessories
• eliminating offensive odors
• ensuring that the home is clean

Shown below are a couple of before & after photos of a recently staged master bedroom:

These homeowners were dream clients.  They knew the value of staging and did everything I requested.  While clutter was not an issue, they did need to tear down the water bed and replace the furnishings with a nice bed and dresser from the back bedroom.  They neutralized the paint color and updated the light fixture; then I brought in new bedding and accessories to complete the look.  These photos illustrate the basics of home staging.

What is Redesign?  Redesign is the process of decluttering, rearranging, and revitalizing the furnishings already in the home to make the best possible use of the space, streamline traffic flow, and showcase the home in the way that best suits the homeowner.  Many times homeowners have beautiful furniture and accessories but simply don't know how to position or group them so that they work together to form a cohesive unit and are reminiscent of having the "designer" look.

The process of redesign is similar, in many ways, to home staging.  The main difference in the two is that home staging neutralizes while redesign customizes.  

Shown below are the steps used in redesign:

• Assess each room's purpose, problems and desired presentation
• Declutter
• Remove accessories
• Rearrange furniture and rugs to direct traffic patterns and give proper balance to the rooms
• Add accessories piece by piece, being careful not to "over dress"
• If necessary, bring in additional furnishings to complete the desired look

Here are before and after shots of a redesigned space:

This is a very spacious upstairs hallway which constitutes the children's wing of the home.  Little girls' bedrooms, bathrooms and playroom all flow from this space; hence, the fluffy pink rug and hanging ballet costume.  In the "before" photo to the left, there was not enough walking space.  The two matching chairs were removed to the master bedroom and the bench was repositioned.  The antique chest with mirror was taken from a bedroom and placed at the end of the hall to give that space a focal point.  The ballet costume helped lighten the feel of the heavy antique piece and added a bit of whimsey.  The blue and pink victorian paintings were found in a closet downstairs and appropriately hung.  For the finishing touches, I added a plant and brought in the pink rug.  This space was totally personalized; not so much to the individuals but to the hallway's surroundings.

In addition to simply wanting that "designer" look, there is another purpose for redesign.  It involves people who are experiencing life's transitions. 

Consider the following situations:

• Setting up a household in a new home
• Downsizing due to an empty nest
• Melding two family units together
• Downsizing for the elderly moving into assisted living quarters
• Adding furniture or antiques which were recently inherited
• Removing childhood furniture to repurpose living space

Whether you are moving or staying, upsizing or downsizing, Stage, Show & Sell Home Staging Company is here to serve you with all of your staging and redesign needs.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged Part I of "Is That the Before or After Shot?"  To refresh your memory, here it is again.  I'm now blogging Part II because many of you asked to see the "after" shot.  If you remember the text, just scroll on down to the photos.  Stage, Show & Sell continues to clobber the clutter, one room at a time.

In the summer of 2007 my friend, Sam, and I had just become accredited home stagers.  Through a friend of hers, we procured a "freebie" staging job and were ready to set the Atlanta home staging market on fire!  We went in to the home, staged all the rooms we could in the 3 hours we had that morning, took a few photos, and left.  Now we had our own pictures to start a staging portfolio!

Shortly after that, she was sitting down with another couple, anxious to flip through our portfolio to show them our beautiful work, when she turned to the first "after" picture and the husband asked, "Is that the before or after shot?"  She is no longer staging with me.  The last time I saw her she was selling boiled peanuts on the side of the road.

I was just blogging with a new friend from California when I was reminded of this story.  It seems she just completed a staging job where they have BEAUTIFUL sculptured blue carpet in the family room.  She posted the photo and asked, "Does this room look staged to you?"  What a hoot!

What about the shot below?  Is that the before or after picture?  And the next one???

I'm sure you all have a staging story that's just plain fun to circulate.  I'd love to hear yours!  Here's mine...

Last fall I performed a staging consultation for an owner/agent on his beautiful metro Atlanta country estate.  While the home was staged to near perfection to begin with, I did make a few minor suggestions.  To say that I "staged the home" is a drastic overstatement, but I was involved to a small degree.

A couple of months later I called the owner to inquire about activity on the property.  Was I surprised to hear his story??!!!! 

It seems that Demi Moore was coming to the Atlanta area to film and had been shopping on Craig's List for a place to lease.  His property caught her eye.  After having "her people" contact "his people", the arrangements were made and Demi settled into his lovely property for 5 weeks!  The homeowner told me, "She was extremely nice to us and very down-to-earth... and they took excellent care of the house.  We couldn't have asked for better tenants!!  She fell in love with our cat (Tom) while she was here and took care of him the whole time.  She spoiled him, as he was a little snooty with us when we first came back home.  I guess it was our lack of caviar that upset him!  Ashton wasn't here the whole time, but did come with the rest of their family to celebrate her (Demi's) 46th birthday."  

Here is the web address for proof of my story:  www.831ChristopherRobin.com     

So there you have it.  I am now billing myself as "Stager to the Stars."  If you would like for an "A list" Hollywood actor/actress to lease or purchase your property, please give me a call.  I'm always here for you.  

Okay, that's my best story to date.  What's yours?