The Uninvited Stager Series

Today I found a home online that could have looked so much better - if only some care had been taken before the shots were taken.  I guess because I am a designer and artist as well, I look for the emotionality of a shot and in this house...there were none.  If you want to attract a buyer, you have to hit them in the heart.  You only have a few seconds to really get to them - so don't waste a single online photo.

Let's talk about this living room. It is so unappealing to me. The furnishings are so boring - and what's the deal with all the throws thrown so neatly over each chair and sofa?  I may be politically incorrect about this - but, to me, a man decorated this shot.  Whenever I stage a home for a male realtor, they always rearrange the way I place a throw on a sofa.  I do it in an artistic, casual way and they always change to look like the above picture.  Awful!  Anyway, this room would have looked better without as much furniture. Also, the draperies do not do anything for this room. They actually make the room appear less tall.  The orange wall color (being a warm tone) actually shortens this room as warm hues "advance" a room.  I would change that color.

There's too much information in this shot.  A potential buyer doesn't need to know the relationship of the rooms to one another. Also, the crosses should have been removed for this picture.  No one has to know the religious affiliation of the seller.

I don't know the purpose of this photo.  If the realtor wants to show the closet as an "extra" benefit of this home...at least make the closet appealing to the viewer.

The kitchen is the most important room to feature in an online lsiting.  No care was really taken for this shot.  Things were not put away and we don't need to see the bulletin board and the clock (a nice picture in this spot would have helped). Also, the paint color on the dining area wall shortens the space.  It would have looked more spacious and longer if a cooler and lighter paint color had been used.

You can see that this is a nice, open kitchen...but some of the clutter on the refrigerator and above the cabinet and the microwave on the countertop (and, again, the bulletin board and the clock) make it less appealing.

There's too much clutter in the dining area - the chest and the stereo equipment should not be there.  The china cabinet is too cluttered (inside and on top) and it should be be placed in the middle of the room - not at the end.

Way too much clutter!  Very unappealing shot.  Enough said.

The unappealing nature of this home continues in this office/kids's area/catchall room.  Each room should have a specific function, so that the buyer knows what kind of room it is.

Always open the shower curtain.  It will make the room seem larger.  There's too much clutter on the counter - personal effects and toiletries should be put away. A different shower curtain, some artwork and a nicer rug would have improved this bath tremendously.

Finally...to add insult to injury, the deck and the backyard make me want to call one of those HGTV shows where they make over someone's backyard.  This place needs an intervention!

So, this home really shows a buyer that they should offer a lower price because there's a lot to do to make this home nice. I wish them good luck - because that is what they need! 

Don't leave your home's online marketing to luck and chance. If you want to avoid these homeseller mistakes before you put your home on the market, call me at 631 793-1315.

A Beautiful Home that We Staged is for Sale in Bayport NY

We staged a lovely, custom built home in Bayport NY last week.  If you are looking for a beautiful, family home on Long Island - with all the amenities and custom finishes...this is for you.

If you are interested in seeing this property, please call the listing agent, Anthony Pellicane of Simplicity Real Estate at 516 852-9753

For home staging help, please call me at 631 793-1315



The Uninvited Stager Series

Another "what's wrong with these photos" of homes for sale!

My friend and Arizona realtor, Leif Swanson, may have coined a new term...not sure.  He calls what disease sellers have who market their homes with no regard to the mess that they are displaying - Clutter Blindness!  I think that is a great term.  Leif has a great blog called Ugly House Photos, where he shows some funny but real homes for sale.  It's a veritable "what not do do" for home sellers.

It's one thing not to clean up and organize your home when family or friends are coming over - but to display a cluttered mess when your home is being marketed for sale...is just crazy.  Take a look at these photos - it would take maybe an hour or so to remove the items...and the cost $0.00!

And how about closing the cabinet doors!  Source, Ugly House Photos

Uncluttering might take 15 minutes to do?  Why didn't they do this? And, the photographer's flash should be off and should be taken from another angle.  Source, Ugly House Photos

Another no-no that I see all the time is "Taste Specific Decorating."  What is this?  It's when the seller has a decorating style that is highly personal.  It could be a color choice that is a bit bold or unusual - like blue or mauve colored cabinets (that I have just recently seen in two homes on Long Island) or the use of highly stylized fabrics, motifs, tile or furniture etc. This is fine when you are living in a home and enjoying it.  But when you are selling, you should play this down.  The photo below would look so much better with a colorful shower curtain - pulled back to reveal the shower (thereby increasing the perceived size of the room)...and some nice towels and a bath mat. And this angle?  What was the realtor/photographer thinking?

Welcome to the Bat Cave!  Source, Lovely Listing

The photo below shows the "Clutter Blindness" with "Taste Specific Decorating." I know - I am being a very cruel stager saying that this little girl's room should be neutralized.  But even if the clutter was at least corraled - it would look so much better.  Buyers can't always see that a room like this could be spacious.  All they see is the clutter. Clutter eats equity!

Here's another home for sale that is the victim of "Clutter Blindness" and "Taste Specific Decorating." How hard would it be to remove the mess and to buy a nice bedspread.  Not hard at all - and worth every penny.

Hog Heaven, courtesy of Ugly House Photos

So, don't fall victim to clutter.  Do something about it.  It's not hard, really.  It takes time, a few boxes and a magic marker to label what's in the boxes.  And if you don't know if you have a "Taste Specific Home," please call me at 631 793-1315 and I can tell you honestly if you do.  I will tell you what your realtor may be afraid to tell you!

US Home Sellers Should Take Some Cues from Sweden

While perusing Pinterest this morning, I came across some beautiful photos of a home for sale in Sweden.  It's so serene, uncluttered - just lovely.  I thought I'd show it on my blog today - hopefully some homesellers will gain some inspiration to declutter and get their homes buyer ready.

Image Credits, Emmas Blogg

I am Still a Cheerleader for the Homeseller

Back in High School, I was a cheerleader for Bayside High School in New York. I had a lot of fun doing it...I loved cheering our sports teams on to victory!  We wound up winning several championships while I was there in basketball and football.

I am still cheering - but for the homeseller who needs to sell quickly and profitably.  I cheer them (and their realtors) on as they market their properties in this rough and tumble real estate market.  When you have a great team - a seasoned realtor and an experienced home stager - it's much easier to win this real estate game.

If you are about to put your home on the market, don't just put it out there and see what happens.  You need a game plan.  Let me help you to succeed - with my great home staging ideas and successful and knowledgeable realtor recommendations that I can make.

S-U-C-C-E-S-S...That's the way we spell Success!  Happy selling!!

PS If you didn't know which one was me - I am in the middle of the second row from the top...with my goofy hair parted in the middle!

So What's Wrong With These Photos: How to Improve the Marketability of Your Home for Sale

"Uninvited Stager" Saturday

It's Saturday and it's time for "So What's Wrong With These Photos." Here are the images of today's post.  If you see anything else wrong with them - write a comment so we can all learn "what not to do when selling your home."

1) Turn the flash off...and more: If you look on your camera setting, you'll see this sort of lightning bolt type of symbol - that's the "turn off the flash" indicator.  It's best if you leave your camera on that setting all the time and you won't wind up with those shiny bits on your pictures.

The above photo is a pic of really a lovely kitchen - but it doesn't show it off like it should. What else could be improved?  I would have taken this picture from many different angles. Plus I would have made a vertical pic - the ceiling is cut off and so it's not showing the wonderful height of this kitchen. I would also have taken the curtains off - they are doing nothing for the kitchen - plus they are distracting and they are blocking the light.

The floral arrangement in the corner does nothing for the room either. And what they are sitting on top of (to add height supposedly), doesn't do a good enough job.  I would have put something high here - and colorful to catch the eye. Staging-wise, there could have been more interest in this room.  A colorful tea kettle would have been a better cloice on the cooktop...and perhaps a bowl of red apples and a colorful cookbook on a stand would add a welcoming note.

It also looks like the pendants are not square over the island.  I also would have done a quick faux wood graining on the island's switchplate - it's just glaring in the white (I know - most of you can't do this...then switch it out for a darker color).  The cabinets are in shadow and they don't show off their beauty enough.  More lights on would have helped this - plus even putting some lamps on the floor (but outside of the shot) would have given more light to the shadowed area - to show off these beautiful cabinets.

2) Why bother putting this picture online?  What are they selling here - the silver tea service?

The subject of this photo is all wrong.  I'd have taken this photo from several angles - not this one.  Taking a vertical shot from the right would have shown the beautiful, tall window (it would be beautiful - minus the cheap cutains that do nothing for the picture). The curtains also cut off the room.  A buyer's eyes go to the height of the curtain - and they stop there.  If you have tall Palladian windows (or just tall windows in any style), you want to show that off.  Don't cut it in half with draperies (even nice, expensive ones!!) If your rooms have height - show it off.  It's a plus...something that buyers are looking for.

The photographer (most likely the realtor and not a professional) should have, again, turned off the flash.  A sunnier day would also have helped.  And the snow on the ground is a little troublesome - is this photo from last year?  That shows the buyer that the property has been on the market for a long time.  You always need to revise your photos if the home has been on the market for awhile. A potential buyer looking at this photo would not be impressed and would wonder what's wrong with the home because it hasn't sold yet.

That's it for today.  I welcome your comments and other ideas that you have about these photos and how you would improve them.  Any professional photographers reading this?  Please comment on how you would improve these shots!

If you are having trouble selling your home, give me a call at 631 793-1315.  I can help you get it into top selling shape. 

Newport Rhode Island Grandeur for Sale - in Peapack NJ

I love to look at Architectural Digest's luxury homes for sale whenever I get the magazine.  I love to drool and dream that I could afford to live in one of these mansions.  Well, fat chance - but a girl can dream right?

Well, if you have a spare $4.9 mil laying around, you might want to take a look at this beautiful mansion called Blairsden - that's very Newport Mansion-esque.  I had a great time with my husband when we visited all the "Cottages" in Newport several years ago.  This home that's for sale, listed by Molly Tonero of Turpin Realtors, has all the trappings of those wonderful mansions.  You can see all  the pictures and details about this home here.

Couldn't you imagine a fairy tale wedding taking place here? In fact, the original owner, C. Ledyard Blair, had all four of his daughters' weddings here. C. (Clinton) Ledyard Blair was an investment banker (he and his father and brother founded Blair and Co). He and his wife hobnobbed with the Vanderbilts and other titans of industry at the time.

The Dining Room

I just love the ceiling design and murals in this dining room.  I wish that more homeowners would hire my decorative painting company to do these types of ceilings - but these projects are few and far between today.

Blair was a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and he was a true patron of the arts.  His home in New York City, when it was being built, featured a studio for the artist John White Alexander. Alexander was a famous portait artist and muralist of the day. More information about that home and about Alexander can be found here.

Look at the beautiful Caen stone work, marble columns and carved architectural details in this home.  Blair's architects, Carrere and Hastings, hired seasoned tradespeople, many from Italy, to work on the decorations in his home.  Most of these artisans stayed on and settled in the area.  Blair had a railway constructed just for the purpose of transporting materials to the home.  If this man were alive today - he could single-handedly lower the unemployment rate in New Jersey!

The architecture of this home is just spectacular. I wish I had a room like this in my home. I love the fluted columns, the plaster friezes the trellised glass ceiling - everything is detailed and beautiful.

Every inch of this home is truly spectacular - fit for a King and Queen...with a large family and a huge guest list.  There are 38 bedrooms in this home. You could have a wedding here and you could just about have all your guests sleep over!

I hope that this home gets sold and that the owners keep and improve it.  There were so many Gilded Age mansions on Long Island that were demolished and all that's left are pictures. 

If you are interested in this home, please call Molly Tonero of Turpin Real Estate, Inc. at 877-788-7746.

If you are having trouble selling your home or listing, please give me a call at 631 793-1315. We have budget-friendly staging options - from a quick fix and declutter service...to furnishing and accessorizing an entire home that will help sell your place quickly.