Selling Your Home the Right Way

"Univited Stager" Saturday

Hi everyone - I hope that your holidays were beautiful and that you are getting ready for a happy and successful New Year.  I am going to be adding this series from "The Uninvited Stager" every Saturday.  I'll be showing some photos of homes that could use help - and what I would do to them to improve them - so they will sell faster. 

These homes are currently on the market and they could use help.  I know that with a few deft moves with a camera and some help from a competant home stager - these homes could be improved substantially and sell faster.  Why homesellers and realtors don't spend a little extra time and money hiring the right people to whip their homes and listings into shape before they go on the market...is beyond my comprehension.  The longer a home stays on the market - the lower the resulting sales price will be.  There will be substantial amounts of time and money spent on marketing...on utilities, taxes, mortgage payments - all the carrying costs - that could have been avoided had they bettered the look and condition of the home/listing in the first place.  I advocate "think before you leap" approach to home selling.  Fix the home, stage it, photograph it better - give it some "pizzaz and polish" and it will sell faster. Merchanize it - it's a product...after all.

1) Lighten up your photos before you place your home on the market!



The above room actually might look good - but who the heck can see it?  It's too dark. The camera is reading the light outside more - not the room. Adding additional lamps in the room would have helped...also adding some lamps without shades outside the scope of the picture would have helped as well. There are no highhats in this room - that could have helped brighten the picture.  If you do not know how to take a picture of your home that could really help sell it - hiring a professional photographer can fix that.  They would have made this room look fantastic.

2) Straighten your photos, fix what's wrong with the room, add some color and memorable items and look at your photos on your computer before you let the rest of the world see them.

There's a wonderful tool on just about every photo editing program called "Straighten." This photo is a bit lopsided - but a few clicks of the straighten tool could have helped this room a lot.  Also - it looks like the freezer door is open.  That's simple to change.  And what's the black strike mark on the dishwasher all about?  Whatever that is - it should be fixed.  Some staging also could have helped this kitchen out.  A cookbook on a stand, some fresh flowers and a bowl of red apples could have made this picture so much more appealing.

3) Determine the subject of your photo. Figure out what's important about the room that you want to get across to the buyer.

This room above could be so appealing but it looks like there's not enough room for everything

in this space - it looks cramped. It seems as if the stove is the important thing that they wanted the potential buyer to see - but they could have done that with an additional photo of it.  The dining table would have looked better if it had been placed horizontally.  Then the rug that's in front of the sofa could have been placed in front of the sofa!  Additionally, with the dining table switch, the sofa could have been placed in the center of the window. If the dining table did not need to be here, then I would have placed the other red chair where the dining table is now. It seems as if the chair might be blocking the entry to the home.

For the extra picture of the stove, I would have staged that with some wood stacked neatly or in a basket...maybe a tall vessel with some matches and I would have given the stove a nice cleaning (no trace of ash or dust).  This otherwise warm and homey room could have looked much better and more appealing with just a few changes.

4) Again, learn to use the straighten tool.  Be mindful of what the subject of the photo is...and what you are trying to sell.

This looks like a perfectly fine house.  But the picture was taken without any care - some of the information is missing. Perhaps the photo taker should have stepped back to the left and taken the picture of the sofa (and I think there should be a coffee table in front) perhaps on an angle and I would have been kneeling down for the shot.  Then you would have shown the sofa in relation to the entry and the stairs - and with a wide angle lens you would have given the potential buyer more information about the house. Taking a picture of half the couch and half the table and whatever is to the left is silly. Also, cutting off the skylight (which is a plus for a stairway) does nothing to help the sale of this home.  You need to show what's important, special and different about the home.  Merchandize!!!

5) Clean up.  Even though it's winter, you still have to show your exterior shots in their best light.

What does this photo tell me?  It says that the home has been on the market for awhile and has not sold.  Because of the laziness of the seller or the realtor, this one shot can tell me that if the sellers didn't care to clean their deck - what else could be wrong with the house.  This might be a small, little point - but in this market, you don't want to leave anything to chance.

6) Lighten up and edit your furniture

This picture is a lot better than the first pic in terms of the lighting issue, but the lighting could have been improved.  There's also too much furniture in this room.  At least move the chair with its back to the photo. That's also bad feng shui. I'd probably find another spot in the home for the chair - or I would find another spot for the love seat and place the chair there.  I would take out those tables on either side of the fireplace and I would make the mantleplace more important.  The two candlesticks (I think that's what they are) are not in scale - they are too small...they do nothing for the mantle. I would try to get a painting that is vertical to be on the mantle - to amplify height.  As it is, the horizontal picture amplifies that the room isn't that tall. You want to sell height (even if it's perceived height) when you're marketing your home. Also, there are a few items on the floor on either side of the fireplace - they should go. It's only visual distraction. I would just add a basket of birch logs for some interest and texture.

If you are having trouble selling your home, just give me a call at 631 793-1315.  We also do e-staging for those who are not in the New York area.  Just as I gave tips for the homes above, I could do the same for you - via email.  Good luck for 2012!!

7 Great Ways to Update the Look of a Room

7 Great Ways to Update the Look of a Room That Will Help You Sell Your Home


Whether you are selling your home or staying put, the change of season is a great time to update your home. Here are some great ideas that you can start implementing right away

Add a Burst of Color The winter season is now over – so let’s bring on the happier colors of spring into our interiors. Make winter a thing of the past by adding some colorful toss pillows. Mix and match patterns and solids to create an interesting contrast.

Add some colorful lampshades to revive your old lighting fixtures and perhaps a striped ottoman or chair to perk up a room. Add some floral accessories (real or faux orchids) in vivid hues like magenta or add cherry or forsythia blossoms in a beautiful vase and you’ll forget that we ever had as bad a winter as we had.

Add colorful art and accessories to update and add zing.  Source, ivillage.com

Add Texture Whether it’s a seagrass rug, a textured pillow, throw or woven wood shades, adding texture to a room warms it up, makes it more cozy and interesting.

Add texture for added warmth and interest. Images from Crate & Barrel

Add Pattern A beautiful, geometric patterned carpet can warm up a room plus give it a more updated feel. For a more traditional look, try a damask patterned carpet – but perhaps one in a non-traditional color. You can also add patterned vases, pillows and other accessories to add some life to your room.

A patterned tablecloth from Williams & Sonoma

Angle Your Furniture Why be predictable when you can be interesting? Try angling some furniture pieces (a sofa, your bed...a piano) and you may find that your room seems roomier…and much more exciting! It costs nothing but time to experiment with different furniture arrangements - so give it a try.  You may just surprise yourself!

Change Some of Your Wooden Furniture  Dark wooden furniture can look a bit too heavy in the spring and summer – so why not try some lighter tables etc. that will give your room an instant lift. Whether it’s painted wood, wrought iron or other metal – choose something that’s lighter in feel to add airiness and more visual space to your room. Mirrored tables add functional storage – while blending seamlessly into your walls. Glass table tops also lend a lighter, more contemporary feel to a room.

Rococco console from House Eclectic

Playing with the Scale of Some of the Items in Your Room  Sometimes a room can look dated and uninteresting because the scale of some of the furnishings may not be right.  A bulky sofa (or one with oversized arms) takes up valuable real estate in a room.    If possible, purchase a sofa that is sleeker - one with less bulk by the arms.  Not only is this a more modern look - but it helps to make your room seem...well, roomier!

Also, take a look at some of your most important focal points - a beautiful fireplace, for example.  If your mantle or mantle  is too small  and thin as compared to the entire hearth, you may want to add more substance to the mantle (beefing up the size, so that it corresponds better).  Changing the scale of a mantle creates a dramatic and updated look to your fireplace.

Other ways to change scale is to add a tall lamp to bring in some height - rather than use two smaller table lamps.  Or consider hanging a large mirror vertically (instead of horizontally).

Draperies that are hung at the height of a window make a room look shorter. Why not bring the drapery rod up towards the ceiling - and hang the drapes higher?  This will make your room seem taller.

Originally, this fireplace that we staged had only a horizontal landscape picture above it.  Adding a vertically placed mirror brings more prominence and height to the space

Bring the Outside In  Add some spring and summer to any room with a decorative vase and fresh-cut flowers. Bring in natural items like wicker and sisal to give a more natural feel. Decorate with seaside acceessories like coral, a nautilus and sea glass to add a beachy theme. Create a taller feel to your room by adding tall grasses in a long cylinder vase in a corner.

Natural wicker, rattan and sea shell accessories bring the outside in.  Image, organizeeverything.com

Sometimes simple things can change a room dramatically.  Try a few of these suggestions - and let me know how they worked in your rooms!

If you would like to have some of these suggestions and more implemented in your home before you sell it, call me at 631 793-1315 or email me at Linda.Leyble@gmail.com.  I will work within your budget to create a home that buyers will fall in love with - so that your home doesn't linger on the market.  I can also do a staging consultation for you with great suggestions and ideas that you can implement yourself - for a totally budget-friendly way to stage your own home for sale. We have two locations - Great River NY and Huntington NY.