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.

The Uninvited Stager Saturday Series

It's Saturday...and while all you realtors and homesellers are getting your listings and homes ready for the Spring Selling Season, I'm here with another "What not to do when you're selling you home!"

While perusing the listings this morning, I chose a city in the US that had an amazing amount of really great looking homes.  There were a lot of new construction and recently built homes that were for sale.  So - what does this mean for a seller?  If your home isn't up to snuff against these other beautiful homes - then any poor (or zero) attempts at staging or a higher listing price will only be making it real easy for a buyer to choose the better condition and more fairly priced home.  Lack of attention to what buyers want will only help sell your competition.


So - in this city it was a bit difficult to find some badly done homes (very smart sellers and realtors in this bunch, I must say).  But I found several homes that could use some additional help.  Hopefully my suggestions for this home will help you to assess what's possibly wrong with yours.  That's the whole point of this blog...and this blog post (and series!).  Here it goes...

Love this room and the viewpoint...hate the wallpaper and the clutter on the top of the cabinetry and the excess plants and clutter on island etc!

The kitchen would have looked much better without the cluttery look of the wallpaper. It's a 70s look in a modern kitchen. Also, I would have taken the placemats off the table - they look kind of silly...all lined up looking like plaid kneepads. Maybe some place settings with nice plates, glasses and beautiful napkins on top held by beautiful napkin rings - would have looked much better.

Next - the dining room, below.  It's just too dark.  The green (don't know whether it's wallpaper or just paint) doesn't make this room appealing.  A warmer, neutral paint color - even a lighter green hue - would have been a better choice.  The chandelier could be lower as well.  It would make the dining experience much more intimate.  Most people make this mistake - hanging their light fixtures a bit too high. 

Not wild about the mirror lining an entire wall.  This room is large enough.  It doesn't need a mirror. If it was in the budget, I'd remove it and paint the wall. I'd rather see a beautiful painting in the middle above the server. 

The Great Room:  This is a great space but I'd remove all the photos and the larger portraits above the console.  You want buyers to mentally move in and this personalization is an impediment to that. Also, it seems to be very difficult to watch TV in this room.  Just that little TV in the left side of the built in is how the family watches TV?  I'd change that, if possible.  I'd have the TV above the fireplace (and then you could use the artwork in the dining room or place it above the console instead of the portraits). I have faux Plasma TVs that look pretty authentic - so you wouldn't have to do any re-wiring.  

The Master Bedroom: It's overgrown with plants.  Remove these and it will be a huge improvement. The bedding could look more appealing also.  An off white bedskirt and shams would look so much nicer. Don't line pillows up on an angle like this.  Just add two colorful pillows in front of the shams and add a nice, colorful throw at the end of the bed. Also, I'd lessen the number of books in the bookcase and just add some interesting accessories within it to give it some interest.

The Master Bath: This is very chaotic and busy looking - mostly because of the crazy wallpaper - which should be removed. I wouldn't want to get ready here each morning. There's too much clutter (all personal toiletries should be put away). Again - not wild about the mirror - it should be removed. Two hanging mirrors over each sink on either side would look so much better, The lighting is very dated also - sconces on either side of the mirror would be so much nicer.

I'd also make the bathtub look as appealing as possible.  There's no sex appeal in this bathroom at all. A beautiful orchid, candles and some bath salts in a glass container could be added to give the buyer an idea of how wonderful it would be to take a bath here. (And what's with the table with the ottomans? They should go!)

Some people might say I am a bit harsh and unrealistic in my assessment of this home.  But - it's a very pricey home and the competition around this home is very stiff. Why would a buyer choose this home over another home in the area that was in better condition and priced lower or even the same?  Buyers start deducting heavily when they see major things that need to be done (removing the wallpaper, the mirrors, repainting!) So - don't let a buyer pass your home by just because you don't want to update it to the standards of your competition.  The market, as it is today, just doesn't work that way!

So - repair what needs to be repaired...remove wallpaper and mirrors and other relics of the 70s etc.  Get your home sold quickly.

Happy selling!  If you need some assistance in getting your home buyer-ready, just give me a call at 631 793-1315.

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