How and Why a Staging Consultation Can Sell Your Home or Listing

A staging consultation can help sell your home...quickly.  That is, if you listen and do what a home stager will tell you to do in order to get your home ready.  A home stager, like myself, will come in to your home and give you a "to do" list of things you need to change in order to get your home ready for sale. It's the best bang for your buck when you are selling your home.  You get the ideas you need from a trusted professional - without having to pay them for their time to actually do all the work for you.  As long as you are willing to roll up your sleeves and move furniture, paint...remove dark draperies and clutter etc - a staging consultation can be your ticket to home sales success.

Case in point...about 2 years ago I did a staging consultation for Dianne Scalza of Netter Real Estate in West Islip NY.  The home seller wanted to move to Florida as quickly as possible.  I came over and looked at the home and then wrote out a 15 page report on all the things that the homeseller needed to do to improve the look and feel of the home.

The home was dark and cluttered with furniture and lots of accessories

Well, the homeseller didn't believe a thing that I said in the report and refused to do anything about the condition of the home.  There was dark wallpaper and wallpaper borders and way too much furniture in every one of the rooms.  The price of the home was too high as well.  As much as Dianne tried to reason with them, the homesellers wanted such and such a price - in the condition that it was in!

So - the home sat, unsold for a year.  Then more time passed - with price deductions.  Still, no sale.  Finally, the homesellers started to do some of the things I suggested on the Staging Consultation Report.  They didn't remove any wallpaper, but they did do some furniture editing

and re-arranging.

The home sold after the homesellers started to work on it!  Even just doing some drapery removal, de-cluttering and furniture editing etc, the home looked more inviting and larger.  Why the homesellers resisted so such a long time, I have no idea.  Pride, probably...and some laziness.
But had they instituted these changes much earlier in the process, they would have sold the home for a higher price. 

It is so economical to have a Home Staging Consultation for your home.  Most home stagers (like myself) will do written consultation report for anywhere from $250-400, depending on the size of the home.  This will give you a blueprint to follow...a step-by-step action plan written out for you.  If you decide to have the home stager help you with any of it, most will put part of the fee toward the fee for the work.  I also do a "Walk Through" consultation, where I don't write out a report.  The homeowner takes notes as we walk through the entire home - inside and out.  I charge from $150-250 for this service (it depends on the size of the home).  Also - many stagers are also doing "E-Staging," which can be done via email.  The home seller sends pictures of the home and the stager gives their advice for $100 on up.  I am doing that right now for realtor Cherolyn Shaw of Charles Rutenberg Realty.

So think about having a Staging Consultation done for your home before you put it on the market.  It can save you time and money - and it can help you get your home sold...quickly!  Call me at 631 793-1315 if you have any questions.

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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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

What Not to do When Selling Your Home

The "Uninvited Stager" Saturday Series

This morning I happened upon a home for sale where with every picture a potential buyer would be increasingly turned off - and would not have even gone through the entire set.  I could have swooped in and changed the entire look of the home in 4 hours.  But, sadly, I was not consulted!

Same old story - remove the clutter! This is actually a nice kitchen but it's so uninviting. I always tell realtors that if they want to sell a homeseller on the concept of staging and how it improves the saleability and the look of the home - I tell them to 1) Take a picture of the kitchen "as is" and then 2) bring a box (or 2 or 3!) and, with the owners permission, remove the magnets and the clutter. 3) Take a picture of the kitchen uncluttered.  Show the seller both pics on your laptop and ask them which one looks better.  It really works - try it.

To add insult to injury, there is another picture of the kitchen!  More clutter. You can also see the realtor's camera case on the table.  Oh boy.

Nothing appealing here.  Love the mini moose heads! And that light fixture!  Looks like it is coming to attack the photographer!

In case you didn't see the mini moose heads and the light fixture...here's another view! Oh - and take your shoes off.  We may have clutter, but we keep our floors clean - except for maybe the dog hair.

We're so busy praying for a buyer that we didn't have enough time to make the bed.  Oh - and there's no room for nightstands...sorry.



We're really praying - two crosses. What day is today?  Oh maybe the day to put the old sofa on craigslist to make the Master bedroom seem a lot roomier.

No - we did't make any of beds...why should we? We're too busy watching TV on our "too big for the room" plasma television.

In case you didn't get the whole view of the room - here it is.  What day is today?  The day to get a new window treatment.

Yes - we have 3 bedrooms in this house. But we don't even bother to center the bed or put bedding on.  And - we are still praying (but shorter prayers) for a buyer!

No - the person doesn't come with the house.

Neither does the realtor! But for a few extra bucks we'll throw in the hair curler, toiletries and the lovely hair band where the towel should be! Oh - the vanity cabinets don't close all the way - sorry.

We don't have enough room for a home gym, but you can do pull-ups on this shelf!

So...this is obviously extreme, but with some minor changes and decluttering this house would have shown so much better. You can tell that the house is nice - but a potential buyer would have given up after the first few photos.  Don't let that happen to your home or listing.  Hire a competant home stager - or put in a day or two of work and declutter, make the beds, put the toiletries away, close the toilet lids and consider hiring a photographer to take professional photos.

If you would like some help selling your home, please give me a call at 631 793-1315.  If you are in the NYC or Long Island area and you would like to have me do a Free Staging Presentation at your real estate office, just email me at Linda.Leyble@gmail.com or call!

From a Pile of Coal Comes a Diamond

Just a quick post today.  Sometimes when I'm getting reading in the morning I have thoughts about improving my business or other people's businesses (including the business of selling a home, for instance).  I tell homeowners and realtors about the staging process and why it works...but some people listen and some don't.  Happy are those who listen to me because their homes move!

So I try to come up with ways to explain why you need your home to look great if you want to sell it. I try to come up with analogies and stories so that people get the concept. Pictures help a great deal...so here's my picture analogy of why you should make your home look the best it can and how a qualified home stager can help your home look its best.

Lumps of coal Source

Can turn into...

It takes work, but your house can be a Diamond! Which of these two pictures represents your house? Make sure it's in "Diamond" condition - then your days on market will be short!

Call me if you need any help getting your home ready for the Spring selling season! 631 793-1315

Image credit for diamond: Source