The Uninvited Stager Series

It's time for more advice on what not to do when you are selling your home.

Don't Make Your Home Un-Bearable:  Sorry for the bad pun, but when you are marketing your home, you want online buyers to be intrigued enough to make an appointment to come see it.  You don't want them laughing at their laptops! This particular home had several rooms featuring bears!  So, put the stuffed animals away in boxes - and make your rooms look livable and lovable.

Ditch the Dorm Room Look:  This is in the same home as above.  The dog poster on the wall (held up with scotch tape), grandmas's chair in the corner, the particle board, cluttered desk and the cheap valance for the window don't do anything to entice a potential buyer. A nice, framed piece of artwork, simple sheer panels on the window, a neatened desk and a nicer chair - would do wonders for this room - easily and inexpensively.  PS - shut off the flash when taking photos.

 

 Open up Shower Curtains in Bathrooms:  This is a very nice bath...but it would have looked better had the owner or realtor ironed the shower curtain.  Pulling the curtain back to the right side with a tassel or a hook and decorative roping would have been even nicer. It would help to make the room look larger.

 Don't Emphasize Hard-to-Decorate Windows:  In this lovely bathroom, it's very obvious that the owners didn't know what to do with this window.  If the owners don't know what to do...the buyers won't know either. This window should have been decorated with a simple blind in the same shade as the wall - so that it would blend in.

Don't Over-Emphasize an Empty Room:  The guitar in the corner just points to the fact that this room really has no function and no furniture.  The owners could have easily put in a air mattress with bedding, a pillow and some artwork - and it would look more welcoming.  Empty rooms connote some possible buyer distress, which could possibly mean a lower offer.

Don't Over-Emphasize an Almost Empty Room with no Function:  We all have those rooms or areas of our homes that seem to collect the stuff we don't know what to do with.  But, when you are selling your home you need to address this and eliminate it.  You are selling a dream, an ideal way of life in your home.  Buyers don't want to see another home like theirs...they are searching for home buying Nirvana - even if it's a lie. Give each room a function - make it a home office or a guest room.

 

High ceilings are wonderful, if you know how to decorate them:  This room is lovely, but the dark color on the wall only serves to make the room seem a bit squat.  It's too much contrast. I would have lightened the wall color - perhaps using Shaker Beige (HC-45) from Benjamin Moore and then possibly adding some white to the mix and painting the ceiling a lighter version of the color. It would make the room seem larger and less angular (with those short side walls).

 Avoid Too Much Personalization, Themes and Collections:  I just had to include this picture from my realtor friend and fellow blogger, Leif Swanson of Ugly House Photos. He always has some great images of what not to do when selling your home - culled from homes across the country that are for sale. The photo below is something that a homeowner's son may be in love with...but to a buyer it just represents clutter and they cannot see "the room."  Leif calls this "Clutter Blindness" on the part of the seller.  So, get your personalized collections and memorabilia off your walls and shelves and show the buyer the room...not the stuff.

 

The Spring selling season is in full swing right now...buyers are out there looking for great homes to buy.  Don't blow your chances of selling quickly by being guilty of some of the above faux pas.  Clean up, clear out...and get on with your life and sell your home now.

Call me at 631 793-1315 or email me at Linda.Leyble@gmail.com if you would like some help in getting your home ready and beautiful so that it can be sold quickly.

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.

What Not to do When You are Selling Your Home

"Uninvited Stager" Saturday

Another Saturday - another blogpost showing how some sellers and their realtors are allowing their homes to be marketed on the Internet. A few of these listings stated that the realtors were "premiere" realtors.  Really? That adjective doesn't hold here.

1) If you are going to highlight something on your listing, such as a closet - make it neat please!  This closet makes the buyer think there's not enough room for everything. And the buyers don't have to see all your personal notes and notices.  Take those down!

2) Purple?  Please paint this a neutral or calming and lighter tone!  And while you're at it - paint the brick fireplace in a cream or light off white. I gather that this is a bedroom - but where the bed is doesn't make any sense.  It should be on the other side of the room - directly across from the fireplace or angled in a corner.  This arrangement makes a buyer think there may only be room for their bed on the side where it is now.  A beautiful painting or a mirror over the hearth would help make up for no mantle.  Some large candles and some fireplace tools by the fireplace would make this room much more attractive.

3) How about a picture of the entire door?

4) You really can't tell what this room looks like can you??

5) The next few pictures - I think the seller must be in the rug business.  This is a beautiful room - and the wide planked floors are to die for.  The rug ruins this photo and it doesn't show off how great the floors are. This space would have looked incredible if it was staged with furniture. And the little puny accessories on the mantle do nothing to help a buyer remember it.

6) The rug in the middle of the room again. You want to emphasize the floors - place the rug underneath the feet of the sofa and underneath the coffee table.  That would make the room cozier - like you'd like to sit down and have a chat.  The rooms looks colder the way it is.

7) We're still in the "rug" house, but this time the teensy rug they have here is rather silly.  They should take one of the rugs from downstairs and place it under the bed.  That would make the room homier.  The little painting that's placed too high over the mantle won't help a buyer remember it.  The sunflower picture would be better - coupled with some nice pillar candles - and that would make a nice vignette. But - at least the floors are a stand out in this room.

8) Get ride of the two toned paint job.  Buyers want to just move in...they don't want to paint. And that orange color?  It is an advancing color - which means it brings the wall forward, perception-wise.  This seller just made his kitchen smaller - and we all know that buyers want smaller kitchens, right? The yellow is an advancing color as well - so this home actually will seem smaller.  A cooler neutral color on the wall would be much smarter. (and of course - get rid of the magnets and clean up the clutter!)

9) The next few photos are in a really beautiful, upscale home.  At least the first floor is really beautiful but somehow the upstairs was just a forgotten wasteland. This office could be nice if it was straightened up and decluttered.  This just says "chaos"and not organized and efficient - that's what you want to portray when you are selling your home with an office in it.

10) This is the same home - the bathroom is just a mess.  The counters should be cleared and the rugs on the floor look like someone just took a bath in here (it also makes a buyer feel that maybe the floor is too cold with all the little scatter rugs). The wallpaper should be removed also.  Right now a potential buyer is only focusing on the negatives - the clutter, the wallpaper and the green sinks.  Neatening everything up would make those green sinks less of an issue. PS - the pink washcloths and the pink glass actually bolster the green in the sink. Pink makes a green next to it seem more green (a little color theory thrown in here!).

11) Finally - every room should have a function. This one is just a catch all.  It's housing all the furniture that the owners don't know what to do with.  Keep two or three items and put the rest in the garage or in storage.  If you don't have a bed, buy a blowup bed and put sheets, pillows and a comforter on it and make it a bedroom.  It's not expensive to do this.  Or - hire a stager to help you! Give every room a definite function.

Well, that's my advice for today.  Remember you only have a few seconds to make a great impression.  Don't waste any time marketing your home in an inferior way.  If your realtor has not suggested hiring a stager - ask them to recommend one in your area.  Or, you can call me to help you.  I can assess your photos via email and can make great suggestions on how to improve the look and saleability of your home.

Happy selling!!



The 9 Biggest Mistakes Home Sellers Make When Preparing and Staging Their Homes for Sale

Home sellers who make the following mistakes when preparing their homes for sale, will have their homes on the market for a lot longer than they want...and they will probably have to reduce their asking price.

1) Not Updating the Kitchen or Bathrooms. These are the two most important rooms in the house...the ones that make or break the ability to get an offer. And you don't even have to completely gut the kitchen or bath. See some of my earlier posts on how we updated several kitchens beautifully...and inexpensively. Even simple updates like painting your cabinets will create a new look that will be very appealing to a buyer. Buyers want a home that is move-in ready - but you don't have to replace everything in a kitchen or bath to achieve that. New faucets, clean and sparkling sinks, uncluttered countertops and new hardware can really spruce up these rooms. If the budget permits - do updated appliances, better countertops and new flooring.

Before: These kitchen cabinets were originally a mid tone taupe color

After: We painted the cabinets, added decorative onlays and we also created a beautiful faux marble look for the island countertop. You can make your kitchen beautiful...

without expensive replacement costs.
2) Not Caring About Curb Appeal. A buyer prejudges a home in 12 seconds from the outside of a home. That's why curb appeal is so very important if you want to attract a buyer to "come in." It's like the cover of a book - if the cover doesn't look interesting...chances are the book will be passed over.

3) Not De-Cluttering, Cleaning and Deodorizing. If you take the time to remove clutter, edit the amount of furniture you have in your rooms and clean your home to shine like a diamond - your space will look larger, more pristine and well-cared for. Endless knickknacks and collectibles in cabinets, magnets on the fridge and family photos all over the place deter potential buyers from envisioning themselves living in the home. It's best to pack up the treasures and make all surfaces shine. Making your house smell sunshine clean is also very important. You want to remove as many negatives as possible when your home is up for sale.

This bathroom would have looked great if the homeowner had removed the dated mirror, old towels and toiletries and added nice, fluffy white towels, a new faucet, shower curtain...and a neutral colored paint on the vanity and walls. Our company could have also created a limestone look on the countertop - a durable and beautiful finish that is less costly than buying and installing a new one.

4) Keeping Taste-Specific Furniture, Carpeting, Colors and Accessories as Part of the Decor. If you bought your home in the 70s or 80s and if the decor still reflects those eras, your home won't be on a potential buyers "make an offer" list. Odd colored carpets (teal is a big no-no), draperies, wall colors etc will not be appealing to a broad range of buyer. Why? Number one, not everyone has furniture that would go with specific colors - that's why neutral colors are the best to use when getting your home ready for sale. Another reason why taste-specific decor doesn't work is because more and more prospective buyers are young, first time homebuyers (ages 25-35). They weren't even born when Avocado and Harvest Gold were the "in" kitchen colors! The younger, first time buyer wants neutral colors, clean lines and uncluttered spaces. Tip: A buyer should not be able to tell if the seller is 90 or 30 years old and whether the seller is male or female.

 5)Trying to Sell A Home When It's Vacant. A home with no furniture is soulless and very unappealing. A vacant home can also translate into "desperate seller" in buyer-speak. The buyer gets the idea that a seller really needs to sell the home and so they assume the seller will take a lower offer. A vacant home never gets a full asking price offer - always lower. It's much more prudent to have a competent home stager bring in furniture and accessories - and make the home warm and livable. In addition, a vacant room actually looks smaller than it is. Plus - a buyer will only focus on the negatives of a space because there is nothing else to focus on.

Every hairline crack, every speck of dust...any minute "less then perfect" aspect of a house

is magnified when it's vacant.

6) Not Letting in as Much Light in to the House. Dark, heavy draperies, closed vertical blinds...any window covering that blocks light from coming in to a house - will not make the buyer feel that the home is bright and airy. You have to find ways to "steal the sunlight," as real estate guru Barbara Corcoran says. Add more light fixtures, uplights and take dark shades off your table lamps - replace with more translucent covers that will emit more light.

7) Refusing to Put Any Money into Necessary Repairs, Improving the House or Staging Before Selling. For every deferred repair, the homeowner will receive less money offered for the house. Avoid possible buyer objections by fixing the things that are wrong with the home. A wife may fall in love with a kitchen - but her husband will be looking at very crack, every bulge in the wall that spells water trouble and every electrical no-no in the house. Fix things before you have a buyer offer you less than you want. The money you spend on repairs will net you a bigger profit on your home. Also, consider hiring a home stager - even just for a consultation. Staging is an investment - not a cost. Plus, it's tax deductible. For every dollar you spend on staging, you get $3 in return.

8) Keeping Fido and Kitty at the Home When it's Being Shown. Many times I have been to Open Houses where I have been greeted by the family cat or dog. I have also attended Open Houses where there are 4 or 5 dogs in a crate - and they are all yapping and barking so much that I can hardly hear what the realtor is saying to me! I've also seen wee wee pads here and there at Open Houses. I am an animal lover - so these things never bother me. But, what about any prospective buyer who might be allergic to cats or dogs? It's best to keep the family pet away for the Open House day - and any time the house is being shown. You should also remove any sign (or odor) of pet ownership.

9) Not Marketing the Home Properly with Great Online Photos. With over 80% of potential buyers searching online first before viewing a property, it's imperative that a home look beautiful online. Badly lit pictures, cluttered surfaces in the photos and even just pictures of the exterior of the home (and no interior shots) spell "not worth a visit" to a prospective buyer. Even worse is when there are no photos of the home. Take the time to do a great photo shoot. It will really pay off. Staged homes, by the way - look great online.