Home Staging / Styling 4 Success
Cheryl Trudell, Professional Interior Stylist and real estate home staging expert, provides styling services to both home sellers and home dwellers to accomplish their goals for stylish interiors with functionality and emotional appeal.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Sunday, September 21, 2014
The Staging Magic
It is much easier to
identify homes that have been professionally staged. We have had great success with many clients
which we have guided and have implemented our home staging recommendations,
following the consultation and prior to the MLS photos. More ‘savvy real estate representatives’ are
connecting with one or more home stagers to perform a consultation with the
home sellers and where required, stage their listings prior to ‘hitting the
market’. Home sellers, too, are hiring
professional home stagers prior to securing a listing sales
representative.
Staged homes sell
quickly and usually for list or above list, depending on the market. The longer a home is on the market, the home
listing becomes ‘stale’.
Home Star Staging, out
of Texas, has explained the process and it’s worth sharing (excerpts taken and
have been adapted for the Canadian real estate marketplace)!
“While home stagers "magically"
transform a vacant property or room, there are many details behind the scene
which account for the fees we charge.”
“Home Staging
Accessory Rental 101: Some staging companies will rent accessory inventory for
staging homes that may need it. For a
vacant property or an occupied home, there are areas which often require some
enhancements” to provide ‘emotional buyer connections’.
Accessories are NOT large furniture. They are the "small" décor, artwork, greenery & linens that accent the furnishings, walls and rooms.” (Quoted from Home Star Staging)
Rental of these items can run anywhere from 20% - 25% of the retail value. So for $1,000 of inventory it's not uncommon to invest $200+/month for rental (plus HST).
This rental fee is in addition to the staging services fee.
“Someone had to purchase, warehouse, pick, pack, load, deliver then install/stage it. Then when the staging company de-stages, someone has to remove, pack, load, deliver and re-stock these items. They won't just magically appear or disappear!
There are costs and investments made by home staging companies who offer this service. When considering hiring a home staging professional or company for this level of service, please keep the entire process in mind.”
Accessories are NOT large furniture. They are the "small" décor, artwork, greenery & linens that accent the furnishings, walls and rooms.” (Quoted from Home Star Staging)
Rental of these items can run anywhere from 20% - 25% of the retail value. So for $1,000 of inventory it's not uncommon to invest $200+/month for rental (plus HST).
This rental fee is in addition to the staging services fee.
“Someone had to purchase, warehouse, pick, pack, load, deliver then install/stage it. Then when the staging company de-stages, someone has to remove, pack, load, deliver and re-stock these items. They won't just magically appear or disappear!
There are costs and investments made by home staging companies who offer this service. When considering hiring a home staging professional or company for this level of service, please keep the entire process in mind.”
Home Staging 4 Success provides our clients with options; best suited
for their budgets, and utilize the seller’s home furnishings wherever
possible. If rental of ‘large’
furnishings are required, we source the best value of modern furnishings best
suited to the price point of the home, demographics and potential home buyers.
When budgets are tight, our comprehensive home staging consultations
offer home sellers those easy-to-implement recommendations utilizing their own
home décor accessories and furnishings.
It is much less expensive to recommend a staging consultation, which is
more acceptable with the sellers, than suggesting a ‘price reduction’
Sunday, July 20, 2014
DIY Renovations When Selling Properties
I have entered hundreds of properties where I have been
informed of upgrades installed or performed by home owners themselves. In many situations, these upgrades are easy
to distinguish between professional workmanship vs. DIY project.
Then there are homes
with extraordinary upgrades where the home owner implements their expert skills
and those of affiliated professional connections to create outstanding spaces.
Ultra Modern Features in Custom Home |
Credit should be given to those that attempt these tasks
themselves. However, in the real estate market, buyers are looking
for ‘move-in ready’ homes with little or no work to be performed prior to the
moving date or shortly thereafter, unless there are looking for a
fixer-upper. There are advantages to
building a ‘new’ home or a custom built home for this exact reason where no
work is required.
Let’s be honest. Over
a period of time, home owners become oblivious to everyday imperfections within
their homes. When selling, these imperfections become
distractions and may prevent your home from selling quickly, limit the number
of buyers looking at your home, or initiate a discussion with your listing
realtor to reduce your original list price.
This is a very short list of reasons.
Hydro Panel obscured with DIY project to transform this space into Hall Closet Photo Credit: Cheryl Trudell, Lead Property Stylist of Home Staging 4 Success |
Painting over a nail on an obvious wall surface is suggestive of a ‘lack of attention’. This is a small detail but may have implications and cause an immediate RED FLAG (psychology from a buyer’s standpoint) - what other obvious or ‘behind the scene’ items has the owner paid little to no attention to.
Staging Tip 101: For painting projects, use Frog tape for sharp lines and demarcation between walls, ceilings and trim. Lay plastic or painter’s drop clothes to avoid paint splatter or drips on floors and windows. Remove nails used for artwork and patch walls prior to painting. Choose warm neutral colours vs. bold colours to create spaciousness and distract from imperfections of wall surfaces. Use caulking to eliminate gaps or spaces between walls and trim.
Is there a professional service that can assist home buyers
prep their homes for sale prior to listing or if a listing is about to be
considered ‘stale’? A certified professionally
trained home stager is experienced to view homes as a potential home
buyer. We can point out distractions or areas that
require attention.
Generic to-do-lists
can be found almost anywhere today.
However, an on-site consultation ensures the recommendations are
customized and tailored to your specific home or listed property. Too,
more experienced stagers have affiliates that offer many of the services home
sellers may require, including renovators, handymen, painters, cleaners,
organizers, movers, home inspectors, electricians, plumbers, etc..
Unique to our staging company, we provide a complete project
management service for local or out-of-town home owners with properties to be
or are currently listed locally and where prep work needs to be accomplished.
Consult with your real estate agent or check in the yellow
pages (www.yp.ca) for the names of professional
home stagers best suited for your specific needs. Ensure the home stager will provide you with a
full written report detailing areas discussed and recommendations to refer to
as you prioritize the tasks, your budget and time-frame prior to the 1st
public viewing.
Have an awesome summer!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
How Home Sellers Leave $$$ on the table
Educating home sellers is one of my most rewarding aspects
of representing the home staging profession.
Home sellers may not be aware how to increase, or most importantly,
protect their home equity they have already invested prior to selling. Let’s take a look of ways sellers discourage
serious buyers from investing time and
further interest in their properties:
1.
Unattractive
Curb appeal
The posted For Sale sign brings attention
to your neighbourhood and property. Tidy
the yard and gardens, remove out-of-season décor, add seasonal foliage that
will add both interest and colour, and remove any debris including obvious
tools, recycling bins, outdated or worn garden features. Repair or replace broken fences.
2.
Leaving a home ‘naked’ or ‘vacant’.
Although it may be impeccably clean, buyers will focus on the negatives
of empty spaces and find faults. More
importantly, only 20% of buyers can envision their furniture in an empty
space. The other 80% will be influenced
by homes that are furnished and appealing to the senses. Leaving a property completely vacant is a sure
way to leave your $$$ on the table.
3.
Consulting a designer friend to ‘stage’ your
home.
Interior designers ‘design’ with the emphasis of the decorating
preferences for 1 family or individual.
Experienced home stagers style homes to appeal to the mainstream of
potential buyers so a greater audience will be drawn to your home.
4.
Selling privately.
This
is a personal choice and can be appealing to some degree. However, the legal implications for the
inexperienced home seller compared to the knowledge of a professional real
estate agent will outweigh any unforeseen consequences. Unless you are a marketing expert in real
estate, leave it to the pros.
5.
Over
up-grading your home or implementing no up-grades and selling as is.
A
definite way to leave $$$ on the table.
6.
Unprofessional photography of your home’s
interior spaces and exterior curb appeal.
What is the quality of images you or your
agent wish to convey – professional or unprofessional? A picture is worth a thousand words. Reaction to what is displayed will be instantaneous
to the immediate interest to view your home with an onsite visit.
There are so many other deterrents how to leave $$$ on the
table when selling your home – outdated furniture and fixtures, outdated
flooring, DIRT, poor furniture layouts,
too much ‘stuff’, multiple or no
functions for the use of a space, more
than one focal point, etc.
This is only the tip of the iceberg how to leave $$$ on the
table when selling a home or property.
Need to have a further discussion with actual statistics and a visual
presentation to improve your home equity, schedule a consultation with an
experienced property stylist or home stager.
Many real estate agents in your local area can recommend one that can
meet your needs.
Beware generic lists
to improve your home’s presentation are not customized or tailored for your
specific needs.
“Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.”
–Guy Kawasaki, Alltop Co-Founder and Entrepreneur
–Guy Kawasaki, Alltop Co-Founder and Entrepreneur
Cheryl Trudell, Lead Property Stylist of
Home Staging 4 Success provides both home sellers and real estate
professionals ‘one stop’ staging
services to fit the needs of clients (estate sales, home builders, vacant or
occupied homes, rental properties, investors, home sellers and buyers) with her team encompassing handymen, renovators,
painters, re-organizers, movers, garbage disposal, , professional home and
window cleaners, furniture/home décor/
and artwork rentals, professional home
stagers and interior designing. Contact Cheryl@hs4s.ca to schedule a consultation.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Home Staging 4 Success: Home Staging 4 Success: Home Staging 4 Success: Qu...
Home Staging 4 Success: Home Staging 4 Success: Home Staging 4 Success: Qu...: Home Staging 4 Success: Home Staging 4 Success: Quick tips for Real Estate... : Home Staging 4 Success: Quick tips for Real Estate Professio...
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