| I was hanging out with a few people at a wedding | | | | Make sure all of all your trash cans, recycling cans, |
| recently and the conversation turned totoday's real | | | | other bins, discarded woodscraps, extra building |
| estate market. | | | | materials, etc., are in the garage. |
| One of my friends, John, from a town near San | | | | Check gutters for roof moss and dry rot. Make sure |
| Jose, CA told a fascinating, yet familiar,story. I | | | | they are swept and cleaned. |
| thought I would share it with all of you. | | | | Look at all plants. Prune your bushes and trees. Keep |
| John and his wife, Liz, decided to sell their home. | | | | plants from blockingwindows. |
| They bought the house in 2004, saw itincrease in | | | | Weed and then mulch all planting areas. Keep lawn |
| value, and this summer decided to sell it. They | | | | freshly cut and fertilized. |
| interviewed four differentagents to sell their home | | | | Remove dead plants or shrubs. |
| and finally decided on the one who agreed to sell | | | | Clear patios or decks of all small items such as small |
| their home forwhat they wanted to sell it for. | | | | planters, flower pots, charcoal,barbecues, and toys. |
| They believed the home was worth $625,000. The | | | | Box them away and store them. |
| first three agents who came in tointerview for the | | | | Check the paint condition of the house, especially the |
| listing told them the house would never sell at that | | | | front door and trim. |
| price and that theyshould consider listing it below | | | | UNCLUTTER YOUR HOUSE |
| $600,000. They all felt $589,000-$599,000 was the | | | | Empty your closets to a minimum, clear out the |
| "magic" number. | | | | cupboards, and get rid of the smallappliances. Take |
| John is a commercial real estate broker. He knew | | | | books off the shelves, get rid of all of the |
| that his asking price was high but hewas in no hurry | | | | magazines, the CDs,video games, and DVDs, and lose |
| to sell. He also didn't like the fact these three agents | | | | the kid's toys. Minimize it all. |
| weren't offeringany "solutions" they were only | | | | Rent a storage unit or box what you want to keep |
| discussing the "problems" he would face at the | | | | and toss the rest. |
| higherprice. | | | | Now is the time to say goodbye to your house and |
| These agents told John and Liz about the current | | | | your stuff and transition. Yourlife may be a bit |
| market conditions for their area. Iftheir home sold, it | | | | uncomfortable during this time but you are now in |
| would likely take up to 120 days. There was a 55% | | | | the business ofselling your home. |
| chance that thehome wouldn't sell at all during these | | | | GET RID OF THAT FURNITURE |
| four months. Based on what they wanted for | | | | An easy way to "unclutter" and create a much |
| theirhome, they needed to be prepared for this. The | | | | greater sense of space is to get rid ofsome furniture. |
| agents told them they needed to considerlowering | | | | Consider moving your sofa, extra chairs, and end |
| the price. | | | | tables into storage so you canmake the home feel |
| John and Liz talked very seriously about lowering | | | | like it is larger and has much more space. |
| their price. Then they met a fourthagent named | | | | If your furniture is old, you may want to pack it |
| Lynette. | | | | away and rent a few morecontemporary pieces. |
| Lynette came in and presented her case. It really | | | | The goal is to sell your home, not display your old |
| wasn't much different than the rest. | | | | furniture. |
| She also told them about days on the market and | | | | MAKE YOUR HOME "THEIR" HOME |
| the chances of selling their home. Shealso suggested | | | | The goal here is to get the potential buyer to |
| they may be priced a bit high but then she offered | | | | imagine that he is living in your house. |
| an option. | | | | If he feels like an intruder during his tour, your |
| "Let's stage your home using a professional home | | | | chances of selling the house are less. |
| staging company," Lynette suggested. | | | | That means put away anything connected to your |
| "This is going to cost you about $4000. We will list | | | | family or personal interests. Liketrophies, family |
| the home at the $625,000 you wantbut to offset | | | | vacation photos, and personal mementos. Box it all |
| some of this expense, when I sell your home, I will | | | | away! |
| split this expense withyou." | | | | Clear refrigerator fronts of all messages, magnets, |
| Whereas real estate professionals, like Lynette, are | | | | pictures, reminders, etc. |
| highly skilled in marketing, sellingand closing your | | | | Stagers say the bathroom is a crucial place to pay |
| home, home stagers are designers. They are artists | | | | close attention too. Shampoobottles in the shower |
| who prepare yourhome for resale. | | | | and toothbrushes near the sink make it very hard for |
| Home stagers work with the "flow" of your home. | | | | thebuyer to picture himself there. Box it away during |
| They will remove and re-arrangefurniture. They will | | | | the day and bring it out at nightfor your use. |
| eliminate clutter. They may even add pictures, | | | | Keep the towels to minimum as well. Think "neat |
| bedspreads, paint,art, rugs and other items to make | | | | hotel bathroom" on the day youchecked in. |
| it more appealing. They may even assist in | | | | MAKE THAT HOUSE AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE |
| enhancingcurb-appeal. | | | | If your house is clean, the buyer tends to believe |
| Their goal is to make an incredible first impression on | | | | everything else is great with thehouse as well. This |
| potential homebuyers the momentthey pull in front | | | | means clean everything! The mirrors, walls, floors, |
| of your home. | | | | carpets,drapes, bathrooms, kitchen, and even door |
| Lynette explained that although the décor of | | | | handles, light fixtures and pantrycupboards. |
| the house was very nice and contemporary,the | | | | If you hate cleaning, bring in a professional maid |
| home was cluttered because of their three young | | | | service regularly while your homeis listed and get |
| boys and busy lifestyle. The homedidn't feel as large | | | | someone in to do the windows, driveway and |
| as it was because it was packed with too many | | | | walkways. Remember,it costs money to make |
| items to display itproperly. The home was "too | | | | money. |
| personal," she told them. They had picture of the | | | | HIRE A PROFESSIONAL HANDYMAN |
| boysall over the house from birth to last year's | | | | As I mentioned, I recently sold an investment |
| soccer playoffs. | | | | property of mine that was staged in 11days. I staged |
| She told them that they needed to compete with | | | | it myself by following all of the items listed here. |
| new home builders who are offeringbuyers the most | | | | The day before my agent officially placed my home |
| incredible purchase incentives. She said that when you | | | | in MLS and started contactingall of his previous |
| walk into themodel homes of the builder you are | | | | clients, I called a handyman to come out and fix a |
| "blown away." | | | | few things. |
| "THAT is your competition," Lynette said. "You need | | | | I had a missing face plate for a light switch. I had |
| to blow away the people whowalk into your home | | | | some mold around one of thetoilets. One of the sinks |
| too." She also explained that the last few clients who | | | | had a broken drain valve. The door leading out to |
| hired herhome staging company sold their home in | | | | thegarage was dinged up a bit and needed a coat of |
| less than 60 days and didn't discount theirasking price. | | | | paint. This was less than $100worth of work. Many |
| John and Liz were not crazy about spending $4000, | | | | sellers would simply have ignored these items, |
| and certainly not thrilled about takingdown pictures of | | | | offered thebuyer a blanket repair credit, and said |
| their beloved family, but they were encouraged by | | | | "get it fixed yourself when you move in." |
| Lynette's creativeidea. At the end of the day, what | | | | Because of my research on this topic, I knew better |
| they really cared about was selling this home, so | | | | and made an appointment to getthe handyman out |
| theydid it. | | | | to fix it. He was busy so he committed to come in a |
| John said the home staging company came in and | | | | week. |
| made the house seem like a "hotel." | | | | However, my home went on the market the next |
| "They took out way more things than they put in, | | | | day. |
| but it did look better, like a nice bedand breakfast | | | | Two days later, five days before the handyman |
| hotel," he said. "It almost made me want to stay | | | | came; the eventual buyer of myhome toured my |
| there," he joked. | | | | house. He came back a week later, after the |
| It worked. Their house sold in three weeks....at the | | | | handyman had beenthere, and bought it. When I |
| $625,000 list price. Lynette did anamazing job from | | | | finally met the buyer at the final walk-through, Iasked |
| start to finish!! | | | | him whey he didn't make the offer the first time |
| Just this month, I sold my very own investment | | | | through. |
| house that was staged in 11 days. Therewere three | | | | He told me the missing face plate on the light switch |
| like models listed in the subdivision at the same time. | | | | and the dinged up garage doorreally bugged him. |
| Mine was the highestpriced. My incredibly talented real | | | | When he came back and it was fixed, he was |
| estate agent did an amazing job too but I | | | | impressed andknew I cared about the home. |
| trulybelieve staging was a real key as well. I did take | | | | A $3 item from Home Depot and a simple coat of |
| a small loss on this home. However asale in 11 days is | | | | cheap grade white paint almostcost me the sale of |
| no small accomplishment in today's market. | | | | my home. |
| Experts say that if you are hiring a professional | | | | Don't wait! Fix those minor problems today! |
| staging company, plan on spendingbetween | | | | COLOR UP THAT HOUSE WITH PAINT AND CARE |
| $2000-$5000 based on the size and condition of the | | | | A fresh coat of paint in key areas of your home |
| home. If you just wantconsultation, plan on $100 or | | | | really makes a big difference. Ifyour home feels |
| so per hour. | | | | "special" like you care, that will translate to buyers. |
| Experts, like StagedHomes.com, say that a staged | | | | Experts sayflowers in the entry or near the front |
| home sells in half the time as a similarhome that is | | | | door make your home feel more special, warmand |
| not staged and that a staged home sells for 7-10% | | | | inviting. |
| higher. | | | | FACE IT, YOUR HOUSE STINKS...MAKE IT SMELL |
| Coldwell Banker tracked nearly 3,000 properties, | | | | BETTER |
| ranging in price from $229,000 to $4.8million, in eight | | | | Stagers say that people don't realize it but many of |
| major U.S. cities. | | | | their homes simply stink. Theystink from pets or just |
| During this time, they determined the average home | | | | everyday family use. The easiest way to overcome |
| was on the market for nearly 31days, the typical | | | | this is tokeep your windows open for 10 minutes a |
| staged home sold in less than 14 days. | | | | day. |
| The average home sold for 1.6% over the seller's | | | | This strategy works better than deodorizers, says |
| asking price. The staged homes, in the | | | | Barb Schwarz, president of |
| Coldwell Banker study, over the same time, went for | | | | StagedHomes.com, since a lot of people have |
| a 6.3% more. | | | | allergies to artificial room fresheners. |
| This means, if the average home price is $300,000, | | | | The oldest trick of all? Leave chocolate chip cookies |
| you can expect the average stagedhome to sell for | | | | baking in the oven. The smellhelps buyers bond with |
| $318,000-$330,000. Obviously, this makes the | | | | your home. |
| $2000-$5000 investmenta no-brainer. | | | | MAKE YOUR HOME BRIGHTER AND MORE ALIVE |
| Inventory is at an all-time high in many areas. The | | | | When things are lighter they feel more vibrant and |
| National Association of Realtorsrecently reported the | | | | alive. Dark is depressing. Youdon't want the buyer |
| biggest drop in home prices since the trade group | | | | feeling depressed walking through your home. |
| began compilingprice data in 1968. Many experts are | | | | Staging experts say clean windows let in as much as |
| now saying housing prices will continue to | | | | 30% more light than dirty ones. |
| declinethough 2007. | | | | Get them cleaned. |
| So do you take your home off the market until | | | | Clean the shades on your light fixtures and add floor |
| 2008, and hope it gets better, with thepossibility it | | | | lamps if an area seems dim. |
| gets even worse, or do you separate yourself from | | | | Get rid of those energy-saving 60-watt bulbs and go |
| the competition and dowhat it takes to give your | | | | with higher wattage lights formaximum illumination. |
| home the very best chance it has to sell today? | | | | When it comes time to show your home, make sure |
| We are in a slower real estate market, however the | | | | all the lights are on. |
| people who are most committed to selling theirhome | | | | GET HOMEY AND CREATIVE |
| will likely still be successful. When you are selling real | | | | Flowers, plants, candles, expressive art are all items |
| estate it's no differentthan selling any other product. | | | | that are not overly personalthat give a good vibe to |
| You have to market to find a capable buyer and | | | | the buyer walking through your home. Show these |
| then youhave to impress him. | | | | off or gobuy some to add that touch. |
| Your real estate professional will market the property | | | | You want your home to feel like a model home you |
| to bring the buyers but the productand how it's | | | | see at a new house tract or,better yet, a |
| displayed will determine if it sells and at what price. | | | | comfortable hotel lobby. |
| This is where theprofessional home stager comes in. | | | | For real estate agents, in my opinion, this is a great |
| OK, so you want to give Home Staging a try? Here's | | | | tool to separate yourself from yourcompetition in |
| how. | | | | trying to get a listing and sell the home. I think it's a |
| There are many websites out there. Just type | | | | good idea to take afew home staging classes or |
| "professional home staging" into yourfavorite search | | | | have a professional home stager as part of your |
| engine like Google, Yahoo!, or MSN and you can start | | | | team as anoption to present sellers. |
| looking for the onethat best fits you. | | | | offers two-day home staging workshops for real |
| If you want to try doing it yourself, take these tips | | | | estate agents. |
| from professional home stagers like | | | | For homeowners with a lot of equity, I think hiring a |
| and others: | | | | professional stager is a tremendousidea as well. |
| HOW TO "STAGE" YOUR HOME YOURSELF | | | | If you don't have as much room financially and the |
| MAKE AN AWESOME FIRST IMPRESSION | | | | costs of hiring a professional stagerseem |
| Look at your house like you will look at the homes | | | | preventative, you may want to try the |
| you want to buy next. | | | | "do-it-yourself" ideas listed above first. |
| Prospective buyers make up their minds about your | | | | If those still don't work, but you notice the feedback |
| house even before they get outof the car. | | | | is more positive, you may want tothen consider hiring |
| This is your chance to WOW them. Clean up the | | | | a home staging professional. |
| yard; rake the leaves and sweepdriveways and | | | | From all indications, and I can tell you first-hand, the |
| porches. | | | | price of staging your home is smallcompared to the |
| Get out the rags and cleanser and spend 30 minutes | | | | benefits you can realize. |
| scouring your front door,porch, railings and steps. | | | | |