Staging a home is like....

Often agents want to stage their vendor’s home but they face obstacles in ‘selling’ our services. Vendors don’t always understand that staged homes show better, look better on line and in ads and leave a better overall first impression on the potential buyers.

Here are 3 of my favourite analogies.

#1. A well-known stager in the US uses this one:

Have you ever bought a piece of Tiffany jewellery? Did you keep the beautiful and well-recognized blue bag? Staging is like the Tiffany wrapping for your home.

#2. This is the one Maddy uses all the time:

Would you go to a job interview in your pajamas? No. You would dress to impress. Staging is like dressing to impress for your home.

#3.Here is a great analogy that an agent recently told me he uses.  (Thanks KC!)

If you were selling your used car, wouldn’t you wash and wax it, vacuum the interior, touch up the paint where needed, perhaps replace the hubcaps and put a nice air freshener in it. Staging is the same concept for your home.

 

We often use these when explaining why we are asking a home owner to remove something or clean a closet out, or why our accessories are more appropriate than theirs. We use the one we feel the client will relate to – I like the Tiffany bag one.

Keep checking back to this blog, Maddy is working on some industry infographics and I am working on a list of Professional Staging VS DIY. I can think of some great stories here!

How the heck does the furniture rental process work?

 

How does this process work? What’s involved? Who pays?

Most homeowners have never been involved with furniture rentals and even many seasoned agents have never dealt with it.

When we talk about renting furniture we usually mean the larger items such as sofas and chairs, dining sets, large carpets, bistro sets, beds etc.

At Regroup we will work with what a homeowner has whenever we can.

This means furniture rental can involve complete rooms or partial rooms or just one impactful piece.

Here how it works.

First, we come to the property to do a consult or a needs assessment. We also discuss budget and this is when we create a vision for the space and target market.

Next we do all the work  -including receiving the furniture at the home, furniture configuration and even once the home is sold we make arrangements for pick up.

The rental is based on a one-month period and must be paid for before delivery by the client (homeowner or agent). If an extension is required most rental companies charge either 20% less for the second month or will pro-rate. 

There you have it - the mystery of renting furniture is solved!

$500K Lifestyle..... $1Mil+ price tag

I recently went to 2 consultations where the vendors were getting ready to list their home in the $1.5 – 2.5 mil. Today in the GTA, it is not uncommon. We are often in homes at this price point doing consults and styling.

Both homes were tastefully decorated, well kept, and clean. They showed an acceptable level of pride of ownership. They both still needed a few touch ups and one needed some painting but basically the owners felt they were almost ready to list. And they were. But…..neither home fit my ‘vision’ of what a home with a $1,000,000.00+ price tag would be. The Lifestyle wasn’t a million dollar Lifestyle. (See all those zeros – that’s alotta moolah!)

The decor looked very similar to what was in a $700K home around the corner and not too far off from a nicely staged home in the $400K range.

Several pictures were very dated and not overly expensive, furniture was nice but not even one piece was outstanding, bedding was Ok but didn’t look or feel exceptional and certainly not luxurious. Washrooms were large but no different than the homes for much less money. What was missing?

Where’s the caliber of WOW factor ??

This is what we call a $500K lifestyle in a $ million +  home syndrome.

Sellers have found themselves with homes in the over $1 mil range but their Lifestyle doesn’t show it or in most cases allow for it. But keep this in mind…

the purchasers in this bracket need to visualize themselves in the home – they are buying a Lifestyle, not just a house. And they have to spend a lot of money to get the lifestyle. Vendors have to set the stage. 

We have seen homes in the $1.6 mil range sit for months, then be properly styled and sell for asking or above.

So….some wall art should be gallery style, unique, limited edition or original, the master bedroom should feel like a retreat and the washrooms need some luxury. Living, dining and family room furniture that is slightly outdated or low end should be replaced with items that fit the home listing price tag lifestyle. 
Renting appropriate furniture and impactfull wall art is a perfect solution for the $500K lifestyle in a $1,000.000.00 + home syndrome.

My favourite customer service mantra: S.A.V.E.

This week’s Blog is a departure from property styling, staging, design, décor and preparing to sell in general.

It involves something that as services dealing with the public we need to deal with. Something that is hard to find and seems to be disappearing and at times non- existent:

Good customer service.

I read the following several years ago, (2009) in the NY Times blog of Jay Goltz.

It is timely, insightful and helps us turn negative situations into positive customer experiences.

Just thought I’d share!

How to S.A.V.E. Customer Service

By Jay Goltz

Sympathize. “I can understand why you are upset,” or, “yes, I can see the problem,” or, “I am so sorry that we have put you through this” will go a long way to calming most people.

Act. “I am going to talk to the person who does our scheduling,” or, “I am going to go back to production to take care of this myself,” or 100 other things you can say that will solve the problem.

Vindicate. It’s important to let the customer know that this isn’t business as usual. In my custom-framing business, if we frame something improperly we say, “We have a quality control inspector in addition to your sales consultant who checked over your order. They usually catch things like this. Obviously they dropped the ball. I’m really embarrassed. This kind of performance did not get us where we are. Again, I’m really sorry.”

Eat something. Customers did not give you money to get bad service. Many times it is appropriate to give them something. A restaurant might offer a free dessert, another company could offer free delivery or a discount. It costs a lot to find a new customer; it is certainly worth something to keep an existing one.

13 for 2013: Thirteen ‘Styling to Sell’ Tips

Staging has become a standard procedure for many realtors and vendors and most people understand that colours should be neutral, the home should be impeccably clean and most need to be de-cluttered to some degree. So here are 13 Tips that take into consideration that you already know the basics of preparing a home to sell, but need a few next level  ideas to gain a competitive advantage to sell fast and sell for more.

1.    Use low VOC new carpets and paint wherever possible.

2.    Show rooms with their intended purpose

3.    Paint tiles – outdated tiles in kitchens and washrooms can be painted. Sherwin Williams has a full solution that comes in all colours. This is much cheaper and easier than replacing outdated tiles – not recommended for floors.

4.    Bring in a stager BEFORE you paint, purchase a big-ticket item, renovate or purge

5.    A home should be styled and staged to be reflective of the price point and lifestyle

6.    Don’t “over stage”

7.    Don’t go too far with depersonalizing

8.    Empty home/condo ? – at least stage main living areas

9.    Update fireplace  - many 25 + yr homes have real eyesores. An updated fireplace can transform a room.

10. Kitchens & bathrooms still sell homes with an ROI of 75% – 100 %

(Appraisal Institute of Canada) for renovations/updates

11. Staging sells: ROI of 196% - 500%+ (various sources)

12. Get a consult /check list as a starting point

13. See what our Advanced Lifestyle Staging techniques can do!

If you have questions about these tips or other staging challenges please call me - 416 277 3282 or email me

How to Benefit from Christmas Decorations

Having a home for sale over the Christmas season can be challenging for both the vendor and the agents involved. Schedules are busier, there are more social get-togethers, and other stressors such as financial demands are running high.

Many people bring out an abundance of decorations collected over years or even generations. This means boxes come out of storage and that clutter-free minimalist or elegant look that we worked so hard to achieve starts to disappear.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas but the majority of buyers expect to see some Christmas decorations in homes they are viewing.

It is also a very emotional time for some and sentimental time for most.

You can benefit from these sentiments by creating a warm glowing seasonal environment that prospective buyers will want – think Christmas card cozy…not a Hoarders TV Christmas special.

Help prospective buyers envision themselves in your vendor’s home.

Here are 4 tips of what to avoid.

1.    Too many outdoor Christmas lights

2.    Too many interior decorations

3.    Inflatable outdoor characters

4.    Too many Christmas presents

When your house is for sale less really is more.

So Deck the Halls…but in moderation

Here are 2 more pictures that I had to include :)

If you have some please send them to me - I love this stuff!

Check out the whisk in the tree and the utensils in the garland!

This midtown home has Christmas decor mixed with swans and summer planters...

Don't forget to turn the lights ON

With the shorter days here again it's time to look at lighting throughout the house. I decided to rerun the original blog from last Feb as a reminder of the different lighting Dos and Don'ts.

Last week I was at a client's house to give a consultation. They were getting ready to sell. The house was in nice shape and I could see right away the pride of ownership.
After my initial walk through I had an average size 'To Do' List for these vendors - minor repairs, a little furniture reconfiguration and some sprucing up. One thing topped the list: LIGHTING.
Several rooms were really dim.These rooms had shadows, seemed smaller and had an overall gloomy feel. The vendors had been living in these dimly lit rooms for so long they didn't notice anymore. Their furniture was stylish and accessories were contemporary but the poor lighting affected the whole ambiance of the house.
Look at your lighting from a visitor's perspective. 
Remember to make the most of natural light then add accent lighting and task lighting.
Update light fixtures and lamps.
Use maximum allowed wattage in overhead lights - especially small hallways.
If there is no overhead light in a room, use a floor lamp with maximum wattage and ideally more than one bulb.The bulbs should face downward and out - not straight up.
Leave bedside lamps on for showings and photos
Now this is extremely important....be sure to leave lights on in front walkways, verandahs, front porch, etc.
A soft lamp or light that can be seen in a front window or two gives the house a warm welcoming glow.
Proper lighting is an economical way to improve the look and feel of a home when selling.
You can make a hohum regular room seem spectacular for a relatively low investment.