Wow, it has been a busy spring! I hope everyone has been able to capture the increase in activity over the last several weeks. I know the properties we have staged have been selling like proverbial “hot cakes.”
Our oldest property, in terms of days on market, just sold. Even though it took 3 months, our average DOM held steady at 23 for all of 2009, thanks to several recent properties selling in less than a week.
Staging is not as glamorous as the HGTV shows make it out to be. While I love the quick sales of our staged properties, it can mess with your mind a bit when you spend so much time making a home beautiful, then go undo it 30 days later. But, hey, Preferred Staging is here to help you sell homes, so we are happy that we contribute to a great result of a quick sale.
Recently, I was asked to do a consultation for a townhouse in Reston that sits right on a beautiful lake. The home owners are both very talented artists, and their home was their personal art gallery. The paint colors were bold and bright, and there was an eclectic but successful mix of contemporary and traditional furniture and art.
The owners loved their house; it was truly a reflection of all they loved. Unfortunately, the interior is what I call “style specific”, meaning that the decorating was specifically their style and would not appeal to a broader target pool of buyers.
Luckily, virtually all the work to be done was cosmetic, so the staging consultation also included a color consultation. The owners had done as I had suggested in the consultation – both painting and staging – and I was called back a week or so ago to take my after photos.
All I could say was WOW! The transformation was fabulous! The full listing is here and before and afters here.
Another recent townhome, this one in the Ballston area of Arlington, Virginia was great to stage. They key feature in this home was a great fireplace surrounded by built-ins. There was no question what the focal point of the home was.
Since the fireplace was dominant and protrudes into the room slightly, we staged with lighter furniture so as not to compete with the weight of the focal point.
The rest of the before and afters can be found on our web sight. Please have a happy, safe and productive (if you are working) or non-productive (if you are resting) Memorial Day weekend.
So, how many times in your life has someone told you there is “no free lunch” or ”you get what you pay for”? Well, we all know the most important things in life are invaluable, but everything else has a price tag.
Staging is no different, the most important thing that we provide our clients is peace of mind that they are doing everything possible to sell their property. You cannot place a value on that.
What you can place a value upon is success. Our average days on the market fell to 20 this week with the sale of one of our most recent stagings in just 10 days. Now, we do not take anything away from the real estate pros we work with, they deserve all the credit for moving these properties – they are the best!
Preferred Staging’s job is to provide the backdrop for an aggressive marketing effort. It is very difficult to market a vacant home, or an occupied that just does not show well. All the eloquent wording of fliers, the online listings, the broker’s opens, and open houses cannot overcome a home that does not show well. That’s where we come in.
80% of the homes we have staged this year are under contract, and those homes sold in an average of just 20 days, that’s a full 60 days less than the average in Arlington so far this year. That is 2 fewer mortgage payments home owners have to make, on average. It is also less marketing time and expense for you.
Home staging may be a new concept for many home owners, but the numbers tell a very effective story that it is the way to go to sell quickly.
Preferred Staging is offering its agent partners and friends in the Washington DC area an opportunity to co-brand a uniquehome preparation guide. This easy to read guide will become a centerpiece of your farming activities and listing presentations. Differentiate yourself from other agents by including a custom home preparation guide, specifically developed for today’s market.
Take a look at theguideandlet us knowif you would like to your own version to distribute to your clients and prospects. There is no charge or obligation – the guide is Preferred Staging’s way of helping you set yourself apart, just as our staging projects set homes apart from the competition.
We just finished staging this awesome townhouse in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. I will post the before and afters tomorrow, but we just finished editing the video, so I thought I would get that up right away.
This home already has some interest, with one offer on the table, just days after staging.
I had hoped to make this a longer series, but that will have to wait until next year.
Preferred Staging has been surprisingly busy these last several weeks. A couple stagings, but lots of bid work. My guess is that people are getting ready for January in hopes that buyers will return to the market, lured by the much lower interest rates. I certainly hope so!
Since it is now December 15, most people have completed their decorating. Putting together several more parts of this series, I believe, will not help too many more people.
We will start to blog about some topic relevant to the Washington DC area soon. Until then, Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas!
We are almost done with the outside of the home in our special Holiday Staging series for homes for sale in Northern Virginia, Washington DC and suburban Maryland. I can’t wait to get inside, it is cold out here! Please see yesterday’s post, which lists the other blogs in the series so far.
In our last blog, we wrote about our favorite way to use holiday lighting when a home is on the market – using flood lights works wonders to showcase a home. However, if the idea of having a light shining in on your home several hours a night is not your idea of a good time, traditional outdoor mini-lights are a good alternative. We do like to follow some guidelines, however.
First, stay with white non-flashing lights. Home staging, at its core, is about neutralizing a home to appeal to as many buyers as possible. I know this may sound boring, but white always-on lights are classic. They never go out of style and they appeal to the widest audience.
Second, use lights prudently along the front landscaping and trim of the home. Too many lights become an attraction in themselves. They also become work for the potential buyer who may be thinking that they are not going to be able to live up to your standard when they own the home.
Third, add lights in the windows. Single candle type lights will draw a buyers eye around the home, making the home appear larger than it otherwise would in the dark.
Lastly, if you have a Christmas tree, place it next to a front window, if possible. There is something very appealing about seeing the lights of a decorated tree through a window. To many people, a tree visible through a window evokes a very warm welcoming feeling – exactly how you want a potential buyer to think about your home!
Now that we have taken care of the lights, we can move inside and warm up! Brrr; and it is not even Thanksgiving yet. Until next time…
OK, so now we move to the topic of holiday lighting. If you have just joined us, this is Part 4 in a series of holiday decoration articles specifically written for homes for sale in the Washington DC, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland markets. If you live here, you’ve come to the right place. If you don’t, well, you are welcome too!
This is Part 4: Lighting the Way to Your Home Sale (cute, huh!).
OK, so we have created a focal point to the home with an attractive seasonal (rather than holiday) wreath hanging on the front door. During the day, that is all I recommend. Any other visible decorations serve as a distraction. At night, however, we need something more.
When your home is for sale, the lighting I recommend is a spot or flood light illuminating the home. Look at it this way, it gets dark around 6pm during the short days of winter. If a buyer wants to drive by a home after they get off of work, or better, they are testing the commute to your home (that’s a great buying sign!), you want the buyer to be able to see the home! If all they can see is a dark shadow sitting back from the road, what type of impression will that leave?
Sure there are exceptions to this recommendation…if you live where a spot light will annoy your neighbors, or the home is well illuminated with street lighting and a spotlight would be washed out you may want to go another route…tomorrow, we discuss tasteful holiday lights.
Yesterday, we started with at the wreath, and I encouraged everyone to put a wreath on their front door – even if it is just a seasonal wreath (if Christmas is not celebrated in the home). Wreaths add an important element of curb appeal in an otherwise dreary winter landscape. Wreaths create a focal point that draws the buyer’s eye to the door, welcoming them in the home. Lastly, wreaths create a transition between the outside and the inside. You get a jump on a great first impression with an attractive wreath.
OK, for those of you who like to put out lawn decorations for the holidays, I have one word for you – DON’T. If your home is for sale, the last thing you want a buyer to see as they approach your home is something foreign in the lawn.
I know that many home owners have attachments to their special lawn ornaments. I appreciate that the holiday may seem a little empty with out the traditional display. When you home is for sale, you need to think about the purchaser, not yourself.
When a buyer approaches a home, any lawn decorations will be a distraction. The buyer’s eyes will be fixed on the object on the lawn, not the home behind it. If they cannot figure out what the decoration is (such as a deflated blow-up Santa, or a straw deer that is lit at night), they will spend more energy trying to guess. Guessing leads to uncertainty and distraction.
This recommendation holds true no matter where your home is: Northern Virginia, Washington DC or Maryland.
Tomorrow, we will talk about tasteful light displays.
Let’s start our exploration of holiday decorating for homes on the market with wreaths. We will keep in mind our three different customer segments (Northern, Urban and Southern – see yesterday’s post). I like to start with the wreath because it is the last thing that potential buyers will see before they step into the home – so it sets the stage. The wreath also acts as a centerpiece for lawn decorations and curb appeal.
Before we start, let me say that I know many people do not celebrate Christmas. I do not expect my clients to decorate their homes in a manner which is inconsistent with their personal beliefs. What I seek in those situations are elements of holidays which have been secularized. Wreaths are a perfect example. Many people maintain wreaths all year long, rotating them to match the seasons. Wreaths are no longer Christmas symbols.
Select a wreath that you will feel comfortable leaving up beyond the holidays, or replace your holiday wreath with a seasonal wreath after the holidays. A wreath adds a bit of warmth and color to an otherwise bare exterior during the winter.
In Maryland, I would suggest a wreath that is simple, classic and evergreen.
For Washington DC (and other urban areas), I would suggest something a little more modern. Find something edgy, but non-offensive. This square wreath does the trick.
In Northern Virginia, where we are leaning towards the south. We suggest adding some color to the wreath. This Williams Sonoma wreath is a great example:
Lastly, when a home is for sale, I do not recommend hanging wreaths from every window in the house. This may be very attractive and really brings out the spirit of the season, but home staging is about neutralizing and showcasing the home. Wreaths in every window will draw the buyer’s attention away from the home and to your decorations. It may also convey a sense of exterior clutter that we do not want buyers to experience before they enter the home.
