First Impressions: Get Instant Curb Appeal With These 10 Must-Dos

By Christine Rae, Staging Expert

The Internet is the first source for viewing a property for most buyers, even before talking to a real estate professional. That means curb appeal is important because they are “driving by” the listing, and you don’t know it.

Here are 10 things to consider when assessing the curb appeal of your listing:

1. Pressure wash siding, decks, and walkways.

2. Clean windows and gutters, and check downspouts.

3. Check the growth of trees and bushes–ensure they don’t block light from any window.

4. Kill any mold or mildew around the property. Read more

Room Makeovers: What Could You Do in 2 Hours With $250?

Three real estate pros accepted REALTOR® Magazine’s staging challenge: They had 2 hours to transform one room for under $250. They tackled a home office, living room, and master bedroom. See how they transformed these rooms by being budget savvy and smart with their accessories and placement of furniture. Get ideas for your listings!

Bathroom Update: Maximum Impact on a Minimal ($71) Budget

By Charlene Storozuk

Let me start out by telling you that our home was the recipient of this quick and easy facelift.  My husband and I bought our home as a fixer-upper. It’s taking longer than expected to finish because little things such as life, time, and money seem to get in the way. When it came time to update the bathroom, we had a decision to make. Do we totally renovate it, or spend the money on a new patio instead?

Since both of us love the outdoors, the patio won out. Here’s what I’ve done with the bathroom temporarily and something you can pass along as an inexpensive fix for those selling their homes.

You’ll see that the cupboards looked tired and were starting to peel. The previous home owner painted them before listing, but he either didn’t clean them thoroughly, or he used the wrong paint. Read more

Picture It: Create a Character to Guide Your Design

By Mary Cook, Mary Cook & Associates

Now more than ever, model homes are key sales tools for developers. In the current housing market crisis, people are weighing every factor in their decision on buying a home.

Beyond the typical questions on the quality of the finishes, school districts, and mortgage rates, those who are looking to spend their life savings on a place are looking for deeper psychological reasons to sign on the dotted line.

Does this home speak to me? Can I imagine my lifestyle being a fit here?

That’s why my firm spends so much time getting to know the prospective audience for which we design model homes. We design for specific people, often taking the time to create fictitious characters such as “John the Wall Streeter,” who lets his girlfriend decorate his place. Read more

Should Real Estate Pros and Stagers Join Forces?

By Erica Christoffer

In an effort to form a more perfect union between real estate practitioners, home stagers, and sellers, Matt Stigliano with RE/MAX Access in San Antonio is proposing a new business model. In his ActiveRain blog post, he suggests that practitioners and stagers pair up and charge a joint commission rate to offer their combined services to a seller.

This partnership, Stigliano says, would alleviate seller apprehension about paying for staging costs upfront. The commission would be higher, but it could be approached as a “no money down” option to have a team of professionals working to sell the home.

“The commission is a risk-based pay structure,” Stigliano says. “Maybe with a commission, the stagers would be willing to take that risk.”

The stager would be present at the listing presentation to share their ideas for the home. Instead of staging being a one-time service, having a commission may motivate a staging pro to come back and check on the home – even modify their initial decor ideas until the house is sold.

“It would create a team between the agent, stager, and seller,” Stigliano said. “Sellers like the idea [of staging], and they know it helps – maybe this is the trick to getting them over the cost hump.”

Stigliano has yet to try this business model himself, but says he would if he found a stager who is willing.

“It’s frustrating to me because I have homes I would love to have staged, but the sellers don’t have the cash,” says Stigliano.

In less than 24 hours, Stigliano had nearly 100 comments on his blog post, with opinions varying greatly on the topic. Even if his idea doesn’t come to fruition, Stigliano says it’s worth getting people talking and thinking of ideas outside the box.

Being a Real Estate Pro Today is Like Working in the Obama Administration

By Christine Rae

Being an entrepreneur, home owner, wife, grandmother, etc., I barely have time to watch TV these days and when I do, I seem to hit the news. My own philosophy about keeping a positive mindset is to avoid the news like the plague. On those odd times I have not listened to my own advice I heard a review of President Obama’s first 100 days in office; and lately his second 100 days.

Boy, everyone loves to gripe–expecting miracles without lifting a finger!

So why is being a real estate agent like the Obama administration?

It seems to me that as a real estate professional you have to run an election to get the listing and work your tail off in the first 100 days to get the word out. No one is helping, they are just watching.

By that I mean sellers are not always willing to pitch in and help; they prefer the wait and see, the “prove to me” theory that 2007 pricing will not come back. They are, of course, in denial about their present financial situation, they don’t expect to be inconvenienced during the time the house is on the market (i.e. they want to have lots of notice for visits, expect offers to be flooding in, don’t want a sign on the lawn like everyone else, and they “heard” open houses don’t work).

After the first 100 days, they review your performance find you sadly lacking and then issue edicts like “if you don’t pick up the pace we will have to list with someone else!” Their loyalty and confidence in you starts to dwindle.

Read more

Is Virtual Staging Deceiving?

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

A recent article from The San Francisco Chronicle (”Virtual Staging Sparks Sales of Vacant Homes” by Judy Richter) took a look at the growing trend of real estate professionals using virtual staging to move listings.

Virtual staging is where you take an empty room and then digitally enhance it with furniture to make the space more inviting. For example, a stager may digitally add some artwork, chairs, tables, and other items to liven up a vacant space, allowing buyers to see the potential of the home. The enhanced photos may then be used on the sales practitioner’s flyers, Web site, MLS and in advertisements for the listing.

But some are beginning to question whether the altered photos may deceive buyers.

Virtual staging can work in driving more buyer traffic. Many practitioners report an increase in buyer traffic after virtual staging photos are posted than if they just posted photos on the Web of the vacant rooms in the house.

Some in the business are attracted to virtual staging, particularly now, because of the huge cost savings of staging on the Web rather than paying for actual physical staging. For example, some real estate practitioners say they have saved thousands of dollars in staging costs by opting for virtual over physical staging.

But are these altered photos accurate renderings of the space? Or are they misrepresenting the property by sprucing them up digitally?

Real estate practitioner Kirk Lebowe, owner-broker of PreVue Properties in Los Angeles County, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he views virtual staging as a great way give buyers decorating ideas. Plus, he said, it’s not like you’re selling the home with the furniture.

What do you think? Do you think virtual staging is deceiving?

A Home’s Intended Purpose: Does Your Home Pass the Test?

By Charlene Storozuk

Before a property goes on the market, it’s important that every room be showcased in a way that portrays its intended purpose. If not, potential buyers can become confused as to the function of the space.  Take a look at the room in the photo below.

For the current home owner, this room functioned as a flow-over storage area for excess furniture.  Want to hazard a guess at what the builder intended this room to be?

You’re probably thinking that it’s a family room, aren’t you? That would be a pretty good guess.

At first walk-through of this property, I thought it was a family room as well.  After all, there was a couch, love seat, and end tables in there.

Here’s a hint: Do you see the chandelier hanging from the ceiling?

Read more

8 Room Makeovers From Staging Pros

Check out several before and after room makeovers from staging professionals across the country. In May, we featured popular room makeovers from real estate professionals. Now, it’s the stagers turn!

They show us how they turned a home’s eyesore into a room that buyers will love. See what they did to transform these less-than-perfect rooms, and get ideas for your own listing!

600 Square Feet to Transform: A Challenging ‘Railroad’ Condo Unit

By Martin R. Delossantos

Before Christmas, a prominent developer contacted me to stage her model unit.  She was thrilled that her building was finally over the long, tedious hump-that is, the zoning board for permits and inspections.  Now she was ready to sell some condos!

I met with her contractor to see the unit and devise a design.  My first impression of the unit was how narrow the place was.  I was told it was 605-square-feet and is known as a unit called a “railroad.” It’s called that because the rooms run through each other on a straight line.

These type of apartments were popular during the turn of the century because they provided a solution to urban overcrowding.  Two of these units fit side-by-side on each floor with a hallway and staircase.

This particular building had a good layout and with a good décor hopefully it could generate interest so we could get these units sold. But, in general, railroad apartments are not in high demand due to the obvious flaw … NO privacy!

The Transformation

Best features: The positive points were the sunny exposure.  A great Hoboken location and being able to walk to the Path station, restaurants, and bars in just short minutes.  Read more

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