Top 5 Staging Tips on FSBO Radio

This morning I had the pleasure of being a guest speaker on FSBO Radio (For Sale By Owner Radio) and shared my top 5 staging tips with the audience. You can listen to a recording of the show, above. Here they are for you to read:

1. Curb Appeal

You need to get potential buyers into your house, so make the outside inviting. Many buyers will do a “drive by” to determine if they even want to go in. Make it appear well maintained by freshening up the paint, power washing the front porch and taking care of your lawn and garden. Make your house numbers visible. Give them a polish or a coat of paint, or put some up if yours have fallen off. Ensure pathways are clear, including removing childrens’ toys, but also, depending upon the season clearing ice and snow or leaves. Give the front of your house some colour with flowers. If the time of year is not quite right for this, some planters with seasonal greens can brighten the front of your home.

2. Space

Remember you are selling the space in your home….every inch of it. So make sure the buyers can sit it and understand it. Clear out unnecessary clutter, and extra furniture. Donate unwanted items or sell them on Kijiji or Craiglist, have a garage sale, or take them to a consignment store. Pack and store items, but do not store them in your closets, basement or garage, because these are spaces you are selling also. Rent a storage locker or use a relative’s garage.

3. Fix-it

Get that to-do list completed. All of those little things that you have been meaning to do to maintain your home should be taken care of. This includes installing  trim, patching a hole, fixing a door knob, making sure the cabinet doors open and close, doors work, lighting functions, etc, etc, etc. If you cannot handle it yourself hire a professional handyman. They can do things much faster than you can and are not very expensive, especially if you pay cash. Fixing all of these items will make your home appear well maintained, and buyers won’t be making a mental checklist of all the things they have to do, and will have to pay for. This can affect the offers on your home. People want to buy homes that are move-in ready.

4. Clean, clean, clean

There is nothing more disgusting that someone else’s dirt. Make sure your house sparkles, especially in the bathroom and kitchen. Clean is not just a look, but also a smell. Use your nose to determine if your house is clean. It may not smell clean if you have pets or mould. Steam clean carpets, open the windows and if that doesn’t work, a fresh coat of paint does wonders for the smell of your home. If you don’t want to clean or perhaps your idea of clean is not clean enough, hire a cleaning service to do a good thorough clean of your house before it goes on the market.

5. Design

This is the most difficult piece for some home sellers, although some have the knack for design naturally. Make sure there is a focal point in each room….something your eye is naturally drawn to. Some rooms have natural focal points like a beautiful fireplace, or picture window with a great view. In other rooms you need to create a focal point with furniture placement and art. Keep traffic flow in mind when arranging your furniture. Make it easy for buyers to move through the rooms and make them feel spacious or cozy, depending on the room. Use colour to create warmth and evoke an emotional response from buyers. Neutral colours on the walls and colour in your decor is the best way to go.

If you do not know how to start preparing your home for sale or if you find the job a daunting task, call Katherine to help you devise a plan to prepare your home. The plan will help reduce stress because it will take your timeline, budget and skill set into consideration, and Katherine can help you find professionals to help, she can help, or can manage the entire process for you. Contact Katherine of Set Sale and Go Home Staging for your staging consultation.

Got Wood?

Wood can give character and warmth to your home, but it can also date it. It can be difficult to know the difference, especially when you have been living with it for a long time. Many people are very attached to the wood in their home and the thought of painting it makes them shudder, but sometimes that is all that is necessary to bring your home into the current decade. Paint is a lot cheaper than new cabinetry, or ripping out walls. Let me give you some ideas about when you might want to paint it and when you might be able to leave it alone and perhaps change something else that will make the wood look better.

Oak Cabinets – Pickled or Golden

Pickled oak or golden oak were very popular choices for those of you who have it, it’s not so trendy anymore. Since kitchens and bathrooms typically sell the house, you will need to do something about the oak, and you are not likely wanting to invest in new cabinets right before you move. Sometimes just changing the other decor around the oak, makes it seem less prominent. In the picture shown here, brass knobs were replace by dark bronze and a new backsplash and counter were installed. Suddenly the cabinets look pretty good.

Sometimes painting is the best thing to do. If you cannot afford to change what is around the cabinets, then painting just might be your best option for updating. Give cabinets a good clean with TSP and a light sanding. Prime with a high quality primer and lay on the paint. I would still upgrade the hardware if you can. Sometimes just spray painting the old hardware black or silver will do the trick as well.

Another option, although more work, is re-staining in a more current shade. This does require stripping, so the amount of effort you want to put into it may determine whether paint or stain is the way for you to go.

This picture shows a bathroom that had dark oak cabinetry with dated hardware. Unfortunately, the dusty rose tile floor and other decor was not going to draw your eye away from the cabinets. A paint colour was chosen that made all of the other bathroom colours work and it definitely freshened up the cabinets. The second bathroom was similarly dated, with stenciling everywhere and oak paneled cabinetry and even an oak paneled bathtub. Paint makes it look updated and fresh.

That 70’s Paneling

I think everyone has seen this horrendous misrepresentation of wood that was used in the 70’s. You can remove it if you like, but what lurks beneath? Some renovations were often quickly and easily completed by only using only paneling. This means, if you remove it, you are going to have to drywall. If there is drywall beneath, how damaged is it going to be when you remove the paneling?

If you have this stuff, my answer is to always paint it. Fill any nail holes. Caulk the seams between the sheets. Give it a good clean and primer and then paint away in a neutral colour. The vertical strips may not even be noticed, or they might be useful in a new decorating scheme. See the picture below, and notice that you can not even tell that there is painted paneling on either side of the fireplace.

Do be careful. Some very cheap paneling is not wood, but is only a picture of wood on paper, adhered to a backing. It is advisable to use an oil-based primer over this type of paneling to seal it. You can still paint latex paint over the oil primer. Using latex directly on top of the cheap paneling, may cause the paper layer to bubble or peel.

Another popular type of paneling from  the 70’s is tongue and groove pine or cedar, often installed on the diagonal. Similar to the above mentioned paneling, this was often installed straight over studs, but it may have been installed over walls that were in poor condition. Again, instead of removing it, you can neutralize it by giving it a good clean, a light sand, primer and paint. While it probably stood out as a focal wall in the beginning, painting it out the same colour as the rest of the room, often is enough to make it disappear

Unless you want to highlight the grooves in either of these types of paneling to enhance a cottagey theme, I suggest going for flatter paints. I will reduce the visibility of texture and grooves. If you need to want to get rid of the grooves completely, you can drywall, or do a skim coat of plaster over the paneling. See the Before and After below:

Painting out the Woodwork or Painting Some

Sometimes there is just TOO much wood. Some people believe that it is not possible to have too much, but I disagree. If it seems there is so much wood that it is no longer a feature, or if there are too many different types or colours of wood going on, I suggest painting at least some of it. If you have built-in wood cabinetry, and shelving and mantel and floor and trim and baseboards, it may just be too much or perhaps too dark, depending on the stain. You may want to think about just painting out the trim and baseboards, or just painting out the mantel. This may let the other wood features really stand out and become a feature in the home. White is usually my preference, but don’t pick the standard “trim white” paint. It is often to stark and cold. Select a white that has some warmth to it and then be consistent in this colour throughout the house.

Wood Floors

If you have wood floors, I would always suggest you leave them as-is, unless they are in very bad shape. Sometimes a strategically placed area rug can help draw attention away from a worn floor, but sometimes there is no hope. If you cannot afford to refinish the floor, or if there is not enough hardwood left to refinish, painting is an option. Get advice about the best type of paint to use and make sure you give it time to cure before putting rugs or furniture on it. If you have some worn areas or scratches, stain pens, or floor restoring products can be used to make parts of the floor look better.

If you are in Oakville, Hamilton, Burlington, Mississauga or some surrounding areas and would like some advice about painting wood or staging your home for sale, contact Katherine James of Set Sale and Go Home Staging.

Sell Your House in One Day! Really??

Sell Your House in One Day!! Can it really be done?? Yes it can, and you can pick the day. It is not a guarantee, but it is a goal, and it can be achieved.

Why would you want to Sell Your House in One Day?

Unless your house always looks its best, it is likely that you have to put some work into it. And your best, doesn’t mean its best. When selling you must present your house as a product that many potential buyers will like……and not just like…..LOVE! And hopefully feel the need to buy. Depending on the current condition of your home, and whether or not you have kids or pets or both, it may be difficult to get your house in this condition and especially difficult to keep it in that picture perfect state.

Wouldn’t it be nice to put in the effort to get your house in show home shape just once and then have it SOLD? That is the goal.

What You Need

1. A Top Notch Real Estate Agent

You need a real estate agent who is willing to work with you throughout the process and do the right thing at the right time. Some really great agents will even set the pace of the process and help you with everything you need, including a stager and a handyman.

Some agents are just too eager to get the listing and will not do anything until you are listed, but you need to hold off on the listing and the pricing until the house is READY. One solution to put an agent’s mind at ease is to sign an exclusive listing, which means that no one outside of the agent’s own office will be able to see that the house is listed. Then do a public listing, on MLS, when the house is ready to sell.

2. Check Out the Competition

See what you’re up against and make sure your house shows as well or better and is competitively priced. Your agent can take you through other houses for sale in your neighbourhood to help you determine the condition of your competitions’ houses. This is also a good way to get an idea of just how much work you do or do not need to do.

3. Set the Stage

Pick your target date, the date of your open house, which will give you your timeline. Determine your budget and skill set, or figure out if you need to hire some help. A good stager will help you develop the plan to prepare your house taking all of these conditions into consideration. A stager will give you a plan that you can execute yourself or they can help or do it all for you.  Your plan might be as simple as some decluttering, rearranging and a good clean, or it could be as complicated as painting, repairing, re-flooring, updating, and renting furnishings and decor, or anything in between.

Now is the time to have your real estate agent price your home. You are aware of your competition and your house looks great. It is likely to be valued higher than when you first started the process. Be aware that a competitively priced house will draw more interest and perhaps even get you multiple offers driving your sale price above your list price. Multiple offers may also get you a firm sale right out of the gate, no conditions. The highest listed price doesn’t always get you the highest sale price.

4. Pictures and Video

When your house is ready, get some good photographs taken, and perhaps even a video or virtual tour. This is particularly important now that statistics show that 85% of home buyers look at photos online to help them determine what houses they will look at in person. Do yourself a favour and make sure you are presenting your house looking its best.

Take a look at the exterior of your home from many angles to determine the best representation of your house. Take into consideration where the sun is at different times of the day and try to get the sun shining on the front of your house, not putting it in shadow. You may have to try a couple of different times of day to get it just right. If you have an amazing back yard or gardens, get photos of those as well. If you are selling in the winter, you may want to make spring, summer or fall pictures available to potential buyers to let them see how spectacular your house looks during different times of the year.

Interior room photos should be taken with a wide angle lens to get as much of the room in the picture as possible. Make sure there is something in the picture that will help the buyer determine what room they are looking at.  Photograph the key rooms in your house. Bathroom pictures are not necessary unless your bathroom is exceptional and large enough to photograph. Lighting is very important to a good picture as well. Sunlight pouring through windows during an open house might be desirable, but may not give the best picture. It is best to have a professional photographer photograph your house to ensure the pictures will do a good job of drawing buyers to your home.

5. Advertising and Marketing

Now is the time to get that listing on the MLS. Make sure your real estate agent is aware of any improvements you have made to the house, such as new hardwood floors, new windows, roof, HVAC, etc. Also note items of interest about your neighbourhood, including proximity to schools, shopping, highways, transit and parks. Make sure as much of this information as possible goes into your online public listing (MLS).

When your house is in tiptop condition, your agent should pull out all the stops and help you get the exposure you need to let the world know about this great house of yours. This means an organized and well advertised open house. You and your real estate agent can work on this together. They can use the traditional Realtor avenues and you can use Kijiji and Craigslist and any other local online resource for advertising your home and open house. Tell your neighbours or even have cards that formally invite the neighbours to come have a look. You never know where your buyers are coming from. They could be from another town or right down the street. Good directional signage on open house day is crucial as well.

SOLD!!

The idea is to get as many people through your house as possible in a short period of time. Often times potential buyers seeing other potential buyers interested in your home creates urgency, and often, if your house looks great and is priced right you may be dealing with multiple offers.Get it sold from that first open house weekend…..

…..and now you can get on with your life without worrying how your house looks. Start packing and get moving.

Is this really possible?? Yes. Katherine has done it 3 times with her own homes and also with clients homes. The key is to have the stager and

Katherine James

agent working in concert, and get the timing, pricing and look right.

Contact Katherine of Set Sale and Go Home Staging to get the process started. She can even recommend real estate agents who will work with the Sell Your House in One Day formula.

Can I be a Realtor and a Stager?

I was recently approached by someone wanting to talk about taking up a career in real estate AND home staging, and they asked me what I thought of the idea. Of course, they thought it was a great idea since the two skills sets seem to compliment each other well. They do, but not like you might think.

What you need to know, is that as a stager, I am often doing a Realtor’s dirty work. Realtors want to have a good relationship with their clients. They want client interactions to go smoothly and they want to be “liked” by the client. It is really difficult to foster and maintain a relationship like this if you have to offend your client by telling them what is wrong with their house. I am the person who Realtors bring in to deal with “the bad smell” or the “hideous decor” or the “poor housekeeping” or the “prized collection” that must be put away. I have often been able to get results that a Realtor could not, or perhaps did not even dare to ask for.

Being a professional stager, I know how to approach these topics tactfully, as not to offend the home owner. I explain that what we are doing is making the house appeal to as many potential buyers as possible, and there are some proven strategies to do just that. I tell them that I am acting as the most critical buyer that might come through their house and I help them to see what potential buyers will see in their home. I help them devise a plan to get their home into the best shape possible given the timeline, skill set and budget, and I make myself available to the clients to help with some or all of the staging. Of course the goal of all of this work is to sell the house as fast as possible for the most money possible.

Staging a home is a big commitment in time and energy and takes a very specific set of skills. While it is possible for a Realtor to have these skills, do you want your Realtor rearranging your furniture and hanging art, or do you want them to be marketing your property? I’d guess that you would want them to market your property and get it sold as soon as possible. I feel somewhat the same about Realtors who are also their own mortgage sales representative. Stick to the job you do best…..selling houses.

I think that to be a really successful Realtor, you should be a one-stop-shop for your clients, but that doesn’t mean you should do it all. It means that you should have a business relationship with a reputable stager, mortgage agent and handyman and be ready to refer to this support system whenever you need to.

If you’re a Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville or Mississauga Realtor looking to add staging as a value-added service to your clients, contact Katherine James of Set Sale and Go Home Staging.

The Art of Staging – Art and Alternatives for Your Walls

Art, or lack of art can make or break the feel of a room. Art can also be used to minimize your home’s flaws. If you have an empty wall with uneven paint, or plaster or cracks, potential buyers look at the problems. Hang a piece of art and they look at the art.

When doing my staging consultations, I have found that ART is a problem. Many people do not have art for their walls, or there are problems with the art they do have.

Here are some of the common problems I have encountered with clients’ art:

• the art is dated
• it looks cheap
• items are too small
• it is hung too high
• art is hung in the wrong places
• it does not compliment the decor of the room
• groupings are not visually pleasing

Read ahead for tips on selecting the right art, creating your own art, using other objects as art, hanging art correctly and how to create a grouping of art.

Size Does Matter

I have often found that people buy art that is too small. There is nothing wrong with small art pieces when they are hung properly, but generally, I find that my clients’ homes are missing a few nice big pieces.

Large pieces can be used over your sofa, or a large horizontal piece of furniture. They are also excellent above fireplaces or on a large blank wall. Houses that lack architectural details or natural focal points benefit from large strong pieces creating that focal point in a room.
Small pieces that are hung where large pieces should be often look lost in the space. Large pieces anchored to large pieces of furniture create instant drama in a room.

Small art should be hung on small pieces of wall, or with smaller pieces of furniture. Often, if you don’t have large art, several smaller pieces can be grouped together to make large art. The same goes for medium sized pieces. Hang 2 or more medium sized pieces together to form a large piece of art.

Where Do I Hang it?

Many people hang their art too high and you have to look UP at it.

The general rule is that the centre of the art piece should be at eye level. This means eye level to an average height person. Measure 60 to 65 inches from the floor to determine where the centre of your art should be.

There are exceptions to this rule. For example, art hung over a fireplace will generally be higher. If you have high ceilings, you may want to go on the higher side, so use the 65 inches. Art hung over the back of a sofa should be between 6 and 8 inches higher than the back of the sofa. Art hung over a horizontal piece of furniture or a table should be hung 8 to 12 inches off the top, depending on what other objects are being displayed.

When hanging a grouping, treat the grouping as a single piece of art and make sure the centre of the grouping is 60 to 65 inches from the ground.

Creating a Grouping

Grouping pieces together to give the appearance of larger art is an excellent solution to the “too small” problem.

Generally it is a good idea to group similar pieces together. For example, a group of black and white photographs, or several pieces of line artwork, or a few botanicals. This is not always necessary. You can often create unity in the grouping by using objects that are framed in a similar manner. For example, all black frames with white matting, or all silver frames, even if they are different styles.

Groups can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. If you have 3 or 4 pieces that are the exact same size, it is easy to create a grouping that will be appealing to the eye by hanging them in a row or in a square. It is more challenging when hanging pieces of different sizes and shapes.

When you have a variety of shapes and sizes, it is often helpful to lay them out on the floor where it is easy to move them around until you have a configuration that works.

Another idea is to create paper cutouts that represent the art pieces and use them on the wall to do your layout. Once you have a pleasing layout, it is easy to hang the pictures over the paper cutouts. Remove the paper when the hanging is complete.

Alternatives to Traditional Art

There are some obvious alternatives to traditional art, such as hanging mirrors, but you could also hang a grouping of mirrors of different sizes, as long as their frames are similar, to create a really interesting piece for your wall. Wall mirrors are also quite popular right now, and you can just lean them against the wall. Mirrors are particularly good to use if you have narrow spaces that you want to appear larger, or if you want to reflect light or a beautiful view.

Plate collections can make interesting art, as long as you have other art as well. Group 3 or 5 plates vertically or horizontally, or hang 9 in a square on the wall. Just make sure that if you are hanging plates that they are visually interesting against your wall colour. Do not hang cream plates on a cream or white wall. Make sure the plates you are using provide some contrast.

Iron art is also very popular right now with a wide variety of sizes and shapes being available at stores like Pier 1, Homesense or Home Depot. The nice thing about these new reproductions is that while they look like iron, they tend to be much lighter and easier to hang.

Framed photography is a great way to add art to your home. Whether the photos are yours or you cut them out of a calendar, dramatic framing with an interesting picture makes art. Even if pictures are on the small side, use frames that have large mats to make the piece more substantial. Do not use photos of you or your family if you are selling your house. Remember we want to de-personalize your home when selling.

Creating your own art is also an option. Not an artist? Not a problem. Sometimes painting an entire canvas in one colour creates enough drama in an otherwise uninteresting room. Paint 3 smaller canvasses and hang them in a row. Paint them the same colour, or different colours, or blend 2 or 3 colours together with a house painting brush….especially if you have leftover paint from painting your house. That’s a good way of getting artwork that compliments your decor. I wouldn’t suggest this type of art if your home is decorated in a very traditional manner, but more contemporary decor will work with these hand-painted canvasses.

Beautiful wallpaper or even specialty papers can look great in a frame or wrapped over a canvas. Small or large scale, these type of homemade art pieces can have a dramatic impact on a room. Buying 1 bolt of expensive wallpaper is still significantly less money than a piece of art. You can even have multiple wallpaper or paper pictures framed and hung in a row. Gorgeous!

Choosing the Right Art

Art is very personal, and everyone likes something different. If you are selecting art for you to enjoy while living in your home, choose whatever you like. However, be conscious of your selections when you are trying to sell your house. Avoid nudes, or religious art or anything that a potential buyer might find offensive.

Remembering that art is very personal, be aware that just because you love the blue ‘57 Chev lit up in pink neon, it doesn’t mean that it belongs in your living room. If you are not sure whether your art belongs in your room, ask a friend who will give you an honest opinion, or ask a professional.

People often select poster art because it is affordable. It is not always a bad option as long as it is properly framed and displayed. I have a friend who lives in a trendy downtown condo who has stunning movie posters running the length of the main hallway, and it looks good because it suits his decor and trendy urban neighbourhood. Never have posters push-pinned to the wall.

IKEA is an excellent source for inexpensive artwork, or at least inexpensive frames, but you must be careful using this type of artwork throughout your house. If your house is a half million dollar house, it is not likely that this type of art will compliment every room of your house. Higher end art should at least be used in the main living areas. When I say higher end art, I mean art that is framed and matted. It often has a more 3D effect than less expensive art.

Again, if you are unsure about art, ask a trusted friend or family member, or bring in a professional for their opinion.

Check out the Gallery on Katherine’s website to see how art has been used in her staging work.

Lessons Learned Staging My Own Home

I have to say that I felt by now I would now be an expert at preparing my house for sale since I have been running my staging business for 2+ years. Not to say that I am not an expert, but I certainly was hard on myself as a client.

I have staged my own home previously….meaning before I officially became a “stager”. In fact, that is how I got into the business. It was a recommendation from my real estate agent that I stage professionally because I obviously had a knack for it. Both of the homes he sold for me, sold for list price or more on the first day of the open house and it was largely due to how I presented the house since they were plain old subdivision houses.

Because I know what should be done, I set very high expectations for myself and my home and I was completely stressed out that I would drop dead from exhaustion before I got the house ready. I was working day after day, morning until night, to-do lists running through my mind while I should have been sleeping. Not to mention, I have a realtor husband, who I have taught far to much about staging, and I let his “this should be dones” get to me too.

Then, I ran into a friend and ex-client who unknowingly set me straight. She had just sold her house and told me how much my words helped her through the process. I spoke to her the weekend before pictures and video were taken and told her that not everything had to be perfect at that time. Pictures don’t show flaws or dirt, and you can move things out of the way and move them back afterwards if everything isn’t positioned just perfectly. It really helped her calm down and she realized she still had a whole week until the open house to finish up all the details.

I saw her at the right time. I was not treating myself like I treat my clients. With clients, I calm them down and keep them from being overwhelmed by prioritizing the to-do list and keeping their skill level, timeline and budget in mind.

Since it was just me doing all the work, and the timeframe was slim and money slimmer, I was freaking myself out. Next, I prioritized my list and had to come to grips with the fact that some things were just not going to get done, but I did the important stuff first.

I worked on the main floor and kitchen and bathrooms first. I did all the things that would show up in pictures and video in time for them to be taken and then worked on the rest in the time remaining. My 3rd floor which is really bonus space was left unfinished, but still in good shape. I hired a handyman for a day….the best $140 I have ever spent. He hung light fixtures, fixed a broken pipe, installed a range hood and a lock and a bunch of other stuff I could have done…..if there were time. He did it much faster, and all I had left to do was a little painting and cleaning out the basement. I hired a cleaning crew to come through my house on the Friday before the open house and then shipped the kids off to Grandma’s house.

I worked right up to the time of the open house, and it all looked pretty good. I thought it was acceptable, but the buyers LOVED IT!!

Here are some things I learned while doing my own house:

1. If there are fabulous architectural features in a home, most buyers don’t notice a scuff on the wall that drives you crazy. They are focused on all of the details of the home.

2. Bathrooms are hard to stage, especially if there are dated fixtures, but it can still make a huge difference. I love my new bathroom and wish I had made the changes while I was living here.

3. Bondo (a product used to patch car bodies) is great for patching rusted out metal doors, like my front door. Not exactly easy and a little time consuming, but not as much time or money as it would be to get a new door.

4. It is worth hiring a handyman to help with your to-do list. It really takes the pressure off, and it’s not that expensive (especially if you pay cash).

5. Light fixtures make a huge difference. Not that I didn’t know this, but the ones I decided to change really updated my home.

6. A maid service does wonders for the look of your home. They clean things that you may not think of cleaning and will clean things you don’t want to clean.

7. Some people will never be happy, and you can’t let it get to you.

And all of the hard work paid off. We had a Saturday and Sunday open house immediately after the house was listed, and by Sunday night, the house was sold firm, full list price, on our closing date. It really made it all worth while, but I don’t really want to do it again soon.

Check out Katherine’s webpage if you are interested in seeing what she can do to help you get results.