Redding Real Estate » Home Staging/Decorating

Is a Garage Sale in Your Future?

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:36:07 +0000

Well its that time of year again…driving around this weekend it appeared that there was a garage sale on every corner. If you are thinking of hosting one soon, click here to see a video on how to make sure that YOUR garage sale is the first one people will want to go to! You’ll learn about everything from advertising to “Staging” your sale and items for maximum return! Oh, and don’t forget to post it on www.craigslist.org as that is a great free place to advertise your sale!

To Home Warranty or Not???

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:55:44 +0000

TO HOME WARRANTY OR NOT?

In today’s strained economy homebuyers are looking for ways to save money when it comes to their real estate transaction. While it may seem as if purchasing a Home Warranty may be a “luxury” for your real estate purchase, it is more like insurance against many costly repairs that could be needed upon you moving into that new home. Some great things to know about a home warranty:

While not everything in your home can be covered, A home warranty is essentially a service contact that covers the repair or replacement of the most frequently occurring breakdowns of home system components and appliances. When a covered item breaks down (ie appliance, plumbing, etc.), you will call an 800 number (available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week) to initiate a service request. The company will then contact one of their local approved and insured contractors to schedule a time for that specialist to diagnose the problem. There is generally a small service call fee that you give to the contractor when they arrive to diagnose the problem (usually under $50). The contractor will then repair or replace the part and you will not have to pay for any further services related to the call unless the part is not covered by the warranty. Be sure to discuss the possible uncovered components of the broken part with the warranty company before you initiate the repair so you won’t be surprised if a component is not covered.

So…how much does a home warranty cost and who pays for it? A one-year warranty usually costs between $350.00 and $550.00 depending upon the additional coverage you may need (ie septic, well, pool, etc.) and can be renewed annually for slightly more. Should you get a home warranty? That really depends upon you. If purchasing a home that hasn’t been lived in for a while or is in need of repair, as a Realtor I say it is essential. You never know what unexpected suprises you will get upon moving in. If buying an REO or probate it is also essential as the sellers are exempt from disclosing many material facts about the property that a typical owner might know since they haven’t actually lived on the property and don’t know what works or doesn’t. What I would ask you to weigh out is whether one of the biggest purchases of your life is worth spending under $550.00 to protect it during the first year…

5 Things To Do Before Marketing Your Home

Clint & Mindy — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:21:57 +0000

5 Things to do Before Putting Your Home on the Market

1. Have a pre-sale home inspection. Be proactive by arranging for a pre-sale home inspection. An inspector will be able to give you a good indication of the trouble areas that will stand out to potential buyers, and you’ll be able to make repairs before open houses begin.

2. Organize and clean. Pare down clutter and pack up your least-used items, such as large blenders and other kitchen tools, out-of-season clothes, toys, and exercise equipment. Store items off-site or in boxes neatly arranged in the garage or basement. Clean the windows, carpets, walls, lighting fixtures, and baseboards to make the house shine.

3. Get replacement estimates. Do you have big-ticket items that are worn our or will need to be replaced soon, such your roof or carpeting? Get estimates on how much it would cost to replace them, even if you don’t plan to do it yourself. The figures will help buyers determine if they can afford the home, and will be handy when negotiations begin.

4. Find your warranties. Gather up the warranties, guarantees, and user manuals for the furnace, washer and dryer, dishwasher, and any other items that will remain with the house.

5. Spruce up the curb appeal. Pretend you’re a buyer and stand outside of your home. As you approach the front door, what is your impression of the property? Do the lawn and bushes look neatly manicured? Is the address clearly visible? Are pretty flowers or plants framing the entrance? Is the walkway free from cracks and impediments?

Not All Staging Bananas Are Ripe & Ready

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:59:14 +0000

So my home selling pets, would you like to pick a house stager but are not sure which in the bunch to hire? Plus does the fact that when you think about it, it seems like there are more and more people becoming Home Stagers almost overnight?

Well, you are right; it can be a tough to know which stager you should work with, especially since staging is still relatively new in most parts of the USA. You are also right if you noticed that there are many new bananas rapidly joining the staging bunch.

To make a wise and informed pick, you need to understand that unfortunately a “professional stager” may just be an average green Jane or Joe who just fell out of a training tree. Many are transformed into “professionals” because they sat through a one, two or three day foundation training workshop. That’s it, as little as one day, and WA LA a new staging banana with a title tacked on.

So be wise, home staging credentials that hype “trained,” “certified” or “accredited” can be a bit deceiving… especially considering that it can take as little as one day to be trained and graduated from foundation training programs. This is not to say that there are well qualified real estate stagers who have been professional trained. But remember, above everything, the ripeness of EXPERIENCE trumps all else… even “credentials.”

Unfortunately, the home staging industry is an unregulated wild bunch. Because this so… sellers are at risk, especially in this tough selling market. Actually, picking a green stager could cost you some green. So while staging looks mighty tasty, to those of you who are looking for some hope and help, don’t blindly accept the fact that a stager, with a horde of initials after their name, is experienced and fully yet knows what to do to maximize your homes staged appeal.

So how can you pick out a ripe experienced stager? Well, it is not the difficult, if you keep in mind that home staging is an “image” industry.

Considering it is a stager’s job is to create a good first visual impression of home seller’s property, then a good stager needs to do the same for themselves. A good stager knows the importance of and how to present a good visual first impression of their company and their work.

To start to weed out amateurs from the experienced, first consider looking closely at the stager’s portfolio for examples of their work. Also, make sure that you ask the stager if they ACTUALLY staged the properties they show in their portfolio… believe it or not there are some foundation training programs that give green stagers a set of “starter” portfolio photos. Finally if you have any doubts, you can always ask the stager for testimonials from past clients and/or references.

So that’s it, considering its a jungle out there, this is pretty easy. That is all you need to know and do to be a good home selling monkey and pick the ripe stager.

Staging It Forward…
Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thank you to Rich at the “The Official Active Rain Blog” for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read “The Top 10 Rides” in the 89th Carnival of Real Estate.

The A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s of Home Staging

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:59:14 +0000

I often now receive inquires about home staging, from home sellers all over the country, that typically start by asking a question such as, “Can you give me a little information on how staging works and what staging a home costs?” Since so many start their inquiry with the same question, I thought it would be helpful to answer with what I call the “A-B-C’s of Home Staging.”

A is for ABOUT home staging in general. Actually, if you are going to stage your property you need to know that it is ABOUT a 2 step process. The first step is the “prepping of the property. Prepping the house basically attends to the conditional issues that need to be repaired, cleaned and/or updated. The second step is ABOUT the “pretty visual” that people think of when they think of home staging. This step has to do with the physical setting/arranging of the furnishings and/or accessories within a house. The combined goal of the 2 steps is to create a house that shows it best and ultimately will draw the interest of the widest buying demographic possible.

B is for BASIC types of staging services. While there are 6 Basic types of staging services, it is important to note that all stagers offer all six. The services a stager offers the better it is for you. Since you actually won’t know what you will need until the stager visits for the first time, a stager that provides more service types is better equipped to guide you based on your needs and not cut short the impact of staging because of their own limitations.

The 6 BASIC staging service types are:

Consult Staging: This type of staging solely taps into a Stager’s knowledge. First focusing on the condition of a home, a Stager visits a property to meticulously instruct on all that must be done to best prep and then set the property for market.
Re-Arrange Staging: This type of services relies on both the Stager’s knowledge and their physical labor. Once a home’s conditional needs are met, a Stager arranges the property by physically setting it using only the seller’s existing furniture and decorative accessories.
Enhance Staging: Again, once conditional issues are addressed, the Stager will then set the interior space. But not only are the existing furniture and accessories used, but the Stager will bring and blend in decorative accessories and/or furniture from their inventory. These “props” are loaned or rented to the seller while the home is for sale.
Reseller Vacant Staging: When a “preowned” house is vacant, there is not much else to look at, conditional issues and concerns are amplified and ultimately fixated on by buyers. So while it is important that conditional needs be addressed, a Stager is hired to then maximize the home’s visual appeal by fully setting it with the appropriate furnishings and accessorizes.
Rehab Vacant Staging: When conditional issues throughout a older property are repaired and updated to today’s trends, a Stager is hired to then maximize the home’s visual appeal by fully setting it with the appropriate furnishings and accessorizes.
Model Vacant Staging: While conditional in new construction is not an issue, “life-styling” is. Models typically rely more on projecting a “life-styled” visual appeal then a preowned vacant. A good Stager understands and designs within a specific life-style marketing concept when furnishing, accessorizing and setting a vacant spec / model property.

C is for COST to hire a home stager. What hiring costs actually are depends on how much Talent (knowledge), Time (physical labor) and Treasure (props) a stager provides. If a seller has a limited amount to spend, then the best value a stager can provide is the Consult. For as little as $100 (in some markets) a Stager can be hired to scrutinize a property and provide professional staging advice and guidance. From there it is realistic to expect to pay anywhere from $35 to $75 per hour for a stager’s services. As for props, the fees for renting these items will vary based on just what is being rented and the length of time the items are being rented for.

Sellers are not only realizing the cost of staging will pay off, but actually ARE benefiting from making the investment. Let’s face it; if “time is money” then reduced market time is a great return on investment. So regardless of staging solution proposed, a good stager will do all they can to maximize the return on a seller’s staging budget so that the house sells… 1-2-3.

So there you have it, today’s blog lesson on the A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s of home staging.

Staging It Forward…
Me

Use FLOWER POWER to Sell Your Home

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:59:14 +0000

Before you put your home up for sale in the market, do yourself a favor and take a short walk and a quick drive.

First walk across the street and take a good hard discerning look at your property and then, after your walk, take a drive around your neighborhood and look at how your home measures up to the rest of the homes… whether they are for sale or not. The better you home looks, compared to your neighbors and the neighboring competition, the better chance you have to sell.

Buyers assume the better a home looks outside the better it will look on the inside. So while there may be specific repair maintenance issues that can and should be attended to with your home’s physical structure… don’t overlook the fact that you can fuel your home’s sale with a little FLOWER POWER.

How can you tap into the power of the flower to sell your home? Well consider the following:

Garden beds should be cleaned out, weeded and planted with plants that are appropriate for the time of year and/or region you live in. No need to be exotic… old standard annual flowering plants, like marigolds, geraniums, petunias and impatiens, are typically very hardy and will add color and appeal buyers like. Turn over the dirt or add fresh mulch. Add dirt or mulch to bare areas under large shade trees. Deadhead (remove) blooms on flowering plants once they dye.

Trees, shrubs and vines should be pruned and trimmed. If a bush or tree is dead or dying, remove it and replace it with a similar size and type of plant if at all possible. Cut out any dead wood and cut out or back tree limbs touching the home and/or roof. Overtime small shrubs can grow so large that they become large bushes that need be trimmed back or removed entirely. Remember, people buy homes that are light and bright, so any plant that keep sunlight from entering the in and block the view out should be tended to.

Lawns need to be green, mowed, weeded and trimmed. Reseed bare patches in the lawn. Make sure the edges of all flower beds are clearly defined. Trim grass along sidewalks and the driveway. Pull any weeds or sprouts of grass growing out of cracks in the drive or walkways. Weeds tend to be hardier then grass in draught conditions and therefore stand out in lawns in an unbecoming way. So if you live in an area under water restrictions, be sure to weed the lawn. Oh… and don’t forget to clean up Fido’s lawn contributions.

Decks and patios are common to most homes. But a deck or patio that is actually set with furniture and flowering planters can instantly be seen as a bonus living area. Buyers will most likely tour the inside of the home before the outside. Since the buyer will first see the deck or patio as they are inside looking out. So when setting the deck or patio, strategically consider the first visual impression from the inside looking out onto these outdoor spaces.

Finally, and most importantly, make sure the front door’s stoop/porch is blooming beautiful. As the realtor fumbles for keys, trying to figure out how to open the door, buyers are standing behind looking around with anxious, yet critical, eyes. Yes, this space should be neat and swept clean, but colorful flower filled beds and planters will add welcoming interest and visual appeal like nothing else.

Blooming gardens and well maintained lawns will never scare off a buyer. So in this time when fuel prices are at a record high and the real estate market is at a record low… remember you can always rely on flower power to sell your home.

Bloom It Sold…

5 Simple Factors That Keep Your Home From Selling

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:59:14 +0000

Believe it or not, even though the market is “bad” homes are still selling. Of course they are not selling at the rate they used to… but they are selling. So if you are trying to sell your house and find yourself asking the question “Why isn’t my home selling?” you may be surprised to know that the answer to that question is quite simple, but a bit multifaceted. The sale of a home in today’s market is dependant on a five factors that if not seriously considered and advantageously applied will keep your home from selling.

The first factor you must look at is PRICE. The asking price of a home today can not be dependant on what the price would/could have been in the “good old days”. The price of your home must be appropriate for today’s market… AND, because there are so many other homes in the market, it also needs to be aggressively competitive. Home buyers want and will spend the least to buy the most they can. Holding out for more, will only result in MORE time on market… so be wise.

The next factor is CONDITION. The better condition your home is in, the more attractive it is. Buyers do not want to spend their money repairing and making simple updates once they take possession. A home that is “move-in ready” is going to be snatched up long before a similar home that needs attention. Investing in a home inspection and addressing any major issues earlier on may cost you some money, but it will never cost you the sale. However, problematic issues, discovered by the buyer’s inspector, will still cost you money and also may be just enough to kill the sale. Besides hiring a home inspector, who focuses more on structural and mechanical conditional issues, you might want to also work with a home stager who will focus on the numerous smaller maintenance details and repair concerns that influence a buyer’s perception of condition.

PRESENTATION, both on-line and in person, is third factor that needs to be taken into account. The on-line presentation of your property needs to be captured and shown in first rate photography. Gone are the days when a Realtor could take poor quality digital snapshots and loaded them into an MLS system. Today’s buyer, who lives are busy and hectic as yours, depends on the Internet to help them prescreen properties. Better photos capture and tell a better sales story. In addition to having quality photos taken of your home, it still must look great when being toured by a buyer. An experienced home stager will guide and direct you to set and present your home so it can be easily toured and distinguished from your possessions in it.

Hiring the right listing AGENT is the fourth key factor essential in getting your property sold. Selecting a Realtor, solely because they recommended the highest listing price, may be the biggest reason why your home will not sell. Picking a savvy and strategic Agent who has skillful with a variety of marketing tactics and who is adept in working through a myriad of sales issues that can stop a sale once a buyer makes an offer is crucial. An experienced Realtor, who has a proven track record that demonstrates they have mastered both the marketing side and the sales side of real estate, will earn every penny they are paid for selling your home.

The fifth and final factor has to do with your INVOLVEMENT. Sellers need to fully share concerns, needs and objectives with the selected Agent right from the start and continue until the property is sold. But while candid honesty is key, it must also be two way street. Your Realtor must not only listen to you, but you must listen to them. So stay informed, watch the market conditions, and objectively listen to the feedback after showings. Then consider and act on key information you gather as if you were the buyer. Ultimately your home’s sale is controlled by you… NOT your Realtor.

So that’s it… the secrets are finally revealed on how to sell your home in a tough buyer’s market. How you choose to work with and apply these five simple factors will make, stall or totally keep your home from selling. In closing, if you think that just because you have a few of the factors under control your home will sell, you are wrong. It really takes all five working in together.

Sell It Forward…
Me

When Wallpaper Attacks, It Can Kill the Sale

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:59:14 +0000

In today’s real estate market more and more home sellers are relying on home staging tips and advice to guide them in ways to best prepare their homes for selling. So last week, when I was hired to tour a seller’s property to give them my “Buyer’s Eye” advice, a monster of a problem reared its ugly head. The wallpaper in my client’s home was so extremely ugly I told them I just had to write a blog about it and use it as an example on how monsters like this will negatively affect a home’s sale.

So for the fun of it, and to drive home my point, I present to you (below) what I saw. So hideous was this wallpaper, I have to admit it almost looks like a cliché. However be wise, while not all wallpaper is as ugly this, it still is a problematic issue that sellers need to pay attention to. Fortunately, my clients were motivated and open to advice and willing to take it down. They know they had to present the most competitively appealing property as possible to sell in today’s market. But when it comes to wallpaper, not all sellers are as accepting of staging advice. I have found that the topic of wallpaper usually results in eye rolling, harrumphing, justification and/or avoidance with sellers. So if you are serious about selling your wallpapered home, you need to look it from a sellers view. Keep in mind, regardless of how “fantastic” you think your home’s wallpaper is, it is a HIGHLY personal expression of taste, so chances are potential buyers will NOT like it. Second, buyers want to buy their dream home ready for today, not yesterday. Wallpaper is trendy and needlessly ages a home.

But most importantly, what sellers need to know is this…. when buyers see wallpaper they don’t like, they see dollar signs. When it comes to spending their hard earned money to buy their dream, buyers will scrutinize and negatively react to your wallpapered home as, hopefully, you reacted to my extreme examples above.

So you need to know that any and all the resistance you have about removing wallpaper will be the EXACT same resistance a buyer will have about it too. Buyers know removing wallpaper is an arduous task that can be costly. Because this is the reality of buying a home with wallpaper, buyers know in this market they can and will move on to the next home that does not have that monster to battle.

Stage It Forward…
Me

See Why & How Seller Used Staging… and ends up selling in 10 Days!

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:59:14 +0000

Stagers Should Picture What They Preach

Clint & Mindy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:59:14 +0000

Without a doubt the end result of a home’s staging should be a great visual impression. Because this is so, home staging has come to be viewed as an “image” industry. But as a relatively new industry, home stagers have much to learn from their counterparts in other more established image industries such as advertising, interior design, and landscaping. Professionals in these fields know that to sell and grow their own businesses; they must first present a good visual image of themselves. This impression starts with the logos, business cards, and websites they use to market their products and services.

Be leary of staging hypocrits. If home stagers are going to pitch the need and importance of investing money to ready properties (which is a home seller’s “product”) for market, then the stager needs to invest money to do the same for what they sell… their staging services. To be fair and judged credible, a home stager needs to invest in their business image. But more than just spending money. A stager’s image, communicated through business cards, brochures, and websites, must demonstrate knowledge of and skill to apply basic design principals. Why? Well, basic design principals are universal and govern all visual creativity, including the skill and ability to properly stage a home.

Picture what they preach. Another area, where real estate stagers need to practice what they preach, is in the portfolios they use to sell their ability. First and foremost, the work they show MUST ONLY be theirs… and it better look good. If stagers are going advise sellers and Realtors as to the importance of using good photography to capture and present a home, then again, a stager needs to do the same with photography they show of the their work. A stager’s portfolio is a key, yet often overlooked tool that communicates quality, skill and ability.

Seller’s looking to hire a stager can use a stager’s online portfolio to pre-screen and judge a stager’s talent and ability. The best portfolios address the following 3 points.

Versatility & Proficiency – Every market is different and examples of the work a stager shows should represent the types of homes being sold in the markets they serve. However the more depth and diversity a stager can show the better. The most compelling portfolios will show staging work that was done in both big and small homes, vacant and occupied homes, low to high end homes, and the ability in to work with a variety of design styles.
Same View Point – Proof of a stager’s skill and ability is often shown in Before & After photographs. But quite often the Before photo is taken from a totally different position in a room, from the After photo. The best sales testament that shows a stager’s ability and talent come from having Before & After photographs taken from the EXACT same angle.
Quality Photos – While it may not be possible to take the perfect Before, the After image needs to be well photographed. Stagers that invest the time and money to take quality photos visually communicate their commitment to their profession.

Just as a home that is for sale is being judged by how it looks, sellers can use the business images a stagers shows of themselves to judge skill and ability. The best home stagers will picture what they preach.

Stage It Forward…
Me