Why isn’t your home selling?

Whether it’s a buyers market or a sellers market, there’s always a reason a home is NOT selling. There are three major elements to consider. 1. Location. 2. Condition. 3. Price. If any of these three major areas are neglected, the market value  or the resale value of your home may be in question and it will most likely be very difficult to sell your home.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these elements. When it comes to location here are just a few things that may make a difference. Does the home sit near an airport, freeway or railroad tracks. What is the crime rate in the area? Or does your home sit on a quiet tree lined street, close to parks, recreation, schools and shopping? It’s been said before and I’ll say it again … location, location, location.

What is the condition of the home? Is it the best house on the block or the worst? Are there many things to be fixed, updated or replaced? Do you have a unique style (that you love) but may not appeal to the masses? These things can be deal breakers. If your home is a “Fixer Upper“, the third element is crucial (Next paragraph). As a professional Realtor and Home Stager, I’ve found if you neutralize the home, most can then see the potential. Don’t be afraid to hire a staging professional to help you make your home looks its absolute best. Staging works! Whether you’re currently living in your home or if it’s empty … Staging works! At the very least, get a “Staging Consultation”. You never know if the potential buyer is looking for a home to fix up and “put their stamp on” or if they are looking for move in ready… either way, I believe you’ll find a Staging Consultation to be most beneficial.

Be sure your home comes on the market at the right price. It’s important to look at comparable homes in your area. Add value for upgrades or features in your home and decrease value for elements that are less desirable. It’s difficult for most to place a value on their own home; after all, you purchased this home because you loved it … someone else must feel the same way … right? This is where having a good Realtor comes into play. A good Realtor, like myself, understands what buyers are looking for and what they typically do not want to see and will price your home at its best current value.

I’ve only mentioned a few things that can make a difference in whether or not your home sells quickly or at all. Please note, homes typically get the most traffic from buyers when it’s first listed, so be sure you’ve addressed any location issues, made any necessary adjustments to the condition of the home and that you have priced the home to sell!

Jill Denton

Professional Realtor, Interior Designer and Stager. Consultations available.

Changing Spaces ~ Hometown GMAC Real Estate

Top 10 Easy Steps to Creating a Healthier Home

I found this great article on GetStaged2Sell.com and had to share it with all of you! Enjoy!

Having a beautiful, comfortable and efficient home is important, but is your home a healthy home?  Well here are 10 steps that you can start taking right now to create a healthier, more positive, living home that will support both you and the environment.

1. Replace your air filters.  Use at least a MERV11 rated air filter.  The 3M Filtrete 1250 is readily available in many common sizes.  Remember to allow your home to breathe by allowing proper ventilation by opening your windows daily.  Lack of fresh air can create “sick buildings”.  Bring in that fresh air and breathe deeply!
2. Eliminate clutter.  Excessive clutter is stale, negative energy that collects dust, feels heavy, drags you down and holds you in the past.  Remember the 50% Space to Stuff Ratio.  By making room in your home, you are creating room for new opportunities to come in, and that includes great health.
3. As your cleaning products run out and you replenish your supplies, be sure to buy biodegradable, naturally derived and chemical free products.  As you replace personal cleansing products, toiletries and cosmetics, choose natural products that have been created without chemicals and preservatives.
4. Add a whole house water purification system.  When traveling, store your water in glass containers that do not out-gas.  Avoid plastics, think about all those water bottles that just aren’t necessary.  Choose better.
5. Eliminate using toxic herbicides and pesticides.  Find ecologically sound solutions of managing these issues.
6. When purchasing new clothing, choose natural fabrics.  Your clothing is your second skin, your home is your third skin.  Make them all natural, non-toxic and breathable.
7. When replacing home furnishings, linens, decorative items, and rugs, choose items made from natural materials, woods harvested from sustainable sources and that are not chemically treated.  Avoid synthetic materials and fabrics, plastics and all PVC’s.
8. When it comes time replace your carpet, eliminate it and use hardwood or natural stone.  Carpets harbor dust, dirt, mites, and all sorts of nasties, not to mention the out-gassing and VOC’s.  Keep your floors clean and fresh with natural surfaces that are easy to clean and beautiful to look at.  When repainting, use low VOC paints and stains. 
9. Bring a little nature into your home.  A few living plants in your home will do wonders for you.
10. Check the electrical and EMF levels in your home.  Hire a professional to evaluate whether or not you have any problem areas and if you need to have an expert come out to make any repairs.

See how easy it is?  With just a little forethought, research and guidance from those that share the desire to improve health of our planet and all those that live here, we can all make this earth a healthier, more vibrant place.  And it begins with each and every one of us.  We start with ourselves, our bodies, our clothes, our homes.  The choices we all make on a day to day basis can make a huge impact.  The steps we take to make our homes healthier will result in a healthier planet for all!

Source: Nickie, Get Stagged 2 Sell

10 Things to do for YOUR Open House

 

Your home is on the market and the first open house is just around the corner.  Hopefully, you've already minimized and de-cluttered your home. If not, you've got some work to do.  Check out my previous articles on Staging.  If you've already staged your home to sell, here are a few things you can doing for or during the open house to put your home in it's best light.

1.  Turn on ALL of the lights!

2.  Open all the drapes and shades ... let the sunshine!

3.  If possible, open up some windows to get some fresh air in the home.

4.  Bake some cookies or bread to give off a nice aroma.

5.  Light a few candles for ambiance.  (Be sure to select a candle that is safe, possibly a votive surrounded by glass or even an electric votive candle)

6.  Set your table(s) as if company's coming.

7.  Fresh flowers. A vase of fresh flowers in the entry or on a dining tables is very appealing.

8.  Place a bowl of fresh fruit in the kitchen.

9.  Place fresh soap and towels in all the bathrooms.  Remove personal items. Be sure it's clean.

10.  Put new logs in the fireplace.

All these little extra touches make your home feel warm and welcoming.  A home needs to meet the needs and desires of the buyers, but it also has to feel good.  Buying a home is a very emotional purchase. Do your part to make your home "open" to those stopping by your Open House. You can also check this Last minute check list.

Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces

What is Staging?

Staging means furnishing and decorating

a home in a way that will maximize attributes,

minimize flaws

and help define the space

for prospective buyers … so they can

visualize themselves living in this home.

Staging In A Buyer’s Market

Staging is the act of preparing your home for sale.  Whether you are currently living in your home or if it is vacant.  Staging works in a sellers market and a buyers market.  In a buyer’s market there are a lot of homes to choose from.  In order to make a good impression on potenial buyer’s you need to have your home professionally staged.

At the very least hire a Stager for a consultation.  The Stager will walk through your home and make suggestions on things to fix, pack up, minimize and DE-CLUTTER, DE-CLUTTER, DE-CLUTTER.  Once you have that list you can do the rest, if  you want to do the work yourself, or you can hire the Stager to take care of the staging details for you.  Vacant or lived in, a Stager will make your home look it best to the general public.  Whether they use what you already own or if they bring in furniture and or accessories. Neutralizing where possible, so anyone who walk in your home could say, “My dining room table would fit nicely in that big dining room,  this would be a great place for my _____, I think our _____ would like fantastic here, etc.”  If there are too many distractions (clutter, collections, extreme colors and even too many family photos) people tend to look at the distractions instead of the home. 

Before and after decluttering and then bringing in some staging furniture.

Before and after a little paint, furniture placement and bookcase design.

Some Stagers will tell you to remove all of your photos.  I don’t think that is necessary.  A few family photos showing happy people makes people feel good and think “look how happy they look in this house”.  However, if you have a hallway, stairway or wall of photos … MINIMIZE, MINIMIZE, MINIMIZE!  When there are too many photos people feel like they are intruding in your personal space, and they will spend less time in your home and that’s not the goal!  We want them to feel comfortable, take there time so they can imagine themselves in your home, and then want to make an offer.

Here’s a list of some more things that should be done:

Keep your kitchen and bathrooms CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN.

Keep your personal bathroom items out of site and keep wastebasket empty.

Declutterand pack up your knickknacks, trophies, souvenirs, collections, political and religious items.

Clean out and organize ALL of your cabinets. (People will open them and look inside.)

Remove all unhealthly plants.

Remove worn throw pillows and replace with fresh, updated ones.

Remove/Organize clothes, shoes, purses etc) from your closet so that garments are not touching each other.  

Too many books looks like clutter, so minimize your books.  (Look through some magazines to get ideas on how to arrange your bookcases in a decorative way.) 

If you have painted any unusual or bold colors (inside or out), consider painting a neutral color. Potential buyers won’t necessarily have the same taste as you, and we want them to be able to imagine living there.

I hope this answered at least some of your questions.  Do you have any questions?  What did I miss?

Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces, serving the san Francisco Bay Area

Staging Tips

 

If you’re getting your home ready to sell, STAGE IT!  Staging always puts a home in its best light, showcasing its strong points and down playing its not so strong points. 

I believe it’s always best to hire a staging professional.  Whether someone is living in your home or if it’s vacant, a staging professional can give you the advice you need to make your home looks it’s best to the masses.  You can opt to just get a Staging Consultation (very affordable) and do all the work yourself, or you can have the stager do it all for you (more affordable than you think – get an estimate).  Or if your budget is non-existent here are a few tips your can do completely on your own.

1.  De-clutter!  If you have piles of anything, go through it and throw away what you don’t want, pack up what you can live without and keep only what you need, but put it away – out of sight.

2.  Remove and pack most of your family photos.  I do not believe you need to remove all of your photos.  I think it’s nice to see some happy family photos, but just a small few.  If you have several photos out people fell like they are intruding.  They can feel uncomfortable and spend much less time in your home.

3.  Remove and pack any collections you may have.  Again, collections can be distracting.  Either they are impressed and spend more time looking at your collection than the house or they don’t like your collection, find it distracting and just leave. 

4.  Deep clean your home.  Nothing is a bigger turn off than a dirty home.  Make sure your kitchen and bathrooms sparkle.  If you’re too busy to clean, hire someone to come in and do a thorough cleaning before you put your home on the market.

5.  Minimize the toys.  Whether the prospective buyers have kids or not, they will not want to see toys all over the place.  Go through the toys, give some away, throw some away and pack up as many as you can.  People will only see toys everywhere and not your home.  People without kids will only see a mess and people with kids will see that your home doesn’t have enough storage.

6.  Clean and clear out your closets.  Go through your clothes, throw some away, give some away and pack up whatever you don’t need now.  When people open up your closets they are looking to see how much storage is in the house, and if they are jam packed people think “there isn’t enough storage in this house”.

7.  Curb appeal.  The front of your home is the first thing a potential buyer sees and if it’s full of debris, un-kept, needs maintenance or new plants ~ they might not even go into your home.  Again, remove any clutter, toys, or personal items, fix or repair necessary items (paint, fix broken items, replace light bulbs, etc).  If you have any sick plants, dead plants or just a blank dirt area – plant new easy care plants. Hire a gardener or ask for help at your local nursey.  Last but not least, put out a new “Welcome” mat.

8.  If your home is full of furniture, please consider getting a storage unit.  Don’t take away everything, just take away extra furiture.  For example, in a living area you’ll want to keep a seating arrangement (sofa, loveseat and or chairs) coffee and end table, lamps, art and a few accessories.  We don’t want wall to wall furniture. We want to see some wall space.  This is just another way to minimize and make your home look bigger and it’s best.

There is a theme here.  De-clutter, minimize and neutralize! The goal is to make your home look its best to everyone who walks in the door.  We want each person to be able to envision their stuff in the home, because that’s a sign that they are looking at the bones of the house and not your stuff … plus it’s a buying sign!  They just may make an offer.

These are just a few general suggestions, but each home may have its own special needs.  Do what you can on your own or hire a professional Stager to do it for you.

Lowes even has a list of things you can do to stage your home. 

Jill Denton ~ Hometown GMAC Real Estate and Changing Spaces Interior Redesign & Staging

Staging

As a Realtor, I sit open houses, usually for 3 hours.  Open houses can actually be fun, if you have a lot of people come to visit.  The more the merrier!  I mean it!  So next time you see an open house sign, don’t hesitate, go on in, we love the company!

I bring that up because recently I sat an open house for another Realtor, it was slow and I was bored. So … since I’m also an Interior Redesigner and Stager, I walked through the home imagining what I would do to the home to make it look it’s best.  (Staged homes look better, typically sell faster and for more money!) About 4 weeks later the home was still on the market and they asked me to stage the home, because staged homes (say it with me) typically sell faster and for more money!

That’s what I did this afternoon.  I staged that home.  The homeowners had already moved out and I provided furniture and accessories for a few rooms.  I love staging.  It’s so fun to watch the transformation and even more fun when homes (say it with me) sell faster and for more money.

Here’s a before and after photo of the family room:

As you can see, we started with a clean slate, added the sofa, rug, dining table and chairs, tables, accent piece, ligthing, art and accessories and … ta da!

To Stage or Not to Stage…

The answer is YES!  Here are three reasons why Staging does work!

Typically … 

1) A Staged home sells faster than a non-staged home.

2) A Staged home sells for more money. 

3) Staging costs less than your first price reduction!  

Even USA Today knows that “Staging results in a faster sale”There are a few different leveles of staging:

- If you’re still living in the home and it’s filled with all of your items, we’ll do a Staging Consultation. We’ll visually inspect your home and provide you with a list of things to do to your home to make it look its best to the masses. That’s one of the keys; it needs to look good to the masses, so that anyone can imagine their things in your home.  You can then take the list and get it all done yourself, or we can help you through the process.

Living room/fireplace before and after. It’s amazing what a little paint and a slip cover will do. For the cost of paint and a few accessories this place looks great! We redesigned this home, and three days later they received an offer/sold the home for $80,000 OVER the asking price!

 - If you’re living in the home, but your furnishings are worn, you’ve already moved some items, or you need to bring in some items to complete the look – then we’ll start with a consultation and also look at bring in furniture or accessories to make your home look its best to the masses.

We staged with home on Friday. They had an open house on Saturday and Sunday. They received multiple offers and the house SOLD on Monday!

- If your home is vacant, we’ll visit your home to get a feel for the style, measure and supply furniture and accessories to make your home look its best to the masses.

This condo sat on the market for over a month without any interest. We fully staged the home and one week later the owner accepted a generous offer!

For more information about Staging check my website Changing Spaces or Visit Home Staging Online