Month: March 2013

Purple Staging Will Do by Amy Curtis

~ Amy Curtis ~ 1 Comment

My last post was my “confession” of faith in the benefits of home staging. I am a believer. But I have my limits…

Have you seen the clever Ace Hardware purple paint commercial??  The one where the woman is searching for the perfect shade of purple? Here it is…

Got it? There’s purple…and then there’s purrrrple.

This may lose something in the translation, but I think you’ll follow…

There are degrees of purple…from the basic purple to the more dramatic purrrrple. And guess what? When it comes to staging a home for the market, there’s staging…and then there’s staaaaging. I’m a believer in the basic purple sort of staging.

Let me explain.

It was just this time of year three years ago and I was listing a home.  When I met with my clients they told me they had already contacted a home stager and were working on their “staging” list.  I thought it might be a good idea….until they told me what the stager had instructed them to do: Repaint the house (inside and out), replace all light fixtures, repave the driveway, relandscape the exterior, replace the garage door, buy “art” and rent furniture. We were in the midst of a rapidly depreciating market and the stager had made recommendations that would have cost thousands of dollars and would have taken precious weeks of market time to complete. And this for an already cute as button house with a gorgeous remodeled kitchen on a large beautifully landscaped lot. The house was already highly saleable, in a desirable location and the sellers were reasonable on price.

Kinda like purrrrple…this was staaaaging.

I suppose if money were no object and there was nothing but time and a seller could rest assured that they’d get back every dime spent, sellers would staaaage. They would just go ahead and remodel kitchens and baths, they’d tear up carpet and lay hardwood floors in their place, they’d paint the whole house in the latest shades of cream and beige, they’d remove all their knick knacks and art and drop a small fortune at Pier 1 to replace it all, they’d call contractors and landscapers. But let’s get real.

Why go with purrrrple when purple will do?

Purple staging is demphasizing seller decor and highlighting the home’s space and features. Purple staging is rearranging furniture for better flow,  it’s pulling pieces from some rooms to areas or rooms that need to be given a purpose, it’s tidying up closets and packing away personal items. Sometimes it includes jazzing up the bedding in the master bedroom, maybe replacing a light fixture or two or purchasing a statement piece of art or accessory that can be used or enjoyed in the sellers next home. But most of all, purple staging is realistic. Purple staging shouldn’t take more than a couple of hundred dollars or a week to complete. And though it’s not staaaaging, purple staging can still make a world of difference in the presentation of a home.

With spring market underway, time is precious…purple staging will do!

So yeah…I’m a believer. A purple staging believer.

 

I welcome your thoughts.

Home Staging…I’m a Believer by Amy Curtis

~ Amy Curtis ~ 11 Comments

I’ve had a conversion of sorts. Nothing road to Damascus like, nothing quite that dramatic or life changing, but a conversion nonetheless. A conversion that does have an impact on the work that I do in helping clients sell their homes.

It’s home staging. I’m a recent home staging convert. A new believer.

Home staging has been around for years. Statistics show that staged homes sell quicker and for more money than homes that are not staged. A quick google search provides an avalanche of statistics, information and evidence of the benefits of home staging, and yet, I remained unconvinced. I remained uncompelled to embrace home staging and incorporate it into my services to sellers.

Why? How could this be?

I’d always thought there was something a little disingenuous about “staging” a home. The connotation of the word…stage…as in “stage” a play, or “stage” a crime. Stage is a performance, it’s not real life, it’s not the real thing. Something about the sound of it always made me think of it as an attempt to pull the wool over a buyer’s eyes, and the idea of that just never sat well with me.

And too, “staging” sounds like a big production, a big expensive production and who wants to get involved in that? When someone has decided to sell their home, they’re kind of done with their house. If there’s time and money to be spent, most sellers would rather spend it on the next house, the new house, not the house they’re trying to get rid of. So, staging as a production just never made sense to me either.

But I’ve changed my mind, I’m a believer.

It’s happened gradually and over time. It’s happened because of the homes I’ve seen and sold. It’s happened because of the homes I’ve seen that never seem to sell. It’s happened because I’ve found a really good home stager. It’s happened because I’ve seen up close and in person the difference staging can make.

In practice, staging needn’t be a big production. In practice, there is no pulling the wool over the buyers eyes. Home staging is simply the last important step in preparing a home for the market, because staging is the process through which a house is separated from its seller and introduced to its new owner. The “staged” home is a home in the midst of its “conversion.”  A staged home allows the buyer to become a “believer” that they’ve found their just right for them home.

Home staging…I’m a believer…Are you?  I welcome your thoughts.

The Spring Market Has A Soundtrack by Amy Curtis

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Remember Ally McBeal? She was the main character in the tv show of the same name popular in the late 90’s.  She was the quirky Boston attorney who always had music (mostly Barry White) “playing” in her head.

Well…I’m feeling like Ally McBeal these days…I too have music “playing” in my head.

This spring market is barely underway and  business in my neck of the woods is surprisingly busy already…buyers buying, sellers listing. Every day it seems I’m having the same conversation with buyers and sellers. Buyers asking for suggestions on what kind of offer to make on a property they’ve seen, sellers wanting to know the right pricing strategy for their home. This spring market has brought about a “new” conversation, about the “new” market we’re finding ourselves in this spring 2013.

If you’re a buyer looking for a “steal”, it’s looking like that window of opportunity is quickly closing. Inventory is shrinking, prices are stabilizing, the pool of buyers who want to purchase has grown.   So, when you find the home of your dreams and you’re ready to make an offer, low ball probably won’t do. You have to be realistic.

You…Got To Be Real.

If you’re looking to sell your home this spring, you can take comfort in the market’s improvement. It’s true, the market is improving. Inventory is shrinking, in some areas and price ranges there’s even an upward push on prices. But you can’t let all this rosy real estate news go to your head and fool you into thinking it’s 2006 again. Recent comparable sales matter. Your competition and the current supply of inventory matters and the anticipated appraised value of your home matters big time. So, you have to be realistic.

You too…Got To Be Real.

Which brings me back to Ally McBeal. Ally had Barry White songs playing in her head.  Well for me, it’s not Barry…. I have Cheryl Lynn in my head.  In this already underway spring market, during my days of conversations with buyers and sellers I hear her belting out one of my all time favorites…and it’s the soundtrack for the Spring 2013 market…

 

The 2013 Spring Market has a soundtrack and it’s my advice to you…

Got To Be Real!