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Compass Real Estate is Leading the Way by Financing Home Staging for their Clients

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Staging and real estate companies are joining force to provide concierge level service and increase sales. Read the article below on how companies like Compass Real Estate can serve you best when selling your home. 

 

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If you are selling your home or business in New York City or Connecticut, and are interested in having it professionally staged to sell quicker & for more money, contact Stage to Move for more information!

Four Common Staging Mistakes Every Seller Makes—and How to Avoid Them

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Last time, we focused on commonly overlooked home staging tips. This time, we are continuing along those lines with some common mistakes that home sellers routinely make when staging their homes to sell.

When selling your home, it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are a few tips to help you avoid some of the most egregious errors:

1. Overdoing one color/theme. You may have heard that sticking to a theme in each room—particularly when choosing colors or decorations—is important. But equally as important is keeping a balance. You don’t want your buyers to be so distracted by one theme or color that they miss the finer points of your home.

2. Underestimating the power of natural light. No matter how beautiful the home, a dark room is usually not a winner. Remove dark or heavy curtains and try not to obscure windows with large furniture; this will help your buyer visualize your home’s full potential.

3. Failing to maximize space. Buyers love storage space and anything that screams of lots of storage—big closets, built-in bookshelves, etc. Make sure you clean out all of your closets, armoires, shelves, etc. before you show your home, because buyers will likely poke around in them to see how much space you have. One stager recommends investing in a few cute baskets or storage containers to hold small items, if you don’t have time to completely declutter before your first showing.

4. Using poor quality photos in online posting. Many, if not most, buyers start their house hunting with online searching. According to one realtor featured in Realtor Mag, “Most of your selling is online. You’ve got about five seconds to get them to look at the house before they go on to another one. That’s how critical photography is.” If you aren’t using professional assistance, make sure you have a good camera and tripod, and take multiple shots at different exposure settings.

Taylor Henley is an employee of Stage to Move. She collaborates with owner and home staging expert Kara Woods to produce blog posts that reflect the expertise and innovative design strategies of Stage to Move.

 

 

 

 

 

The Most Commonly Overlooked Staging Tips

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Even the most experienced home sellers sometimes forget to do these basic home staging improvements. Check out our list of a few of the most commonly overlooked staging tips:

-Updating the kitchen. The kitchen is the most important room in the house, and neglecting to make some necessary changes can really hinder your selling efforts. Your updates do not have to cost you thousands, however; one stager recommends staining dated cabinets if you don’t want to spend the money to replace them.

-Keeping bedrooms gender neutral. Children’s bedrooms are generally not staged, so it is particularly important to make sure that they appeal to all genders. Don’t assume that buyers can make the mental shift from your teenage boy’s room to their future baby girl’s room.

-Removing unnecessary appliances and other clutter. De-cluttering is the bread and butter of home staging, but did you know that appliances (as well as basic decorative accessories) could be clutter? Too many appliances (i.e. toasters, coffeemakers, etc.) seem like clutter to buyers; opt for a simple bowl of fresh seasonal fruits on your counter instead.

-Making your bathrooms shine. Your bathrooms are your second most important rooms in the house (after your kitchen), so they should be absolutely pristine. Upgrade your cabinets and sink if needed, and paint that bathroom tile that went out of style in the 80s. Consider installing extra closets and drawers if your bathroom is short on storage space. You’ll be glad you did when buyers love your bathrooms!

-Painting and polishing your front doors and shutters. First impressions are critical in the home selling business. Don’t neglect the outside in favor of the inside, or your buyers will walk in to your home with a bad impression—one that even the best indoor décor might not be able to change.

Taylor Henley is an employee of Stage to Move. She collaborates with owner and home staging expert Kara Woods to produce blog posts that reflect the expertise and innovative design strategies of Stage to Move.

What to Do If Your Home is Not Selling

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You’ve done everything you are supposed to do—deep cleaning, decluttering, focusing on curb appeal—but your home still isn’t selling. Below are a few of our top suggestions to turn your home from languishing to outstanding.

First, look for problems by speaking to potential buyers who have declined to make an offer on your home. Do they consistently bring up the same deficiency (or two, or three)? If so, fix the problem[s] and then advertise the changes. Post pictures of the fixed areas on social media and on listing services and home selling websites to alert past (and future) potential buyers that the former deficiency is no longer an issue.

Second, redo your photos. “These days, most people begin their house hunt on the Internet. First impressions are everything when it comes to homebuying, especially online,” says Erin Sartain, marketing and training director for NexTitle, a title and escrow agency, and real estate expert. “The more photos, the better.” Don’t forget to turn on all the lights when taking your photos, and consider enlisting the help of a qualified professional.

Third, bolster your marketing efforts. Real estate agent Elizabeth Weintraub offers the following advice:

  • Print four-color postcards and mail them to surrounding homes and to out-of-area buyers
  • Create four-color flyers containing several photos to distribute to prospects
  • Hire a virtual tour company to shoot and upload videos
  • Massively advertise every weekend
  • Hold Open Houses on Sundays that coincide with other neighborhood open houses, and on the occasional weekdays
  • Consider shooting a video yourself and uploading it to YouTube.com

Last, if your home has been on the market with no success for months, consider taking it off. This can give you both an opportunity to improve your home, and make it easier to sell once you put it back on the market, since buyers are drawn to new listings—not ones that have been languishing on the market for several months.

In the interim, make some changes. Hire Stage to Move to alter the look of the home. Consider investing in home improvement projects, such as redoing outdated bathrooms or kitchens, or replacing a worn-out front door and faded siding. Go “comparison shopping”—check out what other sellers are doing by attending open houses and speaking with buyers to see what they are looking for. And when you are ready, put your home back on the market. You might be surprised at how well you do!

Taylor Henley is an employee of Stage to Move. She collaborates with owner and home staging expert Kara Woods to produce blog posts that reflect the expertise and innovative design strategies of Stage to Move.

Tips for Spring Home Staging

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With warmer weather comes increased competition—more people putting their homes on the market. Make yours stand out today with these home staging tips for spring!

First, utilize nature. Make sure your outdoor flowerbeds are well-kept, and bring in the best flowers to decorate your home for the spring season. Freshly-cut flowers in reflective glass vases also give off a pleasant aroma that will give potential buyers a great first impression of your home.

If your flowers aren’t quite in bloom yet, don’t worry—you can add floral décor such as paintings and accessories to evoke the season. You may also want to consider scented candles and aromatherapy diffusers to get that clean spring scent.

Second, ensure that your entryways are appealing. Remove winter wreaths and replace with a spring-themed welcome mat and an umbrella stand. For the backdoor, consider placing potted bulbs just outside the door to add color to a backyard recovering from winter.

Third, clean your windows. This includes washing your blinds and drapes as well as getting those windowpanes to sparkle. In one stager’s words, “Crisp linens and a spring-time breeze through the windows invite the season inside.”

Fourth, accessorize in pastels. Soft spring-colored pillows, linens, towels and throws brighten up a room in no time.

Taylor Henley is an employee of Stage to Move. She collaborates with owner and home staging expert Kara Woods to produce blog posts that reflect the expertise and innovative design strategies of Stage to Move.