Archives

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

Posted on by

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. 

 

Stage coach
http://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/article_popover.aspx?guid=255de19a-ba7f-41bf-9d0f-5f89a23d6883

 

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!

The Most Commonly Overlooked Staging Tips

Posted on by

tips

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

Posted on by

selling

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

Posted on by

spring

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.

Do Empty Homes Sell? (Hint: They Don’t.)

Posted on by

Are you trying to sell your empty home? If you’re not staging, then you’re doing it wrong!

People buy homes, not houses. Potential buyers have trouble visualizing the potential of empty homes.  Staging creates a feeling in a room that makes a buyer want to enter. If a buyer can mentally “move in,” he or she will be motivated to buy. In a 2015 profile on home staging, the National Association of Realtors found that 81 percent of buyers find it easier to visualize a property as a future home when it is staged, compared to an empty home.

The problem is that empty homes lack a vision of its layout. One stager suggests that sellers spend a weekend going to open houses and paying attention to what draws them in. chances are, they will be drawn to homes that show beautifully, and uninterested in those that don’t. As a seller, “You have to feel like you’re inviting a special guest over and that special guest is a potential buyer.” You can’t do this in an empty home.

Here at Stage To Move, we will evaluate a vacant or model home and prepare a design plan. The plan will detail the furniture, accessories, and design elements that will appeal to the seller’s target market as well as the associated fees. Our exclusive access to multiple showrooms throughout New England translates to the most up-to-date and desired look for your home.

Vacant home staging typically costs $10-$15,000 for a 3 to 6 month rental. However, statistics show that the benefits of selling your home more quickly that come with staging include price sales and carrying costs (i.e. electric, mortgage, etc.). Thus, the return on investment outweighs the initial upfront costs.

Contact Stage to Move today at info@stagetomove.com for an evaluation.

 

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.

Trends to Ditch in 2016

Posted on by

ditch 1

Note: This is part 3 in a four-part series of design trends for 2016. Check out parts 1, 2 and 3 here, here and here.

Our last few posts have focused on what’s in in 2016. This post will focus on the opposite: what’s out, or what to avoid this year in interior designs. We will also give you examples of how to replace or modify these outdated items to keep your home up-to-date.

Avoid:

  1. Rosy metallic (particularly in accessories). This 2015 phase is on its last legs.
  2. Jute and sisal rugs and other similar items, as they have become ubiquitous.
  3. Outdated styles such as “industrial chic” or “oppressive midcentury modernism”—both were overdone in 2015.

Replace:

  1. Kitchen desks with extra counter space. Don’t forget that quartz countertops are on our list of trends to watch in 2016! Consider also replacing tiled counters with quartz slabs.
  1. TV in a child’s room with creative space, such as a cork bulletin board or an area to hang photos. Let’s be honest—our kids could use the break from technology anyways.
  1. Chevron prints with animal hides.
  1. Whirlpool tubs with large showers or soaking bathtubs. We know, we know—that Whirlpool tub looked so darn enticing at the store. But you never use it, am I right?
  1. Over the range microwave with a microwave drawer underneath the countertop. It may take some getting used to, but you won’t have to worry about spilling your soup as you haphazardly lift it over your head to reheat it.
  1. Naked windows with panel drapes, and brass hardware in your kitchen and bathroom with polished nickel hardware.
  1. Faux finishes with a solid coat of paint.

Now that you’ve gotten an in-depth look at what’s hot and what’s not for 2016, keep in mind that interior design trends do not always translate to staging trends. Interior design is about appealing to the client’s personal taste; staging is about selling to the masses through design. So go ahead and use these interior design tips for your own benefit, but if you are selling, you might want to think about appealing to a broader audience with a transitional design approach.

 

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.