Home Staging Blog

One of the many benefits of Staging a home for sale is that it leaves no question in a buyer’s mind as to how much space a home has for furniture placement.  This is particularly effective in a home with smaller rooms.

We had the opportunity to Stage a beautiful townhome in downtown Torrance last week.  It is a newer building with a great floorplan including three patios and a private direct access garage.  Everything a buyer could want in a townhome.  The only problem is that the rooms are a bit small.  Buyers could not imagine how to even fit a bed in the master bedroom-serious issue for a home.

With just a little creativity, we easily furnished this home and it is truly lovely!  Not even the homeowner thought a queen sized bed would fit in the master - they had been using a Murphy bed.  But we easily fit a queen sized bed, two nightstands and a large chest of drawers - and there is still plenty of room to access the closet and the sliding glass doors the lead to the master patio.

With the right furnishings, accessories and artwork, even small spaces can be made to feel luxurious, welcome and inviting.  As this homeowner put it when she saw the home when we finished Staging it, “this furniture really matches the house!  And it’s really a queen sized bed!  It looks amazing!”  Now the buyers can see how easy it will be to live here and what a joy it would be to come home to.

I noticed this evening a testimonial on The Millennium Team’s Blog that really speaks well of the importance of choosing the right real estate agent to work with to sell your home.  Anthony’s client raves about his dedication, attention to detail, follow up and going above and beyond their expectations to get their Hollywood Hills home sold.  They are even hoping he’ll move so he can help them sell their other home in Northern California.

Now that’s a loyal client!

 When you choose an agent to help you buy or sell your home, find one that you can connect with.  Find one that will go the extra mile for you.

You can read the whole letter at the Millennium Team’s Blog.

Getting a home prepared for sale in today’s real estate market can be a lot of work.  But if your goal is to sell your home for top dollar, it is work well worth completing.  As you are going through your home getting it ready to sell, if you see something that looks scary to you, fix it now.  If it scares you and you have been living in your home, imagine how it will appear to a buyer who casually notices it or sees it when the home inspector brings it to their attention.

I was meeting with a great family last week who had just had their home painted and were ready for their Staging Consultation.  When we went into their bathroom, above the shower, the ceiling was bubbled and peeling.  I pointed it out to them and recommended their contractor come back to repair it.  They responded with “We don’t want to open that can of worms!”  I asked them if they didn’t want to make the repair, what made them think a buyer would.  The look on their faces told me they hadn’t yet considered that.

In today’s market where there is much more inventory available, if you want to get top dollar for your home, you must pay attention to details.  If you know there is a repair that needs to be made as simple as fixing that ceiling above the shower, by all means do so.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that a buyer will not notice or will not care.  Of course, if you are selling your home as a fixer, remember to disclose and don’t worry about it.

Real Estate agents know first hand the importance of making a great first impression.  When they take a buyer into a seller’s home, that buyer forms an opinion within the first 30 seconds.  Listing agents wisely counsel their clients and advise them to get their homes clean, organized and professionally staged to ensure that first impression is a favorable one.

But as a Real Estate agent, shouldn’t your office also be putting its best face forward?  Well that is exactly what Ron Prechtl and Shandi DeHaven believe over at Century 21 South Valley in North Hollywood.  What a difference fresh paint, a good cleaning, coordinated and powerful artwork and a few new accessories can make.

Next time you walk in the door to your office, take a look around.  Do you feel uplifted and excited to get to work?  Is the environment clean and pleasing to you?  Does it convey the level of professionalism that your company offers to your clientele?  If not, you might need to give your office a professional makeover of its own.

For anyone who has ever done much Home Staging or home improvement, you know how careful you have to be to avoid injury.  Not only is there a flurry of activity, but you’ve got tools, rearranged furniture, miscellaneous accessories and more, waiting to be placed while your mind is occupied creating the perfect surroundings, for the perfect space.  So make sure you have everything you need to make your job easier to avoid injuries.

Learn about the best ways to perform the job at hand.  I was talking with my physical therapists, Alex and Carlos over at Active Body Physical Therapy in Canoga Park, this morning that have been helping me with a shoulder I injured earlier this year, about any tips they might have for someone working on Staging their home.  They said the main thing to start with is to avoid working overhead.  Invest in a sturdy ladder.  They went on to explain that lifting or carrying weight overhead is a common way to sustain an injury.

So if you are going to be doing any home improvements, redesign or preparing your home for sale, do yourself a favor.  Invest in a couple of ladders to keep around your home, office or warehouse.  Instead of reaching up to grab those items off the shelves, step up where you can reach out in front of yourself to get them.  Your shoulder will thank you.

Instead of concentrating on Real Estate Staging, my mind is turning to thoughts of celebrating this upcoming holiday.  The traditional fireworks display over the main channel in Marina del Rey, sponsored by the Los Angeles County Dept of Beaches and Harbors will be presented this Tuesday, July 4th at 9pm.  Sounds like quite the show and what a way to celebrate the holiday!

There is also a parade in Westchester on the 4th.  The parade starts at Westchester Park.  It follows along Loyola Boulevard to Loyola Marymount University.  Should be a pretty good time. 

I’m thinking; why not make it a day?  Take in the parade in Westchester, hang out along Fisherman’s Village, shop along Abbot Kinney (might find some good Home Staging accessories), dinner at Tony P’s on the patio, then fireworks in the Marina. 

Now that’s a way to celebrate the holiday.