Home Staging Blog

Last week, the Feng Shui Friday Tip talked about activating energy with light, but did you know that you can also activate energy with sound?  Using pleasing and uplifting sound will create positive energy in a space and in the people within the space, so when you are looking to improve your environment, think of ways to incorporate lovely sounds into it.

Choosing soft music to play in the background is a quick and easy way to change the energy in a space.  Water features are also great ways to introduce sound into spaces and can be used in entranceways as well as in interiors.  Be certain to keep them clean and in good repair; no moldy, musty fountains to muck up the Feng Shui.

Wind chimes are another way to create pleasing sounds.  Choose chimes that make a sound that you truly love.  Chimes typically work best when outside your front door.  Check with your Feng Shui consultant to ensure you have them placed in the most auspicious spot for your home or office.

Improving the Feng Shui in your home or office and attracting more positive energy into a space involves more than just the things you see.  Feng Shui involves all your senses, including your sense of sound, so find something beautiful to listen to and add it to your space.  Beautiful sound can attract beautiful energy, perhaps even a perfect buyer for you.

Home staging is more than just making your house look good.  It is about showing the buyer the lifestyle that is awaiting them and creating an ambience that heightens their interest and gets them excited.  So this winter, if you want to get your home sold, think beyond how your home looks.  Make your home feel comfortable too and turn up that thermostat whether you are in the house or not.

Buyers are looking for a home that they feel good about and feel good in.  Whether you have a property that is vacant or occupied, make sure it is at least warm enough that buyers are comfortable enough to stick around and actually look through your home long enough to get excited.  It seems obvious enough, but some homes are so cold this time of year that buyers would rather run back to the car than see the bedrooms.

Buyers that are willing to go see your home even when  it is cold outside are probably serious  buyers.  You have gone to the trouble of getting your home market ready, have it priced right, and are getting showings, so be sure to have the home warm enough to keep the buyers in long enough to fall in love with your house.

Inman Real Estate News reports this week that according to real estate agents, staging is critical to making their listings stand out from the competition and to getting homes sold.  Bernice Ross wrote a 2 piece series on “What’s Working in Today’s Market?” and this week’s column is focused on “How to Thrive in 2008“.

Bernice offers six strategies that real estate agents stated as being top priorities to getting their listings to sell.  Home staging is number one on the list.

The following is a brief bullet point list of the strategies mentioned. 

1. Make your listings stand out.  Staging is critical.
2. Provide financial incentives.
3. Avoid chasing the market down.
4. Offer strategies.
5. Show the sellers how much they are saving.
6. Reverse Contracts.

You will want to read her entire article for further details and insight on the strategies mentioned. 

When it comes to Feng Shui, light plays some very important roles.  So since we are in the middle of December now with shorter days and longer nights, let’s lighten up and get the Feng Shui energy moving!

You know how I feel about the value of proper lighting in a home.  Lighting isn’t just about function; it is about ambience and fun too.  But lighting goes even further.  Lighting energizes and activates areas while lack of lighting de-energizes them, so it is important to remember to appropriately light all areas of your home and office.

Having dark dreary rooms robs the spaces of life-giving energy, so you want to be sure your home or office doesn’t have any neglected dark areas.  Just like when you want to take a nap and you turn off the lights and close the drapes to create darkness to rest, lack of light deactivates the energy in your space and can cause medical issues as well.

You also want to take care not to overdo the lighting in your home.  Harsh, glaring light can make you uncomfortable and feel like you are being “put on the spot”.  Get the energy moving without making it feel like an attack.  If you can, plug in the lighting away from where you will be sitting and sleeping to avoid excess EMF exposure while resting.

Make your lighting fun and cozy.  Plan your light and use it with intention.  Remember to keep things in balance and in keeping with the function of the room.  You want your kitchen (wealth) nice and bright and your bedroom (romance) light soft and gentle.   Have fun with your lighting and on this winter Feng Shui Friday, lighten up!

I’ve always said I love being a Home Stager because I love that I get to see instant results.  I get there in the morning and when I leave the transformation is complete and everyone is happy.  And when I am staging an occupied home and am assisting the homeowners, it literally gives me goosebumbs and my heart just glows when I hear them say “I never knew it could look this!  I wish we had done this a long time ago!”  But the greatest satisfaction comes when I get the phone call that says “Our house has sold!  Can we arrange to have you pick up your staging items?”

Now that you have sold your home, your home stager can help you with so much more!  Once you have moved into your new home and have the main pieces of furniture in the right rooms, your home stager can help you make the final decisions in choosing the final arrangment of your furniture, the proper places and height for hanging your artwork, which accessories to highlight different area of your home, and can assist you in choosing new linens, curtains and rugs as needed.

What a treat to have your new home properly staged from the time you move in!  Why would you want to wait until you sell it to enjoy the benefit of having a home that has been professionally styled to work for you and reflect the lifestyle you wish to live?

And your home stager’s services do not end with selling and move-in services.  Most home stagers can assist with holiday decorating, party decorating, event planning, office makeovers and of course, one day home makeovers.

So if you have loved what your home stager has done for you in staging your home for sale, remember, your home stager can assist you with so much more to make your new home, your office or event as fabulous as your staged home was.

In Feng Shui, the bedroom represents your relationships, especially your romantic relationships.  Healthy relationships are those that are equally balanced, supported and nurtured.  So for today’s Feng Shui Friday Tip, let’s balance your bedroom!

I spoke about the importance of having your bed in the armchair position, now let’s talk about supporting it with some nightstands.  Do your best to use a nightstand on each side of the bed.  Choose nightstands that either match or are just about the same size. 

Are you single?  Do you want to be?  If not, better get that second nightstand quick!  New Year’s Eve is almost here ;)  You know how important it is to make space for those new opportunities, so make room for that special someone too!

And this tip isn’t limited to occupied homes.  In virtually every home staging I do, I really do my best to fit two nightstands into every master bedroom.  Sometimes I have to be creative and use two small nightstands, but I feel it is important to have a master bedroom that will support two people. 

And even for those that like living alone, you don’t want to have your bed pushed up against the wall.  I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today”.  Avoid having days like this by keeping both sides of your bed open.  Keep the energy around your bed clear and moving.

Now for those nightstands, choose matching lamps with soft lighting.  Keep the accessories simple in your bedroom, this is your own private retreat.  Keep the work out of the bedroom, save the kid’s photos for another area of the home and if you can survive without it , keep the TV in the den.  And absolutely nothing from a previous relationship, please!

Choose artwork that reminds you of romance.  Fresh flowers, soft linens, and perhaps a couple of accessories in sets of two.  Your bedroom is your sanctuary, keep it pure, make it simple, have it reflect your idea of healthy romance.  Balance your bedroom to enhance your relationships, intimate and otherwise.

If you care to check out my new Feng Shui blog, Inspired Feng Shui Life, please do. 

And feel free to leave a comment or two, it is still a work in progress, just like most things in life .

Ok, so you have gone through all of the effort to get your home all cleaned up, organized, repaired, staged and real estate market ready.  You have chosen the agent that is going to market your home and represent your best interests.  Now it is time to get your home shown and sold.

What is the best way to show your home?  Some homeowners have the mistaken idea that they need to be home to “show” the potential buyers their house.  Not a good idea.

I was speaking with Austin Realtor, Sam Chapman about what he recommends to his clients when it comes to showing properties.  He always recommends that the homeowners leave and allow the buyers to view the home without the seller’s personalized tour. 

Why?

Most buyers will feel uncomfortable with you showing them your home.  They are going to associate the home with you, your stories, your family, your history.  They don’t need to know every little tidbit of memorabilia your house holds for you; they need to know that this home can be theirs.

Just as when you have your home staged you de-personalize your home, so too  you want to de-personalize the showing of your home to potential buyers.  Let their agent do the showings.  Let your agent and the buyer’s agent negotiate for you.  You get to make all the decisions, but you do not have to be face to face with the buyers turning the process into something personal between you and them.

Regardless of the condition of the real estate market, selling a home, although personal, is still a business transaction.  Let the professionals handle the showings of your home.  If the showings are during the weekend, treat the family to a movie or take your pet for a walk.  Allow time for the buyers to feel comfortable in your house and to start picturing themselves living there.

By giving the buyers time and space in your house without you, you are showing your home to its best advantage.  You are showing that your home is ready and available for its new owners.  So go ahead, give yourself the edge.  Show your home better than any of the competition and get yours sold!

Caring for your garden is definitely one part of staging your home, whether it is for sale or to improve your quality of life.  Take care to avoid using harmful pesticides and herbicides that are toxic to both you and your environment in your endeavor to improve your home.

Pesticides and herbicides were created to kill living things.  It is not difficult to imagine how they directly impact not only the environment but you and your loved ones.  And not only do you need to worry about the chemicals coming into your home through the air when you are in the process of applying the chemicals, but these chemicals make their way into the soil and into the water through runoff.

It used to be thought that the soil would act as a filter as the chemicals worked their way through the eco-system, but that was found to be wrong.  These contaminants have found their way into your water sources and so into your drinking water.

You can do your part in reducing the contamination by choosing healthier alternatives to use in your own home and garden.  You can test your own water for purity and use a water filter in your home. 

Staging a home, whether it be for sale or for your own enjoyment, involves creating a home that is healthy.  When choosing what you are going to be using to in your home, consider your options.  I urge you to choose healthy!

Related Posts:  10 Easy Steps to a Healthier Home

Step 1 to a Healthier Home:  Air Quality in Your Home

Step 2 to a Healthier Home:  Eliminate Clutter

Step 3 to a Healthier Home:  Natural Cleaning Products

Step 4 to a Healthier Home:  Pure Fresh Water

It was a bit of a whirlwind staging this Sunland home last weekend, but it was a ton of fun!  Sunland, a community just east of the San Fernando Valley lies in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains, and this home is just as charming as can be! 

With its three bedrooms, two baths, enclosed patio and the sparkling pool plus the ability to walk to the hiking trails while only being minutes from the freeway, makes this quite a special place!

It was somewhat a race to get the home staged before their open house this past weekend, but I am pretty sure they will be having it open again this weekend.  You can contact the real estate agent to confirm.  His information is on the details page of the real estate show.