•  Staging Homes for Resale, Model Homes, Homes for Parties, Holidays, Weddings, Meetings,  or any other type of Event
•  Mini Makeovers for your Home, furniture arranging, picture hanging, Decorating Kids rooms
• or any other room in the house.
•  Pick Paint Colors for your Home  or Business, Interior & Exterior
  
•  Personal Shopping for the Holidays including Home Accessories, Christmas Decorations
•  Residential Interior Design including Material selections for your floors, countertops, tile, wallpaper, furniture, window treatments, lighting, all aspects of remodeling.  Also,
•  specializing in Kitchen and Bath Design
  
•  Commercial Interiors, Offices, Hotels, Restrauants
  

           contact Annie to talk about your Project and book an  Appointment for a
                                 Free Consultation.  714 357-6089
                               

Staging in the News
Click on the links below to see what people are talking about!

CNN Money - "Your Home: Maximize your sale price"
Newsday - "Curb Appeal Helps Sell a House"
Good Morning America - "Stage your home for a biger sale"
Realtor Magazine - " See how they Staged it!"



Featured on the Today Show

Staged to Sell
Staging Homes for Maximum Sales Potential

By: Marcus A. Wally

Today, realtors are tasked with so much more than showing properties and negotiating contracts. We are responsible for every detail in order to ultimately close on a property. From awareness of market conditions to our ability to help our sellers face reality about market values, a realtor's job is seldom done!

What we do know is today, more than ever, buyers rely on the Internet to view our listings prior to making an appointment to physically see the home. Insuring that a property stands out is critical. These buyers use the Internet to narrow their choices, so creativity combined with a few accessories, a little reorganization, and ruthless paring can make a property stand out in today’s slower markets. The subject of staging comes to mind.

Even in a fast-paced market, staging can pay off. A number of surveys have proven that staging can increase a sales price by several thousand dollars. Cleaning and decluttering can add several thousand dollars to the final price as well. Like the offering of a home warranty, staged homes sell for more than non-staged homes. And the good news is that staging does not have to cost a fortune. The comparably low cost of staging can net big rewards.

So what is “staging” anyway? Staging is increasing the perceived value of a home by “showcasing” the space to allow potential homebuyers to mentally move in. Staging is a subtle art that involves creativity and some muscle. The point of focus is to emphasize the property and not the owner’s personal items.

When a property is “staged” all clutter is removed. In order for a property to sell quickly and for top dollar, an environment of neutrality should be the focus. De-personalizing is the key here. And creating a space that is harmonious and spacious is the objective. The buyers must be able to picture themselves living in the home, and that is difficult to do when family photos, grand art collections, and other personal effects capture their attention.

Think of staging like detailing a car. A smart auto seller would pay to have the car immaculately cleaned and polished prior to selling it. This adds value to the car and that is exactly what staging does for a property. In fact, the investment in staging can prove to be substantially less than the first price reduction.

The driveway and sidewalks should be pressure washed to remove grime, stains and debris. Insure that trees are pruned, fresh mulch/straw is placed in flowerbeds and that the home is inviting. Odors from pets, cooking, strong scented candles, etc., should also be eliminated.

On the inside, one of the most important things you can do is to start removing all items that are not absolutely necessary for daily life while the home is for sale. What I like to share with my sellers is that “since you are planning on moving anyway, you might as well start boxing things up.” If needed, I may recommend that my sellers go ahead and rent a storage unit and take these excessive items off site. Creating spacious living areas is our goal.

For vacant homes, simple furnishings and accessories create a homier environment. Sometimes it is difficult for buyers to imagine their furniture in vacant spaces. Hence, the reason builders today use fully furnished models to sell their products. Be careful here if you are considering renting furniture as monthly rental fees can be expensive. Perhaps purchasing and then reselling might be a good alternative. Yard sales, or even donating and receiving a charitable tax deduction are options.

 Suggest that our sellers consider re-painting public rooms that garner a lot of a buyer’s attention (kitchen, dining room and living room). When showing the homes, we must turn on every light in the house and tune all radios in the home to the same classical music station. A helpful hint is to ask the owner to refrain from smoking inside the home and from doing any cooking that would leave a smell.

Steer clear of part-timers or those practicing staging as a hobby. Find out if the stager works alone or has a team. Ask for references. Find out if the stager has his or her own inventory or will be renting furniture. Stagers who own their own stock of furniture and accessories should offer you a tighter quote.