Many people are going to disagree with me, but I hate drapes.  Ugh.  To me, the word “drapes” conjures up visions of heavy, floral, musky fabrics staunchly barricading a room against any ray of light which might try to eek its way in.  I’ll take vertical blinds any day, thank you.

In my ideal world, none of us would need window treatments of any sort – there would be no nosy neighbors, UV damage to our furniture, or unsightly street views through our windows.  However, drapes and other window treatments are a fact of life for daily living.  There’s no denying that black-out drapes are great accessories when you want to sleep in on a Saturday, and with all the variety out there, drapes and window treatments can be a fantastic mode of expressing individual taste within your home.

But, as any stager worth a grain of salt will tell you, how you live in your house is not how you sell it.  This certainly applies when it comes to your windows!  All too often I see open homes where sellers and agents have forgotten that they are selling the house and its architectural features, and leave the windows obscured behind outdated curtains or dusty blinds.

Things to keep in mind about your windows when selling:

• ­(Most) windows are selling points.*  Accentuate them, don’t hide them.

• ­Make sure all windows are CLEAN.  I don’t mean swiped with a dirty squeegee.  If you don’t have the time to make the windows q-tip clean, calling in a professional is a good idea.

• ­No one likes a dark house!  Keep blinds, shades, and/or curtains open during your open houses, even if you normally keep them shut.  If you have a less-than-picturesque view outside a window, consider keeping the shades or blinds partially closed.  However, most of the time the benefits of bringing in light outweigh an ugly view.

• ­You are not selling your designer valences and swags.  These items tend to make the windows look smaller.  Take them down when you’re selling.

So what do you do if you still need treatments on the window while you’re selling? If you have blinds, shutters, or shades that are in good, working condition, I’d take down the extra curtains and swags and just leave the other covers in place for when you need them.  If drapes are your only option, buy some inexpensive tiebacks, and move them out of the way for showing.  Your goals are to let in the most light possible and to make the windows look as big as possible.

Here is a great before and after example from Erin Blackburn, ASP, of Showcase Staging in Santa Cruz:

Before, who would have thought that those were nice windows??
Staging lesson:  Ditch the drapes whenever possible!

*If you have cracked, moldy or otherwise unsightly windows that you absolutely can’t replace before selling, these are not selling points.  But don’t let their light be blocked by heavy treatments.  I recommend making a run to your local box store and buying some inexpensive sheer panels.  Simply thread a rod through them, hang, and, voila!  Unsightly windows out, lots of light still coming in.

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You’ve made the wise decision with your Realtor to stage your property before sale, but now what?  How do you find that special person who’s going to make your property jump off the market?

Besides reading blogs and finding knowledgeable stagers that way :), there are many sources to find and compare qualified stagers.  If you are working with a Realtor, they will likely be your first source for a referral.  Perhaps the best source, though, is to visit some open houses in your neighborhood and see who’s done the staging in them – often stagers will leave their cards in either the kitchen or near the entryway.  This way, you’ve seen an example of their work in a setting that would be similar to your own home.

The web, of course, provides endless opportunities to find stagers.  Craigslist is a great way to localize your search.  ActiveRain, a real estate website, has many stagers in its blogging community, so you’ll be able to read about their accomplishments and qualifications.  There are also many websites out there attempting to aggregate stagers’ information.  Don’t rely too heavily on this source, though – it’s just like any other advertising – most of the stagers listed there have paid for their info to be posted.  You’ll also likely find a number of training or accreditation programs who list their graduates, and state that only their graduates are true “stagers.”  While these programs often do provide substantive training, don’t be fooled – just as anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a stager, anyone can take these courses.

So once you’ve found some names of local stagers, how do you evaluate who’s going to be the best stager for you?  Not all stagers are created equal, and it’s often a mistake to make your choice based on price alone.  I’d recommend talking with at least two stagers, perhaps one recommended by your Realtor, and one you find on your own.  You may be dealing with this person quite a bit – make sure that you like their vision for your property and that you will be able to work well with them.  Here are some other things to look for and ask your stager:

• ­    Do they have a portfolio of their work you can look at?

• ­    How do they describe their style?  A good stager will be able to adjust their style   to match your property type.

• ­    Do they have references, either written or past customers you can call?

• ­    What areas do they serve?  Are they familiar with the market in your neighborhood?

• ­    Who do they envision as the market for your property?  Does this vision match yours or your Realtor’s?

• ­    How long will it take to stage the property?

• ­    Are they available to stage the week before your photos are taken or your open house?

If your Realtor has a strong opinion and is going to be involved in the process of working with the stager, I’d give a lot of weight to what your Realtor has to say – he or she knows this market, knows the stager, and is there to save you time and heartache.  On the other hand, if your Realtor is not involved in the staging process, do your homework and go with the person you think will make your property look its best.

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Although this is the last installment of a 4-part series on what home stagers can do, don’t be fooled – there is an infinite number of things we property presentation consultants can do to help you market your property! However, I had to end it somewhere, and I’ve decided to talk about the least expensive way to stage your house: the staging consultation.

First off, the staging consultation is different from the staging quote. If you’re looking to stage a vacant property or have someone do redesign staging for you, a staging consultation is not for you. Instead, you need a stager to come out to your property and put together a quote. Usually stagers will not give out actual staging information while they’re visiting to put together a quote – most stagers in our area offer free quotes, so they’re not getting paid for this time. Their goal is to get as much info about your property in the shortest amount of time so they can prepare a fair proposal.

When you hire a stager for a consultation, he or she will walk through your property and give you an analysis of what needs to be done to the house to make it look best for selling. The stager can give advice on everything from repairs to color schemes to furniture placement. Often, you will have the choice of getting a written report from the stager (which usually costs a little more), or taking notes as the stager walks through with you. Personally, I think getting a written report is worth the extra amount. Many stagers will provide diagrams along with a step-by-step list of “to-dos” and suggestions for showing. It’s nice to have the report to refer to as you go along.

A staging consultation is best for:

• ­ Sellers who will be living in the house while it’s on the market.

• ­ Sellers on a budget (pricing depends on the size of the property and whether or not the stager prepares a written report).

• ­Sellers who have time to do the work to stage themselves.

Not only is investing in a staging consultation a great deal for the do-it-yourselfer, but it is also a useful tool for Realtors. More and more often, Realtors are adding value to their services by providing a staging consultation for their clients. By bringing in a stager, Realtors demonstrate that they are invested in selling their client’s property. Furthermore, when a Realtor is faced with a client who doesn’t think fixing up or staging is necessary, a stager can provide a very helpful third-party evaluation.

Now that you know a little more about the major services stagers provide, feel free to post or e-mail any questions you may have about the process. I’d be happy to help!

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The previous installment of this series proved the benefits of vacant staging and how it can turn a blah space into a livable place. But what do you do when you’re living in your home while it’s on the market and can’t move everything out? Don’t worry – you can still stage it! It’s called redesign staging, and it’s absolutely necessary to move your home quickly off the market.

Redesign staging is more than just trendy “decluttering.” Often, the way we live in our homes is not the way we should sell them. For instance, how many of us have converted dining rooms into offices, or dens into a guest room? When you’re selling, you have to consider what the intended purpose of each room was – something that’s hard to do when you’ve lived that way for years. That’s where a stager comes in. He or she will evaluate each room, and decide what’s the best way to market it. Most likely, if it’s meant to be a dining room, you’re going to have to live with it as a dining room while it’s on the market! Of course, your stager will do more than just redesign each room. Much of what your stager will do is pick out items for packing up and moving out. While it might seem like a pain to pack it up, you’re going to have to do it anyway when your house sells, so why not do it now?

So how does it work? After you find your stager, one of the first things you’ll want to discuss is whether there are items in the home which absolutely cannot be moved or removed. Even though it might seem like a huge inconvenience to move out the 40” TV or your transistor radio collection, I highly recommend giving your stager free range to move anything. Of course, if you have health needs or business equipment which must remain in place, let your stager know, and they’ll make it work. After you’ve had this discussion, your stager will come in and rearrange furniture, replace accessories, and probably completely transform your home. The rearrangement may be a little inconvenient, but hopefully you won’t be living there much longer! Also, while your house is on the market, you’re going to have to keep it in that “just-staged” condition – it’s a lot of work, but it will be worth it! If you just don’t have time to make sure everything’s perfect all the time, many stagers will come back and refresh the staging for an additional fee. Finally, if you’re short on decorative items, many stagers will bring in their own inventory and charge a monthly rental fee. By the time your stager is finished, you might just be having second thoughts about moving out!

Here are some examples of Solstice Staging’s redesign staging.

Kids’ room before:

Kids’ room after, using staging accessories and owners’ furniture/toys:

Living room before - an example of the dining area being in the wrong place:

Living room after - dining area relocated to be closer to kitchen:

Office area before - functional for living, but no fun for showing:

Office area after - neatness, along with accessories, will pay off:

Living room before - too much stuff, all in the wrong places:

Living room after - look how big it is!

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We interrupt this series on “What can a stager do for me?” for a special announcement: it’s gorgeous outside!

So what, you ask yourself, does this have to do with staging? Everything! When you’re selling your house, every part of it - inside and out - has to look its best. Spring is the perfect time of year to make the outside of your house as beautiful as the inside. All around us, trees are blossoming, flowers are blooming, and the sky is a deep blue (at least for now). If you’re selling your home, or even thinking about it, now’s the time to take steps to give your house instant curb appeal by fixing up your garden. Even if you’re waiting to sell, you can capitalize on the great weather and spring colors now by taking pictures of your garden at its peak. Later, when you do decide to sell, you can include these pictures in marketing materials to show potential buyers how great the place can look.

Here are some things you can do now to give your house picture-perfect curb appeal:

• “Declutter” greenery. Just like kids, plants grow up! Cut greenery back to highlight your property. Overgrown shrubs make a property look uninhabited and unkempt.
• Take care of pathways. An easy fix to update concrete paths is to buy some concrete stain or paint at your local hardware store. It makes a world of difference! With brick or stone paths, cut back or remove weeds coming up through the cracks, and replace cracked stones.
• Try out some new patio furniture. Outdoor furniture takes a beating, and if you’re selling, it’s probably worth the investment in a new furniture set, even if it’s a small one. Bed, Bath and Beyond usually has some affordable, good-looking options.
• Bring in color. For a quick fix, just placing some already-blooming flowers around your home’s entryway will give it more visual interest. If you have some more time, buy some colorful annuals and plant them in a border around your yard or a special tree.
• Clean up scruffy trees. A great way to hide tree roots is to place large river stones around the tree’s base. Cut back any scrawny, odd branches.
• Remove old toys and lawn ornaments. You’re not selling your pink flamingo collection, so why take away attention from your home? It’s best to pack these items up before posting the “For Sale” sign in the yard.

For more advice on how to give your house curb appeal, get opinions from your Realtor, stager and gardener. If you don’t have a gardener, but are selling your property, it’s a good idea to bring in a professional for a one-time clean-up.

If you’re not selling your place, get out there and enjoy this weather!

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If you’re paying two mortgages and waiting on pins and needles for your old residence to sell, it sounds like you need a stager.

Probably the fastest growing segment of the home staging industry is in staging vacant homes. More and more sellers are moving out of their homes before they’re sold, taking all their worldly possessions with them, leaving nothing behind but an empty shell to sit on the market.

So what’s wrong with selling an empty house? Well . . . it echoes. It’s impersonal. It feels stale. And, worst of all, buyers can’t picture themselves living there. I’ve been unable to find solid statistics on the issue, but the common belief seems to be that vacant homes can take up to 30% longer to sell than occupied homes, and I know Realtors who will swear that this is true. (By the way, anyone with some good statistics or even war stories on this issue is greatly encouraged to share!!). Ana Hayes recently blogged about “lingering appeal.” This is a great way of looking at it – comfortable, cozy homes leave lingering good impressions on buyers. On the other hand, vacant homes blend together in buyers’ minds, and are easily forgotten.

If you still don’t believe that staging your empty home for sale will make it sell faster and for the most money possible, take a look at these before and after pictures and reconsider:

The photo of the vacant property below shows a pleasant-looking but small room. It leaves the buyer wondering what the room could be used for:

However, after staging by Kimberly Uksik of Elite Home Decor of Ontario, Canada, the difference is remarkable - who would’ve thought this was big enough to be a bedroom! This before and after set proves that not only does staging show buyers what a room’s potential is, but it also gives listing photos some frame of reference.

Stagers can also lighten the atmosphere of a vacant property. The before picture here shows an oppressive, outdated room:

But, after staging by Kathy Nielsen of Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC, it’s a whole different story! No more 1970s dark den. Staging transformed this space into a sunny, comfortable sitting room. Who wouldn’t want to play chess here on a lazy summer afternoon?

In this final before, you can almost hear the echo in the room. Get this property some furniture to compliment that beautiful parquet floor!

After staging by Solstice Staging, this became a living room ready for echo-free entertaining - and showing!

After hours and hours of looking at properties, vacant properties all begin to look the same to buyers. Staging your vacant property gives them something interesting to look at - and remember.

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By now, most of us have seen those HGTV shows where a staging team bursts into a property, and, in a whirlwind, transforms it into a buyer’s paradise in a matter of what appears to be a few hours. Usually the premise is either: a) stage this property for sale on a miniscule budget or b) stage this property for sale – the sky’s the limit! But these shows fail to reveal all of the behind-the-scenes labor and preparation put into staging a house. Let’s face it – loading inventory into trucks just doesn’t make for good TV. So I’ve written this four-part blog series to introduce you to what the “typical” stager looks like, along with the services generally performed by stagers. There are, of course, exceptions and variations on what I’m writing, and I’d love to hear what others’ experiences have been with stagers.

So, what does the “typical” staging business look like? Generally, it is a team of one or two staging professionals who do a good deal of the work themselves. Not all stagers have a team of movers, painters and handypersons at their command – although most will be more than happy to recommend such people to their clients. Some stagers do have full-time employees, although many will simply hire assistants and movers as jobs demand. I even know of stagers who bring in their family members and friends as free labor to keep their costs down.

Stagers are often happy to recommend what a client should do as far as remodeling is concerned, but I do not know of many who would handle a job like this themselves. If you are a seller and believe that your property needs major structural remodeling before sale, you should contact a contractor or an interior designer for these things, and call in the stager to put the finishing touches on the property before sale.

Some stagers carry inventory of their own, while others choose to rent furniture or only use the seller’s own furniture for staging. Those stagers who do own inventory often store it anywhere from an extra bedroom in their home to their own warehouse. One of the benefits of carrying inventory that stagers have capitalized on is the ability to stage with a specific style. For instance, some stagers specialize in Craftsman bungalows or modern high-rise condominiums.

A stager with a huge inventory and multiple employees is not necessarily any better than the solo stager whose assistant is her teenage son. Stagers perform a multitude of services – which will be discussed later in this series – and sellers should look for the stager who provides services which best meet their needs.

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More and more home sellers and Realtors are recognizing the necessity of investing in home staging before placing a property on the market – but apparently not everyone has been clued in! Sometimes people balk at the thought of putting money towards staging, but these pictures of actual properties for sale across the nation prove that it’s an investment well worth making!

• Hmmm… living room or Elks Lodge? The way this room is presented makes you look for the banquet tables!

• Less is not always more. These sellers would be better off having nothing in the room.

• Outdoor spaces need stagers, too! This patio needs staging to show what a great entertaining spot this is.

• I could write an entire blog about this one (maybe I will!)! Dirty laundry? Child? Seriously, folks, never put children or family members in listing photos.

• Your refrigerator magnets and knickknacks are fine conversation starters while you’re living in your house – but a stager would have told these sellers to lose them for selling. You want potential buyers talking about the house, not your stuff!

And last, but certainly not least…

• Unless this is a toy store for sale, this room is the perfect example of why sellers need professional stagers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see price tags on the bears!

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