Set The Stage … Set The Lights … LET THE SELLING BEGIN! Want t o Maximize Your Profit when selling your home? Distinguishing your home from the competition is a key step, often missed by most Realtors and sellers. Buyers look at many homes in their price range, including yours, before making their purchase decision. Ask yourself … "Why should the buyer choose my home over similar homes on the market? Many factors go into a buyer's decision: price, location, size, etc., but one of the most important factors, often overlooked, is the emotional need to picture themselves living in the home! This is where Home Staging makes a huge difference! Home Staging makes small rooms feel larger, empty rooms feel inviting, and most importantly .. . makes the buyer feel at home! Before a home is placed on the market, it should be staged to sell by a qualified professional. We are Accredited Staging Professionals (ASP) and provide Home Staging Services Free to our listing clients! What is Home Staging? Staging is the art of temporarily decorating a home with the INTENT TO SELL! Utilizing your existing furniture and accessories, we give the home the competitive edge by distinguishing it from your competition. An appealing decor often results in a faster sale at a higher price. We provide additional furniture and accessories should your home be vacant or scarcely furnished. Home Staging is a rapidly growing concept seen on HGTV. (http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hdts/0,1804,HGTV_15857,00.html). Examples of Home Staging Home Staging makes a huge difference in buyer appeal, which is why Staged Homes usually take less time to sell, for more money. Picture yourself as the buyer in the examples below. Which pictures make you want to live in the home … BEFORE or AFTER? Before This is a beautiful lake front property, but the blinds were down when the property was shown The tree is the focal point instead of the view The open piano distracts from the view After The rug was removed The tree was removed to make the focal point the lake view instead of the tree The piano lid lowered Blinds were opened Now the beautiful lake view is the focus! Before Overgrowth blocks entry and view of home Home appears to be neglected which will hurt market value After Overgrowth is removed exposing entry and view of home Added lighting provides the home with ambience Home is Brighter Street view is now very appealing to buyers Before Is it an exercise room? A bedroom? What's behind those blinds? After This drab bedroom is turned into a Master Suite by making the bed, raising the blinds, removing the exercise equipment, and by adding a little green and simple furnishings How Does Homes Staging Help Maximize My Profit When Selling My Home? 1. How you live in the home and how you market your home are two very different things. You must market from the Buyers Point of View. 2. Buyers spend an average of 3 minutes viewing each home. 3. You do not get a second chance at making a good first impression. 4. Buyers view Staged Homes as properties that have been well cared for. 5. 95% of Buyers buy on emotion. They must be able to visualize themselves living in the home. Staging Creates that "Love at First Site" Emotion. 6. Staging brings out your home's best features and minimizes it's least desirable features 7. Staging makes your home stand out from your competition 8. Photos of Staged Homes Look Better in Advertising and on the Internet 9. Vacant properties make rooms appear smaller than their actual size and show every flaw and defect. 10. Most buyers do not want fixer-uppers. They have little time and lack imagination. "Buyers buy what they see, not what it could be." Let us show you how we can help Maximize Your Profit through Home Staging! Is Home Staging Cost Effective? Absolutely! Especially when we provide Home Staging Services FREE to our selling clients! But even if had to pay for it, it's still cost effective! According to a Business Week Online Article by Anne Tergesen, November 22, 2004: Realtors Say Staged Homes Net Higher Prices and Sit on the Market for Less Time Than Homes That Are Not Staged. Joy Valentine, a Broker at Coldwell Banker in Los Altos, CA. looked at 3,358 homes sold in the San Francisco Bay Area From Jan. 1, 2002, to Oct. 31, 2002. In General, the Staged Homes went for the asking price and spent 25.3 Days on the market, Vs. 2% below asking and 48.2 Days for the other Group. Here is the full article: BusinessWeek November 22, 2004 By Anne Tergesen Showtime For Your Home Stagers can give your dwelling a makeover to help it bring top dollar When the sale of his three-bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side fell through in mid-2002, Tom Allon decided to stay put. Good thing, because this June the president of magazine publisher Manhattan Media received an offer that exceeded his "wildest expectation," topping his original asking price by some 45%. The appreciation of New York City real estate played a role in Allon's good fortune, but it's not the whole story. Also working in his favor was a $10,000 makeover conducted by one of a growing number of "stagers," or designers who prepare homes for sale. Allon's stager devoted most of his budget to the kitchen, since it's visible upon entering the apartment. She replaced formica countertops with Corian and repainted yellow cabinets a neutral white. She put new linens, pillows, and shams in the master bedroom, re-grouted the master bath, and bought a purple shower curtain and coordinated rug for the kids' bath to draw the eye away from older fixtures. "The apartment looked so great I almost decided to stay," says Allon, whose five-person family has outgrown the 1,700-square-foot residence. These days it's not enough simply to clean the house before putting it on the market. To net top dollar, you have to banish most traces of yourself -- from your refrigerator magnets to your kids' artwork -- and create an idealized living space, almost with the look of a model home. The goal is to show potential buyers a dwelling that's both tasteful and impersonal enough to allow them "to mentally move in," says Barb Schwarz, a Whidbey Island (Wash.) Realtor who founded the International Association of Home Staging Professionals. Although stagers sometimes remodel, they usually work with what's already there. They rearrange furniture to point the eye to a home's strongest features, such as an architectural flourish or a beautiful view. To create a sense of spaciousness, they de-clutter -- relegating the contents of countertops, closets, and bookshelves to storage. To dress up tired kitchens and outdated bathrooms, they buy accessories, such as area rugs and framed prints. To add warmth, they install light fixtures and repaint walls in warm, neutral tones. Some even remove your furniture and rent replacements. The cost varies, depending on the size, location, and condition of your home. Some stagers, including Allon's, are Realtors who do this for free, as a service to clients. Others charge $75 to $100 an hour on average. Regardless, you'll pay extra for the accessories they buy or the cleaners, painters, or landscapers they recommend. To ready a small condo for the market costs an average of $500 to $1,000, including both the stager's fee and materials, Schwarz says. The tab for a home that's 4,000 square feet or more can easily exceed $2,500. In more expensive markets, such as Manhattan and Silicon Valley, real estate pros quote prices of up to $40,000. One way, to cut costs: Hire a stager to draw up a plan of action for a couple hundred dollars, and do much of the work yourself. Realtors say staged homes net higher prices and sit on the market for less time than un-staged ones. Joy Valentine, a broker at Coldwell Banker in Los Altos, Calif., looked at 3,358 homes sold in the San Francisco Bay area from Jan. 1, 2002, to Oct. 31, 2002. In general, the staged homes went for the asking price and spent 25.3 days on the market, vs. 2% below asking and 48.2 days for the group. Homeowners who've hired stagers say it's helpful to have an objective person identify flaws. But if you feel you have a good eye and want to do your own staging, professionals offer these tips: Start outside. Cross the street and take a hard look at the first impression your home makes. If the trees and bushes are overgrown, trim them. Clean the windows. Not only will this convey tidiness, it will let in more light. Paint the front door and polish your street number, door- knocker, and mailbox. Stand in doorways. That way, you'll see what potential buyers see before entering the rooms. Any time you make a change, go back to the door to assess. De-clutter. Remove most photos and knickknacks, since they can distract buyers. Clear your kitchen and bathroom counters and store cosmetics and appliances. Organize cabinets and closets to impress snoops with how clean and orderly your home is. Remove bulky or excess furniture to open up rooms. "You have to move, so we pack you early," says Schwarz. Let in the light. Take down heavy or layered drapes and raise the blinds. Clean fixtures or buy new ones and keep the lights on while showing the house. Keep the colors tame. Repaint in warm, neutral colors to make sure nothing clashes with a buyer's furniture. But stay away from white with gray undertones, since gray lacks warmth. Add punch with brightly colored accessories and live plants. "We're the Pottery Barn generation. Since that's what sells, bring in elements of that style," says Deanna Kory, Allon's stager and a Realtor at The Corcoran Group in New York. Return rooms to their proper functions. Buyers won't have to strain to imagine your home office as, say, a dining room. According to a NY Times article on August 22, 2004 called: How to Get the Most When It's Time to Sell, By SARA RIMER Home Staging can add significant high dollars when selling your home. The article summary states: "The home inspection went off without a hitch. They bought our house for $489,000, which was $10,000 less than our asking price, but more than Joanne had thought we would get. She estimated that the staging had added more than $50,000 to the value of our house. Our final bill from John and Alan (reachable at 215-339-0444) was $948.22." Click here for full article Our Home Staging Experience Our sister company Kathryn Flynn Design Interiors performs Home Staging Services for our American Dream Real Estate clients. Kathy holds the following designations: 10 years in the Home Décor Industry Interior Redesign Industry Specialist, ( I.R.I.S.) Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) Custom Window Treatment Specialist Licensed Realtor What Are Clients Say About Our Home Staging Sellers: "(Home Staging) … Made our home feel like a totally different home! We are totally satisfied!" Marvin Cox "You sold our home in less than a week. I believe the Home Staging you did for us made the difference." Alan. M. Buyers: "Thank you for spending the entire day at the Levitt & Sons Design center. You truly were a blessing to both of us and to the Interior Designer." Peter C. I purchased my first home through American Dream Real Estate and was blown away that after the closing you, provided superb home staging and decorating services at no additional cost! Thanks! Don S. Additional Services Kathryn Flynn Design Interiors offers these additional services: 1. Complete Vacation Home Furniture and Accessory Packages 2. Furniture, Artwork and Accessories shopping to supplement current furnishings 3. Managing the Arrival and Placement of Furnishings, Artwork and Accessories. 4. Managing Furniture Rentals Before and After Sale Call today for more information or fill out the form below!