Wilmington Real Estate Home

Staging on a Budget: Special Touches

Sea Coast Ashley — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:10:16 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for home exteriors.

Create a DVD of the Home

“Have the sellers make a short DVD of fun times that they had in the home and surrounding area. Make the DVD run on a loop on the TV and use it to show potential buyers the area, neighborhood amenities, proximity to parks museums, etc. It is easy and cost effective.”

-Scott Holland, Top100AZhomes.com, Phoenix

Frame a Local Scene

“Frame pictures from inexpensive calendars and place them throughout the home. Look for pictures that reflect nature and themes for the local area. We don’t want buyers to wish they were in Aruba while looking at a home in snowy Michigan!”

-Jannel Lee Allen, Keller Williams Realty, Livonia, Mich.

Showcase Designer Bags

“I stagger colorful, logo, designer, retail bags in different sizes and shapes and place them on the shelves in the walk-in closets in the master bedroom, linen closet as well as other closets. It creates a fun visual and people think it is unique and clever. Plus, it is basically free. You just tell the stores that you are staging your seller’s home and would love to advertise their company with their bags. They love the idea of getting free publicity. I put crumpled up tissue in the bag to give them body. I use bags from Neiman Marcus, Coldwater Creek, Chico’s, Crate & Barrel, Pier 1, St. John, Coach, Victoria Secret, and Nordstrom. Also, since the bags can lie flat, the storage factor is very efficient.”

-Robyn Starr Dezendorf, Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere, Portland, Ore.

Customize the Art

“Buy a couple of iron easels and place them in different rooms. On the easel, place a mirror or framed art that complements the colors of the walls or floors. Or, prepare a large poster with photos and additional information about the house. This is inexpensive, yet provides a focal point of interest in the room.”

-Trina Griffith, Summers Real Estate Group, Longview, Texas

Redo the Doghouse

“Freshen and consolidate pet areas. Purchase new bowls, etc., to indicate upkeep and freshness. Choose one place to house pet beds and litter boxes; the laundry or utility rooms or garage space may be appropriate.”

-Mae Thompson, Prudential One Realty Centre, Edwardsville, Ill.

Have Sellers Write a Letter

“Part of staging is conveying the pleasures of living in the marketed home. I have sellers write a one-page letter to the prospective buyers detailing less evident benefits, such as the annual Easter egg hunt at the end of the cul-de-sac, the amazing sunrise from the breakfast nook window, and the fact that the school bus stops at the corner. I copy these on pretty paper and put them at the front of the property profile book on the kitchen counter.”

-Cari Pemberton, Buy, Sell, Organize & Stage, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Make It Memorable

“I have two things that I do when staging a home. First, a wreath on the front door (that I make). The wreath stays with the house for the new owners. Second, I hang a black nightgown on the master bathroom door. The buyer (husband) always remembers that house!”

-Cissy Snyder, Svetlik Real Estate, Sumter, S.C.

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Staging on a Budget: Exteriors

Sea Coast Ashley — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:05:30 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for home exteriors.

Say ‘Welcome Home’

“There’s nothing more pleasing than a front step or porch with bright and cheerful planters filled with plants and flowers. It says ‘welcome to your new home!’”

-Carol Anderson, abr®, green, Coastline Realty, Cape May, N.J.

Create a Curb Appeal Checklist

“A top item on the staging list should be curb appeal items (you can’t get people in if they don’t like the drive-by): Trim shrubs, fix peeling paint, and add greens or planters near the entrance.”

-Lori Geraci, Bannon & Hebert Properties LLC, Middlebury, Conn.

Entice Them at the Entrance

“Tighten any loose doors or cabinets and re-stain, paint, or varnish doors. Paint the trim on floors and ceilings. Also, paint outside trims and nicks on the house, especially where clients come into the house.”

-Rhonda Burns, Windermere Real Estate, Wentachee, Wash.

Stage the Lawn

“In San Antonio the grass is usually parched by the end of the summer. For my fall listings, I purchase a bag of winter rye grass seed and apply it generously to dried-out lawns of my listings. I advice sellers to water the grass frequently for a few weeks until it begins to sprout. Soon the lawn is emerald green, and it stays that way through the end of April, at which time the regular grass should be recovering.”

-Larry Stewart, Deborah Myers Real Estate Inc., San Antonio, Texas

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Staging on a Budget: De-cluttering

Sea Coast Ashley — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:55:26 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for de-cluttering.

Expand the Closet

“One of the most overlooked areas of staging is the closet. Most people will unclutter and move boxes out of the closet but forget about the hanging clothes. I tell my clients to remove the clothes they only wear once in a while. If the closet still looks stuffed, remove more. The ideal closet will have significant space (two hangers worth) between the next hanger.”

-Joseph F. San Angelo, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Clifton, N.J.

Before and After

“Have owners pack everything they don’t use daily and put in storage or in the garage. It neutralizes the home and allows buyers to picture their family living there. It creates a sense of cleanliness and order by having clean countertops, sparsely decorated walls and minimal furniture. I give sellers before and after photos of other staged homes and remind them that this is how model homes sell.”

-Amy Herring, Keller Williams, Tallahassee, Fla.

Create a Neutral Pallet

“When I first meet with potential clients planning to put their house on the market, I walk through the home with them and make a detailed list of all furniture, clothing, and miscellaneous items that should be packed away. Staging a home requires that each space be defined, but that personal items and clutter be non-existent. Potential buyers need to see a neutral pallet: Rooms that they can envision themselves living. I then pay for the delivery and removal of a Smartbox portable storage unit as part of my marketing strategy.”

-Carrie Mock, Long and Foster Real Estate, Annapolis, Md.

Nix Those Personal Photos

“Make sure there are no personal photos to be seen anywhere in your listing. Pack them up or put them away. Buyers tend to stop and see who lives there, which takes them away from seeing the home’s attributes!”

-Kyle Davis, RE/MAX Select Properties Inc., Ashburn, Va.

Don’t Let Furniture Get in the Way

“I think one of my top staging tips is to arrange the furniture so that it does not block any of the home’s features and allows for easy traffic flow. Sometimes that means removing some furniture-the more furniture in a room, the smaller the room looks.”

-Jean Risha, Greenwood King Properties, Houston, Texas

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Staging on a Budget: Kitchen

Sea Coast Ashley — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:52:08 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for kitchens.

Tease Their Noses

“I believe in appealing to all five senses of a buyer, including smell. I always put something in the oven like apple pie or fresh bread.”

-Chad C. Caramanna, Shadetree Realty Group Inc., Fellsmere, Fla.

Accessorize

“Adding decorative items in the kitchen can warm up the area and make it more ‘cozy’. Go to a thrift or resale shop and get great deals on glass items. Use a tray (wood, silver, glass, etc.) with two coffee cups and a small package of Starbucks coffee displayed between the cups, and pretty paper or cloth napkins. Also, find a large glass-or pottery bowl-and fill it with individual candies, pre-packaged crackers, pretzels, etc. It looks nice and each buyer who comes through can grab a snack from the bowl. It’ll help them remember your listing.”

-Trina Griffith, Summers Real Estate Group, Longview, Texas

Go Green

“If your listing has some green features (EnergyStar appliances, generator, double-paned windows, bamboo flooring), continue the theme with strategically placed soy candles, homemade guest soaps, and green cleaning products under the sink area. People will notice!”

-Peggy Edwards, green, Coldwell Banker, Tampa, Fla.

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Staging on a Budget: Color and Lighting

Sea Coast Ashley — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:50:45 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for color and lighting.

Go Neutral

“The moment the potential buyer walks into the front door they should be ‘wowed’ by the rooms on either side of the entry. Paint a nice neutral khaki color allowing for the painted or stained wood work to stand out. Make the color bold enough to make a difference, not just an off white. Tans and khaki’s ‘warm’ the space.”

-Julie C. Preston, GRI, REALTOR®/interior designer, Indianapolis, Ind.

Add a Splash of Color Everywhere

“Currently over half the homes we list are vacant and can look very sterile in photos. We ask sellers to neutralize their wall colors and carpet, but then we discover all the photos of the interior look similar and boring. Our best staging tip is to add bright, bold colors to the kitchen and bathrooms with accessories, towels, and plants. Red is a call-to-action color. A vase with red flowers can add interest to the photo when placed on a kitchen island or bar. We like burgundy or black towels in a neutral bathroom and green silk plants in the living areas. A colorful picture over the fireplace mantle with a couple of vases on each side can make a great vignette in the family room.”

-Holly Janney, Realty Executives Associates, Knoxville, Tenn.

Light It Up

“Replace the light bulbs in the home with higher wattage bulbs. Buyers like ‘light and bright,’ and the brighter light bulbs make all the difference in the world. Inexpensive and easy!”

-Ann Bishop, Ann & Denny Bishop Group, Realtors®, Wichita Falls, Texas

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Staging on a Budget: Bathroom

Sea Coast Ashley — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:44:32 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for bathrooms.

Add Bathroom Elegance

“Get some decorative hand towels, tie a sheer ribbon around them, and place them on towel racks in all of the bathrooms. This does wonders to dress up the bathrooms of your listings. I also put some dried flowers and candles in complementary colors to add a little more pizzazz.”

-Haley Hwang, e-pro, Coldwell Banker, Glenview, Ill.

Put a Lid on It

“The best thing you can do for your home, vacant or not, is to close all the drains, sinks, and tubs; close all the lids on all the toilets; close all the closet doors; and let all the sun in. You’ll get amazing immediate results and the cost is zero dollars.”

-Judith Preston, HomeSmart International, Anthem, Ariz.

Make the Old New Again

“I recently listed a big house built in 1979. In the master bathroom was a sunken cultured marble bathtub and matching his and hers marble vanity tops in swirly 1970’s brown. The shower stall tile was gold and white speckled. The cost to update this bathroom would be a lot. So we got the tub and shower stall painted with epoxy paint in white and the marble tops a white with little tan specks. It was a huge improvement for about $800.”

-Linda Walker, Main Street Real Estate, Garland, Texas

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Staging on a Budget: Bedroom

Sea Coast Ashley — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:38:53 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for bedrooms.

Create a Focal Point

“Pick out the most visible corner and put a large plant-I’ve found that silk trees work best. Set up a spotlight behind it so it lights up the leaves and throws an interesting shadow on another wall. It really makes a difference in a person’s perception of the space, especially if it’s a large room without too much natural lighting.” -Izabela Stone, Keller Williams Realty, Apollo Beach, Fla.

Set Up a Chat Room

“Be sure that the living room furniture is positioned for conversation as well as entertainment. Potential buyers should be able to easily envision sitting in a space where they can easily talk without having to move a chair or turn completely around.” -Rana Lindhorst and Troy Schmidt, Prudential One Realty Centre, Edwardsville, Ill.

Get Rid of Carpet Dents

“Furniture often leaves indentations in the carpet. When a piece of furniture is moved, I tell my clients to put medium-sized ice cubes in the imprints. As the ice melts, it causes the compacted carpet to expand and erase those imprints.” -Shawn Moss, Century 21 C.R. O’Neil & Co.

Accent Special Features

“Place an accent by a home’s feature, such as an attractive plant near a fireplace to draw the eye to it or a tall palm or two in place that directs the buyer toward another part of the home or suggests a separation of areas. This also ensures that someone often enters the home to care for it.” -Susan Cramer, HomeSmart Real Estate, Temecula, Calif.

Invoke the Outdoors

“Use a little nature in each room. I create a flow throughout the home using cuttings, flowers, dried flowers, whatever will work. Simple things, such as twigs to spell out a word or a small cutting tied with raffia around a pillow on a bed, draw the eye into the room but don’t overpower it. I have even used a branch cutting to make a ‘tree’ in an empty corner. I try to use one piece of nature in each room to create an ongoing theme throughout the home. It works with any type of decor, whether it’s modern or traditional. One important note: Always check for insects!” -Lauren Scurlock, North Star Real Estate Inc., Virginia Beach, Va.

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Staging on a Budget: Living Rooms

Sea Coast Ashley — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:36:20 +0000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for living rooms.

Create a Focal Point

Set Up a Chat Room

Get Rid of Carpet Dents

Accent Special Features

Invoke the Outdoors

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

5 Showing Tips for Home Sellers

Sea Coast Ashley — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:25:47 +0000

Get your listing in showing shape with these simple tips.

Don’t assume that your clients know what to do when it comes to getting a house ready for showings. Even if they’ve sold before, it’s often difficult for them to evaluate their own home. That’s where you can help.

Lighten up. Some people like to live in dark houses. Leave the shades up and the drapes opened. Homes show so much better with light. -Teresa Boardman, Saint Paul Home Realty, St. Paul, Minn.

Size up the competition. Walk through model homes in your area to see what professionally staged homes look like. You can get a variety of great ideas to prepare your home for sale. -Randy Schulenburg, Mortgage 1st Realty Inc., Elgin, Ill.

Define the space. Creatively define each space to highlight its use. Create a mudroom that is neat and orderly, a home office workspace, or a kids afterschool room with chalk boards and desks. -Elizabeth Lord, Carolina Farms & Estates, York, S.C.

Add simple curb appeal. Thoroughly clear all little branches, rake the leaves, and trim the bushes. Every landscaping detail proves that you care, and this translates to buyer appeal! -Beverly Carlson, Carlson Properties, Abilene, Texas

Give it a power wash. I bought a power washer three years ago, and what a great investment. I always offer it to my clients. You’d be surprised how much better a house looks after a good bath-especially the garage doors. -Jim Cheney, Saint Francis Property, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Published: April 2010 REALTOR magazine

Realtors’ Favorite Tricks for Creating Scent Appeal

Sea Coast Ashley — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:23:48 +0000

Real estate professionals share with us their favorite home scents that are sure to please buyers.

“I recommend using lemon or citrus scented candles for showings and running a few lemon wedges through the garbage disposal.” -Christine Spitale, Sunflower Staging, Highland Mills, N.Y.

“Covering up the smell is not the answer. Sometimes it takes a thorough cleaning of carpets, drapes, and upholstery. It also helps to open windows to get air flowing and to clean out the air ducts.” -Barbara Linick, ERA Troy, REALTORS®, San Antonio

“I think that cinnamon and vanilla are the best smells when trying to sell a home. I love to walk into a home and breathe in the fresh scent of cinnamon sticks on the stove or smell a burning vanilla candle.” -Fran Hughes, Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Perimeter, Atlanta

“I always use an electric ceramic crock that can hold small or large glass candles, like from Yankee Candle Co. There’s no risk of fire because there’s no flame; the ceramic crock warms the candle to melt the wax. I’ve used several of these in different places throughout the house, so as you walk through you get different fragrances.” -Linda C. Hardt, Homelynx Home Loans, Fort Myers, Fla.

“I use an odor eliminator called PureAyre that smells like mint. The product can be ‘injected’ into furniture or carpets. It can also be sprayed into the air. When buyers come into a home, many are turned off by the smell of air fresheners or candles. Smart buyers know these are old tricks used to cover up smells, not eliminate them.” -Carol Smith, Creative Home Stagers, Charlotte, N.C.

“Put a beer in the oven on low and it will smell like you’re baking fresh bread.” -Elizabeth Lord, Carolina Farms & Estates, York, S.C.

“When you introduce any pleasant smelling items to a home, try to stick to basic scents such as vanilla, apple, cinnamon, and lemon. In small doses, these often appeal to the most buyers. A small reed diffuser in a bathroom can keep a clean smell, while not overwhelming the space.” -Kellie Frooninckx, Virtual Enriching Homes, Phoenix

“Heat up some water and throw fresh cinnamon into it. Turn it off just before the buyers come. They’ll think that you baked cookies for them.” -April M. Newland, Newland Real Estate, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

“If the sellers have a basement they may need to get a dehumidifier. Basements are in the ground, a damp environment by nature. So many times we open the basement door and get smacked with a musty odor. Bye-bye good offer.” -Colette O’Mara, Weichert, REALTORS®, North Syracuse, N.Y.

Published: April 2010 REALTOR magazine