Price War and Beauty Contest

 The latest predictions of the upcoming housing market are bleak, to say the least! That being said, buyers are out there. How are you going to attract them to your house over the thousands of others on the market?


 A well-priced, well-presented home will still attract buyers. Even in this troubled market, some houses in our area have sold quickly and at close to the asking price. If you are not the best looking house at the best price, you are going to have to wait to sell.

Every listing is in a price war and a beauty contest. Real Estate experts top two tips for selling a home in the current market: (1) price your home ten percent below market value; (2) hire professional stagers to maximize the first impression of the home to a potential buyer.

For more information about home staging and marketing real estate, contact
nan@southern-staging.com
770-251-0608 home office
Newnan, Georgia

Holiday Decorating When Selling Home

The holidays are fast approaching. Often home sellers are unsure of how to decorate the house for the holidays while having their house on the market. Below are few tips on how to have the spirit of the season without undoing all the stagingthat has gone into preparing the house to sell.

• "Less is more" is the motto that one needs to follow while preparing a house to sell and the same applies to holiday decor. It may feel like you're being a scrooge by not displaying every item that you have or that the kids have made over the past 18 years, but are you willing to risk losing a potential buyer because they couldn't see past the holiday decorations?

• First impressions begin at the curb. Don't cover the architectural details. Wrapping the house in lights and using plastic and inflated yard ornaments can distract from the architectural details that a buyer needs to see. A simple wreath on the door, in keeping with the personality of the house (not the owners) is all that is needed.

• Tone down the size of the tree. In place of a large tree that can take up valuable real estate in a room, try a 4 foot table top version. You may decide that you like it better. Instead of using colored bulbs, opt for clear or white bulbs for your tree.

• Keep gifts under the tree to a minimum and use coordinating wrapping paper to give a cohesive look. Or hide the gifts under the beds or in a closet.

• The fireplace is a huge selling feature and does not need to be hidden with holiday decor. A simple wreath and poinsettias flanking the fireplace are all that is needed. If the kids want Santa to find their stockings, place one at the foot of each of their beds or wait until Christmas eve to place them on the mantle.

• Greeting cards can easily become clutter. Instead of displaying the greeting cards on the mantle or sideboard , etc. place them in a bowl or basket in your family room to enjoy while relaxing in the evening.

• If you absolutely have to display all your decorative items, remove an equal amount of "off season" accessories to keep the clutter to a minimum.

• If it's your turn to host the holiday party this year, see if it is possible to host holiday celebrations at a restaurant, banquet hall, or trade years with another family member this year to minimize the amount of punch bowls, serving platters, and other kitchen items that cannot be stored away. If your family gives you any trouble about this, then tell them you will need to move in with them while your house is on the market and I'll guarantee that they will be open to any alternative idea that you come up with.

For more information about Staging and Marketing a home...

www.southern-staging.com

770-251-0608 home/office

"How am I going to get rid of all this stuff?"

This is the question that I most often hear when I meet with home staging clients and help them prepare their house to be in showing condition. Unless you are a minimalist, and most of us are not, we accumulate furniture, accessories, grandma's old antique clock, and children's out grown items. You name it, I've seen it in someone's, garage, closet or basement.

We hate to get rid of these possessions, but we don't use them any longer, and you hate to just throw them out. A yard sale is not an option due to time, energy or enthusiasm and you really hate to donate some thing's, when you know that you may be able to sell these things and put a little bit of "green" in your pocket.

One solution to this particular problem is to contact a consignment shop. Located in Historical Newnan, GA, next to Scott's Bookstore, you will find one of the most charming shops on the square. Owner Janet Elliott Cantrell will make it easy and take the take the drudgery out of selling your unneeded items in her shop, Encore Decor.

I sat down with Janet to ask her a few questions about how all of this works;

Who is your buyer or seller? My seller is someone needing to downsize or either they are remodeling or moving. The buyers are usually new home buyers, newlyweds, anyone furnishing 2nd homes at the beach, lake or mountains.

What are your best selling items? The best selling items, without question are the accessories and home decor. We sell a great many items as gifts for birthdays and weddings. Furniture usually involves return visits for measurements, etc. We offer gift registry for brides and also keep individual gift cards for our regular customer to include in the gift.

Where do you find your merchandise? 90% of our merchandise comes from consignors. I can either go see what they want to sell or they bring items to me at the shop. The shop was full when we first opened with consigner items. People would stop in when they were walking buy and ask what we were doing and they started bringing their treasures in for us to sell.

How does it work? commissions? etc. If someone has enough to warrant a personal visit to their home, I'll go and choose the higher quality items or they can bring things to the shop. It's helpful if the seller knows how much they want to net off of a piece. If I think that I can bring it back and sell it, we offer a 50/50 split between us and the consigner.

Give us a good example of comparing consignment shop purchases to regular retail. With consignment shop purchase you'll find unique items not found at retail stores, or the prices will be greatly reduced from anywhere to 1/3 to 1/2 of retail. And with consignment shop items, there's always a story behind every piece. In Newnan, people will make purchase on items just because it used to belong to someone special that they knew in the community.

How is this different than say, a flea market or yard sale? The main difference is the setting of the store, the way everything is displayed in an appealing manner, we're located in Historic Downtown Newnan and a lot of my customers are walking around our beautiful town and stop in to see us .....I wouldn't get near the traffic that I do if I were on Bullsboro or a busy road somewhere.

What are you looking for when you take on a consignment piece? Unique items that can either be updated with a fresh coat of paint or stain, one-of-a- kind pieces that you won't find in retail stores. We also have great local artist work in the shop. We are the exclusive shop in Newnan that offer one artist unique pencil renderings of Historical Newnan or Atlanta landmarks.

So the next time you either want to unload unwanted furniture or find that special piece at a fraction of what something would cost new, go see Janet at Encore Decor.

To see how you can furnish an entire room using consignment furniture and accessories, be sure to visit the:

Decorators Show House

November 20th

74 Jackson Street

Newnan, Ga 30263



Is It Expensive To Have Your House Staged?

(Welcome Community Continued)

This is a question that I'm often asked when I tell someone about my work. The answer is... No....Home Staging doesn't have to be expensive. Below is a great example of staging a room to create an emotional connection for a buyer at a very low cost for the seller.

This charming ranch style home, located in the Welcome Community has been updated through-out the years. A few years before, the owner updated the bath with new light fixtures, vanity, toilet , spa tub/shower and new tile. In the before photo, the best features of the room were not highlighted.

By "shopping" the owners belongings and finding items that complement the character of the house (not the owner) we were able to create a warm inviting spa feeling in this bathroom. With the exception of the white shower curtain and silk flowers, this room was staged at no-cost to the seller. Look at what a difference it makes to the feel of the room, by adding just the right accessories to make a buyer linger longer in the space and imagine it being their bathroom.

RECENT STAGING JOB IN THE WELCOME COMMUNITY
PART 1

This was one of the most enjoyable jobs that I've had in a while.  This house belongs to friends of mine, that I've known most of my life.  I drive by this house everyday and it's located in a great country setting with acreage, beautiful landscaping, barns and pasture.  There is a great community spirit in this area and when the home owners called to have me come stage it, there was no hesitation on my part.  They love antiques and have a great deal of collections and most of them are on display, as you can see in this before photo.  Although having their belongings surround them makes this house their home,  these smart homeowners knew that this style of decor would not appeal to everyone and knew that changes needed to be made. 

Large rooms such as this, can be intimidating for a buyer to imagine how to decorate and arrange furniture. Once most of the furniture and extra accessories were removed, we set this room up with different sections.  As you can see in the after photo, there is a entertainment area, a game table area and a reading nook, that would make a great place for a piano or music area.  It's a family room in the truest since.  Family members can all be in the same room, participating in different activities and still be together. 



Reading Nook





Do  you recognize any of the furniture in the after photo? (Hint: 4 chairs)

Stay tuned for my next blog on other rooms in this beautiful country house.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...My Latest Project

In an effort to be "green", I decided to give these old director chairs a new life. I've had them about 8 or more years and they have had any where from red to black replacement canvas seats & backs.

After giving them a good sanding, and 2 coats of black paint, they are ready for another set of replacement canvas seats.  Ordered them online from Lowe's (only $3.73 each) and picked them up from the store the next day.  I could have picked them up the same day, but it's a long way from my house.

Finished product with green canvas seats.  They look awesome.  These were so inexpensive, I ordered some tan ones too.  Only spent $31.93 for the 2 sets of replacement seats and about $3/can for paint (spray paint). WHO SAYS IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN?                                                   

Stay tuned to see where they will show up next! 

The Benefits Of Home Staging

Did you know that a home buyer will make a decision on a house within the first 10 seconds. In the blink of an eye, they will decide "This is the one" or "Let's move on to the next one".

There are so many houses on the market these days that not only must the house be attractive, cleaned and in excellent repair, it should be seductive. Buyers purchase houses based on emotions. Their buying a dream....a lifestyle. Most buyers can't see past a sellers personal items or decor style. Helping a buyer out by setting the stage can impact how they will feel in the home... an atmosphere is created that makes them want to linger longer in the space and imagine themselves living there.

Home staging is the process of making a home "buyer ready" so that it will appeal to the largest amount of buyers. It's not interior decorating but rather a process of de-cluttering, de-personalizing, utilizing a home sellers furnishings and accessories to highlight the best features of a room. It's about creating emotional connection between the buyer and the property.

Professionally staged homes:

• Help increase showings - most buyer traffic will come through a home within the first two weeks it's on the market than any other time period. This will be a sellers best audience and having the property ready to show and properly priced is key.

• Houses that have been professionally staged sell faster and for closer to asking price - according to surveyed Realtors, Home Staging is the second most valuable home improvement project to a seller when it comes to selling a home by return on investment.

• Doesn't cost a dime - according to the 2009 Home Gain Report, home staging has 586% return on investment. ($300 cost = $1780 price increase)

• Helps reduce a property’s time on the market - according to the National Association of Realtors the longer a property sits on the market the lower the sales price will be.

• A well staged home suggest a home that has been cared for and most buyers will pay more for a move-in ready house. Condition of the property will directly affect a buyers offer on a house.


Still unsure about the benefits of home staging? Call us a call and find out more. Having your house professionally staged can mean the difference between a house sitting on the market or selling faster and for top dollar.

Nan Johnston - Professional Home Staging Consultant

Southern Staging & Redesign

www.southern-staging.com

770-251-0608 home/office.

10 Ways To Make A Buyer Hate Your House!

Did you know that a home buyer will make a decision on a house within the first 10 seconds?

Whether your house is on the market for sale or not, you'll want to avoid these problems:

1. Odors

Number one on the no-no list...house odors. If you have pets or smoke, your house may smell and you won't even notice it. Ask a friend or someone that will be brutally honest with you to give your house the ole sniff test. Don't get defensive when they tell you the truth. You do want to sell your house, right?

Often buyers with allergies will react to air fresheners. Use them carefully. My advice is to use the Biocide Systems Room Shocker to help eradicate odors. Cleaning or replacing carpet may also be necessary.

2 . Eager Pets
Some people are frightened or irritated by dogs that are greeting them at the car or door. I speak from experience. My two are always "happy" to greet someone. Although they are harmless, new guest sometimes won't get out of the car until we can get them under control. Of course they are "little angels" and obey all commands until we have quest, but when someone arrives, they lose their hearing. What's that all about?

If it's possible, remove pets from the house during a showing. If that's not possible, contain them in a crate for their own safety and out of respect for the potential buyers. Placing pets in a room or garage and then asking buyers not to open the door to that area is a bad idea. Would you buy a house you can't inspect?

3. Yucky Bathrooms
It's amazing to me how sellers don't see the grime in their own bathrooms. It's an instant turn off, so scrub them, paint them, buy a new shower curtain, rugs and towels. Make them shine. You either want to sell your home or not. This extra work is a must.

4. Dark Rooms
Do anything that you can to brighten up your space. Increase the bulb wattage in your lamps/light fixtures, remove dark heavy window treatments, repaint with lighter colors, clean the ceiling fixture globes, trim any landscaping that blocks natural light coming in from the windows. Also, clean the windows inside and out to let in as much natural light possible.
5. Wallpaper
Wallpaper, no matter how beautiful to you, is very taste specific and most buyers (even if they like wallpaper) will rarely like what you've chosen. Since your goal is to appeal to the largest pool of buyers, then removing it and replacing with paint is in your favor. Yes, it's a lot of work, but buyers know that and will deduct "points" in considering your house or even worse, may go to the next house that is move in ready. (This applies to borders as well)

6. Damp Basements
Damp basements have odors. It's a huge red flag to a buyer and they will automatically think that the foundation leaks! Be sure to check that any underground drains are not clogged, that the rain gutters are working and that the downspouts are diverting the rainwater away from the house. Most of the time the dampness will be due to one of these problems.

7. Bugs
Get rid of them! Knock down the spider webs, exterminate for roaches, ants, etc. It's that simple.

8. Bad Curb Appeal
You never have a second chance to make a great first impression. Heard that before? Well, it's the truth! If you want to sell your house, you have to get the buyer through the door. If your yard is unkempt or you have peeling paint, they might refuse to even get out of the car.

9. Full Gutters (with plants growing in them)
Really? Do I even have to explain this one? Remember the drainage problems in # 6? If you have plants in your gutters, a buyer will wonder what else you haven't maintained. Clean the gutters!

10. Sellers That Stay For Showings
Yes, your house is special. You've put a lot of special features in to it and want to be sure that the buyer knows all the fine points of your house. Leave the house when it's being shown. A buyer needs to be comfortable opening your closets and cabinets. They need to be able to linger in the space long enough to imagine themselves living there. If your hanging around, they will feel uncomfortable making comments and feel rushed to leave. Not a good selling tactic.

If your selling by owner, give them some space and don't hover around.

In Summary
Most of these issues can be corrected without a great expense. Before your house gains the reputation as the house with the loud wallpaper or the house that smells, these problems need to be solved. You want agents to show your house. There are a lot of houses out there for them to sell and you want yours on the buyers list, right?

Give us a call for a home staging consultation. It's very affordable and you can DIY the work yourself or hire us to help you out.
Contact us at http://www.southern-staging.com/
770-251-0608 home/office
770-301-4786 cell

3 Great Products For Your Home

1. It's that time of year again... the sun is out and the weather is warmer and that means.....CARPENTER BEES at my house. If you have ever had these attack your house every spring, you will know what I mean. If you ever go to someone's house that has cedar siding, and they have a badminton bat or tennis racket sitting on their porch or by their back door, they have battled carpenter bees. I guess the thought process is that they can swat at them and they will go away....they don't. A friend of mine has a house with cedar siding and there are stones, buttons, and no telling what else stuck all over the outside of the house. Sure sign that they have carpenter bees.

Other than buttons in the holes all over ones house, the signs of Carpenter Bee Infestations are half-inch, round holes and piles of sawdust underneath. If you are near a nest, you will likely be buzzed by the male carpenter bee, on guard. He is loud and aggressive, but he does not have the ability to sting you. The female can sting but she is normally very docile. A single pair (male and female) occupies each nest. It is not uncommon to find several pair of carpenter bees nesting in one structure. They frequently nest near each other and often in the same area year after year, causing extensive damage. You may find old holes near newer ones. Sometimes the female will renovate an old nest gallery and reuse it.

I have done extensive research on ridding our house of these pest and have found that there is not just one thing that will control them, but a process of several different treatments for the male, female and eggs in the nest. It's the best thing that we have used yet. You may want to give it a try if you are plagued with these busy bees.

Check out this site for more information and to order the carpenter bee kit. It has worked for us and my husband recommends it to anyone....that will listen.

If you are having the exterior of your house painted, there is an additive that you can add that will also start the process, but you will still have to complete the rest of the steps to keep them at bay.

2. HARDWOOD FLOORING

Caring for hardwood floors as never been simpler, however I find that everyone has a different way. Here's a good site that explains the best way to care for your hardwood floors.

As for cleaning them, I prefer to use Bona Pro cleaning products. I learned about this product from the nice fellows at Kemps Dalton West Newnan. I've been dealing with this business for over 20 years and cannot say enough good things about them. We have used them for flooring for our rental properties to our own home and no matter how small or large the job, they always make me feel welcome and as if I'm the only customer that they have in the store at the time. They are always courteous, patient and extremely knowledgeable about flooring. Stop by and see them for your flooring needs. You can't go wrong with their great service and products.

3. Removing Odors      

Nothing can be worse than lingering odors in the home. Whether it is from cooking, pets, or mildew and mold in the home, the smell can be very offensive to both you and your guests. Commercials and magazine ads will try to convince you that their candles, spray, or plug-in device will remove the offensive odors, but they do very little and mainly cover up the smell.

One of the best products that I have found in eliminating odors is a product called Room Shocker Quick Release from Biocides Systems.



Recently we had a rental property and discovered that tenant that had just vacated the house, was a smoker. Cleaning the house from top to bottom and a fresh coat of paint helped remove the smoke odor some, but as soon as it started raining, the damp air must have "revved it back up again" and you could smell it in the HVAC system. Even changing the filters and vacuuming out the vents didn't help. The Room Shocker Quick Release was the only thing that worked.

They claim to wipe out stinky odors such as smoke, mold, pet, food and even skunk odors. Now I've never had a problem with skunks coming inside my home, but there is a first time for everything and now I know what I can use if this should ever occur.

They even offer a product to remove odors from your pets. I probably should by stock in this company, because I could keep them in business.

If you have an odor problem in your home, car, boat or camper, this may be the product for you.

Well, there you have it. If you should have any of these problems, give these products a try and let me know how they worked for you.

Southern Staging & Redesign

a

Professional Home Stager

servicing

Newnan, South Atlanta, Fayetteville, Fairburn, College Park, Tyrone, Peachtree City and LaGrange, Georgia

We Turn A Sellers House Into A Buyers Home

Before & After of Investment Property

Although this investment property had recently had the hardwood floors refinished and had been freshly painted throughout, it still needed some "fluffing" to make it more appealing.

By just adding a few furnishings and accessories, a potential tenant can judge the size of the rooms, and get an idea of how to place their belongings in the space.

Which room would you be more excited about moving into?

Southern Staging & Redesign

770-251-0608 home/office

nan@southern-staging.com

www.southern-staging.com

Use What You Have Decorating

If ever there is a time to apply "use what you have decorating" this is it! Everyone is feeling the pinch of our economy and even if one is fortunate enough to have a job, career or income, we're all cutting back on spending.

But does that mean our homes, our havens, have to suffer from the consequences? The answer is NO!
 Recently I was asked to visit a home in the Fayetteville area that had been purchased about 6 months before and it was an increase in size and number of rooms for this family. They needed some decorating advice and I was happy to share my "expertise".

We toured each room, assessed the needs of the family, discussed furniture placement and if they may need to make any new purchases.
Now it would be nice to go out and buy all new furniture and accessories, but let's face it, who can do that? Even if we weren't all affected by the economy, I'm not sure one could afford to do such a thing.
We then descended into the basement. Now this is where my creative juices start to percolate! I love basements and attics. There is usually a treasure trove of cast off goodies in these areas. Forgotten treasures is what I like to call them. I feel like those people on the History Channel called "American Pickers".
There were old trunks, armoires, chest of drawers, fireplace screens, artwork, lamps and even a church pew. We had hit the jack pot. We discussed places that these treasures could be used in the main part of the house, and once finished, there were very few pieces that the owners needed to purchase to complete a finished look.
It may not be the look that they want to keep forever, but it will work until they can find just the right pieces that they desire.
Use what you have decorating, give it a try. If it's more than you can wrap your head around, then give me a call. A fresh set of eyes is usually all that's needed.

Happy Hunting!

Investing in Rental Property Staging

The past few months, I've been spending time re-vamping a rental house that I own. This is a cute little cottage that I purchased almost 30 years ago. I was single, had a Realtor Dad and Builder Mom and not only did they encourage me to purchase the house they also persuaded me to remodel it and boy did it need it. The walls were bright yellow, the floors covered in nasty carpet, the bathroom was 4/8 and the kitchen was sad. All of these things were updated and it was very comfortable place to live.

Since I've married, it has been investment property for me and I now find myself remodeling it again. I have become my own staging client and as my own client I need to follow the rules of staging in order to attract the best tenant.

Repaint interior walls to a neutral color.

Replace floor covering and light fixtures in bathroom.

Refinish hardwood floors.

Replace floor HVAC vents.

Clean existing ceiling and light fixtures.

Clean windows and replace blinds.

Pressure wash exterior and remove mildew.

Paint exterior trim.

Add furnishings and accessories for showings.

As a stager and former real estate agent, I believe that in order to attract a good tenant, I need to show a prospective tenant that I take pride in my investment properties and that I expect that same commitment from them. I want them to understand that I'm allowing them to move into my "portfolio" for a monthly fee and that I want them to show some pride in their surroundings and take care of my "retirement fund". So far, it's been a good marketing approach.

With the exception of painting the exterior trim, my check list is completed. The exterior painting will have to wait until the rain stops so that the trim can dry, and for the painter to get caught up on all of their other jobs that the rain has prevented them from completing.

If you have investment property, you may consider staging to rent. If you want to give it a try, call me. I'd love to help!

P.S. I'll post before and after photos next....so come back soon!