I recently posted a new blog about vacant home staging. Check it out: www.southern-staging.blogspot.com

Vacant Staging - How it works

I get a great many inquiries about staging vacant houses and how it works. These inquiries can be either from real estate agents or home owners that have vacant property and are considering having the property staged so that it will show better.

Most people think that you just put a few pieces of furniture in a house and some hand towels in the bathrooms and that's all it's about. Well, it 's a good bit more than that.

It's usually a 4 step process starting with an initial consultation with a home staging professional reviewing the home, taking photos, drawing diagrams and taking measurements on every detail needed to complete the job. This is when budget and goals are discussed with the home owner.

Once the home owner decides to proceed, the professional consultant meets with a furniture rental company with which they have a good and reliable working relationship and often receive a discount that they can pass onto their client. Then the pieces that best suits the home and the sellers budget are chosen. Most furniture rental companies require a 2-3 month minimum rental contract and the monthly rental fee is paid directly to the rental company

This is where most people think that the job ends ......not so. The day that the furniture is to arrive at the property, the consultant and their assistants meet the rental movers and direct where all of the pieces are to be placed. The consultant then starts adding tons of additional accessories in the form of bed linens, wall art, plants, trees, table decor, pillows, throws, light furniture, knick knacks and materials. These touches create the emotion, the feelings of the house and what turns the house into a home. This is where the professional home staging consultant shines, creating the emotional connection points that draws a buyer into a room so that they will linger a little bit longer and begin to start imagining this as their home. A monthly rental fee of the accessories is paid to the staging company.

A few days before the house is to close in escrow, the home stager meets the furniture rental company again and spends the day de-staging the home.

What all this boils down to in dollars & cents is a staging service fee, a monthly furniture rental fee and an monthly accessory rental fee. The cost is usually anywhere from 1/2 to 2% of the asking price and based on the size of the house and number of rooms that are to be staged.

This is usually the place where the owner suffers from sticker shock, but be reminded, statistics show that a vacant home takes twice as long to sell than a furnished home and we all know that in this real estate market, that can be a long time. This is an investment in selling your house, not an expense. Making extra mortgage payments while the house sits on the market....that's and expense.

Let us help you sell your vacant property faster and for more money with professional home staging.

www.southern-staging.com 770-251-0608 home/office

Benjamin Moore Paint Workshop

I've just returned from a paint workshop at Gregory's Paint & Flooring in Duluth, Ga. and let me tell you... paint is changing!

Rebecca Dumas, a design consultant and owner of this fantastic establishment was full of knowledge about the new LOW-VOC and NO-VOC paints available by Benjamin Moore. I tried to take notes and want to pass along some of what I learned for your use in updating your homes.

1. The first paint that she introduced us to, was Aura Waterbourne Interior Paint. They say it's "quite simply the finest paint we've ever made." More customers are asking for "GREEN" products in their environment and this one is their top of the line. It's LOW-VOC (volatile organic compounds ) for environmental protection, low odor, mildew resistance and fully washable in ANY SHEEN! "Ben" developed a collection of 144 hues that harmonize with one another. In other words, we can choose any 3 colors in the paint deck and they will work together. WOW!

2. The second paint that Rebecca introduced us too was called Natura, an interior waterbourne paint. This paint offers the "green promise" meeting the strictest industry standards. It is NO-VOC both in base and colorants and they offer over 3,000 gorgeous colors. If your family has sensitivity to paint odors, this is the way to go. I did not know that paint is considered low or no voc until the tint is added. The tints added to produce the colors is not low/no voc. Most companies promise low/no voc's however once the colorant is added, that promise is not quite so true.

3. The other two products that she discussed was their Regal and Super Spec products that are their mainstays. The Regal is "scrub-able" in any finish and the Super Spec is their contractor line.

Rebecca educated us on their Metallic products and how and when to use these as well as some of her favorite colors that are tried and true every time she uses them. We talked about neutrals, the best shades of green, blues, reds, browns, yellows and whites.

She did say that the trend now is to "de-gold" the paint color choices and choose more muted earth tone colors. It must have something to do with the "going green" wave that the public is going toward.

Let me tell you, it's a long way to the Johns Creek, Georgia area, but it was worth the drive to receive this information that I can share with you. Give me a call and let's set up a consultation to update your space. I have new knowledge and I'm ready to share.

Call and arrange your re-design consultation now!

Southern Staging & Redesign
770-251-0608 home/office
770-301-4786 cell

Good News, Bad News

Good News: Spring is here! The flowering trees are gorgeous and the birds are building nest for their babies.

Bad News: The pollen is intense and the birds often build their nest in areas where their not welcome, such as at the front door or in the garage.

We have to take the bad with the good, don't we?

When you begin the process of placing your house on the market, you have to take the bad with the good. The house will be listed and marketed by a professional agent that you chose to suit your needs, however you have to start working to get the house ready. And let me tell you, it can be a daunting task.

Staging your house to sell is more than just cleaning and de-cluttering, although that is a huge part of preparation. Its about being "cut to the chase" honest with yourself and making the decision to edit the things in your space that make it feel like home.

Once you decide to sell the house, it stops being your home. It becomes a commodity that you are selling and you have to make it as appealing as possible to attract a larger pool of buyers. That means removing personal photos, changing that themed "Star Wars" bedroom to a more neutral palette and hiding the daily signs of everyday life in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry rooms. It means that the furniture will need to be re-arranged to show off the selling features of the room, not leaving it where it is because it works for you.

Having a third person come in (professional home staging consultant) and look at your space objectively is more affordable than one would think. Most staging companies offer a variety of services at different price points for potential clients. Most consultants offer a "walk n talk" consultation beginning at $150.oo and the home owners do the work themselves, or they can hire the consultant to do the work for 1/2 day, full day or what ever it takes to make the house marketable. Consultants can take the home sellers accessory's and arrange them so that once a buyer walks in the room, there will be an emotional connection. This is often a skill that the average home owner doesn't have because it is so difficult to disassociate themselves from the home where they have built memories.

It is well worth the investment to hire the services of a home staging consultant to help you with the preparation of your home. Why wouldn't a home seller want to increase the chances of selling their house by making such and investment?

Staging Your Home is an Investment, Not an Expense

You've decided to place your house on the market to sell and you know it needs some updating, but you think that the buyer will come in and make allowances for the changes that it needs. You may be leery of spending money on Home Staging or updating. You may think that the buyer will want to choose their own fixtures and colors, so you'll leave the property as it is.

As an experienced retired realtor, I know from personal experience that it is difficult for a buyer to visualize making changes to a home or look past the home owners personal taste and belongings. If they are able to see past the changes needed, they expect to purchase at a reduced price and usually the offer is significantly lower than the actual work would have cost the seller.

You must look at the money you spend on staging your home as an investment that will pay off in the selling price. There are no guarantees that staging will sell your home quicker and for more money, in the market that we are experiencing now, but it certainly gives you an edge over the competition.

Here are a few statistics to consider:

Over 80% of buyers start their search for a new home on the internet
Staging your home before the pictures are taken for the MLS shows your home at its best. If a buyer is not impressed with your home, they will move on to the next listing and you will have fewer showings and more days on the market. We all know that there's not a shortage of homes for a buyer to consider. Why send them down the street?

Staged Homes sell quicker than un-staged homes
The longer your home sits on the market, the longer you will have the carrying cost of your home; mortgage, insurance, utilities. The National Association of Realtors survey found that the longer a home stays on the market, the further below list price it drops. The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) study shows occupied homes that are staged, listed and sold, spend 89% less time on the market than and un-staged home. Vacant homes that have been staged, listed and sold spend 85% less time on the market than an un-staged home.

Only 10%of buyers can visualize how a room would look furnished and accessorized
This is most important for vacant homes. If your home doesn't feel inviting and looks too small or too big for the buyer's furniture, they will not see the potential of the home and move on to the next one. Whenever I used to show vacant houses to a buyer, they would never stay in a room long enough to become emotionally connected. Sometimes they would only stick their head in the door of a room and walk away, without ever taking the time to linger and imagine their family in the space. You want them to imagine their family enjoying the fireplace or having breakfast every morning at the breakfast bar. If you don't have anything for them to connect with, you lose the potential to sell.

Staging your home saves you money by reducing loss due to extended time on the market, carrying costs and eventual price reductions. Even if you decide to do it yourself - staging is worth the time and the money.

If you find the task more than you can wrap your head around, give me a call and let's discuss the service that will benefit you the most. Check out my website to see some before and after photos.

Go Green...Use What You Have

Everyone is going green or at least talking about it, but how can you be "green" in decorating? Use what you already own.

Who has the luxury of throwing out all of their furnishings and accessories and starting all over? In this economy, not many people. We may be able to afford an occasional new piece of furniture or new accessory that we bought on sale somewhere, but how do we make it blend in with our old stuff?

That's when having a re-designer come in and offer suggestions, really pays off. For about $75 - $150 per hour, you can have someone come in and look at your space with a fresh perspective. They're able to see things that you haven't even thought about, because you live there and once you have your space set up a certain way, it's difficult to imagine it any other way. A re-designer can even go into the attic or basement and use pieces that you forgot about and you'll think "why didn't I think of that"?

Repurposing items is another way to use what you have. Perhaps that old toothbrush holder would make a great little flower vase for daffodils....it already has holes in it and you don't have to worry about arranging them. How about that old bar/table that used to be your grandmothers? I'll bet it would make a great "entertainment" console for the T.V. and components. It's a great way to incorporate the modern conveniences of today with the sentimental pieces of your decor.

At Southern Staging & Redesign, working with what home owners already have is a specialty of ours. Give us a call. You'll be surprised at what a difference a few hours can make.

Beautiful "Cover" Girls

You have surely thought it before - "to slipcover or not to slipcover - that is the question." It doesn't have quite the ring of Shakespeare to it, but you get the idea. Do you cover your existing sofa with a slipcover, or do you just go out and buy a new one? This might be especially important if you are staging your home for resale - does your furniture look good enough to "show?"

A couple of items to think about before making your decision:

1. Does the piece you want to recover need a new look?

2. Is the frame of the piece still in good shape?

3. Is the item you would like to recover a favorite piece of furniture?

4. OR - is the item a perfect size and shape for a particular spot in your home? If you answered yes to these questions, a slipcover might just be your answer.

And don't limit yourself to just upholstered pieces - slipcovers are a great idea for hardwood and metal chairs as well - an easy way to get a whole new look and feel for a room.

Custom made and fit slipcovers are not inexpensive - consider the amount of fabric and the labor involved - but they serve a multitude of functions and will be well worth your investment. A slipcover can actually increase the longevity of your initial purchase - the sofa or chair you are covering - by protecting your piece from every day wear and tear. Think of all the kids, feet, pets and spills that end up on your sofa - now they can end up on your slipcover - and then easily into the washing machine!

Slipcovers 101

(photo of chair before)

Fabric

Not all fabrics make a great slipcover. Consider the objective of your slipcover - are you going for a "look" or a protective piece? You have a lot more flexibility when you are just trying to achieve a certain look - basically any woven fabric could work. If you are looking for something to withstand the neighborhood kids, choose a close weave fabric like duck, poplin or denim.

Style

As is the case in so many items of design, details make the difference. After you determine the look and feel that you are trying to achieve, then begin to design the slipcover. Think of your favorite clothing - you are dressing a chair, much like you would dress a body. Do you want fun and flirty? Maybe the "skirt" of the chair - the fabric that falls below the seat - will be gathered will lots of fullness. Do you want tailored and sophisticated? How about a "body" - the chair itself - with crisp lines and cording, and a skirt with box pleats accented with buttons. With dressmaker details - knife pleats, ruffling, gathers, crisp bows, covered buttons, or tassels - your slipcover can be as varied as your personality!

Fabrication

Anytime you are about to embark on a custom made piece, do your research. At Southern Staging and Redesign we can help you with your project. And while we're talking about fabrication - don't forget that fabric can be used just about anywhere - so use that creativity! A summer casual fabric over chairs in a formal dark dining room can lighten up a look for summer.

Slipcovers over your existing pillows work for a quick change. And fabric covers and skirts for tables - even coffee tables! - are a good way to add texture and color to your existing pieces. So make a change and bring some "cover" girls into your home - you'll be glad you did!

(photo of chair after slipcover)

Photos courtesy of Todo es Slipcovers