Beebo, I Want To Be a Pollen Jock!

The name of my blog is "All About Home Staging & Other Things". This post would qualify for the "other things" part.
My adorable grandson, 4.5, has been talking about being a "Pollen Jock" for Halloween this year. To in lighten those who don't know about Pollen Jocks....they are in The Bee Movie. Pollen Jocks are the only ones that get to leave the bee hive to go out and collect the pollen to bring back to the hive, so that the worker bees can make honey. It's a really big deal and they are the coolest ones in the movie.
I've been searching for a pre-made costume for the little guy, but no one is making them. Don't the costume makers understand how cool this outfit is?
So, I, Beebo, have taken it upon myself to make a Pollen Jock costume. I've taken a black zip up hoody, placed bright yellow duct tape * around the body and over the hood to create stripes. The antennae are made from black zip ties. The Pollen-ater is a water gun with yellow cups glued all around. The shield for the "helmet" is a pair of cool kid size sunglasses.

I think he looks great, but the main thing is that "he" thinks that he looks just like a Pollen Jock and that's the most important thing.
*Yet another use for bright yellow duct tape!

Will Our Furniture Fit In This Room?

This past week I was asked by a home seller to stage a bedroom in a house that was purchased to improve and re-sale. The house is probably about 20 plus years old, and has been completely remodeled. The kitchen and the master bath alone are amazingly improved from what they were originally. The price is great and it's located in our Country Club area. Why hasn't it sold?
The master bedroom is located on the main floor, however with the house being vacant, it appeared to not be large enough to be a master bedroom. Without furniture it is incredibly difficult to tell the scale and size of a room. Now that the room has a bed and furniture, a buyer can see just how large this bedroom actually is and their furniture will fit inside this room.
Nine out of every ten buyers that walk into a vacant home have no imagination of the wonderful possibilities that a home has to offer them. They just can't picture it.

Check out the before and after photos below and see the difference staging a house with furniture and accessories can make.

Let us help your potential buyer visualize your vacant space as their home, with vacant home staging. With a little inginuity, you would be surprized at how affordable it can be.

Give us a call.

Southern Staging & Redesign
770-251-0608 home/office
nan@southern-staging.com

At What Point in the Process do I Call a Home Stager?

If you’re considering having your home professionally staged, you have probably done some research on the topic and understand the importance of staging. In doing this research you have probably learned the basics of staging; clean and de-clutter, depersonalize, lighten and brighten and improve the curb appeal.

These are basic steps that any Home Stager will suggest – so you might want to get started before you call a Home Stager so they can focus on the more involved aspects of staging - to emphasize the features and focal points of your home.

You might also want to consider not even calling a real estate agent to list your house until it has been professionally staged. Just as you want to impress buyers with your home, it is important that your real estate agent’s first impression of your home be a positive one so they will be more inclined to list your house for top dollar.

Let’s get started with cleaning and de-cluttering

Your home should be “white-glove inspection” clean, every room spotless. If you need help, don’t hesitate to call in a professional cleaning service and carpet cleaning service.

Besides cleanliness, we have all have a clutter issue – we just can’t seem to live without it. So, since at some point you’re going to have to start packing, now is a perfect time. Start by packing up some of that clutter.

Now, go through your clothes and linen closets and organize them, removing as much as you can so it shows that you have plenty of storage space. Here is a method of getting rid of clothing you may want to consider; if you wouldn’t wear it during a class reunion weekend, you need to get rid of it.

Bookshelves are another area that gets cluttered quickly - reduce your collection by at least one-third and try to leave only hard-backed books. The same goes for media storage in the living or family rooms.

And lastly - the garage. Oh boy, this is a big one! Buyers love a spacious garage - show them how much storage room there is by cleaning out and packing up.

Depersonalizing
When a buyer walks into your home, they don’t need to know anything about you; who you are, what you look like, what you do for a living or as a hobby – because we want them to be thinking about THEM – not YOU. Take down all of your family photos and collectables. Be sure to leave your non-personal accessories since your stager will want to use some of them.

Lighten and Brighten
Make sure every light fixture in your home is clean and has bulbs in them. If your walls are painted anything but a neutral color, you should consider painting them a neutral color to make the rooms appear larger and more open.

Curb Appeal

Walk across the street and take a picture of your house. Can you see your house? Does it invite people to the front door? Trim or remove any large bushes or trees blocking the view of your home, make sure the lawn in mowed and leaves are raked up. Flower beds should be cleaned out and edged, a new layer of mulch can do wonders.

If the paint is peeling or faded, you might want to repaint for a fresher look. Add some pots by the front door with flowers that are in season or green plants as well as a new welcome mat.

Make sure the front door and porch or stoop looks nice, this is what the buyers will be looking at while the real estate agent opens the lockbox to get the key. You don't want them looking at spider webs, bugs and broken door bell buttons and forming a negative opinion before they even get in the door!

Wow! You have a made a LOT of progress! Now you are ready to call a Home Stager and let them work their magic in your home.

Give me a call and see what a difference working with a home stager can make.
Nan Johnston

Southern Staging & Redesign

770-251-0608 home/office

nan@southern-staging.com

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?