SIMPLYSTAGING Blog

What can sell a Vacant home faster? Stage it!

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:33:20 +0000

Many Realtors® will tell you that home buyers decide if they are attracted to a house within the first 10 seconds of walking in the front door. That is not a lot of time to capture their attention. Let’s face it, buying a home is a very emotional decision. Home buyers don’t simply buy a house, they buy a lifestyle, and there is not much for people to connect with in a vacant house.

Some spaces might confuse buyers because a use is just not obvious. Looking at the picture below, would you be able to guess just exactly what this room is?

90% of home buyers can’t visualize how a room could be furnished. An empty bedroom might appear uncomfortable and cavernous without some type of focal point.

Staging is all about creating a feeling in the house and helping buyers see the house at it’s best. In a vacant house it becomes very easy for potential buyers to focus on the flaws and not the terrific house it really is.

This beautiful house was vacant and on the market for 5 months with no offers. An offer was received within weeks of simply Staging. Staging helps define a room so buyers can see how they can use the space. It creates a warm and inviting feeling so buyers can begin to envision it not as just a house but as their new home.

Great Photos Are Critical to Getting Your House Noticed

admin — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:10:05 +0000

Once you Staged your home, the next step is getting GREAT photos. Notice I did not say good photos but great photos. The Internet continues to be the first place home buyers start their search for a new home. Those pictures are your first opportunity to attract the attention of a prospective home buyer. Today home buyers can check out photos on Realtor.com, Trulia, Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest to see what is on the market. Check out a new service that is taking real estate photos to yet another level.

Househappy launches Pinterest-like home search platform

Portland, Ore.-based Househappy Inc. is betting that photos alone can drive home search with a new photo-centric site sporting a Pinterest-like layout and associated social network.

Bottom line…If you are putting your house on the market make sure professional photos are taken to make sure your house gets noticed.

Home Staging News – What Home Buyers Hate

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:21:13 +0000

Each week SIMPLYSTAGING get calls from homeowners who are looking for help in getting their homes ready for sale. The calls range from “we just need a fresh set of eyes to tell us where we should focus our time…” to “we are so stressed out we have no idea where to start…”.

There are a lot of lists of what you should do to get your house staged and ready for market but I loved the Kiplinger article below which talks about what home buyers hate. So, if you are in doubt about what to do first this is a good place to start.

7 Things Home Buyers Hate – Kiplinger
As a home seller, you have way too much competition to let little items sabotage a sale. These seven problems are among the biggest buyer turn-offs, and most of them are easy to fix without spending a lot of money.

Staging “Before and After” Pictures – Family Rooms

admin — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:10:47 +0000

This week’s Before and After pictures focus on a room where people spend a lot of their time…the Family Room. For this reason you want to Stage this room to show its absolute very best. Below are two different Family Rooms with slightly different challenges.

The top left photo shows a room with too much “stuff”. Granted the picture was taken during the holidays, but less is always more when you are getting rooms ready to show potential buyers. You want buyers to see the beauty of the space. Things like audio/video equipment should be minimized as much as possible.

BEFORE STAGING AFTER STAGING

The bottom left photo shows a room with a little different challenge. Most of the furniture was pushed back against the walls. While you might think that this approach makes the room look bigger, in many cases it has the opposite affect. By pulling furniture away from the walls and having it float in the room gives a much more open feeling. It also helps focus the buyers eyes on the fireplace while creating a very warm, comfortable and inviting space.

Today’s “Featured Staging”

admin — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:29:56 +0000

This week’s “Featured Staging” is at 2831 Breckenridge, Naperville. We worked closely with the Homeowner and Realtor to Staged every room in this 4 bedroom 2.5 bath house. The Staging Plan included using much of the homeowners furniture combined with a few additional Staging props and accessories from SIMPLYSTAGING.

The end result is a house ready to go to market!

SIMPLYSTAGING at Home to Sell Expo – Carillon of Stonegate

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:39:33 +0000

Here is a great opportunity to hear about what you need to do to get your house ready for sale. SIMPLYSTAGING will be presenting the basics of Home Staging at Carillon of Stonegate in Aurora on Saturday, February 25.

Carillon at Stonegate
1300 Mansfield Drive, Aurora
847-984-4890
10:30 a.m – 1:00 p.m.

Staging Tip – Keep Halloween Decor to a Minimum

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:40:36 +0000

We are swiftly moving into the holiday season and if you have your home on the market it can be a challenging time. Halloween is just around the corner so should you decorate or not? Adding seasonal decor is absolutely fine while your house is on the market. General rule of thumb is to keep the decorations to a minimum. Remember we want buyers to see the house!

Keep Halloween decorations simple and tasteful. You might want to keep the skeletons and the “keep out” signs in the closet this year. A couple of pumpkins and a nice fall wreath can add warmth of the season and not scare any prospective buyers.

Enjoy the holidays!

Staging Tip – Show Bedrooms as Bedrooms

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:41:25 +0000

Home Buyers only know what they see not what a room is going to be. Bedrooms should be shown as Bedrooms not a place to store the extra toys. Having a playroom is great, but not at the expense of a bedroom. Keep toys to a minimum in children’s rooms or in a space that is identified as a playroom.

A Fun Fall Decor for the Front Yard

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:02:32 +0000

Now that Fall is here and Summer flowers are no more, here is a simple Fall decoration you can do with all those empty clay pots. This clay flower pot scarecrow can weather just about anything that Fall throws at it.

SIMPLYSTAGING will be attending the Illinois Association of Realtors / IAR Expo at Pheasant Run Resort

admin — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:45:28 +0000

The Illinois Assoication of Realtors® Convention and Expo (IAR) begins this week at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. SIMPLYSTAGING will represent the Greater Chicago Chapter of Home Staging Professionals at Booth 104 on Thursday, October 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.