Do you know how to stage your home so that you can sell it right away and for the most profit? You many think you do. But I'm willing to bet that your ideas of home staging are outdated and overdone. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to tell you that you don't know anything about staging and designing a home for sale. You may in fact have some great ideas. But be careful, because if you're like most people, your ideas are based on the wrong principles all together.
For example, one of the most over used idea that also happens to be completely wrong is the idea that you need to remove all personal items and create a neutral space. Why? Why would you remove all traces that you actually live in your home? Other home stagers with antiquated thinking will tell you to do this so that potential buyers can envision themselves living there. I say forget it! Of course you do want prospective buyers to be able to envision themselves living in your house, but how will removing your items accomplish this?
At Simple Appeal Inc. (www.simpleappeal.com) our thinking is quite a bit different from the tired ideas you already know. We take a fresh approach to home staging, and toss out the old, overused ideas. Forget the strategies that you thought you knew, people change and so should your staging strategies. The goal is to sell your house, and in order to do that successfully and for the most profit, you need to create what I like to call Pockets of Emotion. Set a mood; create a feeling in your home that people won't soon forget. Point blank - if you can appeal to prospective buyer's emotions, you will sell your home.
Staging a home properly takes a lot more than simply putting your personal things in a box at the back of a closet. Imagine what prospective buyers think when they walk into a home that is completely devoid of personal objects? Do you think that they can picture themselves living there? Not likely. After all, buyers have lives too, complete with their own personal things. The key to successful staging is to evoke strong emotions from the instant that potential buyers walk up to the door. They should be picturing themselves coming home from work, greeting their family in the entry way, preparing dinner in the kitchen and relaxing with a book in the living room. In short, they should be able to completely envision themselves making your house their home.
Forget about the old fashioned rule of removing personal items. You aren't doing yourself any favors if you think that will sell your home. Why waste your precious time and energy on a useless task? Instead spend your time working to appeal to the buyer's emotions. Give them a little taste of what it would be like if it was them that lived there - not you.
Don't forget that you still live in your home and anybody that buys your house will also be living in it, very likely with similar personal items such as family photos. De-personalizing your home will leave it cold and without emotion, which is exactly the wrong impression that you are trying to make! For some fresh staging ideas that really work, check out www.simpleappeal.com.
From the Outside In
When a prospective buyer looks at your home what is the first thing that are going to see? If your answer was the entry way, or front foyer - you're wrong! The very first thing that the buyer is going to see is your home from their car when they pull up. When it comes to staging your home for a successful sale, you need to start from the very edge of your property line, in other words, the curb appeal.
One of the biggest mistakes that a home seller can make is to down play the importance of the outdoors and their curb appeal. Especially when you are selling in a strong buyer's market, it is crucial to maximize every inch of your property. The staging process should begin outside setting the stage for the home on the other side of the door.
When it comes to the front of the house, put yourself in the buyer's place - literally. Get in your car, drive around the block and pull up to your house as if it was the first time that you were seeing it. What do you see? What works?What needs to change? Or better yet, have a friend do it and give you his or her honest, no holds barred opinion. First impressions are crucial and you want to be sure that the first impression your home gives, is an excellent one.
Trim back unruly bushes, replace plants that aren't thriving and keep the lawn well manicured. By planting sweetly smelling bushes or flowers along a walkway, prospective buyers will begin to form positive impressions of your home before they even open the front door. Don't forget to add your Pocket of Emotion to the curb appeal as well to guarantee that your buyer will fall in love with the property before they ever even go inside.
At Simple Appeal (www.simpleappeal.com) we know the importance of setting the stage, from the very beginning. From the very first moment that a prospective buyer sees your home, they should be forming positive associations. Ideally, you want a buyer to be able to emotionally associate with your home. Can they picture themselves coming home from work each day, pulling into the drive? Can they form an image of their children playing in the yard? These are the types of emotional responses you need to instill in prospective buyers - staging from the outside in.
Everyone who has ever walked through an open house knows that having a clean house is extremely important if you want to make the sale. But is it everything? The simple answer is no. There is much more involved in getting your home ready for a successful sale, than simply cleaning it. The unfortunate fact is that far too many sellers fail to realize this right away.
I don't want to understate the importance of a clean and shiny house, because obviously a dirty house with cob webs in the corners and toothpaste residue in the sinks is not going to appeal to buyers. However, cleaning your house should be the bare minimum that you do to get it ready for sale.
Once you are finished scrubbing and polishing, it's time to go beyond the gleam. A shiny clean space - while it looks nice - is not enough to sell your property. That's where home staging comes in. At Simple Appeal (www.simpleappeal.com) we take your house from nice to sensational by using simple staging techniques that appeal to a buyer on an emotional level. A clean and shiny house will appeal to a buyer on a logical level. They may think, "Wow this is a really nicely kept house." But you want more than that. With a little strategic home staging, you will have buyers envisioning their child's next birthday party in the kitchen, Christmas dinner in the dining room and a family barbeque in the back yard.
Appealing to a buyer on an emotional level, so that they can picture themselves in your home, living their life - is what will sell your home. At Simple Appeal, we help you go beyond the surface by creating Pockets of Emotion that keep a buyer thinking of your home long after they leave it. Instead of thinking of your home as one of the dozens of clean homes they saw that day, they will remember it as the house that they could picture themselves living in.
There's more to staging a home than simply putting out a few towels, some fresh flowers and straightening the throw cushions on the couch. Think about the last ten open houses you visited. Can you even remember them? Is there anything that stood out from the rest? Any details you can recall? If you're lucky, you might be able to remember a few houses but even then, your recollection is bound to be vague.
In order to sell houses in this tough real estate market, they need to be memorable. As a Property Designer it is essential that you create a feeling in a home. And to do this effectively, you must set the stage. Just as in a movie when the camera pans across the shot, you know instantly where you are, and who the characters are - you must recreate this feeling in the home.
When a potential buyer enters the home, you want them to know immediately where they are and what is happening. If you're staging a trendy one bedroom loft - perhaps there is a romantic dinner laid out on the table, complete with candles and low music. Carry the theme over into the master bathroom with a bubble bath and rose petals in the tub. For a family home, a birthday party is a great theme to use. Balloons and presents in the living room, a birthday cake with candles in the kitchen, and party hats on the table.
A scene should be set, throughout the house. When potential buyers come through the house, you want them to be able to envision themselves have their own little girls birthday party in that very house. They should be able to picture themselves serving the cake and watching their child opening presents.
As a property designer, it's crucial that you create your own little bit of movie magic in each property. At APSD (www.APSDMembers.com) you how to set the scene so your property will not only be memorable, standing out from the crowd - it will also evoke an emotional response in buyers making it hard for them to resist.Mission Impossible?
Not really If you look back at the real estate industry ten years, or even five years ago you'll see that it was a very different reality than it is today. It's no secret that the market is slowing down, and has even stalled in many areas. But if you have a home to sell, don't be discouraged. It is not impossible to sell property in this market. You just have to get creative.
When it comes to selling a home in today's real estate market, you need to set your property apart from all of the other listings. Put some energy into a market strategy that will stand out from the crowd. This is where staging comes in to play. Staging is so much more than making your house clean and pretty; it's about creating a feeling in the home in order to evoke emotion in the buyer.
At Simple Appeal (www.simpleappeal.com) we know what works. We know how to turn a nice house into a home that buyers can picture themselves and their family living in. It is no longer enough to clean your house and put it on the market hoping for a sale. In today's tough market, more than ever home staging is a necessity to make a sale so you can move on.
Whatever reason you have for moving, if your property stands out from the other listings you won't even notice the slowing real estate market and you'll be able to sell your home quickly and move on. It's not Mission Impossible, it's creative marketing!
In years gone by if you wanted to sell your home, you would typically give it a cleaning, maybe shampoo the carpets and slap up a for sale sign. Those days are gone. In today's tough market it takes a great deal more creativity to sell homes, which is where home staging comes in. At Simple Appeal (www.simpleappeal.com) we know what it takes to create an emotional response to a home in order to make the sale. However, I can not understate the importance of properly cleaning your house as well.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to preparing their homes for sale is not taking the time to clean them properly. All too often, sellers will take the time to clean the floors, wipe the counters and tidy up the visible clutter, but that's not enough. Think about what you would do if you were shopping for a home. Would you open the closets? Peek into drawers, the pantry, and look in the basement? Of course you would!
When you are cleaning your house, don't forget to pay special attention to the cupboards, pantry area, those messy closets and the dreaded basement. A surface clean is not good enough, because buyers will open cupboards; they are going to look under your sink and even in your medicine cupboard. It is essential that even these areas of your home are clean, organized and tidy. Put away any personal items that may be embarrassing and throw away and organize all the clutter that tends to accumulate in these areas.
It's essential to create the illusion of space, even in the tight closet spaces, drawers and areas that typically accumulate clutter. Try thinning out the number of cleaners that you have under the sink, in the laundry room and other areas. Make sure towels are folded in the linen closet, and everything is neat and tidy - even behind closed doors. That way when buyers come through, they will notice the shelves, or closet organizers and not all the clutter that you've collected.A Women's Touch
Starting a home based business can be full of challenges and setbacks, but the rewards are immeasurable. In today's economy, more and more women go everyday to jobs that they aren't passionate about just to pay the bills, and pay for the daycare that they would rather do without. Life should be about more than just making ends meet. You should love what you do every day and have the opportunity to spend quality time with your family, instead of endless hours slaving away.
What if I told you that you could have it all? You might not believe me! Because as women, we are taught that we must sacrifice something. Well don't believe it! By setting up your own property design business, you can have a career that you are passionate about, putting you in the driver's seat of your career, and giving yourself the opportunity to spend more time with your family.
Home staging is an industry that is on the verge of exploding because of the slowing real estate industry. And there has never been a better time for women to get involved with it. In order to make a home stand out and sell it in this tough market, it has to appeal to a buyer's emotions. And this is where a professional stager comes in. At APSD (www.APSDMembers.com) our program for Property Designers teaches you how to create Pockets of EmotionTM that will sell your clients homes.
Naturally women have an eye for what looks good and what will appeal to buyers on an emotional level. As a Property Designer, you will have the opportunity to help other people sell their homes and reach their goals while realizing your own dreams by finally living the life that you deserve.
Beyond Sight and Sound
In the 2005 best seller Brand Sense, author Martin Lindstrom says that as much as 83% of all marketing communication is limited to sight and sound. In the real estate business most of the marketing communication is done by sight. Ads placed in local newspapers, the MLS, and post cards announcing open houses etc
However, the most important marketing communication happens when prospective buyer crosses the threshold of a house.
This is very similar to the experience a shopper has when entering a store for the first time. It is at that point, that first impression, where you must use emotions as the media for your message.
The more senses you appeal to, the more dramatic the emotional response will be. I am not talking here of the old trick of baking cookies to get that smell throughout the house. Everyone likes it, but they know the trick so now, it appeals to their logic versus their emotion. But what if you had a fresh basket of lavender at the front door just as they came in? For some reason, which they can't even articulate, they feel welcome. It might give them a cozy feeling of when they were a child going to their grandmothers home (because we all remember the lavender sachets grandma had in her drawer). It feels right and it completely appeals to their senses, not their logic.
When staging a home for a retail sale, it is vital to appeal to as many senses as possible. For that reason I use a variety of what I refer to as "Pockets of Emotion" throughout the house. These are those moments in a home that surprise you and make you laugh, give you pause while enjoying a fond memory, or appeal to your senses on such a high level that often times, you can't even describe why it feels so good-it just does. I strategically place these "Pockets of Emotion" to suggest that "yes this is a perfect child's room, because my child is playing right now" or "this is a great kitchen for our family holiday baking projects". These Pockets of Emotion are designed to truly engage all the senses, not just the sense of sight.
In addition I use the sense of hearing when ever possible. If the home is in a high traffic zone, I may have light music playing in the background to take the focus away from the outside noise. Another great sense of sound is a fountain bubbling and birds chirping (and yes, I know how to make that happen at just the right moment!).
When I stage a house, you will find that I use not merely the senses of sight, smell, and hearing but of touch as well. I love having people touch something as the feeling stays in their fingers then entire time they enjoy the home. It is also a great reason to have them remove their shoes, if you have really wonderful carpet, so they can feel it on their toes. I also use interesting and textured fabrics to draw people into a room. It is so interesting to watch people as they are drawn into a room and encouraged to reach out and touch a window treatment or pick up a pillow. It helps them to fall in love with the property and feel as though they are home.
As for the sense of taste, I have found it is always a good idea to put a tasty surprise where prospective buyers are sure to find it. I often will put a bowl of big beautiful apples in the refrigerator, so it's a surprise when they open it-with a sign that says "An apple a day keeps the Doctor away-enjoy!" or even seasonal cookies or candy inside an intriguing container that it is so attractive you can't help but take the lid off.
Remember the more senses you engage, the more emotional the response will be and because of that response the more memorable the experience. Your ability to reach a buyer with a truly memorable experience can be summed up in one word: "Unforgettable
Often in the blink of an eye, a prospective buyer will a sense whether the environment they have just entered is authentic or not. They will be able to get "feel" if the property is right or wrong. It is my job to make sure that it always feels right and to give them the opportunity to fall in love with their new home, on the spot. When they fall in love-we know the house is sold.
At Simple Appeal we always say "Anyone can make your house pretty. We make your house SELL." Our system consistently creates environments that appeal to all the senses and gives a genuine and authentic feeling that the buyer is really home.
How much money will I make if I do this?
That is the question that you should always ask yourself if you are working on your home or investment property. I am continually amazed at how people will over fix and blow their budget on a home or investment property. Then, they expect to get that amount and more out of their house. The basic rule of thumb is to ask yourself two questions.
- Will I make more money if I do this?
- Will it help to sell my property faster?
The latter obviously, then results in more money due to less holding time.
More often than not, in bread and butter homes, (your blue collar, working class neighborhood, of 3 beds, 2 baths and a garage), I will rarely change windows, carpet, counter tops, cabinets, appliances or bathroom vanities. Rather, I will stage it and give the staging items as a gift to the new owner or tenant. This always results in a greater quality tenant that treats my house with respect, stays longer, and blessedy, pays their rent on time. With a buyer, they become emotionally tied to the property because they like the "stuff." They will play by all of your rules, including put down extra earnest money, get their financing quickly and close on time. All of this with effective staging.
Most people believe that staging involves heavy furniture, monthly rental costs and a high up front fee. Most people are correct. The Simple Appeal staging system however is enormously different. On average, a home staged by the Simple Appeal system will transact in less than 30 days in a market of average DOM of 122! There is hardly ever a sofa or a dining room set and as a matter of fact, I can't ever even remember a time that a sofa actually sold a home. There is strength in simplicity. This is a phrase that I find myself saying over and over again when people ask me "where is the couch?" Of course they quickly forget that question when their property sells at lighting speed for about a fourth of the normal staging cost.
What is the niche? Really it is simplicity. A home is sold on emotion. Once you understand your customer, you can appeal to their emotion, and transact the property. That's it really, just the psychology behind human nature. Of course those humans are quirky, so I would advise you to really know what is important to your customer versus thinking that you know. In other words, don't rehab and stage the property as though you are going to live there or stay there. Rehab and stage it for your end user. Understanding the psychology behind staging will save you thousands dollars and months of time.
To find out more about staging your home and selling it in = the time at FULL market value, visit www.SimpleAppeal.com --
Karen Schaefer
www.SimpleAppeal.com
PS-We are proud to introduce Certified SPDE - Property Designers to your area- - please watch for them on www.simpleappeal.com
You got to when to hold 'em, know when to sell 'em
Karen Schaefer
www.SimpleAppeal.com
Monica sold her house in 1 day in a market that is flooded with houses! The Simple Appeal staging system works wonders.
Well that's it. The bubble has officially burst, or at least it's losing air. Everyone has said it would happen, and well, quite frankly, none of us wanted to believe it. Some cheered, others jeered and while still others were brought to tears. The housing market has been off the charts the last several years and it is finally starting to correct itself.
So, what do you do if you still need to sell? What if you still have a mortgage that is reflective of the heydays? What if you over financed ever so slightly? Perhaps you are a broker or investor sitting on too much inventory. This reminds me of the saying, 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going." No, that does not mean they leave town, they just have to become more creative in selling their homes. What surprises me continually is that so few people are willing to do anything differently than before and yet they still expect everything to work in some sort of magical different way. This gives me pause.
As an investor, I need to move my inventory within the guidelines I have set for myself within my business plan. That means I am creative in every sense of the word. Not only do I offer creative financing, and marketing that would make even the greatest guru's take a second glance, but I stage the heck out of my properties, regardless of my exit strategies.
Lately, staging seems to be a buzz word in the home industry. It implies that you hire a designer or a professionally trained stager to come in and make your home perfect. Now while I think a perfect home is lovely, I don't think it is what sells a home. I know for a fact that my homes, and all of those that I stage or consult with, sell faster and higher because of my three staging secrets. I guess now you want me to tell me what those areWell, let me give you a hint. Have you ever bought one of those candy bars at the checkout counter in the grocery store? If you have, what was your reason? Why did it appeal to you? How did it taste? When you can answer these questions with passion, you will be well on your way to understanding the secrets behind highly effective and very inexpensive staging.
To find out more about Karen Schaefer's Simple Appeal, go to simpleappeal.com. Sell your house in = the time for full value in a troubled real estate market.
Karen Schaefer
www.SimpleAppeal.com
info@simpleappeal.com
1-877-900-STAGE
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