Providing Services to Prepare the Home for Sale: Virginia Tatseos (Stage-Show-Sell)

 

When I find a post that says things better than I can (and this definitely does) I re-blog it.

Enjoy the simple facts about getting your home ready for living and for sale.

 

One of my favorite memories of smells is when I was living in my parents home.   Many many years ago.

We didn't have a clothes drier for years so the linens, baby diapers (long before papmpers) were hung outside, summer and winter, to dry.

Funny thing about hanging clothes outside in the winter is that they would freeze first and then dry.  They were so soft and smelled wonderful.

This memory came back to me when I was in Bed Bath and Beyond last week.  They had a new product, to me, that's an Odor Neutralizing Gel Beads.  I had to open one package to see what it was like.   I hate the room sprays etc that smell worse than the odor that we are trying to get rid of.  

The package that I picked up was called Sunwashed Linen.  It has a very delicate smell. 

 

Before I use it in any home that I stage I wanted to try it out in my own home.   

It worked beautifully in my Laundry Room with a few artificial flowers.  They look just like the jell beads that we use in our arrangements.

 

 

 

 

 

Next I tried the Apple Cinnamon and was pleased at the way it looks and smells.    

Believe that I now have some new ways to freshen up some staged homes.

I thought that I would beat my head against a wall last week and approached a realtor with my staging and photographic skills.

Our prices are very reasonable and we are very good at what we do.  She was amazed at the job of a condo transformation that she has listed.   She thought the photos and virtual tour were great.  Yet she will not allow me to talk to any of her other clients.

She said that she likes her photos and the way the houses look.  She is appealing to a more Artistic Client (buyer)

Why wouldn't she try to appeal almost everyone instead of the few who might find these artistic?

 

This is her photos on the MLS of a bathroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the photo of the condo that I staged.

This is a similar style master that she has listed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One that I staged

 

The internet presence is so important.  Why would a realtor not let me talk to their clients and explain what I can do for them and the internet presence that I can give them?

I use the furniture that the owner has and add a few of my own things to kick it up a notch.  I take the photos, add them to the MLS if the agents allows me to and do a virtual tour.

The homes and condos that Stage-Show-Sell, LLC stage generally get offer in 2 to 3 weeks.

These homes have been on the market a long time AND have had price reductions.   Staging is so much cheaper that the first price reductions.

Artistic or?

 

Sellers talk to a stager before you list your home OR if you have been on the market for awhile without an offer.

 

 

 

 

Testimonials are what makes my business successful.

Referrals and word of mouth is almost the only marketing Stage-Show-Sell, LLC does.

 

I would love to share two of these with all of you 

 

Thank you Virginia!  You did a great job on this Grosse Pointe Woods house I listed!  Patience, lots of hard work, an eye on how to bring the best out of this 30's house...a cooperative seller and, of course, a realtor who believed in you and was "in your court" (me!) - we did receive a great offer within 3 weeks of listing.  I firmly believe it was due to you taking the time to prepare and not having us rush into listing.

Beth Pressler Realtor

 

 

 

 

I can’t begin to say enough for the magic that Virginia performed in preparing my parent’s home for sale!  My parents had lived in the home for 61 years and, as you can imagine, there was quite a collection of “stuff”.  I was overwhelmed and my agent put me in contact with Virginia.  She went over and above what I expected of a stager.  She organized everything, brought in contractors, hauled trash to the curb, and oversaw the entire project.  Without any major updating, the home was finally ready for market in a little over a month from the start.  I was amazed at the transformation!  She had taken a tired little bungalow and turned it into a cute, charming home.  In just under three weeks we had an offer!  Thank you Virginia and I would definitely recommend your services to anyone.

Carolyn - Home owner

Please visit or revisit this posting to see the home that had an offer in 3 weeks

 

Now who could pass up a model train set up in a back yard?   Hundreds of feet of track, dozens of buildings and all the towns people to go with it.

Take a tour of the set up with me and see how similar it is to staging.

 

Bloomfield Twp Railway Garden Tour  This caught my attention in the local free newspaper that delivered to all residences in many cities.  I love it for a quick review of what's going on.

My husband and I thought it was such an interesting thing to do, on a July (hot & muggy) Sunday morning, and we could walk to it and enjoy a few minutes.

To our surprise the few minutes turned into about an hour or more.

It similar to  going into a Sunday Realtor Open House thinking that you'll have a quick walk through and then actually looking through every room, crook and cranny that it has.

 

The Dunn family:  Sharron, Bob two sons, daughter in laws and grandkids were all participating in this event.

 

The Dunn family took days and weeks to prepare for the annual event.  Very Similar to what sellers have to do to prepare for their day in the sun. 

 

The Dunn family  checks for winter damage to the tracks and landscaping. 

Stage-Show-Sell, LLC gives the home street appeal.

They make sure that the tiniest details are taken care of.  The tracks work, the trains work, the emergency helicopters are in place (you have to look at the photos to find them). The bathing pond is clean and fresh and all the models and show ready.

Stage-Show-Sell, LLC  makes sure the windows are clean, outdated light fixtures replaced and the house clean and fresh and furniture shows off the rooms to their best use.

We have a lot in common. Grab a cup of coffee and  Check the Photos of Dunn's Diversion 

  Is it that much different that what Stage-Show-Sell, LLC does?  Click here to see

Vote is in.  I go back to the 2008 photo with the dog :-)

 

As stagers we have made many posts and comments about how to take bathroom photos.   Don't shoot just the toilet.  Make sure we shoot the room etc etc etc

 

 

Yesterday I thought I would do just the opposite and play with the mirrors and guess what I caught.

 

Myself.

A vote please.

Which one shall I use for my new AR mug shot?

I try to change my photo photo often because I'm changing everyday

 

This is my 2008 photo  OLD photo going out

 

 

Which of these should be my 2010

Thank you Virginia!  You did a great job on this Grosse Pointe Woods house I listed!  Patience, lots of hard work, an eye on how to bring the best out of this 30's house...a cooperative seller and, of course, a realtor who believed in you and was "in your court" (me!) - we did receive a great offer within 3 weeks of listing.  I firmly believe it was due to you taking the time to prepare and not having us rush into listing.

Beth Pressler Realtor

I can’t begin to say enough for the magic that Virginia performed in preparing my parent’s home for sale!  My parents had lived in the home for 61 years and, as you can imagine, there was quite a collection of “stuff”.  I was overwhelmed and my agent put me in contact with Virginia.  She went over and above what I expected of a stager.  She organized everything, brought in contractors, hauled trash to the curb, and oversaw the entire project.  Without any major updating, the home was finally ready for market in a little over a month from the start.  I was amazed at the transformation!  She had taken a tired little bungalow and turned it into a cute, charming home.  In just under three weeks we had an offer!  Thank you Virginia and I would definitely recommend your services to anyone.

Carolyn - Home owner

 

A few months ago an agent introduced me to her friend/client who's father passed away.

The house is set in a wonderful neighborhood of Grosse Pointe Woods.  This is the first time that I've been called in by this realtor and really wanted to make a good impression on her and of course her client.

 

The kitchen hadn't been updated since, let's say,....day one.

Our challenge was to make it presentable to potential  buyer without putting in a lot of money.

 Our agenda was to make it feel more spacious

This is the kitchen before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kitchen felt small with 3 door ways.  One led to the back door and basement, the 2nd one led to the hallway to bath and bedrooms and the third, which I'm standing in, led to the dining room.

 

This is the kitchen after

We removed the doors to the back door and hallway.  This opened up the room right away.  The doors have been left for the new owner to decide what to do.

Painting the yellow walls to a more soothing neutral color.   We removed all the window treatment (there was a lot) 

 Now it's charming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dining room before

Removing the Draperies and all rods, painting out the yellow walls, updating the light fixture and removing the green tattered carpet made a big difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dining room after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The family room before

 

 

 

 

The budget, again, was very tight.

We removed the tired green carpet to expose the hard wood floors.   The big challenge was the padding was stuck to the floors with age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We tried every product out there to remove it.  The only thing that would remove it was scrapping with a very sharp putty knife.   The floors are beautiful and the new owner can decide to sand them down, carpet or live with them being a little imperfect

carpet padding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The draperies were removed to open up the room.  The walls were painted to make the fireplace pop.

It worked.

Family room after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

99% of the staging was done with the sellers furniture.  All we added was a few nick, knacks, bedding and talent.

We don't have to rent expensive furniture to stage a home.

1st bedroom had the hard wood floors exposed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Bedroom after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd bedroom before

I have to admit that this is the first time I've had to deal with indoor/outdoor carpet in the living area of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turned out very well

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bathroom I did a post on earlier.  I truly think that this bathroom helped sell the house.

The master bed room is upstairs in the cute bungalow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's not green carpet up there.   It's vinyl flooring.  

 

 

Master after

I was so excited that the budget allowed for carpet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Friendly Wager with a Realtor on Home Staging Impact - I Won!"  The market conditions for the area showed the Realtor that the home should be on the market for 6 months.

My record is getting offers in two to three weeks.

 

  We had an offer in 3 weeks and it's scheduled for closing in a few weeks.   I won the wager and hopefully more jobs from the realtor

 

Exterior while working on it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Will she call me again for another job????????????????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm curious for responses from  both stagers and realtors.

 

As part of the service for owners and agents I take and edit the photos and create a tour.  

Our MLS is IDX compliant which means that the realtors can't brand their tours with their infomation.  Is there any reason that I can't brand the tour with my staging information??

 

Do you think it would benefit the realtor and or me?   Has anyone tried doing this?

 

 

 

Thank you Virginia!  You did a great job on this Grosse Pointe Woods house I listed!  Patience, lots of hard work, an eye on how to bring the best out of this 30's house...a cooperative seller and, of course, a realtor who believed in you and was "in your court" (me!) - we did receive a great offer within 3 weeks of listing.  I firmly believe it was due to you taking the time to prepare and not having us rush into listing.

Beth your realtor

A realtor that I've known for a long long time has given me a great challenge and I'm excited about it.

The home is a bungalow built in 1938 in the city of Grosse Pointe Woods

The bathroom has the most un-usual color tile that I've ever seen.

The color is between a Aubergine and Burgundy with black trim.

 

 

The budget for the home didn't allow more than paint and a few accoutrements (my clients verbage)

 

The walls were painted a very light lavender.  All the Pink was removed and it was staged.

 

 

I found this absolutely frightening.  How many homes are not secured ?  How many homes do we have staged and we don't know if the realtors are locking the door into the garage?

This message is for stagers, realtors and home owners.