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.

 

 

 

 

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

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?

 

 

 

 

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.

 

This home has been staged and placed on the market June 14, 2010.  For information regarding this listing call the listing agent.

 

This home is being offered for sale by: Beth Pressler, Assoc. Broker, CRS, GRI, PMN Director, Michigan Assoc. of REALTORS Century 21 Town & Country of Grosse Pointe 20439 Mack Avenue Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan 48236 Office: 313.886.5040

This home is an estate and was prepared for sale by Stage-Show-Sell, LLC.

It can be very expensive to have items that are only used for one thing.

Yes we do charge rent for our items when we stage but it takes a lot time to recuperate the expense and breakage.

Recently I purchased two mirrors to hang on a wall.  One was to hide an ugly circuit breaker box on the left side of a window.  The other was to balance the look and went on the other side of the window.    I took marker pens and wrote cute things i.e.   Call me when you get home, on one of them.  The other had a grocery list.

They were purcahsed at Target and we horrible to hang.  I think someone was drunk when they attached the hangers to the back.  I could not get them to hand straight without poster putty on the corners.

I thought I'd never be able to use them again.

 

This week, the dinamic duo, used one for a bed table.

Clever we are

The home owner loved it.

 

 

The house that is our competition has been reduced $35,000.   In my books that mean the realtor has lost $1050 in commissions.   Wouldn't it have been cheaper and smarter to pay for a consultation with a stager?

 

The presentation of rooms is so important. Little things mean a lot.  Fresh color on the walls.  Bold colors in the rooms and the correct placement of furniture.

We can call it de-cluttering, re-designing or staging.  What matters is that it's done.

Marianne and I finished staging a home this past week. The sellers know when they put it on the market that they wanted it sold.

They wanted to purchase a new home then put the old one on the market.  The did not want to be living in it while is was on the market.

We realize that not everyone can do this esp. in this economy.  They are lucky and smart.

I started working with them last June so they had the time to do all of my little "honey do" projects.

They painted and cleaned and tweaked here and there.

 

Yellow paint is now gone.  Bed direction is changed.

Draperies are open and clutter removed.

 

We used their furniture and used our bedding and extras.

 

This is what their small bedroom looks like now.   This will be their MLS photo

 

This is one of their competitions MLS photo.

This is the 2nd bedroom in the house we just staged. 

Before

 

 

 

After

The walls were painted.  It's difficult to see with the afternoon sun streaming in.

Exercise equipment was removed and the bed was moved to another wall.

 

 

 

Our competition MLS photo and they have just reduced their price by $35,000 and are going for a short sale.

I know that if they had called in a stager first the house would have sold and they wouldn't be in this short sale situation.

 

What do you think??

Our living room   before

 

 

 

 

After.  The walls were painted.  The couch from the FR was moved to the LR and slip covered.

 

Competition Living Room

 

Why aren't the realtors working with a stager to have the homes sell faster and for more money?

 

Sellers.   Don't wait for your agent to bring up staging.  Call a stager today

 

 

 

Yesterday I attended my Con Ed class to keep my license active for yet another year.   My license is in holding, and has been for 2 1/2 years, and I want to keep it for many reasons.  

The best reason is that it keeps me up to date on what is going on with the news laws and challenges for my realtor associates.

During the lunch period the conversations turned to the millage votes that were held in many cities the day before.

 

Troy Michigan mileage was voted down.  That will impact many of the cities services.  Many of which has been a selling point for the homes.  It's my understanding tha the Community Center will be shut down.  The Parks and Recs Dept will be run by a private business.    

It will be interesting to see what services are really cut.

What peaked my interest was a realtor who was adamant that the Bloomfield Twp. mileage  passed because 45% of the absentees ballots were not returned.  She assumed, of course, that only seniors used the absentee system.  She knows that seniors don't like to pay taxes and of course they would have voted no.

 I thought that was absolutely amazing.  Absentee ballots are used for seniors who are out of the area during the voting, seniors (like myself) who always vote absentee and business people who don't want to take the time to stand in line to vote.   Many young mothers vote absentee because they don't want to stand in line, esp. during flu season, with young children.  They also don't want to count on the snow issue.  So it's a lot easier to get the paper ballot and be able to read it through and vote with knowledge.

 

So now we know who votes absentee.

Now the facts on the vote.

There are 33,123 registered voters

10,667 cast their ballots OF WHICH 5,661 were absentee votes.  (over 53%)

The mileage passed with 5,647 for and 5,014 against.

 

That's a close vote

6206 ballots were mailed to homeowners for absentee votes

5661 of those were returned to the twp (91%) by my math

 545 were not returned.

Approx 10% of those with absentee ballots voted at the polls.

That leaves about 500 absentee ballots not used.

 

3281 of the absentee ballots voted yes

2371 voted no

That's a 3 to 2 ratio.

Considering the same ratio would have applied to the remaining ballots means that it still would have passed.

 

The blame, if there is any blame, goes to the 2/3 of the voters who did NOTHING.

 

I'm happy to say that I voted yes.  I want to keep my community, Bloomfield Township, strong. Bloomfield Township has never, in my memory, turned down a good mileage.  The extra mileage for the few years will be offset by the lowering of my taxable value do to the economy.