Staging New Hampshire

head_left_image

New Hampshire Home Stager's Secret To Home Organization

For most people being "organized" is something to achieve, something they wish they were but never seem to make happen.  Organizing your home can be overwhelming, and even seem impossible at times.   Being more organized is one of those New Years resolutions that always seems to get broken.

Here's the thing about organization: 

 It's all about taking small bites.  Divide and conquer. 

closet

 You don't have to organize the whole house at once.  Choose one room and then choose one small part of that room.

Start with a closet, or start with one desk drawer.

It doesn't matter where you start.  Once you start, you build momentum.

The act of organizing creates a sense of accomplishment which propels you on to the next area to conquer. 

Get that ball rolling and it is actually hard to stop. 

 

 

 

Organization is simple - It's getting started that is so difficult! 

 

  TIP   Sort items into three piles.  Items to Keep, Toss, and Donate

Organize your small "keep" items by grouping them together in decorative containers.  Containers not only make it easier to store the items, they make for a much cleaner look.

baby boys

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

Buyers Often Put Their Furnishings In The Same Place As The Seller

Why is furniture placement so important when showing your house for sale?  Only ten percent of people can visualize your house differently than how they see it.  If your furniture doesn't work, they assume theirs won't work.  Janice wrote a great post on the subject...

Via Janice Ankrett ASP (Janice Ankrett Home Staging):

 

     Most Buyers only know what they see.

      When a Buyer views a home they use the seller's furnishings as a reference point.

      What they see helps them judge the size of the room.

      They feel how the house flows as they make their way through each room.

 

Buyers know that if it works for the seller it will work for them .... or not.

That is why Staging or Preparing your home for sale is so important.

What message is your house sending?

  • spacious open room OR you can get it in but it's going to be really tight.
  • it is easy to go from the seating area to the dining area with guests OR I have to squeeze by.
  • this room will take a dining table and chairs and has room to expand for more guests OR not.
  • I wonder what this room is for?
  • Is that wall long enough for my sectional?
  • there is lots of storage OR look at all this 'stuff' there must be no storage in this house.

Staging is about setting up vignettes that show the Buyer how to use the room effectively.

 

Staging shows the purpose of the room.

 

Staging shows how a family can use the space.

 

Staging helps the Buyer see how they can entertain in the house.

 

Staging allows the Buyer to visualize living their lifestyle in your home.

Send the right message to your Buyer.

Prepare your home for sale.

 

 

 

Serving Burlington,Oakville, Milton, Hamilton & surrounding areas.

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

Market Square Day In Portsmouth, New Hampshire - Saturday June 12, 2010

Market Square Day in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is an annual event created by Pro Portsmouth, Inc. thirty three years ago to celebrate the beautification of downtown Portsmouth.  Each year, on the second Saturday in June downtown Portsmouth becomes vehicle-free from 9:00 - 4:00.  Traffic is replaced with vendors, entertainment stages, and lots of fabulous food.

Market Square Day 2009

Market Square Day 2009

market square day portsmouth nh

 

New this year, is the addition of a Children's Block Party area, with vendors, performers, and activities especially for children.

 

The Market Square Day 10K Road Race kicks off the festivities at 9:00 am.  There are 2000 runners this year.

 

 

It is estimated that 60,000 - 80,000 people will attend.   

 

For More information on Market Square Day:

Entertainment & Activities

Parking & Transportation

Map & Directions

 

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

Wordless Wednesday - It's Not Jack-in-the-Box

baby in a bucket

IT'S  ZACK-IN-THE-BUCKET

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

Wordless Wednesday - Great Grampa

great grandpa

visit with grampa

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

What's More Dangerous...The Sun Or Your Sunscreen?

Sunscreen is generally considered the best defense against skin cancer.  What you may not know is that many sunscreens on the market are potentially more dangerous than actual exposure to the sun.

applying sunscreenRisk 1 - INSUFFICIENT PROTECTION

A study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology states "Sunscreens are widely advocated to protect against skin cancer but if they offer insufficient protection... they may inadvertently increase skin cancer risk." 

SPF refers to how much longer you can be in the sun before you burn.  If you usually burn after 30 minutes without sunscreen, then SPF 10 means you can be in the sun for ten times longer (10 x 30 = 300 minutes) which would be 5 hrs.  SPF ratings refer only to protection from UVB radiation (sun burning rays) not UVA radiation (dangerous killer rays).

 In order to be protected from UVA radiation, which is the primary cause of skin cancer, your sunscreen must contain one of the following ingredients:

  •  titanium dioxide
  •  zinc oxide
  •  avobenzone (also called butyl methoxydibenzyl methane)
  •  Mexoryl SX
  •  Tinosorb (not available in U.S. products)

If one of these is not listed as a PRIMARY or ACTIVE ingredient, the sunscreen does not offer adequate protection.

 

 

skull and cross bonesRisk 2:  DANGEROUS INGREDIENTS

Oxybenzone, a common active ingredient in US sunscreens,  is a hormone disrupter (it mimics estrogen).  It's not just the synthetic, chemical ingredients in sunscreens that are dangerous.  Vitamin A is added to 41% of all sunscreens.  Vitamin A sounds like a good thing, right? 

Recently available data from an FDA study indicates that:

 Vitamin A, when applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight, may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions.  (May also be listed as  retinal palmitate.)  

 

sunscreenFor more information:

 Environmental Working Group's 2010 Sunscreen Guide

Sunscreens Exposed

How Does Your Sunscreen Rate? 

Best Beach and Sport Sunscreens

And my personal favorite:  Hall of Shame 

UPDATE:  See Comment #9 (my daughter Jaime) for more important sunscreen facts

 

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

Sweat Equity Can Get Your House Sold.

For those sellers who think home staging is too expensive, or home staging is just for expensive listings...consider a home staging consult.

A two hour home staging consult will give you a complete "to-do" list and a plan of action to get your house show ready.

  Why waste time, money, and energy when you can work smart!

Via Janice Ankrett ASP (Janice Ankrett Home Staging):

There is a myth out there that Staging your home will cost you a lot of money.

 

Most of Staging is Sweat Equity. It involves time and effort.

 

 

Clean your home. Give it a Spring cleaning because the best scent in a home for a buyer is 'clean'.

Clutter is a word used in Staging. Remember, one man's treasure is another man's clutter. So, put away those collections, file those papers, toss those magazines that have piled up and store those toys.

 

Pre-pack seasonal items you don't use everyday.

 

Toss, recycle and donate those items you are not taking to your new home or haven't used in a year.

 

Store extra pieces of furniture.

Trim and weed that garden.

So if you have no budget for preparing your home for sale don't let that stop you.

The trick is knowing what to do.

A Staging Consult will give you a plan to follow so that you are putting your Sweat Equity into the correct areas.

The changes you make will get you closer to your goal.

 

Serving Burlington,Oakville, Milton, Hamilton & surrounding areas.

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

Wordless Wednesday - You Can Leave Your Hat On

baby with hat

BONUS: Classic Joe Cocker

 

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

New Hampshire Home Stager - Do I Practice What I Preach?

Anyone who knows me knows I like an organized home.  Anyone who reads my blog knows I have strong feelings and opinions when it comes to preparing a house for sale.

What about my house?  Does this New Hampshire home stager practice what she preaches?

Step inside and you may be surprised at what you find...

living room 

 

Two years ago I never would have imagined that my formal living room would look like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

family photos

 

 

 

Family photos in the dining room and our 25 x 30 portrait, which I refer to as "Jaclyn Smith meets Captain Kirk,"  on the wall.

 

 

 

 

 

spider web on window

 

 

 

 

No, those are not cracks in the window...they are cobwebs.

The spiders have taken over. 

 

 

 

 

storage room

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an extra bedroom, currently being used for storage.

 

 

 

 

 

So, do I actually practice what I preach or is this a perfect example of do as I say, not as I do?

It's a trick question.  My house is not for sale.  When it is for sale the extra bedroom will be transformed into a bedroom.  The windows will be clean and spider free.  The family pictures will all be removed.  The living room will be restored to it's former glory. 

I fully intend to practice what I preach when it comes to marketing my own house for sale.  Until that time comes, I'm fine leaving things as they are.  With the exception of the webs...they were removed right after the picture was taken! 

 

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter

How To Overcome The Big NEGATIVES And Get The House SOLD!

My Idaho Realtor friend, Janna, shows that negative features can be turned positive with a little creative thinking, research, and strategically placed displays.  Next time you have a negative feature in a listing, see if you can turn it around and use it to your advantage.

Via Janna Rankin Scharf - Realtor Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho Homes (Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene):

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale

When you have any kind of defect that you KNOW will be a huge turnoff the minute the buyer discovers it, you need to spin it around to a positive BEFORE the buyer stumbles upon it. 

BambooI had a house listed where the seller took all, I mean ALL appliances, thinking the buyer would just want new ones anyway...  Not just the stove and dishwasher pulled out of the cabinets, but even the microwave hood fan over the stove... Same house had a slider in the informal dining area to the back yard that was just a drop off to a little concrete stoop where you might kill yourself if you didn't realize there was no deck or level step there when you walked out.   Also had all bamboo floors which no one had EVER seen in our area before.  Looked a little weird. 

The house languished for a couple months, even though the seller was offering a $5000 concession for the appliances.   All feedback mentioned the lack of appliances and weird floor. 

AppliancesI built a little display about the positive qualities of bamboo flooring which are really quite impressive. Big stores like Neiman Marcus are using it because of its durability which exceeds that of most hardwoods.  It is also earth friendly because it grows to maturity in just a few years versus 40 or so for a hardwood.  I set up my BENEFITS OF BAMBOO FLOORS  display right by the front door where buyers would see it at the same time they were saying to themselves, "Yowzer, that is a WEIRD looking floor...."

Next, I took the $5000 that buyers were willing to pay as a concession and shopped appliances at Sears.  I got prices for purchase, delivery and installation of appliances suitable for this house, which was just a hair above entry level.  I made another display in the kitchen with photos of those specific appliances which I obtained online.  When the buyers entered the kitchen, at the same time they were thinking, "OMG! They took EVERY appliance!" they saw the display proclaiming PICK OUT BRAND NEW APPLIANCES! 

DeckMy last display I put near the sliding door.  I had a handyman friend come do a bid for a simple wooden deck which would be installed within 2 weeks of closing.  I squeaked the appliances and deck in under my $5000 budget and waited...

It was right after that that we got the house under contract for full price and sold without any problem.  The buyers were SO EXCITED to be able to get brand new appliances, and to have a trendy, cutting edge, earth friendly bamboo floor! 

In the case of my friend Sally Hansen in Wisconsin, she is trying to overcome the negative of the expressway in the backyard of a home she is selling.  She will need to brainstorm and find an advantage to living near the expressway and write all her marketing to play up that benefit!  For people on the go...  For movers and shakers...  Quick and easy access to everywhere you need to be....  Life is racing by, hop on and enjoy the ride!

Whatever the objection potential buyers will have to overcome, the wise marketing advice is to play up the features, overcome the negatives in ADVANCE, and come up with the profile of your potential buyer - then gear ALL your marketing to him!

Janna Scharf Sells Real Estate in Coeur d'alene IdahoJanna Rankin Scharf  provides a superior level of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit www.JannaScharf.com to search for homes in the Coeur d'Alene MLS for anywhere in spectacular North Idaho.

No matter how grand or modest your real estate dreams may be, you can turn to me in confidence.  Give me a call today and let me know what I can do to be of service to you!

Janna Rankin Scharf AB, GRI, CSP, CNS, CLHMS  208.651.9700

______________________________________________________________________________

Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

LOGO     RESA-PRO

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                  Friend Sharon Tara on Facebook         Subscribe button         Twitter