Staging New Hampshire

At the request of Kathy Nielsen via her blog post "Home Stagers - Post Your Favorite Staging Transformation of 2008"  I hereby submit my personal favorite transformation from the past year.

BEFORE      The living room furniture (two sofas, two chairs, and several tables) was crowded into the smaller end and the more spacious area was being used for dining.  Having the two sofas and walls covered in matching fabric was overwhelming.

AFTER     Dining furniture was moved to smaller end by window.  One flowered sofa was moved to the family room and the two wing back chairs were moved to the master bedroom.  The red sofa and loveseat were originally from the family room.

The best part about this staging was that nothing had to be brought in.  All the furniture was there, it just needed to be rearranged.

How your furniture is arranged could be the deciding factor as to whether a potential buyer chooses your house or another house nearby.  How large or small a room looks can depend on the arrangement, and the amount, of furniture in the room.

  Something many sellers don't think about is the importance of furniture placement. 

 Sellers get used to their furniture a certain way based on their lifestyle and what is appealing to and convenient for them.

Many times the style is dated or overpowering and sends the wrong message to potential buyers.

This master bedroom had several things working against it.  Although this is a large room, it is perceived as crowded due to placement of the bed.  The window treatments were dated and overpowered the room. 

 The wall color is very strong, but the seller did not want to paint. 

By changing the furniture placement and adding a sitting area, the room appears much larger.

Removing the window treatments made the room feel fresher, more current, and allowed more light.

Bedding was replaced with a more sophisticated and neutral color and pillows were added to the bed to give the impression of a headboard.

             BEFORE                                                                     AFTER

In this case, home staging was pretty basic...but made a big difference in the perceived value of the home.  Not only is the home more visually appealing in person, the new MLS photos will be more successful at attracting potential buyers.

When arranging furniture in preparation for sale, remember...

the best arrangement is one that highlights positive features

and clearly defines the space and function of the room. 

For more information:

Home Staging 101...The Big Furniture Goes In The Bigger Room

Daycare Dining Room, Eat-In Living Room...Home Staging Defines Room Function

It's that time of year again.  Christmas cards on the mantel, taped around doorways, piled up in baskets.

People display Christmas cards in many different ways.  I recently read in a magazine (don't remember which one) an idea to tape the cards to a ribbon and hang the ribbon on the wall.

I decided to hang my cards on the window and I was surprised at how much I like it.

It was really easy and fast, and more importantly, the cards are being seen and appreciated, instead of sitting in a basket like I've done the last few years.

Instead of using tape to attach the card to the ribbon, I cut a slit at the top and bottom of the inside of the card and pulled the ribbon through.

The ribbon is attached to the window using a tack.

It's really easy to add new cards to the ribbon as you receive them.

How do you traditionally display your cards?

As many of you know, New Hampshire has been under a State of Emergency the last few days due to severe ice storms knocking out power to over 400,000 homes. The deep freeze has left most of New Hampshire powerless.

We were lucky, we have a generator.  When we built our house five years ago we installed the generator out of necessity.  If the power goes out and the sump pump stops, the basement fills with water...it is that simple, we had no choice...generator or water in basement.   We never really considered the possibility of being without power for an extended period of time and what a difference it would make.

The rain started Thursday night and

throughout the night we could hear the

sound of breaking trees, transformers

bursting, and sirens. 

We lost power around midnight and like

clockwork the generator kicked in.   

When we got up on Friday morning we discovered several trees down in our yard...two across the driveway.

The generator gave us limited electricity, heat and hot water,  but the cable was out so no TV, phone, or Internet.

Now, don't get me wrong...this post is about frustration, not hardship...

I can't imagine how horrible it must be for the people who are still without power and could be for several more days.  I know how lucky I am.  I was able to stay in my home, warm and fed and even watching DVD movies on TV while the entire neighborhood around me was in darkness.

My son was the only one in our family not to lose power.  One of my daughters had to go stay with him.  My other daughter is staying with us until her power returns.  The temperature in her house is currently 36 degrees.  My sister and her husband are praying their pipes don't freeze while they are staying with friends.

 I am extremely grateful that we have a generator and that our power returned at 3:30 this morning and we no longer have to use it.   Hundreds of thousands of others are not so lucky.  

 That said,

 When the power went out, I suddenly found myself forced into a situation where I had plenty of extra time, and yet all those things I always wish I had time to do...I couldn't do.

 Leaving the house for any extended period of time with the generator running was not an option, and most businesses were closed anyways,  so I couldn't get that Christmas shopping done that I need to do. 

No Internet meant that I couldn't work on my newsletter, on my website or catch up on email.

I would have loved to have spent the time at ActiveRain.  Imagine having the time to sit and post and comment for hours, but no, couldn't do that.

I have several TV shows saved on my DVR with the dream of someday having the time to sit leisurely and watch...no cable meant no DVR. 

It would have been a great time to wrap presents; but as previously stated, I haven't bought them yet.

 Like most of you, I am constantly wishing for extra time...trying to get to the bottom of that to-do list, stressed and tired and staying up late trying to get it all done as time slips through my fingers.  How ironic that I finally had that "much sought after" time and found myself still unable to get those things done.

The things I wanted to get done before the power went out, remain undone today; however , I did use my "found" time to organize a closet, read some magazines, update some brochures and of course, the old standby, house cleaning.  

What is it you wish you had more time for.  If you found yourself with a day at home with no phone, TV, or Internet what would you do with the time?

 Oh, one more thing...during a power outage, why is it that we still flip the light switch upon entering a dark room even though we know the power is out? 

New or gently used sleepers, onesies, socks, and baby blankets are urgently needed. 

There is a wonderful charity group in New Hampshire that you may not have heard of, they provide comfort to premature and newborn babies and their families.  It is a group of volunteers that meets once a month to learn how to sew clothing for hospitalized babies.   They also package and deliver the donations.

Last year, Neighbors Helping Newborns donated almost 3500 items to 20 local hospitals. All items are given, free of charge, to families in crisis.

Donations of these baby items can be dropped off at Merri Stitches:

72 Mirona Road, Portsmouth NH   or   58 Range Road, Windham NH  or other locations

If you love to sew and would like to volunteer to help make diapers and other baby items for this charity, visit the Merri Stitches website for more info.

If you haven't happened upon Ralph the Real Estate Dog yet here in the rain...do yourself a favor and stop in.  You won't regret it. 

I found Ralph tonight and I am so happy I did.  Ralph is actually Laraine and she has found a very clever way to, let's say "highlight" really bad MLS photos. 

You see, Ralph is a news hound and has written some very funny news stories that any home stager worth their salt will relate to. 

Florida Real Estate Broker Arrested For Indecent Exposure

Entire Kitchen Found In Dumpster

Palm Bay Couple Convinced Crop Circle and Chicken Tracks Worth Big Money

Mummified Real Estate Agent Sets Open House Record

Talking Toilet Tells All

I hope you enjoy Laraine, Ralph, as much as I did.  I especially hope she, he, continues to write more articles! 

Most sellers today will tell you that they are serious about selling.  But are they really?  Have they done everything possible to prepare their house to make the best impression on potential buyers?  In most cases, they have not. 

In many cases, they have not even scratched the surface of what should be done.

This seller believed they had prepared their house for sale.   I'm told a lot of stuff had been removed in an attempt to declutter.

This seller had their house on the market for eight months, using this photo on the MLS.

When sellers under estimate what needs to be done in preparation and over value when determining their selling price, Realtors find themselves listing these houses with their hands tied, based on the seller's unrealistic expectations.

"We'll see how it goes"   "we'll give it a month"   "we will lower the price and see what happens"

 then, finally...   "maybe we should try staging."  

Home staging is often a last resort strategy, used when all else fails.  Too many sellers and realtors take a "wait and see" attitude when it comes to staging and it ends up costing them thousands of dollars.

Home staging is not something to be "tried."  Home staging is preparation...

To prepare, by definition, "to put in proper condition or readiness," is done first to get the house ready to sell.  

If you really are serious about selling and want to make the best impression on potential buyers,  get off on the right foot and get serious right from the beginning.  Hire a professional stager, prior to listing.  

 Staging first, instead of trying staging later, could save you a lot of money.

FYI,  here is the family room after basic staging, using existing furnishings:

Here is the photo currently used on MLS