We have been doing some market research lately. In the Midwest (Madison, WI), home staging is not as prevalent as on the Coasts or in the South. Premiere Home Stagers would love to change that because we believe most houses that go on the market should be staged. The reasons why homeowners choose not to stage their property varies, but can be summed up into ten items.
[This is my very first attempt at producing a video, so please pardon my naivety and enjoy]:
It is winter after all
This is the scene that greeted me from my backyard this morning. With warm temps and lack of snow it was easy to believe that spring was here, but not today!
I am a library junkie — always requesting books and media that pique my interest. With a yearning to make some decor changes in my own home I stopped at the library yesterday and retrieved a few decor idea books.
The snowy landscape makes this the perfect weekend to cocoon at home and browse these books for inspiration. Here are a few of my picks.
I am a Christopher Lowell fan so I chose his book entitled, One-Of-A-Kind Decorating Projects. He has amazing and resourceful out-of-the-box ideas. In this book he gives instructions for do-it-yourself projects.
His other titles are inspiring as well.
Speed Decorating by Jill Vegas caught my eye. This is a newer title featuring quick projects to transform a room. Jill is a professional home stager so I am intrigued to learn from her in order to better serve our clients.
Pottery Barn Living Rooms by Bonnie Schwartz and others is classic inspiration for those who love that PB look. It covers such topics as color, texture, furnishings and lighting.
Perusing this one last night provided inspiration for my empty fireplace mantel! As the idea becomes reality I will share it with you.
So, on this snowy weekend, make a cup of tea, start a fire and curl up with decorating books, magazines and a notepad to jot down ideas.
Premiere Home Stagers would love to help you make them a reality.
The kitchen was remodeled in 2004. It is functional, but not finished. The homeowner wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with the drywalled stove hood or the backsplash, so it sat. Then life intervened and she got used to it. Now, however, she is on a journey to finish what she started. She consulted with Premiere Home Stagers about possibilities.
The first step is to decide what to do. We suggested tile for easy clean-up from stove spills and grease. The second step is determining the layout. We had two options, but decided to blend the two. The next step was to actually pick out the tile.
Layout Option #1
Layout Option #2
Tile Layout
The Tile Shop was very helpful in the selection and layout of the tile. He even cut up the mesh for us to see how the layout would actually look. We were sold. The homeowner will take accurate measurements and place the order. Next on the agenda is cabinet pulls. That should be far easier than choosing tile.
There are thousands of tile choices, which can be daunting for a homeowner. Premiere Home Stagers can give you options and help you decide on a variety of materials. Why wait? Call 608-345-9396 today.
At Premiere Home Stagers we’re passionate about helping our clients fall in love with where they live. Even if we are preparing a home for sale, the best compliment from the homeseller is, “I don’t really want to move now!”
When consulting with someone on updating their home we always begin with what they have and love. Is there something they own that they’d love to incorporate into their new decor? Is there a “piece of inspiration” that is the catalyst for a new decorating scheme?
That inspirational piece can be a unique chest like this stand-alone silver metallic server used in a dining room and accented with other reflective surfaces.
It can be a family heirloom currently relegated to a spare bedroom. When emptied of knicknacks this antique secretary can become the focal point and inspirational piece for the redesign of another room.
This painted antique cupboard is the inspiration for the redesign of a nautical-themed great room. The homeowner spied the piece at a local antique store months ago. It keep pulling her back with its charming appeal.
When we talked about redesigning the room the cupboard needed to figure into the equation. We chose a spot for it and she returned to the store, this time to make the purchase.
The cupboard is step one — the starting point for a fresh look. The deep red finish complements the nautical look of the home and gives a splash of color. Furniture and an area rug will be purchased with this piece in mind.
What is the “piece of inspiration” that makes you want to give your home a fresh look? We’d love to help you pull the pieces together so that you can love where you live.
Gina Newell & Libby Goodsell
We love doing staging and redesign work in your homes. However, running a business takes more than waiting for the phone to ring.
After getting back from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) convention last week, Premiere Home Stagers decided to heed the advice of the many successful stagers and vendors we met.
The first change is the re-design of this blog. According to a professional graphic designer, our former blog did not comform to the newer, wider format. We were told that by 2014, most people will access the internet through their smart phones. Thus, we needed to confirm that our website was mobile compliant.
The second change was setting up a business Facebook page and link it to this blog. We are supposed to add something to our business Facebook account almost every day.
Luckily, we had already set up our individual Linked-In pages a while ago. We made sure we used Search Engine Optimization (SEO) “meta” tags; i.e., stager, staging, homestager, homestaging, etc. when filling out our respective profiles.
During one of the presentations, we took out our smart phones to take a short survey. We then saw the results on-screen immediately. This week, Premiere Home Stagers used Survey Monkey to see if Madison, WI area stagers would like to get together and share ideas and resources–maybe even warehouse space.
Another technological feature we learned about is generating and interpreting Quick Response (QR) Codes through your smartphone. You download the application specifically for your type of smartphone, then position your smartphone’s camera over the QR code to scan it, and it automatically interprets the message for you.
From the RESA convention, Premiere Home Stagers won a free 45-minute phone call with a business coach. It was more of a therapy session of how to manage all these social networking accounts!
Thanks to RESA, we learned great business practices to implement. However, we would much prefer the phone to ring!
608-345-9396 or 608-217-8058
A fireplace is definitely a selling feature when marketing a home. This week we consulted in a home that boasted two fireplaces — one in the living room and the other in the lower level family room. Often a fireplace is located on a focal wall, the wall one sees when entering the room. The presence and style of the fireplace sets the stage for the rest of the room.
Is there a fireplace here?
The view to this fireplace is obstructed by the sectional. The furniture is currently arranged to accomodate projection on the large wall. This works well while living in the home, but not for marketing it. Staging enhances the features of a home to draw the buyer’s attention there.
Our goal in home staging is to help the potential buyer envision themselves in the space. A cozy fireplace in this large family room projects an image of gathering around it for family games and socializing.
A clear view to this architectural feature is important. Our suggestions included turning the sectional against the projection wall, removing the exercise equipment and paring down distracting accessories.
The opposite side of the room has a built-in bar area, perfect for serving guests during a social gathering. When reorganized and decluttered this adds additional value to the room.
As the homeowners follow our staging plan, these features are highlighted and the home shows at its best.
Premiere Home Stagers just returned from the Real Estate Staging Association convention in Las Vegas. Almost every industry has a trade association where others in the same field can learn and exchange information from each other. These conventions are invaluable to us. We are thrilled to learn how the staging industry is growing all across the U.S.
We were treated like royalty during the three-day convention.
But there was also a day for a little fun.
Libby and Gina with the Blue Man Group
Collection in an Appropriate Home
Last week on a morning jog I noticed this collection. The homeowner is obviously a bird-lover and an avid bird house collector. How wonderfully unselfish to display this collection in front of his home for all the world to see, rather than hide it away inside. I stopped and enjoyed the birdhouses.
Recently I had been invited to the home of a friend to view his collection.
He had been an Oscar Mayer (Kraft) employee for many years and has now amassed an extensive collection of Oscar Mayer branded products.
This collection is rightfully housed in his basement where it is extremely well-organized and displayed in museum fashion.
I marvelled at my friend’s knowledge concerning the history of the company and the specific background of his collectibles. He has spoken to various groups and kindly invited many to view his collection.
As a resident of Madison, Wisconsin I can’t help but smile when the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile drives by. My friend has a picture of one parked in his driveway! I loved his showcase of model Weinermobiles.
The natural reaction to a well-done collection is to pause and consider its contents. The pride and joy of a collector is reflected as stories unfold about procuring the items. We enjoy the collection as well as the passion of the collector.
Each of us has some type of collection. Whether it is rare coins hidden in a vault or children’s artwork on the refrigerator, we can’t help but add to the items we enjoy.
When staging a home, however, we recommend that collections are pared down or put away entirely. If they are valuable they are best relocated to a safe location.
When a potential buyer is viewing a property we want him to linger and consider the features of the home, not the belongings of the homeowner.
