Is Home Staging for Investors different than Home Staging for homeowners? Well, yes and no.

Everyone wants their home to sell quickly and for as much money as possible. But for investors it is slightly different. It is a business.

Getting a property sold so they can buy their next one is all that matters. Literally ‘time is money’.

When I met with a Realtor turned investor a couple weeks ago he told me that in 2011 he and his business partner renovated and re-sold eight homes and that he hoped to do more in 2012.

He commented that the average days on the market for them was 60 days thus they had never needed to stage. (I silently thought differently, ha).

They were currently renovating a home that was a little higher in price then the others so they thought they would give Home Staging a try prior to listing it to give it every advantage.

Depending on how it went they said they may have me stage another of their properties that had been on the market close to 60 days without an offer.

Here is the staging:

Living Room Before and After:

Dining Area Before and After:

Family Room Before and After:

They listed this property on a Friday and I got a text on Sunday saying that they had already received multiply offers and one was for full price!! I think the three days improved their 60 day average!

Both partners were thrilled with the staging, the service and the results. Because of that I was hired to stage their other property mentioned above that has been on the market about 60 days with alot of activity but without a single offer. Let’s hope that one goes as well!

If you have an Investment Property and have questions about Home Staging for Investors talk with a expert that understands the needs of an investor. www.roomswithstyle.com

WWW.ROOMSWITHSTYLE.COM 952-567-1124

Is Home Staging A Good Investment for Low End Homes? Home Staging Minneapolis, MN

That is a question I get a lot. “This isn’t a high end home, will home staging provide a good return on the investment?”

The investment in home staging can vary of course with the smallest investment being a Home Staging Consultation. The next level for cost is what I call ‘Hands on Staging’ or ‘Owner Occupied Staging’ and the third and usually the most costly is ‘Vacant Home Staging’.

I was called by an investor to give her a bid to stage a vacant low-end home in shall I politely say ‘not the best area’ of Minneapolis.

The list price was going to be approximately $80,000 and that was to include a brand new garage yet to be built. So you can see…..the home was well below the median home price.

This home was TINY! Apartment tiny. Two bedrooms, one bath, a super tiny living room, almost a non-existent dining room. No upstairs, no basement (unusual for MN) and a very strange layout.

The front door opened smack dab into the center of the kitchen. YUP right into the middle of the kitchen, see the front door there on the right?

(Watch for my next post for suggestions on how to update a kitchen in a VERY low end home).

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE MADE TO THIS KITCHEN!!

You can see almost the entire house from one spot. I am standing in the kitchen taking the picture above, you can see one bedroom straight ahead and there is another to the right of it and the bathroom/laundry together.

That’s it. Tiny. Bad part of town as you can see by the side door. Worth Staging???

The investor was very worried. “This home has such a strange layout and it is so small”.

“Don’t worry”, I said. “It is going to be really cute.”

I helped her pick out flooring and gave her some other inexpensive improvement ideas…mostly in the kitchen….just wait till you see it in my next post!

The investor stopped by as I was finishing up the staging and her comment was: “Oh my gosh, it is so cute! It looks like a doll house!! I want to live here. Of all the home stagers listed on the Internet I sure am glad I picked you”.

It was listed on a Thursday, had showings Saturday and Sunday, and an accepted offer on Monday.

Sold in Four Days!

So….does Home Staging Pay for Low End Homes? This investor thinks so.

For investors it is all about selling quickly.

Time is money and they want to get on to their next project. The cost of staging was rewarded with a quick sale which is money in an investors pocket.

Need assistance getting your investment property sold? A professional home stager understands your goals.

Watch for my next post to see the “After” pictures of that Entryway…I mean Kitchen. I know I have teased you enough but it is really cute. LOL

Don’t Forget to Stage the Office!

Home Offices are important square footage. Most buyers want a  home office as many now telecommute or have their own businesses that are run from their homes.

If it is important to a buyer it should be important to you! Set the stage, show them how great the space can be!

This??

Or This??

Many new construction homes or homes built within the last decade have the office right inside the front door. Even MORE important for Home Staging.

Sometimes the office is self explanatory with built in desks and shelving but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be staged. Here is a perfect example of a high end rehabbed home we staged for an investor. If you walk in, take your shoes off and see this it may not leave much of an impression.

But this might:

When it comes to staging your home for sale don’t forget the office. It is space wanted by the buyer and that means money to you!

Your home is  your biggest asset. Make all the square footage count by calling a Professional Certified Home Stager.

Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis/St Paul MN

www.roomswithstyle.com

952-567-1124

Do you have any idea what the dollar value is of a buyer’s first impression?

Home Stagers talk about first impressions all the time. We talk until we are blue in the face and sometimes we are still dismissed with “it’s not that important, I have a great kitchen.”

That may be true but the first gut reaction never goes away. I heard Real Estate Agent and Mogul Barbara Corcoran put an actual dollar value on first impressions and I sat up straight in my chair. I had never heard it expressed in actual $$$ before.

If you are not aware of who Barbara Corcoran is, she is a Real Estate Contributor on NBC’s Today show, part of ABC’s reality hit Shark Tank, as well as a frequent guess on one of my favorite shows “The Nate Berkus Show”.

It was on Nate’s program that I heard this discussion*. A young couple had their home for sale for six months with almost 100 showings and without receiving a single offer.

Nate asked Barbara if Home Staging is really needed and worth it in this depressed economy and Real Estate Market. Barbara’s reply and I paraphrase:

“Home Staging is no longer an option. It makes a difference of a house selling or not. Homeowners do the heavy work of upgrading kitchens and baths but Home Staging makes the biggest difference on first impressions. People walk in and feel like ‘I want to live here. It feels like I could see myself living here’.”

With Designer Nate Berkus’s expertise they assisted this couple with their living room, the first room the buyer walked into. They took down blinds, painted the dated brick, rearranged the furniture which was pushed against the walls, deleted bulky over-sized furniture and a wall unit blocking the view of the fireplace and added some new items.

Do you know what Barbara said was the dollar value to the bottom line for this change?

5% – 7% of the value of what the home is worth!!

Now do you understand how important a first impression is?

With a $400,000 listing that is $20,000 – $28,000.

If you think you can’t afford Home Staging you may want to think again. You may be leaving money on the table.

If you don’t want to leave money on the table call a certified Home Staging Professional at 952-567-1124.

www.roomswithstyle.com

*Watch the complete segment of the Nate Berkus Show by clicking on This Link.

Home Staging was new to this investor but he felt he needed some help on this vacant investment property in Minneapolis, MN. He was thrilled with the home staging results but even more thrilled when he received an offer a week later.

Excuse my language but I just need to tell you what the investor said when he first called me, “I am trying to polish a turd”.

Well, okay. I can’t say I had ever done that before but I was up for the challenge! LOL

This home was in the process of being condemned by petitions from the neighbors. Yes, it was that bad. Weeds half way up the outside walls, total destruction inside. I can see why the neighbors wanted it torn down.

But this investor had the gumption to take it on and save the home. When I saw it he had already done an incredible amount of work. Take a look:

Well, it didn’t look like a turd anymore. But the question was……could I polish it?

LIVING ROOM AFTER POLISHING

DINING ROOM AFTER POLISHING

MASTER BEDROOM AFTER POLISHING

MASTER BEDROOM SITTING ROOM AFTER POLISHING

I think the proof is the ‘offer in a week’ don’t you? Oh, and how do you think the neighbors feel??

Ecstatic!!

You may not have a property on the verge of being condemned but Home Staging can make the difference in ALL properties.

Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign has the experience to work on all types and price levels of homes. Serving the entire Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN metro areas.

POLISHING WORKS ON AT LEVELS!

www.roomswithstyle.com

952-567-1124

Diary of a Home Stager – Home Staging in New Brighton, MN

Day 1: Receive email for a vacant staging job. Home has been on the market 191 Days. Complete bid and email it.

Day 2: Receive email accepting bid, email contract. Receive signed contract and payment, book truck and movers.

Day 3: Pack for job.

Day 4: Stage the home.

Day 10: Six Days after Staging – Receive an offer.

Day 12: Offer is final.

Let’s take a look at the Buyer’s Thoughts “Before” and How Staging Helped.

“This is the first room…..kind of boring, nothing special. I hope it gets better”.

“Eat-In Area is a Great Bonus but will it really fit a table?”

“Hmmm….not crazy about that wallpaper. Can I live with it short-term?”

“Wow! That fireplace is just like a  northwood’s cabin. How will I decorate it and make it look modern?”

“This is such a big area how will I arrange the furniture to make it work?”

191 Days on the Market Before Home Staging….An Offer Just Over a Week After Staging.

If your house isn’t selling stop and ask yourself what thoughts the buyer may be having.

Then call a professional Home Stager.

Do You Think It Would Be Fun to Stage a Home on the National Registry of Historical Places?

Home Staging, St. Paul, MN

That is kind of a stupid question isn’t it? Of course it would be fun to stage a historic home on the National Registry!! And I was privileged enough to be able to do it.

Check out this 1878 Mansion on Summit Ave in St. Paul, MN with 7100 finished square feet, six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. It is the Historic McKey House situated next to the stunning St. Paul Catherdral and the famous James J. Hill Mansion.

The foyer is  not only stunning it has it’s own fireplace! Although pretty is was kind of boring without furnishings…..

So let’s add some interest.

Unfortunately this is a bank owned property and I was hired by the banker to ‘make it standout’. Her main request was that I “don’t make it stuffy”. She didn’t want period pieces and I totally agreed with her. It needs to relate to a modern family but keep it’s character and charm.

Absolutely….no stuffiness allowed!

So let’s see how it turned out……

The living room is gorgeous with it’s bay window and wood floors.

The dining room is huge and the original light fixture is worth tens of thousands of dollars alone.

The kitchen of course has modern appliances……

And what mansion would be complete without a library.

Although the bank wanted it modern and not stuffy, some fun eclectic accent pieces to speak to it’s history is needed too.

Like a picture of the keys of an antique typewriter!

Replica antique radio bookends.

A spark of whimsey of who the gentleman of the home may be….hmmm… Mr. Thomas Jefferson?? Just kidding!!

And of course a grand table to entertain in your grand mansion!

So yes, staging this vacant home on the National Registry of Historic Places was one of the most fun projects I have had the privilege to stage.

If you need your home staged, old or new, Rooms With Style will pick the furnishings to best fit the home and the neighborhood.

www.roomswithstyle.com

952-567-1124

“We Got an Offer Within 8 Hours of Listing It for Full Price”.

Home Staging in Minneapolis, MN.

What??
That was my reaction when I received this email from a Realtor. He was letting me know a house I had just staged a few days earlier had already sold.

I hadn’t even downloaded my pictures yet!!!

Woo Hoo!!

This house had great charm. Built in the early 1900s.

However there were no updates and the back portion of the home had been added on in the 1970s and it was still in original mode. Hunter green carpet in the Master Bedroom and Lovely Blue in the Family Room.

The Realtor said: “You made the house look amazing!”

Oh, I like that.

When I was asked to stage this vacant home I couldn’t wait. Take a look:

Love this fireplace or what? And how about the cute windows?

Home Staging brought even more charm to this original Living Room and gave it a modern feel for today’s family as well.

Built-in original hutches and original light fixtures, but would it translate to today? I think so.

The  blue carpet and drapes from the 70′s addition really hit you in the face when it was vacant. Not quaint like the original part of the house.

Home Staging helped tone those down a bit don’t you think?

All I know is that the closing date was two weeks later!

Need a little pizazz for your home or listing? Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign in Minneapolis /St. Paul, MN would love to assist you in getting top dollar and a fast offer.

www.roomswithstyle.com

952-567-1124

Would You Rather Sell a Beige Home or a Purple and Orange Home?

Staging a Home Minneapolis, MN

That sounds like a trick question doesn’t it? Home Staging is all about appealing to the masses so everyone can love the home. If the buyer likes traditional they can love the home; if they like modern they can love the home.

Home Stagers around the globe stress neutral, neutral, neutral. But really?? Does neutral mean Boring? Beige?

It Depends……Ha, hate that answer!

Pictures speak a thousand words. Keep in mind buyers only have ‘pictures’ when they walk into a home which are the actual rooms in front of them. They aren’t reading the listing details at that time.

Let’s take a beautiful brand new model home. Walls and carpet color - Perfect. Neutral so no one has to walk in and think about changing them.

The reason this is perfect is because you find Beige for the big ticket items that are difficult to change or that would involve a lot of time or money to change.

Beige paint is great….keeping in mind all beige colors are not created equal!!! Some are boring, some are pinkish, worse yet some are fleshy colored….yikes!

Beige carpet is perfect but again keeping in mind ‘off white’ is a form of beige but isn’t the color buyers want to see today.

But will this wow them into signing a purchase agreement?

Let’s talk about the emotional pieces of the home. The pieces that draws a buyer in; making them say “Aaahhh…..I want to live here”.

Should those pieces be boring…..beige?

Maybe this will help the beige:

Yes…..who would think that purple and orange may help to sell a home. But it will!

The color should be in the little things, in the things that make it a home.

Let’s not forget: BUYING A HOME IS AN EMOTIONAL EVENT.

This home can still be traditional if the buyer chooses. It can be hip and modern if they choose. A traditional sofa mixed with hip Purple Argyle Chairs is the perfect balance.

If purple chairs aren’t enough….how about orange accents in the artwork and the pillows.

Followed by orange and purple artwork in the dining room and dinnerware. And of course more fun chairs.

Follow that color scheme in the Master Bedroom. A very traditional bedroom set mixed with modern black and white linens and purple accents.

Impact. Drama. That’s what you want to make your home standout from the others.

So would you Rather Sell a Beige Home or a Purple and Orange Home?

The answer………… a combination of both!

A Professional Home Stager can create the scene your buyers want to see when they walk in. They want neutral but they want to be WOWED! Give them Wow!

Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign has years of experience in creating just the right combination of neutral and wow. Contact them today to give your listing all the advantages.

More Home Staging Before and After Photos

952-567-1124

www.roomswithstyle.com

Yes….That’s What I Said. This is Part 5 in my 4 Part Series on “Home Staging is More Than De-Cluttering and Moving Furniture”.

So don’t tell me I can’t count, I know, I know!

I first told you that this would be a four part series featuring one home and suggestions I made in each room. I wasn’t going to include the bedroom and I wasn’t going to include the kitchen because that had been a separate post.

But then I thought, why not highlight the Master Bedroom even if the suggestion was basic? And why not show the kitchen again for those that missed it since it is all the same house.

So, the bedroom.

My suggestion: buy some simple luxurious bedding and make this room feel like the best Five Star Boutique Hotel you have ever been in. Think escape, retreat, a sanctuary from the kids and life.

The homeowner decided at the last minute to have me bring in furnishings from my warehouse since I was doing other rooms. This wouldn’t have been needed as there was nothing wrong with her furniture. But she wanted to get settled in her new home.

I also suggested paint for the room and it definitely added warmth.

When staging a bedroom the linens should be neutral but it doesn’t have to be boring. It can be fun and have some pizazz.

Throw pillows, large lamps to frame the bed….you get the idea.

So now for the kitchen. In my post: “Are Your Kitchen Cabinets Dated But You Don’t Have Thousands of Dollars for New?” I highlighted the kitchen in this home. You can link back and read the entire post but I wanted to recap it here so you can see the entire house with all the suggestions I made. Here is the kitchen.

I suggested painting both the upper and lower cabinets and purchasing stainless steel appliances. What a difference!! The counter tops look like new and the modern “dark on bottom light on top” cabinet mixture looked great.

Miss any of the series? Here is a recap so you can catch up on what you missed:

Part  1: The Family Room

Part  2: The Living Room

Part 3: The Dining Room

Part 4: The Porch

The Kitchen Post

Home Staging is so much more than de-cluttering and moving furniture so call Rooms With Style for expert advice on how to get your home in top selling condition.

952-567-1124

www.roomswithstyle.com