Speaking Up about Home Staging

A great post explaining why CSP Training is different than many others out there... We set the bar higher, where it should be!

Why is it that so many 1970s homes have wood panelling?  Ok, so that was sylish back then but why do so many men still like it?  Why is it that men cringe when you say you want to paint over wood?  Well, if you are one of those guys who love the look of paneling and the 'man cave'... look away!

Our den before....

This depressing room was given a lift with A LOT of primer and some great pigmented paint...

The floors will be redone later this week and the windows are supposed to be replaced soon (why they weren't painted).  The desk was left in the home and hauled out this evening.  Shelves and cupboard doors still need to be added but you can already see the changes happening.

Right now this is the room that has the biggest improvement.  Prior to the paint job this room was dark and depressing... today this room is bright and feels clean and fresh - even a little beachy. 

The cost of this makeover?  About $100.  When working on value add, paint is frequently the most cost effective change you can make.

In order to close on our new home we were told a few things by our lender - the first of which was it would have to have usable flooring throughout the home.  Well, somehow they let the fact that there was no carpeting slide upstairs, but the kitchen seemed to be another issue... If you remember, this was one of the scarier looking parts of our new home...

since this is where the fridge would go we were certain there was going to be damage to the subflooring and we would have to rip all of this out and have a big job on our hands.  Instead we got lucky and found out that the previous owner had actually installed a layer of plywood and sticky tiles over the original subflooring and roll out vinyl floor.  Per the inspection there was no real damage, which meant we had easy (and cheap) options available to us....

Now I will say that we plan on completely gutting the kitchen within the next 6 months and replacing the flooring with what we want was not on the list of fixing before closing - it would have been a waste of money since it would all be ripped out when we eventually gut the kitchen.  Our goal was to get the room done inexpensively and make it last for 6 months....

This was our solution...

STICKY TILES!  At 68 cents each we just couldn't go wrong.  Here was the process for anyone who finds themselves in this same situation....

First we pulled up the second layer of plywood and sticky tiles in a nice neat square area.  We then purchased and installed new plywood in that area.  Adding two layers of sticky tiles (one to meet the height of the previous sticky tiles and then one to cover the entire flooring surface) we continued throughout the room making this the only part of the home that actually feels reasonably clean.

Now, I'm the first to admit that it is not particularly attractive but the idea was to do this as cheap as possible (entire room cost less than $90) and pass the appraisal.... Mission accomplished!

Tips & Techniques on sticky tiles.....

How to cut the tiles to fit when you can't use an entire square - turn the tile upside down and butt up against the wall you are trying to measure to.  With a straight edge mark where the overhang on the tile is and using a razor knife score the tile along that mark.  Bend the tile along the scoring and cut down that line.  This is actually super easy.  Remember that your tile will ultimately be upside down and backwards when you are scoring so pay attention to which side has the good edge.

We've been working on the new home for about 2.5 weeks now and are definately making progress.  Unfortunately sometimes it's really hard to tell.  A lot of what we've been doing has been ripping things apart, tearing it out or pulling it down.  The good news is that this part of the process is very cheap... really mostly free!

Remember the Dining Room Before....

Vinyl sticky tile flooring, popcorn ceiling, wrong color walls for my decor....

Our progress....

In the living room and dining room we ripped out the vinyl flooring, painted the walls and scraped the ceilings (ok, they haven't been scraped in the living room yet... which is sad because it needs it the most, but apparently this will be a job we'll have to hire out as the previous owner did something to make this a very tricky job.)  We also added new 6" baseboards and are in the process of painting the crown molding and all the trimwork. 

New bamboo flooring goes in this week and I'm excited to see it.....

Remember the Master Bedroom before....

Well, we ripped out the shelving and mudded the walls.... new carpeting is in the process of going in....

Now in an ideal world we would have been able to finish the ceilings and painted everything before the flooring was installed.  If we were flipping this house it definately would have gone in a different order.  Unfortunately we are trying to sell our current residence and really would prefer to sell it without living in it... especially with so much work going on in this house.  As soon as the home is habitable we'll be moving in....

One of the things stagers and agents need to stop talking about is how much staging costs.  in today's market we need to talk about the INVESTMENT of staging.  Staging doesn't cost nearly as much as it provides in saved time on market and higher offers. 

Recently a Realtor in the Charleston/Mt. Pleasant market took the CSP Elite Agent course and received her CSP Affiliate Designation.  When I arrived for her first staging consultation for a vacant unit that she personally owned she already knew the benefits staging would provide.  We discussed which rooms we thought would provide the most value in staging and agreed upon a price.  Within the week my team set to staging this lovely condo in Park West.

We agreed that the home should be completely ready for market PRIOR to listing it including finishing the staging, having photos and visual tour ready (which we provided) and all marketing pieces into place.  Since this had already been explained to this new real estate professional in her CSP Elite class she knew the process.  The results were no less than textbook perfect!  Here is what she had to say less than 24 hrs after the home went on the market....

"I had a call from a buyer's agent less than one hour later  and had a written offer to purchase, at 97% of list price, less than 24 hrs after I went "live"! I received that written offer before Jenna in our office had processed the paperwork I had given her re the listing, before it went out on the HotSheet as a new listing to fellow agents in our office! Wohoo!

I spent today satisfying contingencies and have a signed contract, with all parties happy for the time being anyhow, with a (cash) close October 15^th. Keep your fingers crossed, ok?

This is GREAT advertising/marketing for both you and for me. My goal was to get under contract within 30 days, consistently, in this market. Never did I dream I might go under contract in less than 24 hours! The only contingency left is a routine home inspection, scheduled to take place within a week or so.

Staging, coupled with great pricing, is the way to go! As both you and Michele know, I am a on board with this, even thou I am a rookie. 

I hope this all works out well and I look forward to continued partnership with you in the future. Let's keep the furniture in place til closer to close,  til the inspection contingency is fulfilled, just in case........................"

So for all of the sellers and agents that feel that staging is just an expense that is too costly to consider, remember that staging is really an INVESTMENT that has a high rate of return.   

A couple of friends who know that I recently purchased a home in need of massive renovation told me that I should begin putting together a blog about what all is involved, the process, tips and cost.  This diary, in additon to my regular blogs will attempt to tell the story.  When I can I'll tell you the 'how to' of the job and the overall cost.  I'm the first to admit that I can be thrifty and am always looking for a good deal.  I'm also the first to say that if I think we'll get better results or more ROI by spending some additonal money then I will.... on with the diary....

The beginning of the story -

This year has been a monumental year in my life.  I won't go through all of it, but let's just say that some days I feel like curling up in my pajamas with a cup of coffee and not leaving the house (or my bed) at all.  Moving certainly became another disruption, but this time maybe of the good kind because I always feel better after a good day of hard labor.  I like to look back at the hard work, sweaty, tired and sore and see the fabulous change we created.  I guess it's like working out for some people - something I also used to take great pride in when I was younger, but seem to avoid when possible now....

Ready to downsize we started looking for another home and eventually agreed that we should earn some sweat equity instead of buying move in ready.  Now with that said, as a professional home stager I would say that buyers like me are few and far between and when we are shopping we are looking for rock bottom prices, keeping all the equity for ourselves.  After many offers that went unaccepted (remember, we were looking for rock bottom prices) we finally found the perfect one, and negotiated what we feel was a great price on the home - less than half the going rate of a renvoated home. 

Our new home is 2900 sqft, 5bdrms, 3.5 baths with a great yard and in a good neighborhood that I deeply love.  This project is not for flipping (though the process might be similar) it is for living in... we are planning on moving in around Halloween....

Master Bedroom

Den

Kitchen

Living Room

If you want to view the full tour of the home visit:  http://tour.previsite.com/EF6CEBDA-F3D0-276F-1B25-F260949C1B6A

As work progresses, I'll add new tours and new before and after photos.  When I can, I'll also include tips, costs, etc.  If you are planning on trying some of this at home, feel free to ask questions and I'll see what i can do to help you!!

Recently global staging training company, CSPI Academy, world renown for their course Certified Staging Professionals (CSP), signed on as an approved vendor for the third largest real estate company in the United States, Keller Williams Realty.  As a vendor, CSPI Academy will offer agents access to the Elite agent training course, which focuses on the home staging.. 

The Elite agent course focuses on educating agents on why real estate staging is so important, how to talk to their clients, how the process works, pricing, contracts and client communication. 

"The Keller Williams Realty philosophy mirrors CSPI Academy belief that agents should spend their time doing what they do best - marketing and selling real estate, getting new listings and working with their clients," said CSPI Executive Director Melissa Marro. "Staging is an important part of the real estate process and needs to be addressed with sellers, and we are excited to have the opportunity to share our best practices with Keller Williams Realty associates."

"CSPI Academy and Keller Williams Realty are companies with high credentials and a best industry practice reputations; it's a natural fit," said Christine Rae, president of CSPI  Academy and author of Home Staging for Dummies.

CSPI Academy, Certified Canadian Staging Professionals and Certified Staging Professionals^TM are leading authorities on home staging. Headquartered in St. Catharines, Ontario, CSPI Academy trains across North America and Australia. CSP^TM puts students to the test, literally. By requiring potential stagers to pass a thorough test, the quality of work provided by stagers increases; the inherent advantages of increasingly qualified stagers are passed on to homeowners and real estate professionals. CSP^TM consultants are recognized as having sound industry knowledge and abilities. Learn more at www.cspiacademy.com

About Keller Williams Realty Inc.:

Founded in 1983, Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the third-largest real estate franchise operation in the United States, with 679 offices and 73,000 associates in the United States and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1990, has an agent-centric culture that emphasizes access to leading-edge education and promotes an economic model that rewards associates as stakeholders and partners. The company also provides specialized agents in luxury homes and commercial real estate properties. For more information, or to search for homes for sale visit Keller Williams Realty online at (www.kw.com).