Roundup of my Favorite 2012 Posts

Monday, December 31, 2012
A front door in Charleston, South Carolina, welcomes the new year. 

I chose to feature these posts based on how helpful they would be to you if you have a home for sale. Is that you?

Let's start with getting it organized. In January I wrote about the dozen rules that help organize your home.

In February, just in time for Valentine's Day, the blog featured a post on capturing the hearts of buyers -- how to win buyers, seduce them, appeal to their senses, and not let them forget you.

One of my March posts had to do with window treatments -- curtains and drapes that require no sewing, all designed especially for home staging. I wrote a $5 eBook of 15 tutorials for No-Sew Window Treatments. Why let your windows go bare when it's time to stage, and why give your valuable window coverings away to the buyer?

During the following month, April, I wrote about the most important things you can do to help sell your home. This story is packed with helpful statistics, experts' advice, and shortcuts. You're bound to get some new ideas for simple home improvements.

Since I get more questions about furniture arrangement than any other topic,  May's winning piece has to be Handy Formulas that Make DIY Home Staging Easy. You'll find measurements, ratios, formulas and other space and sizing tips to make rooms look and feel more comfortable. Bookmark it!

Painting furniture is another hot button topic around here. I collected my favorite tips in a post for one week in June, and I concentrated on the most common mistakes made when DIYers paint furniture. I'm a professional painter, so I gave you all the insider secrets to get the job done quickly but expertly. The DIY Adventurers Blog liked this post so much they featured it on their site.

Although it may not be an option for you, many people are considering the pros and cons of renting their homes until they can sell them. I researched and opined about this topic in July. There's lots to weigh before making a decision.

I could have called my August article, The Five Tricks Professional Stagers Use, something like All You Really Need to Do to Sell You Home. It's that succinct and helpful.

The white-on-white color scheme, done by Sarah Richardson. One blog post I didn't feature
here but that I suspect may help many DIY stagers decide on
paint colors, is my advice on an all-white color palette. 

In September, I attacked another common problem -- mantel staging, and I listed my smartest steps for staging a mantel that actually helps sell your home.

Does your home have some Wow Factors? That's the question I asked in an October post. Wondering what wow factors are and which ones might be do-able for your home, your market and your budget? See my advice and illustrations.

My favorite post from November is called Ten Tips to Improve Your Autumn Curb Appeal, but no matter what the season, you'll find pointers here to improve the way your home looks all year long.

This past month I concentrated on decorating and protecting your home for the holidays. I so enjoyed making the tabletop Christmas trees I wrote about, that I am going to call that one my favorite December post. In a home on the market that needs to look festive but not crowded, these adorable tabletop trees fill the bill.

Is selling your home and moving on to your next adventure part of your plans for 2013? Then take a moment to download my $4.99 eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar. It's over 150 pdf pages of illustrated tips and techniques, checklists and formulas, to take the work out of staging your own home. Kick off the New Year with staging that works!

Design a Holiday Tablescape Perfect for Home Staging

Monday, December 10, 2012
When your home is on the market, the home staging you do during the holidays needs to be festive without being too foolishly elaborate. Here’s an example of what works. I think my combination of wintry, woodland elements with clean, shiny colors hits just the right note.

I put together this centerpiece for a long table. I centered a strip of natural burlap the length of the table. I layered on the first element – two round mirrors that hinted of iced ponds. I surrounded the “ponds” with a couple of shiny bead garlands and then added black and brown rocks for some contrast.

I wanted some texture, so I pulled out my bag of fake mossy blobs. They look something like small shrubs. For larger shrubs and a different texture, I placed some natural pine cones at each end of the arrangement. 

My two focal points were the deer I purchased. They were gold, and I sprayed them with silver paint. They still glisten enough to make me happy.

To complete the tableau, I parked the cone-trees I made from purchased paper mache bases that I painted three different colors. The two smaller paper mache trees I covered with Epsom salts for some sparkle, and the third tree I left white.

What makes a winning tabletop display?

Here are the elements I keep in mind while assembling any tablescape for home staging:

Make the colors harmonious with the rest of the room. The color scheme of your home should flow from room to room, but Christmas is a time when some extra doses of color are welcome.

Avoid overly religious subjects, or political decor, or any art that might be considered too personal or controversial. People like to do business with -- as in, buy houses from -- people who are most like them. The less they know about you personally, the more businesslike and objective the negotiations.

If the rest of your home is minimally decorated, don't go overboard with tablescapes at holiday time. Your displays should maintain the character and "weight" of your home, and showcase its assets.

Don’t use anything that is too expensive or has sentimental value. Things disappear during home tours. 

Concentrate on shapes, textures, and colors for subtle variety. Nothing should be too distracting. You want buyers to notice the Wow Factors in your home.

Have your vignette tell a story. Ideally, the story helps sell your home by reminding buyers what’s special. It could be the size of the dining room, the romance of the bedroom, or the setting of the home itself.

Get the look, get the book

Do you have a home on the market? Are you planning to sell your home soon? My $4.99 eBookDIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar, will help you show your home in the best possible way, by staging it right. You can download the book instantly, and start your own home staging today.

Making a Greenery Wreath for Christmas

Monday, November 26, 2012
If your home is for sale, a holiday wreath is one terrific way to boost your curb appeal. In fact, a wreath on the front door is pretty much a necessity if you want to get buyers curious about what's behind "door number one." 

Make your own evergreen wreath, and you’ll save money, create one that’s unique, and have some fun.

What’s the secret to turning out a beautiful wreath that doesn't look homemade? Actually, there are three secrets.

Fullness makes the difference

A novice makes a skimpy wreath. A professional makes a lush one. A full base of greenery is more important than what decorates it. If you aren’t able to gather or purchase all the greenery, you can buy a plain evergreen wreath as a start.

Embellishments count

For a professional-looking wreath, choose striking ornaments. Choose ones with color or shine, ones that tell a story or make people smile, ones that might even be…how can I say this…gaudy. They need to be dramatic to stand out. No wallflowers if you want some noticeable curb appeal.

The focal point's the thing

A wreath isn’t finished until it has a singular statement piece. It’s usually the bow, but it can also be a super-sized ornament like a doll or other figurine like a feathery angel or a sparkly snowman. It could be an over-the-top silk flower arrangement, a printed banner, or a vintage toy. Without the focal point, the greenery wreath is nothing special.

When your home is for sale, your wreath can be part of your selling team. Have it emphasize what’s unique to your home. It might capitalize on what’s special about your town or your part of the country. It might reflect the carefully chosen color scheme you’ve decorated your exterior or interior with. It might mimic the style of your home, such as classy traditional, hip mid-century modern, charming cottage, or edgy urban.

Your wreath makings can be simple or an assortment. Just make sure there's enough to
pack it tight. If your wreath will be seen from both sides, you'll need enough to make it round.
 

Start with the good base

My favorite wreath form is the straw wreath. Besides being the most economical (Have you seen the prices of foam wreaths lately?), it’s easy to work with, versatile, and sturdy – a great start for creating the full look. I wrapped the entire wreath form in florist’s tape because I didn't want any straw showing.

Did you know that as you apply florist tape, you need to stretch it to about twice it length? Stretching activates the wax that makes it sticky. Just stretch as you go, and place where you want it.

Whether you have a collection of various greens or a stash of one variety, get it all together and discard or trim damaged foliage. If you plan to use your wreath indoors, you can prolong its life by soaking the foliage stems in water overnight after cutting them.

Ideally, you’ll have free or low-cost sources for the base of the wreath, possibly trimmings from your yard or from a fresh Christmas tree you buy. Along with traditional coniferous greenery like juniper, pine, and false cypress (hemlock and spruce will shed), I like to mix in shrubbery and broadleaved evergreens like boxwood, mountain laurel, pittosporum, English ivy, holly, magnolia leaves, eucalyptus, or whatever else I can collect.

The first cluster gets wired on. I used 26 gauge wire. Alternate your
 clusters of greenery so that the entire form is covered, including the sides. 
Use medium gauge wire or heavy twine to attach greens to the wreath form. To start, wrap it once around the wreath and secure it. Then, cluster a handful of greens, lay it on the wreath with one hand, and wrap the wire over the stems and around the wreath two to three times with the other hand.

Continue all around the wreath form, staggering the clusters of green so that one cluster hides the stems of the previous cluster. I prefer using wire because it’s easier to keep it tight, and that’s important as you continue around the wreath form. When you’ve come full circle, twist the wire or tie the twine, and make a loop for hanging.

Make a wire or twine loop at the top of your wreath. If you are unsure of where you want
the top,  you can save this step for later, but it's easier to add it earlier than later. 
If the greens look crooked or untidy, you can trim stray greenery with scissors or pruners. A common mistake beginners make is to have a shaggy wreath, but I like a bit of that loose look.

Pick in your ornaments

Ornamentation is either wired on, picked in, or glued onto a wreath. When the wreath base is made of wire, you’ll need to wire the ornaments onto it. On a foam or straw base, you’ll either glue on or pick in the ornaments. Picking lets you put ornaments exactly where you want them so they will stay there until you take them off. Glued ornaments aren’t easily removable.

If you’re on a budget, use thrifted, recycled, or natural items for ornaments. After-Christmas sales are an ideal time to score on some wreath-making ornaments for next December. If free, natural objects like nuts, shells, seed heads, twigs, and pinecones look too ordinary, give them a hit of silver or gold spray paint.  

Here’s how to make a pick, the way a floral designer showed me, the “load and lock” way.

This is how a pick should be fastened to make it wiggle-free,
with a wire that loops back between the stem and the pick. 
Picks come in different sizes. Lay the pick large enough to accommodate your cluster next to the stems.  Make one turn around the stems with the wire that’s attached to the pick. Then, make a figure eight of the wire between the stems and the pick. Keep the wire tight, and continue to wrap it around the stems and the pick. This figure-eight locks the cluster so it stays in place instead of swiveling or going nutsy on you when you add it to the wreath.  

Add the star of the show

Craft stores and craft departments are full of items to put that all-important exclamation point on your wreath. If there is one place I’ll splurge a little, it’s on the one statement ornament. But you'd be surprised how some spray glitter or spray snow on a thrift store find can deliver glam results!
 
Rather than a bow, I chose an ornament from
my stash to be the centerpiece of this wreath.
The pewter bells on a silk cord are designed
to announce visitors arriving! 

If a multiple-loop bow is your focal point, I have five tips for making it a winner: Use wired ribbon, don’t skimp the number of loops (10 on each side of the center is about right), use florists wire to tie the center, keep it tight in the center, and fluff it up!

If you want a more romantic bow, here is a tutorial from Diane at In My Own Style.

If you want a simple, tied bow that stays straight instead of going all crooked on you, Kristi at Addicted 2 Decorating can show you how.

Some of my tips for wreath making don’t apply to novelty wreaths. If you’re crafting a wreath of felt flowers or buttons or pin cones, you may not need a focal point.

If you’re building on a wire or foam wreath, you might tie ornaments on with lengths of florist wire or chenille ties instead of wooden picks. 

If you’re making a wreath of coffee filters or rags or feathers or driftwood, the wreath itself is the statement and whatever you add to it depends on personal style.

But if you’re turning out a wintry evergreen wreath, my tips will help you make it look polished and complete. 

Whether your open house is to lure buyers for your home on the market, or to share holiday cookies with your neighbors, or host your annual New Year's Day bash, a wreath on the front door welcomes in style whoever knocks on your door. If you make it yourself, you can make it special.

Get the look, get the book

And to help you lure those buyers, download my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar, for tips and tricks the pros use to stage homes that sell.


7 Steps to a Gorgeous Fireplace Mantel

Friday, November 23, 2012
Christmas and fireplace mantels are a tight twosome. With or without the traditional hung stockings, you can make your mantel the nostalgic and charming focal point of the room.

Because nostalgia and charm resonate with home buyers.  

Here’s what I did to dress for the season a  driftwood mantel on a rugged stone fireplace that needs to be the focal point of this family room. 

1. Start with an idea

Your idea might be a particular color scheme or a specific topic.

When it comes to colors and style, at holiday time you have an excuse to go glitzy or dramatic.

For example, metallics and saturated colors that you might normally avoid while staging your home, are perfect for holiday décor.

On the other hand, monotone color schemes and minimalistic styling can be smashingly elegant. It’s one way to simplify your life, because putting decorations up at the start of the season takes time, and then taking them down and storing them away takes time again in January. Keep it simple.

For this mantel I decided to concentrate on traditional reds and greens for my color theme. My topic theme was nature because this house sits on a densely wooded lot. In fact, all the greenery came from the property. 

Some examples of specific topics would be themes like antique toys, Mercury glass, shabby chic angel ornaments, ceramic animals, or the classic nativity crèche. If your home is for sale, you might want to choose a theme that accentuates what's special about the house or the room. 

2. Go collecting

This garland has plenty of texture, 
but the colors keep it simple. 
If you are undecided about an idea to tie your mantel decorations together, begin with step two. Shop your home and see what elements you have available.

Use your imagination to repurpose items. An inverted vase can become a pedestal. A necklace can become a swag.  Books can become wrapped gifts.    

Don’t ignore what’s growing in your vicinity (pinecones, greenery, logs, seed pods, bare branches…) as well as what you’ve tucked away in closets and other storage areas like the garage, garden shed, or storage building.

Remember that paint will transform almost anything into what your color scheme calls for. That old plastic flower pot can look like granite, and those thrift store vases can look like silver or gold once they are spray painted.

3. Go shopping

This step isn’t always necessary. You may have all the things you need on hand.

And if you are like many crafters or budget decorators, you’ve already scooped up Christmas decorations at summer garage sales and last year’s post-holiday sales.

Your materials should include some items with different textures, sizes, and materials. For example, don’t make everything transparent or everything solid. Instead, include some of both. Include dull surfaces and glossy surfaces, large forms and smaller shapes, some round objects and some hard edge objects.

4. Set up your backdrop

It’s best to begin with a clean slate. So, remove whatever is on the mantel and give yourself room to work in front of the fireplace. Spread out the possible objects you’ve collected.

Large magnolia leaves and sprigs of
variegated holly brought some weight
to one end of the mantel
Next, place one large object as the background for the mantel grouping. You will be surprised what a difference this makes. It gets you off to a great start. 

I hung a round wreath of artificial red berries on the chimney breast to get my arrangement going.

You could use a mirror, an empty frame, or a seasonally appropriate painting, or something vintage like shutters or a door.      

5. Balance the weight

I often begin by hanging or draping something the length of the mantel. This is another way of unifying and balancing the grouping that’s to come. 

On the driftwood mantel, I strung the garland that I purchased at Michaels. I fell for it the moment I saw it. I adore the warm colors and woodsy feel to it.

I placed one item – the red berry tree – on one end of the mantel and some oversized greenery at the opposite end. Now I had some balance and I could fill in with smaller items.

6. Repeat the colors

Plenty of greenery softened the look of the stone and unified my arrangement.
I added a string of glistening red berries to the center of the mantel and some more springs of greenery that included real red berries. I wasn’t about to complicate things with too many colors since I was going for tradition and natural simplicity.

7. Add some details

To tie the brown garland into the green arrangements above it, I wove some evergreen sprigs into the chain. That’s all it took to finish the entire mantel. 

Evergreen sprigs tucked into the swag and more red berries 
were part of the finishing touches. 
In the staged home, too many details will draw attention to the mantel itself, instead of the mantel calling attention to your selling point – the fireplace. Keeping decorations simple saves time, money, and stress. When your home is on the market, you need easy and quick ways to add festive touches.   

I write about mantel décor -- as well as what else you need to know about home staging in my homestaging eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. You can download the book now and start learning how to attract buyers to your property.

Staging the Dining Room Table: DIY Napkin Rings

Monday, November 12, 2012
While men typically focus on where the television will go in a home they are shopping for, women tend to picture their family or friends around the dining table as a litmus test for how well they like any particular home.

How is your dining table looking for real estate showings?

With Thanksgiving on the near horizon for Americans, it's the perfect time to give some attention to your dining room. If your home is for sale, you might want to reevaluate how your dining table looks when buyers AND guests come for the holidays ahead.

Tabletops need pizazz 

Wherever you have meals, make that area a place that charms buyers. Make it a spot where they want to celebrate Thanksgiving and other occasions. It needn't be fancy. Most of us don't live that way. The secret is in having just enough details on the table to make it inviting and interesting, without it taking over the entire room visually. I've already blogged here about what place settings should look like in the staged home.

If your dining table is the default spot for craft supplies, bills, or homework projects, there's no better time than pre-holidays for staging the area.

Since complicated table settings would only be a bother -- especially if you use the table for daily dining  -- simple settings are the answer. Placemats, plates, glassware, and napkins might be all you need. And napkin rings give the finishing touch!

I like to DIY napkin rings from common materials like ribbon, cheap bracelets, curtain rings, beads, wire, buttons, or cardboard. Making your own is the frugal way to go, and who isn't on a budget when it's time to sell a home? Here's a listing of ideas for inspiration.

Have some fabric scraps you love too much to discard? There's another design that began with a cardboard tube, this time the core from a role of Saran. The tutorial at Merriment Design shows you exactly how to.


Here is is a sample of Michelle's work, from Sweet Something Designs. She used dollar store napkin rings and covered them with fabric and a button, for a handsome "buttoned-up" look that I love.

Napkin rings in the staged home shouldn't be so precious that anyone is tempted to walk off with them. 
I would keep the vintage jewelry and anything else with either sentimental or monetary worth hidden away.

You also don't want napkin rings to stand out so much that buyers are distracted from what makes your home valuable -- the size of the rooms, the view, the condition of the floors and walls -- or whatever your home's selling points are.

The quickest way to add some height and style to a plain napkin is to wrap it in a second napkin. I liked the combination of this gingham napkin with an embroidered linen one. You can go cute and country with this method, or edgey and urban, depending on the fabrics you choose.


I made this napkin ring from bracelet memory wire you can buy in the jewelry-making section of any craft store. It's a sturdy wire that has a natural curve to it. You need to use heavy duty wire cutters (n0t your usual jewelry wire snippers) to cut it, and needle nose pliers to curl one end. Then just string on some beads, and curl the other end.  

Are you getting ideas? 

The finishing touches are what will make your home look interesting and polished. So, don't ignore the razzle-dazzle detail that things like napkin rings bring to the table.

Need more tips to get your home market-ready? Just download my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar, and you'll be on your way to making your home the one that impresses buyers.

Top photo: Better Homes and Gardens. 

How Selling Your Home is Like Playing Baseball, Major League Style!

Monday, October 29, 2012
In the movie, Moneyball, Brad Pitt's 
character learns that to win at baseball,
he has to pay attention to the numbers. 
I love baseball. It’s the only sport I watch on television.

Baseball is leisurely, unlike basketball. It’s gentlemanly, unlike football. It’s quiet, unlike NASCAR. It’s complicated, unlike tennis. What’s not to love?

Watching the World Series games,  pondering my fascination with the game, and thinking – as always – of home selling, I spotted some similarities.  

Teamwork is essential

Although this blog concentrates on DIY home staging, there are times when you need to have someone else do it,  times when you need to call in pros to get a specific job done. 

Say you want to paint your tall stairwell, but you don’t even own a ladder. 

Maybe you need to replace the plumbing behind the shower stall, but you wouldn’t know where to begin. 

Or the garage needs to be rewired to meet electrical code, and only an electrician has the right license. 

Or you need a new roof, but you’re not going up there!

Each member of a baseball team specializes in whatever his position calls for. Each one is an expert. Even though there’s less apparent teamwork in baseball than sports like hockey or football, don’t be fooled. Each team member is a specialist, but one who also supports and cooperates with his teammates.

When you're staging your own home, it's important to know when to call in an expert if that’s what it takes to get your home in shape.  

Devil's in the details

Yogi Berra, famous Yankee catcher, 
is known for his crazy logic. 
He explains, "Baseball is ninety percent 
physical.The other half is mental." 
Both baseball and staging look simple when done right. But look more closely and you’ll see they both depend on subtleties that guarantee success.

One good pitcher can determine the outcome of a game, just as curb appeal can determine whether buyers want to view your home’s interior. 

One fumbled catch can lead to a home run for the other team, just the way pet odors can be a deal-breaker for a home on the market.   

Think like a Major League player. Take your staging seriously. Don’t be like the neighbor a friend of mine described to me last week, who said “Why should I paint for the next owner?” Step  up to the plate, and tend to the details, so your home is the one that stands above the competition.  

Preparation makes all the difference

Teams that get to the World Series don’t get there by chance. They work all year to become the best athletes they can.

Selling a home shouldn’t be a last minute decision. It should be part of a plan.

Although some will disagree with me, I think any homeowner needs to be aware that some day she’ll want to sell her home. Or her heirs will.

A common phrase is, “I’ll never move,” but statistically, Americans stay in their homes an average of just seven years. Lifestyle preferences change, families grow bigger or smaller, jobs relocate, finances force people to shift priorities. 

In other words, whatever you do to your home while you are living there is going to affect your selling price eventually. Never remodel a home in such a way that its market value will be reduced.

Don't postpone routine maintenance until the effects snowball into major repairs. 

Leo Durocher, the legendary Baseball 
Hall of Famer, said, 
"There are only five things you 
can do in baseball – run, throw, 
catch, hit, and hit with power."

It's about the numbers

No sport relies more on statistics than baseball. 

Wins and losses, batting averages, on-base-percentages, runs-batted-in, slugging percentage – that’s just the beginning. 

Team managers, owners, coaches, fans, sportswriters and gamblers all rely on complex math to predict probabilities and make decisions.

Similarly, when you’re selling your home, it helps to have good grasp of the numbers.

Have you priced it competitively? 

Do you know what your monthly carrying costs are (mortgage, insurance, taxes, utilities, maintenance)?  

If you are negotiating with a prospective buyer, do you know in advance how flexible can you be with financing options to shape a win/win agreement? 

Patience is your friend

Baseball is a test of nerves and strategy. When your home is for sale, waiting for a buyer to show up can be difficult.

Although we’ve all heard stories of people who’ve sold their homes the day they came on the market, I sometimes ask myself, “Did they price it too low?”

Even when you are impatient, a prospective buyer shouldn’t know this. That’s why I tell people not to pile moving boxes in the garage or spare bedroom. It looks like you’re in a hurry to get out of there, rather than living in a home you love. Strategy. Some players actually practice going slow all day before a  game, eating slowly, dressing slowly, and walking slowly! 

One baseball cliche is "Hurry to lose, slow down to win."  And that’s good advice for a home seller.

Chance plays a major role

Once you’ve staged your home, using the skills and resources you have, you have to accept the fact that fate takes over. You can’t call all the shots.

Sometimes, sheer coincidence steps in. A friend tells a friend who tells a friend about your home. It’s just what she’s looking for!

Or a couple out driving neighborhoods looking for real estate signs, turns onto your street, and Bingo!

Albert Pujols, a two-time World Series champ, and three-time Most Valuable Player winner, said, “This game is really crazy. Nobody can understand it, and there are a lot of things that happen that you can’t control.”  

The same thought was echoed by Wes Westrum, New York Giants catcher and manager, when he said, "Baseball is like church: Many attend, but few understand."

Remember that there is a buyer out there for your home. Do your best to attract him, and that’s all you can do. Your best.

The game ain’t over 'til it’s over

Of course, this is one of Yogi Berra’s most famous lines, and I find myself saying it near the end of almost every baseball game. And at other times as well. It’s a Life Lesson!

In real estate transactions, snafus and surprises are common on the road between a showing and a closing. That’s the reason I never remove staging until the last possible moment.

As a seller, you can’t take your buyer for granted. Inspections, financing, contingencies, all can be bugaboos. Being a seller takes flexibility and a positive attitude.  

I’m not the only one

Plenty of people see more to America’s favorite pastime than men hitting, running and chasing balls. Saul Steinberg, the cartoonist, wrote, “Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem."

Sounds like home-selling to me!

My best advice: Listen to the coach, and play by the rules of the home staging game. The rule book I recommend is my $4.99 eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. It teaches you all the steps to build a winning team.  

I am rooting for you!

What a Restaurant Can Teach You About Home Staging

Monday, October 15, 2012
 
I ate lunch today at my favorite Mexican restaurant.

My husband and I eat there quite often, about once a week. Is it because we adore Mexican food above all other types? No. Is it because it’s close by? Not really. Is it because we know the owners? Hardly.

It’s because everything that a restaurant should do, they do right.

Today, midway through my chile relleno I thought, home staging should be like this restaurant. 

Here are some of their winning ways that translate over to staging your home.

Always inject something new

Every time we go to Cerro Grande something new has been added. Today it was bigger iced tea glasses. Muy grande and brand-spankin' new! And new menu covers. Nice touches.

Since we’ve been visiting this restaurant for about four years, we’ve seen it grow from “just another family-style Mexican restaurant” to a fun place with a captivating ambiance. They’ve added outdoor seating, painted murals on the wall, changed the light fixtures to south-of-the-border-style lights, expanded the menu, decorated the spaces between the booths, and added a full-service bar.

These changes tell me that the management is investing in their business instead of milking it, or just coasting.

If you are selling your home, chances are you’ll need to make some investments. 

Buyers will sense it if you are just coasting, waiting for a sale, holding off on maintenance and repairs because you’ll be moving soon. 

Buyers want some show of recent improvements. Walls that have been freshly painted, a stove that has some of the latest bells and whistles, window treatments that stay with the home, and landscaping that's been manicured. 

It’s not necessary to do all kinds of upgrades, but it is important to make a showing of good maintenance.
What was a playground is now
an outdoor patio, with a bar
and bubbling fountain.
Are you using your
imagination to maximize 
your home's potential?

Give good value

We never complain about the cost of a meal at Cerro Grande, because we know we get our money’s worth. We enjoy the feeling that we're not getting ripped off, just the way a home buyer wants good value for his money.

Is your home priced competitively? You can’t just meet your competition. You need to beat them! Ambitious, savvy Realtors and successful FSBO sellers will usually set a listing price that’s just below the comparables.

And if you are not a motivated seller, what are you doing in the marketplace? If you have the attitude of, “I’ll sell if I get my (unrealistically high) price,” you can expect to wait a longer time to sell.

Offer a transporting experience

I find myself uttering the same phrase almost every time we eat at this restaurant.

“It feels like we’re on vacation.”

Why? Because the experience is a step away from the ordinary. The aromas of ethnic spices drift from the kitchen. Music and the language of another culture provide background sounds. Vintage black-and-white photos of heroes from a different place fill the walls in the vestibule. Brightly painted wood carvings decorate the backs of all the chairs.

The way you want a buyer to feel when he tours your home is that he's being taken to an exciting new place. A place where he can relax, and even enjoy a pampered lifestyle. A lifestyle he doesn’t presently enjoy. He should feel like he is moving up the ladder of success.     

She usually smiles, but she was
camera shy. Delivering chips and 
salsa to your table right away
is like great "curb appeal."
It makes you like
the place immediately. 
When a buyer enters your home for the first time, will his initial reaction be, “This is how I want to live?”

Even though you don’t know what the buyer’s present living conditions are, it’s safe to say everyone reacts favorably to touches of luxury, to extreme cleanliness, to simple orderliness, and to soothing color combos.

Pay attention to detail

My Mexican restaurant takes care of the details like spotless restrooms, fresh flowers at the table, candles that get lighted at sundown, soft music playing in the background, a waitstaff that acts happy to serve you, clean menus, comfortable seats, quick service, consistent food quality, and I could go on and on. It all adds up.

In today’s real estate market it’s not enough to give the house a cursory once-over, pound a For Sale sign into the front lawn, or call a real estate broker, then sit back waiting for a good offer.

A home seller needs to tend to the little things that set the home apart, to make it memorable, and tempt the buyer.

Don’t go thinking that my restaurant is a fancy place. It’s located in a former McDonald’s building. There are no tablecloths, cloth napkins, view of the harbor, printed wine list, pastry cart, or maitre d'. But we can have dinner for two, including drinks, tax, and tip, and spend just $20.

Those low prices and the humble pedigree don’t prevent management and employees from delivering the kind of food, atmosphere, and service that more than just satisfies.        

The takeaway

No matter what the asking price, or the location, age, and style of your home on the market, aim to satisfy the buyer. Remove any hurdles he has to make an offer by doing everything right. Just like my friends at Cerro Grande.  

Sound daunting? It can be. But my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar simplifies preparing your home for sale. You’ll learn all the step-saving, money-saving, and stress-saving ways you can get a jump on the competition. Download it now and start a program for staging your home today. 

Selling Your Home with Words: Writing A Real Estate Ad

Monday, October 08, 2012
These are the kind of evocative images a 
Smith & Hawken catalog featured, 
along with compelling copy. 

Three very different men taught me about advertising and selling.

The first was Joe McKertich. He owned an advertising agency and hired me when I was fresh out of college. It was way back in 1964, so think Peggy Olson. But instead of Don Draper, Joe was a paunchy, balding teetotaler who worked long days and expected me to do the same.

But he was an excellent teacher.

From Joe I learned the importance of mistake-free printed matter. Part of my job was to ensure every word in the catalogs and ads we produced was spelled correctly, spacing was consistent, and every number was correct. Tedious!

Guy number two 

My next copywriting teacher was Paul Hawken.

I knew Paul when he was president of Erewhon Natural Foods in Boston in 1970, before he went to California with another friend, Ty Smith, and started the company called Smith & Hawken. These guys revolutionized American gardening with their mail-order catalog, originally written entirely by Paul, a really savvy entrepreneur.

The Smith & Hawken catalog pre-dated and was more genuine than the J. Peterman catalog that premiered a few years later. Paul's catalogs transported you to a dreamy world where you tended your heirloom flowers growing in glazed pots, using your hand-crafted tools and wearing your French farmer's hat. Until then, gardening was a hobby for penny-pinching oldsters and unwashed hippies.

Paul's catalogs made gardening stylish, classy, hip, fun! His company was grossing $50 million annually by the early 1990s. He cashed out, and after a number of post-Hawken owners, it was bought by Scotts the chemical gardening people, who ran the company into the ground. But that's another story.

Like homeownership, boat ownership is a dream for many 
people, and the same selling techniques apply. 
Capture the imagination, be honest, and be specific.  

Selling yachts

The third person who taught me about selling was Kevin Rush.

Kevin was the owner of a yacht brokerage company where I worked as a yacht broker eight years ago. The most important thing Kevin taught me was to ignore the negatives. If a client touring a boat wondered aloud why some cushions were missing, or remarked that the galley was small, the best response was no response. Any comment from me would reinforce the fact that the boat had liabilities.

At first, I thought Kevin was hard of hearing, but I came to realize that his selling technique was a practiced one, and an effective one.

Advertising and real estate

Are you wondering what these men in my life have to do with selling your home?

Let's say you have fabulous curb appeal. You've decluttered and cleaned every square inch. You've staged your rooms beautifully. Your property is well-maintained and priced right.

But unless buyers know about your home, you're sunk. Whether you list with a licensed real estate agency, or decide to sell your home FSBO, advertising is essential if you want buyers to come and see for themselves. Advertising is what drives almost every American business.

And if you are selling your home, you are in a business.

You may think that an MLS listing is all formula, but just like a Facebook page or a LinkedIn profile, there's plenty you can do to make your listing more interesting. You can turn it into a strong selling tool instead of just a list of specifications.

Of course, photos of your home are what catch buyers' attention. Today, I'm concentrating on just the words you use to sell your home, because that's what buyers look at next.  

Be correct

Work with your Realtor to make sure your specs are correct in your listing. Your online data and your printed material need to be accurate.

Is the square footage right? The age of the home? The types of flooring? The number of baths, the size of the garage, the school district. Humans make mistakes, and Realtors are human. Double-check the info because this is how buyers judge your home before they decide whether to visit it.

Don't get sloppy about grammar, punctuation, consistency of style and spelling. Your advertising should look professional. By showing respect for your potential buyer in this way, you earn respect from your potential buyer.

That's the way Joe would have wanted it. (May he rest in peace.)

Be specific

When Paul Hawken wrote about a shovel, he didn't tell you that it had a wooden handle. He told you it had a kiln-dried ash handle from trees grown in Sweden specifically for shovel handles, and that it was attached using a method that had been perfected over the centuries by farmers.
Yours truly as New York City 
copywriter in the '
60s.  

If your home has a new heating system, give the date, the manufacturer, and the capacity. If you installed new carpeting, specify Dupont Stainmaster or whatever. If your home is near restaurants and shops, name the big businesses and the number of restaurants.

And this is important: Even if the brand name and the measurements aren't actually impressive or top of the line, the fact that you are citing them indicates transparency and even pride. Advertising is bragging. But you can't brag unless you're specific.

Photos are a subtle way of bragging. The tantalizing photos in a Smith and Hawken catalog did their job of seducing mail-order customers. Taking great photos of your home on the market is very important. It's best to go with a professional real estate photographer. 

Being specific is one way to interest buyers in your property without reverting to annoying "fluff" phrases such as, "Just bring your rocking chairs and enjoy the view." A smarter way to merchandise your porch would be with specifics: "Enjoy a 4-season view from the 12 x 40-foot front porch."

Be positive 

My boating boss Kevin knew that every boat had some things that a buyer didn't love. Your house will have some things that a buyer wishes he could change. Focus on the best qualities, and you'll encourage him to do the same.

If you are working with a Realtor, make sure she knows exactly what's special and unique about your property -- that the fireplace works, that the utilities are very low, that the windows are extra-thick, that the roof is brand new...all that nitty-gritty stuff.

When giving your listing agent the facts, never call attention to unfinished projects, problem areas, or any shortcomings. Ethically, professionally, and legally, your listing agent is required to reveal shortcomings. Instead, make her job easier by letting her know all the things you love about your home, things that some home buyers may not think about, such as proximity to parks, a quiet neighborhood, or floor plan that is especially accommodating.

These are the qualities a buyer needs to focus on so that he's comfortable with the trade-offs, those things that are less than perfect in his mind.

Don't think you are being deceptive by being positive. Anyone buying a home will need a home inspection, just the way people buying boats through me bought a marine survey of the vessel. There are no secrets.

Get the look, get the book

Staging your home to sell it is the beginning of the selling process. Getting the word out is the next step. Listen to the lessons I learned from my teachers and you'll have better success with advertising your home on the market.

If you are selling your home, whether you have staged it already or not, my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar, will teach you new tricks and techniques to make it inviting to buyers.



Does Your Home Have Some Wow Factors?

Monday, October 01, 2012

A friend who is a Realtor told me that he tells every client, "Your home has to have some wow factors."

He's right. If you want your home to sell fast at a price you can be happy with, you need to stand out from the competition.

Price is one way to do that. Wow factors are another.

Getting specific

You don't need to start dumping money into your home to make it far more luxurious and up-to-date than it is. The last thing you want to do is price yourself out of the market.

But if you are really motivated to sell, or need to sell fast, some extra-special, memorable features are what could put your home over the top.

Depending on where you live, a hot tub could be the one thing that convinces buyers to make an offer. Photo: LoveChicLiving

Here are some typical wow factors that fall midway between gutting-it-all remodels and simple, gussy-up staging. They'll cost you some money, but they'll help sell your home!

New walk-in shower

One or two obviously high-end lighting fixtures

An outdoor hot tub

Private, outdoor enclosed space or garden

Professionally designed landscaping

Outdoor shower, even if it's cold water only

Stylish overhead garage door or refurbished existing one

New kitchen appliances that match each other

New washer and dryer that stay

Built-in bookcases, beautifully staged, of course

Built-in window seat, so charming!

Media room with basic home theatre

The fenced backyard that parents and pet owners crave 

Fully finished garage and/or basement that attracts the male buyer

New toilet and sink, maybe in all baths
Don't think your list of improvements has to include more than one of these improvements. Even one impressive upgrade buys you some wow. What changes you decide to make depends on your home's present condition, the local market, your reasons for selling, and your budget.
Adding a simple fence can be an inexpensive addition to your property

Why little luxuries matter

So, what's the big deal about features that wow?

Buyers are immediately impressed, and favorably so.

Your home becomes memorable. It's the one with the bathroom skylights, or the one with the luscious, secret shade garden.

You can include these features in your MLS listing and all your literature. Include specifics like brand names and measurements when possible. Specifics impress.

The longer buyers stay in your home during a preview, the better. Improvements that wow encourage lingering. 

I'm sure if you do a slow, room-by-room, walk-through of your own home, and put your mind in the Dream Big Mode, you're bound to envision some changes that you yourself would love.

If you can't justify spending money on new appliances or bathroom upgrades, examine your home for almost-wow factors. Is that awesome sunroom being wasted as a clutter collection point? Has your view of the distant mountains been obscured by overgrown weed trees? Are there heart pine floors under carpeting? Is the working fireplace currently not working? Does your formal dining room look more like homework and crafting headquarters?  Is that killer shelving system for the garage still in boxes? These are missed opportunities to wow buyers.

Shelving units like this can be assembled on-site as a DIY project. 
Photo: House to Home 

Even if buyers had planned to moves their own appliances, new ones in your home will look tempting. Photo: Timber Trails Development 

Now's the time to brainstorm 
Maybe you've always wanted to add crown molding to the living room. Maybe you've wanted a chandelier in the foyer, or a beautifully stylish ceiling fan in your sunroom, or an outdoor fountain by the patio. If these are changes you would enjoy in your own home, as long as they aren't particular to unique tastes, they are the kinds of things that buyers will want as well.

Don't let the idea that all these upgrades are expensive scare you. Get some estimates. Work with an experienced handyman who can come up with economical alternatives. Purchase from mid-price range.

You can upgrade just the half bath. Who says baths must match?

You can install hardwoods in just the downstairs, or just the living and dining rooms. Hardwoods can be laid for the cost of wall-to-wall carpeting. Consider luxury vinyl planking if you are updating any flooring.

You can buy scratch and dent appliances. Very often these deeply discounted appliances are high end, and the ding isn't visible once installed.

You can buy mid-range bookcases you assemble yourself and screw to the wall. Centsational Girl did this and blogged about it.

You can DIY a board and batten treatment in the hallway. Blogland is full of tutorials for this project.

You can put together a home theater system from Craigslist. First adopters sell their systems to upgrade to the latest. And you can always negotiate price. Maybe they will offer to install it for you.

You can trade skills with friends or family for what you need. Feed your cousin the tile setter for a week while he lays new ceramic flooring in your kitchen. Trade babysitting services for your neighbor who has a hot tub to sell.

Hardwood flooring is going to wow most people. 
Prices can be comparable to carpeting.
Luxury vinyl planking is popular as well. 

You can't afford to waste time  

Remember that every month your home doesn't sell you are paying carrying costs to stay there. The sooner your home sells, the more money you make, because homes that stay on the market grow stale, and that fact influences what you can ask for it. Agents and buyers wonder what's wrong with these stale homes and they stay away. You need to tempt buyers and do it at the start. When you list!

So don't fall into the rut of thinking, "If it's good enough for me, it's good enough." Buyers are spoiled. You won't change that. But can still wow them with some amenities.

Get more ideas to help you prepare your home for the real estate market by downloading my $4.99 eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. 


Get The Look for Less: Fancy Schmancy Napkin Rings

Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Napkin rings you make yourself for pennies that look like the $8 kind you see in department and decor stores? Yep!

In fact, they are so easy to make, you can have your children do it.

I made a set of these napkin rings that are big and chunky -- perfect for staging a dining room tabletop when your home is for sale. When you are prepping your rooms for showings and photographs, the idea is to go big with what goes into a place setting. Big plates. Big glasses. Big bowls. Big ole napkins.

What you need

To make six napkin rings, gather these things.

Six 5-ounce cans, the squat kind
Aluminum foil, 3 feet off a 12-inch wide roll
Black craft paint
Small paint brush
Clean cotton rag
Clear glossy spray paint

How to do

I use the cans from evaporated milk, or canned mushrooms, or green chilis. Make sure all the ones you choose are the same  -- same food, same brand -- so they all match exactly.

It's important that you go around both top and bottom edges a few times with a can opener. Make sure there are no sharp burrs. After this point, the project is kid-friendly.

Remove the label and both ends of the can, and wash it well.

Using scissors, cut the 3-foot piece of foil into three 
1-foot lengths. Then cut each in half.

Place a prepared can at the center of one edge of a piece of foil,
and roll it so it's covered. 

Where the foil overlaps, run a small line of white glue, 
and press to hold the edge flat. 

Tuck the edges inside the can and flatten them with fingers. 
Finger press the top and bottom edges. 

Paint the outside of the can with black craft paint. 
Be sure to get into all the wrinkles. 

Before the paint dries completely, rub off most of it 
with your rag. Let it dry for an hour. 

Once you spray on a few light coats of clear gloss, 
it will look like old metal. 

You can decorate your napkin rings with beads. 
This one wasn't antiqued with black paint. 

I painted this version with red and brown 
craft paints to look like old leather. 


Another easy treatment is to wrap the can 
with a some decorative duct tape. 

Although I designed these napkin tings for place settings in a staged home, they're sturdy enough to hold up to ordinary use. I hope you have fun inventing your own style napkin rings from upcycled tin cans.

Get the look, get the book

Is your home ready for market? Is it staged to sell? My eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar, simplifies your work. Whether it's cleaning, decluttering, arranging furniture, or accessorizing rooms, I give you the insider tips and techniques that professional stagers reply on to sell homes.



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