Balance & Scale: Crucial For Staging and Decorating

The biggest mistake I see as a Realtor and a Stager is when a homeowner thinks they can stage their home themselves, but in the process forget some of the crucial elements of staging and decorating: Balance and Scale.

Balance:

Did you ever walk into a room and know something’s amiss but can’t put your finger on it? Kind of like when your friend gets their hair cut, and they look different, but you don’t know why. Even a room that is decorated with a lot of really cute things can look off without balance.

One of the things that will “unbalance” a room is when all of the heavy furniture is on one side. When some people try to “balance” a room they sometimes try, in my opinion, the completely boring approach of everything that matches. For example, a couch with two matching end tables, two matching lamps, and a picture centered directly over the couch. Sometimes this approach will work when a room is being staged, however balancing does not have to mean that everything is the same. If you have, for instance, only one end table, you can use that with a lamp on one side of a couch and perhaps put a tall plant or floor lamp on the other side. (And please! If using a picture above the couch DO NOT hang it too high…huge decorating mistake!)

Scale: (more…)

For some reason there is a perception that staging means to remove everything personal, including using any color.

Just because someone puts in new carpet and paints the walls white, does not mean it is “staged.” To stage something you are setting the scene, and at the same time, trying to get people to look at the space, not everything else.

That said, it’s hard to look at the space if you’re bored out of your mind. Color is essential to any room.

When you stage, the best way to add color is with accessories. They’re easy to change and are inexpensive. Above is a picture of a simple white bathroom with some basic staging accessories to help make that room more appealing.

If you do have color on the wall or furniture just make sure the colors are not too bold. The objective to staging is to appeal to the most buyers.

So, if your taste is bold, that’s great when you’re living in your home, but if you’re selling, tone it down.

For more tips or to have me stage your home, call 805-443-8108!

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

Staging is different from decorating. However, many times, the two cross. One of the ways that staging a room and decorating a room cross is with visual appeal.

On of the best and easiest ways to make rooms visually pleasing is with the rule: when accessorizing, use items in groups of 3, 5 or 7 (uneven).

For instance, use three candle-holders, each a different height, instead of two or four. On an end table, if using a picture frame, add a bucket or vase of flowers. These items, along with a lamp, will be three items. Secondly, and just as important, make sure the scale of the items is balanced with the size of furniture. Items that are too big on a small table will overwhelm the table.

In the images in this post, you can see a house that I staged. The first photo (above) is a bath counter with three items: two candles and a towel set (per the rule!). The candles are different heights, which help balance the space.

In the next photo, you can see a hall table. This is before staging. You can see that the plant and the clock are both much too big for the table. The furniture is overwhelmed and the look of the hall and space is negatively affected.

Now here is the same hall and table after I have staged it. You can see that there are three items: the flowers and two candles of different heights. The table has room to breath, the space is balanced and the appeal of the room is greatly increased.

For more tips or to have me stage your home, call 805-443-8108!

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

The Real Estate market is picking up in price, but the inventory is still very low. Finally some good news for the homeowner! Some of the reason’s behind the lack of inventory are:

• There are less foreclosures and short sales than expected.
• Many people are still underwater and therefore are either leasing their home or staying put.
• Others are waiting for prices to increase more.

So, even though interest rates are at an all-time low, many simply feel they cannot move. In reality, now is the perfect time to move if you can! For example, If you do not own a home yet, many times, depending on the area, your house payment will be lower (even including taxes) than rent because of the low interest rates. Plus, you get a tax break. If you already own a home and have equity, this is a perfect time to move up. You may get less for your home, but will also pay less for the one you buy, and can still take advantage of low interest rates! For more information on what the trends are in California I’ve listed the following “Fast Facts” from C.A.R. (The California Association of Realtors).

California Median Price: May 2012: $312,110 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. highest median home price by region/county May 2012: Marin, $791,670 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. lowest median home price by region/county May 2012: Merced, $119,410 (Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. Pending Home Sales Index: April 2012: 128, a decrease from the revised 138.9 recorded in March.

Calif. Traditional Housing Affordability Index: First quarter 2012: 56 percent (Source: C.A.R.)

Mortgage rates: Week ending 6/14/2012 30-yr. fixed: 3.71% fees/points: 0.7% 15-yr. fixed: 2.98 fees/points: 0.7% 1-yr. adjustable: 2.78% Fees/points: 0.5% (Source: Freddie Mac)

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

In the past lighting a room was simple – You bought a lightbulb and screwed it into a socket. These days choosing lighting can be overwhelming. Nothing sets the stage of a beautiful room like lighting. Staging a home with lighting is one of the most important tools that realtors and stagers use! But, what kind of lighting do you buy? There’s so much about conserving energy that it stumps the homeowner on which light to buy let alone where to put that light.

There are three kinds of lighting that every room should have: General or Ambient lighting, which should illuminate the whole room, task lighting which is in a specific area and for a specific task -like cooking, and finally accent lighting that is used to create a mood or feeling. Each room should have multiple layers of these types of lights.

Here are some things to think about when purchasing your home’s lighting:

What type of room is it?

A kitchen or bath needs brighter lights, and in a dining room mood lighting may be better. Specific tasks like cutting or reading require a brighter light, whereas a spot light on an item, like a picture, would be considered accent lighting.

Where should the lights be placed?

Location of the light is very important. (This is where seeking a professional’s advice might be best.) For example, recessed lights mixed with hanging lamps over a counter, and lights under cabinets, would be great for a kitchen. In a bathroom the same is desirable-overhead recessed lights and a fixture above the mirror. In other rooms, think “over-lighting” the room, but use dimmers so that it can be adjusted.

What type of light should I purchase?

There are so many varieties that it boggles the mind. We still use wattage (how bright it is) when advertising lights. However, recently, many manufacturers are emphasizing the lumens (which tells how much energy is used). For example a 60-watt incandescent light equals 800 lumens. Your home’s energy is something to keep in mind since lighting accounts for about 12 percent of the bill.

The types of lights are:

• Incandescent: your standard old-fashioned light bulb.
• Halogen incandescent: Uses less energy and lasts longer than standard incandescent lighting. They’re good for using when reading.
• Compact fluorescent: more efficient and good for kitchen and baths.
• Light-emitting diodes (LED): the longest lasting, but also very expensive. A standard bulb is about $1 whereas an LED can be about $20.

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

I recently showed a home with an expansive redwood deck in Dos Vientos. The deck was very worn and it needed a new finish.

My buyer loved the home but freaked out with the anticipation of having to redo the deck. Indeed they were correct – a deck needs to be done every couple of years to keep it looking tip-top.

My “realtor-stager-eye” immediately jumped in. It was too late to reach these buyers – they’d already seen the deck, but its not too late to encourage those with decks to MAKE SURE YOU REFINISH BEFORE LISTING YOUR HOME!

If the work is done ahead of time, all the buyer will see is the beautiful deck and not the work that they will have to do! Here are some tips for an easy refinish for your deck:

• Pick a day with nice weather. (Not too hot or too cold and no rain in the forecast.)
• There are some good products out there so choose one you like.
• The first thing to do is rent a power washer. (You could sand but that’s a lot of work.)
• The washer will remove the deteriorated finish as well as dirt, mildew and mold.
• This device will work with your garden hose. (The setting should be set to the broader fan-like stream.) If the deck is especially bad, use a deck cleaner with it.
• Also, while you’ve got the washer out, think real estate and staging again and wash your sidewalks, entries and anywhere else that’s dirty.
• Once the deck is cleaned let it dry for several days. (If you used a cleaner, be sure and rinse thoroughly.)
• The final things to do are to give it a light hand sanding (so the finish will adhere properly) and then apply the product according to instructions.
• If applying a second coat, it’s always good to do another light sanding, but not usually required.

I hope this helps and for more ideas on listing you home or finding a home of your dreams give me a call or email me: 805-443-8108, np4homes@gail.com.

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

Housing Affordability Up! Buy that dream home in Dos Vientos! Or if you own a dream home, stage it, list it, and get it sold.

According to the National Association of Realtors^® (NAR), housing affordability is at the highest level since records began in 1970. In January, NAR’s housing affordability index rose to a record high of 290.1, which is based upon the relationship between median home price, median family income and average mortgage interest rate. The household has a greater purchasing power with a higher index.

An index of 100 is the point at which a median-income-household makes enough money to qualify for a median-priced single family home. (This is assuming a 20% down payment with the mortgage payment taking up 25% of the household’s income. For those with a lower down payment, the affordability levels are lower.) According to NAR president, Moe Veissi, “This is the first time the housing affordability index has broken the two hundred mark, meaning the typical family has roughly double the income needed to purchase a median-priced home.”

Now that the prices of homes are at a level that people can afford, customer confidence has to climb, access to credit has to continue to improve, mortgage interest levels must stay low, and job growth must continue to grow.  Let’s hope the stars continue to align and it will be the start of a robust real estate market!

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

Here are some great ways to do some spring-cleaning while “keeping it green.” A colleague and fellow Realtor® at Aviara shared these ways to make cleaners from things that you have in your home.

Oven Cleaner: Mix baking soda and water to form a thick paste. Coat the inside of your oven with the goop before you go to bed and scrape it off in the morning. Then clean as you normally would with some water and castile soap, or with your all-purpose spray.

Drain Cleaner: Pour a half-cup of baking soda down the sink and add at least a cup of vinegar. Cover the drain and wait a few minutes, then rinse with a mixture of boiling water and salt.

Window Cleaner: Mix two ounces of vinegar with a quart of water in a spray bottle.

Silver Polish: Put a sheet of aluminum foil into a plastic or glass bowl. Sprinkle the foil with salt and baking soda and fill the bowl with warm water. Soak your silver in the bowl and tarnish migrates to the foil. Dry and buff.

Brass Cleaner: Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with salt and rub the lemon on the metal. Buff with a cloth.

Rust Remover: Use vinegar to remove rust on nuts and bolts and other mineral deposits such as calcium deposits.

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

According to the National Association of REALTORS^® the existing-homes sales are up from a year ago and the median sales price is up as well. This is good news for those who want the added benefit of listing with, or buying with, an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP).

Not only will your home sell faster, or in the case of buying a home, will your ASP agent be able to help you look at the space and not the clutter, but there are buyers ready and waiting. Those listing their home for sale, because of higher sales prices, won’t feel like their home is being stolen from them.

Plus, in all areas of the Conejo Valley – Newbury Park, Dos Vientos, Thousand Oaks, and Westlake Village – inventory is low, which means there is more demand. If buying a home, with record low mortgage rates, your monthly payment will be equal or less than renting a similar home. AND, you’ll get the tax write-off too.

Finally, if you list with me, I include my staging expertise. If you’re holding off because of low equity, my team works with distressed homeowners. You can be assured that we will use privacy and discretion in all areas of the sale. As a recent client of a short sale told me, “You were the perfect choice in helping us through this extremely difficult and emotional time.”

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.

I’m often asked as a Realtor^® and staging professional, what is the biggest factor for turning off potential buyers?

The biggest factor is a dirty house. I mentioned in another article how a buyer wouldn’t even look at a filthy home in Westlake and went running. Believe me, there have been plenty of others who just weren’t as vocal about it. Think about it. If you see a spotless home, you assume that the home has been well taken care of.

It’s no different than your car. If you’re going to sell your car, the first thing you do is have it detailed. If your car is filthy, the person looking has a hard time looking at the car. If you have high miles, but the car is clean, they assume that there is less wear and tear on the car. Do the same detailing in your home. Here are some spring-cleaning tips.

I talked about curb-appeal and said how important it is to tidy up the outside of your home. On the inside do the same and start with the most noticeable things.

• Windows should be spotless (and screens cleaned), carpets cleaned, walls washed, cobwebs cleaned from ceilings, and furniture dusted.
• When cleaning furniture, don’t forget fake plants. If they are too hard to clean, replace them with live plants. Nothing says dirty and dated like a 20-year-old artificial plant. (Or at least one that looks 20 years old!)
• Next, clean the not as noticeable things. Open your cupboards and clean shelves and line if needed. (Obviously the outside of the cabinets should be cleaned as well.)
• If you do get a buyer coming back for a second visit, they will check out the inside of cupboards.

After cleaning, arrange dishes, towels, and contents in an orderly way. In fact, de-clutter while you’re in there. The cleaner the insides, the more it will look like you have a lot of storage. Finally, and most importantly, make sure the kitchen and baths are spotless. Ewwww. No one wants to see a dirty bathroom or kitchen.

After cleaning, re-caulk everything! Mold will send buyers flying. Their logic is, “If there’s mold visible is there the yucky hazardous kind lurking in the walls?”

Sellers beware and list with the best – a Realtor^® and Accredited Professional Stager (ASP). E-mail today, NP4Homes@gmail.com, for more advice and listing information.