Phyllis's Blog

The market is slower then ever! There are 4-5 Open houses on every corner and phones are just not ringing. These are some of the many comments I hear from realtors today. So what can be done to change that situation? What will make your listing stand out from the competition?

A Staged Home Sells! What do I mean by a Staged Home? I don't mean merely a house that has been decluttered.

In today's market that house must have all the outdated features replaced. I can go into a home and "Stage" until my heart's content (which it never really is), BUT if the clients are not willing to tear out the ugly green carpeting and paint over paneled walls, what's the use?

I cannot tell you the number of houses that I go into and see such outdated features only to be told by the clients "but there are beautiful hardwood floors under these rugs". So I say, then let's rip them out and show off the floors, and I am amazed that they refuse for no other reason than they feel that the buyer can do that when they move in. OH REALLY, first you need the buyer.

WHY, OH WHY are sellers not getting it??? Realtors we need to work together as a team to help them understand that this is not a year or two ago.

Cosmetic work left to the buyer is just unacceptable in today's market, do you agree? How much would it cost a seller to tear out carpeting and paint over panelling? Would you agree that the small investment they make could reap big rewards?

Let's get together and help them understand that THE COST TO STAGE THEIR HOME IS FAR LESS THAN THEIR FIRST PRICE REDUCTION!!
 

When First Impressions Matter Most your client's home needs to be ReStyled to Sell! My company will work out a plan that will fit all budgets. Call today for an in-home consultation @ 732-995-3425 and unlock your home's hidden treasure.  

In today's market, your home needs to make a great First Impression!. Yet I do not have to tell you the amount of times I enter into the home and am immediately hit with clutter, ugly wall colors and over crowded rooms. Granted, I am there not to buy, but to help improve the space, yet I cannot even the see the space at times. Remember, home stagers view the home from the eye of a potential buyer. If I have to ask the homeowner, what is this room supposed to be, THEN YOU KNOW THE BUYER WILL NOT KNOW WHAT THE ROOM'S FUNCTION IS.

The biggest problem I run into is the wife telling me that her husband does not want to make the investment in Staging. They don't think it is necessary. OH, REALLY GUYS! Would you think of selling your car without spending anywhere from $150-$500 on detailing that car to improve the cars appearance so it will appeal to more buyers? Why would you not do the same on your home - Your largest investment? I still do not get the logic in this. Yet, when a house sale is being negotiated, sellers are more agreeable to lowering the price of their house just to finally get it sold, than they are in investing in Staging and repairs prior to listing, which could ultimately recoup more money for them. It is time for sellers to step up to the plate, listen to their realtors and Stage their home to Sell.

ONE GUY DID AND LOOK AT THE RESULTS!

When people try to sell their house they really have no clue as to what they're doing. I for one knew my house needed to look better, but didn't really know how to achieve that goal. Then my agent asked if I'd be interested in hiring someone to "stage" my house. Sure, builders hire someone to stage model homes, but it seemed like nothing more than an added expense. In reality, hiring you wasn't an expense, it was an investment. Staging made the sale of my house possible!

My house went from having people just passing through on their way to buying another house, to people truly admiring my house. People who weren't even looking to buy stopped in just to see how much nicer my house looked. Peopel no longer had to use their imagination to see the potential my house had. The potential was in front of them.

I thank you for all the hard work you put into my house. You treated me as if I were your only client and never once asked for anything more than the original price you quoted. Because of your work, I was able to get a price greater than what I had originally asked for. Thus, proving the money spent was an investment, not just another expense.

Thanks again George D, Old Bridge, NJ

Did you know that the increased publicity on Home Staging in all the local newspapers is actually hurting Home Stagers. WHY?? Every article that is written on Stage your Home to Sell emhasizes the same things that a homeowner can do to make their house more marketable. The article focuses on things like decluttering, organizing, cleaning, letting in light, blah, blah, blah, blah....So when I call to offer my help to realtors I am getting the same response, we already STAGE homes. WRONG!! Hey, I do all those things when I am preparing my home for Christmas...BUT it isn't Christmas until the Tree is up, the lights are lit and the presents are under the tree. STAGING homes for sale, what takes place after the PREP work has been done!

A Professional Home Stager is trained to find the home's selling points and then redesign a room around that to impress buyers immediately.

I love working with realtors and I believe that Home Stagers should be part of the new network of professionals that should be added to the team of realtors. In the past you have developed your team of attorneys, title agencies, home inspectors and mortgage professionals who help you close that deal. Now hire a Home Stager that can help you sell that listing. There is no closing without first getting the listing sold. Let us work together to make a difference in this slow real estate market. Make your listings stand out from the competition! Go beyond the Prep stage into the finalized SOLD stage!  

HOUSES ARE STILL SELLING, JUST NOT AS QUICKLY! AND THE BEST LOOKING HOMES SELL FIRST, IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTEXT AND PACKAGING.... HERE'S HOW TO MAKE YOURS STAND OUT IN A SINKING MARKET. HIRE A PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER.

What is Home Staging? Home Staging is the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for top dollar. As seen on HGTV's DeSigned to Sell. It may be as simple as rearranging what the homeowner already has or as complex as bringing in new furniture, accessories and art. Most projects lie somewhere between these two extremes.

Home Staging is about packaging a home to show off its best features and downplay the flaws. Home staging is about romancing the buyer, putting them in the mood to make an emotional connection with a house! Home Staging creates the "dream home" environment for buyers so they don't have to use their own imagination and can immediately fall in love and say "this is home!"

See how this proved to be true for one of my clients....

Dear Phyllis

When people try to sell their house they really have no clue as to what they're doing. I for one knew my house needed to look better, but didn't really know how to achieve that goal. Then my agent asked if I'd be interested in hiring someone to "stage" my house. Sure, builders hire someone to stage model homes, but it seemed like nothing more than an added expense. In reality, hiring you wasn't an expense, it was an investment. Staging made the sale of my house possible!

My house went from having people just passing through on their way to buying another house, to people truly admiring my house. People who weren't even looking to buy stopped in just to see how much nicer my house looked. Peopel no longer had to use their imagination to see the potential my house had. The potential was in front of them.

I thank you for all the hard work you put into my house. You treated me as if I were your only client and never once asked for anything more than the original price you quoted. Because of your work, I was able to get a price greater than what I had originally asked for. Thus, proving the money spent was an investment, not just another expense.

Thanks again George D, Old Bridge, NJ

Home Staging works and clients are amazed at how by ReStyling what they already own, their home takes on the look of a beautifully modeled home. Call ReStyled to Sell today and let me unlock the hidden treasures in your home.