Phyllis's Blog

Today I finally completed my friend Nick's house. We would laugh and talk about how I would stage his "bachelor pad" when he got ready to sell. He always dreamed of buying his house on the water. Unfortunately his dream never came true and I wasn't laughing when I staged his house.

My friend Nick whom I knew and loved for 20 years passed away this summer and I have been helping his sister prepare his home for the real estate market. This is not how it was suppose to be since he had planned on selling it so he could purchase his dream home by the water.

The whole time I was staging this house I felt like it was surreal and that this was just a normal staging like any other day. But that wasn't the case! As I started adding in some colors that I knew we would have argued over, I would laugh and say, sorry Nick but I have to appeal to a woman also, afterall he was the ultimate bachelor and while his home reflected excellent taste it definitely needed some updating and color. I just hope I did him proud today as every color and every decision I made regarding his home I tried to remember him and honor him and the home that he loved.

Here are some before and afters. There were some items like his stereo and speakers that his sister asked please remain where they were so I did honor her wishes as much as possible. My guys worked really hard on this one for me and I really believe the home looks beautiful. His sister is very pleased with the results and we are hoping that this house sells quickly!

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging was formed over 2 years ago and my friend Nick was with me from the beginning cheering me on....here's to you Nick, you will be missed.

Today I awoke early and dressed and was out the door. I had a staging to go to, but this one was different. Oh it began like most stagings. I first starting putting away items that did not belong, like blow dryers and mouthwash on the bathroom counters and shoes by the front door, just to name a few. Then I began decluttering and organizing. I was so excited to get started that I did not know where to begin.

So, I started in the bedroom since the client was having a new mattress and bed frame delivered. We stripped the bed, washed the sheets, took down all the window treatments and cleaned the bedroom. Then we dressed the bed beautifully with all the clean linens that sat atop the new mattress. The whole bed screamed COME AND REST!!

Then we tackled the kitchen and bathroom. We cleaned, polished, organized and lit candles. The whole house was coming together. It looked GREAT! The weather grew warmer and so my husband decided he would power wash the front of the house and weed the garden. This house was looking amazing. I turned to him and said.."I will be right back, I am going to buy some mums to add color" $49.00 later and before you knew it I had a beautiful array of purple and yellow mums lining the garden. I also returned with an apple pie for us to enjoy.

After looking around we realized we had accomplished our job for the day. We lit more candles and I even started dinner. Okay, by now you must be saying, hmmm...lucky client, well, maybe you guessed it...the house was OUR HOME!

What a wonderful day we had as we cleaned and organized and "STAGED" our home to ENJOY! Everyday we are working at staging and restyling homes for our clients that we neglected to do this for ourselves. Have you ever staged a home and just wanted to sit back and enjoy the space, and then went home to your own space and entered a MESS? You know what I mean, your living room and dining room table are loaded with accessories, your laundry is piled high, etc. etc, etc. 

We got into this business years ago because anyone who entered our home felt welcomed and loved our home. All our friends and family urged us to go into this business because of how we kept our home. But over the years, as you all know, business takes over and we just simply don't have the time or energy to work on our homes.

Today we decided to go for it! A wonderful day off has rewarded us with a beautifully staged home that WE CAN SIT BACK AND ENJOY. Now I would have taken before and after shots but remember I lost my camera. By the way I did purchase the Kodak V705 from Buy.com. I got a great deal and cannot wait until it arrives. Thanks to all who made the suggestions to purchase this camera.

Don't neglect yourself and your space while you are out making everyone else's space inviting.

ReStyled to Sell for those who are needing a special facelift to prepare for the real estate market or for those who simply want to have a beautiful home, like us.

Happy Staging and Happy Harvest....Now go out and buy a homemade fresh apple pie and sit back and ENJOY!! 

Well, okay maybe that is not entirely true. As a professional Home Stager I do come and help you clear out your clutter and reorganize and restyle your space, but a little elbow grease and prep work from the seller is ALWAYS a welcomed rendition!

Here is how Home Staging can take your home from cluttered to streamlined and ready to SELL!! 

Painting, packing, THROWING OUT, rearranging furniture, cleaning rugs, putting away daybeds in living rooms that don't belong there, hanging light fixtures in the dining room, and decluttering, decluttering, decluttering and oh yeah, did I mention decluttering?

This was an overwhelming job and the sellers did not know where to begin. They hired their own painters, I picked out all the colors and came up with the plan and then we ALL just went to work.

ALL is the key word here, we need to work together as a TEAM and before you know it your home can go from cluttered and not quite ready for the real estate market to clean, beautiful and SOLD, like this one. YES, this house sold in under two weeks.

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging....we are in the business of helping SELLERS MOVE ON! We are here to HELP YOU, don't try this on your own, we are just a phone call away...732-995-3425

I staged a house last week in Flemington, NJ and one of the nicest features of this house (there were many) was the wonderful Master Bedroom with a fireplace that warmed you up at night when lying in bed, but a fireplace that you could gaze at while soaking in your large tub.

When I first arrived for my consultation this feature was hidden and there was nothing that really drew your attention to this area. With a few simple touches and carrying the same color scheme throughout both rooms, this fireplace now screams...Come and relax after a long day at work!!

The first thing we did was use a sleigh bed from the Louis Philippe collection, courtesy of American Furniture Rental. It gives the bedroom a formal, regal feel. We purchased a new lamp and placed artwork over the bed for height. We placed a black wrought iron scroll over the fireplace which now draws your eye to the fireplace. A small bench found in her entry foyer was placed at the foot of the bed.

We kept her bedding and used her curtains in the bathroom to keep the theme. We added new towels and used the tiebacks from the curtains to wrap the towels. This also kept the theme in the space which ties the two rooms together. Previously the client used black in the space and had large baskets and plates hiding the fireplace view. We just added small simple candles which don't compete with the fireplace.

The client went wild when she saw this new space and could not believe it was her house. She wanted to buy the furniture because she loved it so much. Now that is the reaction you want to hear from buyers when they enter your space.

WOW, I LOVE THIS! I WANT TO BUY THIS HOUSE! STAGE IT AND LISTEN TO THE RAVE REVIEWS!

For more information on how your home can experience the same transformation through Staging, contact Phyllis Pafumi of ReStyled to Sell Home Staging, NJ @ 732-995-3425, we are in the business of helping sellers move on!   

In today's competitive Real Estate Market it is important that you stage your home so that each room has a purpose. Buyers need to see how the room can be used and then envision themselves living there. In this home that I recently staged, the dining room was not a large room but with a few key pieces, it definitely shows a buyer that they can enjoy a lovely candlelit dinner and entertain guests as well.

The table setting is simple and there is not alot of furniture in the space, but the room still has an elegant formal feel to it. Staging does not have to be complicated or expensive to achieve this look. Any round table can be covered with nice linens.

Keep the color pallette the same throughout the house. Notice the cream colored curtains that tie into the cream colored candles, dishes and table topper. Also take note that when you have a small window like this one it is best to have the curtains hang to the floor to make the window seem larger. Newly refinished hardwood floors were the most important feature in this house and so I chose not to cover them up with an area rug.

Keeping it real, keeping it simple and staging it to sell, that's the name of the game!

Since I started my company ReStyled to Sell Home Staging I have found some things that work when staging and some things that I simply cannot live without. I have my little black bag packed with goodies that MUST accompany me on every job.

I could NOT live without my rubberbands and pushpins. I always have a hefty supply. How else do you hang curtains?? Oh yeah, rods I guess! But it is always much more interesting to create my little rosettes. Safety pins and straight pins are always handy when tapering chair covers or wrapping tiebacks from a curtain around lampshades or towels, to name a few.

As a woman who simply cannot lift an armoire by myself, then my handy dandy furniture movers become my "men" when they are not around. Just tip your furniture a bit and slide one under each leg with your foot. Place on under each corner and with the touch of a hand your furniture will just glide along the floor. Make sure you have a set for hardwood floors and rugs, and remember to get all sizes to accomodate all furniture.

For hanging pictures, mirrors, plates and rods I rely on my Hercules Hooks, Commander Hooks and my bucket of nails accompanied by my pink (yes pink) hammer. Spools of ribbon are always great to have around when you need to tie some towels together or decorate napkins for a table. I keep these in ALL colors and ALL sizes.

I love keeping swatches of material on hand. These can be tucked into glasses or baskets for a punch of color. 

For cleaning supplies I LOVE MY MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASER. On numerous occassion this product (which is TRULY MAGIC) has saved many a client from repainting their walls. Just a simple swipe and fingerprints and scuffmarks ARE GONE.

For those stubborn black lines in the bottom of most tubs, I love my  Greased Lightning. Simply spray on the area, let it soak in and then scrub off with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser....POOF ALL LINES WILL DISAPPEAR!! A clean tub is always much more inviting then a tub streaked with black lines. YES YOU REALLY CAN CLEAN THESE AWAY, YOU JUST NEED TO USE THE RIGHT SOLUTION TO DO SO.

I love shopping for inventory, but nothing frustrates me more than a price tag that is happily living on the front of my mirrors or picture frames. WHY DON'T THEY STICK THOSE PRICE TAGS ON THE BACK OF THESE ITEMS INSTEAD? So how do you remove these tags and the stubborn glue residue they leave behind?..SIMPLE...GOOF OFF! No, I don't mean GOOF OFF, I mean use the liquid solvent GOOF OFF. Peel the sticker and then squirt a bit on the spot, then simply rub with a paper towel..glue gone!

I make sure that every staging job I work on, my bag of tricks is the first thing that is packed in my car. Like Felix the Cat I would be lost without it.

So what's in your bag?

When preparing your home for sale, consider EVERY SPACE that could be valuable to a potential buyer. In this home that was recently staged by ReStyled to Sell, it was more about decluttering and giving it a purpose other than storage for the kid's toys.

Now boys have their space and little girls have theirs. The chair is facing a TV center with a huge library of videos and that Dance Mat that all the children love is placed on the floor in front of the TV.

When selling your home EVERY ROOM needs a purpose and every room needs to speak to the buyers.....BUY ME!! When kids see this room they will say Mommy, Mommy please can we buy this house!

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging...we're in the business of helping sellers move on!

Today I staged a large home in Flemington, NJ. This was a unique situation as it was an occupied home with a few areas that needed rental furniture. The homeowner had really beautiful things and the colors on the wall were perfect.

This home had some neat features like a dual sided wall fireplace that looked into the master bedroom and master bathroom. The master bedroom also had a master suite that is perfect for couples to retreat to at night to unwind or for some early morning coffee before they begin their day.

When I initially submitted my proposal and chose furniture for this room I envisioned neutral colors for the space and chose a couch that would compliment this room. I also chose accessories to match. Okay, so much for Plan A.

When my furniture movers tried to get the couch through the master bedroom door it would not fit AT ALL!! They tried every which way and tried to take the legs off the couch and even remove the door off the hinges BUT IT SIMPLY WAS NOT FITTING THROUGH THIS DOORWAY!  At first the client panicked and asked if the guys could return the piece and come back with another one.

Now I know what they were thinking, afterall it took each one us 2 hours to get to that house this morning because of traffic. I quickly looked around the house and starting to put Plan B into action. Okay everyone, calm down I have an idea!!

Let's take the loveseat from the Living Room and put that in the Master Bedroom Sitting Room and use this couch in the Living Room. I knew it would work and I could see the relief on my guy's faces. The client was not convinced since the couch in the living room was brown and the couch from the sitting room was beige. Trust me was my answer I will pull it all together and MAKE IT WORK!!

When all was said and done we all agreed (even the homeowner) that the room looked amazing. There are no mistakes in home staging just happy accidents...but always be ready with a back up plan. Here are some photos of the MBR Sitting Room before and after.

Master Bedroom Sitting Room Before

 Master Bedroom Sitting Room After

As inventory for the real estate market continues to grow, more realtors and sellers alike are calling upon the services of a professional home stager. Realtors have begun to use Home Staging as part of their marketing strategy which is very wise. But I am still finding that while the popularity of Home Staging has grown, many sellers still do not fully understand what the home stager will set out to achieve when staging their home.

Let me help you try to understand what Home Staging IS and IS NOT!

HOME STAGING IS NOT INTERIOR  DECORATING

1. Many homeowners seem to confuse the two. As professional home stagers we will stage a room to enhance the selling features of the room. For instance, if there is a fireplace in the room but it is not the focal point of the room, the home stager will arrange the furniture and/or accessories to draw the buyers eye to that focal point of the room which is the fireplace. 

2. When I stage a home I may not necessarily be concerned with dressing every window or filling up every nook and cranny with some sort of decorative item or book or basket. I stage a home to show the buyers the space and how they can arrange the room, I don't stage it to show off your accessories or furniture. Buyers will buy your space/home, NOT your furniture.

HOME STAGING IS NOT JUST DECLUTTERING

Too many sellers think that by simple removing a few items their home is NOWdecluttered and therefore will appeal to many. Home Staging goes way beyond decluttering. While decluttering is an ABSOLUTE MUST and very good to do, it is just the BEGINNING of having your home staged.

HOME STAGING IS NOT JUST REARRANGING FURNITURE

Too many sellers are trying to stage their own homes based on the little bit of knowledge they have picked up from watching HGTV or surfing the internet. Last week I went to stage a home and the clients had moved their furniture into what they felt was a suitable arrangement. If they were going to be living there then I agree the arrangement would have worked. But because they are selling this arrangement was too closed in and did not open up to the kitchen area which was the selling feature of the home. When you have a GREAT ROOM that includes a large family room and kitchen, then you need to stage it as ONE BIG WELCOMING COZY ROOM. A professional stager is trained and has the eye to accomplish these tasks. 

HOME STAGING IS the art of professionally preparing your home for sale

HOME STAGING IS about creating a mood and ambiance in the home that will make buyers say, I WANT TO LIVE HERE

HOME STAGING IS about depersonalizing the home and "decorating" the home to appeal to a wide number of buyers, both MEN and WOMEN

HOME STAGING IS about neutralizing the home which means no flowery wallpaper or dark paneling or lime green carpets

HOME STAGING IS HARD WORK and Sellers need to realize that they don't need to accomplish this large task on their own. 

I have seen this scenario time and time again. Most sellers are so overwhelmed with the amount of packing and decluttering that must be done prior to staging that they don't know where to begin. When my team and I enter the property we give them a gentle nudge in the right direction and before you know it, the work is completed.  Working together as a team relieves so much stress.

HOME STAGING IS for occupied homes, vacant homes, new homes, older homes, large homes, small homes, lower priced homes and multi million dollar homes. 

HOME STAGING IS FOR EVERY HOME AND IN TODAY'S MARKET EVERY HOME THAT IS STAGED WILL REAP THE REWARDS.

For an initial consultation, please call ReStyled to Sell Home Staging @ 732-995-3425

I just read George Tallabas Post..Are your Mopping and Vacuumming Floors Just to Sell a Home? What a great post, and yes in this sluggish market  we need to ban together and do everything possible to SELL THIS HOUSE!

BUT, Sellers you need to be on board! Unfortunately I have gone into too many homes that are on the real estate market and find it quite appauling that a seller would think that they can show their house in this kind of condition. Home Staging has grown from a service that accompanies sellers in the preparation of their home for sale to a full out staging, cleaning, painting, animal sitter, landscaper, etc. service.

Why is it that a seller thinks that just by signing with an agency will get that house sold without any effort on their part? As a professional home stager, I learned early on that just rearranging furniture was NOT going to sell some of the homes I was called in on for a consultation.

Oftentimes people are so overwhelmed with the clutter that is in their home that they just simply do not know where to begin. As a professional home stager I give them a detailed report outlining the importance of what areas need to be packed and stored. They receive this report and are expected to accomplish this goal BEFORE my company, ReStyled to Sell Home Staging shows up to stage the listing.

Five out of ten times the homeowner has not completed their job which has made the job of the home stager and realtor alike very difficult. SELLERS WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU, PLEASE HELP US DO SO! 

I will give you an example. I had a staging scheduled for last week and when my team arrived I noticed that nothing was completed. Boxes were on the floor, items were not packed up that we had discussed, dishes were everywhere and the clutter in the overwhelming office space had not even been attempted at removing.

Our team shows up and is ready to paint and spackle and remove carpeting....so guess what? Now we have to do it all so we can begin OUR JOB. The price of staging and renovations goes up because contractors get paid by the hour. If they are spending their time moving items that you were suppose to then your fee will go up. We are not concerned about making more money from you, but we are concerned that we cannot complete our job in a timely manner when these things need to get done.

Some simple rules to follow when selling your home:

1. DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER...Start packing up items NOW that you will be taking to your new home, but can live without until you move. It's now or later and by doing it now you will relieve a tremendous amount of stress later.

2. Throw out anything and everything you no longer use and will not be taking to your new home.

3. Hire a cleaning service to keep the house clean for you so you can concentrate on other things. Use the cleaning service every 2 weeks, it will make a huge difference. The first time they come to your home tell them you are preparing to sell and ask for an initial MOVE OUT cleaning which includes windows, appliances, etc.

4.  Hire a landscaper to clean up your front yard. Add mulch to those bare spots and consider having the front of the house powerwashed.

5. Check around for any repairs that may need to be addressed and ADDRESS THEM NOW before your home inspection fails. Buyers can be quite picky and the negotiations over these issues can become quite annoying. DO IT NOW!

6. Before giving away concessions to replace carpeting, price out what it would cost for you to replace the carpeting now. I have a house that we are about to stage and the realtor was able to get a guy to install new carpeting that was going to cost the client less than the amount she was willing to give away as a concession. THIS ADDS SUCH VALUE TO THE HOME and in the longrun saves you money!

7. GIVE UP THE FIGHT! If you call on the professional services of a home stager and agree on their plan and proposal, then LET THE HOME STAGER STAGE! So many times clients fight us on every point and wind up stifling our talents.  

8. LISTEN TO YOUR REALTOR.. A realtor will do a comparative market analysis and come up with a fair market price to list your home. Any one can ask any price for their home, but is it realistic? If a house is priced too high for the neighborhood and condition, buyers simply will not come to view the property.

We each have our part and when we work as a team you will be amazed at the results. ReStyled to Sell Home Staging has their own team of professionals that can accomplish all these goals for you.

Before listing your home for sale, call on the services of a professional home stager and then sit with your realtor and stager and come up with a plan that will work for you. Together WE CAN HELP YOU SELL YOUR HOUSE!!