Phyllis's Blog

So many times I get to view listings that realtors have had on the market for some time now and I often ask why did you wait so long before staging? The answer is always the same, the seller did not want to pay or we did not think it was necessary.

I can always safely say, EVERY HOME CAN BENEFIT FROM STAGING, no matter size, cost or location!! Here is my concern...many realtors today are spending money on virtual tours and website presentations WITHOUT STAGING.

You are wasting your money. In today's competitive market and this lazy internet give it to me now world that we live in buyers don't want to leave their computer to look at a property that does not appeal to them. GRAB THEM IMMEDIATELY with your photos. 

When I first started my business much of my time was spent on looking through listings of homes in my area and contacting the realtor making suggestions on how this home could benefit from staging. Honestly there were more homes that were horrendous looking than not. The only reason I would leave my computer to visit them would be to STAGE them.

Realtors, there are buyers out there, they are just searching for that perfect home that is going to beckon them to "COME ON OVER, BUY ME", but first your pictures need to be the magic potion that draws them in!!

STAGE  YOUR HOME PRIOR TO LISTING.....AND WATCH THEM COME! Call today for your consultation with ReStyled to Sell Home Staging...YOUR MAGIC POTION!   732-995-3425

Happy Memorial Day

Phyllis Pafumi

Over the past year many peoople have chosen a career in home staging, which is obvious to see by looking at the number of us here on AR. With that being said, I think it is important to reiterate the purpose of staging a home and some basic principles of home staging.

I don't know if you all caught the two new shows on HGTV about selling homes. They definitely mention and demonstrate the benefits of staging the home to sell. This is great for us because it is new exposure and for once, I have to say it was all positive.

Here is my concern! As more and more home staging companies are being born, what will speak to the sellers and/or realtors when choosing a home stager for their listing. My fear is that it may be based solely on price!

Yes, we can work miracles with a tight budget. As we often write to one another, we kind of welcome that challenge because it taps into our creative side. But what happens when you see a "staged home" that was supposedly staged by another stager and warning signs go off in your head. How are we to handle this?

I had submitted a proposal on a vacant home and recently found out that the seller, after many weeks, had chosen another home stager. The realtor apologized but invited me to the Open House. I happily accepted and upon first glance thought the condo looked pretty good.

BUT THEN.....I noticed price tags were left on all the flowers and the lamps (even the one that was marked 50% off) and I am not talking under the items where only a snooping buyer would find, I am talking hanging right out in the air. Also, the large bedroom mirror that was hanging on the wall still had the tape crisscrossed on it to prevent from breaking, as well as the dust. The kitchen counters were not accessorized at all and made the kitchen look like it was still under construction. The bathroom had a small basket on the toilet with lipstick and mascara in it and what looked like a tube of toothpaste or something was carefully placed on the sink. No towels were to be found at all. The LR curtains were drawn as well as the bedroom curtains and therefore the rooms seemed dark.

I have to question if this job was actually done by a professional Home Stager or the seller went and purchased these items himself and did the staging. My guess is that the sellers figured they could do this sort of thing themselves and to save money, did!

Some basic rules in Home Staging that Stagers, Realtors and Sellers should know:

1. Clean, Clean and Clean again-shine your mirrors and windows! (First, remove the tape)

2. Depersonalize the space! In an occupied home, a Professional Home Stager would remove the makeup and personal hygiene items from the bathrooms and stage with fluffy towels, candles and greenery to make it more spa like. Upon first glance it looked like someone had just got ready to go out and just finished putting on their makeup and brushing their teeth. While home staging wants to give the buyer the appeal of a well lived in home, you should never stage with these personal hygiene items.

3. Let in the light....open blinds, open curtains, let the SUNSHINE IN, after all this condo is down the shore

4. Welcome buyers in!!! I did not feel like cooking or eating in that kitchen. The space seemed cold and uninviting.

5. Home Stagers should stage the home to accentuate the positive and draw the buyers in. Make the home feel warm and inviting. I felt like I was shopping in Marshalls. I wanted to remove the price tags, clean the mirror and fluff the bed, oooooo, but I couldn't. You all know your staging instincts would have gone into staging mode, come on now!!

The number one thing that Home Stagers need to remember.....REMOVE THOSE PRICE TAGS!!

Happy Staging 

After all the controversary surrounding designations that we receive once we complete a staging training course I have to add this....SOLD should be the only letters that any home stager, realtor or seller should be concerned with.

Home Staging encompasses so much work, time and detail that every home and every situation as well every stager will be different. If you remember one of my last blogs...Staging on a Tight Budget, you may recall that I was called in to stage a home that was vacant and sitting on the market for 1 year. The new realtor who took over the listing KNEW that this property needed to be staged. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?

She was one of the smarter realtors. Why? Because when the homeowner REFUSED to pay for the staging of the property which included everything from soup to nuts using some of my inventory and the rest coming from my furniture dealer, the realtor said she would pay for the staging. There was one thing tho...WE HAD TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TO STAGE THIS HOUSE ON A VERY LOW BUDGET!!

I went into creative overtime, you know what I mean, remember when Lucille Ball would be thinking about doing something and she would snap her fingers and click her head...ooo, the devious mind was spinning, you know, that kind of creative overtime. I pulled together a color scheme of plums, creams and sage greens. This would tie the two problem rooms together. I also brought in black wrought iron chairs and wall accent to compliment the black countertops in the kitchen. The creative use of chaircovers over dining room chairs acted as armless parson chairs to side chairs in the living room. (See some pics on my blog A Different Kind of Before and After). 

I was able to pull enough inventory together to accomplish our goal. Thankfully I had just destaged another property a few days prior. I even posted a pic of my LR the night before I hauled all this furniture into our trucks.....I know you remember that mess! Well, I am happy to report that the Open House was today and the realtor called to say they got 2 offers. They accepted the higher of the 2, naturally and after one year of sitting, DONE, SOLD and ready to close by JUNE 8th..YIPPEE.

So, again I say to you realtors, sellers, builders, investors STAGE YOUR LISTINGS!! Yes a home stager can work within all budgets. Are you willing to take the risk of staging and FINALLY SELLING or do you want to sit there week after week at another Open House..Hey, summer is coming, it's your choice

A STAGED HOME THAT IS PRICED RIGHT WILL SELL!! Call today for your consultation with ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ @ 732-995-3425.

Yet another AMAZING staging success story! Realtors and home sellers, don't wait to stage your listing, please consider doing so before your first Open House. These clients, reluctant at first, listened and SOLD!!

I will never forget when I went on the consultation for this home. Having worked with the listing agent before, she was confident that I would not only be able to convince the clients on staging their home but she knew that if the home was not staged she would have a problem selling it. Upon entering the home I was greeted by a very friendly homeowner. I was also met with much resistance and every suggestion I made she would adamantly turn to me and say "We're not doing anything"

I still proceeded to walk from room to room and continued making suggestions and joking and saying but I know you're not doing anything, right?? "You got it" she would remark. The realtor kept telling her to listen and then reminded her that my staging company has their own team of guys that can do it all, let's just see what she has to say.

I felt the ice melting and my suggestions seemed to start making sense to her. Okay, we're good, right, NOPE...enter her husband. I was met with the same resistance and same line..Oh I am not doing anything. The difference now was that his wife would turn to him and say, but honey, you don't have to, her team will!!

Well, they did hire ReStyled to Sell to do the necessary work and I got a call from the realtor last Saturday saying they have an offer coming in on Monday morning. This listing never made it to the MLS.

The first buyer that walked into the property bought it for $20K over asking. HONESTLY, they loved it!! I called my clients to jump for joy with them and they said it was the best money THEY EVER SPENT on staging their home.

While I would love to show you pictures, I cannot because the day the property SOLD was the day I was going back with the realtor to take my after shots..

Sellers and realtors alike must have an open mind to all that we, as professional home stagers, suggest. In this home the 70's wallpaper went, the cracks and holes in ceiling and/or walls were repaired, walls were painted a warmer color, furniture was rearranged, bathrooms were cleaned, closets were decluttered, items were moved to storage. You name it WE DID IT!! All of us worked as a team and the sellers DID HELP!!

That is the beauty about hiring a home stager. We get you started. Moving is an overwhelming process and most times people do not know where to begin. Once my team of ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ starts the process for you, the task does not seem so overwhelming. Let our Home Staging Company help you MOVE ON! 

Hey Everyone

If you are anything like me, and I am sure you all are, then you know that the day before you stage a vacant house, your home looks something like a warehouse for Marshall's or Home Good, right?

I thought that this would be a funny way of showing what we Stagers actually go through the night before when we pull most of our accessories to compliment the vacant house. If you all remember reading my blog...."Help My House Looks Like It Has Been Robbed" then you can relate to this before photo.

This is a before photo of my LR ready to go anxiously awaiting my guys to load their trucks. I did not show you my dining room table for fear of you all dying of laughter, LOL...Anyway, this is the before and for my after I have a pic of the LR and kitchen eating area to show how some of these accessories were used.

Enjoy, laugh and say, "Hey that looks like my house" and let's share some of THESE before and afters instead.

I think that too many people today think that Home Staging is an EASY WAY TO MAKE FAST MONEY. Well those of you who have been in the business as long as I have and have staged many homes like myself, know all too well the hard work and many hours that are involved to actually MAKE A STAGING HAPPEN.

We are working, oftentimes, as it was in this case, on tight budgets. The seller for the vacant house WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE STAGING because he lost too much money already. The house SAT OF THE MARKET FOR ONE YEAR before this new realtor took over the listing. She was one of the smarter ones, and knew SOMETHING needed to be done to this home. SHE WAS RIGHT, IT NEEDED FURNITURE TO MAKE THE SPACE WORK. I will forward more pics in another blog.

Due to the many ReStyled to Sell staging success stories other realtors in her office have had, she was willing to PAY for this service herself and therefore I worked this staging to meet her budget.

SHE WAS THRILLED with the results and cannot wait to SHOW THIS NEW LISTING.

Happy Staging, and Packing and Shopping and Lifting, and Returning and Shopping, oh did I mention shopping???

Hey Everyone

Thanks for all your encouraging and warm comments to my blog... THIS JUST IN!! Many of you have asked to see pics and I apologize that I do not always post pics to my blogs.

I have had several problems uploading pics to my blogs, my computer and my website for that fact. It seems that pics come out a bit grainy and off color and the scale never seems to be right. Any help or suggestions with regard to this matter would be greatly appreciated. At present I have my web designer redoing all my pics because they LOOK NOTHING LIKE THE ORIGINALS. In this business, unfortunately this is how we are judged.

BUT HERE GOES....these are some of the pics from the house in Westfield, NJ that SOLD for full price after the second OPEN HOUSE.

As you can see, the team of ReStyled to Sell and the homeowner were busy at decluttering, tearing out carpeting, painting and rearranging. Here are some pics of the LR angle to Entry Foyer, DR, Boys Room, Girls Room (Her children were long out of the house, but I wanted to create a space that would appeal to a young family) and Enclosed Sunporch. Please note, that the seller was not in agreement to removing or painting over the wallpaper or taking apart the bunk bed. As you know in Staging we have to choose our battles and our job is to foremost respect the sellers wishes and then WORK WITH WHAT WE HAVE. Take notice of the difference in the floorig by tearing out the carpeting. Sellers, always expose your hardwood floors, refinish if in poor condition, otherwise clean and polish!!

A professional Home Stager will stage your older, occupied home by using what you own or we will Stage vacant homes by bringing in all new pieces. EITHER WAY, A STAGED HOME SELLS!!

Okay we have another Staging Success Story!!

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ just finished staging a home in Westfield, NJ. As I mentioned before, Westfield is a beautiful area with some lovely blocks and gorgeous homes. My company was called in for a consultation on a large colonial a few weeks back.

As always, I look at everything and not just how the furniture can be rearranged. I submitted a proposal that included ripping out the rugs to expose the hardwood floors, replacing broken lighting fixtures, decluttering, painting 2 bedrooms and rearranging the space as well as showcasing the enclosed back porch.

The client happily accepted and my team immediately went into action. First, hats off to Holly Cohen of Weichert Realty in Westfield for once again, believing in Home Staging and speaking to her clients about the benefits of homes that are staged prior to listing. Secondly, the homeowner. Not only did she agree to all necessary changes, but she worked busily beside us. She never stopped!!

Did it pay off? YOU BET IT DID!! The house went on the market 3 weeks ago and at the second Open House IT GOT A FULL PRICE OFFER!!!!

One other thing I would like to mention. The house across the street from my clients home THAT JUST GOT THIS OFFER, has been on the market for about 9 months to a year. This gentleman called me and several other stagers for our advice.

His house has been vacant, but also I noticed some repairs that should be made to improve the property. While the bid for repairs, staging and furniture rental was about $3,000.00, he felt that this was too much money to spend at this time. So he declined.

How would you feel if your house was still sitting on the market and you had to look at your neighbors house that just SOLD for FULL PRICE after only 3 weeks. I think I would feel...SHOULD OF HAD IT STAGED!

I was just asked to come to give a Free Estimate on a vacant house that has been sitting on the market for one (1) year now.

While the realtor absolutely believes in staging, the client is a little less enthusiastic. WHY?? For one, he has already lowered his asking price by thousands. Two..he has already lost alot of money because he has been paying 2 mortgages for one year now. And three, he is just reluctant that Staging will work.

So what do you think he should do? I strongly recommended that HE STAGE THIS HOUSE TO SELL!! While the house has been completely renovated, the living area downstairs is small and has no defined space. There is a room off the small living room that could be a dining room, family room combination but right now is just a long empty space.

What is this room?? Hey if I had to ask, you know buyers are confused. It took me about 15 minutes to come up with a plan and on the ride home I had my furniture picked out and accessories chosen that would not only compliment this space, but make a buyer fall in love with it.

My proposal was reasonable and I could get the work done within the week. This house would be ready to show by the following weekend. So do you think he jumped?? NOT!!

The realtor called me and was disappointed because she said he did not want to invest anymore money because he has already lost so much. Does that make sense to you? To date he never considered staging. The realtor that called me just obtained this listing since it expired. Okay, what if this house sits for another year??

I will ask your opinion. Invest another $3,000.00 to stage or lose another, hmmm, well how much do you lose as a seller if your house sits for another year and you have to carry two mortgages??

Do the math...Something just doesn't add up.

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging has been helping sellers MOVE ON!! As a professional home stager I implore investors NOT TO MAKE THAT HOUSE SIT ON THE MARKET ONE MORE MONTH!!