Phyllis's Blog

Sorry to be the one who is the bearer of bad news, but as any business owner should know..OCT 1st is around the corner. Are you ready to present your accountant with your 3rd quarter receipts?

Where did the summer go? I remember as if it was yesterday that I was at my accountants office paying taxes for 2nd qtr (he says that's a good thing, it means you are making money) when he reminded me "Don't forget, Oct 1st, make your appt.

That seemed so far away as the lazy, hazy days of summer were rapidly approaching, but here it is...FALL, in all it's glory. Hayrides and pumpkin picking begin this weekend in my beautiful town of Old Bridge, NJ. I cannot wait to get out there with my grandson and experience all that the Fall Season has to offer. The corn maize always makes me crazy because I have the darndest time trying to find my way out of there.

So to make sure that I can enjoy this weekend with a clear head, I arose at 5am to prepare my paperwork for my accountant. Ahhh, I am finished, relaxed and now I thought I would pass on the gentle reminder from one business owner to another....3rd Quarter Taxes are due!!

Enjoy your weekend, tackle the tasks at hand, you will feel much better and remember to take time this fall to pick pumpkins, bite into those crispy apples, enjoy fresh apple cider and apple pies, then go on a hayride and maybe visit a haunted house of two.

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ, helping sellers with all the necessary chores required to get that house sold. We help you prepare your home for sale so you have more time to enjoy each season of your life.

Phyllis Pafumi   

If you remember my blog awhile back called Peel and Stick Tiles or Pergo Laminate Flooring I have to tell you that the laminate flooring won! Here is a pic of the work in progress and it really does look great and I am sure when my guys finish installing it the house will be amazing.

The color matches the kitchen cabinets perfectly and my client is thrilled with the outcome, and it is not even complete. Her first words were WOW, I wish my brother was here to see this. That touched my heart because my decision was based on not only saving the client money, but honoring her brother's wishes. That comment proved that I did.

But the best part was that while I was struggling with my decision due to cost factor, HOME DEPOT ran a sale on laminate flooring and we were able to pick this up for 88 cents a square foot..yep you heard right. This was the same price as the Euro Stone Peel and Stick Tile that I was going to install. Is that not incredible.

By the way that Euro Stone really is amazing as well, We wound up purchasing 2 boxes and putting it in the downstairs bathroom. When it is laid, it actually has grooves around the edges that make it appear to be grout lines. The neighbor came in and thought we had laid ceramic tile.

I will take a pic for all to see next week. There was too much stuff in the way today and I wanted to keep out my guy's way while they were laying this floor.

Thanks for all your comments and guidance and I am sure we made the right decision.

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging...we are in the business of helping sellers MOVE ON!

No I did not spell it incorrectly. Yes, the new show to air next week on HGTV is called FUN SHUI...WHY??? Not completely sure, but I am sure we will all find out. Now my question is this. Will this show do for Feng Shui what Design to Sell did for Home Staging?

Let's look at this. What Design to Sell did for Home Staging was to bring to viewers attention the benefits staging can have on selling your home. What it also did was to make sellers think that for $2,000.00 you could knock down walls, rebuild walls, replace old counters with granite, install new cabinets, rent furniture or buy furniture, landscape and put down new floors, all in a matter of 48 hrs.

For the past week, my team and I have been helping a client prepare their home for the real estate market. My guys have been working diligently and believe me it did not include half the list I mentioned above. I jokingly turned to them yesterday as they were struggling with yet another flooring dilemma and asked, would you not agree that when the TV cameras go off, 40 other people come out to help complete the job. They all cracked up and totally agreed.

SO NOW HGTV IS COMING OUT WITH FUN SHuI..the tagline states, it is the show that will help bring balance to your home. Will people think that by following some of these simple techniques that their home will be FENG SHUI aligned??

Hey Carole, this will be your call and I would love to hear your comments on the show after is premiers. FENG SHUI as in STAGING involved SO MUCH more than one TV show can actually air. While I am grateful for the exposure to our profession, again I am concerned that the public may be misinformed.

Here is another example of what a Professional Home Stager can accomplish in a short period of time and with a limited budget.

Which fireplace can you picture yourself cozying up to?? ReStyled to Sell Home Staging, working with your budget, your time frame and our accessories.

Don't let the fear of the cost to stage your home keep you from meeting with a professional home stager in your area. This home has been on the market for a few months now. The couple relocated to Texas from NJ and heard about home staging from our one and only Karen Otto of AR, fellow home stager. She heard of their dilemma and educated them about the benefits of staging their home for sale, especially if the house is vacant.

Karen and I spoke and before you knew it I was meeting with their realtor here in NJ. After my initial consultation I immediately addressed other issues other than just placing furniture in the house. First of all, the bedrooms had old, musty carpeting down that was hiding beautiful hardwood floors. THE RUGS HAD TO GO! Another bedroom was painted a bright yellow with Red squares on the wall (I will forward the pics separately). That needed to be painted as well as another bedroom in the house.

The other area that most sellers neglect is the basement. Even though these basements are not finished, you still need to show this space as clean and spotless as possible. HEY THIS IS ADDED LIVING SPACE. This house had a fairly large basement with another full bath in it. The walls were old and stained and the floor was black and dirty.

A fresh coat of white masonry drylock paint on the walls coupled with Glidden Porch and Floor Paint - Jefferson House is the color we always use, MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!

Couple these items with simple furniture and your home will be ready to welcome in buyers. Call today (732-995-3425) to schedule your initial consultation. 

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ, we are in the business of helping sellers move on!

This is a topic I know that we have covered many times before, but today, more than ever realtors need to be using home stagers as part of their marketing plan. Here is why..

Competition is fierce, we all know that. Buyers have a large amount of inventory to choose from and they expect the most for their money. Real estate agencies are cutting back on their commission just to get the listings. Realtors have to be more savvy then ever to market the listing. Realtors are spending more money on advertising and oftentimes the houses are not selling, realtors are not getting paid and money is being lost.

In every deal, Realtors have a whole team of professionals that they count on in order to see their deal get to the closing table. It takes many people and many steps to bring that contract of sale into a SOLD HOME. 

Once a contract is signed, a realtor will depend on excellent real estate attorneys to negotiate that contract and get that contract out of attorney review. Next, comes the infamous home inspection. Everyone waits with baited breath for that wonderful letter from the attorneys that read...This concludes the home inspection contingency clause of the contract. What's next, ahhh yes the buyers need to get their mortgage approved. So a realtor will depend on a good mortgage broker as well. The final piece of the puzzle is getting clear title on the home which involves working with a great title company. Everyone doing their part and all working together will result in a closed transaction.

BUT THEN...None of the above steps can even take place if the house does not receive any offers. So how do you get buyers to make offers on your listings in this sluggish market? How do you market your homes and where are you spending your money, time and effort?

If you have not made Home Staging part of your marketing plan, I strongly recommend that you reconsider doing so. So many times I am called in to view a listing that has sat on the market for 6 months or more with no offers. Once I submit my report and begin the work, realtors and sellers alike say the same thing...Where were you six months ago?

Just today I received an email from a realtor who said... the next seller I work with will be calling you FIRST, this being said after we staged one of her listings that has been sitting on the market for several months now. Another realtor told me today that she almost lost a listing to another agent who was willing to take a lower commission. My wise realtor turned to the sellers and said...BUT IS SHE OFFERING HOME STAGING AS PART OF HER MARKETING PLAN?? They couldn't answer.

I received a call from a young gentleman the other day who use to be a buyer's agent and he is now a listing agent. He was so wise because he KNOWS what buyers are looking for and he KNOWS that he has to add Home Staging to his marketing plan in order to sell. It was fun picking his brain and I was more than happy to answer all his questions. He thinks that any agent that does not add Home Staging to their marketing plan is missing out. HMMMM, I would agree, do you?

Home Staging is another important piece of the puzzle that needs to be added to your team. A professional home stager  will dramatically improve the look of your listing. We do the dirty work so you don't have. We have your home looking model ready for your first Open House. WE LOVE WHAT WE DO AND WE REALLY LOVE HELPING YOU SELL YOUR LISTINGS.

It's all about teamwork!! Before you spend money on MLS photos let a professional home stager reorganize, restyle and stage that home to sell.

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging, we are in the business of helping YOUR SELLERS move on!

Hang in there sellers, this is good news for buyers and ultimately for you as well. This message was given to me by a realtor I work with and I wanted to share with all of you. Stage your homes, price it right, listen to your realtor and IT WILL SELL!

My confidence in the current real estate market was strengthened today with the extremely positive news that the Federal Reserve voted to cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percent.

This rate cut, the first in more than four years, is expected to boost confidence in the economy and ease worries about a credit crunch in financial markets. Already, Wall Street reacted quickly as stocks rallied this afternoon. The real estate market should see a similar positive effect in the immediate future.

I encourage you to share this good news with your clients and let them know it is still a great time to buy.

Spread the news!

Jim Weichert

Did you ever walk into a house and ask the question...what's this room suppose to be? I know that we all have and if we have to ask that question, then you know the buyers are going to be confused. So what do you do with a long, narrow room that is vacant? 

When staging a long narrow room like this it is important to keep it simple, keep the same color scheme throughout the space and keep walkways open. Define the space. I created a small little home office/writing desk in the opposite of the living room that coordinated with the wood tones and color scheme. The space now has a purpose.

Before the room was staged it seemed that the living room was on the right upon entering the home and the "office" was the dining room. BUT THEN you entered the dining room. It was a bit confusing. Home Stagers help buyers make sense of your vacant house...don't wait another day to call a home staging professional. ReStyled to Sell Home Staging...we are in the business of helping sellers move on!

Yesterday I staged a house that was a bit small but completely renovated from top to bottom. A buyer could simply just move in and place their furniture. They don't even need to paint. All three bathrooms were completely renovated and the house had brand new carpeting and tile floors throughout. So why hasn't this house sold as yet??

Buyers have stated that the MBR is a bit small and may not fit their furniture. As professional home stagers we need to show the buyers how they can place their furniture and we need to create an atmosphere of relaxation so that when they enter the room they can picture themselve relaxing at the end of a long hard day.

Which room presents that to the buyer? The vacant master bedroom or the furnished master bedroom?

 ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ....Filling your vacant rooms with ambiance and making "dreams" come true. Don't let that vacant house sit on the market one more day without calling on the services of a professional home stager. What have you got to lose except another month's mortgage payment!

Okay I am bragging...that is a mother's right. I just had to show you all the birthday cake that my daughter made my little Giovanni. She is sooooo talented. The cakes that she makes (all from scratch) are so incredibly delicious as well.

Here it is....yes that is ALL CAKE and ALL EDIBLE..

 I guess you can see that he loves train, remember me sharing his first train ride? This is just one of many amazing cakes that she has made. You almost hate to cut them they are so pretty, but man oh man are they delicious.

Okay enough bragging, but really, isn't it amazing?

Phyllis Paumi 

On August 22nd I got a call from a realtor I know and she asked if I can do an EMERGENCY staging, has that ever happened to you?? Here was the scenario. The house was sold and a week from the closing date the deal died because the house underappraised. Not surprising in this market.

Anyway, the builder wanted to know if he could stage the house in time for the next Open House, which meant, today, right now, not tomorrow. I went to view the property and THANKFULLY I just took my inventory from another home that sold that would work perfectly with this home. SO I SAID SURE NO PROBLEM.....by the next day his house was staged.

 HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS......THE HOUSE SOLD and the buyer is PAYING CASH and wanted to close in a week...HOW'S THAT FOR SUCCESS? I got the phone call today saying hey guess what, we are closing on Wednesday, can you pick up your furniture....YIKES! I was staging another house at the time of the call and made arrangements to pick up the furniture in the evening. WOW THAT WAS QUICK!! In this market that is incredible.

For all builders and investors and homeowners who are struggling with the sale of your home..DON'T GIVE UP HOPE, there are buyers out there regardless of what the media says. Remember if your house is PRICED RIGHT, and SHOWS WELL, IT WILL SELL.

Staging your home to sell is an investment that could save you time and money in the long run. Call a professional home stager in your area and see what everyone is talking about. What do you have to lose?

For an in home consultation please call Phyllis Pafumi of ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ at 732-995-3425