Phyllis's Blog

Okay, okay, I was prejudging the show. I watched tonight's episode ($1.8 million home), and from the moment it started I LOVED IT! You're the bomb Matthew. I loved when you looked at your client's living room and WE ALL knew what you wanted to say..BUT YOU DIDN'T. Well, at least not in front of the client. (HUH, just millions of viewers). It was great! This was more realistic to me. STUFF, STUFF, STUFF...ahh a familiar mantra for stagers.

The painting of the faux paneling and the changing of the DR light fixture were definitely things to be addressed. Can you work around it? SURE, but  why do that  if  they can be changed.

I still think TOOO much emphasis was placed on the artwork but in the end IT WAS PERFECT and obviously so because the house sold for over asking.

My daughter walked in on the last 10 minutes so I was trying not to be rude and I missed the final numbers for budget. I took fast glimpses of the after shots as well.

Was the initial budget of $6,000.00 kept or did you exceed that? Did that fee include your fee for the 5 days of work as well as the furniture rental? Please forgive me if this was listed at the end, I missed it! Would love to see a breakdown of these fees in future episodes.

I DO THINK THAT THIS SHOW WILL HELP THE INDUSTRY except for the fact that most of us, probably a large percentage of us, does not  have the luxury of walking into a warehouse like DEKORA to choose our furniture, accessories and art. I'M JEALOUS! BUT IN A KIND WAY

If the following episodes continue in this trend then I would say YOU HAVE A HIT ON YOUR HANDS and STAGING AS AN INDUSTRY will be truly recognized.

Looking forward to more shows! Happy Staging

Phyllis Pafumi

And if you did see it, were you as disappointed as I was?? I found this show to be more about "the Stagers" personalities and lives than actual staging and what goes on behind the scenes as well as the day of staging.

I especially found it unreal to see how CALM everyone was most times. I don't know about you but I am running around like a luny when I stage. Many of you might, but I certainly do not, have an art gallery that I can walk into and take art that is worth $7,000.00. If you have resources like this, I would love to know what you are doing.

Now I ask you this...when was the last time your staging assistant had time to go on 2 auditions during the actual staging of a home?? GOSH, I barely get time to pee. This is nuts and I really don't think the show is going to last.

Plus I found it to be boring. I think that so far GET IT SOLD and SELL THIS HOUSE are 2 of the best shows to exemplify the realities of staging EXCEPT for the fact that the crew's labor is not factored in.

When the show was over the transformations were beautiful and they did make good use of the space, but I wasn't hearing things like this is to show off the fireplace, this is to draw the buyers eye to that fabulous view, etc. At the end of the show they did show the list price, cost for staging, and the final sale price. When all was said and done the seller was down close to $100K. I guess on a $4.5 million house that is just a drop in the bucket. But the total cost for the staging was $40K and they did not do a breakdown of what that included. Was is a 3 mth rental, 6 month rental, etc.? Do you think that this show will help us in the long run?

Once again, I am concerned that this show may make clients with ordinary budgets feel that they cannot afford to hire a home stager for their property. I would love to hear what you all thought about it.

Thanks Phyllis Pafumi

Home is a place where memories are made, and children are born and raised. Home is where the HEART IS! So why would anyone want to change that when it is time to sell that home? Isn't this what makes buyers feel all warm and fuzzy??  NO!!!

As a Professional Home Staging Expert the FIRST THING I always recommend is to remove all the family photos.  It is time to take your HOME and turn it back into A HOUSE. A HOUSE THAT A REALTOR CAN SELL to a NEW FAMILY. These new families need to envision their lives in these homes and begin to imagine all the memories they will create in that house. Oftentimes, a seller's home is filled to the brim with so many family photos and memorabilia accumulated over the years that it can actually hinder a buyer from seeing THEIR HOUSE.

The following pictures are a perfect example of this. This is an older Victorian home I staged this week. It was beautiful, but a buyer's first impression upon entering the living room was what???

Family photos, as well as too much furniture. Did you notice the fireplace right away? What about the beautiful hardwood floors? Does this room seem large to you?

After decluttering, neutralizing and staging you now have a HOUSE that a BUYER CAN SEE! RESTYLED TO SELL HOME STAGING...changing the way buyer's view homes. Call today for your in home consultation at 732-995-3425

When staging a home for sale I always tell my clients to update their bathrooms with paint, new shower curtains and accessories. This can be achieved very easily and for a minimal cost, but the change is HUGE and one that will always appeal to buyers.

Too many times sellers think they need to update their fixtures because the color scheme of their sink or toilet is dated. This is especially true when you see the gray tiles or those lovely blue tiles that we all had at one time or another. 

I always try to impress upon my clients that while we may not be able to change the tiles and fixtures, we can always dress the room up to accentuate the colors and show buyers how they can live in the space until they can afford to replace it.

Here are two baths we just completed and the client GOT what I was trying to say. The first bath is a little difficult to see but it had a gray toilet and sink and gray tile on the floor. It would have cost too much for my client to replace all that, so I removed the wallpaper and painted the walls a warm toffee color, then dressed the room with plum and green accessories.

The second bath was an easier fix. Painting over peach colored faux finish walls and bringing in accessories that have warmer colors to them transformed the bath to a room more suited to adults.

Simple staging and redesign techniques that will prepare your home to sell does not have to cost you a fortune. 

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ will work within your budget to make your HOME THE STAR! Call today for your in home consultation @ 732-995-3425

NOTHING! Yes you heard right Don't Do NOTHING!! ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING!

So often when meeting with clients they have had friends and neighbors over telling them things like their house is so lovely I am sure you will have no problem selling it. Your furniture looks great, your wallpaper is nice, the paint colors are warm, so on an so on.

So who do you believe when a home stager comes into the house and starts telling you to remove the wallpaper, paint the red walls, put away that settee sofa that is blocking the entrance into the dining room?

I hope it is your home stager, but often times sellers will listen to their well meaning friends and do nothing.

When selling your home it is important to realize that the way you have lived in your home for the past 10 or so years IS NOT how you should be showcasing your home when selling

So what small changes can you make??

1. Declutter - Help clients see your HOME and not your THINGS

2. Remove heavy draperies - Let the LIGHT IN. You will be surprised how bright and airy your home will fee

3. Hire the professional services of a cleaning company - People want to see clean bathrooms and kitchens

4. Move large pieces of furniture to storage or down the basement - Open space SELLS!

5. Call a professional home stager for an in -home consultation -  It is a small investment and you will receive a wealth of information

6. Plant some nice flowers and have the front entry landscaped and tidied up.

Too many times sellers feel that if they do nothing they can adjust their price accordingly and sell "as is". I think that selling those handiman specials years ago were great but in today's busy world, buyers  want  homes that need  minimal work and are  move in ready.

The other evening we had a consultation with the children of the parents estate. We immediately made small changes that completely opened up the rooms, some of which are listed above. The second sibling came over after the changes were made and could not believe it but when presented with a further "TO DO" list, she commented that she would just lower the price by $50K. When I asked why?, she mentioned she thought that the cost to do these improvements would equal that amount.

NOT TRUE! When we submitted our proposal it was under $3,500.00! Those changes for $3,500.00 would have made the home SO MUCH MORE DESIRABLE and the price range would NOT have to be lowered. Yet they chose to DO NOTHING!

Doing NOTHING in today's market when preparing your home to sell is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Call ReStyled to Sell home staging NJ for your in home consultation at 732-995-3425. We do the work so you AND THE BUYERS don't have to!