Sellers, just LET GO!!! There, now doesn't that feel better?
Did you ever notice that when your clients house sells and it is time to de-stage the property, the very things that you begged them to get rid of were NOW IN THE GARBAGE????
As a professional Home Stager and somewhat of a professional organizer (aren't we all)??, isn't it true that less is more?? That being the case, why is it so hard to convince our clients to LET GO of some really old, ugly things in their house? Sentimental value?? Maybe. Expensive items?? Perhaps. Just won't listen to all we have to say?? Most definitely!!
Ahhh, but when they do, Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, they are free at last!! This may sound funny, but 9 out of 10 times when I de-stage a property I find that clients are more than willing to throw away all the items you have asked them to and more and realize that it was junk to begin with.
Decluttering and organizing is a major component in the home staging process. While my company, ReStyled to Sell Home Staging, NJ respects the clients wishes, I always try to make them see the bigger picture. I am here now, let's pack up, throw away and MOVE ON!!! Yes at times, it works and they listen and LET GO! It's amazing how much bigger their place looks and the look on their faces is priceless. You have now helped them to begin that terrible task of MOVING..Once they begin THEIR WHOLE OUTLOOK CHANGES AND THEY ANTICIPATE THEIR NEW FUTURE IN THEIR NEW HOME
One of my biggest pet peeves is WALLPAPER!! Let's face it, most of the time it is ugly. While I always suggest taking it down, I have recently come across a new Benjamin Moore paint that actually goes right over wallpaper without having to be primed. The new line is called AURA. It costs about $47.00 gallon, but think of what you save on primer and time. It works great. We just finished a home the other day and it covered in less than 2 coats.
If sellers don't want the aggravation of having to deal with the work, I will ask then, why do you think buyers will want to deal with it?? THEY DON'T....Let the wallpaper go!! Oh, you don't think it will make a difference?? Check this out! So what do you think?? Sellers, Let go, let stagers do their job and MOVE ON!!
Phyllis,
WOW! Love your before and after photos. I agree that you must relate to sellers as if you were a buyer to make them understand what must be done. Sometimes they just don't want to listen though.
You're funny and probably not trying to be! All you said...so sad but so true! Thanks for the heads up on the BM paint. I will use it next time!
Much better!
Chris Hummel
www.hummelcompanies.com
HOLY COW! WAS THAT U-G-L-Y!
I am not gonna mince words it was plain old... BUTT U-G-L-Y!
Thanks for the pointer, I will tuck that away.
Stage It Forward... with tips like that.
Me
thankfully on this one they listened and even had the work done themselves. Notice they painted the railing. Some sellers get it and some don't. I was on a consult yesterday and the whole house was wallpapered and the seller will not take down or paint over it at all.
Phyllis Pafumi
Phyllis - Wow - another dramatic transformation. There has been some debate lately about how much can staging add to the value of the home. Here is a case in point - for a $50 can of paint you increased the property value dramatically. Keep them coming.
Hey all the new AURA paint by Benjamin Moore comes in all the same Benjamin Moore classic colors, so YES CHestertown Buff is there. This paint also goes over ugly tile in bathrooms. WOW-think of what this could do for us
Phyllis Pafumi
Phyllis, Great tip about the paint, and a great transformation. I just do get, why people don't get IT! It is so obvious!
Joelle Green
Phyllis, when you paint over the wallpaper, don't you see the lines where the wallpaper overlaps? Does it hide all of the air bubbles and wrinkles in the paper? This sounds too good to be true!!
Hey Sue
You have to be careful to make sure seams are not rolled up, glue down and sand if possible. There are no air bubbles with this paint, the paint seals it. I had to watch around switch plates also. Once the walls are staged you hardly notice anything. Is taking down the paper the best solution, absolutely, but when given a certain task at hand with time schedules and budget, the painting over is the better option.
Hey Linda....My company ReStyled to Sell does all the contracting work as well. I have an excellent team of men who love what they do, so tell your clients we can do the work for them...
Phyllis Pafumi
Wow,
I always thought you guys were being a little too extreme to hat wallpaper so! Now I can see why!
I have never seen anything like it. And I hope I never do ;)
Great before and after shots! I agree - let it go, let it go, let it go! (As opposed to let it snow.....ok, not so funny, eh?)
I was helping a client declutter the other day and I had to keep reminding him that we were selling his townhouse and not the items in the curio cabinet. That I loved his wife's china, but that we were not selling it or the large cabinet and shelves full of it. That their clothes were lovely, but the need to see the closet was far greater than the need to show of their style. That the photos of the grandbabies were fabulous but that buyers didn't know those kids and really didn't care! Of course, I said all of this in a much kinder manner, but watching him let go (his wife has already moved and he is waiting for the place to sell) was almost painful!
OMG Phyllis! That wallpaper...looks like "nightmare on Elm Street"! Thanks for the tip on the BM Aura..
Hey Phyllis,
Pictures don't lie! What a difference with the wallpaper 'gone'. That Aura paint is a dream come true and something that we all need to add to our Stagers' Bag of Tricks!
VAL
Phyllis,
I am so happy about the good news! I seem to run into wallpapered homes several times a month and noone EVER wants to get rid of it. I think because they remember paying an arm and a leg for it 15 years ago. I have mentioned painting over it, but most of the time they don't even want to do that... this BM paint will hopefully help sell that way easier.
Oy Vey! That is some BAD wallpaper. I think it burnt my retinas...I'm gonna be seeing images of that stuff all day!
Painting over the wallpaper even made the carpeting on the stairs look better. Next to that wallpaper, the carpeting looked dated too. Next to the paint, it looks neutral.
Way to go, Phyllis!
And thanks for the Benny Moore tip.
Veronica
Select Home Staging
Denver, Colorado
www.selecthomestaging.com
Holy Cow, what a difference. That wallpaper was SO distracting! I have also heard great things about the new Aura line, in this case especially it is worth the extra cost.
I think this is an age-old decorator/Stager problem- most of our clients call us because they don't have the vision to see the room transformed- once they trust us and let us guide them they are always amazed!