Phyllis's Blog

Home Stagers Work Hard So You Don't Have To!!

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:56:55 -0500

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

REALTORS, LET'S TALK!!

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 06:48:47 -0500

I have seen an upsetting trend lately in this real estate market. It seems that, still, after all the education on Home Staging, after all the positive results on Home Staging and after all the HOUSES THAT SOLD ONCE STAGED, some realtors are STILL NOT USING A HOME STAGER on their listings, WHY??

In the past week, I have received two phone calls from the sellers themselves, inquiring about my services. Each complained about the fact that their home has been on the market for the past 9 months with no offers. Another thing each seller complained about was the fact that from the time the listing agreement was signed they asked the realtor "Should we call in a Home Stager?", Not necessary was the response.

So why now are theses sellers calling me? Simple, the listing expired, the sellers are taking positive action, and now a NEW REALTOR has gotten their listing. I just finished staging one property and will be staging the second next week. The sellers cannot believe the transformation and are so excited that this motivated them to do other repairs around the house that will surely MAKE THIS LISTING SHINE!!

Realtors, why are you still being so resistant? Think about this...a professional Home Stager MAKES YOUR LISTING LOOK GREAT!! You sell your house quicker, your sellers are happy and YOU GET PAID instead of giving your commission to another agent.

In my professional opinion, here is what I see happening:

1. Many realtors today are taking a Home Staging course and thinking that they can "STAGE" their own listing. My question to you is WHY? Why the heck would you want to Stage your own listing, this is hard work. When done correctly I am talking about a major investment of time and energy. Staging is NOT AN EASY WAY TO MAKE LOTS OF MONEY. Even the homeowners say on the day of staging. WOW I did not realize how much went into this..

YES, I know that some realtors have their "certification", but I have also heard that they are not making a go of it. One weekend class DOES NOT MAKE YOU A HOME STAGER...YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER. LET US DO THE STAGING and WE WILL LET YOU SELL THE PROPERTY. How would you feel if STAGERS started getting their real estate licenses in order to "SELL" their staged listings. I am sorry to say this but it is IMPOSSIBLE TO DO BOTH CORRECTLY!!

I had a broker tell me that he sent some girls in his office for the Staging Course because things are slow and they have to do something, but he also admitted to me that they have had very little success. He asked if I could come in and "HELP THEM". Sure I will stage it and NOW they have a better property to MARKET.

What does Kentucky Fried Chicken say "We do one thing and we do it right" WE STAGE YOUR SELL!!

2. Many realtors are now calling Furniture Rental Companies on their own and trying to get furniture put into the property....NOT!! I just had a situation where this happened and MY REP that I deal with at the furniture rental company was called in by the realtor. Upon entering the property, she immediately told the realtor, this house needs much more than furniture. The funny thing is she recommended my company. By the time my rep emailed me what had happened, I had already gotten the job, had the furniture picked out and the clients booked the staging.

REALTORS....plopping down furniture and placing a few accessories around DOES NOT SELL A HOUSE if the walls are painted PURPLE and GREEN STRIPES. Again professional Home Stagers sit with these companies and we "DESIGN" the space accordingly. The plan involves furniture that will suit the house as well as appeal to many buyers. We then proceed to add the "bling" that makes the property shine. BLING TAKES TIME TO SHOP FOR and COSTS LOTS OF MONEY IN INVENTORY.

3. Realtors, you do not have to pay for Staging, REALLY!! This is your clients INVESTMENT!!

4. You still may not know much about the Staging process. That's okay, call us and we will do all the work from setting up the consult with your clients to completing the staging of YOUR LISTING just in time for your Open House.

Let us be the "bad guys". A professional Home Stager can evaluate your client's property and give them an honest, caring overview of what work needs to be addressed in order to sell this house. THEY LISTEN TO US FOR SOME REASON MORE THAN THEY DO YOU. I have heard this time and time again. The realtors I work with cannot believe it when I tell them the client has agreed to do this or that...but they do.

I just picked up my furniture and accessories from a home I staged a month ago. This property was on the market for (1) year with no offers. The seller got upset and went with a new realtor. This new realtor called me (I blogged about this house), we staged the house and it SOLD at the FIRST OPEN HOUSE. Hmmmm, wonder what the other realtor is thinking?? MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE CALLED A HOME STAGER!!

Don't let that happen to you. Call ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ @ 732-995-3425 and SELL YOUR LISTINGS

Staging Occupied Homes Can be Very Scary Business

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:50:53 -0500

As the Owner and Founder of ReStyled to Sell Home Staging in NJ, I am proud to say that most of our business comes from staging occupied homes. While I LOVE staging a builders vacant model home, I have to admit that the challenge of transforming an occupied home is most fun to me.

Over the years I have seen many homes ranging from beautifully, decorated with stylish furniture to outdated and at times often scary...Here is one that we were called in to consult on!

THIS IS FOR REAL!! This was someone's bathroom and I need NOT SAY MORE! This takes depersonalizing your space to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL! We never got the opportunity to stage this house as it went into foreclosure. BUT I HAD NO DOUBT THAT THE TEAM OF RESTYLED TO SELL WOULD HAVE SHED A NEW LIGHT ON THIS SPACE.

The next photo is of a kitchen that was completely, tired, dated and just way too cluttered. At first you would think that the space would need to be gutted...BUT, with a little elbow grease (well, actually alot), my great team backing me up and a whole lot of paint, we took this kitchen from SCARY....TO LIGHT AND AIRY!

Selling your home does not need to be a HARROWING EXPERIENCE...Call on the team of ReStyled to Sell Home Staging for your in home consultation today @ 732-995-3425. We do the work, so you don't have to.

ReStyled to Sell Home Staging can change the way buyers view your home!

TIPS FOR THE TRADE

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:26:39 -0600

If you are like me you love those little tidbits of information that will make our life easier, while a lot more pleasant.

Okay then, strong, stinky smelling paint, especially if it is oil based, what to do?? Well while staging a home last weekend my seller was amazing me at all her little tricks. Here is one I never heard of before and just could not wait to pass on to all of you.

ONIONS...hmmm, we know the odor can be unpleasant at times BUT DID YOU KNOW, that if you place a halved onion in a dish of water it will actually take away the smell of the paint?? I DID NOT KNOW THAT AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU IT WORKS!

The other amazing thing is the odor of the onion was not present in the kitchen at all!

What little tips for the trade would you like to share?

Happy Staging Phyllis Pafumi

ReStyled to Sell...Your Home Staging Experts!

STOP THE PHOTO SHOOT!!

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:49:25 -0500

I received a frantic phone call from a realtor last week saying he needed to get a vacant condo staged IMMEDIATELY!! Okay, I do hear this all the time, everyone wants their job yesterday...but here was his dilemma...

He had recently become the agent for a group of condos that were finally nearing their completion after a year of construction woes. The first units were completed and he was ready to have his photos taken and begin his marketing....BUT, the seller/investor DID NOT WANT THE PROPERTY STAGED! They did not see the value in it!

THANK GOD this very smart realtor thought differently and realized that he would be spending alot of money on a photo shoot of an empty, cold, uninviting space, and just could not proceed. When he called me it was a Thursday evening and the photo shoot was scheduled at 10:00 am on Saturday.

He began to frantically ask questions like.. What can you do? What do you have in your inventory that you can pull together? How much will the cost be for a one day staging for the photo shoot? Anything will be better than this, he exclaimed! I did NOT have time to view the property because it needed to be staged that very next morning....so he and I went and viewed his pics via email that he was able to send me.

WOW, I could not tell what room was what but as we walked through the photos together I realized that I was able to pull enough pieces from my inventory to help pull this off and work within HIS BUDGET..remember the seller/investor WOULD NOT PAY!

These condos are set in South Amboy, NJ and are beautiful and affordably priced, perfect for the young professional, or new couple just starting out.

Here is what we came up with on such short notice, and the realtor AND INVESTOR were thrilled. We also staged the Kitchen and downstairs bath to coordinate with the rest of the house. I was thrilled that we pulled this staging off WITHOUT SEEING THE ACTUAL SPACE.

BEFORE..This space looked tiny and the floors were not cleaned. This is what their photo shoot would have looked like (MINUS MY COUCH). Who would buy from this pic?

AFTER...THIS NOW BECOMES A HOME..OR AS THE REALTOR SAID, WOW, IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE LIVES HERE NOW!

THE CONDO WAS A SMALL UNIT AND PRICED TO SELL BUT WHERE DO WE EAT???

NOW BUYERS CAN ENVISION THEIR TABLE SET UP READY TO ENTERTAIN GUESTS!

The STAGING was only suppose to be for the purpose of a photo shoot, but it has now become a home that will remain STAGED and ready to sell!

REALTORS, BUILDERS, INVESTORS, SELLERS...DON"T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON EMPTY ROOMS THAT LEAVE BUYERS FEELING COLD AND EMPTY, WONDERING HOW TO SET UP THEIR SPACE. STAGE YOUR LISTING, TAKE YOUR PHOTOS AND WELCOME THE BUYERS HOME!

CALL RESTYLED TO SELL HOME STAGING NJ @ 732-995-3425 AND LET US WORK TOGETHER TO GET YOUR HOUSE SOLD!

Vern Yip and Me, I LOVE MY JOB!

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:04:24 -0600

I want to thank everyone for all your valuable information and ideas that you so generously passed along to me with regard to setting up my table for the Home Buying and Staging Seminar that was held yesterday by KHovnanian .

It was a HUGE SUCCESS and I was happy with the outcome of my table. I was also very glad I packed additional items JUST IN CASE. As you remember I was told I was only going to be given a 4ft table, but when I arrived a large 8ft table, right out front, was waiting with my name on it! ALWAYS GO PREPARED FOR THE UNEXPECTED!!

With valuable information given to people who will be selling their homes, I believe that MANY ARE FINALLY SEEING THE LIGHT with regard to Home Staging. What Helped??? Well, take a look..

Guest Speaker, Vern Yip from Design Star, was giving his tips on STAGING YOUR HOME TO SELL!! When he spoke, they listened, so WE WERE THRILLED when he said REMOVE THE WALLPAPER...LISTEN TO YOUR HOME STAGING PROFESSIONALS PEOPLE, THIS IS WHAT THEY GET PAID TO DO! Vern is AS NICE IN PERSON AS HE APPEARS ON TV. Here is just one of the many photos we took together.

OOOO, I JUST LOVE VERN!

Here is a picture of my table, the other longer shot came too blurry so you don't get a good view of the whole table. The flowers I purchased were in a REAL PUMPKIN as their container and the apple candle caught everyone's attention.

Thanks again for all your help and I look forward to meeting with many of you at our FIRST TRI STATE STAGERS EXPO this Wednesday in Secaucus, NJ!

God Bless and Don't Forget to VOTE TOMORROW!

Today I Finally Launched My New Website!!

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:34:21 -0500

This has been a long, overdue project, and as we all know in our business, First Impressions Matter Most, so it was killing me that this aspect of my business was never getting taken care of.

Thank you TONY and SUSAN for helping me achieve the look I have always wanted. You matched my colors perfectly and worked around the clock to help me have this site up and running for the KHOVANIAN HOME STAGING AND BUYING SEMINAR of the YEAR!!

It is important to take the down time that sometimes comes with running a small business, and pay attention to building up the back end of your business. I have encouraged all to do so and I am happy to say that we accomplished our goals. The funny thing is that our phones have begun ringing again, so we are up and running and ready to meet our clients needs.

More items of interest and pics will be added over the next few weeks, but for now the new site IS LIVE!

Please visit our new site at www.restyledtosell.com.

I look forward to meeting so many of you at the Tri State Stager's Expo held in Secaucus, NJ this coming Wednesday, November 5th. If you have not registered yet, please take the time to do so!

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to set your clocks back..AHHH an extra hour for all!

Happy Staging

Phyllis Pafumi

Are Realtors Expected to Pay for Staging in this Market??

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:36:10 -0500

I am not sure if this is happening in your area but in the past month I have been on several consultations where the SELLERS EXPECTED THE REALTORS TO PAY FOR THE STAGING OF THEIR HOME!! Is this happening to you, and if so what should you do??

Let me first say that I truly belive that realtors should be pay for the consultation of the home stager. I think that it is important to team up with a professional Home Stager and have us as part of your marketing team. We can review your clients property and be the "bad guys" as we tell them that the dated wallpaper and doggie beds need to be removed PRIOR to listing the property.

When you team up with a Professional Home Stager in your area ask if there is a Preferred Agent Discount if the Realtor pays for the consult. All my agents get a 20% discount off the original cost of the consult. This adds value to your listing presentation and the sellers SHOULD NOT have to pay for this fee. This now becomes part of your marketing plan....BUT what happens after the report and Proposal have been submitted??

Over the past month I have heard that the sellers are asking that the realtor pay for the cost of staging. Remember this could involve removal of wallpaper, painting, adding new light fixtures and oftentimes the cost for rental furniture. WHY WOULD A SELLER EXPECT THAT FROM THE REALTOR?? These are improvements that are necessary and must be made when preparing your home for sale in ANY MARKET!

What if a realtor pays for this service and you DECIDE TO NO LONGER SELL?? Remember, when selling your home it is absolutely necessary that you prepare it for SALE. WHEN YOU DECIDE TO SELL YOUR CAR, WHO PAYS FOR THE DETAILING?? Sellers, this is your responsibility.

What I have seen over the past month or more has been very upsetting as I watched sellers DISMISS HIGHLY QUALIFIED, PROFESSIONAL REALTORS as their agent because they did not pay for the staging. I have also worked with some agents who have agreed to pay BUT because they are also limited they are giving Stagers VERY LIMITED budgets with which to stage.

Yes, a Professional Home Stager will pull out all the stops to ENHANCE a home...but if the budget only allows for partial furnishings and enhancements and DOES NOT COVER the cost to remove moldy wallpaper and stained carpets, what have we accomplished here.

As the market grows tougher it is important to remember these facts:

1. ENHANCE YOUR HOME when preparing it to sell. That means review each room with a keen eye and make all necessary repairs from the outside broken doorbell and light fixture to the dog stained carpet in the living rom.

2. CHOOSE AN EXPERIENCED REALTOR. Don't go with a discount broker, in the end the money you think you were going to save could have cost you thousands. A TOP AGENT that I work with just lost a listing because she chose NOT to pay for the staging. The seller went with a realtor that said she would pay for the staging. When we checked out this realtor, we were surprised to find out that in the past year, they had only SOLD ONE HOME!

3. PRICE THE HOUSE ACCORDINGLY...Listen to your realtor when they tell you the value of your home, they have based this price on the CURRENT pricing for your area.

4. STAGE YOUR HOME and pay for the necessary enhancements. We staged a home yesterday where our hands were literally tied. The seller refused to pay for the staging....the cost was very reasonable $1,500.00 which included removing VERY OLD, dated wallpaper that was stained and peeling in his kitchen and bathroom. The bathroom was BEAUTIFUL BUT for some ODD reason they had the ceiling and crown molding painted PINK. They refused to address these items and the realtor had to do something so she asked us what can we do on a $500.00 budget??

We did our best to HELP THIS AGENT out and it did look BETTER! Here was the sellers response. He did NOT want to pay for the removal of the wallpaper and the painting, but he would be willing to accept $400K for his house....DOWN FROM THE ORIGINAL ASKING PRICE OF $449K.

$1,500 for PROPER STAGING OF YOUR HOME.....NOT! $49K PRICE REDUCTION..YES! What's wrong with this picture? Is this a growing trend?

If you are considering placing your home on the real estate market, TEAM UP with a Professional, experienced agent who works with a Professional experienced Home Stager...

The team of ReStyled to Sell can help in ALL ASPECTS of your sale...Call today @ 732-995-3425

When the Going Gets Tough, The TOUGH GET GOING!

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:03:56 -0500

In today's troubled economy, l fear that many small business owners may be tempted to throw in the towel because all around us it seems that the housing market is doom and gloom. I say that now is the time to market yourself to others, get your name out there and be ready when things return to normal!

As President and Founder of ReStyled to Sell Home Staging I can tell you firsthand that the real estate market has slowed tremendously over the past few weeks. That is a no brainer, everyone can see that. As professionals who are in this field we need to look to the future and ask some questions about the present. Will there still be people out there needing to buy homes?..OF COURSE!. Can they get a loan? Sure if they are qualified! Will Your House Sell? Yes, if it is priced right, staged to sell and is being marketed by an experienced realtor!

So as a small business owner, what are we to do? Well you can stick your head in the sand and sulk OR.....Here are some tips that I have posted before but I truly feel that they are worth reading again and I pray they will give you hope and help motivate you ON!

1. ALWAYS ANSWER YOUR PHONE. IF YOUR BUSINESS PHONE IS YOUR CELL PHONE, ALWAYS ANSWER IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER. REMEMBER, CLIENTS ARE SHOPPING AROUND AND WANT AN ANSWER NOW, SO THEY WILL DEAL WITH THE FIRST PERSON THAT IS AVAILABLE TO SPEAK WITH.

2. NEVER WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO CALL YOU BACK. TOO MUCH TIME ELAPSES AND THAT INDICATES TO THE CLIENT THAT YOU ARE NOT ON THE BALL. ALWAYS CALL BACK PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE DOING BUSINESS WITH. EX: PAINTERS, CONTRACTORS, ETC. BE ON TOP OF YOUR GAME.

3. NEVER LOSE A DEAL TO SOMEONE ELSE. YOU CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER FOR YOUR CLIENTS. TRY, ASK, BEG IF NECESSARY TO THE PEOPLE YOU ARE DOING BUSINESS WITH AND SEE IF YOU CANNOT GET BETTER PRICING FROM THEM. EVERYONE NEEDS TO SUCCEED AND MOST WILL CUT THEIR COSTS IN ORDER TO CLOSE THE DEAL.

4. DON’T GIVE UP SO EASILY.

5. ACT CONFIDENT. SPEAK WITH CONFIDENCE. IF ONE ADVANCES CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF HIS DREAMS AND ENDEAVORS TO LIVE THE LIFE WHICH HE HAS IMAGINED, HE WILL MEET WITH SUCCESS UNEXPECTED IN COMMON HOURS.

6. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, ASK. HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWER BEFORE YOU SPEAK TO THE CLIENT. DON’T SOUND LIKE A ROOKIE.

7. KNOW YOUR GAME. STUDY ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR FIELD.

8. STUDY YOUR COMPETITION AND SEE WHY THEY GET THE DEAL DONE.

9. EVERYDAY LEARN SOMETHING NEW

10. WAKE UP AND PLAN ON MAKING 2 NEW CONTACTS.

11. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. TO LEARN YOU MUST WANT TO BE TAUGHT.

12. DON’T BE WISHY WASHY. DON’T BE LAZY. ASK YOURSELF WHAT AM I DOING TO SUCCEED AND DO I REALLY WANT TO PUT THE TIME INTO SUCCEEDING.

13. ASK YOURSELF, WHY HAVE I FAILED IN THE PAST? BE HONEST AND GROW FROM THERE.

14. ASSOCIATE YOURSELF WITH PROFESSIONAL, SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. WHAT WORKED FOR THEM AND FOLLOW THEIR ADVICE.

15. TAKE CRITICISM WELL AND LEARN FROM EVERYONE AND EVERY SITUATION.

16. Take a look at your initial Business Plan, have you set new goals?

Happy Staging and Continued Success to ALL!

God Bless Phyllis Pafumi

It Is Time to STAGE our Companies

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:05:33 -0500

Everyone I speak to these days have been singing the same old tune...things are slow around here, not much business going around, phones hardly ringing, etc. etc, etc. So what are you to do if you are running your own business?

I have found this bit of down time THE PERFECT TIME to revamp my marketing materials, website and logo. As professional home stagers we all say that you never get a second chance to make a great first impression, so we need to take a look at how our marketing material speaks to those who are searching us on the internet.

I for one, have not had the time to update my site in the past two years which has been detrimental since all my OLDER photos were on there and my latest projects could not be seen.

I have spoken with quite a few stagers over the past week and found that we are all thinking the same with regard to revamping our image. I have been setting up realtor presentations and have involved myself in 3 trade expos over the next few months.

I just recently ordered a five foot banner (see below) that comes with a portable stand for easy set up at the trade expos. I am thrilled with it. I purchased this banner at Mybannerstand.com, but designed it myself with the help of a friend.

Also I am excited about The Tri State Stagers Expo sponsored by American Furniture Rental and Stagers List. This is the first Tri State Expo in our area and we are so looking forward to finally getting to meet everyone.

So enjoy the bit of downtime, re-vamp, re-educate, re-vise and GET READY FOR THE NEXT WAVE of homes needing to be staged.

Happy Staging and I hope to see you at the Expo!

Phyllis Pafumi

Celebrating the HARVEST!

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:55:22 -0500

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the weather, the color of the trees, the food and the festivities that go along with fall. Here in Old Bridge, New Jersey my favorite thing to do with my grandson is take an old fashioned hayride at Cottrell Farms.

I just can never get enough of apple picking and apple pie. Finding that perfect pumpkin that will make the neatest jack o lantern is high on my list of things to do, BUT never as high as drinking PUMPKIN LATTES. You know it's Fall when Pumpkin Lattes are advertised in all our favorite coffee joints.

Next weekend we are looking forward to our Church's Harvest Celebration! This is an event we will be holding at our home. The festivities start early in the day and are filled with traditional and NON traditional games for children of all ages.

We will have potato sack races, three legged races, wheelbarrow races, mummy wrap and don't forget the pie eating contests. The traditional bobbing for apples is replaced with bobbing for donuts. This is something I developed because I did not want the children getting wet in the chilly weather. It is alot of fun. Here is all you need to do:

Get a large piece of ribbon (enough to fit a donut for the number of children playing). Now take pipe cleaners and attach to the ribbon and at the bottom of pipe cleaner, thread on your mini donunt. Two adults hold the ribbon with all the hanging donuts and the children put their hands behind their back and begin eating.

The menu is a typical HARVEST menu...Hot Dogs, Macaroni and Cheese, Salad and Apple Cider! Yum, who can resist? Then comes the fun part...we all head out to the Hayride and Corn Maize at Cottrell Farms. We booked a wagon just for our group and each child will go into their OWN pumpkin patch to pick their pumpkin.

But what would be the best ending you can think of?? Yep, you are right...A Barn Fire to roast marshmallows, make smore's and a time to worship our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. Thanking HIM for blessing our crops, our families and OUR LAND!

If you have never attended a Harvest Celebration, then I would recommend that you start your own tradition of Celebrating the Harvest. We all have SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR. Enjoy what GOD has given you and take the time to spend with your family and friends. Life is precious, take the time to sit, relax and smell the PUMPKIN LATTE, AHHH! Now doesn't that feel good?

Have a blessed weekend and REMEMBER TO GET OUT AND VOTE!

Does Your life need Some Fireproofing?

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:44:24 -0500

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to view the movie Fireproof with Kirk Cameron. While the main stream hollywood world may not nominate this movie for any academy award, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you make the time to see it.

We live in a throw away society today. The values that many of us were raised on as children have dwindled away and society has paid a price for it. This movie has a POWERFUL message and I believe that if many would follow the guidelines recommended in this film they will surely prosper in ALL THINGS!

Want to read more? Go to www.fireproofmymarriage.com. If you are a fireman or know someone who is, treat them to a dinner and date night. We did that this weekend with a very special couple and I am ALREADY seeing the fruits of that labor.

This film is playing in selected theatres ONLY...that is a shame as it should be BLASTED FROM THE MOUNTAINTOPS..FINALLY a movie that carries a message of HOPE for this dying generation and an ANSWER TO ALL THEIR PROBLEMS

God Bless you, Phyllis Pafumi

STAGING CHANGES THE WAY YOU LIVE

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:01:11 -0500

Everyone knows that the way you live in your home and the way you sell your home are two very different things. When selling your home you must prepare it in a way that will showcase the HOUSE! In this photo you may find that the before picture is not so bad. In fact it is actually a great room...there was just one problem with it....

IT'S NOT THE DINING ROOM OR THE EAT IN KITCHEN....the sellers chose to place their dining room table in this room because they loved the EMPTY, SPACIOUS feel of having less furniture in their living room/dining room area! This room is actually their family room with an area for a breakfast bar....

By taking the sectional from the living room and placing two stools by the breakfast bar, this room is now returned to it original purpose. We then placed their dining room table in it's proper place and brought down a couch and chair from their upstairs office and staged their living room area, making the two spaces cozier. This house sold in two weeks!

While the clients LOVED the changes we made, they admitted they would never like living like this. Is was just against their sense of style. BUT....it appealed to buyers and that is all that matters when you are selling your house.

Staging is about letting go and turning your house into a product that a realtor can market. In this home the realtor was marketing the home as having a living room, dining room and FAMILY ROOM off the kitchen with a fireplace.

So if you are seriously ready to move on, call ReStyled to Sell, your premier Home Staging Company of NJ @ 732-995-3425 to schedule your in home consultation.

Taking Your Room to NEW HEIGHTS!!

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:05:12 -0500

When Staging smaller rooms with large walls, I always recommend painting an accent wall to my clients. This fabulous 2 story condo is located in Westfield, NJ. The beauty of this condo is that it was about the only two bedroom, two story condo for sale in this building. SO we needed to play up these features!

As you review the before and after pictures, you will see that by making small changes and adding a warm color on the walls the room is taken to a whole new level.

The tall drapes left the fireplace looking small and of no significance. Breaking up the sectional and replacing the area rug with a lighter colored round rug opens up the space tremendously. Painting the walls Jackson Tan by Benjamin Moore adds warmth and drama to the room.

The sectional blocked the view to the fireplace. One piece was moved to create a reading nook in the office. That's the beauty of working with a sectional. Don't be afraid to use pieces elsewhere throughout the house.

Staging does not have to be complicated. By enhancing the items you already own with paint, accessories, artwork and some rearrangment of furniture you will take your rooms to a WHOLE NEW HEIGHT and WELCOME BUYERS HOME!

For your in home staging consultation, call ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ today @ 732 -995-3425!

Sellers Can Actually Go TOO FAR When Trying to STAGE THEIR HOME

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:52:03 -0500

When selling your home it is important that NO ROOM goes unnoticed. When buyers come to view your home it is important that you leave them with a lasting impression. It is wonderful thing that you have put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and you made a galant effort to remove the clutter, BUT SOMETIMES YOU CAN TAKE THAT A BIT TOO FAR....

In this guest bathroom the sellers made sure to declutter the space and clean the tub, tiles and sink. They then painted the bathroom, which is a lovely, calming blue. But as you can see, there is NOTHING that draws you into the space. In this case TOO MUCH WAS REMOVED...

You will see that by adding a large floral piece and some rolled towels that space now comes to life and draws you in. the rubber ducky in the box was removed, and a basket filled with towels and a hanging robe (which you cannot see) were added to the shelf. This bath is now ready to welcome your guests. It is a small fix that will take your guest bathroom from BLAH to AHH..Staging your home for sale does NOT have to be complicated. If you are not sure of how you can SET THE STAGE for a successful sale.....Call ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ today for your in home staging consultation @ 732-995-3425.

The team of ReStyled to Sell has been trained to help unlock the hidden potential in your home.