Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager

I am compelled to write a "Them-Them" that both deeply saddens me and makes me extraordinarily proud.

This has been an extremely tornadic weather season and the last couple of weeks have been more than a little terrifying for us in the Midwest.

Wednesday, June 4^th an EF2 tornado hit Ceresco, Nebraska. (Ceresco is between Lincoln and Omaha). My three step-sons live there in a farmhouse with their mother and luckily made it to the basement on time. The town was shut down and without power for several days as significant damage had occurred. Blessedly there were no serious injuries or deaths. My step-sons are still staying in Omaha since a large tree fell on their house and apparently is not habitable at this time.

Sunday, June 8^th at approximately 2:15am, two tornadoes hit Omaha. The weather service did not even know the tornadoes had hit since they didn't show up in their radar scan for another 10-15 minutes after touching ground (the details and time frames on this event have been changed several times since Sunday as the weather service has had time to do their reports). Amazingly nobody was seriously hurt or killed. Massive clean up efforts have ensued and many volunteers have made their time and resources available.

Unfortunately, last night (Wednesday, June 11^th) a group of Boy Scouts camping in Little Sioux, Iowa were not that lucky. Approximately 93 Boy Scouts, ranging in age from 13 - 18 and 25 staff members were there for a leadership conference. They had arrived Sunday. The boys traveled from Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. My general understanding of events from various news reports and interviews is as follows:

- The Scout camp is an 1,800 acre park. There were very few buildings on the camp and no basements. The two storm shelters on site were not designed to protect from tornadoes.

- The boys were watching the lightening and saw the funnel cloud forming. They ran to their admin building, sounded their siren and rounded up as many boys as possible into one of the other buildings. Some boys were out on hikes and bunkered down as best they could on the trails.

- The ones that made it to the building huddled underneath the tables, as many of them that could fit. There was a large stone fireplace near the center of the room that went from floor to ceiling and apparently toppled on some of the boys, killing four of them.

- The tornado was either an EF2 or a weak EF3. All that is left of the building is the foundation.

The victims have been identified as:

- Josh Fennen, 13, of Omaha

- Sam Thomsen, 13, of Omaha

- Ben Petrzilka, 14, of Omaha

- Aaron Eilerts, 14, of Eagle Grove, IA

My heart is weeping for the families who so needlessly lost a child and to the boys who survived. The unimaginable terror they experienced will never leave them.

The stories of heroism are just beginning to get reported. These are the ones who deserve a "Them-Them"; I wish I had more details and names but it is still so early:

- The leader who saw the funnel cloud and relocated a sick child from the admin building to the main building for better protection

- The 10 year old who grabbed his best friend from his troop (from West Point, NE) and pulled him under the table for safety

- The boys who managed to break free after the storm to rescue the ranger and his family who were trapped in their home

- The hundreds of volunteers from all across the area who rushed to the campsite with tools and supplies as soon as they heard the news, despite the fact that most of the area was still in a tornado warning with serious threats of tornadoes all around the area

- The Salvation Army & Red Cross for being there so fast with so much help and for their continued assistance after the immediate danger has passed.

I am confident that there are hundreds of additional heroic efforts from this incident and the many other recent weather-related incidents that deserve a "Them-Them". The entire area has experienced massive flooding and damage from storms, in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. The Midwest folk in general have a strong sense of community and a strong work ethic and will work together to support each other and rebuild wherever necessary.

We all know kitchens and bathrooms often sell a home - and this kitchen will do it for this house! We just finished a remodel for resale job on this house, kitchens and baths included. Take a look at what a difference we made in the kitchen.

Project Details:

- Removed chandelier over eat-in area of kitchen (they are never in the right place and often take away from the view out the window); added can lights throughout the ceiling spaced 6' apart

- Replaced dated vinyl flooring with stunning 20" x 20" tiles

- Replaced dated and boring laminate countertops with granite (my granite vendor is so inexpensive it doesn't make sense NOT to do granite)

- Replaced dated tile backsplash with new tile to coordinate with new counters and flooring

- Removed very dated table and chairs and rented a modern but neutral glass top set

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Okay, for you Stagers out there that purchase your own furniture inventory, I have a great set for you!

Check out the photos of this two piece sofa set; it can be set up as a sectional or two contemporary, stand alone sofas. The colors are definitely neutral and can be accessorized with different accent pillows to coordinate with any decor. Best of all was the price - only about $1,140.00 for the two!

I purchased this set at Nebraska Furniture Mart for one of my condo models in downtown Omaha, at 902 Dodge Street (I have overseen the development and furnishing of 4 models at this project).

This Saturday's "Real Estate Reality Hour" will focus on Staging, remodelling and updating tips for homeowners. Important information will be discussed for owners selling their home this year or several years down the road (after all, every home gets sold eventually!).

Topics will include lighting, flooring, countertops, cabinets, paint colors and more. Quick and inexpensive tips will be discussed for each category in addition to forecasts for trends in the next couple of years. General guidelines for what finishes buyers expect in the different price ranges will also be discussed.

Hosted by Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, LLC.

Guests include Lance Hiatt from Eurowood Cabinets and Shari Thomas from CBSHome.

If you are outside of the Omaha Metro, listen live at www.1290kkar.com.

The "Real Estate Reality Hour" is on every Saturday at 9am (CST), 1290 KKAR. Regularly hosted by Steve Smithberg of Homes By Design One and Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, LLC

Okay, so I am a professional Home Stager and NOT a financial wiz :-) However, I learned something very interesting last week at a presentation that is ANOTHER striking financial reason to price right and stage a home before it's listed on the market. I do not have all of the technical terms down but I will do my best to quickly and accurately explain what I know.

In response to our nationwide increase in housing foreclosures and other related economic injuries, the mortgage industry is tightening their lending practices (some voluntarily, some federally mandated). As a result, if a home is flagged as being in a "declining market", buyers with conventional loans may be required to put an ADDITIONAL 5% DOWN TO BUY THAT HOME! This does not apply to FHA or VA loans.

Here in Omaha there are several zip codes that have been placed on a list and said to be a declining market. Homes in these zip codes that have been on the market for 6 months or longer would fall into this category and could require an additional 5% down payment.

I do not know which zip codes are on the list or what the criteria is to determine a declining market; I believe appraisers have an affect on that.

But I DO know that Home Staging - especially when combined with an appropriate pricing strategy - can reduce the days on market and therefore help sellers avoid getting lumped into this category.

Agents - I would ask your favorite lender about this and use this as a tool to get accurate pricing agreements from your sellers and encourage or provide them with Home Staging Services; your sellers can't afford NOT to stage their homes and be real on price.

Stagers - I would ask your favorite lender about this to learn more about your area of the country and perhaps you can help educate your agents about this; just another reason to stage your listings!

Even though smoking is no where near as "chic" as it used to be, there are still some die hard smokers who eventually decide to sell their home. Their addiction to smoking then becomes an agent's problem as homes with lingering cigarette odors are much harder to sell than clean smelling listings.

There are several steps that home owners can take to eliminate the overwhelming odor. They are listed below.

1. Repaint all offending rooms, possibly the entire interior, depending on where the sellers smoked. Don't overlook the ceilings as they can be dingy, yellowed, and also contribute to the lingering odor.

2. Fabrics especially hold onto the smoke particles and contribute to the odor. Remove fabrics where possible (such as drapes, bedding, and throw rugs) or have them professionally steam cleaned. Definitely get the carpets professionally steam cleaned - hopefully they won't be so bad that they need to be replaced.

3. Replace the furnace filter; sounds easy and cheap but many people overlook this small way to positively affect air quality throughout the home.

4. Air out as much as possible; keep windows open or run a whole house fan after addressing the areas listed above.

Most importantly - make sure that the sellers stop smoking in the house when they go on the market!!! There are too many homes for sale WITHOUT smoke odors for buyers to choose from.

There are companies that advertise devices and services to eliminate the smell, but I have heard that they are costly and don't always work.

Okay, so I am a professional Home Stager and NOT a financial wiz :-) However, I learned something very interesting this week at a presentation that is ANOTHER striking financial reason to stage a home before it's listed on the market. I do not have all of the technical terms down but I will do my best to quickly and accurately explain what I know.

In response to our nationwide increase in housing foreclosures and other related economic injuries, the mortgage industry is tightening their lending practices (some voluntarily, some federally mandated). As a result, if a home is flagged as being in a "declining market", buyers with conventional loans may be required to put an ADDITIONAL 5% DOWN TO BUY THAT HOME! This does not apply to FHA or VA loans.

Here in Omaha there are several zip codes that have been placed on a list and said to be a declining market. Homes in these zip codes that have been on the market for 6 months or longer would fall into this category and could require an additional 5% down payment.

I do not know which zip codes are on the list or what the criteria is to determine a declining market; I believe appraisers have an affect on that.

But I DO know that Home Staging - especially when combined with an appropriate pricing strategy - can reduce the days on market and therefore help sellers avoid getting lumped into this category.

Stagers - I would ask your favorite lender about this to learn more about your area of the country and perhaps you can help educate your agents about this; just another reason to stage your listings!

Agents - I would ask your favorite lender about this and use this as a tool to get accurate pricing agreements from your sellers and encourage or provide them with Home Staging Services; your sellers can't afford NOT to stage their homes and be real on price.

Okay, I have to admit that I was slightly wrong in a blog I posted last week. I really HATE to admit when I am wrong :-)

Last week I discredited the theory of painting over wallpaper as a quick fix. I have seen the end result in person several times and it always looked terrible - seams were obvious, the pattern of the wallpaper showed through no matter how dark the paint was, etc.

TODAY I stand corrected! I was staging a home and the owner told me she had painted over wallpaper in the kitchen and I didn't believe her. She had to point out two areas where I could sort of make out a seam, but only because I was examining the wall and looking for it.

What is the secret you may ask? Joint compound smoothed over the seams and a gentle sanding over the paper to minimize the sheen and pattern. Then seal the paper with an oil based primer and then you are free to cover with latex paint. She said that Lowes or Home Depot even has an odor free oil based primer now (she didn't remember the specifics, but worth asking about).

So there you have it! Perhaps a meticulous painter who has some handy-person skills can successfully take on this project and have a great result. I would still be hesistant to recommend this to every do-it-yourselfer; some of us are just sloppy no matter how hard we try.

In our incredibly busy world today it is enticing to take the "easy way out" whenever one is available. So many of us are overstretched with regard to time, money and energy in our daily lives; add the stresses of selling a home on top of that and it can seem impossible to make the necessary changes/repairs/upgrades to get a home ready for market.

Wallpaper can kill a potential sale (so can bold paint colors, but that's another blog :-). Everybody knows that but most homeowners don't want to admit it. After all, they bought the house with wallpaper. Or they put up the wallpaper and just loved(d) it. Either way when I recommend as a home stager that the wallpaper COME DOWN, sellers seem to heave a huge sigh. They think of the time and energy involved in the project and start wondering if there are any tricks of the trade that might ease their pain.

One popular suggestion is to paint OVER THE WALLPAPER instead of removing it. I have talked to professional painters who say that it is possible to do this as long as the wallpaper is first sealed with oil-based primer (doesn't that sounds easy to remove down the road) and then latex paint can be used on top of that.

I am here to say that I have seen the result of this several times and it is NOT a good idea. Inevitably there are visible seams and the faint hint of a pattern underneath the paint, regardless of how dark the paint color is. Once the primer and paint have been applied, removing wallpaper is no longer an option - but removing and replacing drywall is.

I know that if I was a buyer I WOULD NOT BUY A HOUSE where paint had been applied over wallpaper knowing full well how much time and money it will cost to replace the drywall. Or else I would ask the seller to do it or reduce my offering price by however much this repair would cost me. Can you imagine how much time and money would have been saved in just properly removing the wallpaper in the first place?

Short cuts are not always the best answer. This is case in point why it pays for sellers to have a reputable real estate team/home stager for advisement when prepping and selling a home.

Typically the golden rule of Home Staging is to go neutral. Neutral paint, flooring, furniture, etc. This works most of the time but is not always the best strategy. Awhile back I received a call from a frustrated builder with a beautiful new construction home for sale on a newer lake development. The home was well done, nice and neutral finishes throughout. Neutral, neutral, neutral! One of the biggest attractions for this home was lake living but it was difficult for buyers to look past the sea of tan and builder beige to even notice the lake.

We decided to stage the entire main level and I made a bold move when selecting rental furniture. I went BlUE!! Blue is one of my least favorite colors when it comes to interiors, furniture and accessories (gag, gag, gag). However, I felt the blue sofa set would highlight the view of the lake from the living room and entry. I was a little nervous before install but lo and behold my daring choice was a huge success.

This home had been vacant and on the market for a full year. After I staged the main level, the home sold in three weeks. Three weeks!! Can you imagine how happy that builder was to finally have a buyer for this listing? And as usual, Home Staging fees were less than a price reduction would have been.

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