Perched on the side of the Roxiticus Valley, with splendid views, rises this massive 8,100 sq. ft giant man-cave! A 5 BR home designed by 4 men, who joined together to build the kind of house each of them dreamed of.
It is majestic. It is huge. It is kinda dark and definitely splendid.
Juliet Johnson Staging was brought in to "fem up" a few rooms and demonstrate how a family might love to live there. My crew and I loved the home. In fact, of all the homes I've done in the last 7 years, this is my favorite... and oddly the one I think the most livable... of the giants, at any rate. One of my crew took the sales sheet home to a colleague who'd just won the Lottery!
Many more blogs on this to come - here's the preliminary slide show.
For more information, please visit ~ http://www.tourfactory.com/557040 ~ or call Ann Gegelys of Weichert Realtors' - Mendham at 908-812-4392.
A super house in Glen Ridge, NJ that had rich, specific colors freshly painted on beautifully restored walls. Our challenge? Make sense of it for as many potential buyers as possible.
You know the antique furniture guy who hasn't had much business lately? Not surprisingly, it's a tough economy and maybe folks can live without the pair of gorgeous, French bergere chairs (THAT STILL NEED TO BE RE-UPHOLSTERED) for now!
So, there's this builder and he needs furniture 'cos his thing's not selling at that price and he can't afford to fire-sale it (yet) and ... oh why not try it? What have we got to lose?
We-ll. What deal did you make with the guy? Is he set to have a furniture sale every other weekend while you're trying to show the place? Never know who might be interested in the home when all they thought they wanted was a wobbly Victorian settle!
You might want to set aside only certain hours, and make sure the pricing tags are off when regular showings are taking place...or you'll find people are looking at the crazy furniture not the pleasingly renovated house. Or you could spend a few hours of time on your stager ($250 - 350) and have them modify the space a bit:-
Over the course of 5 rooms, it makes some sense, no? But it still looks mismatched, and inexplicably odd. Plus, now the question might be what do these people have about creepy, tufted armchairs?
Here's another example. Here, the antique dealer is a relative of the listing agent:-
What room is this?
It's an office/library. The first room you see when you walk into the home.
This is the formal "away room" (if you read anything by Susan Zuzanka like the Not So Big House) in an enormous new construction in rural Morris county. According to the attractively typed price list, the sofa is actually an 1820s settee with vintage barkcloth fabric, offered at $4,200 and those chairs are a "Pair of 1930s Green Painted Arms Chairs" for $1,100. Wanna close up of that Chess Set...sure? If you get too close to it, it's yours at an investment of only $15,000:-
It's a "Tramp Art Table and Chess Set - executed by Paul M. Cunningham, a member of the Hermitage Artists. Chess pieces are all storage boxes that open!"
Imagine.
Magnificent it is. In a certain horrific, terrible, kind of way. It would most likely looks sensational in the right spot and be great fun. And I'm sure the artist is a highly respeted, hugely talented craftsman. But context, people! Where it is now it junking up a $3 million library and scaring little children.
<sigh>
The first time we tried this - it was in a massive home in Short Hills. We knew we had to accessorize to help, and we teamed up with an art dealer to provide spectacular wall decor of the highest quality.
Here we hit another problem. Now people were looking at the paintings, not the rooms or the house. And we still had this bloody awful, mismatched furniture.
In conconclusion, while I always try to make things work, and do honestly believe there are lots of ways to successfully present a home for sale, this free stuff is actually more trouble than it's worth. It looks bad, and makes the home confusing. Rarely does it get that job done, which let's recap, is to get 2 seperate folks to love the house so that it sells well, fast and with minimal stress on all sides. (Why not 1? Ask any realtor worth their salt and they'll tell you all about looking for a loony needle in a haystack!)
So nut up, folks and spend for proper staging. It works every time!
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Most staging projects wind up with dramatic differences. It's why we all take, and love to look at other people's, Before and After pictures. Here's a project this week - one of 5 homes that had to suddenly be rushed to market this week and next. (mainly for job relos) - where the day I had to photograph was dark... so the staged photos don't look as dramatic as the transformation really was.
A simple house, with a lovely porch, huge deck and nice backyard, this 5 BR is split into 3 floors as a 3 and 2. Narrow, but with lovely high ceilings and period detail. One of those awkward diagonal fireplaces though in the Living Room. How I do hate those!
The real fun for me with these pix is that the homeowners understandably had nowhere else to put a large piece of furniture and so they blocked the window. This had the added benefit of then not needing curtains. But when you go to sell, your windows are one of each room's assets; they need to be shown.
Same with the sink in the Master Bedroom. It may not be terribly useful as is, but it's still an asset. And the more I think about it, the more I realize I should have used it to create a morning kitchen!!
When it's a teardown, does it matter what the home looks like?
My response?
1. Who says it's a "tear down"? Yes, great lot .82 acres in top suburb, with beautiful trees. (for $1,075,000) but a tear down?
2. Is the estate sale imminent? Is the house for sale or the candle sticks?
That turquoise and olive green is a current Crate and Barrel combo. They started it last year and have been running with it. I, even, used it last year, to garner multiple offers!
Mind you, they said this was a tear down, too. And the family living there are very happy, thank you!
What d'you all think?
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Real Estate Marketing for NJ high end homes, priced from $1 -3 million, using home staging and online social media techniques to sell each property fast and well.
A nationally recognizable voice-over actress for The Cartoon Network, Sirius Satellite Radio and ABC Radio, this former Manhattan Realtor, Juliet Johnson, has been a professional home stager in NJ for the last 6 years. While her niche has long been suburban homes in the $1 - 3 million price range, the principles she deploys are similarly effective in every market.
Since moving to the New York Metro area during college and after a stint selling Manhattan's residential real estate, Juliet went on to do live marketing, organizing corporate events, trade shows, in-store promotions and street fairs for 12 years. Growing up as a third generation Real Estate Agent/Investor, Juliet has trained with several of the industry's luminaries, synthesizing and constantly refining those techniques to best illustrate the value of the property. In 2009, Juliet will bring decades of trade information and knowledge to the Staging & Redesign Industry through her new instructor affiliation with First Impressions Home Staging & Interior Redesign.
Classes Offered: 5-day SAR Certification Course, 2-day Realtor training and Web 2.0 (Social Media Marketing) for Real Estate
Juliet has trained with several of the industry's luminaries, synthesizing and constantly refining those techniques to create the appropriate look for high-end homes in New York suburbs of New Jersey. The goal is always to show that each home can support a lifestyle of luxurious simplicity. It is tremendous fun working with sellers and developers, helping them "appreciate" what they've got!
If there's one thing that makes Juliet Johnson different, it is her sense of humor, her positive energy and her ability to make it the whole experience great fun. The British accent doesn't hurt, either.
It's The Nanny meets Designed to Sell meets Mission Organization...a great formula for $ucce$$!
Services offered include:-
Extensive (to the point of expert) experience in:- [I have been in the business long enough whereby homes that I staged once are now back on the market again)
Back in November[2008], during an annual staging convention, I had the pleasure of experiencing first hand Juliet's energetic, enthusiastic and engaging personality! That made me want to join RESA, IF and when Juliet became involved with it. With each meeting I grew more fond of our state president, I found myself looking forward to meeting everyone in our group and especially Juliet who always came prepared and armed with new and empowering ideas for each and everyone of us. Juliet is a great leader as well as a knowledgeable person who you can rely on as a colleague and on a personal level. Her innovative approach led her to create the first Staging Show house back in June, and involved our entire chapter with a high-end new construction. The project was a complete success, primarily thanks to the guidance and direction of Juliet, who helps her colleagues stay organized and on task.
As a colleague of Juliet's, I had the chance of working closely with her on our June Bloom project; she was an absolute pleasure, always professional, and easy to work with. Juliet is an excellent project manager, and makes the whole staging process seem effortless and seamless. If any problem arises, she swiftly finds a solution so that it is just a minor hiccup, rather than a huge road block. As a stager, she has a great European style that accentuates the specific look of any home. In the show house, Juliet staged a suite-style bedroom and creatively transformed it into a teenager's dream room. Her color scheme and choices of modern furniture creating an upscale urban setting that was distinctively unique and chic. I highly recommend Juliet, she is well versed and efficient you are sure to have a pleasant and easy staging experience! Juliet's charismatic sense of humor is something we all looked for and enjoyed, and I guarantee you will as well!
Rima Hamade
July 7, 2009
Hi Juliet, WOW!!! Thank you so much for coming to 10 Garden Ave this morning. Ida is so pleased with the rearrangement of furniture and all of the suggestions. She and I both found you so delightful to work with! Your suggestions are pertinent and right on the money!! Wonderful job! I will recommend you to anyone with a listing! And especially if the home needs some “help”. Thank you!!!! Margie Tompkins, Realtor, Chatham, NJ.
"Juliet was our "Stager 911." She is action-oriented and results focused. Within days, she developed and executed a practical plan to clean up, dress up and position our house for sale. Our house sold in less than 2 weeks and we got just 2% below our asking price. We couldn't have done it without her!" A. Mohl, 15 Winding Way, Short Hills, NJ
"Juliet Johnson's staging services transformed the feel and look of the home providing a light, sophisticated, and practical style. The home showed very well and as a matter of fact went undercontract in a matter of days. Juliet's ability to work with the sellers and her fast turn around was a key to the success of the sale." Robert Northfield, Realtor. Maplewood, NJ.
Juliet was a force of energy in getting this property prepared for sale. She was totally available and flexible to accommodate the seller's schedule. She managed to purge and stage with a smile on her face at all times and was even able to enlist the help of the seller's children. The result was a beautiful home that put its best foot forward. The response to the property has been extremely positive and it should sell very quickly. Wendy Drucker, Burgdorff ERA, Short Hills, NJ on 104 Wellington, SH, which had multiple offers the opening weekend.
My listing at 18 Tree Top Lane is a luxury home and my clients were concerned that the quality of the furnishing reflect adequately the quality of the home. We need not have feared! Juliet furnished the home beautifully with style and grace. Many Realtors congratulated us on the finished result - the house looks terrific and my clients are very pleased. Juliet does a great job and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her. She brings energy and enthusiasm to the task and of course a great sense of style." Janet McKeown, Coldwell Banker, Madison
"The client didn't have time to prepare their home for sale. Calling in Juliet to stage it for them eased that pressure and stress. She is to the point, efficient and brilliant at what she does! The house sold in 3 days, with multiple offers, well over asking. I recommend Juliet's staging services to all of my clients. We always get great results: she can make any house shine!" Saritte Har-El Burgdorff ERA - Short Hills
"Juliet - Estelle and I are now believers! If we hadn't seen it for our own eyes, well, we'd still be sitting on the market. Moving our furniture around and bringing in pieces you said were congruent made a HUGE difference. The rooms looked larger, brighter and way more inviting. No wonder we sold our house the same month you completed. I would have bought it again, too! Money well spent, thank you. " Michael of Maplewood.
"Dear Juliet, Thank you again for all your hard work and the extraordinary results! Your energy, enthusiasm and good taste transformed shambles into an elegant home. We're all impresed, and deeply grateful. Sincerely, Barbara, Karl and Sam."
"Have I told you lately that I love you? All you did was move some rugs around and cover up those revolting sofas. I think. Whatever it was, it worked. We relaunched this weekend and as of Monday we are in contract. Keep it up, girlfriend!" My favorite realtor; I probably owe her money now.
"Thank you, Juliet! Your staging, organization and speed have made it possible for us to get our Short Hills home onto the market. The feedback all around has been really positive. You transformed a house we dearly loved into a serious "WOW" home! You were professional, yet fun to work with. My kids loved everyone on your team, as did we. No wonder we had such great results. Will you come to Europe to stage our next one?" Nita, Short Hills.
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