It’s easy for home sellers to be unable to see the impact that their home decorating style may have on potential buyers. Home sellers often are wearing rose colored glasses when they assume home buyers will fall in love with their decorating style. And absent a home staging consultation, many home sellers do not even recognize their personal fingerprint throughout a home.

Such was the story with a Middleton WI (the good neighbor city) home that had an unsuccessful Spring selling season and now opted for an home staging consultation. At my initial home staging consultations I often show pictures of the rooms of my home as I recognized many some home sellers feel as if their home decorating style is on trial. I personally love bold colored walls and I have objects that reflect my personal decorating style as this is how I need to live in my space. But as I explain during my consultations, "this home stager is not currently selling her home." When selling your home it’s all about presenting how the general public can live in the space; not how you live in the space.

BEFORE

While this particular home seller’s chose to accentuate the dusty rose tweed in the sofa and loveseat, I chose to work with the other furniture’s other colors. To appeal to more buyers, it was necessary to move away from the dusty rose color that dominated the room.

AFTER

And while the sellers chose to pass on the recommendation to paint the walls, infusing color and warmth into the room was pulled from the artwork, window treatments and accessories that were rented from my home staging inventory. A large mirror was recovered from the attic and given a new home. Finally, furniture was repositioned to allow the buyers to focus on the fireplace upon entry into the home. Placement of twigs was included to draw the eye upward in emphasizing the open floor plan.

By initiating a home staging consultation, home sellers are taking the pro-active steps in understanding how to properly present their home to sell. Once the seller’s rose colored glasses came off and the rose valances came down this living room became more marketable to a broader pool of Middleton WI home buyers simply by home staging.

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Today there’s a fair amount of blame going around about why a home is not selling. Too many homes competing for the buyer’s attention, short sales, foreclosures, poor job outlook, home loan lending requirements and record low prices for brand new homes just to name a few. These all garner points in the Home Selling Blame Game and are beyond a home seller’s ability to control. But home sellers can control the points they accumulate in the Home Selling Blame Game by using all available resources, including home staging, when selling a home.

So how does the Home Selling Blame Game work?

If you’re selling a home, it goes something like this:

Objection of the Home Sellers Blame Game: Seller scoring the most points wins (NOT REALLY)!

1. Ignore realtor’s advice about setting a realistic listing price when selling a home. As a FSBO, put more weight into what other Madison area homes were sold for years ago when setting the price. Rely on compliments from friends about the how beautiful your home shows when deciding on listing price. Score: 95 points

Additional Points Earned When Setting Price:

* Believe that home maintenance investments will be fully recouped when selling a home. Score: 10 points

* Believe that an outdoor swimming pool in the Madison WI area is an added value in terms of setting your price. Ignored the seven months of the pool’s non-use and the added maintenance costs to buyers when selling a home. Score: 15 points

2. Believe that home staging is not an investment when selling a home. Refuse to investigate the cost of acquiring professional home staging services that are generally less than 1% of the listing price.

Discount the home staging savings of not incurring additional carrying costs such as the HOA, Insurance, Water, Gas when considering the home staging fees. Pay no attention to statistics that an unstaged home typically take 9 months to sell compared to the average 2 month selling time of a staged home. Score: 90 points

3. Opt to show listing of home without hiring a professional stager first. Allowed the Madison WI area MLS photos to reveal a home with excess clutter, repair issues, dated style and furnishings, poor curb appeal and lack of an emotional connection created to draw traffic to the home’s front door. When selling a home ignore statistics that indicate that 87% of home buyers search the internet for their next new home. Score: 85 points

4. Decline the opportunity to receive a home staging consultation by a trained home staging professional when selling a home. Continue to doubt that home stagers’ ideas and recommendations will move your home onto the buyer’s short list. Ignore testimonials from others that used a home stager in successfully marketing their home or the referral advice of your realtor. Score: 80 points

Home sellers have the ability to control how many extra points they rack up in the Home Selling Blame Game. It’s a game where a high score won’t earn you a sparkling trophy or a fancy new car but rather a home that lingers on the market. Being a sharp and guarded Home Selling Blame Game player means all the difference in selling a home in today's market. Take control of this game that involves one of your largest assets. Include home staging and set yourself apart from the other high scoring Home Selling Blame Game players.

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Contact Creative Edge Staging Solutions today and give yourself the competitive advantage you need to sell your home.

608-219-0532

carol@creativeedgestagings.com

Home Staging Resource (HSR) Certified and proud member of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). Visit my testimonial page to read what others are saying about the work done by my company.

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www.creativeedgestagings.com

The Google Street View Vehicle has rolled into Madison WI and it’s already been spotted near Stoughton Road and East Washington Avenue. It’s reported that faces and license plates are blurred by the camera but FOR SALE signs may remain visible. These street shots will live on for years. Front yard FOR SALE signs will be constant reminders on whether home sellers but their best foot forward to effectively market their home by implementing Madison WI curb appeal.

Professional home stagers know that curb appeal is an important part of the home selling equation. By incorporating Madison WI curb appeal strategies, home sellers will get buyers interested enough to step through the front door. Showcasing the home’s front view includes:

House – Give buyers the impression of a home that has been well maintained that includes a clean exterior. Power washing exterior siding, cleaning and repairing gutters, cleaning windows and removing cobwebs are part of the sellers’ obligations in providing Madison WI curb appeal.

Driveways – Repair cracks in concrete driveway and get rid of oil stains. Eliminate weeds that raise their nasty faces in the cracks of paved driveways. Gravel driveways should be rerocked if necessary for a fresh appearance.

Front Yard – Madison WI curb appeal means trimming bushes and trees that showcase a well maintained exterior appearance. The walkway to the front door should be clear of low hanging branches that make it difficult to get to your front door. Grab those hedge clippers and give balance and proportion to the bushes. Fences should be painted or stained and in good shape. Running the yard sprinklers may be costly but will provide a lush lawn to take in versus a crispy, dried-out lawn.

Front Entrance – Welcome home buyers with vibrant colored flowers amidst fresh bark. Now is not the time to have plastic pointetta’s lining the walkway or too much yard art that is overly reflective of the home sellers style. Front porches are where Madison WI curb appeal begins by creating a sitting area appealing to a broad pool of buyers. Power-wash or paint to give a fresh look and eliminate all dirt, moss, mildew and grime from the porch. Front porch furnishings should be cleaned or freshly painted and never overly abundant. Eliminating clutter begins at the front entrance and continues throughout the home.

Front Door – Here’s the chance to let buyers feel the joy of entering their new home. Make sure the door is clean, freshly painted or stained. Choose the correct paint or stain that beckons buyers into the home and compliments the exterior of the home. Don’t forget to clean and update door handles and door strip. Check the lightening by the entrance; if it’s dated considering replacing or painting.

Home sellers have the competitive edge when recognizing that home staging begins on the outside and continues inward through the front door. As the Google Street View Vehicle rolls out of town, Madison WI curb appeal will live on for years on Google’s street maps. For home sellers: don’t let that FOR SALE sign be a constant in your front yard. Include professional home staging in your home selling strategy to ensure that Google Street View Vehicle won’t shoot your same FOR SALE sign next time it comes to town.

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Contact Creative Edge Staging Solutions today and give yourself the competitive advantage you need to sell your home.

608-219-0532

carol@creativeedgestagings.com

Home Staging Resource (HSR) Certified and proud member of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). Visit my testimonial page to read what others are saying about the work done by my company.

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www.creativeedgestagings.com

When the doorbell rang and I was greeted by the Georges Flowers’ delivery man I was so surprised. The beautiful bouquet followed on the heels of a full day home staging job that took a ho-hum home and transformed it into a home that will showed so much better on the MLS, and for Open Houses and showings.

And while these the sellers showed their gratitude to this Madison WI home stager with bright colored petals, I too was grateful that they followed through on the owner’s obligations discussed in the home consultation report prior to our scheduled hands-on staging day.

I apply the Home Staging Resource’s “F-E-E-L H-O-M-E” strategy during each home staging consultation. The “O” of this strategy represents the Owner’s Obligation in preparing the home for the scheduled staging day. The “M” of the strategy represents the need to Modernize the room’s furnishings so the rooms don’t have give sellers a dated feeling when viewing the home.

By rolling up their sleeves and taking care of the dirty work in advance of the scheduled staging day these sellers made applying the rest of the “F-E-E-L H-O-M-E” a breeze for this Madison WI home stager.

BEFORE

Yes, I was thankful because these sellers made the necessary changes that included areas such as the Living Room where they applied the “O” and the “M” of the

“F-E-E-L H-O-M-E” strategy.

v Replaced out-dated sofa with a more modern sofa with clean lines.

v Eliminated excess furniture and clutter throughout the living room.

v Thoroughly cleaned windows, baseboards, flooring and ceiling fans.

v Replaced the drapery even though they were custom-made (in the 80’s).

v Painted over the dated brass ceiling fan by apply a brush-brass paint.

v Convinced the children that moving Keepers the Rabbit from out of the living room was a temporary and wise decision.

AFTER

I know receiving George’s Flowers following a home staging job will only happen once in blue moon but it sure made me realize the impact that home stagers can have on a home seller’s life. And for this Madison WI home stager once is good enough!

Contact Creative Edge Staging Solutions today and give yourself the competitive advantage you need to sell your home.

608-219-0532

carol@creativeedgestagings.com

Home Staging Resource (HSR) Certified and proud member of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). Visit my testimonial page to read what others are saying about the work done by my company.

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www.creativeedgestagings.com

With so many homes on the market today, home sellers need to make the most of defining their living space on the MLS for potential buyers. As buyers rapidly click through through the MLS photos or tour the home they have to visualize the use of the living space beyond the current use of the buyers. For home sellers there is an understandable struggle for them to see beyond their own perception of how the home's living space can be used. Such was the case with in working with a Waunakee WI home staging project. For this Waunakee WI home staging project it was time to showcase the available living space so that home buyers would have a better idea of how to use the home's lower level space.

Before - The lower level of this 4000 plus square foot home had been remodeled to include ceramic tiled floors, counter and cabinetry. The lower level also included a separate family room, office and workshop area. Unfortunately, all that buyers saw when they entered this particular area was a Nordic Track, exercise bike facing an outdoor window (with blinds closed) and plants in large crocks.

The area by the counters was void of any furnishings. A door off the side of this living space offered sellers a beautiful outdoor pond and flower garden area.

In setting the scene for this Waunakee WI home staging, I wanted potential buyers to see the offerings of this additional lower level space and the benefits of the counter and cabinetry. The Pier One outdoor patio set was brought indoors in order to give buyers an understanding of how the living space of this lower level could be used.

Who wouldn't enjoy having their morning coffee here and enjoy seeing and hearing the sounds of the great outdoors? Or sitting down with afternoon java and reading gardening books before tending to the jewels that made their outdoor garden so beautiful.

When selling a home it's so important for seller's to move beyond their current room functions and define a living space that accentuates all the positives that a space can offer to the future home owners. By bringing in a professional home stager for this Waunakee WI home staging, these sellers now offered home buyers a glimpse into the "good life" that came with owning this home.

Contact Creative Edge Staging Solutions today and give yourself the competitive advantage you need to sell your home.

608-219-0532

carol@creativeedgestagings.com

Home Staging Resource (HSR) Certified and proud member of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). Visit my testimonial page to read what others are saying about the work done by my company.

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www.creativeedgestagings.com