Kate Case ~ Kate's Home Staging ~ RESA ~ ASHSR ~ NJ NAR Affiliate

With home prices being at their lowest level in eight year and the foreclosure mess appearing to take longer than anyone expected to rebound, who is actually purchasing a home in this market?

Well, HGTV will have you believe that every potential home buyer wants a home that is perfect and "move-in" ready. HGTV will also have you believe that you can transform a severely decrepit home in two days for under $2,000. Well, HGTV is not completely wrong but preparing and marketing a home does take a bit more work.

According to the National Association of Realtor's Profile of Home Buyers and Seller (2009), the typical first-time home buyer was just 30 years old with a medium income of $61,6000. First time buyers comprised a 47% of the home sales in 2009. The typical repeat buyer was 48 years old with a salary of $88,000.

New home purchases were at the lowest level in eight years. The typical home purchase was 1,800 square feet in size and is 18 years old. 78% of the homes purchases were single family homes.

The median home prices were also lower than I expected:

- Northeast Region ~ $210,000 median home price

- Midwest Region ~ $158,000 median home price

- South Region ~ $175,000 median home price

- West Region ~ $240,000 median home price

94% of potential home buyers used the Internet to search for a home in 2009. This number seems to be increasing every year. The importance of technology cannot be ignored when marketing a home or marketing to a potential home buyer.

With the average first time home buyer being 30 years old and very technology savvy, this may also explain 94% home Internet search numbers. The tax incentives for first time home buyers has had an impact; with the tax incentive being extended until April (and the inclusion of home owners) hopefully more first time home buyers will enter the home ownership arena.

The typical home sold was almost 20 years old and most likely in need of some upgrades and home staging. I have always heard real estate is a young market, and our target demographic appears to be a 30 year old buyer! Is there anything you would change to better reach your target market?

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign serves Rockland County and Orange County of New York, Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey. We specialize in home staging, vacant home staging, home decorating, interior design, custom wood signs, virtual shows, semi-custom window coverings, and color consultations. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com or call 845-538-3623 for more information.

Any professional home stager will tell you that even one piece of art can be a distraction in a home, so what about a six foot Christmas tree?

My motto during the holidays (and for home staging in general) is "KIES." In other words, Keep It Elegant and Simple. Your holiday decorating must be kept simple and nondenominational (no religious items). "KIES"also applies to your front yard. Under no circumstances should you setup a twelve foot nativity scene that spans your entire front yard or a six foot tall Chanukah menorah that lights up at night.

Outside Holiday Decorating Tips:

Using plain white lights on your trees and bushes look very festive and really do not scream any specific holiday. White lights can also help to illuminate your home at night and help potential buyers take a better look at your property. When you are decorating your home while it is on the market, think WINTER not Christmas or Chanukah. A seasonal pine wreath on your front door is another nice touch and smell great when a potential buyer enters your home. Please stay away from the new blow up holiday decorations that require a blower and constant power to look nice; if a potential home buyer drives by your home during the day all they will see are "deflated balloons" all over your front yard! That really does not scream fantastic curb appeal.

Inside Holiday Decorating Tips:

Your inside decorations need to be kept to a minimum. For Christmas, a six foot Christmas tree in the corner of one room with white lights and blue and silver balls is all you should setup. A taller, thin tree is ideally what you should use. Stick to two colors for your Christmas theme, such as blue and silver or even gold and silver. Remember, less is more when your home is on the market.

A few empty presents that are wrapped under the Christmas tree will finish your holiday look. Please only leave your Christmas tree up for about 10 days and it must be down before the New Year.

Vanilla candles with seasonal pine and pine cones are also great for centerpieces on tables and will leave your home smelling fantastic during this Holiday season. Glass jars filled with blue and silver holiday balls also make great centerpieces and you can find everything you need to decorate at the local dollar store.

If you cannot bear the though of not having your holiday religious items out, please buy a large plastic container to have on standby. If you receive a call to show your home during the holiday season, quickly pack away your religious items (e.g., menorahs and nativity sets) and store them out of sight.

Keeping Your Buyer's Comfortable:

New York winters can get pretty cold, so please keep the temperature in your home set between 68-70 degrees.

Please shovel any snow and ice off your walkways and driveways to make it easy for a buyer to get into your front door.

Make sure you have an extra large floor matt so buyers can wipe their feet after they enter your home.

Make sure you leave out both paper towels and tissues since cold winter weather causes noses and eyes to run. When a buyer is walking through your home, everything should be easy.

Please leave your outside lights on after 5:00 pm, if a buyer cannot locate your home how are you going to sell your home?

Final Thoughts:

Some home stagers will disagree and tell the homeowners not to put out one holiday decoration. In my opinion, this is not a realistic goal for a family that has celebrated every previous holiday in a home that they love. By explaining to the homeowner where to place their tree and the time-frame to keep the tree up, most homeowners are very receptive to the idea. Selling a home is a very stressful time in a person's life and having a small Christmas tree up for a week will most likely not delay the sale of their home. An exterior of a home decorated very well with white lights might even attract some additional positive buyer attention.

- Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and interior design. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room. We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey and Rockland County and Orange County of New York, basically the lower Hudson Valley. We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors, a member of RESA, ASHSR.

External curb appeal is very important when you are planning on selling your home. Your yard should appear as if it takes care of itself. Over 85% of potential home buyers are starting their search for a new home on the Internet. After a home buyer looks online they are going to drive by your property and take a look at the external curb appeal.

Here are some home staging tips for the outside of your home:

1. You should be able to see the front door clearly from the street. Please trim any trees or bushes that are blocking the front door.

2. All your trees in the front yard need to be trimmed and fresh mulch needs to be put down in all your planter beds.

3. There should be no weeds growing out of your planter or flower beds, please remove them.

4. Your grass needs to be cut and edged along all the walkways and the driveway.

5. All external lighting fixtures need to be in working order and have the highest wattage bulb installed in them. There needs to be a light left on at night to show the house number and your front door area.

6. All trash, toys, and debris should not be visible from the street. We certainly do not want to turn off any potential buyers in this market.

7. Any fencing needs to be painted or powerwashed, so it will appear clean and new.

8. If the driveway or walkway has any stains, please powerwash them to remove any unsightly stains or spots.

9. During winter months, always clear walkways and the driveway as soon as possible.

10. During summer months, always have planters with flowers on either sides of the front door to frame the door and draw the attantion in from the street.

Good luck with your home sale.

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and redesign. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room. We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey and Rockland County and Orange County of New York, basically the lower Hudson Valley. We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors, a member of RESA, ASHSR.

It all depends on which statistics you read, Home Staging for Dummies claims claims that about half of the potential buyers that tour your home will be pet lovers. Some other home staging books, have said up to 60% of home buyers have an aversion to pets due to simple dislike or a health reason.

In other words, your beloved pet(s) could be turning off up to 50%-60% of the potential home buyer traffic that is filtering through your home. In my opinion, these numbers are pretty high and really need to be considered BEFORE you place your home on the market for sale. To make this post easier, I will only focus on dogs (my favorite pet) but the advice is also good for cat owners.

Here are some tips for pet owners who are selling their homes:

1. Go out and purchase (2) large plastic containers with a lid. It should be large enough to fit all the dogs food and food bowls inside one of them. When there is an open house, one plastic container needs to go into the trunk of your car with the dog items mentioned here. Please do not leave your dog's food bowls out during an open house, a half eaten dog food bowl does not scream sparkling clean home.

2. Replace the dog beds. Throw out the old beds and buy new ones at Walmart for $20. These beds also need to be placed away during the open house inside the second plastic container. This container needs to be stored out of the way. Dog beds need to be washed every week when your home is on the market, this item is a real source of pet odor.

3. The outside yard needs to be cleared of dog toys and leashes. If you have an external dog house, please make sure it is in excellent shape. If it looks horrible and is falling down, please get rid of it. You do not want to send a message to a potential buyer that you did not care enough for your beloved pet, they may start to think about what else is not done or attended to in your home.

4. Use PureAyre Odor Eliminator. This is an all natural odor eliminator that can be purchased at Petco and will not harm your pets or children. This product should be sprayed on any cloth fabric or carpets to remove the pet odors prior to the open house.

5. Invest in an Air Purifier. This will also keep the inside air in your home smelling clean while your home is on the market.

6. Bath your dog more often (if possible). This may also cut down on the pet smell in your home.

7. Invest is a good vacuum with a hepaa filter that is able to pick up all the dog hair. Please make sure you vacuum before every open house. It is especially important that there is no pet hair on furniture, flooring, stairs, or carpets.

8. If the weather permits, air out your home before an open house. Fresh air blowing through a home always makes a home smell fantastic.

9. Have a friend or neighbor perform a house check for pet odor and pet identification items after you complete this list. Another set of eyes is always an excellent idea.

Good Luck with your home sale.

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and redesign. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room. We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey and Rockland County and Orange County of New York, basically the lower Hudson Valley. We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors, a member of RESA, ASHSR.

Even wonder why some homes draw in tons of buyers, while other homes just sit on the market for months, even years? There are several factors that will sell a home in today's difficult market, the price of your home needs to be competitve, your home's location, and your home's appearance (the inside and the outside).

In order to make all your rooms appear large and inviting, all additional furniture and clutter must be removed from every room before you place your home on the market. A potential buyer will even look in your master bedroom closet, bathroom vanity, and kitchen pantry. Everything needs to be organized and anything you have not used in years should be thrown away.

Any dark window drapes or shades need to be removed before you take any pictures to be placed online to try and sell your home. You blinds need to be cleaned and all your windows need to be washed. A dirty window will prevent light from entering the rooms and the rooms can appear dark and uninviting.

You outside landscape needs to be kept up even during the winter months. If it snows, all walkways needs to cleared off immediately and all outside lights should be replaced with the highest wattage that is permitted so your home shines at night. In the Spring and Fall, new mulch should always be applied to any beds to make then pop. Also, when you place your home on the market for sale, always leave a light during the night hours to make sure any potential buyers can see your house number.

The wall colors need to flow from room to room and should compliment each other. When you are selling a home, it is best to stick with more neutral colors (e.g. sage green, light yellow) to appeal to a larger buyer audience.

All your room accessories need to be larger to show up nicely online. One rule most home stagers use when preparing a home for a real estate open house, is not to use any accessories that are smaller than a cantelope. I agree with this rule and apply it as well when staging homes for sale.

All of the above steps need to be done before any digital pictures are taken. Today, over 85% of potential home buyers are searching for a new home on the Internet. Your home's online MLS presence needs to show how great your home really is. Make sure all your pictures are bright and taken from correct angles. If you need help with this ask your Realtor or local home stager. Homes that have 20 or more pictures online tend to generate the most traffic, this is another important fact to consider.

Good luck with your home sale and remember to prepare your home before you take any digital pictures.

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and redesign. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room. We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey and Rockland County and Orange County of New York, basically the lower Hudson Valley. We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors, a member of RESA, ASHSR.