Two things you can do to help you see Your House as others will see it:
#2 Get Ready to See your House through the Eyes of a Buyer.
We live in our HOME; we sell a house. Before you can Stage your Home, you'll need to see it as others see it. All of us have a certain comfort level in our homes. At the end of the day, it's where we look forward to going; it's where we can kick off our shoes and leave our worries and hassles of the day at the front door. We make it our haven; our HOME. We spent hours choosing that perfect shade of Periwinkle for our bedroom; we had a custom mural done for our child's room. But we're all different and what works for you; how you live in your home may not work for others. 
1. Begin by taking pictures of your house. Start at the curb and take a picture of the front of the house; think of the view your buyer will see when they drive by. Next stop, your front door. Take a snapshot there of the first thing your buyer sees as they approach your house. Now, as soon as you enter, take another photo. You'll want to do this for every room in your house. Let your camera be the eyes of your Buyer. Stand at each door and take a picture from there- that's the first view your buyer will see. If it's a larger room, take shots from different angles. Open your closets, too! Why? Because believe me, your Buyers will. Next stop, your back deck, yard, or patio area, and don't forget the garage.
Once you've taken your shots, download them to your computer. If you need help with this, get your child, neighbor, friend, whomever to show you how. (it's easy!)
You're probably asking why is taking pictures and placing them on the computer so important? Recent studies have shown that at least 85% of Buyers will begin their search for a home on the Internet. If your house doesn't "show well" in photos placed on the MLS or other marketing instruments your Realtor will use, then it may not make it on a Buyers "Must See" list. Looking at your house through a camera lens gives it a different perspective.
Which picture appeals to you:
The photo on the left shows a comfortable, lived in family room; on the right we see much the same but because we've removed the clutter our eyes can now focus on the space available and the great views that can be seen from the windows. There's even a large bookcase at the end of the room that was hidden before.
2. Bribe a friend, relative, or neighbor with cookies, a cake, dinner, whatever and beg them to give you their honest opinion about your house. Show them the photos you took. (You thought you'd skip step #1 and just move on to step #2 didn't you?) Have them view your house as if they were considering buying it. Tell them this may be their one chance to tell you how much they've always disliked the windmill in your dining room . ( I really did have a client with a windmill in her dining room!) Remember the first step in this Series, start viewing your house as a Product to be merchandised. You have to be objective in this step.
REMEMBER:
1. BEGIN TO THINK OF YOUR HOME AS A PRODUCT TO BE MARKETED.
2. START TO SEE THIS "PRODUCT" AS YOUR BUYER WILL SEE IT
#1 Start thinking of your home as a Product to be marketed.
As a Home Stager in Palm Beach County I've noticed that more and more my clients are coming to me directly from the Internet and before they've listed their home. These are savvy homeowners who know that in today's market to get their home sold it will take more than just a fresh coat of paint and a good cleaning (although that's a good start). It is important that your house/product is ready to sell before the first Brokers Open House where your Realtor will introduce your new listing to other Realtors. Yes, you can always make changes after the fact and I know the natural tendency is to hurry up and get it listed but if it's not ready to be viewed, then you will be wasting a valuable opportunity to show off your house in its best light. I know this is a cliche but you have One Chance to make a good first impression. And with Realtors working harder and harder, it is not easy (or even impossible) to get them to pay a return "visit" to your house if they weren't impressed the first time. You need to make the most of every showing.
Before you put that For Sale sign in your front yard, you need to change how you view where you live. Whether you're in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach or anywhere else, the moment you put up the For Sale sign you must now think of your home as a product to be marketed. Yes, it is where your children grew up; where you've spent countless Sunday's in the backyard at the grill; or where you have lived for twenty years, however to the buyer's eye it is none of these. It is a product that is competing with countless others out there.
The next time you go shopping think about what you buy. What brings your eyes to that product? Why that particular shelf or rack? Trust me it's not because it's covered in dust or in a worn brown box. In fact, your eyes will typically travel to the product that sits on a shelf that's at eye level; it's easy to see. It may be in a well known or recognizable package. One with which you're familiar; or it may be in a new or redesigned package with colors and graphics that are meant to appeal to everyone.
The leopard wall that you put countless hours in painting and getting it just right will not get your house on the Top Shelf in the "House For Sale" Store! Yes, you've had many compliments from your friends. And, you love it! But, the product you are marketing needs to appeal to a broad range of buyers. Yes, it could be that the next buyer that walks in the door loves anything with animal print but you don't know that. Neither will your Realtor. What will happen is your buyer will walk in and focus on the wall and how much it will cost them to paint it. They may even wonder about who painted it. What they won't be focused on is whether they can see themselves in this property and if it will be a consideration in their search.
So, grab a pen and make notes because this series will show you what you need to do make your home more marketable and maximize your investment. Your home is now a HOUSE. Our next step will be to see how others see it.
Of course, for those of you who would like some help, Room Service! Home Staging is always available for Home Staging Consultations or Team Staging Projects of Occupied or Vacant Properties.
ROOM SERVICE ! HOME STAGING
561-914-6224
www.MrsHomeStaging.com
Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
Removing Pet Urine Odors from your Oriental Carpets couldn't get any easier in Palm Beach County! How could you not like a company with the name Pet Pee Pee? The Pet Pee Pee system, a unique process developed by D. Martin (Martin to everyone he meets) is guaranteed to remove odors from our beloved pet's accidents!
Not your ordinary carpet cleaning company, Pet Pee Peespecializes in removing urine odor from carpets, draperies, furniture, mattresses and flooring in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County. The products they use, all natural minerals, are pet and environmentally friendly; NO detergents, deodorizers or hot steam. It is here in the 4000 square foot warehouse where large Oriental rugs and other items are brought in for treatment. There is also a portable machine for use when items cannot be easily removed from the home.
Keenly aware of the value and delicate nature of Oriental rugs, Pet Pee Pee also has technicians trained to seek out and restore the threading of these rugs. They sell their own mineral products for use on smaller pet stains in the home.
Martin has been joined in the business by his daughter, Arbel, a recent Florida State University marketing graduate. With her addition, Martin is now free to devote a little more time to his real passion, Wildlife Photography. Early mornings, often before sunrise, he can be found at Green Cay photographing baby Moorhens, beautiful soaring Great Blue Herons and snowy white Egrets. To see some of his art, log in to the Gallery section of Pet PeePee's website!.
PET PEE PEE
4100 NORTH POWERLINE ROAD SUITE H-1
POMPANO BEACH, FL 33073
800-713-3692
You may not be planning to sell your home just yet, but would like to bring the WOW factor back into it. Room Service! Home Staging provides a service that is tailor made for your needs. Using your existing furniture and accessories, or adding to what you already have, we offer a BUDGET FRIENDLY way to fall back in love with your home.
RePurpose ReArrange ReFine
Room Service! Home Staging
561-914-6224
This Hair Salon in Boca Raton is more than a place of Beauty, its a place where friends gather. When you move back to a city, one of your first priorities , besides finding a painless dentist, is to find a good Hairdresser. It was luck that I found the Paul Ferraro Salon in East Boca.
Paul doesn't operate your typical Salon, especially a typical Boca Raton Beauty Salon. There is no pink assault to the senses and you don't have to get dressed up for an appointment. Serving East Boca for over 25 years, his salon is relaxed and if you don't know who's sitting in the next station, you soon will. He is always introducing one client to another; seeing if they might network for business purposes. Once, 2 other ladies and myself, all in the same age bracket (hey, I'm not giving it away here!) struck up a conversation and we began singing songs popular when we were in high school. One had so much fun, she stayed long after her appointment just to "hang out".
JUNE and PAUL
Paul offers precision cuts, color and perms . But there's more: Lumiere Light Therapy, hard to find skin care products and enviro-friendly hair products. Towards the back is a "Guess Who" wall of autographed photos famous celeb clients, some local, others known nationwide. Paul's not a name dropper, so if you want to know who they are, you'll have to take a few minutes to read the wall.
If you want more than just a place for a cut & color, head to Paul's on Federal Hwy in East Boca Raton.
Paul Ferraro Hair Salon
2831 North Federal Highway
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
561-392-7285
www.ferrarosalon.com
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An Accredited Staging Professional offering Staging Consultations, Team Staging, ReDesign, Home Readiness Service Teams and eStaging.
Room Service! Home Staging's goal is to help each seller maximize their homes "sale-ability" by showcasing its best features. I'll do one room or the whole house. . . your choice; always trying to incorporate as much of my client's own furniture and accessories as I can. Or, in the case of the unfurnished/vacant home, I can coordinate the selection and placement of furnishings to set the mood for the Buyer. I view my role in working with Real Estate Agents as a marketing resource for them as well as their associate in getting their listing sold quickly and for top dollar.
For the homeowner not ready to sell but wanting to put the "wow' back into their home, I work with them in Re-Design, often using most of the owners' own furnishings, re-purposing and re-positioning what they already have.
Getting a house ready to sell isn't just about moving sofas and packing up pictures. With more and more foreclosures and distressed properties on the market and with people being pulled in many different directions, our Home Readiness Service can also coordinate any repairs, inside and out.
South Florida is my Home Stage, but I have worked in Virginia as well as Texas and Kansas. And, in this internet age, my alter ego, eStaging online, can accomodate those with little time and a need to get the job done.
For more information please see me at Room Service!HomeStaging.
I am a tranplanted Texan living in Florida and love what I do. My training was in Virginia under the tutelage of Barbara Schwarz, the creator of Home Staging and the StagedHomes.com website. My memories of playing with dolls was spending hours building houses for them using whatever was at hand; creating for them a space that would befit a BARBIE or Chatty Cathy. I'm still in that mode, attempting to utilize exising objects and furnishings to create or enhance my clients' home; whether it be getting it ready to sell or turning it into the haven they call home.
"I did not know what staging meant, until Kathy staged our house. It made our house more presentable and open. We liked the way it looks now and we would like to maintain it that way, until the house is sold.I would very strongly recommend all sellers to stage their house."
Raj
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