Marie Graham Clever Preparer of Properties

What's New In My Staging Kit This Week

We know that buyers typically know in less than a minute if a property is going to be on their short list or not.

And here in Westchester, there have been anywhere from 41 to 65 newly listed single-family homes each day this week. That's a lot of homes to sort through and preview, for both agents and buyers.

Not 'new', but really forgotten, or ignored; this week I want to share something with you that will add shine to your listing photos, and boost both quality and quantity of traffic at your Open Houses this weekend.

That will set the tone as they drive up.

That will elevate buyers moods, and more importantly embed this property firmly in their mind.

That will cost you $30.00, maybe less.

Are you ready??

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YELLOW. PANSIES.

Really.

Forget the insipid bunch of mixed flowers on the kitchen counter.

Little things can stand out in the eyes of a buyer. Finding fresh, memorable and reasonable ways to grab their attention and engage them is one of the refreshed home's specialties.

Here in the NE, most of us crave the change of seasons. Even though it's been a very mild winter, this week, it's all about yellow pansies.

Yellow is the color of change and optimism.

It also has fabulous visibility, especially in the brown, bare landscapes every other house has.

Pansies are happy, vibrant, resilient flowers-they survive snow!

Place a few in a pot where you want buyers' eyes to linger, like on a deck, to encourage thoughts of summer BBQs.

Frame the front door, or walkway; a few in a pot at the edge of the driveway, out by the mailbox or plant them in a bowl on the kitchen table.

Be the first house on the block to have these spring beauties out, you won't be disappointed.

Word Of The Week: RE-CALIBRATE

I love the power of the right word. This series came about because time and time again I noticed how well the 'right' word conveyed an economy of thought, while saving your from a bunch of wrong, and mediocre words.

People seemed to 'hear' things differently-BETTER! It also clarifies and elevates things in my own mind.

The Word Of The Week is RE-CALIBRATE. From the verb CALIBRATE, it's a powerful, and extraordinarily scientific word. It's goal is PRECISION and ACCURACY. It is MEASURED and SPECIFIC; there is nothing casual or fleeting about it.

One web definition is 'to make fine adjustments', another is ' the act of checking or adjusting the accuracy of a measuring instrument'. My favorite-and most compelling is ' adjust (experimental results) to take external factors** into account or to allow comparison with other data'.

CALIBRATING involves HONEST APPRAISAL, then A GOAL. It looks at and evaluates all the elements, conscious that their WORKING TOGETHER, each at their peak, is critical to the SUCCESS of the whole.

All in all, you are acknowledging the need for change, and the desire to be the best. It is about moving forward, towards something bigger and better. By extension, RE-CALIBRATE means you are doing it again; it also signals your commitment to it being part of your long-term plan.

Usually there is a time-out involved. In the late 70's and through a good part of the 80's, the GM plant here in Tarrytown New York was pretty much round-the-clock, save for the occasional...well, they called it re-tooling. Things wore out. Changes and improvements were implemented to keep up with market demand and expectations. See where I'm going here?

Our brains are the new assembly lines.

My brain is the most valuable commodity I have access to. My business is not 'small'. My thought process needs to be every bit as precise, even mechanical as that assembly line.

Success in these times-for both my clients and my business-depend on the components of my business being just as finely attuned to each other as any well-made, manufactured, tangible product.

In the last few months, as the refreshed home entered it's fifth year, I became increasingly enamored of this word. Encouraged by feedback and results, I am making changes to take me to the next level...everything from a new business vehicle to marketing and website improvements.

I remind myself, as well as my clients that re-visiting, and further defining/refining is always uncharted territory, it can feel vague and uncertain.

Factor in the afore-mentioned **external factors of this market, and OHYES, you've got real stomach-acid potential. BUT-with RE-CALIBRATION on our side, be reassured it is part of the process, and we will all be better for it.

Word Of The Week: SWOON

Recently, the Words Of The Week have been principled, substantial words: Advocate, Ungapatchka, Trust, Ask, Engage...(click here to see them all) it's time to mix it up, and have some smiles, so this weeks' word is SWOON.

SWOON is fun to say. Try it in a normal tone, with a straight face. OK, now try it again. See what I mean? Can't say it without engaging your whole face. Sometimes other parts, too. Sounds better that way.

The original meaning really surprised me: in the 13th century it was to faint, to lose consciousness; or to enter into a state of hysteria, or ecstatic rapture.

Back then, intense religion, superstitions, or things like bad living conditions, including poorly ventilated structures, voluminous and restrictive clothing of the time may have all had a hand in nudging excitement and emotion across the line to lightheaded-ness, and collapse. Imagine, what if a couple of too-tight corsets and some bad cod was really what got the ball rolling in Salem MA!

Today SWOON has a positive connotation. It's demonstrative and emotional. A few steps beyond being happy, but not so over the top that you scare children.

Yes. A short burst of no strings attached, unconditionally HAPPY and EXCITED that leaves suspicion and cynicism at the door. For the moment, a SWOONER is totally engaged in being happy.

SWOONING makes you feel good. It's also fun to watch a SWOONER; and best of all is to be SWOONED-UPON, or SWOONED-ABOUT. Maybe that should be the refreshed home's new tag line, Prepare to Swoon? Or how about Inspiring Swooning in Westchester and Fairfield counties since 1981?

I love how Google images puts current culture perspective on things. Search for SWOON and top of the page you get a Brooklyn street artist, a serious Kate Spade pump, various baked goods and lots of Twilight characters.

In design, you do your best to read the client. Taste is so subjective, but it is your job is to come up with something unexpected, that they will immediately love. HA! Think about that, almost as hard to do as saying SWOON with a straight face! But it happens, and don't we all love that??

On this magnificent, light-filled February day, what is SWOON-WORTHY in your life?

OK! You are finally able to make plans to change and improve some part of your home. You have several areas you want to address, but with all the HGTV buzzwords, what-WHO?-are you actually looking for?

There is so much overlap in public perception, the first step would be to start a conversation with a likely candidate. Here' s what I'd want to find out next:

2. Are they adaptable? Is the skill set and range of experience wide enough that as a project develops they can stay with you, or, if it makes a seismic leap, do they have a network they can refer you to?

Professionally I was first trained as a Decorator, then as a Stager. I've worked in Westchester and Fairfield county homes since 1981, and there is little that I haven't seen.

the refreshed home is at its core, an information and service firm. Part of the business model was to learn as much as I could about almost anything structure-related: product, systems, technique, construction, you name it.

NOT to do it, but the more I know and understand, the better I can be at what I do best: come up with feasible solutions, work seamlessly with any trades, and be a better advocate for my client. In recent years I've:

• Taken a home-building course in the woods of MA
• Audited numerous real estate CE classes
• Attend a wide range of trade shows
• Taken AIA and ASID CE classes on a regular basis.

I also belong to a BNI group that is 85% trades. Unlike any of the other 35 groups in Westchester County, every week I hear two dozen tidbits of info on topics like why paint fails, how to restore tubs and tile, and why you want to insist your sofa in storage be stored horizontally, on padded racks.

Several weeks ago I was in a large and beautiful home that had been purchased as a short sale, I was there to help the new owners re-calibrate the house to their family and lifestyle. The original owners had spared no expense in decorating this home. Both speculative financial professionals, they over-extended themselves, and literally had to abandon the house. VERY unfortunately it was during the winter, and unattended, pipes froze and broke.

Walking through with the new owner, the shower in one sons' bedroom had a musty smell and a persistent mildew issue which she attributed to the grout needing to be steam-cleaned. But conversation revealed one of the pipes that broke was in the wall behind the shower...and the son had asthma that had gotten worse, yes, since they lived there.

Because I know one of the best mold remediators around, I knew the questions to ask, and turns out there were some mold issues behind the tiles, as well as some funky things growing in the air ducts. Both of which have since been remedied, and everyone in the house is breathing better.

NEXT: Do they play nice?

2011 was a tough year if you needed to sell your Westchester County condo. According to WPAR stats, annual number of sales were down by almost 11% in 2010 (from 937 sold in 2010 to 835 sold in 2011); and by nearly 17% since 2008, where 1005 condos in Westchester got sold.

Many seemed to be resigned to having to stay put; year-end also found inventory to be it's lowest in years, 705 active listings, down from 795 in 2010.

But what if you really really want to sell?

Last year I was brought into a property here in White Plains that had a lot going for it, condo-wise. Very convenient, but uber-private. Great light, generous space, and all the important amenities.

The owner was an exuberant sort, loving life, and had traveled much of the world in order to embrace it first-hand. But he also brought a lot of it back with him.

His love of family and friends only slightly eclipsed his wanderlust, so the walls were filled with beautiful original artwork, and photos of those near and dear.

The walls were shockingly bright, and bore great testimony to these passions, but did little to enhance the key selling points: space, great natural light, and the fireplace. As referenced below, he was NOT PLEASED at my recommendations-pack art, repaint, move some furniture... but he wanted to move into his new place more than he wanted to be right, so that's how it went. Here are some of the B&As:

Got this email today...not sure yet which is my favorite part...(visualize mischevious grin)

Hi Marie-Don closed yesterday!

He said he had to admit, you were right about all you said (though he didn't like it),

but the truth is, we did get his place into contract in about 2 months!

All the best, Sally

If you have a property that no one is looking at, or making offers on, there is a reason.

Talk to me now, I do remote consults via phone, email and COMING SOON Skype.

Let's get that property sold so we can all get on with our lives!!