Stayci Fast, MIRM

Selling your home can be a source of stress even in the best of conditions. Selling your home in New England during the peak, snowy, winter months? Forgetaboutit!

Kids out of school, salt and sand on every surface, boots and coats and shovels and slippery driveways…need I go on?

Just when you get the news that the sun will not be coming out tomorrow, a little elbow grease and a lot of productivity can keep your selling plans moving in the right direction. Here are some strategies to get some of the little things done while you’re snowed in:

1. Repair and paint the trim around doorways and hallways. These areas are the first to get scuff marks and show signs of wear and tear in your home. (Save the front door for after the snow J)
2. Update outdated light fixtures. One of our recommended favorites is this contemporary light from Lowe’s.
3. Clean or replace the switch plates on all your lights switches. Basic white or ivory is best.
4. Clean and organize closets/pantries. “Perception is reality”. If buyers think you’ve taken the time to organize your closets, they will feel assured you’ve taken care of the important things in the home such as the roof, the furnace and the bigger, costly components in the home.
5. Keep close watch for potential snow damage on the exterior of your home. Corners of the house and the garage, as well as the trim around doors can really take a beating during bad weather. Keeping an eye out for the hot spots (or rather, cold spots) can save you money when the snow melts and the damage is done.

If you are showing your home during the snowy winter, make sure to observe how your winter “living” may translate through a buyer’s eyes. For example;

HOME SELLER… → BUYER Thinks..

Piles shoes next to door → “There is a lack of storage space in the house.”

Places tape around drafty windows. → “This house needs new windows.”

Regardless of the time of year you choose to sell, you can still achieve that essential “wow” factor with staging tactics that resonate with your buyers. For more ideas on how to stage your home, visit our website at www.StagingNewEngland.com

Selling a house during the holidays?

That is the million dollar question. Some Realtors like Elizabeth Weintrub advise “it’s hogwash”, while others encourage Sellers to list during the holidays. Regardless of the right answer, thematic decorating can make or break or break a holiday selling game plan.

When selling a home during the holidays, one might assume a very motivated Seller would be willing to do what it takes to sell their home. Any real estate professional will tell you that in order to sell you need a “ready, willing, and able Buyer”. But often times (especially holiday season) a home remains listed or goes on the market without establishing that they have a “ready, willing, and able SELLER.”There is no greater home selling crime than taking valuable family time away from the Buyer, you the Seller, and your hard-working Real Estate Agent during the holidays (or anytime really) to show your home without the full intention to sell.

Understanding our own motivation to sell can help prepare us in advance for feelings or circumstances that may arise (like the holidays) allowing us to move through the selling process with a greater sense of control. Once the decision to sell has been made, every household member should be on board with all of the; let’s face it, inconveniences of selling. If you do not have buy-in from everyone in the house, then you may find yourself getting some reluctance from household members when it comes to holiday decorating such as:

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without our stuff”

“How will we fit all of the family in the house”

“What about the kids” etc etc etc.

If you have skipped one of most important steps in creating a positive selling experience, which is to bring everyone involved in the move together and have a discussion about moving, then you are in for a VERY long winter.

“Keep It Simple Santa”

The goal of home staging is to bring out the features of the home; the windows, the fireplace detail, the ease and functionality of the floor plan, DOWN playing the personality of the Seller and playing UP the personality of the house. When you are selling your home and asking yourself whether or not to decorate for the holidays, it really comes down to a matter of priorities. Remember your goal:

“SELL THE HOUSE!”

Holiday decorating could be an indication to Buyers of just how motivated you are to sell. If your house is decorated to the rafters with billowing holiday décor, it may be clear that the Seller intends to be there through Dec 31. With that said, no one wants to be moving on Thanksgiving day so let’s set a realistic goal of finding a nice balance between celebrating life’s blessings and moving on to the next adventure.

Staging a successful holiday sale can be accomplished by following 10 simple holiday home staging rules:

1. Furniture arrangement should reflect how the Buyer will use the room on a day to day basis. Moving furniture to accommodate holiday décor is not a good selling tactic.
2. It’s best to keep holiday decorating to a winter theme vs. religious themes. Remember, the goal is to appeal to a large audience. Keep the themed towels and pillows packed up for next year.
3. Use natural accents such as winter scented candles, pine cones, garland, and winter plants/flowers for display on table tops and counters.
4. Outdoor areas should be decorated with a “less is more” attitude. Keep it to well maintained window boxes, a simple garland wreath, and NO lawn ornaments. (Think of where you’ll put that blow up Santa next year ;)
5. Limit holiday reds and greens and use white as your “go-to” color for holiday decorating. Natural garland, raw bark, natural wood grains, warm winter whites and beige will absolutely make your home shine like the North Star. (Get fabulous holiday white decorating ideas from the Willow Décor Blog)
6. Keep your holiday cards/photos organized in a special album this year instead of hanging from doorways and mantels. No one appreciates your friends and family like you do but they will appreciate that crown molding when making an offer.
7. Keep wrapped presents stored in a closet or organized in a designated area. Presents everywhere can create security concerns in addition to cluttering up some valuable square footage in the room.
8. Keep those winter boots and shoes in the closet. A heaping pile of shoes next to the door can draw attention to a lack of storage space. Pack any shoes or summer clothing up and get it out of the way.
9. Kids take cues from you. Keep the positive attitude and holiday spirit high by doing fun activities together like driving around looking at lights, renting holiday movies, ice skating, window shopping, making a photo album…etc. Maybe this is the year to volunteer at school, church, or in your community? They may even need to borrow all of your extra decorations!
10. Give your Professional Home Stager a call for quick holiday styling help. For the cost of what you likely would have spent on new holiday décor, you’ll be making an investment in shorter selling time and closer to a reason to celebrate that New Year!

Selling during the holidays can be a real challenge however; with these simple strategies you will be putting your best holiday foot forward, setting the stage for a successful sale. If your holiday decorating takes priority over selling your home, talk to your Real Estate Agent about your selling options.

For home staging help in New England call New England Staging at 1-888-778-NEHS or visit us online at www.StagingNewEngland.com

The Union Leader newspaper in Manchester NH did a nice story on our company today. Our New England staging for home sellers continues to show fantastic results in a tumultuous real estate market.

Check out our story

You followed every “How to Prepare Your Home for Sale” list you could find online. You watched an entire season of HGTV staging shows. You cleaned the yard, fixed the door, re-painted the trim, removed the personal photos, cleaned out the closets, listed the house, put the fresh flowers in place, and what is the problem?

MY HOUSE IS GETTING SHOWINGS, WHY IS MY HOUSE NOT SELLING?

In new construction, we help Builders market their product to a targeted audience based on Buyer Types. Many of the same strategies are used for fine tuning or staging re-sale homes because understanding what your buyer is looking for is the key to making the right preparations.

Buyer types:

Baby Boomers – Gen X - Gen Y

Ist Time Buyer – Move Up Buyer – Active Adult

Buyer Types are based on:

New England Home Staging® tips for making sure that your house is going to resonate with your buyers and reflect their individuality:

• Know thy customer: The Seller’s style and the Buyer’s style may not be a match. Do your homework on what your Buyer likes and stage to meet their preferences, not yours.
• Create a sense of arrival: Decorating the door or porch can be the Buyer’s first indication of whether or not the house says “Welcome” or “Hmmm, that’s not my style.” And with some Buyer Types, the curb appeal starts way before you reach the curb.
• Create a clear pattern of circulation for the Buyer to walk through the home.
• Highlight storage areas. Organize by Martha Stewart standards and the buyers will think you’ve taken care of the bigger things; the furnace, the roof, etc.
• Create a “wow” factor or special memorable space in the home: It’s important that this hits a “lifestyle” button for your Buyer Type; a way of life they want to attain.
• The Kitchen is a deal maker! : Before making expensive updates to your kitchen, get a professional opinion from your Realtor or Home Stager. Granite countertops are not always the likely buyer’s preference, and poor accessories can distract away from really great features. In an article “10 Things That Make Buyers Bite”, they show a photo of a beautiful kitchen but I can’t help but spend my time looking at the 6 ridiculous roosters on top of the cabinets instead of the new granite counters.
• Dare to be different: Every model home seems to have the 2008 chocolate brown and robin egg blue color scheme. Stage your home with forward thinking schemes that appeal to your Buyer Type. Keep big pieces neutral and use pops of color in the accessories that are easily changeable.

Just like selling any product, how the product is packaged and marketed matters. The bottom line is, before investing money or time making preparations for selling your home, put the dollars into a professional home staging consultation or ask your Realtor to help understand who your Buyer likely will be and how can you make your home appeal to that segment. This will save you money, time in preparations, and most importantly; time on the market. Happy Staging!!

Visit us online for more info. www.StagingNewEngland.com

WHY IS A MODEL HOME IMPORTANT?
A model home is a silent salesperson. Merchandising is simply a way of packaging your product to your targeted market. Models are intended to influence home buyers by reinforcing their lifestyle desires, creating memory points and triggering their emotional hot buttons. This creates a sense of urgency in the buyer and solidifies their decision in choosing you- the Builder.

Today's buyer can be considered a "be back" on their first visit if you consider over 90% of buyers will have seen the home online first. A typical buyer will look at 50 homes, starting online, weeding out which homes they want to tour in person. Once the buyer walks in the door of your house, you can assume you've made it to their "top" list of homes they are considering for purchase. You have a matter of minutes to sell this buyer.


WHY HIRE A PROFESSIONAL?
If you are going to pay for the service, why not hire a professional whom is dedicated to merchandising new homes? It will cost you less to do it right the first time.
New England Home Staging® will ensure your model:

- Is an extension of your marketing and brand

- Demonstrates how the home will live
- Draws ties to the community
- Implements forward thinking design according to absorption rate
- Increases the perceived value of your product
- Identifies with the target market through style, function and memory points.

Interior decorators typically work for individuals to buy furnishings for creating a living space that fits their client.
Professional merchandisers understand the dynamics of real estate and target markets. We merchandise to the masses within a targeted market, highlight the features of the home without over-decorating, and create continuity within a marketing strategy.

Before you hire your Project Mgr., decorator friend, spouse, real estate agent, etc., to furnish your model home, give us a call for a FREE consultation.

THE COST OF A FULL MODEL HOME IS LIKELY TO BE LESS THAN YOUR NEXT PRICE REDUCTION!

Visit our Builder Resources page for additional info.

For questions or to receive a Model Home Information Package through the mail, please call Stayci Fast direct at 603-548-3636, toll free 888-778-NEHS or email info@StagingNewEngland.com.

We offer model home merchandising in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.