Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Staging model homes in a condo complex or a housing development is often not that much different than Staging any vacant home, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

A model will be Staged for a longer period of time than a normal home.
A model is generally Staged for many months, until most - if not all - of the units in the building have been sold. It could be furnished for 6-12 months or longer (especially in today's market). Of course we recently Staged 3 model lofts in a contemporary Santa Monica building and they were all sold within 2 months (read my post about this great Staging success story), but that's the exception and not the rule!

So...

1) Ask your furniture rental company about discounts for long term leases.
Some give discounts for leases of 4 months or more, some for leases over 6 months. Of course you will need to put in your contract with the developer that the unit must remain Staged (and paid for) for a term of no less than that number of months so you can fulfill your obligation to the rental company.

2) Don't Stage for a particular season.
As Stagers we often choose our color palette and fabric selections differently for summer versus fall or winter. We might include heavier drapes in the winter, but opt for lightweight sheers in the summer. Or we might put in a few light holiday touches around Christmas, etc. But keep in mind when Staging a model unit that the style has to work for the whole year. Consider setting aside some money in your budget to come back for a few hours every 3 months or so to switch out some throw pillows, bedding or curtains to account for seasonal changes. Just make sure you're getting paid for your time!

The next thing to think about is...

Who are the targeted buyers for the home?
Often a developer already knows who the potential buyers are for the homes he's building. If he's done his research, who his buyers are has been a determining factor in both the neighborhood selection and price range.

In some cases smaller floor plans might be geared towards single professionals or young couples with no kids, whereas larger units may be marketed to families. Or you might be Staging in a college town, where parents are purchasing these condos for their kids to live in while going to school. In any case, determining the buyer you're trying to target is the first and most important step, so make sure to ask your client who his intended audience is for these homes.

Once you've determined your audience, you need to ask:

What is my potential buyer looking for in a home?
A young professional might want a second bedroom to be either a home office or a guest room she could rent out to a tenant to save on the mortgage. Or she might want a dual-use office with a daybed that could convert to a guest room when company arrives. A family would obviously want one or more bedrooms for the kids, but they might also appreciate a space for their computer in a more common area, where they can monitor the kids when they're online. So think like your buyer thinks when determining how you will Stage the model home.

Explaining your design and room-use choices to your client in these terms will assure him that you've thought hard about the choices you've made and that you're not just trying to make the place look pretty, but that you're thinking specifically about what will sell these homes to his target buyers.

Take these steps and you'll not only be on the right track for this Staging job, but you'll be sowing the seeds for many future jobs with this developer!

Coming soon...

Tips for Staging Multiple Models in One Complex

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

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Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.

You may remember a post from July, where I highlighted three contemporary model lofts we Staged in Santa Monica for Realtor Dana Ehrlich of Keller Williams. Well here are the results... drumroll please:

"Annie's staging of my project was absolutely spot-on. She understood the buyer mentality so well that we had all three staged units in escrow within 2 months, after having had them on the market for over 7!"

Now I should mention that another designer had Staged these models initially. He was not a Stager, but rather a furniture designer who used these units to showcase pieces he wanted to sell. The results speak for themselves. This guy had beautiful pieces, but gave no thought to what a buyer would be thinking as s/he walked through the property - namely, "How am I going to live, work, sleep & watch TV all in under 900 sf?"

The previous designer had not included a spot for a home office or a TV in the units. Living in such a small space is a tough sell, but if you can show a potential buyer a place for everything that's important, they can see the potential. Staging is a lot more than putting pretty furniture into a home. It's about thinking like a buyer and looking for the things that a buyer is going to be looking for.

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.

With the volatility of the stock market and the credit crunch creating panic in the real estate market, fewer Realtors and sellers are able to invest the money in full service Home Staging. But that should not mean that Staging is completely overlooked as an option for your struggling cash-strapped clients.

There are many ways to get a huge "bang for your buck" return on a smaller Home Staging investment, especially if your sellers are ambitious enough to do some of the work themselves!

Step 1: Hire a local Professional Home Stager to do a Consultation. If your seller will be living in her home while it's on the market and already has furniture (let's not even worry at this point about whether their furniture is fresh and new-looking, but let's just assume they have a sofa, some tables, a dining set and beds in the bedrooms), a consultation is the starting point for you. Click here to view a sample staging consultation report, which will give you a good idea of the types of recommendations a professional Stager will make. Make sure you are hiring someone with experience, as Staging of occupied homes is both an art and a science, and only someone who has performed this service for 20 or more clients should be considered. Check references and ask to see before and after photos of the Stager's work on occupied homes, using mostly the seller's own things. This will definitely let you know if you've got the right Stager for the job. Staging consultations can cost anywhere from $300 to $500, but the return on your investment will be many times that.

Step 2: Follow the Stager's to-do list! All the good advice in the world will be useless unless it is followed. Now obviously there will be certain things that may not be practical for a family to do while living in the home. Or perhaps budgetary constraints make certain recommendations impossible. Discuss any issues with your Stager, as s/he may have a workable "Plan B" that would allow the basic goal of the recommendation to be served, while negating the need for a large investment. An example would be: say I have included in my report that the green color in the master bedroom be painted a neutral light tan and that the old damaged carpet be replaced, but the seller only has the budget for one of these fixes. I would prioritize that the damaged carpet be replaced and I would recommend neutralizing the bold wall color using plain white bedding and accessories. There are always "work arounds" when you're dealing with a creative and seasoned Stager.

Step 3: Consider investing in the Stager's follow up services, which might include renting a few pieces of art, a slip cover for a dated sofa or some contemporary throw pillows and vases to put the finishing touches on the transformation. No doubt that if your Stager is a pro, you will be able to dramatically improve the look of the home by simply following the recommendations on his or her report. If you want the impact and results of a professionally Staged Home, however, it will be worth the investment to follow up with some accessory rental or fine tuning before taking your photos for the MLS. The cost for this type of service is significantly less than Staging a vacant home, but can have just as much of an impact. Fees depend on the size of the home and the amount of inventory required, but it might cost anywhere from $1000 - $3000.

With a larger number of properties sitting on the market now, buyers have more of a choice than ever. In order to make your listing stand out from the competition, you have to create a sense of urgency in the buyer's mind so that s/he will make an offer. A Home Staging consultation will help you to do just that.

Below are some before and after photos of a few of Stage to Sell's more dramatic transformations. These are all occupied homes, where we used mostly items that were in the property already. Of course we like to bring in some art and accessories to complete the look, but we rarely have to bring in new furniture. It's amazing the difference a little Staging can make.

Living Room Before                                        Living Room After
   

Living Room Before                                        Living Room After
   

Living Room Before                                        Living Room After
  

Bedroom Before                                              Bedroom After
   

Eat-In Kitchen Before                                      Eat-In Kitchen After
   

Living Room Before                                        Living Room After
   

Office Before                                                   Office After

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.

Ever walked into a property and been overwhelmed by the smell of cat urine, wet dog or last night's salmon dinner?

As someone who's been in literally hundreds of homes in the course of my career as a Los Angeles home Stager, I can say I've probably smelled it all! You smell it. I smell it. And yet the seller doesn't notice a thing. How can you as the Realtor talk to him about the need to deodorize without offending?

Here are a couple of tips:

1. Blame it on allergies

Millions of people are affected by pet allergies. Present it to your client like this...

"Even though you and I may not smell anything, someone who is allergic to cats/dogs/birds (you fill in the blank) might have a reaction to even the slightest odor. Since we don't want to turn off any potential buyers we should probably have the carpets cleaned just to be sure. It would also be a great idea to clean out Fifi's litter box every day while the house is on the market and move it into the garage when we're showing your home."

2. Blame it on "smell sensitivities"

There are many people who suffer from an increased senstitivity to odors. There are different names for this type of condition (one is called MCS or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). This would be a good talk to have with your client if she has gone overboard with the Glade Air Freshener or if she's a heavy smoker. These types of smells can affect sensitive buyers so intensely that they will turn around and walk out before they've even put two feet inside the door. Chemical and smoke odors can linger in carpets, drapes and even in the walls, to the point where normal cleaning will not help.

If this is the case with your listing, it's crucial to convince your clients to do the following:

a) Have their carpets deep cleaned.

b) Have their draperies either cleaned or replaced (odors can also be a good excuse to remove really ugly window treaments without even having to discuss the fact that they're ugly)!

c) Have their walls painted with a fresh coat of paint.

If they refuse to take these steps, or if you need something to keep the smells at bay after they've had everything cleaned, invest in a can of PureAyre or Febreze that you can spray in problem areas before every showing.

If you just can't bring yourself to mention it, call a professional home Stager. We have been trained to speak to your clients honestly and with respect so you can trust that we'll get the message across without offending them. And you won't have to be the "bad guy".

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.