Most agents will pull out all the stops for their high-end listings.
But if you really want to know how they're going to treat your house, take a look at how they market their most affordable listings. Too often, you will see:
Well, not me.
I believe every listing deserves my best. This little condo I listed in Magnolia was sited on a lush ravine and had been totally remodeled by the owner. It just needed the finishing touches. With some classic staging and gorgeous photography to capture the setting, it sold in thirty days.
The other unit in the same complex is still sitting there six months later...
These photos really captured the setting and the fact that this was an end unit wrapped in windows. You can see the difference staging and professional photography makes. This level of service is included in my commission at no additional cost to the seller.
Equal rights for all listings!
It certainly isn't dead for classic bungalows in Ballard under 500k. This is one I listed on my birthday, the 23rd of October. No I'm not going to tell you the year. It sold on the 27th for full price!
Classic houses like classic cars never go out of style. Of course staging, out of the box marketing and spot on pricing go a long way to getting any listing sold in any market.
While staging and re-design have much in common; working with smaller budgets, editing, and organizing, there are a couple of major differences. Namely with a staging job your are creating a look for a stranger. The perfect stranger, a ready willing and able buyer. It also needs to be done in a very short period of time.
With re-design you have a lot more time but you are creating a more personal look, often for two people who may have very different taste. That was certainly the case with my last re-design. He wanted a clean, contemporary, cohesive, space. She on the other hand, loved anything whimsical, eclectic and was drawn to bold colors.
Like many couples they had he stuff, she stuff, their stuff (hand-me-downs) and some good stuff. They needed four rooms done and they had a budget of $20,000. This is how we (it's definitely a collaborative effort) did it for $13,000. 7k under budget! And that includes my fee.
Since she had just re-painted the house in her favorite colors and they were not planning on selling, I decided to go with it. And as you can see from the before picture on the left they had too much furniture and it was very dark and antiquish.
We took almost everything out and replaced it with light contemporary pieces. Working with neutrals; ivory, taupe, black and gold, the blue walls settled right down and actually became quite soothing.
For this room I purchased the following:1 sofa, 2 chairs, a mirror, artwork, a custom cut rug, 2 side tables, 1 sofa table, 3 lamps, a dozen pillows, accessories and a mid century coffee table. The coffee table is a nod to her whimsical side and it was actually a nice counterpoint to the contemporary upholstered pieces.
We were able to re-use the rug in the family room and I re-matted a couple of bird prints (compliments of his mom). They worked just fine with the new blue heron printed on linen.
The dining room just needed a little accessorizing. I changed the buffet mirror from a portrait to a landscape placement, re-placed the red Victorian chandelier with a silk drum shade, added candles and sconces and more candles. Throw in a runner, a few extra table linens and some wooden balls and they were good to go
For the bedroom I took artwork that had previously been languishing in the living room. It made a great statement over the bed and that little bit of orange became a jumping off point for an accent color amidst all the taupe. It was just enough to satisfy her love of bold color.
A bamboo duvet cover and 600 thread count sheets made the most of this elegant bed. As you can see from the before picture the bedside lighting was wimpy to say the least. These gorgeous glass lamps brightened everything up and gave balance to the bed.
A throw, candles, silk pillows and a handful of accessories in the orange family completed the look.
In addition to everything you see here, we were able to purchase extra linens, a sectional couch for the family room and still stay 7k under budget.
With staging, your goal is to de-personalize where with Re-design your goal is to re-personalize.
A couple of hours with your favorite stager makes a great housewarming gift for your buyers!
I knew that I had met a kindred soul when I was introduced to Patricia Gorham, owner of Inside/Out Style. She does redesign for your closet, just like I do redesign for your home.
When she's done, you have totally coordinated wardrobe that expresses your personal style. You don't know what your style is? Don't worry, she'll find it for you. And to top it off you'll end up with more money in your pocketbook than you would have shopping on your own. She knows the difference between a real bargain and something that's just on sale. In her latest newsletter she had an excellent idea for organizing your clothes for the entire week. What a time and stress saver!
You don't have to be a movie star to have your own stylist. Click here for the whole article.
1. Capers
This is one of the best little interior design shops in Seattle. They have fabulous accessories and if you are looking for smaller-scale "bungalow-sized" furniture, this is the place to go.
CAPERS 4521 California Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116-4110 (206) 932-0371
2. Fresh Bistro
Fresh Bistro is my new favorite restaurant. It was started by Seattle Catering Company Herban Feast. Not only do they have wonderfully fresh ingredients, but their recipes are fresh and unique as well.
http://www.herbanfeast.com/freshbistro/ 4725 42nd Ave SW, Seattle, WA - (206) 935-3733
3. Shoofly Pie Company
If you are going to have a piece of pie, Shoofly Pie is the place to have it. If you want to make your own pie but don't want to mess with the dough, buy some fresh Shoofly dough and knock yourself out!
4444 California Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116 (206) 938-0680
I am the Seattle agent who stages, redecorates and re-designs every home that I put on the market, at no additional charge. My motto is "The Better it Looks ... the Better it Sells!"
20 years ago I moved to Seattle and bought an old house that suffered from a "charmectomy". I rolled up my sleeves, opened my checkbook and undertook my first renovation project. By the time I finished, I had the home of my dreams and I found my career as a real estate agent. I've been actively involved in the Seattle market practicing real estate "by design" ever since.
"The better it looks...the better it sells" is more than just my tag line. In real estate as well as in life , you only get one chance to make a first impression. By staging my listings I have consistently been able to get top dollar for my clients in a matter of days instead of weeks or months.
Best of all I don't charge an additional fee for staging. My buyers also benefit greatly from my design experience. Go to http://www.susanpeters.com/ for hundreds of ideas for your own home.
The best of Susan's blog posts:
1. Botox for an Aging Front Door 6. How to Make a Big Impact While Spending Very Little $$
2. Steriods for Your Artwork 7. Kitchen Dragging Your Listing Down?
3. Window Treatments to the Rescue 8. Top Ten Reasons to Spank Your Listing Agent
4. $8 Window Treatments - No Kidding 9. There's a Cute House Buried Under Here Somewhere
5. Big Old Ugly Mirror 10. How Many Plates Can You Keep in the Air?
Susan Peters
"The Better it Looks ... The Better it Sells"
206.781.1724 direct
206.781.1855 fax
http://www.susanpeters.com/
http://mailto:susan@susanpeters.com
In the last 20 years I have remodeled, redecorated and redesigned five properties of my own in addition to staging and listing 100s of properties for my clients. Making window treatments, retrofitting light fixtures, upholstering furniture and creating custom artwork are just a few of the skills I've mastered in the process. I've taken classes in color design, Feng Shui, furniture placement, landscaping, and interior design trends. When you hire me you get the expertise of an agent, staging specialist, designer, photo stylist and a copy writer. It's like hiring a small advertising agency. I live, eat and breath real estate design.
Letter of Reference
Susan Peters
Although this letter may be lengthy, it will be worth your time to read it. The difference that was made in the sale of my condo and the purchase of my new home was nothing short of amazing, due simply by letting my Realtor do what she loves to do and what she does best.
To start off, having Susan Peters as my Realtor netted me far more money than I would have made if I had tried to sell by myself. I’m not exaggerating here – I made at least $40,000 more on the sale of my condo than I expected to – and that was after paying her commission.
Before I spoke with Susan about pricing, I thought I would list my condo for $225,000 and I would have felt I’d done well if I had sold it for $215,000 since the comps for the type of condo in my complex showed a maximum sales price of $235,000 for a totally updated unit, which mine wasn’t. With Susan's expertise, my condo ended up selling for $269,990 – far beyond my expectations. And the purchase of my new home was as smooth and profitable as I could have wished for. Here’s my story:
I had found a house on my own that was perfect, but it was already “sold subject to inspection”. Although I had let go, Susan started watching the market continually and when the offer fell through a week later, she was on the phone to me with in hours of it reappearing on her active search. Due to her focus and fast action I got my offer accepted without having to compete with anyone else.
Next came the inspection period and that’s where having a good inspector's expertise was invaluable. He went through it with a fine tooth comb. Meanwhile, Susan offered her insight as to how I could make decorating changes for very little money. In addition to making the whole purchase process an easy one, her win-win negotiating style motivated the seller to complete many repairs and make a generous financial concession as well.
However, with the closing of escrow, it meant I had to get moved into my new house and have my condo ready to put on the market in 2 weeks. I couldn’t see how this was going to happen as I hadn’t packed a thing and I had done nothing to get my property ready for sale.
This is where Susan and her team became worth their weight in gold. First, my condo needed some repair work, new carpeting and repainting. Susan selected the perfect paint color and had a crew out to my house, working 12 hours each day over that weekend. They had the entire condo finished with everything completed, including the installation of new drapes throughout. All of the renovation and repairs were handled efficiently and economically. Susan knew exactly how to advise me as to what issues I needed to address and what I could leave alone, thus saving me thousands of dollars in repair and updating. My town house was now in top shape and looked brand new…a perfect blank canvas.
The next step was the staging. This was particularly important since I have very specific taste in antiques and Victorian accents, which appeals to a fairly narrow group of people. Two days later, after I was settled into my new house, Susan arrived at my condo with a moving van chocked full of furniture, artwork and accessories. She then transformed this empty space into a beautifully decorated home. Susan’s innate skill for being able to bring out the best in a home and make it appeal to a broad sector of the market is phenomenal. I couldn’t believe I had ever lived there or that it could look so stylish!
To complete the picture, she hired a professional photographer to shoot the listing photos. The virtual tour was amazing. This was the final touch that made all the difference between how my condo was presented on a real estate search.
There was just no comparison to my competition with their amateur photos and either no staging or little guidance in how to present their properties in the best light.
Susan had both pushed me a little to get my condo on the market before Memorial Day weekend, not because it would be a big weekend for traffic, but because of her experience she knew that after that weekend many more properties would be listed and they wanted mine to be one of the first to be considered. It worked! Exactly 10 days after I closed on my new house, my condo hit the market and within a week and a half I had received 3 offers. At the time my property was listed, there were 2 others in the complex which had been on the market for several weeks. Both were much larger units than mine and both had just dropped their asking price. My condo sold for more than either one and closed way before theirs did, thus saving me months of double house payments. I ended up netting so much more than I had dreamt of. As a result, I have been able to complete projects in my new home that I thought would be put off for years.
When it came to follow through, Susan was always available, no matter what. I never felt ignored or like I was “just another commission”. I was given the very best service I’ve ever had through these types of transactions and I’ve been through several of them with different agents.
To sum up my rather long-winded story, I cannot emphasize enough what a huge difference it made to use Susan rather than going it alone. It was tempting to check out the “Do it Yourself” or “Discount Broker” route and save what seemed like thousands of dollars in commission. I could not have been more incorrect. After all was said and done, I wouldn’t be living in my dream house and I would have lost far more money than I paid in commission. And believe me; she more than earned every penny of it, along with my deepest gratitude and appreciation. If you want to get the best result for your purchase and/or sale, I cannot recommend Susan and her team more highly. If you wish to speak with me in person regarding Susan Peters, please do not hesitate to call me – you’ll get a glowing and well-earned review!
Sincerely,
Lise Van Deusen
425-252-8096
"Susan's new program Instant Interiors is transformational! I now feel like I'm staying at my very own Four Seasons Resort! In just an afternoon Susan came in and quickly assessed my interior design style, current situation, and budget, and used that to create a space that supports my lifestyle.
She rolled up her sleeves and helped me to move existing furniture and curios, hang pictures, and re-arrange the built-in bookcase to get the most impact. Susan taught me how placement, location and color of the interior effects my life, using the principles of Feng Shui. She staged my home for living, to where our greatest assets were showcased, and the impact of a sofa waiting-for-reupholstering is minimized. At the end of the session I had a do-able list of projects complete with color palate, dimensions and model numbers for further improvements, everything from "drop this picture off for framing" to "I'll let you know when I see slipper chairs on sale".
She introduced me to types of furniture and lighting that would serve to create distinct spaces with harmonizing transitions where a thoughtless jumble of furniture existed before. The transformation so inspired me, I accomplished some long-dormant projects like wall-paper removal and interior painting! Now I'm excited to entertain, and to just come home to an oasis of pleasing comforts in a designerly composition at the end of the day." - Dr. Tolle Murphy
"Thank you so much for helping us with our house. I thoroughly enjoyed our work together. You're creative and practical and so much fun to have around! You give me confidence that I'm spending money on the right things in our house - not only things that I'll enjoy but will add value to the house. You have definitely found your calling!" -Susan Youngsman
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