Tessa Skeens - Hampton Redesign

Johnson County TX May 2011 Home Stats from NTREIS

Inventory of Homes for Sale: 875

Months Supply of Inventory: 8

Average Sales Price: -10.11% from 2010

Average days on market: 126

Model home on market BEFORE staging: 365+ days

A local developer contacted us to help get their inventory of 6 model spec homes sold and off their books. These homes had been sitting - unsold - for over a year.

Hampton Redesign worked within the developers budget by utilizing some existing model home furniture in their storage facility and staging only the main living areas and the master bedroom.

As there were 6 properties to sell before the next phase could be started, we recommended furnishings and accessories be purchased. Although the upfront cost is a little higher than renting, this gives a builder or developer the option to maximize their investment. Once the initially staged property sells, all furnishings can be moved to the next and so on. Since the furnishings become the property of the developer, they can either sell with the property as a value add or re-use to stage other homes.

This model home, once it was staged, sold and closed within 30 days (or less than a quarter of the average days on market in Johnson County).

Model home on market AFTER staging: 30 days

Buyers are looking for move in ready. Staging a new home helps buyers focus on the NEW and not the HOW!

Ah what a difference it makes when you decide to present your home as fabulous, not as is!

It may not be the easy route to take, but when you do take the trouble to update your home as needed (master baths and kitchens should be on the top of your list), and make sure it's clean and organized (no giant waterfalls of clutter to greet buyers when they open your closet doors), you will reap the benefits.

Your home will sell in less time and for more money because that's what it takes these days to get a home sold. Buyers are asking for move in ready and they will pass on your home if it's not in great condition.

Don't make the mistake of thinking potential buyers will want to change carpet, paint or make needed repairs. They will just as likely move on to the next home that is updated and ready to move into.

You've worked hard for your home. Don't throw away your investment in time and money. Make sure you don't leave any money or equity on the table.

Update
Clean
Organize
Stage

THEN sell!

The best way to throw away money is to sell your house "as is".

"As is" used to be code for a home that had maintenance or repair issues the seller had no intention of repairing or addressing. The "as is" in the home remarks was also a carrot to any investor or buyer looking for a great deal. In exchange for making repairs, the buyer had the opportunity to make money and in turn equity.

Putting a home on the market today without preparing it by making repairs, updating, cleaning, and staging it for sale is like throwing money away.

When buyers walk into your home and they see clutter, dated furniture and smell pet odors they mentally deduct the value off your asking price. Buyers are not only comparing your home to resale properties in their price range but also to new homes. New homes that are shiny and lack the flaws of older homes. New homes that may be staged as model homes without the clutter of owners.

The best way to market your home is to present it as new not as is. Most existing homes have great features that new homes may not. More square footage, better floorplan, more mature landscaping. You get the idea.

A stinky dated home does not get top dollar! Don't throw your equity (or next down payment) away. Show your home as new, not as is.

Wherever you live, there is a professional near by to help you sell your home. In Fort Worth TX you can contact Hampton Redesign, to help you show your home to it's full potential!

On January 31st I had a staging consultation with a client who was getting ready to put her home on the market. Her husband had been transferred and she was ready to hear what it would take to get her home sold ... fast.

We met for a 2 hour staging consultation where I walked through their home and gave her advice not only on furniture but updates to walls, floors and bathrooms. A few weeks later she contacted me to help her through the design choices to completely update the home. We chose new carpet, all new paint, new countertops, bath fixtures and lighting fixtures. All wallpaper was removed as were drapes and wow what a difference!

Then we started buying furniture to "stage" the home. All the furniture had to be able to work in her new home which of course she hadn't bought yet! A challenge, but we bought pieces that would work in the current home and that they loved.

The end result is a completely updated home. It was listed last week and I have no doubt they will be getting an offer soon.

Here's a view of the living room before (dining room furniture was piled in while they were painting) Sorry for the blur - taken on my phone.

After

Before

The living room after from the kitchen. We didn't have time to purchase art, but I think open walls work well when selling.

This seller went above and beyond to transform her home to sell. How can you be an extraordinary seller too?

1. Act on advice. When you hire a staging consultant take their advice and run with it. Second guessing doesn't sell a home, action does.

2. Be open to change. That's the big one. This family home looks completely different. It required willingness to change.

3. Get help. This owner relied on our help every step of the way. When you create a great partnership, good things happen.

4. Communicate. Communicate with everyone on a regular basis. Your stager/designer, your spouse, your kids, your realtor. Keep everyone in the loop. Communication is the cornerstone of coordinating any move.

5. Have fun. Make it fun whenever possible. Keeping your sense of humor when selling a house is priceless!

I recently decided to change my email campaign and email marketing tool. I now use Mailchimp and was really happy with the results!

I find RealEstateShows to be one of the most effective marketing tools I use for my home staging business. Visual proof of the difference between an empty un-staged property and one that is staged is the reason I love the shows. They are easy to make and easy for clients to view.

I decided to create a new email campaign and wanted the main focus to be on a RealEstateShow I had recently created for a property that sold in 4 days! Great marketing tool right?

However it's not advisable to embed a video directly into an email. The code will "break" and your email will likely end up in a SPAM folder or not get sent correctly.

The workaround I came up with was to copy an image of the show player (on a Mac you make a screen shot by using COMMAND+OPTION+4) while it was on my screen and use that image in my email. I simply used the linking ability in MailChimps email template to link the image to the actual show.

For example here is the image I copied from my desktop.

Here is the linking info provided by RealEstateShows to this show. http://www.realestateshows.com/540845

This is what it looked like in the email. When you click on the "button" or really anywhere in the image it takes you to the link above and the show starts... go ahead and try it!

I am going to use this again and again as I think there is nothing more compelling than a visual to show my clients what we do!