Kim Nicholas

In today's market, it is critical to play up every asset of a home to give it the fullest advantage over the competition. Early summer was a very productive and busy for me! The homes we had the pleasure of staging, and the home owners we worked with, are second to none. But I find myself knowing that the outdoor areas of the home were a little short changed.

As home stagers are aware, staging the three season porch, decks, or any patio adds so much visually to the home. It extends the living areas of the home, as well as provides a wonderful view off of family rooms, kitchens, and rec rooms, etc. Anywhere there is a slider, there is an opportunity to extend the living area of the home. What does this equate to for the potential home buyer? Besides the look and feel of a wonderful home, they remember it visually as more square footage living. It's a win-win. So why do these areas remain so neglected? I find that homeowners do not want to spend money on staging the areas that they themselves did not utilize, or used for storage of outdoor toys, etc. To keep staging costs down, clients often choose to stage only the main areas of the home. And I, for the most part, agree. However, in this short summer season, these areas are "main areas of living". They are an asset to the home, and need to be shown off.

My solution to this dilemma? I want to be absolutely certain that the home shows "everything" in it's best light for the open house. I now offer open house prep as a service, which includes bringing in the chairs, umbrellas, plants, and palm trees, along with a fun tub of ice waters on the deck or patio for the potential buyers to enjoy at the open house. Since additional rentals may not be in the staging budget, I bring them in for the day, and bring them home in the evening. Homeowners have now experienced the potential for these areas, and purchase plants, etc. on their own to spruce things up a bit. Since many of my staged homes are vacant, I don't need to worry about leaving my inventory outside a vacant home. I offer the open house prep for the first scheduled open house after staging for free. Other wise it's a very nominal fee, depending on the number of areas to stage up for the occasion. Photos are taken, and may be added to the MLS listing to enhance the marketing efforts as well. It is well worth the nominal cost to enhance every asset of the home, and guarantee an awesome first impression!

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It’s been well over a year now since I’ve posted, and it’s been a busy year at that. All my energy has gone to building the business, and serving my clients. The lessons I’ve learned in this new frontier of Home Staging have been many. Everything from the best granola bars to survive on, to cleaning products that are new, but not improved, to the best deals in furniture in town! The best experience for me has been working with the most wonderful clients! No nightmare stories to share!

Here are some worthwhile tips I would like to share with my fellow stagers! Hopefully, there will be something for everyone to gain from my learning curve!

Negotiate “Parade of Homes” deals with local furniture stores. That way, the furniture you chose with always complement the home. As most stagers in the area have found, furniture rentals in Western Michigan is really limited!

Negotiate special pricing with trades people in the area. Repeat business for painters, handymen, window washing, and home cleaners benefit everyone! Your clients get the work they need done quickly and affordably. And you can rest assured of the quality or the work from who ever you send to the home to do the work. And lastly, quality workers love to keep their calendars full! They are happy to extend a break in price to stay busy!

For Labor & Delivery, hire your own muscle! My biggest time saver for vacant homes! It would take so much out of me and my co-stagers to load and unload the truck, there wasn’t much energy left for the best part…staging! Hiring my own crew has allowed me to get this piece done quickly, efficiently, affordably, and my energy intact! Check with local colleges or job boards.

Lastly, leave a customer satisfaction form with a self addressed envelope to give your client the last word on the home staging experience for them. This allows you to continue to tweak your business as needed, and it’s been a pleasant surprise for me that not only do my clients take the time to fill them out and return them, more often than not, I receive a letter of recommendation with it, that I may not have received had I not left the form behind. This has been very rewarding for me.

I love helping people to market their home, and being a part of making their dreams come true! It has been a most rewarding experience, and I’m looking forward to helping more clients make their move! With all my negotiations in place, it’s a smooth ride!

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Yes, stagers and home owners alike have heard the statistics that have been declared by several surveys – staged homes sell 50% faster than non-staged homes, and for 6-10% more! Return on investment from 251% to 343% (HSR HomeGain Survey). We also know sellers want to do whatever they can to push their home above the compitition in this buyers market.

So how does a seller choose to self-stage, or invest in a professional home stager? A professional home stage will pay for itself – twice over! Sellers are use to their home, and their belongings. A fresh pair of eyes and ideas will go along way! A consultation with a professional home stager will really get a seller motivated and excited to transform their home in a fresh new way they would not otherwise have thought of.

But what is the real track record? Even in this tough Michigan market, homes staged by Ultimate Staging Décor, LLC have sold in 4-6 week on average! When buyers see a home they love, an offer is not far behind! And that’s the point! The proof is in the offer!