Sunday, June 28, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
HGTV Designing for the Sexes
Well, unrelated to the home staging idea that has been submitted to HGTV, I've had the distinct pleasure of e-meeting Rick Rifle. He is the new host of HGTV's Designing for the Sexes due to air in 2010. He has been tremendously kind to me and extremely supportive. I am really looking forward to seeing his show and honored to know him.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Recent Example of Online Home Staging
"The MLS # is 6151582
Ok, right this minute, what is wrong with your house? NOTHING! If you didn't do anything, would it sell just the way it is? Probably. It looks clean and decluttered. But it might be able to look a bit better, it might be able to have a bit more pizazz. I've already mentioned a few things to you before so I won't mention them again.
So here goes, round one of staging, using the photos, in order as they appear right now on realtor.com.
Photo 1. Eliminate
Photo 2. Come in a bit closer on that photo, if possible, to avoid getting the street in the photo.
Photo 3. Kitchen: What color are the walls? Put a colorful bowl of fruit, or a plant, in that corner to the right of the sink. Remove the metal shelving unit. (More on that later.) Remove anything from the front of the fridge.
4. Dining/kitchen: Remove garbage can (for the photo). Will come back to the eating area in a later photo. (Again, the arrangement of photos needs to be more cohesive.)
5. Is this the formal living room? Remove the gold chair. Is that a tv in the lower righthand corner?
6. Again, formal living room? Remove that pole lamp. Straighten out that end table so that it sits right beside the couch. Get the matching end table from the family room and put it on the other side of the couch with a lamp on top of it.
You'll need to go get two or three medium to large colorful/coordinating pictures to hang horizontally above the couch. Make sure that they are exactly the same size pictures. Buy three to four solid colored throw pillows to place on the couch making sure that the throw pillows have some of the same color as the new artwork will have above the couch.
Remove the white table (it looks too tall for a coffee table), ideally, replacing it with a "real" coffee table. Open the curtains a bit more. The blue/gray chair looks fine and now you'll have a seating arrangement with the couch and the blue chair without the gold chair blocking the walkway into and out of the room.
7. Is this the family room? I'm puzzled by the doorway and also the closet but it sure looks like a family room that is right off the dining area.
See that bookcase under the window? Move it into the kitchen where the metal shelves were and put the microwave on top of it. Put your cookbooks on the shelf below it. Put a plant (or nothing) on the bottom shelf.
Ok, you've already removed the end table to the formal living room. Do you by chance have another couch or loveseat that you could put into this rom? If it's a family room, it really needs one.
Remember that white table from the formal living room? Put it in here, under the window for the moment, with that white chair next to it. Do you by chance have another white chair?
We'll have to come back to this room.
8. Coming back to this room but do you have a match to either chair here?
9. The dining area looks great except that the one picture on the wall looks very lonely. I'd get four smaller colorful pictures and hang them two on top, two below, in a square pattern. (I've seen fabulous stuff at the dollar stores that would be just perfect. Just something colorful, or even botanical, maybe 4 8x10's in size, hung in the square pattern.)
10. Remove the garbage can in the bathroom for the photo.
Once again, that one picture above the bed looks lonely. Replace it with three mildly colorful ones hung horizontally.
11. I think the bed needs to be dressed up more. Get two more bed pillows and at least one solid colored throw pillow though three would be better. I'd recommend a bed in a bag, something neutral but classy looking (doesn't have to be expensive) and make the bed with it, stand up the bed pillows, and put the throw pillows in front.
12. Maybe another pot or two of flowers on the patio."
So that was the end of round one of staging. We had a few more rounds, a few tweeks here and there.
Interestingly enough, the homeowner received an offer within the first two days of it being on the market only to have the buyer get cold feet at the end of the option period. Yet, within two days of it being relisted, another offer came in with two back ups! Just amazing!
Ok, right this minute, what is wrong with your house? NOTHING! If you didn't do anything, would it sell just the way it is? Probably. It looks clean and decluttered. But it might be able to look a bit better, it might be able to have a bit more pizazz. I've already mentioned a few things to you before so I won't mention them again.
So here goes, round one of staging, using the photos, in order as they appear right now on realtor.com.
Photo 1. Eliminate
Photo 2. Come in a bit closer on that photo, if possible, to avoid getting the street in the photo.
Photo 3. Kitchen: What color are the walls? Put a colorful bowl of fruit, or a plant, in that corner to the right of the sink. Remove the metal shelving unit. (More on that later.) Remove anything from the front of the fridge.
4. Dining/kitchen: Remove garbage can (for the photo). Will come back to the eating area in a later photo. (Again, the arrangement of photos needs to be more cohesive.)
5. Is this the formal living room? Remove the gold chair. Is that a tv in the lower righthand corner?
6. Again, formal living room? Remove that pole lamp. Straighten out that end table so that it sits right beside the couch. Get the matching end table from the family room and put it on the other side of the couch with a lamp on top of it.
You'll need to go get two or three medium to large colorful/coordinating pictures to hang horizontally above the couch. Make sure that they are exactly the same size pictures. Buy three to four solid colored throw pillows to place on the couch making sure that the throw pillows have some of the same color as the new artwork will have above the couch.
Remove the white table (it looks too tall for a coffee table), ideally, replacing it with a "real" coffee table. Open the curtains a bit more. The blue/gray chair looks fine and now you'll have a seating arrangement with the couch and the blue chair without the gold chair blocking the walkway into and out of the room.
7. Is this the family room? I'm puzzled by the doorway and also the closet but it sure looks like a family room that is right off the dining area.
See that bookcase under the window? Move it into the kitchen where the metal shelves were and put the microwave on top of it. Put your cookbooks on the shelf below it. Put a plant (or nothing) on the bottom shelf.
Ok, you've already removed the end table to the formal living room. Do you by chance have another couch or loveseat that you could put into this rom? If it's a family room, it really needs one.
Remember that white table from the formal living room? Put it in here, under the window for the moment, with that white chair next to it. Do you by chance have another white chair?
We'll have to come back to this room.
8. Coming back to this room but do you have a match to either chair here?
9. The dining area looks great except that the one picture on the wall looks very lonely. I'd get four smaller colorful pictures and hang them two on top, two below, in a square pattern. (I've seen fabulous stuff at the dollar stores that would be just perfect. Just something colorful, or even botanical, maybe 4 8x10's in size, hung in the square pattern.)
10. Remove the garbage can in the bathroom for the photo.
Once again, that one picture above the bed looks lonely. Replace it with three mildly colorful ones hung horizontally.
11. I think the bed needs to be dressed up more. Get two more bed pillows and at least one solid colored throw pillow though three would be better. I'd recommend a bed in a bag, something neutral but classy looking (doesn't have to be expensive) and make the bed with it, stand up the bed pillows, and put the throw pillows in front.
12. Maybe another pot or two of flowers on the patio."
So that was the end of round one of staging. We had a few more rounds, a few tweeks here and there.
Interestingly enough, the homeowner received an offer within the first two days of it being on the market only to have the buyer get cold feet at the end of the option period. Yet, within two days of it being relisted, another offer came in with two back ups! Just amazing!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Here's a Before and After of a Redesign
And the after!www.inspirationhomestaging.com
This is the before.
This is the before.Saturday, June 6, 2009
June already!
Oh, my, where has the time gone? I have been so busy! But, my goal is to get this blog thing really figured out so I'm going to attempt to be a good little blogger.
I have submitted a home staging idea to HGTV.com so please hope that I will be hearing favorable news. I'll let you know.
Hope you enjoy the photos above, a before and an after, of course!
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