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Beautiful Staged Homes Newsletter.

November 19th, 2009 8:41 PM

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Beautiful Staged Homes

A personal message from Linda

PO Box 661

631 793-1315

www.beautifulstagedhomes.com

Linda.Leyble@gmail.com

Beautiful Staged Homes' "Creative Home Staging Strategies" is a free bi-weekly e-newsletter for homesellers, realtors, homebuilders and others who want to be successful in selling their properties. You will get great tips and ideas that will help you create homes that will sell fast because they will attract the widest range of buyer.

Welcome to the
Beautiful Staged Homes Newsletter.
Greetings! 'Tis the season for making lists of things to do and buy - so I thought I would create a "To Do" list for sellers that are preparing their homes for sale. While you're out shopping for gifts for friends and family - don't forget some "presents" for your home that you can take with you after the sale. Adding some fresh new items can enliven the look of your home and make it more appealing to prospective buyers.

Some of the things on the "To Do" list take some time and energy, but the effect will be very noticeable - without severely hampering your holiday budget! And some are totally free to do!

I hope that everyone will have a happy and festive Thanksgiving!

If you have enjoyed reading this e-newsletter - and you'd like to forward it to a home seller or realtor colleague - please click the "Forward" and "Share" buttons at the bottom of this newsletter. Thanks.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Some Simple Updates

This is the time of year when you have the least amount of time and money to devote to fixing up your house for sale. Here are some simple tips for some of your rooms that will help you to update stylishly & in a hurry. Some of these suggestions take a little bit of time, but very little money - and what you do spend on you can always take with you to your new home. So, start packing away some of your tired accessories and old sofa pillows and add some new zest to your home that buyers will definitely notice!

For Your Entryway

It's important, of course, to keep up with yard work, by removing leaves and other debris from the front of your yard. Fix any broken railings, peeling paint or cracked walkways.

Best one day decorating idea: Paint your front door a bold, colorful color, such as a deep maroon, red or a rich black

A rich door color, bold and readable address numbers and some colorful pots will give your home great curb appeal

Purchase a large seasonal wreath with a red bow for your door and treat yourself to a new doormat.
Add new, large sized house numbers
Place a nice sized evergreen in an urn on either side of your door. (Remember - you can take these things with you!)
Add pots of mums and asters for a shot of color.

For Your Living Room and Den

Buy some new shades for your lamps. Keep the shades neutral and light filtering because you still want to have the most amount of light coming through.
Do a lamp lineup. Check your other rooms for lamps that may be better for your living room than your bedroom (and vice versa). I do this very often in client's homes. Many times a client's bedside lamp is far too big - so I swap it out and use it in the living room.
Do an accessory and family photo lineup as well. Remove everything from your tables, mantle, cabinets and curios and take inventory of all of your knickknacks etc. Place everything on your kitchen table and group things by color and similarity (glass items with glass, for example). Pack away the accessories that have seen better days and the items that are not in the color family you want to bring out in the room - and pack up the majority of your photos. Remember - less is more. Maximum number of items on a surface - three.
Bring the outside in and add some evergreens or holly cuttings in white or cream ceramic vases for your end tables

If you have hydrangeas, it's a great time to create a dried arrangement

Create an elegant coffee table setting: Place a nice decorative bowl filled with fruit or ornamental balls. Then choose two or three large books (or coffee table books, if you have them), stack them and then place a small little bouquet on top. You can make it with dried hydrangeas from your garden - just spray them with hairspray first to prevent the leaves from falling off - and place them in a small cream colored vase.
Bring in the smell of the season by adding some cinnamon scented pinecones in a bowl or in the base of the evergreen cuttings. By adding six to ten of these in a room, you'll get a very pleasant aroma.
Punch up your mantle with some amaryllis or poinsettia to celebrate the season.
Add a beautiful throw for warmth and some new accent pillows for a punch of color. Another idea: Many retailers like Bed Bath and Beyond sell pillow covers - so that you can update your look for less money. Wisteria has a beautiful jute crewel throw that will add texture and interest to your sofa (or for your bed) for $129. This is on my home's Christmas list!

Adding a pop of color and some greenery will enliven your rooms

Do you have a bare or uninteresting corner? Place a large ficus or palm plant on a stand in a nice ceramic pot. Install an uplight behind it for some drama. Instant focal point!
Have your area rugs seen better days? Head to HomeGoods or Target for more stylish options for not a lot of money. Check into this company also - Flor. They sell easy to install rug floor tiles that will give your home a more modern sensibility.
Get rid of all heavy drapes. Install sheers or light colored, light weight fabric drapes that will let the light in. If possible, install them close to the ceiling to add height

More Ideas for Your Kitchen and Bath

Kitchen To Do List

Remove everything from your counters - so you can start with a clean slate. (While you're at it, remove all magnets from the refrigerator).
Use or purchase some large glass canisters and fill them with colorful fruit - red and green peppers or apples would be perfect for the season.
Get a clean copy of Better Homes and Garden Cookbook and place it opened on a nice wrought iron cookbook stand

An all white kitchen needs some pops of color

If you don't have under cabinet lighting - you can purchase small battery-powered puck lights to install yourself. This will add light and drama to your kitchen.
Treat yourself to beautiful, new canisters (that you can take with you!) and place them on your countertop.
Add a small vase of flowers - and your countertops are done!
Purchase a new scatter rug for near the sink. ( Horchow makes some beautiful ones).
Assess your kitchen lighting. Lighting will date a home very quickly - and buyers will make a judgment on the overall quality of your home based on whether it's dated or not. A quick trip to Lowes (and you're going there for holiday purchases and paint anyway, right?) will bring you a plethora of stylish light choice - for very little money. It's my "go to" place for lighting when I'm staging a home.

Bathroom To Do List

Changing your shower curtain can update your bathroom in a flash. So, buy a new one that you can take with you!
Clean your bathroom thoroughly (especially the tub). After installing your new shower curtain, keep the curtain open when showing your home. Closing it makes buyers think the room is smaller - and they also think you may be hiding something.
Add spa-like items such as bath salts, sea sponge, beautiful soaps - perhaps an aloe plant or other greenery.Use white fluffy towels on your towel racks. Have some rolled for display.

Adding greenery, rolled towels, soaps and other spa items
gives bathrooms a restful aura

For artwork, a beautiful beach scene would give your room a restful note.

Next week - we will discuss some quick tips for some of the other rooms and some tips on decorating for the holidays while you are selling you home.

About Linda Leyble

Linda Leyble is the owner of Beautiful Staged Homes as well as the Studio of Decorative Arts (http://www.studioofdecorativearts.com), a professional mural and faux finishing company. We use color and design to enhance and improve spaces but we also use these techniques to alter the perceived size of a room. As trained decorative artists, we can magically transform dated cabinetry, vanities, countertops and floors into designer showpieces - without demolition and costly replacement. Linda's company was voted one of the "Best of Long Island 2008" companies by the Long Island Press - and was nominated again for 2010.

Linda is also an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP). She received her staging training from the company that started the staging industry over 30 years ago - StagedHomes.com

To experience what Linda and her team can do for you, call us for either a complimentary home assessment or a staging presentation for your office at 631 793-1315.

Sincerely,

Linda Leyble
Beautiful Staged Homes

HOME STAGING SEMINAR: I will be doing another "How to Successfully Stage & Sell Your Home" at the West Islip Library in January 2010. So - stay tuned for details. A Staging Consultation and other Prizes will be raffled off!

I would also like to congratulate ERA realtors nationwide. ERA is now participating with StagedHomes.com to bring more staging help to their listings. All ASPs (and Beautiful Staged Homes is one) will offer 10% off all staging services nationwide. If you are an ERA realtor - or if you have signed with an ERA realtor, please call me to get more information about this exciting offer!

Also - I will be soon be offering a downloadable home staging tutorial that both homesellers and realtors will find very helpful. Details to come!

In This Issue

The Sellers' To Do List

Simple Updates for Kitchen and Bath

More On Us

To find out more information about us, visit our blog: www.beautifulstaged
homes.blogspot.com

Save 10%. For a limited time, we will be offering our beautiful ceiling medallions for a discounted price. These beautiful signature pieces will be a welcome addition to just about any home. Call early to reserve yours - if you are planning to give them as a gift for the holidays. We will need at least two weeks' notice to order, create and deliver it in time. Thank you!
Offer Expires: December 15th, 2009

Posted by Barbara Tretola on November 19th, 2009 8:41 PM

More Home Staging

November 5th, 2009 7:25 PM

email?

Beautiful Staged Homes

A personal message from Linda

PO Box 661

631 793-1315

www.beautifulstagedhomes.com

Linda.Leyble@gmail.com

Dear Barbara,

Welcome to the Beautiful Staged Homes Newsletter.

Greetings! It seems likely that the Homebuyer Tax Credit will be extended and possibly expanded beyond just First Time Homebuyers. I believe that because of this there will be increased homebuying activity. The homes that look the best will be sold quickly - so polish up your home to attract the flux of new buyers that will be crossing your thresholds!

Today I wanted to talk about how important it is to give a potential buyer a vision of what life will be like if they buy your home. If your home lacks something that is expected to be there (a guest bedroom, a proper dining room etc), the buyer may "cross your home off the list." I will give you some ideas that will help you to create a home that has all of the necessary rooms and amenities that buyers' want and need to see.

Then - how to add some extra "pizzaz" in your home to attract buyers - some small finishing touches that will touch a buyer's heart.

If you have enjoyed reading this e-newsletter - and you'd like to forward it to a home seller or realtor colleague - please click the "Forward" and "Share" buttons at the bottom of this newsletter. Thanks.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Prospective Home Buyers Usually Don't Have the Vision to See How Wonderful a Home Can Be - You Have to Show Them

Only 10% of the population has the imagination required to visualize how to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, as the saying goes. That's why home staging makes an incredible difference in the length of time it takes to sell - and the price you will get for a home. During the spare, few minutes that homebuyers typically spend looking at a house, most of them aren't able to look beyond ugly, crowded and disorganized rooms. They don't have the ability to figure out that the missing dining room is actually standing in as a child's playroom. In a house with few bedrooms, most buyers won't look past a desk and imagine a bed in its place. What you do with a spare bedroom can make or break your home in this real estate climate.

A professional home stager can envision what homebuyers really want to see. They will help guide a buyer down a rosy path of how a home "can look" and show them exactly how they will live in a home if they purchase it.

When in Doubt - Add a Bedroom

We once staged a 55 and older condo that actually had 3 bedrooms (a master on the first floor and two bedrooms upstairs) - but one of the bedrooms was just a storage space with dark paneling, an ugly orange shag rug, no closet and was packed to capacity with the homeseller's travel memorabilia. This room also had no heat.

paneled room with tv

This before shot is actually quite kind. The space was packed with tons of books, maps, records, ceramics, clothes and souvenirs from the homeseller's extensive travels.

Knowing that a 3 bedroom home would garner a much higher price, we suggested removing the paneling, then painting, cleaning, decluttering and adding an electric baseboard heating unit (so that it would qualify as a room) and new carpeting. We also created a closet space from an unusable shelving space in the room. The room had an old, but nice sofa bed, so we used that plus a desk from the master and a few other items from elsewhere in the home - and we turned this once dark and useless room in a bright guest space that could also be a home office.

Franks guest room

We did a quick "vignette staging," with items that were in the home. Much brighter, bigger, cleaner - and it gives the buyer the idea that this room could be an office or a guest room.

Add a Child's Room

The other upstairs bedroom had a twin bed and two huge pieces of ugly furniture that crowded the room, making it seem smaller than it was.

beautiful kitchen 1

Before, the room was a "catch all" space rather than a bedroom. The carpeting was disintegrating and the overall look of the room was bland

We removed the large furniture, painted, put in new carpeting, added a desk that was in the kitchen - and brought in new bedding, some pictures and other accessories that created a child's bedroom.

beautiful kitchen 1

This simple staging created the illusion that a young girl - perhaps the granddaughter -stayed here and it made the room warmer and more inviting

The Result. The condo sold within days and for $6,000 above the listing price. Just a note: The realtors had wanted to price this property for $19,000 below what it finally listed for. Selling at $6,000 above meant a real profit of $25,000.

Add What Buyers Are Looking For

Our company pays special attention to whether or not a home might be a popular choice for young families. If a home is in a family-oriented neighborhood and the current owners do not have children, you need to transform at least one bedroom into a child's room.

If a married couple with a family walks through a childless home, it's difficult for them to visualize how their own family will like living there. Are the bedrooms the right size for their kids? Is there space for a playroom? Does the backyard look like it will be safe for them to play in?

Professional home stagers will make the most likely buyer of a home paramount when they are staging a home. This helps create a picture for the potential buyer by staging the house the way it would be lived in by them. With minimal furnishings and a few accessories, it's very easy to create a child's bedroom!"

Disguising a Small Bedroom

If you're selling a 4 or 5 bedroom home that has an exceptionally small bedroom without a closet, consider creating a craft room, a home office or work out space. If not, you run the risk that a homebuyer would only see how small the room is and that could be a negative that would cause them to not consider the home. If possible, include a loveseat or day bed with end tables and lamps to help buyers imagine how the room could double as a guest space.

You Need to Spoon Feed the Potential Buyer

The most important thing to remember is that home buyers are in a house for such a short time and they don't want to exert themselves trying to figure out how they might alter the property to meet their own needs.When they go to see a home, they want to envision themselves living there. With proper staging, they don't have to imagine themselves living there - they will already feel like they're "at home." And - that's what sells homes quickly - and for more money.

What "Finishing Touches" Does Your Home Have?

I saw an article recently about how interior designers should find their "Lipstick Effect." Leonard Lauder of Estee Lauder created that phrase to explain how his company could survive in an economic downturn - because women would spend money on makeup and lipstick - the little extravagant necessities - even when money is tight.

So - where is the "Lipstick Effect" in your home - those special finishing touches that make your home "more special?" It can be as simple as creating a spa atmosphere in your master bath (with little soaps and bath salts bought for a song at HomeGoods) - but a little touch like this will be remembered by your future buyers.

In the condo I mentioned above we featured two items - what I like to call our "signature touch" in homes that we stage. Our ceiling medallions. We had a small one over the kitchen table - and one in the dining room. In the majority of our work, we will place these lovely items in dining rooms and kitchens eating areas.

medallion

Here's one I made as a holiday gift to one of my realtors, who gives me a lot of my staging work. It has gold and copper leafing that has been antiqued

This one took some time and effort to create - but usually in a few short hours (while we are working on other parts of the home), I can turn a plain medallion into a beautiful showpiece. It is always the talk of the home. Consider adding a medallion to your home for the "Lipstick Effect" - that small extravagance that people just can't pass up.

For Sale: During the winter season, my company offers these medallions for sale. They make great gifts for your family, friends, clients - or for yourself. We have many different price ranges - from $150 on up to $500, depending on how large and detailed the medallion is. If you'd like to have more information about this - just email me or call me. I'd be glad to tell you more about it.

Use the coupon below for a 10% discount - for a limited time only.

About Linda Leyble

To experience what Linda and her team can do for you, call us for either a complimentary home assessment or a staging presentation for your office at 631 793-1315.

Sincerely,

In This Issue

The Buyer Only Knows What He Sees

The Lipstick Effect