Sorry guys, life - in the shape of elderly parents and a DH with a heart condition - has taken me over. AnOrderLeeHome is out of business.
I will leave the blog posts since some of you find them useful. I remain deeply dedicated to Home Staging as the best, most inclusive, most effective way a to merchandise a house.
I am trying to figure out how to attach several forms I designed and found very useful when I met new clients. If I can do this, I will gladly share them with you.
Good Staging!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Art Of Staging: Negative Space continued
TWO successful closures on two staged properties! A rental house that had been vacant and 'for rent' for months, rented two weeks after I staged it. A 'for sale' house, truly beautiful but in a location that is improving (and the 'improving' stalled/slowed when the economy stalled) had been vacant without offers for a lot of months, almost a year. It went under contract two months after staging.
Of course, this means I am in process of bringing two houses' worth of furniture and accessories into my basement.....help
Negative space.
We were talking about negative space before reality in the form of two houses interrupted me.
Okay, let's all imagine standing in the living room in your house. Everybody there, mentally? Now, let's get started. For purposes of this discussion, let's assume the house is not being sold furnished. Let's remove everything that is not part of the sale.
Toss out the tschotkes. Rip the pictures down from the walls. Stand on a chair and tear the amusing diorama - half a plastic duck, crashing through the ceiling. Transport the furniture into the back yard. OUT goes the TV. The rugs shimmer and vanish. With a series of popping
sounds, the books vanish from the books shelves. Unless the book shelves are built in, they follow the books outa there. The gold cup you got 1976 for outstanding achievement in field hockey lifts off the mantle and glides out of the room. (Mentally clearing a room is SO much easier than actually packing, isn't it?)In your mind, take the room down to bare walls, bare floor, bare ceiling. What is left? Windows. Doors. Fireplace. Built in book shelves. Flooring (carpet, wood).
One more thing. In your mind rip up the carpet, the wood, the flooring. Smooth over it to make it mentally easy to walk on.
What a coincidence! When we remove everything that is not for sale, we are left with everything that defines the shape and size of the room. Negative space.
This, my friends, is what you are selling. This is where the staging starts.
Tomorrow, we dig into this idea.
Have a great Tuesday.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Art Of Staging: Negative Space
What the heck is negative space?
In painting, negative space is "the space around and between the subject(s) of an image". (wikipedia.org)
In my always vocal opinion:
In music, negative space is the pauses to breath, the silences that highlight the next sounds.
In speaking, negative space is (again) the pauses, the silences that capture the listener's attention.
Negative space defines shape - the shape of the subject, the meaning and importance of the next words or music. Negative space enhances substance. Negative space is critical to understanding meaning. Negative space offers time to think and reflect. (Think about it, if the speaker goes on and on, even if they are interesting you may find it hard to keep concentrating on what they are saying.)
Negative space is absolutely critical to staging.
Think about it.
Forget 'what the heck is negative space'? ... What the heck is she talking about?
Discussion continues tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Garden: Front Yard
I did an informal home staging consultation (informal staging plan) yesterday. The house was build in the early 1930's. The front yard is small, and the home owners are prolific gardeners in the English garden style.
Meaning the front yard was choked with blooming flowers, and a gigantic Rosemary bush partially blocked part of the walk to the door on one side, while a huge flowering shrub partially blocked the other side. The winding path they take to get in an among the dozens of shrubs and flowers was dirt.
Some enthusiastic trimming and a lot of bags of mulch (to define and enhance the path) will change the first impression from crowded and unfriendly to charming and welcoming.
I hope they let me know when they are done doing the staging. I am looking forward to seeing the lovely results.
Have a great Wednesday!
Meaning the front yard was choked with blooming flowers, and a gigantic Rosemary bush partially blocked part of the walk to the door on one side, while a huge flowering shrub partially blocked the other side. The winding path they take to get in an among the dozens of shrubs and flowers was dirt.
Some enthusiastic trimming and a lot of bags of mulch (to define and enhance the path) will change the first impression from crowded and unfriendly to charming and welcoming.
I hope they let me know when they are done doing the staging. I am looking forward to seeing the lovely results.
Have a great Wednesday!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Despair
My stager friends and I are somewhere between despair and anger.
A few months ago, one friend looked over a neighbor's house. The neighbor had done their own 'staging'. I told you about it in a previous blog: tschotkes everywhere - beautiful, expensive porcelains arranged in huge grouping of dozens of objects; gorgeous, expensive furniture arranged to live and to block or hide the room's best features. A wonderful house, but arranged to live and not, definitely not, to sell.
The neighbor chose to list the house that way. After all, the listing agent said the asking price was reasonable and there was no need to stage.
They just dropped the price $50K.
Assuming the stager did the work - the most expensive way to stage - professional staging would have run under $2K, with a small on-going cost for a storage unit to protect the excess furniture and decorative items.
Would staging have made a difference?
We stagers think it would.....and we each have stories to re-enforce that thought.
Today, I do a Staging Consultation (what I call an Informal Staging Plan) for a new client who is selling by owner. Smart person - my charge will be minimal, they will do the work themselves, and they will greatly improve the marketing of their house.
Have a great day!
A few months ago, one friend looked over a neighbor's house. The neighbor had done their own 'staging'. I told you about it in a previous blog: tschotkes everywhere - beautiful, expensive porcelains arranged in huge grouping of dozens of objects; gorgeous, expensive furniture arranged to live and to block or hide the room's best features. A wonderful house, but arranged to live and not, definitely not, to sell.
The neighbor chose to list the house that way. After all, the listing agent said the asking price was reasonable and there was no need to stage.
They just dropped the price $50K.
Assuming the stager did the work - the most expensive way to stage - professional staging would have run under $2K, with a small on-going cost for a storage unit to protect the excess furniture and decorative items.
Would staging have made a difference?
We stagers think it would.....and we each have stories to re-enforce that thought.
Today, I do a Staging Consultation (what I call an Informal Staging Plan) for a new client who is selling by owner. Smart person - my charge will be minimal, they will do the work themselves, and they will greatly improve the marketing of their house.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Would you buy a used car from this house?
When I say a house feels 'trustworthy' to a potential buyer, what the heck am I talking about? Do I mean the buyer feels the house is honest? Has nothing to hide? Will sign and back an IOU?
Pretty much.
In 'the science and art of staging' on my website, I have a large section called 'tell them about it'. This is all about ways a seller can tell buyers about the location and condition of the house. The more a buyer feels they know about a house, the more likely they are to follow their first impression and, if it is positive, buy the house.
This means if something is wrong that the seller is unable to repair, the seller should be up front about it and not wait for the legal disclosure to mention it. Waiting for the legal disclosure 'feels' like a lie..."Why didn't they mention that earlier???" Having a printed list of issues, and the approximate cost and time needed to fix them, will scare some buyers away, true, but it will make others feel they really know the house - that there are no gotcha's lurking.
That is why I encourage my client's to have a home inspection, address everything they can, write a letter explaining what they did, then put the home inspection report and the letter out where potential buyers can read them. This is a great way for you, the seller, to tell everyone that YOU trust the house. And, if you trust they house, they can too.
So, I suggest my clients be very up front about the physical state of the house.
With one kind-of exception:
Maybe you are the world's most amazing house cleaner. Maybe this means you sterilize the kitchen each time someone gets a drink of water. Maybe this means you figure once a month is good enough for cleaning your bathroom, and your baseboards have never been cleaned.
If the house is clean and neat and staged and all stains have been removed when it is shown, history does not matter. What matters is the house is clean when the potential buyer sees it. Here, cleanliness implies it has always been kept that way. In turn, this implies you, the seller, have always taken good care of every aspect of the house.
Gotta trust someone who cares that much. Gotta trust a house that is so honest about it's flaws and has, fundamentally, been well maintained.
In a previous blog, I said I believe buyers are helped when a house is staged. A staged house should be honest and trustworthy. A staged house markets itself by showing off all positive aspects and explaining any idiosyncrasies. I believe a well staged house never tells a lie.
Pretty much.
In 'the science and art of staging' on my website, I have a large section called 'tell them about it'. This is all about ways a seller can tell buyers about the location and condition of the house. The more a buyer feels they know about a house, the more likely they are to follow their first impression and, if it is positive, buy the house.
This means if something is wrong that the seller is unable to repair, the seller should be up front about it and not wait for the legal disclosure to mention it. Waiting for the legal disclosure 'feels' like a lie..."Why didn't they mention that earlier???" Having a printed list of issues, and the approximate cost and time needed to fix them, will scare some buyers away, true, but it will make others feel they really know the house - that there are no gotcha's lurking.
That is why I encourage my client's to have a home inspection, address everything they can, write a letter explaining what they did, then put the home inspection report and the letter out where potential buyers can read them. This is a great way for you, the seller, to tell everyone that YOU trust the house. And, if you trust they house, they can too.
So, I suggest my clients be very up front about the physical state of the house.
With one kind-of exception:
Maybe you are the world's most amazing house cleaner. Maybe this means you sterilize the kitchen each time someone gets a drink of water. Maybe this means you figure once a month is good enough for cleaning your bathroom, and your baseboards have never been cleaned.
If the house is clean and neat and staged and all stains have been removed when it is shown, history does not matter. What matters is the house is clean when the potential buyer sees it. Here, cleanliness implies it has always been kept that way. In turn, this implies you, the seller, have always taken good care of every aspect of the house.
Gotta trust someone who cares that much. Gotta trust a house that is so honest about it's flaws and has, fundamentally, been well maintained.
In a previous blog, I said I believe buyers are helped when a house is staged. A staged house should be honest and trustworthy. A staged house markets itself by showing off all positive aspects and explaining any idiosyncrasies. I believe a well staged house never tells a lie.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Living In Your Staged Home: Clean, clean again
There are a lot of awesome cleaning products on the market. Many come with their own, disposable applicators (mop pads, cleaning wipes). This really bothered me because, while I loved the convenience of the product, I hated (a) spending money just to throw the applicator away, (b) thinking about what all those tossed applicators were doing in the landfills.
One day, in the local all-a-dollar store, I found a packet of 20 white cotton wash cloths. These border on being paper-thin, but are very strong. I bought two packs. Then, I got a bucket, a bottle of generic cleaner, furniture polish, and a bottle of white vinegar. I carry the wash cloths, the generic cleaners, and a few specialized cleaners (for special products like granite) in the bucket. Tied to the bucket handle, I have the drawstrings that close a plastic bag.
When I clean house, I use the wash cloths and the cleaners. When a wash cloth gets dirty, or when the specific purpose (like furniture polishing) is complete, the cloths go in the plastic bag. When I am through cleaning, I transport the plastic bag to the laundry where the wash cloths are washed.
When I mop, the wash cloths fit on the solid surface, flat 'mop' I use. Too cool.
In this way, I reuse the cloths, my garbage load is reduced, I save money, and the landfill rests in peace.
Almost three years, two houses, and the original packs of cloths are still going strong. Oh sure, a little stained, worn in spots...yep, in another year or so I will have to go find another pack.
...................................
There is a theory, held by some stagers, that cleaning products should be hidden. That we do not want to remind buyers that they are going to have to clean the house.
I do not agree with that theory.
I think a clean house in combination with the products used to do the cleaning, sends a message to potential buyers that the owners care for the house. This makes the house more trustworthy, a good thing, emotionally.
I do tell my clients that, because cleaning products can be toxic or cause bad reactions when touched, all such products should be stored out of reach of children. Buyers visiting a house may bring their children. We do not want those children exploring and playing with chemicals. We do not want parents worrying about whether their children are safe in the house - this is altogether the wrong emotional message.
So, use 'em frequently (even if you have a weekly cleaning service, you may need to clean between visits), and store 'em high!
Happy Tuesday!
One day, in the local all-a-dollar store, I found a packet of 20 white cotton wash cloths. These border on being paper-thin, but are very strong. I bought two packs. Then, I got a bucket, a bottle of generic cleaner, furniture polish, and a bottle of white vinegar. I carry the wash cloths, the generic cleaners, and a few specialized cleaners (for special products like granite) in the bucket. Tied to the bucket handle, I have the drawstrings that close a plastic bag.
When I clean house, I use the wash cloths and the cleaners. When a wash cloth gets dirty, or when the specific purpose (like furniture polishing) is complete, the cloths go in the plastic bag. When I am through cleaning, I transport the plastic bag to the laundry where the wash cloths are washed.
When I mop, the wash cloths fit on the solid surface, flat 'mop' I use. Too cool.
In this way, I reuse the cloths, my garbage load is reduced, I save money, and the landfill rests in peace.
Almost three years, two houses, and the original packs of cloths are still going strong. Oh sure, a little stained, worn in spots...yep, in another year or so I will have to go find another pack.
...................................
There is a theory, held by some stagers, that cleaning products should be hidden. That we do not want to remind buyers that they are going to have to clean the house.
I do not agree with that theory.
I think a clean house in combination with the products used to do the cleaning, sends a message to potential buyers that the owners care for the house. This makes the house more trustworthy, a good thing, emotionally.
I do tell my clients that, because cleaning products can be toxic or cause bad reactions when touched, all such products should be stored out of reach of children. Buyers visiting a house may bring their children. We do not want those children exploring and playing with chemicals. We do not want parents worrying about whether their children are safe in the house - this is altogether the wrong emotional message.
So, use 'em frequently (even if you have a weekly cleaning service, you may need to clean between visits), and store 'em high!
Happy Tuesday!
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