Safe & Sound!

Happy Monday!

I'm sure you have received emails about the career criminals and the "tips" they have shared about what made them successful at breaking & entering homes - so this post may be redundant but I received it from my homeowner's association and thought it worthy of sharing.  Please take just a quick moment to review and if nothing else, I hope it just reminds you to set your alarm the next time you leave the house:

1- Keep your valuables in a safe or disguised containers in the KITCHEN.  This is the last place that thieves look .  The first place is the MASTER BEDROOM.

2- Dont tell hairdresser / grocer / mail carrier / yard people or banker of your pending vacation.  They may tell the wrong people.  Ditto for NOT posting you excitement or details on Facebook or Twitter!

3- Keep boxes of newly purchased electronics, or appliances in black bags ready for bulk trash pickup.  Don't let thieves know about your new possessions by putting the 50" television box on the curb in front of your house waiting for bulk trash pickup day.

4- Add security signs in your alley or back fence of your property.  Mention there is visual monitering. Most of the time thieves enter through the back of your property.  It takes ONLY 30 SECONDS to enter your property and the average time the thieves spend inside is less than 4 minutes. 

5-  Make sure your doorbell is working. Thieves, posing as solicitors, will ring bells.  If no answer, they may think no one is home - perfect for thievery time.

6- Make sure your barking dog has a good view of the outside.  Thieves avoid the home with the barking dog.

7- Make sure your mail / newspaper / and delivered packages are picked up daily.  If you are on vacation, stop your mail & newspaper delivery for the duration and let a trusted friend or neighbor know to watch for and pick up any delivered packages.

8- Keep the shrubs trimmed away from the windows.

9- Make sure your alarm system is armed ALL the appropriate times. Homes with an alarm system, did not have it activated 90% of the time. 

We will soon be in the summer vacation period so let's make it fun with only happy memories!

Michelle Lynne

Uncool

Earlier this week, I was visiting with a potential client who reads my blog and she said that she recognized a photo in an earlier post as one from a local competitor.  It was in THIS post where I had written about stagers who just re-arrange or rent you furniture and call it staging.  I had just been scooped on a bid by a local firm offering ridiculously low prices and was on my soapbox. 

I still feel the same way about the topic the blog was written about but my point today is that I want to shout an apology from the rooftops because I did not farm this photo from the local firm's website, as that would be WAY uncool.  (There is a little note at the bottom of the photos crediting the website where I found them.)  I don't know which firm this originally came from but I offer them a huge mea culpa, as well as to my staff, clients, fellow members of the Real Estate Staging Association where I hold the position of VP of our local chapter,  and of course, my reader base - because that is not the kind of person or business owner I am.  There are over 65,000 active listings in DFW on the MLS today - more than plenty to go around between the professional stagers here without getting ugly about it, don't you agree?  I have always operated on the philosophy "do what is right, the success will follow" and have trained my staff to do the same...I'm embarrassed that this could tarnish one of the most valuable tools I have in business and in life:  my honor.  

So, I am going back to the original post and removing it altogether.  I am grateful to the person who brought it to my attention and thankful that she still gave me the opportunity to visit with her in her home.

And look...it's already becoming a hazy memory:

Thank you for understanding!

Out Take #1

You know there are bound to be some out takes on the video series I'm creating so I thought I'd share the first one with you.  As I learn how to edit, I'll be sure to share more because there have been MANY but I wasn't sure how to cut them so you only see the blooper and not have to watch the whole video until the funny part.  Here is 13 seconds of silly:

There are new videos on my YouTube channel!  Let me know if you want my autograph.... 

Lights! Camera! Action!

It's the age of social media and immediate gratification so I thought I would produce a series of videos that anybody can access and hopefully garner some good home staging tips from.  Let me tell you that this was not an easy exercise!  You may not believe it, but I am actually a little shy...and very much camera shy so my self talk volume had to be turned up in order to get through these.

I've only completed two but hope to put together some more quickly so if you have any requests, please let me know.  Here are the first two...don't laugh.

Here is the quick introduction to the series:

And here is the first video - chock full of information:

Do you think 7 minutes, 40 seconds is too long?  Goodness knows it took me 99 takes to get one that was reasonably well understood so maybe 5 minute videos would be easier.  What are your thoughts?

Spring Forward and SELL!!!

Spring is the time we push our clocks forward and we all lose that precious hour of sleep. It is also a time when some people get the urge to clean and purge their home. So here we are….it’s spring -- are you ready to clean?!! Not only will your house SPARKLE but it will prepare you to get your house ready to put on the market. Here are a few helpful tips to help you clean up and get ready for potential home buyers:

1. Take a tour: Walk your home inside & outside as if you are thinking of buying it. Take notes in each room on things that need repair, repainted, or removed. You want to get your house back into the shape it was the day you moved in.  If it is difficult to see your house objectively, consider hiring a professional – most stagers will do a walk through “consultation” with you for a nominal fee.  This will help point out what you have learned to live with.

1. Enjoy the outdoors: Take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and get the landscaping and the outside of your home back in shape. It's the first thing any potential home buyer will see when they drive up, so make sure the following is done:
1. A well manicured lawn is the first thing any potential buyer sees when they drive up. Colorful flowers in a bed of dark mulch, trimming your trees, as well as just sweeping off the front stoop. 
2. Gutter, shutter & lighting repair.  Look at your shingles or get a professional roofer to come and give you a free inspection…better to address a leaky roof now than when you’re negotiating the offer.
3. Don’t forget the back patio and any other outdoor areas that need refreshing.  Often a good sweep or power-wash will work wonders!
4. Oh…and don’t forget to put out a fresh WELCOME mat.

1. De-clutter: An inexpensive and effective start is to go through each room and remove excess piles of paperwork, toys, or anything that is taking up too much space.   You are selling real estate and the buyer has to see as much of it as possible so don’t clutter the corners!
1. Clean your closets and store out of season clothing in the attic or off site.
2. Do you have excess furniture that you just haven’t known what to do with?  Toys your children have outgrown?  Donate to your favorite charity or give to a friend…many will come and pick it up!
3. Make sure there are natural and W I D E enough walkways through the house.  You are selling the space of the house, so make sure it feels like they are getting all of it!

1. Depersonalize: Home-buyers should be able to “see themselves” living in the house.  It’s difficult to imagine that if there are an overwhelming number of heirlooms, collectibles or knick-knacks in each room. 

1. Keep any collectibles or knick-knacks to a manageable amount of three. 
2. If you must live with family photos, limit it to only those portraying “the good life” – action shots, vacations, award winning moments…and pack up the wedding & posed family portraits. 
3. Any high value or irreplaceable items should be packed & stored so there is no worry of accidentally having it damaged during an Open House.

4. Deep Clean: Every inch should sparkle. This means getting rid of those cobwebs, dust bunnies, and strong odors. The house should be in tip top shape so make sure the baseboards, drapes, light fixtures and other "somewhat neglected" parts of the house get the love they need.  Nobody wants to walk through a house and feel like they need to shower after they leave.

4. Garage help: Finally, don’t neglect the garage.  Spend some more time outside enjoying the weather and organize it. It may not be a place that gets lived in but it is a major bonus spot and it should be open enough that home buyers can vision their own belongings in. 

Awesome Garage!

Once you have mastered all of these tips I would say....... 

Should I Sell Now?

We have all heard the saying, "Buy low and sell high." However, with home sales in the dump these last couple of years it is hard to follow that advice if you really have to sell your home. However, National Association of Realtors just published this article today that states that existing home sales are up for the third month in a row and we are now above sales levels from a year ago. It may not be back exactly to where we would want them to be but three months of improvement sure does make me feel a bit better.

Deciding to sell your home can be a tough decision and there are lots of things you should consider. HGTV's Frontdoor (HGTV's very own website that allows you to search homes for sale!) put out an article that you can find here and it addresses many different things to think about when you  are pondering putting your home for sale. One of my favorite things in this article is the fact that a lot of people most likely forget to consider ALL the costs that go into selling a home and they list out a TON of them. For example, in today's market did you know that you may possibly need to look into making your home more green?! A lot more home buyers today are concerned with how energy efficient a home is and how much money "being green" will save them. Bet you didn't think of that....I definitely didn't!!!

So you have now read the article and are ready to put your home for sale. Have you thought about how the house should follow the five senses when showing? Wait, what's that you say?! Yes, a home that shows well is a home that appeals to all five senses. Let me give you a few tips on how to appeal to the potential home buyer on a very basal level.

• Sight: Make the home as bright as you possibly can! Open up all the blinds, turn on all the lights and make sure even the darkest corners get some love. It will make the home feel more open and larger. In this picture, all the lights are on and they even lit the pantry!

HGTV!

• Smell: You want the house to smell like it just had the deepest cleaning ever. The clean smell elicits thoughts that the house has been taken care of and the new home buyer will not have a major cleaning chore on their hands, thus not wanting to buy the home. Many real estate agents have also said to me that any home that smelled like you just baked some sort of sweet goodness has a tendency of selling faster. We all love sweets!! If you don't have time, you can always get a scented candle that makes it smell like you had all the time in the world.

• Hearing: Studies have shown that classical music can help when you are studying because it gets the brain active. I can't really explain the science behind it but they do know it helps with retention. You TOTALLY want a potential home buyer to remember your home right?!! Throw on the classical music station in the major rooms of the home and get those brain cells going. 

• Touch: We all know that home buyers are going to open cabinets, sit on couches, lean on counter tops and probably do more that we don't want to admit to. So, make sure all surfaces are clean and smooth, the couches are not covered in little crumbs from the kids crackers, and the floors are swept for those that like to take their shoes off. 

And finally, Taste. Ok, so this sense may not be used when walking through a home. (At least you hope not...that would be a little awkward!) But you can utilize this sense by actually making that cake or those cookies and leaving them for those potential home buyers. They will love them and will definitely remember your house for the nice walk through snack!

All Stagers Are NOT Created Equally

If you are shopping for a home stager, you should be sure to view their work and not just shop based upon price.  Yes, price does play a part in any shopping expedition but when you are looking to transform your largest investment (your house), do you go to Wal Mart?  I don't.  But I don't go to Neiman Marcus either (no disrespect for either Wally World or Neiman's - both have a place in our shopping society).  

Today's curb appeal starts on line and if you look worse than (or even "just like") the competition, you will lose priority to the listings with photos that merchandises itself to create EMOTION.  After all, pricing will attract buyers but staging will attract offers.

So back to my department store analogy.  Personally, my favorite department store is Nordstrom.  Their service is amazing and their product is excellent while not being grossly overpriced.  And their merchandising of their product is extraordinary - I want to take home everything I see.  I want to BE that mannequin wearing the amazing boots and trendy sweater (I'd also like to be her size but that isn't going to happen, I enjoy eating way too much).

I DIGRESS...let's get back on point.   Here are photos of what I'm referring to as the Wal Mart level of staging:

Adult Art on display?

Pillows in the center of the floor do not count as a substitute for a sofa.

*** REMOVED ***

Is that wall supposed to signify the stations of the cross as I make a pilgrimage to the refrigerator?

Big room?  Or big red rug?  I get the need for some color in the space but I'm getting DIZZY.

(Above photos are from Uglyhousephotos.com)

Now I am not claiming that we know everything there is about staging or that we are perfect in any way.  But I do believe that a picture is worth a thousand words.  So check out the gallery or portfolio of the firm you're looking to enlist.  If you see any of the photos above featured on their website, just know you're shopping at Wal Mart and you'll get what you pay for.  

And for comparative purposes, THIS is our version of a traditional home's "Nordstrom" level staging:

If you want to shop Nordie's and not Wally World, please feel free to contact us for pricing.  

We are at your service.

Oh, and if you want to see more amazing transformations, check out our YouTube channel, Facebook page and of course, our website.