Staging Lite

Staging on a Budget

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of staging.

But what if you don't have the money?

Or you have a 5,000 square foot home, and staging would be prohibitively expensive?

I'd still make the case that a half (or a quarter) loaf is better than none.

Establishing Priorities

So, especially for a home that has a focal "Great Room," staging just that room sets a nice tone -- and can help Buyers visualize how the rest of the house would look staged.

Another version of "staging lite" involves a home with larger spaces that have already been emptied out, either because the owner has moved, or the furnishings were very dated and have been donated or sold (typically, as part of an estate sale to ready the home for market).

Then, a combination of area rugs and inexpensive wall art (prints, mirrors and the like) can define rooms and help Buyers visualize the space better.

Cort Furniture Sale

"Mark Your Calendar"

If you're looking for decent furniture, cheap, Cort Furniture's annual sale is Sept. 16-18.

Cort, well-known to stagers and Realtors for their rental furniture, is less well-known as a place to buy used furniture at a terrific price.

Staging: Make-up . . . for Homes

Making the Most of What's Available

A rose is a rose is a rose.

--Gertrude Stein

Question: When is a chair not a chair?
Answer: When it's a prop.

Home stagers view furniture, framed pictures, rugs and various other objets d'art not as things in themselves -- but in terms of what they do for the room they're in.

So, what counts isn't the pedigree or provenance of a particular painting or piece of furniture (nice alliteration, huh?).

Rather, it's whether the item accentuates the room's size, natural light, and focal points (like a fireplace) -- or softens the room's negatives (like being too small or dark).

In turn, that often depends on the object's size, shape and color more than its craftsmanship or aesthetic value.

In fact, good stagers excel at using what's already available to them in the home.

That avoids the home owner having to go out and rent expensive props to accomplish the same thing.

P.S.: a good parallel for staging decisions is picking a stylish pair of eyeglasses. The right frame isn't necessarily the most expensive one -- but the one that shows off the person's best features.

Single Men, Taxi's, and "For Sale" Homes

"Serious" vs. "Non-Serious" Home Sellers

Men are like taxis. The theory is that when a man is ready for, or open to, the possibility of a relationship he turns his taxi light on. If you happen to be the girl that hails the cab (him) while the light is on, you've got a possibility of a decently long ride. But if you grab a cab with the light off, it doesn't really matter what you do, it's just not going to go anywhere.

--Candace Bushnell, "Sex and the City"

Substitute "serious home sellers" for "men" in the quote above, and you have a pretty good shorthand for what's going on in the housing market at any given moment. (And no, this isn't meant to be sexist; arguably the same phenomenon applies to single women.)

Just consider all the contrasts between "Serious" and "Non-Serious" home sellers ("motivated" and "unmotivated," if you prefer):

Serious: Price their home consistently with the Comp's ("Comparable Sold Properties").

Non-Serious: List their home at a price that nets them "what they need" -- or what their neighbor got 3 years ago.

Serious: If feedback and days on market indicate the price is unrealistic, reduces the price 3%-5% at regular intervals.
Non-Serious: Won't budge from the original list price. Or, after an eon of market time, will cancel-and-relist . . . at the same price.

Serious: Ferociously cleans and de-clutters before hitting the market. Donates accumulated stuff to charity to make their home feel as big as possible. Spends a nominal amount on cosmetic updating (painting, floor refinishing, landscaping, etc.) as needed. Brings in a stager -- and takes their advice!

Non-Serious: Thinks their home is perfect as is -- so why do anything?

Serious: Accommodates showing requests whenever possible. Cleans, empties the Kitchen sink, turns on all the lights, etc. ahead of first showings -- and especially second showings!

Non-Serious: Does none of the above. Thinks showings are a good time to water the lawn . . . in their underwear!

Serious: Has the municipal point-of-sale inspection done prior to going on the market, and fixes any items listed.

Non-Serious: Leaves the point-of-sale inspection for if/when there's a Buyer (illegal in some cities).

Serious: Hires a good, full-service Realtor who tells them all of the foregoing, markets early (pre-list) and energetically, negotiates well, knows the neighborhood, etc.

Non-Serious: Hires the cheapest Realtor they can find -- or none.

And on and on.

While serious home sellers don't literally turn on the equivalent of a taxi light -- based on all the things they do (or not) -- they're just as easy for Realtors and prospective Buyers to identify.

Realtor Referrals -- "Outgoing"

Payback (The Good Kind)

I suppose that there are some people out there who hesitate to give out referrals for fear that a favorite contractor will somehow forsake them if they ever become too busy or popular.

I find just the opposite is true.

Once someone comes to see me as a steady source of referrals, I find that I jump to the front of their list.

So what kinds of people do I refer, and to whom?

Stagers, for one.

I regularly work with several excellent stagers, and am always happy to give their names out to Realtors who are looking for a good one (more should be).

Another thing I do that I know is appreciated is write enthusiastic, even glowing reviews (when justified) on Angie's List.

In a way, that's simply a referral addressed to a broader audience.

By contrast, if I have a negative experience, I tend to just make a note in my files and move on. The exception is if I feel like the experience was so negative that other people deserve a "heads up."

Stagers, Handymen, and Inspectors

Another person I regularly recommend to my homeowner clients is my regular handyman, who's been keeping the evolving Kaplan household ship-shape for more than a decade.

You couldn't ask for a more ethical, competent, or conscientious guy.

If I ever hesitate to recommend Dan, it's only because I'm not certain the prospective customer is worthy of Dan -- not the other way around.

Of course, the other frequent referral Realtors are regularly called upon to make are home inspectors.

Most experienced Realtors have established relationships with a handful of inspectors that they know and trust.

In my own case, I encourage my clients to interview a couple, excellent inspectors, and hire the person they're most comfortable with.

In all these cases, the underlying premise is that someone who did good work for me, will also do good work for you if I give you their name. So that makes two people better off as a result of my having made the referral (three if you consider the good will and appreciation that comes back to me).

Just don't expect me to give you the cell phone number of our favorite babysitter . . . .