Are you trying to sell your house?

Did you put your house on the market this spring but it has not sold? You definitely need to stage it. It should be decluttered, cleaned and staged to sell.


The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell is the best do-it-yourself resource for this project. (yeah, I am bias 'cause I am the author)



Don't make the mistake of thinking: "I know what to do" or "Everyone will like my house just the way it is".


Competition in the housing market is tough. Staging Your Home to sell helps you beat the competition and get the most out of your biggest asset.

Get this book today to help get the most money for your home in the quickest time possible.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell

The power of staging, again

Last week I was called in to consult on a very nice home in desirable area. It had been for sale by owner for a month or so then the real estate agent came on board.

He realized right away that even though it was nicely decorated, he knew with a few changes it could be great.

I came in and made several simple suggestions: Move furniture for better traffic flow, removed small area scatter rugs to make the room less choppy, and we even talked about painting over a small mural in the kitchen.

I met the homeowners on a Thursday night. They did much of the work themselves including painting over their beloved mural. On that Saturday's open house, the house SOLD!

Prepping a house for sale is decluttering but it is also depersonalization (the mural) and making the house appear as large as possible (traffic flow). The hardest part of this for homeowners is depersonalization because there is not objectivity - the exact reason to bring in a professional home stager.

The homeowners and real estate agent are thrilled! and so am I.

Julie

How about you, do you need so professional objectivity to get your house sold? call me (716- 912-1581)

the demograhics of doilies

I have been very busy these last couple weeks. Who said there is a recession. The housing market is hot.

The last three houses I have done a home staging consultation for have had one thing in common: doilies.

In my most professional manner I kindly explain that the house they are selling is aimed at a certain demographic - young upper mobile professionals.

The doily is not a decor object that normally appeals to that age group.

What I really want to say is doilies reminds that generation of their grandma and they do not want to buy a "little old lady house" - there I have said it.

If you are putting your house on the market - do a doily check. Please remove them from all horizontal surfaces including your end tables, toilet tanks and plant stands.

It is easy to do and costs no money - no excuses. And yes, that means you.

Satisfied Staging client

I recently got this sweet note from a client:

I just wanted to write to you and thank you for all your helpful advice you gave to me when I was staging my home in West Seneca for a sale. I believe you may have come over sometime before summer 2008. I made the recommended changes you suggested, i.e. new front concrete steps, laminate floors in dining and living room, removal of border in kitchen, and painting of many rooms.

My house sold in 3 1/2 weeks!

Jean P.

Do you want results like this? Contact me at (716) 912-1581. I can help you!

Helpful home staging book

This year's real estate market is ramping up. If you or someone you know is putting a house up for sale, be sure to have it decluttered, cleaned and staged to sell.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell is the best do-it-yourself resource for this project. (yeah, I am bias 'cause I am the author)

Don't make the mistake of thinking:
" this is not done in my area of the country" or
"my house is fine just the way it is".

Competition in the housing market is tough. Staging Your Home to sell helps you beat the competition and get the most out of your biggest asset. Get this book today to help get the most money for your home in the quickest time possible.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell

The Home Stylist quoted on MSN today

On MSN.com today there was a front page article on selling your home in a crowded market. I was interviewed for the article awhile ago and then to be honest I forgot about it until my Dad called me today and said "Hey - did you see this article?" Good catch, Dad!

This article has many good tips about selling your home in a difficult market.
Check it out here:

MSN on 7 Tips to Sell Your Home

The business of Staging and Redesigning

Many people write to me about going into the business of home staging and redesign/decorating.

"It looks like it is a lot of fun"
"I just lost my job so I want to be a stager"
"I have a boring job and I want to do something creative."
"Can I help you stage or decorate?"
And my favorite...." This looks like easy money"

Yes, the actual staging and decorating is fun but that is less than 50% of what I do. How come nobody calls and asks if they can input receipts into Quickbooks? Or ask if they can photocopy handouts? (or write blog posts)

The number 1 task I do with inquiries like this is to educate potential stagers or decorators that you are running a business.

If you just lost your job and need to pay rent or mortgage, starting a new business may not be for you. It could take years to build up your business to consistently make that type of money. If you are still determined to enter this field, I welcome you!

The Home Stylist offers aspiring entrepreneurs a very helpful service with Business Advice Consultation. Learn if this business if for you and if you have what it takes to make it a success. Get insights on the steps you need to take to launch your own successful home staging or interior decorating business. You know you have been dreaming about this. Arranging a business consultation is your first step!

If you are creative, this is something you should never do.

Many people have found The Home Stylist.com from doing a search on "decorating style quiz". I have so many people say to me - "you described my style and my problems exactly". I love hearing that!


What I don't like is people taking my quiz and calling it their own. It is copyrighted. At least the other day someone called me and asked if they could put my quiz on their website. I graciously said no but thanks for asking because so many people just steal it.

In fact I have had people steal pages and pages from my website and just change the company title. URGH! I use http://www.copyscape.com/ to catch people and I have even filed a cease and desist letter. Google pulls the offending site. When you get banned from Google it is not good for your business.

Please, if you are creative enough to be in this interior decorating and staging business, you are creative enough to come up with your own content.


Please don't steal. It is bad.

House sold in 5 days

If you are a realtor and are planning your goals for next year (you do plan your goals, don't you?), I highly suggest you add professional staging to your plans.

I got this note the other day:

Julie,
Just thought you would like to know that the most recent house you did a consultation for SOLD in 5 DAYS!!!! You are a strong component of my sales success.
THANKS ,
Michael

Don't you want that kind of success too? Call me. I can help you sell houses.

Holiday decorating tips while selling your home

The Realtor Magazine, the national magazine for real estate agents, recently published a great article on selling during the holidays.

The article, Holiday Decor That Brings Out the Best, by Barbara Ballinger highlights key points such as

• add tasteful, generic decorations,
• trade non-seasonal for seasonal decorations,
• keep up decorations for a limited time,
• use timely marketing materials.

It is a valuable article to share with those selling their house right now. It gives sellers and Realtors specific suggestions on how to balance enjoying the holidays without compromising being ready to sell.

I was honored to be the staging professional interviewed for this important national and timely article.

Hope you enjoy it,
Julie Dana, an Accredited Staging Professional, and lover of tasteful holiday decorations.

Fireplace facelift fast and cheap

One recent house I was working on needed to change out the dated brass fireplace door. The price of a new door was around $350. This was out of the budget. So what to do?

The answer is heat resistance black spray paint! Cost around $8.00.

For a total savings of $342

The Home Stylist will be glad to help you come up with cost effective decor solutions. Call (716) 912-1581. You can have a great room on a tight budget!

The "Know-it-All" client

OK - I normally don't diss clients but this one had me on a low boil for several days.

I was hire by the real estate agent as a extra service for her client. That is a smart move on the agents part and normally works really well.

But on this day....

The first words out of the homeowner "I watch HGTV all the time. I know what I need to do to stage my house"

My response: "Great! I love when homeowners are educated about the process"

Some of the issues regarding staging the house that I talked to her about included:

• Tons of family photos on the walls
• Extra large armoires in several rooms
• In the children's room, their names were spelled out in letters.
• A huge stair machine in a first floor room

Now if you really watch staging shows and you truly are interested in staging your home to sell it quickly and for top dollar - you know the issues.

• Removing family photos to depersonalize is staging rule number 1
• Having large armoires signals to buyers that there is not enough closets space
• For security reasons alone don't let strangers know your children's names
• A stair machine is not a good focal point of the room.

After coming up with a plan for these items, the seller refused to make the changes. She said "I know I should but I'm not going to"

To that I say "Urghh" (in the privacy of my vehicle) as I drive away. I can only image what the homeowner will be like for the real estate agent. Best of luck on that one!

We are here to help. Take the help. Staging works!

Get great deals at Linens n Things

As you may know the store, Linens n' Things, is going out of business.

Great deals are to be had right now!

Did you see me in line yesterday? I was the one with a whole shopping cart full of stuff.

As the weeks go on, the discounts will be steeper but the selection with be less. This was a great store for interior decorators, redesigners,home stagers and, of course, the do-it-yourself homeowner. This is your opportunity to stock up on props, inventory, and accessories. Check out the local store near you or shop online (www.lnt.com) while you can.

I know I'll be back in the next week or two to see what is left.

Julie

Curb Appeal in the Buffalo, NY area

On a recent home staging project, one of the major improvements was addressing the curb appeal.

What to you think? Improved?

As the saying goes "You can't sell it - if you can't see it"

If I can advise you on transforming your home for pleasure or profit, call me (716) 912-1581 or visit www.thehomestylist.com

Take a fun STAGING quiz

Here is a link to a great little home staging quiz.

HOME STAGING QUIZ

Give it a try but do come back and tell me what you thought. How did you do?

Painting a paneled room

I get lots of questions about painting of paneling. Yes, it can be done and yes, it turns out well if properly prepped. Ideally paneling should be removed and the wall patched and painted - but heck who has time for that?!

Here was a project done this summer:

Before: Dark and Dated:

After:

Bright and up-to-date:

Be sure to prime the walls and have the patience to do multiple coats.

Julie

A new favorite blog

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love my crockpot. I thought I was the only one who was obsessed with this marvelous appliance...that is until I saw this blog called A Year of CrockPotting.

The author, Stephanie, has pledged to use her crockpot everyday this year. Yes, 365 times straight. She has excellent recipes and great honest feedback (ie tells you when the meal bombs).

In my busy life - mother of two active boys and running my own business (www.thehomestylist.com) - I need and treasure easy meals. Crockpots rule!!!

Check that blog out for great recipes to ease your day.

Decorating a bomb shelter

I must confess that one of the reasons I became a decorator and stager is so I can see into other people's home. I love seeing how other people live and how people define their homes.

I have seen many different types of houses and styles ...and um...levels of cleanliness. But not long ago I had the unique opportunity to work on a large estate that has a bomb shelter on it. Pretty cool!

It was about 900 square feet. It has a kitchen and bathroom and all the proper ventilation and generators to make it work.

I can't tell you the exact location to respect the owners and also to prevent mischievous teens from locating it. (ya know what I mean!)

Have you ever been in a bomb shelter? If you had a space like this what would you do with it?

One thought I had is to let my sons use it as a "music" room - or specifically a drum practice room ;)

How about you? Throw an annual theme party? Stash Christmas presents in it?

Decorating a model home at Fox Run of Orchard Park

A few months ago I decorated a couple model homes on the campus of Fox Run of Orchard Park.

I did 2 1/2 homes. The guest suite was partially done and I decorated that in a simple cottage style. The patio home I transformed it from empty and cold to a beautiful traditional home. The apartment was decorated in the modern style. Three major styles, cottage, modern and traditional, were used so prospective residents could see a style they could relate to.

Here are a couple photos from the modern apartment:

Don't you want to live there?!

The Home Stylist celebrates

On August 2, 2008 The Home Stylist celebrates 6 years in business.

I am so blessed to love what I do for a living, meet fantastic clients, and be able to flex my schedule around my family.

Do you know that most small businesses don't make it past the 3 year mark? I am honor that my clients have helped me make The Home Stylist so successful.

Thank you!

And here's to making the next 6 years filled with even more creativity, friends and transformations!

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification