Introduction to Home Staging

What do you do and how do you do it? I have a list of houses in various stages of foreclosure, now what?

Your first opportunity comes in the "pre-foreclosure" stage, when owners have already defaulted on their mortgage payments but actual foreclosure hasn’t happened yet. To find out about houses in default, visit the local courthouse where defaults are registered. You can then make offers directly to the defaulting homeowner. However, few pre-foreclosure bargains exist among the most desirable homes. Many of those will sell for near their appraised values. Properties that sell at a 20 percent to 40 percent discount usually need repair or are in undesirable communities. At this stage you have about 90 days to act after the default notice is posted and another 21 to 25 days after auction sale date is published. If a property doesn’t sell in pre-foreclosure, and the home owner actually defaults on his mortgage, the home goes to public auction. During this stage you can find the best bargains, but it is fraught with difficulties. Properties are sold "as is," without warranties. Sellers needn’t disclose problems. Buyers may find themselves with unexpected — and expensive repairs. etc. etc.
Hope this helps.

I have two dogs the youngest one is the one i have the problem with she is 2 years old and everytime we go out the house we come back and the fluff from her bed will be everywere!!! it will be all down the stair case the zip to the bed will be ripped open. what can we do. we have all just shouted at her and we are all ignoring her now. but what should we really do? is there any other way for her to stop this? it is as if she forgets we shouted at her the day before about it. It causes arguments and she knows she is wrong as she will curl into a corner and shake (it makes me feel awful shouting at her watching her shake but what else can i do?) also i would never hit her, just shout… can someone help?

Well first of all you are treating her like she understands as an other human would……however she is a dog and doesn’t know why you shouted at her, or why she is shut outside…….all she knows is you are angry and excluding her, she will NOT put the two things together …………you have to catch her actually doing it and correct her, then she understands why you are angry………..sorry however "she desn’t know she is wrong as she will curl into a corner and shake" she knows you are angry that is all she knows http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611065839.htm

It is now a vicious cycle which you need to break…she has what is called ’separation anxiety’ when you go because she is anxious, she runs around and to stop her feeling anxious she chews her bed, as chewing relieves anxiety in dogs…she then may go to sleep and wait for you coming back…you come in and shout and put her out ( she doesn’t know why her pack leader is angry as she may have done this hours before and has ‘forgotten’) all she knows is when you come home she gets shouted at and put out so that makes her more anxious………and it will get worse, as she hears the car arrive or the gate opening she will expect you to shout and be put out so she will possibly start to pee on the floor or do other bad behaviours humans don’t understand or like………

So you need to either crate train her, or remove the bed she destroys and give her something she can chew, like a kong filled with her meal, she will spend the time chewing relieving her anxiety, working to earn her food, it will keep her occupied and tire her…when you come home, don’t look, touch or talk to her(that is very important, that you show her no emotion), just open the door and let her out to the toilet…clear up and distruction she has caused…wait until you are calm then let her in and greet her happily ( whatever she has done) and forget it….you may need to work on this for a few days maybe a couple of weeks, however she will then learn that you come home calm and happy to see her and it should stop………you never correct a dog unless you actually catch them in the act of doing something bad.
This may also help you with both dogs http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

I have recently been thinking of starting a home staging business (the process of designing a home for sale), what do you think? Would you use a Home Staging service if your home was for sale? I have looked online and there are a lot of certification classes that you can take, however they aren’t required and they are expensive. Do you think that makes a difference? Does anyone have any helpful advice for someone that wants to get into this business? I’m looking for serious answers please, thank you!

I would recommend that you do a couple of houses for free, or a very small fee (just have the homeowner pay for the rentals and small items). Then you can photograph them and write up your success stories of how you helped these houses sell. Then you can begin charging a real fee.

I just bought a Wool Quilt for my bed today and i’m the type that just likes to throw things in the wash to keep them clean, but it is the first time ive bought one made from Wool, and i didnt notice it when i was in the store but i just noticed it now that it says on the care intructions:

Dry clean only, air and fluff regularly.

I would prefer to save my money and wash it at home,
How can i wash it at home without damaging it?
Im really dissapointed because i didnt notice the label, but at the same time i would like to keep it because i loved the feel of it. What do i do?
Can i use normal laundry powder with it?

I had a Wool Pair of Dress Pants that I Loved to wear and I would always wash them in the Washer on "Hand Wash" Cycle using COLD Water to prevent shrinkage and use Woolite to wash it in. I would then throw them in the dryer on Fluff (no Heat) with a Bounty Softener Sheet, to remove static electricity..

I need lamp shades for decorating my newly constructed home & garden. Can anybody tell me about good online resource where I can get cheap and best lamps.

Any price comparison website would do. They let you view a product on several different sites so you can get the cheapest value. I used to use ciao, but found the site hard to navigate, now I use twenga.

http://www.twenga.com/

Hope this helped

Selling your home? This is the time of the year many owners place homes on the market for sale. Today’s current real estate environment is considered a “buyers” market. To the potential sellers this reflects that there are more homes for sell than there are buyers, so there is strong competition in selling your home. Not only are you competing with other re-sale homes, you are also competing with new home sales where builders are offering great incentives to the buyers.

Did you know that Staging your home for sale reaps a 251% average return on investment and that cleaning and de-cluttering your home offers a 973% average return on investment? You can learn more “Tips on Getting the Best Return for Home Improvements” at http:soundmoneytips.com/article/7277. With so much to gain from these investments let’s talk about the true benefits and action items to take to have one of the most sought after home on the market.

First, realize that selling your home is completely different than living in your home. It is imperative that you emphasize the features of the house more than the personality of the owner. Your ultimate goal is for potential buyers to visualize it as their home, not yours. Therefore, placement is crucial in maximizing a room’s size and structural features, while adding warmth, color and interest with your furnishings will allow your home to compete with all the model homes.

It is time to de-clutter your home. The old saying “less is more” is especially true when selling your home. Remove all the clutter you have in your rooms, closets, garage and cabinets by storing items in attics, at friends, in storage units or POD’s. You need to have your home detailed and cleaned. Buyers inspect everything and cleanliness is monumental in their impression of your home and the care you have taken of it. Clean the closets, the cabinets, the appliances and the baseboards. Pay special attention to make sure bathrooms and kitchens are spotless. Use fresh linens constantly, and now is the time for potpourri and scented candles.

You should consider hiring a Professional home stager. They come in with a detailed check list of items that potential buyers will be inspecting. A Home Staging professional starts at the curb and goes through your entire home making recommendations on changes and enhancements. They leave the list with you enabling you to do the work, or schedule a time to come back and physically stage the home to look like a model home with the furnishings and accessories you already own. Their recommendations can include removing clutter and family photos, adding updated floral and silk greenery, rearranging furniture, adding lighting, artwork and accessories to appeal to a buyer’s sense of openness and making the presentation of a wonderful place to live.

Buyers are looking for well kept homes they perceive as warm, inviting and roomy. By making a couple of small investments in de-cluttering and staging your home you are more likely to sell your home faster and at a higher sales price allowing you to move on to your next wonderful adventure.

Renee Lambing
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/real-estate-staging-benefits-98242.html

Copyright (c) 2009 Alice Chan

I was curious, as I’m sure the rest of you were when they announced this new program airing on HGTV on July 22, if it would be a true depiction of what the Staging life is like. I would have to say that it’s probably the most realistic of the shows that are out there today, but still doesn’t tell the whole story. Regardless, here are some things that I feel you could learn from the show.

1) Have a plan for your project. I’m actually a little shocked by the lack of planning and utter chaos that is depicted. Maybe it’s just for TV drama to make it more interesting, but realistically, if that’s how you are running your business, you NEED TO TAKE CONTROL immediately.

My recommendation to you is:

a) always see the property beforehand

b) take before photos

c) map out plans for each room so that choosing inventory is more targeted and streamlined

d) create a list of staging inventory needed.

There is absolutely no reason why most projects should take more than a day. I would say 97% of the straight “staging” projects I’ve worked on was completed within one day. Anything that took more was because of the size of the project (5000+ square foot home or multiple units) OR if there were delays on other related projects.

When I first started my staging business, I was running back to the warehouse to pick up things we forgot or shopping at the last minute because we didn’t have what we needed, and I’m not saying that you won’t still have to do this occasionally, but you want to avoid these delays as much as you can and the best way to do that is to have a plan going into every single project.

2) Do be tactful with your clients. The Designers on “The Stagers” are good at keeping their opinions to a minimum in front the client. Some of the other Staging shows seem to enjoy poking fun at how awful a home looks. I’m all for being truthful and honest with your clients, but being tactful will definitely earn you more brownie points and help you maintain your professional image.

Most of the time, they already know their property is not in “top selling” condition, that’s why they called you. There’s no reason to make a mockery of the situation. Perhaps again, the criticisms voiced are for ratings, but most real life people would not be too thrilled with you if that’s how you approached them.

3) Do Keep your Inventory Organized. This is always a challenge for any Staging Company. It’s a never ending struggle with having “too much” when it all comes back and not having enough when you’re super busy.

The Dekora warehouse featured on the show is enormous compared to probably 99% of the staging firms out there. Most of us do not have the luxury of a 10,000 square foot space with seemingly unlimited inventory available. I started off with storing my inventory in our one car garage and back stairs when my husband and I lived in a townhouse. We eventually graduated to one large storage unit, then two, and finally to an 1100 square foot warehouse.

Then there was the challenge of keeping the zones organized – linens, kitchen accessories, bath accessories, floral/greenery, silk trees, lamps, chairs, art, etc. We toyed with the idea of building shelving so that we could capitalize on the vertical space in the warehouse, but then there was the safety issue with our team members going up and down.

I can’t say we ever really perfected “Staging the Warehouse”, but one thing we always tried to do was unpack after a destage and put everything back into their respective zones so that it was easy to pull inventory for the next project. The more disciplined you are in this area, the more sane you can remain. I actually designated Fridays or a day when there were no Staging Projects scheduled as Warehouse days – time to reorganize, clean and repair inventory.

4) Do Keep in Mind Who the Prospective Buyers will be and Design the Staging Accordingly. This skill will set you apart from just being a “wannabe” stager to being a true Real Estate Partner and a Professional Staging Designer.

There are many Real Estate Agents who are guilty of this as well. They don’t keep in mind who the target audience is – who would be your prospective buyer? Is it a young family? Are they empty nesters? Are they young bachelors/bachelorettes? These considerations must be top of mind when designing your Staging.

It’s not about just adding artwork and putting furniture into a room. The personality that is added with accessories should portray the type of lifestyle that one would want to live in that home. This is one thing that the Designers on the show are good at exploring and working with.

5) Build a Staging Team. This is something all of you should work towards. Just as on the show, they have the Staging Boss, Senior Stager, Home Stager, Staging Assistants, Movers, Handymen, etc., so should you.

My role was a cross between the Staging Boss and the Senior Stager as I was never completely hands-off. Building a team to work with not only makes each project more efficient, it also makes it a lot of more fun because you can bounce creative ideas off of one another.

I’ve had people on my team at all levels. Movers who just helped move inventory to and from the staging sites (mostly large pieces of furniture so we can totally relate to the sofa not fitting in the elevator or door – I dreaded getting those calls), Staging interns who actually did hands-on staging work, but can be the perfect team member to help wipe down furniture, clean mirrors and art, iron bedding, pump up airbeds, etc.

I also strongly believe there should be a Team Lead so that there is someone who is in charge on-site, otherwise it would be too chaotic.

Here are few other tips depicted on the show that I you should definitely keep in mind for your own businesses (if you’re not already doing so):

* Incorporate feng shui principles in your staging (in some parts of the country, THIS IS HUGE – like So. Cal)

* Don’t forget to address curb appeal issues

* Paint over unattractive, unmarketable wall colors

* Add dramatic art and accessories for high impact

* Bring rooms back to its originally intended purpose

* Don’t fight with what’s not working, like trying to use the homeowner’s things

* Use scale appropriate furniture

Alice Chan
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/lessons-learned-from-hgtvs-quotthe-stagersquot-723979.html

From time to time, everyone wishes they could change the décor in their home and create a more personal atmosphere. However, this task is often one that brings on confusion as to how to decorate without spending lots of money.

This task is really easily done just by adding new items to the various rooms in your home. Some of the items you can add range from wall plagues, mirrors and furniture, to lighting or other items. Just adding a tabletop figurine to a room gives it a certain awe that will surely enhance the atmosphere of that room. Depending on your preferences, a unique crystal figurine in the shape of an eagle, a stallion, dolphins, or a wolf might be just the touch you were looking for.

Of course, if you have a certain theme already in place, you might want to decorate accordingly. A “Western” themed room could include such items as a stallion figurine, southwestern styled mirror, metal cowboy wall hooks, or a feathered hand axe. Not only will you be able to use wall plagues to add to the western theme but such items as southwestern themed lamps, clocks, vases, pots, candles, candleholders, and photo frames can also be great ways to accentuate the feel. In just a few short minutes, you have given your guest bedroom a southwestern atmosphere.

If you are going for a nautical theme, the dolphin table would also be excellent in a bathroom. You could place the table in the corner and place bath sets such as the spa bath set or the pralines & honey bath basket to decorate. Along with these items, you can find other under the sea figurines and accessories to enhance the feel and give your guests a beautiful bath time experience along with providing them all the essential bath accessories.

Instead of hiring an interior decorator or throwing out everything in a room and starting over you can find all kinds of unique items that can be added to any room in your home such as decorative screens, wall décor, clocks, vases, bookends, figurines, photo frames, linens and even various accent furniture pieces. Just by adding or replacing a few items with new ones, you will be able to decorate your home without the added expense of redoing the entire room.

The idea, when it comes to decorating, is to choose a theme or atmosphere you would like the room to have such as a wild safari, under the sea, country, southwestern, or even just a calm and relaxing mood. Then you can find items to add that will ultimately change the room, giving it a unique, exciting, and fresh look with only a few items.

The fun comes in when you can envision the room the way you desire, begin adding all the items associated with your theme, and then watch it come to life before your eyes. Each room can have its own personality and awe instead of being the same throughout the home. Have fun! Enjoy finding the unique items to decorate every room in your home, or just create your own little getaway with one room.

Ron Jan Stager
http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/home-decorating-tips-726533.html

just wondering because my husky is 2 1/2 and like most huskies has a bit of a prey drive (she killed one of my small parrots last winter but it had clipped wings and no defense). however i’d like to bring a kitten into the house…we would be careful with it in its smaller stages of course…but i was just wondering if it is a good idea or not and if a peaceful co-existence can be achieved.

Most huskies have a very high prey drive; any small animal is fair game to them and that’s not something they can "un-learn". Some can life peacefully with small animals, but usually they have to be introduced to small animals as a puppy.

Your dog has already exhibited a very high prey drive by killing a parrot. Getting a kitten is probablly not a good idea. Kittens like to run and that’s what often gets the dog’s attention. They also make cool noises, so the dog ends up thinking it’s a really cool interactive squeak toy.

Please reconsider bringing a kitten into the household. It only takes a second for tragedy to occur.

www.housestagingcompany.co.uk