Home Staging Color Challenge
After five years in the home staging business I can tell you that almost every house presents itself with a unique design challenge. It might be a difficult floor plan, an outdated appearance or a color challenge that leaves me particularly perplexed. My job, after all, is to accentuate the best of a home’s features and downplay its worst. With 92% of buyers previewing homes on the internet, having a beautifully staged home for a virtual tour is essential in a home marketing plan.
Now, in many cases of home staging I can paint beautiful colors on the walls, update kitchens and bath or replace old flooring, as seen in some of my other projects. However, in some cases, such as the one on 809 Pinon Ave Millbrae I am left to design around an existing color challenge.
Color challenges of a home might be a rustic brick fireplace surround in an otherwise contemporary space. The dark red brick color against creamy neutral walls with white crown moldings appear in sharp contrast to one another and draw the eye toward the stronger color. Or, a color challenge might be a strong accent wall color that cannot be painted over for a variety of reasons.
As you will see in the before and after pictures of the 809 Pinon Ave house one wall in the living room as well as the entry were painted a strong salmon color. At the opposite end of the room is a sunroom, which was painted a soft, green. My color challenge in this home staging was to incorporate both of these colors into one harmonious design. I want to downplay the stark contrast between the dark salmon and the white wall by placing either color on the contrasting wall. The secret to the success of the design was color balancing the space with a rug that incorporated all of the colors as well as the black of the fireplace surround. A lighter colored rug would have left the space “floating” and off kilter. This darker rug draws the eye away from the wall and into the seating area.
An additional color challenge was in the dining room with the terra cotta tile floor. The color balance was achieved with the art and floral arrangement complimenting all three colors.
Sometimes in my home staging I need to purchase a specific design element to successfully complete my project. In this home staging color challenge I purchased the art and rug, both of which had the salmon color as well as the green tones.
Color increases the memory of a property by 60%. People viewing this property will remember it by it’s living room color. Professionally home staging this property helped neutralize a strong accent color by blending the color around the room. It also created more appealing photographs for a virtual tour.
Please give me a call or send me a message if you have any questions about home staging and/or color challenges.
In a market like the current one, how important is it for sellers to consider staging?
It’s never been more important. The reality is that it’s a tough market out there and with short sales and foreclosures flooding the market housing prices have fallen. Staying ahead of your competition means a move-in ready home, having high quality and quantity of photographs for your internet marketing along with a competitive price.
With 93% of potential buyers previewing your home on the internet first it’s critical your home have a strong virtual tour. It is really the first impression you can make to a potential buyer. Hiring an experienced stager who can stylize your home to enhance its photographic appeal is important. When designing a room layout I always consider how the room will be photographed so that I can enhance its photographic impact.
View a variety of virtual tours and it won’t take you long to be able to discern the professionally staged homes. The answer becomes obvious. Potential sellers need to do their homework and view their competition’s virtual tours. Their goal should be to outshine and provide more value to a potential buyer than their competition does.
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What should I consider before painting a room in my home, if I plan to sell soon?
Hire a color consultant!! I can’t begin to emphasize the importance of hiring a qualified stager to assist with the color choices in your home, especially if you’re going to sell. 65% of potential buyers will remember a house by it’s color and color is one of the most influential aspects of your moods!
A color should enhance the home’s existing finishes and create a warm inviting space. There are a load of books written on the topic of color psychology. In less you have a lot of experience in color I would not recommend selecting one from a small 1×2 inch swatch. Color changes from one side of a wall to another, depending on how the light is hitting it. Some colors create energy while others instill calm and rest. And let’s not even talk about how many “whites” there are out there. It is amazing the color choices we now have.
Also, it’s important not to go the ‘easier’ route and paint the walls white or ‘Realtor Beige’. Neutral colors do not have to be boring colors! You can warm up a room with beautiful colors that bring out the best in your home without being either boring or outlandish.
Some of my best staging results are when I have had control of the color both in the house as well as in the staging materials. That is when the whole home seems to glow from within. There is definitely a “Wow” moment when you first enter the house. All the color is balanced and flows from one room into another. All for just the small investment of hiring a color professional.
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My agent keeps telling me to ‘de-clutter’ but I have kids! Why is this SO important? Don’t potential buyers know I have life?
Almost everyone lives in some degree of clutter. However, when you are selling your home you want potential buyers to see your home, not be distracted by all of your personal items. You want them to be able to envision themselves living in this space, which is why it is recommended to de-clutter and neutralize the decor. Do you want buyers to see your beautiful kitchen with its granite countertops, stainless steel appliances or do you want them looking at the mirage of family photos on the refrigerator or the rooster collection that blankets all available shelves?
You can maximize the look of a space by having fewer items in that space. It’s really that simple. Nothing says ‘this home isn’t big enough’ than over- filled closets and storage areas. It tells the buyers that there isn’t enough storage. You should always be able to see the backs and sides of any storage space, cabinet or closet.
It’s not easy to live in a house while it’s on the market. I advise my clients to consider de-cluttering as the initial move. Pack up most of what you have and move it into storage. I tell them to think of it as if they were packing for a long trip. Anything that they won’t need in the next few weeks should be packed up and placed in storage. That includes everything from clothing and linens to kitchen items. It really breaks up the burden of moving into two manageable parts. The final move into a new home is already half done. Just pack up everything else and your move is complete.
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What resistance have you had from sellers/agents and what are your arguments to overcome that resistance?
I don’t think there are many people who are not experiencing the side effects of a downturn in the economy. This is particularly applicable to the real estate industry. The resistance I encounter is economically based. Homeowners are having a difficult time grasping the volatility of the market. What their home was worth just a few months ago is now irrelevant. Evaluating how much to spend on the marketing of their biggest investment is often overwhelming.
Let’s face it, it’s not cheap to properly prepare a home for sale, and it’s even more of a problem when there’s deferred maintenance to address! Even the basic preparation involves carpet cleaning, painting, power washing, garden sprucing, window washing, garage cleaning, a BFI run (or two), a storage unit rental and that’s before we even address the showcasing and virtual tour! Add on dry rot repair, foundation work, termite inspection and repair, home inspections and most homeowners are overwhelmed.
I understand the vastness of the project. Starting with a simple, yet comprehensive, workup of the property I outline the scope of the project. Breaking down that workup into small segments tames the overwhelming project into a organized project that homeowners can feel comfortable about.
Establishing a budget and offering some economic solutions is an important aspect of any staging job. Recently I have added two services to my staging business. The first is a $1000.00 Basic Stage which is popular for the smaller home or condo. The second is virtual staging. In virtual staging furniture is virtually placed into the virtual tour photographs. Although this does not replace traditional staging it is a solution for the extreme budget or remote location which renders staging too cost prohibitive.
We know that the economy keeps money on the top of homeowners minds and we have tried to adjust our business to fit our clients and allow them to still have the quality staging they need to sell their homes for more, while not making it too expensive for them to afford.
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When Furniture Abounds: A Staging Success Story
My favorite success story encompasses the “there’s good news and bad news” scenario. It started when I received a staging job for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom owner occupied home that was packed to the gills with furniture. It even had a large office armoire in the breakfast nook! A plan of attack had to be created to make this home less cluttered and more easy on the eye.
We decided to move about 80% of the owners furniture into storage which would allow me to bring in smaller pieces to set the look. The owner, understandably, was overwhelmed with the idea of moving so much furniture to storage, but I was prepared for that. I told her to go to work and I’d take care of everything.
I had my professional movers come in and move the furniture to storage and by the time she was home from work the entire house had been transformed! The owner was delighted that she hadn’t had to lift a finger to move the furniture and the Realtor was pleased the home was ready for the market.
I thought everything was fine until I received a call from the Realtor a week later. It ends up the owner liked the new feel of the home so much she decided to pull her house off the market and keep the newly transformed home!
Definitely a staging success story for me, and the Realtor was a good sport about it as well. He still uses me for all of his listings, as when staging is done right it makes selling a home much easier!
How important is the flow and look of my home to potential buyers?
The best answer to this question is to look at some virtual tour pictures on the internet. You can quickly pick out homes that are staged and the homes that are not.
When someone clicks on your virtual tour you have, on average, exactly 2 seconds to wow them with the first picture before they click onto another listing! Vacant rooms do not show well, as they not only look barren and cold but it is difficult to see the scale of a room without anything in it.
65% of buyers remember a home from it’s color alone! At Décor Staging we think color is extremely important in setting a home apart from it’s competition and making it memorable. Although as a general rule keeping colors to neutrals that will appeal to the broadest market is good, it does not mean it needs to be “Realtor beige”.
Neutral colors can be blue, green, gold, taupe even purple! A big component of our staging design centers around the flow of a home. We often see floor plans that present difficulties in furniture placement, television viewing and traffic flow. All of these problems need to be addressed and answered in the staging of a home.
In fact, the more problems a home has with it’s flow the more in need of staging it is. Staging can deflect attention away from problems and it can accentuate the positive aspects of the home. Staging never covers up a problem such as a bad floor or faulty construction because disclosure laws protect potential buyers from these types of things. However, staging can down play these types of problems, while they still remain viewable.
In today’s market everyone is looking for a place in a home for comfortable T.V. viewing and a home office. We try to answer both of these desires in every home.
Having been in the home staging market for many years I can personally attest and give examples of how staging a listing can increase market value and return on investment. Contact me at kerry@decorstaging.com or 650-619-9052 and I can share more information with you!
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What about the outside of my home? Do staging professionals help with the outdoor spaces?
Some staging professionals do and some do not. At Décor Staging we view your property from the front curb to the back fence. Curb appeal is critical. Not only in the virtual tour pictures but by all the people driving by.
Let’s face it, we all look at the front of a home and form an instant opinion. Why would you stage the inside and ignore the outside? I’m not talking about putting down a few colorful annuals here, I’m talking about the condition and color of the front door, the exterior light, the mailbox, the doorbell, the door mat and the paint.
With our beautiful climate outdoor living is a big sell. Does it have comfortable seating in good condition? Are there bright colors, a barbeque, a firepit? Is the concrete or wood decking in good shape? If we lived in Minnesota I wouldn’t worry so much about the outside living spaces, however, here in California it’s what we are known for. It’s in our outdoor spirit. Creating dynamic outdoor spaces sell homes.
Contact me at kerry@decorstaging.com or 650-619-9052 and I can share more information with you!
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What all is considered in the cost of home staging?
When we work up an estimate we take several things in consideration.
1. The design time needed to work up a complete design layout – after taking a look at your home and figuring out the target market, we sit down and design an overall plan to stage your home.
2. The furniture rental – We rent from a few local and two national vendors as well as carry our own inventory. This assures we can fit any style or period we need to.
3. How many accessories, rugs, mirrors, plants and linens will be needed. – Small touches make the staging complete. These things also help prospective buyers envision the home in use, rather than have to imagine it because of sparse and unfinished furnishings.
4. The delivery and pickup charges – Furniture is heavy. But, we have our people who take care of moving it all around, and once the home is sold they come in and pick it all up. Clients don’t have to move a thing.
5. The distance – Not everyone lives right around the corner, and heavy furniture and travel time cost man power and gas!
6. The time frame desired – How quickly are you trying to sell your home? How fast does your listing hit the market? These and other factors play into the cost of staging your home.
Having been in the home staging market for many years I can personally attest and give examples of how staging a listing can increase market value and return on investment. Contact me at kerry@decorstaging.com or 650-619-9052 and I can share more information with you!
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Seems like staging is expensive, why is it worth the expense?
Staging sells homes faster and for more money. It’s as simple as that.
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Statistically speaking staging is cheaper than the first price reduction that people make on a listing that isn’t selling. Staging should be considered the final investment into your home that will have a profitable return of investment.
A seller should budget 3-5% of the asking price towards staging and deferred maintenance on average. A well maintained home would require less, but a home that needs updating, maintenance and staging could be more.
In a national study by the Real Estate Staging Association, published recently, it showed 126 homeowners that had their property on the market and average of 263 days (9 months!) before they decided to have it staged. It also showed 284 homes that were staged prior to being listed and they sold in 40.5 days. This is approximately 223 days less time on the market, that’s SEVEN months less time on the market.
As an example, using this formula you can determine approximately how much money you will continue to spend while your home is on the market un-staged.
If your mortgage is : $1800.00
If your direct expenses (utilities, etc.) are: $300.00
Total carrying cost per month: $2,100.00
Based on the study the home owners had their property on the market for an average of 9 months. $2,100.00 X 9 months = $18,900.00 in expenses.
Had those homeowners staged first, their time on market would have been cut by 7 months on average $2,100.00 x 7 months= $14,700.00 Staging their homes first would have saved them $14,700.00.*
*The numbers, of course, are all relative to individual mortgage and expenses.
Use this simple formula to determine how much you will save by staging your home or listing before putting it on the market:
Mortgage + expenses (utilities etc.) = Monthly expenses
Monthly expenses X 9 months (avg. time un-staged) = Cost to list house un-staged
Savings: Expenses x 7 months (average time on market reduced) –staging fee =Savings if you stage your house first!
** If you have a price reduction you can also add that into the loss you are taking by listing a property un-staged.
Having been in the home staging market for many years I can personally attest and give examples of how staging a listing can increase market value and return on investment. Contact me at kerry@decorstaging.com or 650-619-9052 and I can share more information with you!
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