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 It might be a difficult floor plan, an outdated appearance or a color challenge that leaves me particularly perplexed.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.
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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If you come in and stage my home, where do you get the furniture? Is that part of my cost?
Home staging is a new thing for many clients. This is a common question and the answer can vary depending on the staging company. However, at Décor Staging we carry our own inventory.
We also utilize the inventory of two national vendors as well as two local private vendors. This ensures that we can meet the need of every home’s style and period. It also ensures that each staging is done without the restriction that a low inventory would create. We also take a look around the home to see if there are any pieces already in the home that can be used before bringing in outside furniture!
So, yes, the furniture does end up being a part of the overall cost, but it’s a minimal part as the furniture is rented.
Contact me at kerry@decorstaging.com or 650-619-9052 and I can share more information with you!
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How does home staging work? Why is it worth the money?
Home staging is all about the best marketing of your home. Once you’ve decided to place your home on the market the next step is to make your home look as appealing as possible to potential buyers to get as much foot traffic to your listing as you can. The more people that view your home, the more potential buyers!
A home staging professional’s goal is to sell your home for the best possible price. We aim to extract the most equity possible out of a seller’s home, and to do this it needs to not only have what the buyer wants, but look immediately appealing to the buyer’s sense of style. This is increasingly important as more and more buyers view things online before going in person to the home.
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Actually, 92% of potential buyers preview homes on the internet before going to see them. Having a professionally staged and photographed home are critical to driving traffic to your home. It makes it more appealing to buyers on its first impression and makes it more likely they will take the time to see the property in person.
At Décor Staging our designs are geared toward the overall style and flow of a home, the architectural features, the potential buyer’s age and income, the first impression and photographic appeal and the use of color as a psychological component.
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’s the difference between home staging and a decorator?
Home staging and decorating differ on one common front: function.
A home staging professional views your home in the same light that a prospective buyer would. They have an in-indepth understanding of what distracts from a listing and what enhances a listing and will create a feel and flow in the home that attracts buyers and distracts from potential negatives of the rooms. Simply put, staging is the visual presentation of the home.
It is not decorating because home staging professionals do not decorate a room with the homeowners preferences in mind, or to make the room functional to live in. They are not concerned with function but to appeal to the target demographics for the particular home.
For example, next time you’re in a model home take a closer look at the window coverings. They make the room they are in look great, but often they are not functional. They don’t open and close, and there are sometimes faux panels flanking a window to represent a beautiful idea, but no actual use. This is staging.
Included in staging are also de-cluttering the home, painting walls, new flooring, garden and patio updating, bathroom or kitchen remodels, new lighting, deferred maintenance, power washing and curb appeal.
All of this helps your home stand out among the other listings and drives foot traffic to your listing.
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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