Been thinking about Winston Churchill a lot lately…HA-bet you’ve never read that opening line before!!
Always found his quotes both intriguing and centering…direct and succinct, yet often personal and witty. No matter his context, they seem contemporary, and are perfectly suited to help me keep my focus and equilibrium perfectly calibrated.
Last year, for my birthday, I asked a learned friend to pick me out a simple biography. It is currently occupying the ‘on-deck’ position in the pile of my ‘to-reads’, but maybe this will be the weekend…
Meantime, with all the drama in DC, and this housing market, it’s been hard keeping some distance, and not feel the life-force get sucked out of me…. maybe you need a bit of a boost, too? Here are some of my favorites to ruminate on:
-Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.
~A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.
~You have enemies? Good. That means you stood up for something, sometime in your life.
~We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
~If you are going to go through hell, keep going.
~To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
~Solitary trees, if they grow, grow strong.
~However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
~I never worry about action, only inaction.
~The first quality that is needed is audacity.
-Meeting Franklin Roosevelt was like opening your first bottle of champagne; knowing him was like drinking it.
Welcome back to another edition of the refreshed home’s own bit of fun, POP QUIZ!!
Keep track of your own score, and scroll down for answers-but no peeking!! And stay on your toes, you’ll never know when the next one will show up.
Multiple Choice-Select all that apply.
1. If you Stage your house-that is, properly prepare your house for sale-who will be among the beneficiaries?
____Seller ____Buyer ____Agents ___ Neighbors ___ The local pizzeria ___ RE Industry as a whole ___Local and National Economies
2. I recommend a pre-sale inspection to Sellers because:
___I have a good friend who does house inspections
___It’s a reality check for both work to do and determining list price
___It prevents surprises that the buyer’s inspector could find
___It makes sellers more confident about all their other decisions
3. Which, if any, of the following would you NOT ever find in a Staging Report from the refreshed home?
___ Recommendations for Paint Colors ___ Recommendations for local pizzeria ___Referral for professional services ___Discussion of Exterior ___Floor plans ___Shopping list
4. Which of these properties are NOT good candidates for Staging?
___Cooperatives ___ Rental properties ____ Professional offices ___Model trophy houses ___ The local pizzeria ___REOS ___ short sale/pre-foreclosure ___Decks and patios
5. What element(s) help make a staging project successful?
___A big bank balance ___A lot of time ___Friends and family who can help ___Friends and families with opinions ___Having an open mind ___A good local pizzeria
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 1. The sale of a professionally prepared property floats most everyones’ boats. Sure, Seller and Agents, but Buyer now knows how to make the best of a space, and a good price will help local comps, as well as the industry and economy as a whole.
The only loser here is the local pizzeria…instead of ordering in to keep the kitchen clean for showings, Stagesd properties gets sold quicker, so less pizza orders.
2. Mostly all of the above. Just switch the first one around a bit: a good house inspector will be your very good friend.
3. I don’t recommend pizzerias…unless it’s Nicky’s in White Plains, or Fernando’s in Armonk…or Napoli’s in Mohegan Lake… or Classic Grill in Mystic, CT.
4. If you are selling ANYTHING: a product, a service-whatever you can do to better the visual image in the market is a good thing.
I consider preparing outside space double-bonus, because while it’s not considered in MLS square footage, the more purpose you can demonstrate, the more value you create.
In commercial and professional properties, it’s a great platform to showcase and reinforce your brand. Everything in proportion, of course, but bottom line, attractive and updated spaces attract more attention.
SIGH Even Nickys/Fernandos/Napolis/Classic Grille.
5. Again, all of the above, but not in the order you might expect.
Remember, Staging a property is not just about creating a snazzy visual. Successful projects create a solution that matches up with the market, the needs/goals/expectations of the owner, and the pricing strategy.
Friends and family with opinions is a good start, it shows they care. Friends and family who can help is better, but all that helping works up an appetite…so a good pizzeria is very handy indeed!
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Listless Listings? Tired decor? Need to sell?
Know something has to be done. but don’t know what, where -or how to start?
the refreshed home is Westchester County’s Home Staging and Interior Decorating Specialist.
We create solutions, and facillitate change, so you can get on with your life. Buying, selling or staying-let the refreshed home be your partner in change
Because when your space works, so many other things fall into place!
(a.k.a. 945 East Main Street, Shrub Oak NY, Part Deux)
As a Decorator, making the most of unusual spaces was always my forte.
As much as I enjoy the classical proportions of a center hall colonial; the challenge of bringing sense to a stumper of a floor plan makes my heart beat just a little faster.
Not too long ago I wrote about the transformation of a building’s exterior on a commercial project I was involved in, now more about its interior.
Commercial spaces are really hybrid projects: you’re making it look good and work well for those who work there, but you’re also creating a visual that reinforces the brand that “sells” the company.
The building was a former diner. Built from the ground up about a dozen years ago, it looked like a casual, contemporary restaurant. It was about to become the Yorktown Funeral Home.
The inside was gutted, and the original architect was engaged to re-work the space for the new owner, but the challenge was to present a brand new, and very different face to the community; after creating an appropriate exterior a striking entry was needed to set the tone.
Here is the original, angled front counter. That had to go, but note the elaborate wood soffit with picture mouldings.
My very first thought when I saw this space was “GREEN WALL”.
Green walls are essentially living walls, an architectural element made of plants. For this project, there were several objectives:
-Create a serene and soothing aesthetic
-Make a strong statement that erased any connection from the previous purpose
-Design a healthier working enviornment using green plants
Beyond the basic carbon dioxide-oxygen exchange-always a good thing- NASA has proved that some very basic green plants-even the dirt they are potted in-scrub the air of harmful gases.
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Diane Dreier-friend, and landscape architect was brought into the project, and a design was chosen. Meantime, the counter was gutted, and a wall was constructed, dropping down from behind the newly-painted sofit.
A knee wall faced with river stone was constructed, and if you look closely you can see a black metal grid on the back wall, painted black. There are several ways to construct a green wall, this system involved pots set into this metal grid.
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It’s Installation Day!
Diane and her assistant Bernadette unpack,
sort and wipe down the plants.
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The plan starts to come together… plants are placed in the grid to match up with Diane’s design
When preparing a house for sale, some projects involve getting rid of the red flags-the immediate and obvious turn-offs no buyer wants to see.
But more and more I am seeing projects in need of green flags.
Whether it’s an HGTV-obsession, sellers trying to save money and pre-stage before they call a real Stager, or over-zealous but well-meaning agents, friends or neighbors- there are lots of neat, clean, sanitized and B-O-R-I-N-G properties out there.
Nothing stands out, nothing engages, nothing inspires. Nothing to cause a buyer to remember a house.
That may see like a contradiction of the ‘de-clutter, de-personalize’ mantra that many chant, but de-personalizing a space does not mean stripping away all personality.
YES-preparing a house for sale means packing away what is unsuitable, distracting, inappropriate. ANYTHING that will otherwise get in the way of the seller getting the most traffic (online, AND foot) and the best price for their property, in the shortest time.
Depending on the market, your goals and expectations, it can also mean making changes, or bringing things in that will make the property shine, and catch a buyer’s eye.
Now that lenders are loosening some of the thumb-screws, and balance has been creeping back into the market- a property buyers WANT will be the property that gets SOLD.
It’s not enough for buyers just to be able to see themselves in it, there needs to be BUYER LUST. They want it, gotta have it, can’t stop thinking about it. There are workable solutions at almost every level of the market, which is why you want to talk to me.
So-so showings, low-ball offers, no online traffic? Your life on hold, waiting for your property to sell? Well, you know what hasn’t worked….
Help buyers remember your house. Now is the time to start the conversation. Better the space, sell your house, and get on with your life.
Evercare Magik Brush. $4.00 at BBB, but available at all sorts of places.
A looped fabric cover
s pads on both sides of the brush. Simply brush in the direction of the arrow on the handle-loops pick up the offending material, then reverse direction to get the collected detritus off the brush.
Bella Blue, my shepard mix is in full shedding mode, it’s frankly a wonder she has any hair left on her body!-this lifted the hair off my microfiber car seats with one pass-through.
Reusable = green, and a heck of a lot easier, and less expensive than those adhesive paper rolls.
One for the office, one for the car, and at least one for the home-you can’t go wrong.
Today I have two messages, connected in an unexpected way.
Earlier today I underwent a routine health screening procedure that is recommended for people my age. Everything went beautifully. I was in good health going into it, so with God’s good grace, this will continue to be the case.
This procedure has a very high ICK factor, and required extended preparation on my part, which was one reason I put off scheduling it for a few years.
And that is POINT #1: If you are overdue for any regular health care, Man-Up (or Woman-Up) and JUST DO IT.
And if you think you don’t have the time….getting sick , even dying is really inconvenient and time-consuming.
Just as with houses, deferring maintenance does not make it go away.
POINT #2
During this whole process, I was in a brand-new circumstance. With health-care professionals I never met before. Talking about some fairly intimate things. Totally uncharted territory; I was nervous, vulnerable and apprehensive. Funny thing about fear, it can bring new insights and lots of clarity, in a hurry.
Because I love what I do, am always looking for new ways to present and deliver a better product and experience. One thing I do is look for things that work well, try to understand why, then see if I can draw a parallel in my own business. The product or the field doesn;t matter to me, if it makes people happy I want to know why/how.
I found myself thinking this experience was a very fresh look- a good reminder-of how it feels to be a potential customer.
ALSO-I got a renewed, and very personal perspective on the value of working with true experienced professionals.
Experience is not just about time put in someplace. Whether you work on cars or brains, at a cash register, in a library or a corner office-it’s about what one learns, and how one uses that knowledge to continually better both themselves, and the experience for others.
In many cases it means you know enough to answer most questions, but that you also know to look for unasked questions, and unspoken concerns, then how to coax them out, and make them part of the conversation.
Professionals know the journey, and understand preparing clients in a thorough, kind and direct way is just as much a part of a good process as anything else.
Oh yes…and they care. Usually a lot.
SO-
If you are an experienced professional who has made someone’s life easier today-I thank you, even if your client forgot.
If you are a client, or another professional who’s had a good experience with someone, call them tomorrow and thank them.
And if you are Dr. Geders, or one of her team at MKMG, I thank you all very much.
WHY stands for World Hunger Year, an event that turned into an organization.
Back in 1975 its co-founders, the late Harry Chapin, and DJ Bill Ayers had no idea either how successful their efforts would be, or unfortunately, how much they would be needed.
Formed in early 1975, WHY set out to find an answer to why there was so much poverty and hunger in a world that could feed itself.
Harry, the gregarious singer and humanitarian activist partnered with Bill, and NYC’s famed WNEW 102.7 FM radio station to broadcast the first Hungerthon, a 24-hour call-in fundraiser on Thanksgiving weekend.
This all comes to mind because stunningly, it was 30 years ago today that Harry Chapin’s very bright light went out. On his way to perform at a free benefit concert, in a car accident in Long Island NY.
This sudden and double loss of both talent and promise made wondering ‘what if’? particularly poignant, but it also propelled WHY-now called WhyHunger- onto great things.
Appropriately, this week, WhyHunger was one of 1,500 charities-out of over 1.2 million-to receive a four-star designation from Charity Navigator, the premiere charity rating organization in the country.
Harry wrote and sang songs about ordinary people, in ordinary circumstances; but he told their stories with extraordinary humor, grace, and insight.
Life lived, love-lost and found, and dreams dared to be pursued were some of his favorite topics.
Inspiration for many of his songs came from real life-his own, and others. I Want To Learn A Love Song is the story of how he met his wife, Sandy; I like to think perhaps Dreams Go By was his vision for their future.
Circle is probably one of his more well-known ballads, but my heart absolutely soars when I hear the haunting and bittersweet tale of Mr. Tanner. It’s 7o’s video, but relax and make your ears happy.>
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Now that you know about Why Hunger, please keep them in mind, and watch for them in my annual holiday gift-giving with heart series, Giving the Gift.
Reality Check: Listing Photos Buyers In Westchester County Will See This Week-Bad Walls
Walls are the largest surface area in any room, so besides paint color, whatever else you may put on the walls is a very important decision.
Art, properly placed, can make a small room feel bigger, and make big furniture seem smaller.
It can help balance a room, influence traffic flow, create interest where none exists, or call more attention to something you really want to highlight.
Poorly placed, or in poor taste, it can be all buyers will remember about a space. Here are some examples of what Westchester buyers will see this week.
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This art does little to enhance the room, these pieces are too dominant, and compete for attention. It makes the ceiling seem low, and the room feel claustrophobic.
There is little chance a buyer will remember a thing about this house other than it’s the one with the giant contemporary eyeball over the sofa.
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These are not groupings, they’re just a bunch of stuff hung on the walls over a period of time.
Groupings are not an add-as-you-go project.
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Instead, they are best planned and installed at once, tightly spaced and balanced, and centered on a wall space, or over a piece of furniture.
Ideally there is some empty wall space all around it, to give it a neat and important look.
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Am I the only person that finds this picture disturbing?
All this aggressive personality is very territorial, and has no place in a listing photo.
That it is here, and taking up valuable space on MLS says there are larger issues that need to be addressed with both parties before this house can ever hope to be sold.
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Home Stagers create great visuals, as well as great relationships to support both seller and agent during the selling process.
I am here to help you sell your house, which is why I run this series, and continue to make this offer: Claim any of these phtos as your own…yes (sigh) even the last one…and I will Stage your house for up to a half-day for FREE> REALLY.
In the last week I’ve met with 4 new potential clients, each with a different agent.
Their houses have been on the market for anywhere from 3 to 5 months.
Each seller had made efforts to prepare the house for the market, and to have it show-ready at all times.
Yet in each case, there were few showings, and no offers.
All parties-sellers and agents-were discouraged, and yes, TIRED. The kind of tired where you’ve been back and forth so many times, you can’t think straight and just want to walk away.
Sellers are tired of being ready, living their life in limbo, and giving it all they had, with no results.
Agents are tired of having no news or bad news for sellers; tired of having neither a vison for change, or the words to even address it.
Given the overall fatigue, and costs both sides have already incurred-agents in marketing the property, sellers in carrying it longer than they anticipated-who knows what will happen.
But this is why they best time to talk to me is before your house goes on the market. Before you spend time, money, or waste that all-important first 30 days of a new listing.
Staging supports all of your efforts, and makes the most of what you ARE able to do to prepare your property.
Whether your property is about to be listed, or is currently on the market-if you haven’t been getting the results you want, dare to look for a way to make changes. Call me, let’s talk about getting your house SOLD.
But first, I know you could use a smile, so enjoy this clip from one of my favorite Mel Brooks movies.
What IS It About People Like Ellen, Julia and Tom?
Earlier in the week, heading out the door, turned the TV on to check the weather on the local 2 minute traffic/2 minute weather channel. NBC is the default channel that shows up first, the talk show ELLEN was on.
It was an audience quiz segment, where they were all up on a big stage, and if they gave the wrong answer, the floor disappeared underneath them. YIKES!
I knew how it would turn out (hugs and smiles all around), yet on a no-time-to-spare kind of day, I sat down watched Ellen poke fun at some of her audience…THEN a commercial for Larry Crowe, the new Julia Roberts-Tom Hanks movie.
That’s right, the same commercial we all have already seen, maybe 30 times. And it still made me smile.
We all know people we are just drawn to…but why? Whether media celebrity, the guy at the hardware store, your dentist, the vet-even a Home Stager or Realtor-what is it that just makes us like some people so thoroughly and in many cases, almost immediately??
While initally curious just for curiousity’s sake, of course it led to pondering these things in the context of running my business. What are these vital qualities that not only get the job, but insure good communication, then paves the way to a great result?
After a week of thining and observing, here is my certainly subjective, and probably partial list:
We all like people who like to have fun, and have a joyful attitude. Even silly is ok.Those choosing-to-be-happy, glass half-full types make us feel good.
They/their characters may poke fun of, or tease, but are never mean or mean-spirited. No one gets hurt, insulted, or embarrassed.
We like people who make us feel good. Easily, and naturally, they reinforce some essence we believe to be true, generally or specifically: Life is good. My dog is beautiful and loves me. I care about what I do. Even when it’s not all unicorns and rainbows. I have a cavity, but my flossing is better.
They don’t put ‘space’ between you and them. Of course there are boundries, not expecting an invite to a BBQ from Ellen/Julia/Tom-OR my dentist, anyone from Hecht’s (my favorite hardware store), or any of my (MANY) favorite Realtors. But in whatever the connection, it’s about the matter at hand, not about them.
We like knowing what they stand for. They are passionate about what they do. Sometimes, even if you don’t agree with them, you admire them for walking the walk.
Ellen champions equal rights and pet adoption; we run a fair business, coach Little League, and run book sales at the library.
Julia and Tom each won an Oscar for portraying regular people fighting injustices (Erin Brockovich, enviormental crimes; Andrew Beckett, a lawyer fired because he had AIDS); we can sing in the choir, walk to raise funds, or lead a Scout troop.
They/their characters-are thoughtful and kind. Julia’s Evil Queen in Snow White is not due out til 2012, but betting on a Evil Queen with a soft side. Tom was a hit-man in Road to Perdition, but hit man with a cause.
And I love my dentist and his staff. Even though it seems I am STILL not flossing enough, I leave appointments feeling smarter and cared-for.
Mirror, mirror on the wall-what qualities do YOU think make people the fairest of all??
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra: Summer Series at Lasdon Park, Somers NY
One of the best memories I have of being a child are outdoor entertainment, on beautiful summer nights.
Although I hated the John Wayne-Walt Disney double headers my parents insisted we see, LOVED going to the Starlight and Elmsford Drive-Ins (sadly, now Croton Stop and Shop, and Sam’s Club) …watching movies, in the car, in our pajamas was quite a novelty!!
Then there were the Ossining Firemen’s Parades. They ended in Nelson Park, and again, music under the stars, on a blanket…it was bliss.For the next 4 Saturday evenings (July 9-16-23-30) bliss returns. The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra begins another magical season at Lasdon Park, titled Midsummer Night Music.
You lie on your back, bare feet in the grass, as the sunset streaks across the sky, watching another day end, as delightful music is created.
You bring whatever you want-chairs or blankies, food or beverages of your choice. Some people come very, very prepared; there is also food for sale there.
Gates open at 5pm, music is 6-8, with one intermission.
Parking is free on the great front lawn. It’s a haul up the hill, but shuttle buses run continously.
Parents with young children-this might be a good night to book a sitter: there are no special facilities to entertain children; in fact, quiet in the audience is rule. Adult tickets are $17.00, seniors are $12.00, kids 6-12 $5.00, 5 and under are free.
We all know kids who pretended to believe the fairy tales, long after they were suspected to be untrue…Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, (who, me?!).
Partially because after about 5 minutes of feeling like the smartest kid in the world for figuring it out, we they realized how much smarter it was to keep believing.
The easy rationale is that the take would be bigger if the charade continued. Sometimes, we just don’t care about the reality. The sweeter story is that sometimes we just want to believe in people, and things that make us happy.
Even mature grown ups. And yes, even New Yorkers.
Regular readers know baseball has a special part in my life: in general, and specifically. From spring training in mid-February, to the fall classic in late October-the rhythmn of the season, the rituals and the human dramas: it’s my wallpaper, for two-thirds of the year.
You don’ t have to be from New York to know that longtime NY Yankee captain Derek Jeter is, at this writing, 2 hits short of reaching a career 3000 hits. A milestone that 27 others have reached, but none whose entire career was in Yankee pinstripes.
Jeter is the Team Captain everyone likes. Grandmothers and babies wear his jersey. His low-key, always professional behavior makes fans proud, and he is just so darn cute, with those dimples and twinkley eyes. Collectively, the town is happy to be rooting for a good guy, our hero.
Catching up on my reading the other day, I felt a knife went through my heart when I saw this cover on the NYT June 26th magazine section.
Yes. On the day of Derek’s 37th birthday, on the cover of the magazine section, they ran a cover with a his likeness as a lit birthday candle, covered in dripping wax.
You can read the big print. And between the lines.
The covers’ fine print reads: “Derek Jeter turns 37, an age that for a professional athlete, is nothing to celebrate”; Michael Sokolove’s lead on the article is “Forever Young, except on the playing field’.
The article looks at the aging of professional athletes in general, but even to a casual Jeter fan like myself, it was M-E-A-N. And mean to us all.
To all those who participated in the decision to hawk this story now, and in this manner: cheap hit, and a bad call to deal with reality when we all just want to be happy for the guy. AND keep our own happy places intact.
BOO HISS>may you find out what really happened to your dog when you were a kid.
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the refreshed home’s POP QUIZ!!
Sure, it’s summer, and the living is easy, but no excuse to let the grey matter get flabby.
Keep track of your own score, and scroll down for answers below-but no peeking! And stay on your toes, you’ll never know when the next one will show up!
Good luck!
True or False
1. Staging is for the interior of empty houses
2. By law, Interior Decorators are required to have a tiny dog with them at all times.
3. Staging is best suited for higher end properties.
4. Staging will always cost less than your first price reduction.
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ANSWERS:
1. FALSE! Staging is anything done to improve a property’s position in the market, so it will sell more quickly, for the best price.
ANYTHING that improves ANYproperty’s position in the market.
2. FALSE! The Pomeranian Protest, largely inspired by the Boxer Rebellion, joined forces with the Min-Pin Movement in the late 1980′s, and, after lobbying hard, the law was successfully repealed in 1992.
3. FALSE! Any type of property can benefit, but the more saturated a market is, the more valuable Staging can be.
SIDEBAR: As of late June, Westchester had 1859 co-ops on the market, 996 condos, and 4742 single family homes.
4. TRUE! A conservative price reduction on a house listed at $500K could be 3%, or $15,000.00. Of course every house, seller and situation is different, but 1/3 of that could get A LOT of staging done.
BONUS: Staging costs are a deduction sellers may be able to take against the proceeds of the sale of the house, in the tax year they sell it-your tax professional can confirm.
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Listless Listings? Tired decor? Need to sell?
Know something has to be done. but don’t know what, where -or how to start?
the refreshed home is Westchester County’s Home Staging and Interior Decorating Specialist.
We create solutions, and facillitate change, so you can get on with your life. Buying, selling or staying-let the refreshed home be your partner in change
Because when your space works, so many other things fall into place!
Reality Check: Listing Photos Westchester Buyers Are Seeing 7.5.11
It would appear the pendulum has swung all the way over for some Westchester sellers regarding the need for walls to have color. YES< all the way over.
Using 2 or more different colors on the walls in a space is a highly personal decision. It could work to add value in a Staging situation…here is a job from a few years ago…$$$ condo in a big building with lots of competition. The owners never painted, it was one big vanilla room.
These photos taken from the LR, looking towards the entry(where painter started cutting in) and the kitchen, on the right side of the room.
Two gender-friendly, complimentary colors added value by defining separate areas-BM # HC 95 Sag Harbor Gray in entry and common space, HC# 113 Louisberg Green in kitchen; they also made the testosterone-infused black leather upholstery seem more manageable.
Color, when used well, guides, directs and influences us. Decisions on which wall and what colors should address a larger issue-like echoing a floor plan, or bringing balance to an unbalanced or over-furnished space. Chosen badly, the result is…well, these rooms.
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Doors and surrounding trim make up about 20 square feet of a wall, so that’s significant. These sellers are loosing dollars because vibrant yellow doors against sky blue walls chop up and visually reduce a space substantially.
It’s very hard to see this room as anything other than a nursery, which means SMALL and cute to most people.
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How many colors do you count here? Gotta wonder, what was the intent? It’s very disruptive, like being in a kindergarten class with all the kids screaming LOOK AT ME!!
As we spoke of last week, the sky blue is outdated and should go anyway, but a better decision would have been to have the far right wall and the adjacent wall going up the stairs be the same, so it’s a more gentle transition.
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The coice of walls and the sharp contrast of colors contradict what you want to establish in this room.
The impact of big bright windows is lost, and by using different colors in back of 2 pieces of furniture that match, a generous space holding the main conversation area is trivialized, and value is lost.
Neutral colors that complimented the furniture would have been a better choice.
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Sellers and Agents: Walls are a room’s biggest surface area, and present the most opportunity to set the tone. They are the canvas buyers see in listing photos.
I am in the business of helping Sellers and Agents getting their properties sold. To that end, my offer stands: if you claim any of these properties as your own, I will spend up to a half-day Staging your property, for free. REALLY.
Marie's Big Table...hopefully Bella made it out ok!!
Stagers and Agents Together, Part Deux
It’s been a week of big thinking. Last weekend I wrote a post on ActiveRain about Agents working with Stagers, and it was and it was featured nationally. Very cool. Wonderful for the exposure, and brought a lot of great feedback to the table… good thing I work on a big table!!
Agents who are reluctant to work with Stagers confound me. My rationale is that we work in so many similar ways, and where not alike, we can be quite complimentary. As food for thought, last post covered Goals, Skills and Expertise, and Education/Accreditation, here are some more similarities:
Income: Stagers and Agents both make their livings providing a specialized, relationship-based service. We love tho get The JOB, but know 95% of the time we need to get the RELATIONSHIP first.
Passion:Some days-situations-are more challenging than others, but Stagers and Agents I know L-O-V-E what they do. The vast majority, I believe, also continually strive to do it better.
Value: Stagers and Agents offer a value-based service. There is no standardized product, or means of delivery. Our success is tied to the degree we can demonstrate value by diagnosing, then solving problems, and removing pain.
It’s not an abstraction; ours is an interactive process. It means we have to know who you are, and what your pain is.
Time is Money: Most people think of this as a prompt, perhaps a nicer way to say ‘come on, times-a-wasting’. Rather, I believe Stagers and Agents think of time spent as time invested, and make no mistake, it’s an investment they are happy to make.
BUT-success often depends on the investment being a joint account, where all parties participate, contribute, and are committed to the investment.
AGENTS: If you know this to be part of your formula for success, you are JUSTOHSOCLOSE to even greater amazingness! Call me today, let’s talk about how we can get your properties S-O-L-D!!
Stagers And Agents: More Alike Than You May Think (Part One)
Last weekend on Active Rain I wrote a Members-Only post asking agents who never worked with a Stager to please tell me why.
Great contributions, and a some points I did not expect. Knew this was a national stage, but did not expect this amount, or range of input. It’s taken a few days to wrap my brain around it all-and how it relates to my original question.
Whether you are a home seller, or a real estate agent, being comfortable with all that Staging might be may seem a formidable task, but here’s my pitch: It’s really not, because Stagers and Agents really have a lot in common.And where not alike, they can be complimentary.
Goals: At the end of the day, Stagers and Agents both have a single goal, to create and facilitate a new housing situation for their client. What is 100% absolutely the same here is that each does it in their own unique way. We build our brand which encompasses our decisions on marketing, communications, personality, strategy and pricing.
Skills and Expertise: True of really any profession, Stagers and Agents have ranges of skill, and levels of expertise. Descriptions like Short Sale Expert, Top Producer-or Accredited Stager!!-are not a standardized entity, NOR a guarantee of the sale of a property. It comes down to the individual.
Education/Accreditation: While not (yet) standardized or mandated for Stagers as it is for Agents, IMHO it should be. Til then, it’s a great interviewing tool…certainly for consumers, but for other professionals as well.
I like Agents who are Realtors. And have, are proud of, and can explain their designations. (AND PLEASE-ASK ME ABOUT MYDESIGNATIONS!)
I take CE Staging courses, and also audit CE RE classes. Both for knowledge, and frankly, to scope out Agents/Realtors I might like to work with. Sure, some if it can be pretty dry, but those sitting in the back of the room, reading the paper- sorry, we wouldn’t be the best fit.
Mark Twain once commented ‘Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today’. Little good can come when one is more focused on differences. But start the conversation with what you have in common, and be prepared to succeed.
Have written about them in the past…essentially, they make it very easy, and very reasonable to see wonderful, thoughtful movies you might have had to otherwise trek into Manhattan to see…
Assuming you also had the time and skill to first wade thru all the offerings and pick the winners on your own.
So much of what is at the Megs-Mega Plex is like bad fast food…perhaps briefly satisfying but ultimately unsubstantial, and probably not any good for you, either.
BUT-every time we see something there, I always leave feeling wiser, and more evolved as a person.
Tonight Doug and I went to see Buck. It was the real-life story of Buck Brannerman, who-per Robert Redford- is the Horse Whisperer. Of course it’s about horses, but so much more. Trailer is currently on Burns’ home page, click here to check it out.
If you are not familiar with Jacob Burns Theater, here 3 reasons you owe it to yourself to check out:
Shows. Terrific individual movies, but their series are stellar.
We’ve seen several in the past. Last month: Italian Classics; starting Tuesday Sounds of Summer -music documentaries featuring the Van Cliburn Piano competition and Kinshasa-the Congos’s only symphony-to the more familiar Dylan, Beatles, Kinks and Harry Nilsson.
Immediately after, to help squeeze that very last bit of fun out of your summer- Great Party Movies. The Marx Brothers (Animal Crackers) and John Belushi (Animal House) share the screen with the likes of Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast At TIffany’s), Carole Lombard and William Powell (My Man Godfrey).
Location Pleasantville is, well, very pleasant. Easy to get to, easy to park (usually free in local lots at night and on weekends), steps away from Metro North Station, as well as a number of great eating spots (try the Ying Yang prawns at Magic Wok).
Originally the Rome Theater, it was re-worked into several more intimate theaters, each seating about 100-125. Comfy seats, fully accessible, great AC, and you won’t need a home equity line of credit to buy popcorn.
Community Exposure to the arts makes us better and smarter, and builds better community. (Yes, I know that is such a subjective statement, but this is my blog, and I can say these things!!).
Jacob Burns is a good neighbor, and has done much to elevate the community. Great movies and programs for kids of all ages, and an on-going calendar of truly special events.
And their membership is quite a deal…largely deductible, but $5.00 off movie tickets, and other perks, depending on level.
So-make plans for your own Date Night: see something wonderful on big screen, and you’ll see what I mean.
