Pasadena CA Real Estate

When buyers open the door to your home, is your entry making a great first impression?  Buyers make a lot of decisions in those first few seconds upon entering your home.  If your entry is dark, crowded or just plain boring, you may be losing your chance to get them the rest of the way into your home and onto writing that important offer to buy.

The entry to your home should always keep super clean, super neat and super bright.  Lots of homeowners prefer to remove their shoes at the door before entering the rest of the home.  But you cannot leave your shoes piled up at the doorways.  You must keep your shoes neatly in the closets.  Nothing turns off a buyer faster than walking into to a pile of some-one's shoes.  And while we are on the subject of shoes, resist the temptation to place shoe booties at the door for buyers to wear as they tour your home.  The message you are sending to them is that the floors are difficult to keep clean, which is not a feature most buyers are looking for when choosing which home to purchase.

 Keep a light on in your entry at all times.  Your entryway needs to be bright and will feel more open with the extra light on.  If your foyer is small, you can hang a mirror so that it feels more open.  If you use a console table here, be sure that it does not impede with the flow of traffic.  You want buyers to have easy access in and out of your home.  Interesting artwork on the wall and fresh flowers or a beautiful sculpture on the table will set the mood for the entire home tour.

If you have rugs in your entry, it is probably best to remove them.  Area rugs have a tendency to make rooms look smaller.  If your foyer is large, use a round rug. 

Make the entry of your home light, refreshing and exciting.  Give buyers a little taste of what they can expect to see in the rest of your home the moment they open your door.  Make your home's first impression a great one!

Posted by Nickie Rothwell, GetStaged2Sell.

Home staging (the art of preparing your home for sale and arranging your furniture to best showcase your home) has been proven to sell homes faster and for more money in any real estate market.  Feng Shui (the art of purposefully placing the things within your environment to create positive results) can help achieve even greater results faster.  Feng Shui creates harmonious rooms that feel good because they are in the flow with nature and there is balance among the elements.  Combining home staging with the principles of Feng Shui is a sure fire way to get greatest positive impact from your efforts.

Have you ever walked into a room and although it was gorgeous, it felt cold or somehow just off-putting?  Chances are that with a few Feng Shui adjustments, the room would feel warm and welcoming instead of stuffy.  It may be the arrangement of the furniture is the problem or it could be that one of the five elements is missing or is too overwhelming. 

The same principle applies to staged homes.  The furniture and accessories might be fabulous, but if the arrangements are off they are not doing the home justice.  I've seen luxury homes with fantastic items in them, but buyers just walk in and walk right back out.  After making the adjustments, the reaction is completely different.  The positive energy created by a space that is in harmony draws people in.  It feels safe and comfortable.  Buyers will linger longer in a space that is balanced and calm.

So if you find that your home is staged beautifully, but is not getting the reaction from buyers that you are looking for, evaluate whether or not you need some Feng Shui adjustments.  A few simple changes can make all the difference between sitting on the market for months and sold.

For more information, visit www.GetStaged2Sell.com/stageblog/ or call Nickie at 818-383-7502

When you have a home for sale, whether it is here in Pasadena CA or elsewhere, you want it to both show well and to be seen by as many buyers as possible.  So there are a few key things to keep in mind as you place your home on the market to ensure that your home will be seen and shown to its best advantage.

Here are the Top 5 Tips for Showing Your Home:

• Make It Available-Allow buyers to see your home at times that make sense.  Limiting showing hours to a couple hours a day or making appointment times difficult turns buyers and their agents off.  Houses can only sell when buyers are able see them.
• Let the Real Estate Agents Show Your Home-Resist the temptation to show your home yourself.  Buyers will be more comfortable exploring and getting to know your home when they don't feel like they are invading your space.
• Take Your Pets With You-If at all possible, take your pets with you during showings.  During the day while at work, consider leaving your pets with a neighbor, friend or family member. Hiring a pet sitter is always a great option as well.
• Leave the Lights On-Even during the day.  A home shows better when it is well-lit.  Be sure to leave all of the curtains and blinds open to let in as much natural sunlight as possible.  Remember climate control too.  You want the temperature in your home to be comfortable so that buyers will want to linger. 
• Do a Quick Tidy Up Each Morning & Evening-Keeping your home tidy and fresh is imperative to having it show well.  Now that you have packed your extra items, thoroughly cleaned your home & yard and staged it to perfection, you will want to give it a daily dusting, vacuuming and wipe down.  Pick up and tidy up every evening before bed and be sure to take out all trash.  Each morning before you head out for the day, toss the used towels in the washing machine and be sure all remaining towels are neatly folded.  Do not allow any laundry to accumulate.  Keep all toiletries in the drawers and cupboards.  Keep the sinks empty and if you are using fresh flowers, be sure to change the water daily.

Keep these simple tips in mind each day while your home is on the market and make it easy for buyers to see your home.  The easier it is for buyers to see your home, the easier it will be for you to get it sold!

For more information on staging your home and preparing it for sale, contact Nickie, 818-383-7502, or visit Get Staged 2 Sell.

I was exposed to 'HOME STAGING several years ago when I heard Barb Schwartz, founder of StagedHomes.com and THE ‘inventor’ of the term 'STAGING speak on the subject.  I remember sitting in the audience of about 500 real estate agents thinking to myself - this makes a lot of sense.

Barbara, who has been staging homes since 1972 had single handedly created this brand new industry - STAGING.  Barbara uses the following analogy to help us understand what Staging is all about:

Think of going to see a play in a theater.  When you walk in, you see the stage, an audience, actors.  You also know that theres a producer and the director behind the scenes.  For the play to be a success, you need the play to be captivating and for all the seats to be full.

Now¦ lets say that your house is a 'set on a stage of that play.  We would need to 'Stage your house for the audience - potential buyers - who will be coming through to see it.

The seller would be a producer because the seller owns the home.  The Realtor would be the director since she will set the scene for how each room should look, with the help of a stager, to ensure a 'sellout performance, i.e. buyers coming through to look at the house.  And, there would be critics - yes - critics!  Who are the critics?  The critics are the other Real Estate Agents who will decide whether or not to bring their clients to see the house.  They will also spread the word about the house to the rest of the agents that didnt get to see it themselves.

I have staged quite a few homes since the time I met Barbara.  Some homes were staged by myself and others with an Accredited Staging Professional. 

Let me tell you - Staging works!!!  Its that simple.

Of course, Staging works in concert with the Pricing of the home.  But, with everything being equal, a home that is priced right and staged will sell quicker and for more money than a home that has not been staged!

Stay tuned for my next post where I will show you some statistics and provide you with some specific staging ideas.

In the meantime, if you would like to see some before and after pictures, please visit my Staging Show by clicking Play the Show button below.