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When the Relator called me to stage the client’s home, there was a sense of foreboding in her voice.

“Linda,” she began. “He’s got these…hobbies.”

Now, as a professional Home Stager I have seen a lot of hobbies in my career, but I was not prepared for the menagerie of exotic snakes that were caged in the client’s 8’ x 10’   spare bedroom. There was every kind of slithering creature known to man represented in the space and they were molting. It was enough to make me want to keel over.

But that wasn’t the half of it. The client then told me that he had something to show me in the bathroom. I followed him down the hall praying that I wasn’t about to see anything bloody and when I walked in; there it was…strung up on a meat hook…over the bathtub drain…a dirt bike.

Yes, he was a bachelor, why do you ask?

In addition to collecting and breeding snakes, the man liked to restore old dirt bikes in his guest bath and refurbish bicycles in his living room. Talk about a challenge! The man knew he needed to move to a larger property where he could have an outbuilding to accommodate his…um…interests but in the meantime, we had to get this place ready to show. I left him an extensive list of things to accomplish (starting with getting the snakes out of the house), painting and cleaning and guess what? He did everything I asked and the house sold within three days.

“Hey Linda, do you remember the Snake Man?” The Realtor asked when she called me again.

“Of course,” I replied. Who could forget him?

“He did everything you suggested and his house sold. You wouldn’t believe what this place looked like when I returned!”

Actually I would and it just goes to show that even the biggest horror story can become a fairytale and that no matter what condition your house is in you can turn it into a showplace with a little help with the right action plan from a qualified home stager…

And a snake wrangler of course.

Happy Halloween!

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.

Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com

Once upon a time, calling in a professional Home Stager was a Realtor’s last resort. A home had sat on the market for four-to-six months and was no closer to selling than it was before. Price reductions and open houses failed to generate a decent response and now wanting to take a different approach, they bring in a professional who makes a lot of suggestions causing the homeowners to question the reasons why now it is important to do and stress out trying to get it all done.

I understand, really I do and that’s why more and more Realtors are suggesting home staging as the first step in your home’s overall marketing plan. Before you list that property, you should take the time to get it show ready so that you give yourself the best possible chance of selling in less time and for more money.

Is it less stressful? Maybe not, but the process is more fluid. You see a means to an end rather than another hurdle to jump through and sometimes that can make all of the difference to a homeowner.  We all know that being on the real estate market is an inconvenience state of living and the idea is of course to shorten the time of that inconvenience. The inconvenience you experience now can save you a lot of time, trouble, money and heartache in the future.

Of course no one wants to think about making improvements or doing a lot of additional work on their home prior to selling it, but believe me; you will pay for it whether it is now or later. Price reductions are not cheap, neither are negotiations.

Why not give your home the best shot to be sold from the beginning because it is the best abode on the avenue?

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.

Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com

Ten years ago, one of the most difficult subjects to discuss with my clients was the smell of smoke in the home. It was always a touch-and-go situation. More and more public places were cracking down on smokers and no one likes to be told what they can and cannot do in their own homes. Trust me, I had more than a few conversations with people who did not like the suggestion that they smoked outside in order to make walk-throughs more pleasant for the potential buyer.

But today, it’s a different story. With fewer people smoking inside the home, the newest “scentsation” to try and tackle is the prominent cooking smells that distract from the tour. Don’t get me wrong, every family has their favorite fare, but it can be overwhelming to guests who may not be as enthusiastic about onions, peppers and curry spice as much as you are.

Hey, I love all kinds of food and I know how savory the dishes can be, but there are some scents that get into everything: the walls, the upholstery, and the air, you name it and it makes for difficult showings. While I am not one to tell you what you can and cannot eat, I will suggest that you ramp up your cleaning routine a little so that the house and look, feel and smell as fresh as possible.

And since we are on the subject of “scents,” let’s talk a little about cleaning products and what not to use when selling your home. Homebuyers are looking for something that smells fresh and clean, not a mountain breeze, an orange grove or a field of wildflowers in the middle of fall.

Shift over to vinegar and water mixtures that will clean without leaving behind additional odors. Keep up with laundry as much as possible and whenever possible, open the windows for a few minutes each day to let some fresh air in. Every home has its own smell, but yours doesn’t have to be a deal breaker when selling.

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.  Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com

Note:  I wrote this blog several weeks ago, before the tragic death of Beverly Carter,  a Little Rock Arkansas Real Estate Agent.  Our team at Home Matters  would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Beverly’s family and friends and dedicate this post to her memory.  This is a reminder to our Realtor partners and their clients as well as our Home Staging colleagues  to please practice safety first, Always.

Though stagers do not often talk about it, another reason it is important to depersonalize your space while you show your home is for your own safety. When you leave your prized possessions out for everyone to see, remember you may also be inviting trouble later on. I would like to tell you that I have never heard of a robbery happening after an open house, an agent never being attacked by butcher block knives or any other horror stories too awful to mention, but I have. While they are a rare occurrence to be sure they are also a powerful reminder to be safe rather than sorry.

As a professional home stager, it is my job to turn your home into a house on the market. You are advertising your space, not your stuff and it is important to me to make sure that jewelry is put away, valuables are out of site, and that photos or personalized items of your children are concealed. Remember that most homebuyers begin their search via the Internet and while the more pictures; the merrier…why make you a target? People who visit your home already have access to your school district and other information that can cause you and your loved ones undo grief, why make a predator’s job any easier.

On top of the obvious dangers, why leave important pieces out that can easily be damaged or destroyed during a walk through? I know plenty of homeowners who are chagrinned at the thought of putting away their precious Faberge eggs and other treasured possessions, but safety and security have to be a high priority when selling.

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.  Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com