Home Staging Pays Off When Downsizing
Article first appeared in the Autumn 2007 "The Time of your Life" special supplement of the Kitsap News Group.
 When the decision has been made to downsize to a smaller home, whether it is for your parents or for yourself, emotions can be the hardest thing to overcome in making good decisions, so planning ahead is the key to a successful move. The thought of packing everything up, as well as the physical aspect of the actual move, can be overwhelming. When you begin to emotionally let go of the attachment to both the home itself and the items that represent many aspects of your life that have been collected over the years, it can make the move a bit easier. Remembering that the selling of the home is a business decision can also be quite helpful.
Selecting pieces of furniture, art, accessories that mean the most to you, and those items you must have in your new home will allow you to determine what is not needed and what can be given to family and friends, donated to your favorite charities, or sold at auction or consignment stores.
In either a buyer’s or seller’s market there are a few necessary steps required to prepare your home, ensuring you will receive the highest profit for the sale of your largest investment. Today’s buyers lead busy lives and are looking for move-in ready homes. Buyers are unwilling to pay top dollar for homes in need of repair or total transformation to bring them into the 21st century.
You must look at the home from the buyer’s perspective; they have no emotional attachment. When buyers are looking for a home, they carry with them all their hopes and dreams for a better life. A certified professional home stager’s skill lies in creating a series of first impressions that help buyers visualize themselves living in that home. The stager knows you are competing against other homes in your local real estate market and will work to make sure your home is the “WOW House” without considering any of your emotional attachments. A home stager can help select items to update the look and feel of the home, as well as “set the stage” to make the home as appealing to as many buyers as possible. By eliminating excess furnishings, updating certain items, recommending pre-packing, and arranging furnishings, art and accessories, the home stager can enhance the selling features of the home, creating a series of positive “first impressions.”
A stager can recommend key people to help with the downsizing and sales process:
A residential home appraiser can give you accurate information on the value of the home, as well as what improvements or renovations will increase the value and be worth the investment of your time and money.
A home inspector can help eliminate any surprises at closing time that might cancel the deal or can have a negative effect on the final selling price for the home. Making sure your home is in tip-top condition before placing it on the market is time and money well spent.
A hard working Realtor® will have your best interest in mind when marketing the home.
By preparing your home, taking care of any maintenance items and hiring a certified staging professional, you are positioning yourself to reap greater rewards for your largest and most valuable investment. The relatively small investment of preparing your home for a quick sale will help you toward your goal of moving on to the new home that will better meet your needs.
\~Roberta Anderson
Roberta Anderson is a Home Design Consultant and owner of Anderson Homes Redesigned. She is certified in Real Estate Staging, Interior Redesign and as a Dewey Color Consultant. You can reach Roberta at 360.471.HOME (4663) or at Roberta@AndersonHomesRedesigned.com
 The weather isn’t the only thing that’s changing
as we head into the fall season
You’ve probably heard about the changing Real Estate market in recent months and terms like ‘buyer’s market’ being used. So what’s that mean for you if a move is in your near future? Well, now could be a great time to buy because there is lots of inventory to choose from. But, what if you need to sell your current home to purchase that new one? Don’t despair! In any market there are proven steps you can take to insure your listing stands out from the competition! On the top of that list… staging! Especially in this buyer’s market, Staging is one of the most important things you can do.
The WSJ and US Housing & Urban Development have both reported that a staged home sells, on average, for 2%-17% higher than a non-staged home. As of September 30, 2007 the average median price of a single family dwelling in the Puyallup area was at $326,613. If on average, a staged home commands a 2%-17% higher price—that’s a possible $6000+ more for a staged home vs. a non-staged home. And, with our vacant staging packages averaging and ranging between $895 and $1,265 the Return on Investment is more than worth it.
In the Puyallup area and selling your home or know someone who is?
Contact Sandi today at www.detailsRedesignAndStaging.cm
 Don’t wait for spring to rejuvenate your interiors and exterior too. Look to the colors of autumn for great inspiration.
 Oranges, umbers, ochres, burgundys, browns and apple greens can add life and pizzazz to your home.
Don’t simply add accessories, like pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn. Change out your usual valance with a neutral colored linen valance and add colorful autumn colored ribbons, as shown in the photos below.
 Change out and revive your tired decorative pillows on your sofa or chairs. Slipcover them with textured, autumn colored fabrics and add a new look for a very small investment. A typical 18-inch decorative pillow can be no-sew covered with 1 yard of fabric by bringing all raw corners onto the back and tying them into a knot and tucking in the ends.
 Do you want to change the wall colors in your family room, but you’re a bit afraid of making that change? Try this. Select a location where a favorite piece of art hangs. Use painters tape to make a large rectangle that “frames” the artwork. Add at least 3 inches to each side of the art. Use a paint color that compliments the artwork and other features of the space. Remove the tape and outline the rectangle with a gold or silver paint pen. Walla! Now you have a new focal point and a starting point for adding more color to you home and life.
~Ginger Foust IRIS
Dream Redesign and Staging
www.dreamredesign.com
 Developing Color Schemes
When developing a color scheme, first decide on the mood that you wish to create. Would you like a relaxing space or a stimulating one? Would you prefer that color creates excitement and drama, or that it blends into its surroundings? Strongly contrasting colors call attention to orderly, formal spaces, whereas softly contrasting colors are more relaxing and informal. Bright colors are bold and stimulate action whereas muted colors are restful.
Once the mood has been determined, look to your color preferences to find colors that you truly love. Just about anything can become the inspiration for a fabulous color scheme. Take a careful look inside your closet and locate a dominant hue, or a common combination of hues. Or let your fabrics, upholstery, and flooring guide your choice for wall color. After you have selected the basic colors to be used, you will then need to decide on the exact tones, tints and shades.
Next make a plan of how you will apply each color. As a general rule, one dominant color should cover approximately 60% of the space (walls). One secondary color should cover approximately 30% of the space (upholstery, large furnishings, window treatments, floor coverings). One or two accent colors should cover approximately 10% of the space (accessories, accent items).
Just remember, there are no hard and fast rules, so pick the colors you love to surround yourself with!
~Cheryl Deagon
Arranging Places, Gold River, CA
www.arrangingplaces.com
Goals of Redesign
- BEAUTY
Almost everyone desires an attractive home because it is enjoyable and hospitable and thus draws others to spend time there. When it is pleasant, it is easier to organize and clean. Even modest furniture placed in a pleasing arrangement creates beauty and pride in one’s home. This leads to happiness and fulfillment.
- FUNCTIONALITY
Homes must serve their owners by providing places for current family activities. With the home being the largest expense of the household budget, it should offer rooms appropriate for the interests and responsibilities of those living there.
We have inherited a Victorian approach to use of space in the history of American houses, and often it does not suit current, casual lifestyles. If a formal dining room is seldom used, re-invent the room for an activity that does not have a place. We often see living and dining rooms reversed from their original use due to the size of the rooms or the need for a hobby place.
- COMFORT
Today’s two wage-earner families deserve to return from the workplace to a pleasant, comfortable space where they can recharge for the next day. A sanctuary can reduce the high levels of stress so common today. Comfort has different faces to different people; therefore, a re-design addresses the homeowners’ specific definition of the perfect place to relax.
~Diann Eiserloh
San Antonio, Texas
www.roomsrefined.com
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