Boston Magazine's Best of Boston Home

With only five days left of 2012 and a feeling the best days of the year had already come and gone, I took a trip to Barnes and Noble to pick up the latest issue of Boston Home Magazine. Much to my surprise, Chrissis & Company Interiors had been named Best of Boston Home for Home Staging. After I picked myself up off the floor and stopped crying, I grabbed several copies and headed out to share the news with my team, friends, and family. We work incredibly hard every day to not only provide our clients with beautifully staged homes but to offer an exceptional level of customer service. We are all so honored to be recognized for those efforts.

Here is a look at the magazine and our mention.

Staging as Leverage

In the past week we saw one of our clients use staging to their advantage in a way we have never seen done before. It was really very exciting. Our clients own a gorgeous condo with a lot of special features. Unfortunately, it also had some disadvantages like a dated kitchen and wallpaper. Our client's home just wasn't generating the kind of response they had hoped for. Well, with one exception. They had one buyer who swore she loved the house but wanted to make an offer with all sorts of crazy contingencies. This seller was having none of that. So the Realtor brought us in. We gave the homeowners some simple advice like moving the sofa forward six inches, swapping out the bedding in the two bedrooms, and some other small tweaks. We also mentioned taking down the wallpaper and painting.

So here is where it gets interesting.......the buyer came back again with her usual games only this time the sellers said "hey look, we are serious about selling. We hired a home stager, we are implementing her advice, taking new photos, and getting serious about selling our condo." That is all it took, the buyer knew that with the changes being made the condo would be a lot more appealing and she might miss out. She made a serious offer and the home went under agreement - less than 24 hours after I met with them.

What a smart strategy these clients had. They implemented the easy items on the to-do list which were enough to take new photos for MLS but never had to get to the tough stuff like removing the wallpaper because they used our appointment to their advantage.

I love it!!!

FAQ

We often get asked questions about how staging works, how much it costs, and how long it takes. We thought we would take a moment to share some of those with you along with their answers. How Much Is This Going to Cost? We always feel bad saying this but we just don't know. Here is why..... First, the cost of staging really has nothing to do with the size of your home. It boils down to what needs to be done specifically. Are you just in need of decluttering, which is free? Or do you need to paint and replace items? Without seeing your home, we really cannot give you an intelligent answer. Frankly, nobody can. What we can tell you is that you control your budget. How much you spend on staging is entirely up to you. We can help you decide how to best allocate those dollars for maximum returns though.

What Exactly is the Process? For your typical homeowner, who is planning on keeping their things in their home and/or living in their home while the house is listed, the process is usually as follows. We first start off with a home evaluation. During this appointment, which usually lasts about an hour, we evaluate the home for opportunities for improvement. We go room to room and look for ways to make the home more appealing to buyers. These suggestions can be anything from decluttering to repurposing rooms to painting and other small repairs. In every case, clients can be assured that the suggestions we make are done so with a lot of respect for the fact that we know sellers do not want to spend a lot of money on a home they are moving out of. All of our suggestions have a return on your investment, period.

Why Should I Hire You? I Have a Friend Who is Pretty Creative. We hear this all the time. Kudos to your friend for being creative and wanting to help you. That is certainly very thoughtful. We have to wonder though how much your friend knows about real estate and what drives the buyers that might be looking at your home. Does he or she understand the importance of photography and how to style rooms so they photograph well? Given that your photos drive your showings this is one of the most important parts of our job. What about the return on your investments? Does your friend understand what upgrades yield the highest ROI? And lastly, can you really afford to trust the marketing of your biggest asset, and likely your largest source of debt, to "a creative friend". Frankly, we wouldn't even let a creative friend cut our hair. Harsh, but true.

If It Is So Helpful, Why Didn't My Agent Suggest Staging? This is definitely a tough one. At this point, unless your agent has been living under a rock, he or she definitely knows that staging helps sell listings. The disconnect comes in when your agent is afraid to hurt your feelings and tell you that you should consider staging. Frankly, everyone should stage, period. An agent who does not mention it is likely not sure how to approach the conversation with confidence and therefore will just never bring it up.

I Know I Cannot Keep My Home Looking Like a Model Home All the Time. Is It Worth It? Nobody expects you to live in a museum, even when you are selling. You can only do what you are able, and willing to do. This is your home and you call the shots. We can make suggestions, help you prioritize them, and then help you implement. At the end of the day you decide what changes you want to make. We can also provide you with solutions for the day of a showing. Perhaps there are tweaks you make just on the days you know buyers will be coming through.

Do You Have Painters, Carpenters, Etc that Can Help Me With Your Suggestions? Absolutely. We have a lot of people we have partnered with over the years that we are happy to put you in touch with. We have relationships with everyone from moving companies to masons to painters, organizers - the list goes on and on. I Want To Do The Work Myself. How Can You Help Me Do That? Our home evaluation is the perfect solution for the DIYer. We meet with you, in your home, look for opportunities for improvement and then send you a report following our meeting. We make ourselves available to you during the implementation process via phone, email, and text as much as you want free of charge.

When Should I Call You? Whenever. We have clients who call with as little as a week or two before they plan on listing. Others call a year in advance to get a head start. It really depends on you and at what pace you want to work making changes in your home.

Do you still have questions? We are happy to chat with you and answer any questions you have about the process. Give us a call or send us an email.

It's not about what you want to hear.....

Often times when we meet with sellers they have ideas of what will make their home sell faster. Unfortunately, a lot of times these ideas are wrong. Just like with any kind of marketing, there is some real strategy behind our advice. We recently lost the opportunity to work with a seller because we refused to put a bed in the second bedroom of his condo. Why you ask? Because we subscribe to the theory that you are either helping yourself, or hurting yourself, when marketing your home. There is no grey area.

So why not a bed? Well this room was small and had a tricky layout. Sure a twin bed would have fit in there fine, but who wants a twin in their guest room at any price point? A twin really made the point that a larger bed would absolutely not fit. A larger bed would have prohibited the use of a nightstand and would have made it so the closet door would not open. This, my friends, does not sell homes. Buyers want flexibility...open rooms....options. Showing them how they cannot decorate rooms does not help sell a home.

What we wanted to do was stage the room as an office. An office provides for a lot of open floor space and enough furniture to make the room feel full and thoughtfully designed. An office with a pull-out couch is a great option that provides for a ton of flexibility.

We know it is really hard to go outside your comfort zone and implement ideas that you think sound crazy or don't seem to look right to you. But I find that it is when I step outside my comfort zone that the real magic happens.

So what do you think of the bed in the too small room?

Does Ray Allen Need to Stage His Home?

Former Celtics star Ray Allen is in a far worse place - well worse as far as teams go but perhaps better climate-wise. We can debate that later. He has, however, left his Wellesley mansion, where he has lived since joining the team in 2007, all 11,093 square feet of it: nine bedrooms, nine and a half bathrooms, four stories on 1.44 acres, a wood-paneled library, a media room that seats 12 comfortably, a six-car garage, parking for as many as 10 vehicles, and a grand foyer. Get out your checkbook kids, this place is all yours for $5.2 million. So, does having an amazing house and celebrity status mean you can opt out of staging? We say no.....and here is why.

We have toured several homes of this size and overwhelming is the word that comes to mind. The echos caused bare hardwood and empty rooms do not help make a house like this feel cozy. Many buyers struggle to think how they would decorate a seemingly unending number of very large rooms. How do you make a house this size feel like home? Sure it is fun at first but then it just becomes a challenge. We have had clients with homes of this size that lived with empty rooms because they simply could not figure out how to make them work.....and that is how staging sells a property - we show you how this could be your home.

Here are some photos and thoughts of his incredible property.....

This exterior is impressive. So no pressure to make the interior equally as impressive - right?

This is a lovely room, very large. We are assuming it is a bedroom. How would you decorate a room of this size?

This room is nothing short of spectacular. We love the paneling and the bookshelves. Everyone loves the idea of a library - but how do you make it work for you?

We agree, this room sells itself!!!

Update Your Fridge with Spray Paint!

Buyers love updated kitchens. However, we often see homes with kitchens that are mostly updated except for a rogue fridge in the wrong color. So what can you do? SPRAY PAINT!!! (I really wish I could shout that out because it is just so awesome). So the solution is to spray paint your fridge. Truly....it works and it is awesome. You do need to purchase a specific type of spray paint. It looks like this --->

I have never done it myself. I have, however, had clients who did it and were thrilled. So I found a blog with detailed instructions on how to do it right. You can see that here: Sassy Style - How to spray paint your fridge blog

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Buyers Can See Beyond My Stuff.....

I think this might be one of my favorite objections from home sellers. Unfortunately, it is simply not true. I see people put more effort into listing a pair of shoes on ebay than some home owners do listing their home. The truth is only 10% of buyers can see "beyond your stuff". But just for argument's sake... let's play a little game. I am going to post a few pictures below of homes with "stuff" and you tell me if you think you can see the diamond in the ruff. Just for the record, these are REAL listing photos. This is a lovely bedroom, right? Spacious? Well-maintained? Nice carpet?

Okay, then surely this bathroom is acceptable... You can see that surely you could fit a lot of your stuff in there, right?

Here is a home with owners who clearly have their own sense of style. And why not? Everyone should be able to express themselves at home. You can see what a fantastic space this could be, right?

Since buyers can see beyond "stuff" this photo below should not be any more appealing than the ones above, right?

Even if buyers can see beyond your "stuff", the truth is you are moving. At some point during the selling process you will have to start packing your things. Why not start before you list and have a huge head start and the added bonus of a house that looks great?

Boston and all of it's Challenges

Working in Boston means you are constantly learning something new. Because our amazing city is a combination of old meets new we face a lot of unique challenges like narrow streets, tight staircases, tiny elevators, creepy dirt basements, and strict security requirements in luxury buildings. We have encountered enough of these dilemmas in our day and now ask a LOT of questions, but that does not save us from the occasional surprise. We recently did a project in Charlestown in a gorgeous single family home with a lot of character. It also had really narrow hallways. So I thought I would take this opportunity to show you a photo so you can see what I mean by narrow. While I don't love surprises, I do love this town so I will take all of its challenges any day.

It is Intentional

Today I met with an existing client and his real estate agent. It is a home we staged recently that we are adding some additional furniture to. While I was at the consult I could not help but stare at the living room wondering what the heck was going on. The furniture was all on top of each other and the "liveable space" of the room was cramped. And then it dawned on me..... someone had rearranged the room after we had staged it. I am not going to lie....this makes me mad.

So why am I mad you probably wonder. Sure the new arrangement worked - in the sense that the furniture still fit in the room. But it did not work in the sense that it made the room far less appealing to buyers. In fact, this new arrangement did a few things that really hurt the appearance of the room.

So what are the sins of the new arrangement?

1. Since this is the first room buyers see when walking in the front door we had wanted the room to seem open and inviting - the view now? A lovely 86" span of the back of a sofa. There is nothing inviting about that.

2. Secondly, this large expanse of upholstery now blocked the incredible marble fireplace that is the focal point of the room. You cannot even see the fireplace until you are well into the space now versus at the front door before. What a huge loss for the builder who took the time to create such a lovely feature in the room.

3. Whoever it was that rearranged this room did so in a way that involved moving all the furniture in about three feet - so that created a total loss of six feet of space. It felt cramped and tight even though there was a lot of room on the perimeter. A cramped and tight room does not sell a house.

So what is my point? My point is this...Every.Single.Detail in our staging is on purpose. We do this every day and there really is a method to our madness. We know it is difficult to embrace things when you do not understand how they work. But sometimes you just have to have some faith. We know our methods and ideas can seem whacky and but the result is always the same - they work.