How Much is that TV Costing You?

Yesterday we did a consult for a New Hampshire couple selling their home. At one point we came to a room that was difficult to decorate because it had several doors, a fire place, and a slider to a porch. I suggested eliminating the large television and creating a simple seating arrangement focusing on the fireplace. The wife said "my husband will never go for that". So here is the question then...... how much money are you willing to lose when listing your house to keeping your TV?

Not sure if the TV is really a problem? Take a look at this photo and tell us what you notice first? Is it the wall of gorgeous windows? Or is it the TV? Guess what buyers will notice first too!

Cool Art

So by client request we are going to tell you one of our favorite places to find things and something we found there recently and love. Don't worry, more cool places and cool things coming soon. We love Etsy! The prices are reasonable and you just never know what you are going to find. Especially for art.

Here are two pieces we found recently and love:

We would frame these and use them in an office space or on a three-season porch or in a hallway. You could also cluster them together for a dramatic presentation over a console table.

I Can’t Afford Home Staging!

We hear this all the time! I think all the HGTV shows have given the American public the idea that staging involves ripping out cabinets, flooring, walls and generally rebuilding homes to make them more appealing to buyers. This is absolutely NOT what we do. So what do we do?

We make recommendations that give home sellers a great ROI. If an upgrade is not going to give them a decent return on their investment, we do not consider it.

Here are a few examples of recent clients we helped SAVE a ton of money because what they planned on doing wasn't going to be very appealing to buyers.

The first client owns an 1800sq ft family home. This couple wanted to replace all of the carpet throughout their home. With the average price of carpet nationally being $2.77 a sq ft this would be an investment of almost $5000. This doesn't even include the carpet pad, removal of their old carpet, or installation. When we looked at their carpet we knew all it needed was a good cleaning.....no question about it. So with $5000 in their pockets we got to work. Here is what we did recommend: brushed nickel hardware for the kitchen cabinets $50 and their labor to install, moving the cable lines in the living room so they can change the furniture arrangement (I am not sure of this cost but I will say) $200 and slipcovers for a sofa and two chairs $300. So after our consultation fee of $150 they will spend in total $550 from the suggestions we made which saves them more than $4500. Total Savings $4500.

The next client had a gorgeous dining room with hardwood floors that did not have a rug. The client was moving and had not yet found the home she is moving too. She was planning on purchasing a rug for $1600 to fit in her current dining room so that the room looked more "finished" when buyers came through. Guess what? You are selling your hardwood floors, not your rug. We encouraged her to NOT purchase the rug but rather show off her gorgeous floors. She was very relieved because she had no idea what size her new dining room would be and was afraid the rug would not fit in the new space. Savings? $1600!!

Our next example is a client who felt like she HAD to purchase drapery panels for the four windows in her living room. She has a corner condo unit that gets a ton of light, has gorgeous framework for her windows, and a fabulous view. She had set aside hundreds of dollars to purchase these drapes. We told her the windows were a huge selling feature and to just leave them alone. Buyers love lots of a light and a great view! Total Savings? About $850.

We have lots of other examples of how we have saved clients money while they are preparing their homes for sale. We are just happy when the homeowner meets with us BEFORE they spend the money on the useless upgrades.

Quick Room Makeovers on the Cheap

So you want a new look for a room in your home but you do not have a lot of money to spend. So what can you possibly purchase that will make a difference but not break the bank? Here are some of our favorite ideas at each price point. IF YOU HAVE $0

Eliminate clutter. I am sure you are thinking that you have already done this. Here is a sure fire way to tell if you have. Take a picture of your room. Now look at the photo. What do you notice? Paperwork, magazines, plastic bins. Think about a model home or an elegant hotel. What might you see there? Go with the rule of three - three items per surface. PERIOD. We work with clients all the time that think they have eliminated all their clutter but have not even come close to scratching the surface. Clutter causes stress and takes away from your personal style.



IF YOU HAVE $30 Replace your hardware on a dresser or on your bathroom vanity. You can purchase packages of drawer pulls or knobs at your local hardware store. You would be amazed at the difference a simple change like this can make. A dresser or a chest can go from feeling out-dated and dull to fresh and modern just by trying new hardware.

IF YOU HAVE $60

Paint. Without a doubt nothing changes the look and feel of a room faster than paint. For around $60 you can paint an average-sized room. Try taking your neutral beige a shade darker or paint an accent wall. If you are unsure of which direction to go, ask your local paint retailer what his or her best-selling colors are and take inspiration from them.







IF YOU HAVE $100

Pillows are the way to go. Purchasing new pillows for a sofa or bedroom can make a world of difference. Simply layering in brightly-colored solids or something with a fun texture can give new life to a space.

Upgrades with Big Returns

I will never forget the time I went to an open house in Dracut, Massachusetts where the interior of the home looked like a postcard from the 1960’s. Sadly, the condition of the home wasn’t really the problem. The really bad news for the homeowner was that he had just spent $60,000 landscaping his lawn to put the home on the market. There was no budget left for interior upgrades and the agent and the homeowner were stumped as to why the home wasn’t moving. I wish this was the only time I had seen a situation like this but it happens more often that you would think. If you are selling your home, and you want to invest in making some changes, they should be upgrades that will result in more dollars at selling time. So what might those big return upgrades be?

If you have the means to do it, start with the kitchen. Do your research and get cabinets that look great but do not break your budget. If new cabinets are not in your budget, consider painting your existing ones for an updated look or replacing the hardware. Don’t underestimate the effect of brand new hardware. New, stainless steel appliances and updated countertops are also changes that will result in a lot more money when you sell the house. Countertops do not need to be granite. Formica now has options that look like granite and are incredibly appealing.

If you do not have the money to invest in a new kitchen or you just don’t feel like taking on a project of this size, consider updating your bathrooms. Upgrading your bathroom can be as simple as replacing the vanity and light fixtures and putting on a fresh coat of paint. Reglazing that avocado colored tile can also make a world of difference.

Upgrading linoleum to tile is another great way to make your home look newer. Tiles don’t have to cost you a fortune and if you choose the right ones they can actually make your rooms appear larger.

Painting neutral colors throughout. Paint has to be, by far, the one thing homeowners can do for short money and a huge ROI. Not only does paint make a house look cleaner it appears to be more well-maintained than a home with dinged or dirty walls. Additionally, absolutely nothing changes the look and feel of a room faster than a new paint color. Certainly paint requires a time commitment and a little bit of hard work but nothing else compares to the end results.

White trim is another big seller. White trim really gives rooms a bright, fresh look. Updating all of your trim is not an expensive undertaking. It is time consuming but really worth it. Sherwin Williams makes a super high-gloss trim that is actually acrylic so it does not smell badly. It covers wonderfully and looks amazing when dry. If you are going to paint your trim I highly recommend this product.

Regardless, of what project you opt for to improve the look of your home before listing, do your research. Make sure the changes you are making are desirable in your area. Renovations are time consuming, often costly, and usually inconvenient. If your goal is a return on your investment then a little research will go a long way.

Decorating Advice for First-Time Homebuyers

Buying a first home is so exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. Once you navigate your way through the complexities of the real estate process you then realize *gasp* that you actually have to decorate this new home. How on earth is that going to happen? The first thing to realize is that this is your new home. At this exciting time, friends and family will come from out of the woodwork to offer advice about design trends, rules and “what they would do” comments. As well intentioned as these people will be, designing anything by committee usually results in confusion and no action being taken at all. Surely, it will be difficult to ignore the helpful suggestions of others but ultimately you need to realize that this is your home and it needs to reflect your style because you live there. Many design rules were thrown out the window years ago and pretty much anything goes at this point. So really start to think about colors that make you happy and look for furniture you think is comfortable. You will be happy coming home to a home that really suits you.

Secondly, if possible, live in the house before you purchase furniture or make other big changes. Certainly, if the carpet is incredibly stained or the kitchen cabinets are junk then go ahead with the upgrades. You will find, however, that living in the home will provide you with much needed information about natural light and traffic patterns as well as the functionality of each room. This knowledge will prove invaluable when you do start buying new furniture and choosing paint colors.

If you can help it, do not throw anything away. You never know what will come in handy and where. That chair you were going to throw out might look great in the guest bedroom or in an office. You might also be surprised at what you can make work. Slipcovers can transform a sofa or chair and most wood surfaces can be painted. You just cannot predict what you will want to keep and it is better to throw things out later than to wish you hadn’t gotten rid of them. Make sure to consider your current lifestyle as well as your short-term plans. Maybe you do not have a pet or children now but you think you might in the next few years. If this is the case then it should be a factor in your decorating. Choose colors and fabrics that are kid and pet-friendly.

Really think about your budget and where you want to allocate your funds. I would much rather see a client spend more on a good sofa or bedroom set than a dining room table and chairs that get used three times a year. Cheap draperies can make the whole room look like it was purchased at a clearance center. However, quality window treatments will cost more but will make any room look more polished.

Taking time to evaluate your lifestyle in your new home, discovering your own style, and making smart choices with your budget can really help your new house become your home, and a reflection of your unique style.

Bad Listing Photos are Our Pet Peeve!

Nothing frustrates me more than agents that don't understand the importance of quality photos for their listings. So here is my best attempt at converting all of you sloppy picture takers into either budding photographers or agents that hire a professional photographer. First and foremost it is the pictures that drives your showings. Statistics show that more than 80% of buyers find their new home online. If they are not drawn to your listing through the pictures, they are not scheduling an appointment for a viewing. Staging is great but its biggest benefit is making your listing look compelling in the photos. VS





So what qualifies as a good or compelling photo? It really is not that difficult to take great pictures. It may however require a smidge more of your time than the snap and go approach.

1. Try to capture as much of the room as possible. Buyers are always looking for rooms that get lots of light, have a lot of windows, great architectural details, nice floors etc. I know that when a home is nicely staged you are compelled to simply showcase the beautiful bed in the pictures but that is not going to sell the house or drive showings. If you do not already have one, a camera with a wide angle lens can make a dramatic difference in your pictures. 2. Make sure your photos have the right light balance. Dark, underexposed or overexposed pictures are not going to help you get buyers to your listing. The good news is that you can adjust and correct the lighting with photo editing software like Photoshop. It is simple and just takes a few extra minutes. 3. Feel free to remove unattractive elements to take the picture and put them back later. I have had clients that refused to remove their kitty condos, kids toys, etc. But that did not stop me from sliding them out of the room to take pictures for the listing and then putting them back. 4. Take pictures on a sunny day if possible and turn on lamps in the rooms that you are photographing. Once you do this you will be amazed at the improvement in your pictures. Lamps especially cast a really inviting, warm light. 5. Make sure the outdoor photos are the right season. If it is the middle of the summer, buyers will be suspicious about snow-covered outdoor shots. What are they hiding, they will wonder. 6. Try taking the photos from many different angles in a room. I often find that photos taken of the room where the furniture is eye-level rather than being looked down on turn out great. Get creative, don't just shoot the room from the doorway. Step into a closet or a corner, take photos looking down from stairways. 7. Take a lot more photos than you think you need. I typically shoot 100+ photos of a home when I take pictures for a client. I never know what angle will look the best or which shot will be easy to edit with software later. It is easier to delete excess photos than it is to make another trip to reshoot the home.

Hopefully, this not only inspires you to take better pictures but gives you some empowering tips to make it happen.

It is just rouge and lipstick, right?

A good friend of mine just sent me a lengthy email asking me if I think it is price or beauty that really drives sales. As I started to debate that it is price I began to wonder if it is really the attractiveness of a home that wins out in the end. And thus the debate began in my own head. Of course, in the end, price and beauty are tied together. Sort of. And that is when it really hit me......I know what I have been accomplishing with my staging all along however I guess I have never really put the right words to it. It is emotion. Plain and simple. Emotion.

Of course, I find this almost ironic. A house from a financial standpoint is likely a couple's (or an individual's) largest source of debt and biggest asset. And yet, I cannot think of a single conversation I have overheard from buyers that reflected this in the decision making process. I always hear things like "I looooooovvvvveeee the jacuzzi in the master suite" or "this is a fantastic great room - we could have great parties in here" or "the back yard is amazing - lots of barbeques here in the summer". I cannot think of a single time a buyer has asked about the home from an investment perspective. Questions like "will the pool help us or hurt us when we try to sell in a few years" or "does our proximity to that major highway make this space undesireable to most buyers?" and on and on.

Essentially, what I am getting at here is that home buying, above all else, is emotional. Staging plays on that emotion. Well, good staging does. I know what is important to buyers at different life stages and at different income levels. This is key. Bad staging is worse (in my mind) than no staging at all. Actually, I guess you could say they are about the same thing.

And I am sure there are a handful of buyers out there that are unaffected by the emotion of it all. You know, the buyers that are just buying that apartment in the city so they have somewhere to stay on the weekends when they are in town shopping. Or flippers or other investors. But I would venture that the majority of buyers, across the board are considering the quality of their lifestyle in the home before taking the plunge.