selling

How to use Home Stagers Effectively

June 20, 2018 by Naomi

When you are preparing to your put property on the market, chances are you want the best price possible. Often times, this means hiring a stager to give you the best chance at getting the highest return. If your budget is tight and you have furniture space, the best option in home staging is to have your property partially staged. This means that when a home stager comes into your property to have a consultation and quote your property, they will inform you of what furniture can stay and what furniture can go. However, if you want to best use home stagers to your fullest advantage there are a few things you should do before having the consultation.

De-clutter

De-cluttering your property is a must before it goes on sale and before you have a consultation with a home stager. Remove the stacks of DVD’s, CD’s, bookshelves stacked high with odds and ends, piles of things you have been meaning to clear out and anything that doesn’t have a spot. Not only will this help in the moving process but it will make your property seem a lot nicer and bigger instantly.

b363605415be4c504ab6c930559cc457 — Image via apartment34.com

Remove valuables and images

The reason for this is simple, you don’t want your valuables to be damaged in the sale process. If something is special to you but it does not go with the theme of the property, removing it prior to a home stager coming in is a good idea so someone else doesn’t have to tell you to remove it. Similarly, removing images is a must! Potential buyers don’t want to feel like they are walking through someone else’s property so family photos are unnecessary.

Remove toys

Even if you are living in the property during the sale process, limiting the amount of toys used to a small box that can easily be packed away in the car during open homes is a great idea. Toys are not necessary when displaying a home as a family home. Not only that but toys in the home during open houses make the property feel as if it is someone else’s and potential buyers cannot fully imagine themselves living in the space.

2b6488ed9394703e9e765d7a8c9218cc — Image via mydomainehome.com.au

Yard cleanliness

Keeping your yard in immaculate condition during the sale process is of utmost importance! Street appeal is the first thing that draws a buyer in so ensuring that the yard is looking amazing, with trimmed hedges, cut grass and clean footpaths is absolutely essential!

af6f6323ff2fc3883b5f95223dc1abd2 — Image via homestolove.co.nz

5. Be open

There is no point hiring a stager if you are going to shut down every idea they have. Home stagers are experts in design and the real estate market, which means they know what sells and what doesn’t. If you hire a stager but then rearrange everything as soon as they leave, then the whole process was a waste of your time and money. Chances are you are not an expert in the market, and the property design does not have to be to your personal taste, or even to the personal taste of the stager, it just has to be that of the market.

Must-Have Home Staging Stock

June 15, 2018 by Naomi

When you reach a certain point in your home staging business, acquiring stock and inventory is an essential step up. At first purchasing this stock might seem like a bit of a leap, and depending on what stock you purchase it might be. However, if you are smart about what stock you purchase and how much of it you purchase it could make all the difference to your home staging business.

When it comes to stock there is typically two types of stock, soft furnishings and hard furnishings. Soft furnishings include items such as pillows, linen, lamps and small accessories. The way I like to think about soft furnishings is that, if I needed to, I could pack them in a box and put them in my car. On the other hand, there are hard furnishings. Hard furnishings are big items such as lounges, arm chairs, dining tables, coffee tables, and so on. These are the items that can’t be packed into a box and loaded into your car.

Depending on what level of your business you are in you could be thinking about acquiring one of these two types of stock. Logically, soft furnishings should be acquired first, and then later down the track hard furnishings can be acquired. However, as everyone is at different stages in their business, it is important to be able to look down the track and consider what sort of stock you should be acquiring.

SOFT FURNISHINGS

When it comes to soft furnishings, these items can be purchased relatively cheaply and in bulk.

Pillows: sure, pillows can be expensive, but purchasing pillows that work well in a wide range of environment is a great way to get the most out of your money, and add texture in a range of environments. Purchasing pillows in a few colours and designs is a great idea as they can be used on their own or grouped together.
Faux flowers and plants: Faux flowers and plants are great as, when the right ones are purchased, they can look amazing, can be used in a range of spaces and styles, and can last a long time.
Books: there doesn’t have to be a theme to this, and they can be purchased from a op shop, but books are a great way to add texture and a lived in feeling to any space. These are the most cost-effective soft furnishings and can be used in any environment, from a study, a bedroom to a lounge room or even an outdoor setting.
Knick-knack accessories: by this I mean small accessories that can be used in a variety of environments, anything from vessels, small bowls, candle holders, or any other small accessories.
Linen packs: this isn’t absolutely necessary, but having at least coverlets and toppers is necessary as it can transform a room from something dull to something amazing.

229f1da3e9e8b569b0beceee69dce779 — Image via immyandindi.com.au

HARD FURNISHINGS

As for hard furnishings, these items are more expensive, and it is beneficial to go for quality over quantity.

Mattresses: often times clients do not have enough beds for how a property can be staged to show off the best of the space, or they have moved and have taken their mattresses with them.
Dining chairs: not all dining chairs go with tables, or look good with them, so having some neutral dining chairs that work with a range of colours is a great idea so you can use the clients dining table and your businesses chairs.
Bedside tables: bedside tables have the potential to open up the bedroom and transform the space into something amazing. Having bedside tables that are unique, yet work well in a variety of environments is essential.
Lounges: when used everyday, lounges can easily begin to look old, worn and unpleasant. Having lounges in stock that are a neutral colour is a great idea as they can be used in a range of spaces in a range of different styled homes.
Coffee tables: Coffee tables are great ways to show off the space in a lounge room and add an element of homeliness into the space. Not everyone has a coffee table, and if they do it might be old and worn, having new, amazing coffee tables as part of your stock can transform and fill a space amazingly.

5512a478c1edcd04581dc6e05593f575 — Image via southernliving.com

What Beds to Use in Home Staging

June 5, 2018 by Naomi

Hey, guys. I’m back again for another installment to answer some questions that have been emailed through to me.

I’ve had a few people email through their question and I’ll read it to you here.

We’re just starting up our home staging business and we really need to know about how you do your beds.

That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? I am going to answer that to the best of my ability and hopefully everyone will be able to take a snippet from that.

I’m assuming that this question is pertaining to what sorts of beds we use in our installs. Let’s look at our options.

The first option is, obviously, a traditional slatted timber bed that needs to be pretty much built on site. It has the side rails that has the header and the footer and the slats that the mattress would sit upon. There’s one option.

The next option is an ensemble bed and, obviously, the last option is a bit of a more temporary bed. It may be an inflatable bed, it may be a camp stretcher with an inflatable mattress on top or it may be a camp stretcher with a foam mattress on top.

These are all different sorts of options. That’s not all of them, but they are some of the different options that you have when you’re staging a property and you want to put in some beds.

What do we do? If I’m going to be dead honest about what we do here at Silk Home, which is my brick and mortar home staging business, we actually use a lot of ensemble beds.

We used to use the slatted headers and footers with the side rails, but the time it took to construct the beds on site meant that our productivity was greatly diminished.

And that meant that we needed more than one person to be on site installing every single house, even after the initial drop off of furniture was complete by the muscle, basically. That was a bit of a negative for us. It really did take some time.

The other thing we noticed is that the mechanisms that you’re adhering everything to did, over time and after multiple assembling and disassembling, wear. We steered away from that.

That pointed us to our ensemble beds.

We have, as well, used all varieties of camp stretchers and foam mattresses/camp stretches and air mattresses, but one of the big problems we found with air mattresses was that sometimes they do go down.

You often find that the time you get a call is 7:30/8:30/9:00/10:00 on a Saturday when, often, you’re busy doing other things, saying,

“I’ve just taken everyone into an open home and the mattress is deflated. I need something else here right now because the open home has pretty much been ruined by the fact that there’s a deflated mattresses and a slump-looking bed sitting in what might have been an amazing master suite before.”

One of the problems I have with inflatable beds is they certainly have their locations, but one of the things that you need to make sure you think about is they aren’t 100% reliable.

I can probably hear many people going, “What about those places where you can’t get an ensemble base into?” Absolutely right. It’s a huge, huge challenge.

There are many places, especially in the older parts of town, where the stairwells are too skinny and the lifts are too small and the landings at the top of stairs are too small to be able to work an ensemble base around.

In those cases, we actually have to use a mattress and we prop the mattress up on tubs.

There you go. There are our sneak peeks and our behind the scenes of what we do at Silk Home for beds. I hope you’ve learned something from that; I hope that there’s something that you can take and integrate into your home staging business and into all the different situations that it may be applicable.

I’ll be back next week. Make sure if you have any questions that you jump onto our Facebook page and we can help you out.

If you have really specific questions about your business, make sure you pop over to our memberships. Our Shine Membership has a closed Facebook forum where you can pretty much ask anything you want.

The members of the community and myself will be jumping in there to help. Jump on over and check them out. They’re all on the website.

I’ll see you guys again soon. See you.

What To Look for in a Real Estate Agent

May 30, 2018 by Naomi

As a home stager, creating and maintaining a strong relationship with real estate agents is an essential part of generating referred business.

When you have a strong relationship with a real estate agent you will constantly have business flowing and you will always have a direct line of call when something goes wrong if a property.

Selecting the right real estate agent for your business can be difficult though. You may have a great relationship with one agent in the beginning but as your business grows that agent may not fit with your business anymore.

When choosing a real estate agent to maintain a strong relationship with, always look for someone who is:

An established real estate agent. Agents who are not new to selling properties are more likely to develop a relationship with a home stager as they are always looking to expand their connections
You want to be able to trust your real estate! As a home stager you want to know if the agent has any relationships with other home stagers and if they are referring their clients to you or to other home stagers
A people person. A real estate agent won’t get very far if they aren’t a people person. They must be approachable, friendly and great at negotiating
As a home stager it makes sense that you would want to have strong relationships with multiple real estate agents but a real estate agent doesn’t need a relationship with more than one home stager.
At the same level as you. There is no point forming a relationship with a real estate agent whose clients would not be able to afford your service. Make sure your agent has the same client demographic as you do to ensure maximum results

Once you have established a relationship with a real estate agent it is important to maintain that relationship. This can be achieved through a variety of ways such as:

Referring business. If a client gets their property staged but they aren’t sure what agent to go with yet, encourage them to go with the agent you are affiliated with
Buying ‘Thank You’ gifts. If your affiliate has a big win, sells a great property or smashes a record, giving them a small gift is a great way to maintain a relationship and show the agent that you are about their successes
Providing statistics. At a milestone during the year, be it yearly, half-yearly or quarterly, providing your affiliate with statistics about how your business is benefiting real estate is a great idea and a push to ensure that the agent will want to keep working with you

Having a strong relationship with a real estate agent is a great way ensure that you are constantly getting business and referring business. Having grounded relationships and affiliations with real estate agents is the best relationship that a home stager can have as it means that you are the first point of call to help that agent with a property.

Our Favourite Rugs!

February 9, 2018 by Naomi

1. Kenza Rug – Freedom

2. Madras Rug – Freedom

3. Nomad Grey Rectangle Rug – wholesale supplier

4. Gold Black and White Rectangle Rug – wholesale supplier

5. Gold Navy Rectangle Rug – wholesale supplier

6. Atrium Pilu Natural Rug – wholesale supplier

7. Eco Herringbone Marble Rectangle Rug

8. Stockholm Rug – Ikea

9. Colca Wool Rug – West Elm

10. Atrium Wish Gold Round Rug – wholesale supplier

Why is Defining the Function of a Space Important?

March 15, 2017 by Naomi

When someone moves into a new property, one of the first things they tend to think of is ‘what will I use this space for?’. Some spaces are obvious…the kitchen is for cooking, the bedroom is for sleeping, the lounge room is for watching television. But we all know this isn’t true!

More often than not, especially if you have kids, the kitchen becomes a place for homework to be done. The master bedroom, your bedroom, becomes a communal meeting point in the morning where all the kids come to you with their issues for the day and permission slips that should have been signed at the start of the week and, of course, the room you had designated as the play room has been relocated to the lounge room. This is just part of life, and it is something that we adapt to.

However, as home stagers, the spaces we create don’t have to be practical for day to day living. It is important that we hold onto the hopeful ‘what will I use this space for?’ mentality that buyers have before they enter the space. The spaces we create contain an in an ideal world this is what the space would be used for.

So, why is it important to define the function of a space as a home stager?

Image via amberinteriordesign.com

When a property is put on the market empty, potential buyers are likely to become overwhelmed over the prospect of what they will use each space for. What room is better for a teenager and what one for a preteen? Should there be two living spaces? Is there enough room for a study space or home office?

Similarly, when a property is put on the market in the same design as what the seller had when they were living in the space, the property won’t fell like it is for sale. Doing this will create elements of clutter and uncertainty about what space is to be used for what. This is because, as mentioned above, we adapt to how our families use a space and often times don’t notice that there is anything out of the ordinary about this.

This is where the magic of home stagers come in.

When staging a property, it is up to the home stager to determine what a space is best used for. If there is an awkward space between two bedrooms, a home stager may place a study desk there. This is something potential buyers might not have thought of doing, but seeing the desk there allows for the space to seem larger, and like the desk was always supposed to go there.

Image via cocolapinedesign.com

The accessories and furniture home stagers use allow for a space to have a clear and obvious activity attached to it. The items in the bedroom show that the space is used for sleeping, and the same goes for the lounge room, study space and kitchen. Doing this allows for potential buyers to see the size of the space, as well as the ideal activity to be done in the space, creating a homely and ‘I could live here’ atmosphere for all potential buyers.

Image via myscandinavianhome.com

How to Create a Bidding War through Home Staging

February 13, 2017 by Naomi

Despite the name, bidding wars aren’t a bad thing when selling your property. A bidding war is when two potential buyers keep upping their purchase price because they both want the property. Instead of settling for lower price, another potential purchaser could keep increasing their price until the other potential buyer drops out of the purchasing game. While it is impossible to predict what properties will have bidding wars when they are on the market there are a few steps that you as a home stager can take to ensure your client will sell their property for the highest price possible.

Staging for the market is a key step in home staging and can dramatically influence how much attention the property has on the market. If the property is in a family orientated area there is no point staging the property as if a bachelor is your target market. Taking key steps in researching the current market climate, researching the area the property is in and staging the property appropriately is of utmost importance in ensuring the property will receive the attention it deserves on the market.

It is of utmost importance that you as the stager do not over-stage the property you are working on. Over-staging will deter buyers and will also result in a price drop on the property due to a lack of interest. It is your job to allow potential buyers to pay their maximum price for the property. It is for this reason that having a clear target market is of utmost importance. Having a clear image in your mind of who the purchaser will be allows you as the home stager to ensure the property is staged for them. Knowing who the potential buyers are and what their possible purchase price range is will allow you to give your client the best possible chance at staging a property that will have two people fighting over who wants to purchase the property more.

Staging the property so countless potential buyers can see themselves living in the property is a great way to ensure multiple potential buyers. Do this by using neutral tones and avoid overusing any style trends. While you don’t want the property to stay on the market for years it is important to stage the property as if it will still look this year in years to come…is there anything that will go out of fashion? If so, get rid of it. Potential buyers have to be able to see themselves living in the property, not seeing it as if it is staged to look good for this current season.

The Best Outdoor Staging Tips for Summer

December 12, 2016 by Naomi

It’s officially spring which means everyone is eager to get outside and defrost from the winter months! As the seasons get warmer this is on the mind of home buyers; what is the outdoor area like? Can I sit out here on a warm summers evening with my family and friends? When it comes to home staging outdoors there are a multitude of things you must consider in order to ensure that the outdoor areas are appropriated staged for summer.

The front of the property is the first thing buyers see so it is of utmost importance to ensure the property is looking its best from the front. Having plants that are in bloom is a great way to make sure the outside of the property is looking its best in the summer months. This translate to out the back too. Be it pot plants or plant in the ground it is of utmost importance to have plants that flourish in the summer months.

Having fresh, green grass is a must when selling in the Australian summer. If your property has grass that just doesn’t grow or if you’re sick of moving the lawn every week in summer, then consider swapping to artificial grass. This will ensure that your grass is always looking perfect and involves no hassle.

Updating your deck is another great way to allow your property to sell for more in summer. Staining the wood a neutral tone, installing some practical and comfortable seating and adding potted plants and greenery is a great way to encourage yourself and guests to get outside more in the summer. Decks can fade quickly so it is important to make sure everything is looking great before the summer months kick in.

Installing adequate lighting is something that everyone forgets to do. Get creative and add fairy lights or a large lamp to a sheltered area on the deck. Most decks don’t allow for down lights so everyone is left trying to see from the light inside. Scatter candles around the area to create multiple light textures.

FAQ: What is the best way to advertise my property?

June 5, 2015 by Naomi

The FAQ series answers all those questions that often crop up when buying, selling and preparing a property. Everyday I work with people seeking to understand the process of selling their home a little better. Today we look at the different kinds of advertising channels and tips you should consider when selling your house.

The main ways sellers advertise their property is through newspaper listings and/or advertisements, online listings and/or advertisements, and leaflet drops. Which channel is best for you is largely driven by the kind of buyer you’re looking to attract.

Know your buyer

Selling your house is all about working with a great team so I asked Mark Kentwell, principal for PRD Nationwide Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and (Real Estate Business Australian Regional Principal of the Year 2014 and owner of PRD’s Number 1 office nationally) his thoughts on this FAQ. Kentwell says there are four main types of buyers you’re likely to reach and each have particular behaviours that recommend one advertising channel or another.

1. Active buyers constantly scour online listings and directly receive alerts from real estate websites and agents. They are highly informed and often conduct lot of research before they make an offer, which means they are logical and analytical when it comes to purchasing. These are desirable customers who are ready to pounce on a property that suits their needs. Online listings and real estate agent relationships are the best way to reach this bunch.

2. Passive buyers generally come from the greater local area. They may be active buyers on a bit of a break, or simply happy to see what’s out there with no burning desire to buy. The trigger that makes these buyers jump is a match between their aspirations and what your property offers— and this could lead to an emotionally driven offer. A newspaper advertisement could be the best way to capture a passive buyer’s attention.

According to a recent survey from realestate.com.au, 81% of adult newspaper readers read the real estate section even if they are not looking to purchase at that time. If you’re going to advertise in a newspaper, keep in mind that the bigger the better. On average, a buyer spends 16 seconds looking at a page and they scan rather than read, so use the space wisely to capture their attention and hold them for longer.

3. Neighbourhood buyers are those who live in the immediate area of a property, and are usually looking to upgrade, purchase an investment, or refer a friend or family member to an area they’re familiar with and enjoying living in. You’re more likely to find these buyers through a signboard or a letterbox drop.

4. Out of area buyers will generally do an online search to find your property, so a newspaper ad is unlikely to be the best use of funds to attract these buyers. Invest in communicating details about the proximity of schools, shopping areas, transport and other amenities instead (don’t say ‘close to transport’ when you can say ‘600 metres from bus stop’). They also love video walkthroughs.

Decide on the mix

So we know the 4 main types of buyers and where they come from, what you can’t predict is where the best buyer(s) will come from. So it’s important to make sure your campaign has a mix of all channels and the investment is worth the return.

To give an idea of budget, in metropolitan areas, a good benchmark is to invest 1% of the property’s target value into the marketing campaign and in some prestige or highly competitive areas you might find that 1.5% or so I required to stand out.

In regional areas, 0.5% – 1% of the target value will often do the job of getting you above the competition.

This is separate to the agent’s commission, which is the fee you pay for their labour, strategy and skills in running the campaign and negotiating a premium outcome for your sale.

Properties with standout marketing campaigns regularly achieve 5% above comparable properties that haven’t used a campaign covering all channels. When combined with presentation works and home staging this can often amount to 10% over the competition, provided the right agent and sale method is used to extract the best from the market.

Home stager in focus: Imogen Brown of Home Staging Brisbane

May 15, 2015 by Naomi Findley

The world of home staging is getting bigger by the day, so I thought there was no better time than now, to get to know a few of the faces behind Australia’s staging scene. Today, marks our first article in what will become a monthly series of highlighting an Aussie stager, so meet our first lovely lady, Imogen Brown.

In what Imogen admits was “terrible timing,” she began her business, Home Staging Brisbane, during the horrible January floods of 2011. It took her six long months to get her first job, but now some four years later, her diary is booked out two weeks in advance. “Although I had my moments of doubt I knew home staging was what I wanted to do,” explains Imogen. “I think I’m successful now because I refused to give up and just kept slowly moving my business forward.”

Originally working in both advertising and business coaching, it wasn’t until Imogen lost her job and her Mother unexpectedly passed away, that she realised what she wanted to do. “Losing my job and my Mum made me realise that I wanted to build something for me. I love working for myself, I’ve always loved interiors and real estate and I wanted something that was flexible enough so I could be around for my kids. Plus I wanted something more creative and less desk-bound. Home staging is perfect for me!”

With no formal interior design qualifications — but rather a love of real estate, interiors and people — Imogen is quick to tell any wannabe home stagers that whilst styling skills are paramount, they’re not everything. “Although your styling skills are important it’s your business skills and people skills that will lead to your success. Under business skills I would include how you market your business, how you schedule your time, respond to enquiries, set your price, design your contract, run a consultation and lots more. Under people skills I would include how to ‘get’ where a client is at very quickly and respond to them accordingly. People move for lots of different reasons, not all of them happy, so empathy and rapport are extremely important.”

To find out more about Imogen visit her website and blog.

— Imogen Brown owns Home Staging Brisbane, a home staging company based in Brisbane. She works with clients who just want a consult to clients needing a full upgrade and stage. She loves working on period properties, particularly Queenslanders, and aims for a comfortable, not overly staged look when styling. She loves helping her clients sell quickly, for the best possible price and with the least amount of stress.

10 Lamps that will Work in Nearly every Décor when Selling a Home

September 26, 2014 by Naomi

The variety of lamps available on the market is endless and forever changing with the seasonal trends. IIHS team has put together a 10 lamps for you that can work well in any setting and style of home.

Neutral tones create a fresh and inviting feel to a room, especially if the base is a clear glass.

Beige and latte coloured shades create warmth when paired with a timber base and black lamps work great in a modern area to bring impact.

Colours are a great way to add life to a room.

Blue tones work great in most styles of room, they bring colour and life to the over all feel of the house.

10 Great Cushions to use in Staging

September 19, 2014 by Naomi

There are so many products on the market and it can seem overwhelming to a novice home stager as to what will work as inventory and what won’t. When using cushions for staging homes there are a variety of colours, styles, shapes and textures that work great together or separately in the home. It is essential that your stock is interchangeable and that it transcends different styles of homes.

Bright bold and colourful prints will bring character and style to the room setting. They are great when paired with a neutral tone as well.

Geometric and chevron shape patterns are used to create impact and character to the style of the room.

Bright and colourful cushions work well in modern settings, blue tones and neutral cushions are great for traditional home settings.

Cushions will always bring style, colour, and create an overall feel to a room.

Check out some of our top picks this season as home staging stock.

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