Sam Marquits Experience with Hiring a Professional Stager

In 2011, I placed my home on the market because I had anticipated a move to East Hampton, New York.  Shortly thereafter, my real estate agent began showing my home to potential buyers. Although several people had shown an interest, I had yet to receive any offers for my property. Since the time for my move to be complete was vastly approaching, I was becoming desperate to sell my house.

I talked to my realtor about dropping the asking price to help to spur interest.  Instead, she came up with another solution. My realtor asked me to consider hiring a professional stager to help me sell my property, and advised that if this failed, I could still lower the asking price if I thought it necessary.

Hiring the professional stager was like a dream come true. In the end, I was able to sell my home within a month and received $10,000 above the price I original set for the property. It seems that my home was so attractive that two buyers began a bidding war on my home.

The professional stager I hired helped me sell my property quickly and at a tremendous profit. Three things made his efforts pay great dividends when it came to selling my home:

#1.  Accentuating the Positive

One of the most attractive features of my home was its wide windows. Unfortunately, I had collected quite a few pieces of antique furniture, which I had then placed in front of these windows.  My stager asked me to remove some of this furniture and place it in the basement instead. The result was that plenty of natural light was able to shine through, making the rooms seem larger and brighter.

My decorating scheme also changed in order to accentuate my home’s positive features. I painted the walls a neutral color throughout and added colorful throw rugs in many rooms. These added color to my hardwood floors, helping to draw further attention to my home’s positive aspects.

#2.  Eliminating the Negative

There was a lack of countertop and cabinet space in the kitchen area, so my professional stager went to work on this issue.  By eliminating clutter on the counter, this made it appear more spacious. My professional stager also suggested easy renovations to increase the amount of storage space in the kitchen.

#3. Understanding Buyers

Likewise, the Hamptons Real Estate market contains a surprisingly large handful of meticulous and somewhat picky buyers. My professional stager helped me realize how important it was to let my realtor take control of showing the home. In the past, I had demonstrated a tendency to monopolize the situation, which could have scared away potential buyers. - Once I realized this, I made a vow to stay out of the way whenever the home was being shown.

The stager’s efforts took just over a week, but during that time, I learned a great deal. While it was an investment to hire this professional, it resulted in a very quick sale thereafter. I would definitely recommend hiring a professional stager to anyone who is struggling to sell his or her home.


Sam Marquit
Professional Writer, Publisher & Editor


10 Ways to Impact Your Curb Appeal

These ten tips for improving your home's curb appeal can have you on the road to a sale in no time.


10 Ways to Impact Your Curb Appeal

Selling a home is more difficult right now that it’s been in quite some time; the market is struggling enough that simply keeping the lawn trimmed is not adequate in drawing in prospective buyers. In order to successfully sell a home in a down market, it’s absolutely imperative to boost your house’s curb appeal as much as possible. These ten tips for improving your home’s curb appeal can have you on the road to a sale in no time.
  1. Paint or Replace Shutters – Peeling and dilapidated windows can negatively affect a potential buyer’s first impression, even if the rest of the home’s exterior is impeccable. In addition to replacing any damaged shutters, it’s also a good idea to throw a fresh coat of paint on them. This is a quick and relatively cheap way to give the exterior a good visual boost.
  2. Replace or Power-Wash Siding – Dingy and damaged siding is another curb appeal-killer; if power-washing doesn't do the trick, it might be a good idea to look into replacing your existing siding. If there’s no room in the budget for complete replacement, repairing any damaged sections will help bolster up the appearance.
  3. Paint Stucco Exteriors – If the exterior of your home is a stucco coating that’s seen better days, a coat of paint is the equivalent of a face-lift. If you’re thinking of changing the color altogether, it’s best to check with your homeowners’ association before tackling the project; some HOA’s have a list of pre-approved colors that owners are allowed to choose from, and you don’t want to paint the whole house just to have the HOA tell you that color won’t work.
  4. Re-Sod Sparse Lawns – A patchy lawn can make even a well-kept home seem a bit forlorn; sowing grass seed or having the area re-sodded is certainly one of the most effective ways of enhancing the desirability of your home.
  5. Repave Driveways – Cracked driveways with oil stains and other signs of disrepair will not do you any favors in helping your home sell. Resurfacing driveways can assist in making your house seem almost like a brand new one.
  6. Repair or Replace Sidewalks – Just like a cracked or damaged driveway, sidewalks that have fallen into disrepair can affect the way your home is perceived in the minds of potential buyers. Replacing them or having them resurfaced can do wonders for the overall appeal of your home.
  7. Plant Shrubs and Flowers – Landscaping is one of the best ways to elevate the appearance of your home, and to make it one of the most desirable ones on the block. For homeowners with a brown thumb, there are dozens of low-maintenance shrub options that look beautiful without requiring the attention that finicky flowers can demand.
  8. Take Care of Existing Trees – Mature trees can increase the selling price of a home by thousands of dollars, as long as those trees are properly cared for. While well-maintained trees can be a major plus, those with precarious-looking branches can turn a buyer off. The potential for storm damage from neglected trees can be a deal-breaker.
  9. Upgrade the Front Door – The entryway to your home should be as inviting as possible, especially if you’re looking to sell. Replacing or even sprucing up your existing door with a new coat of paint can add to the welcoming quality, as well as positively influence the perceptions of buyers.
  10. Keep Kids’ Clutter to a Minimum – While signs of happy and active children send a great message to newlyweds or young families, it’s important to keep the toy clutter to a minimum. Fading plastic playhouses and smaller toys strewn everywhere seem chaotic, rather than charming. On the front lawn especially, homeowners should pay particular attention to keeping things as neat as possible.
Many homebuyers will do a ‘drive-by’ with homes that they’re interested in before scheduling a tour of the interior of the house. If they don’t like what they see on the outside, they may never schedule a look at the inside, which makes creating great curb appeal an essential step in the selling process.

Article by Door Fly
http://blog.doorfly.com/articles/2012/10-ways-to-impact-your-curb-appeal/

Professional Company providing Interior Design, Interior Room Redesign, Real Estate Home Staging Services, Holiday and Event Decorating Services, in Charlotte NC, including South Charlotte, Weddington, Concord, Mt. Holly, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Belmont, Lake Norman, Mooresville, Statesville, Hickory, Winston Salem North Carolina & South Carolina.