Kates Home Staging Interior Design Blog for Rockland County NY & Bergen County NJ: New Jersey

Ever walk into a room and it feels very dark and uninviting?

How would a potential home buyer feel in this room?

If you are trying to sell your home, the wall paint color can really transform the entire feel of the space. 

Color invokes emotions in almost everyone.

Here is an example of a bedroom before a color consultation:

Here is the same bedroom after the color consultation:

This bedroom is using the same bedding as the first picture.  Only a few items to the left of the bed were removed and the walls were painted a much brighter color.

If you are planning on selling your home and are not happy with some of the wall paint colors in your home, a professional home stager can help.  We will show up at your home with large paint chips and help you decide on the best colors for each room.

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign serves the Rockland County, Orange County, Bergen County, and Passaic County.  We offer Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams color consultations in your home. Please call us at 845-538-3623 to schedule your color consultation today.

Before buying your dream home, it would be nice to know the last sale price of the property wouldn't it? Would you also like to know if that basement apartment was built with a legal permit? I can guarantee that most potential home buyers would answer YES to both of these questions. 

Luckily, there is a website to help us with this question - Property Shark.

Property Shark will give you the following information:

• Last Sale Price
• Tax Assessment
• Permits
• Square Footage
• Room Counts
• Parcel Map information
• Owner Name

Basic Membership to Property Shark is Free and entitles you to a limited number of reports everyday.  I ran a report on my own property and all the information was 100% accurate. It listed all my previous tax bills, my current assessed value from my local town, and of course my personal name and address.

Taking a few minutes and checking out this website before you purchase a home is a great idea and hopefully it will help someone avoid some unnecessary stress.  Knowledge is Power!

Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign, your local home stager and interior redesigner who specializes in home staging, interior design, color consultations, accessory selection, room layouts, space planning, home decor discounts, and sell semi-custom window coverings.  Call Kate to schedule your design consultation at 845-538-3623 or visit www.kateshomestaging.com

The Remodeling Cost versus Value Report has been used as a guide for real estate and residential remodeling markets as it compares national and regional averages for 33 popular remodeling projects in eight U.S. cities.

The latest data shows the trend is still headed downward, last year's overall cost-value ratio was 67.3%, (down 2.7 points from the year before) this year's ratio is 63.8%, a larger 3.5-point drop. The drop in the number is not really a surprise considering the very volatile real estate year we just experienced, which was filled with foreclosures.

To view the article, click here: http://www.remodeling.hw.net/2009/costvsvalue/national.aspx

Exterior replacement projects seemed to rank the highest in this report and occupy 7 out of 10 of the highest spots. These results support the idea that curb appeal is king and that creating a first impression is very important for all potential buyers. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act tax credit may also have played a part in these external upgrades, let's face it a tax credit never hurts.

Here are some results of the 2009-10 Cost vs. Value Report:

• Entry Door Replacement (steel) has a 128.9% cost recouped.
• Attic Bedroom has a 83.1% cost recouped.
• Basement Remodel has a 75.4% cost recouped.
• Grand Entrance (fiberglass) has a 68.8% cost recouped.
• Roofing Replacement has a 66.6% cost recouped.
• Entry Door Replacement (fiberglass) has a 65.2% cost recouped.
• Backup Power Generator has a 58.9% cost recouped.

For a home to sell in today's real estate market, the home needs to be turnkey ready and this may be another factor for all the external replacement projects dominating the report.  An entry door replacement (steel) will cost under $1,200 but the cost/value ratio is 128.9%, this is a great investment no matter how you look at.  The front door of your home is one of the items a potential buyer can see from the street and is very important when you are selling your home.

So, did you spend your remodeling dollars wisely?

Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign serves the Rockland County, Orange County, Bergen County, and Passaic County areas.  Kate is a member of the Passaic County of Realtors, Real Estate Staging Assocation, Orange County Chamber of Commerce.  For a home staging, interior design, or color consultation, please call Kate at 845-538-3623 or visit www.kateshomestaging.com for more information. A staged home can sell for up to 10% more money; my last staged home received an offer within 24 hours of being on the market!

External curb appeal and your entry way are the two items that create a buyer's all important first impression of your home.  A potential home buyer will make up their mind about your home in under one minute.

What first impression would your home leave a buyer?

The goal of using Feng Shui to stage your home is to balance all five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) in and around your property. (We are only going to look at external curb appeal and your entry way in this post.)

For a Feng Shui Cheat Sheet on the Five Elements, please take a look here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/1314589/using-feng-shui-to-correctly-prepare-your-home-for-sale

The external curb appeal of your property is very important when selling your home. The way your home looks from the street is representative of your home's chi or energy.  Abundant green landscapes, that are well manicured, are chi reservours.  To keep positive chi flowing on your property, please remove any dead trees or plantings from your front yard. Please keep your front yard free from debris and well maintained. The importance of a first impression can not be underestimated.

Please keep your driveway well lit and free from debris also; please fix any broken or cracked driveways immediately. If your driveway descends sharply towards the street, please install bright lights on both sides of the driveway.

Feng Shui considers the front door and entry to be the most important places in your home.  The front door (or Mouth of Chi), determines the amount and quality of chi or energy that will flow through your home. A grand, open entry way will support the flow of chi.

By clearing out items that are behind your front door (such as bikes, old magazines, shoes, toys), chi will be better able to enter you home.  The goal here is to let chi flow unobstructed right into your home. 

Your home's front door should be upright and well-hinged; it should be very easy to open and close.  If your front door creaks when it is opened, it is disturbing the harmony of your home and needs to be fixed.

The front door of your home needs to be the correct size and in correct proportion to the size of your home.  A door that is too large can cause financial problems, whereas a door that is to small can lead to family disagreements. Minor flaws at your front door can affect you negatively.  The reverse is also true, by making minor improvements at your front door entry you can significantly impact your life in a positive way.

Good chi can be further attracted into your home by proper lighting attached to the outside wall of your home. 

Your front door should open into a bright space that has room for chi to breathe. 

To maximize the movement of chi and to prevent stagnant chi, please open your windows and let the fresh air filter in.

By paying close attention to the placement of Feng Shui objects on and around your property, the amount of positive chi will be increased which will result in more potential home buyer activity.

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign serves the Rockland County and Orange County area of New York, Bergen County and Passaic County of New Jersey. Kate is an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors. Kate's Home Staging and Redesign is now offering Full Digital Services to sell your home quickly. In other words, we will bring in the accessories, we will stage your home, we will re-take all the digital pictures, and then we will load these pictures into a virtual show to help sell your home. The virtual show is being offered to all our clients FREE of CHARGE to help SELL your home. We also sell a full line of semi-custom window coverings.

With home prices being at their lowest level in eight year and the foreclosure mess appearing to take longer than anyone expected to rebound, who is actually purchasing a home in this market?

Well, HGTV will have you believe that every potential home buyer wants a home that is perfect and "move-in" ready.  HGTV will also have you believe that you can transform a severely decrepit home in two days for under $2,000.  Well, HGTV is not completely wrong but preparing and marketing a home does take a bit more work.

According to the National Association of Realtor's Profile of Home Buyers and Seller (2009), the typical first-time home buyer was just 30 years old with a medium income of $61,6000.  First time buyers comprised a 47% of the home sales in 2009. The typical repeat buyer was 48 years old with a salary of $88,000.

New home purchases were at the lowest level in eight years.  The typical home purchase was 1,800 square feet in size and is 18 years old.  78% of the homes purchases were single family homes.

The median home prices were also lower than I expected:

- Northeast Region ~ $210,000 median home price

- Midwest Region ~ $158,000 median home price

- South Region ~ $175,000 median home price

- West Region ~ $240,000 median home price

94% of potential home buyers used the Internet to search for a home in 2009. This number seems to be increasing every year.  The importance of technology cannot be ignored when marketing a home or marketing to a potential home buyer.

With the average first time home buyer being 30 years old and very technology savvy, this may also explain 94% home Internet search numbers.  The tax incentives for first time home buyers has had an impact; with the tax incentive being extended until April (and the inclusion of home owners) hopefully more first time home buyers will enter the home ownership arena.

The typical home sold was almost 20 years old and most likely in need of some upgrades and home staging. I have always heard real estate is a young market, and our target demographic appears to be a 30 year old buyer!  Is there anything you would change to better reach your target market?

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign serves Rockland County and Orange County of New York, Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey.  We specialize in home staging, vacant home staging, home decorating, interior design, custom wood signs, virtual shows, semi-custom window coverings, and color consultations. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com or call 845-538-3623 for more information.

External curb appeal is very important when you are planning on selling your home.  Your yard should appear as if it takes care of itself.  Over 85% of potential home buyers are starting their search for a new home on the Internet.  After a home buyer looks online they are going to drive by your property and take a look at the external curb appeal. 

Here are some home staging tips for the outside of your home:

1.  You should be able to see the front door clearly from the street.  Please trim any trees or bushes that are blocking the front door.

2.  All your trees in the front yard need to be trimmed and fresh mulch needs to be put down in all your planter beds.

3.  There should be no weeds growing out of your planter or flower beds, please remove them.

4.  Your grass needs to be cut and edged along all the walkways and the driveway.

5.  All external lighting fixtures need to be in working order and have the highest wattage bulb installed in them. There needs to be a light left on at night to show the house number and your front door area.

6.  All trash, toys, and debris should not be visible from the street.  We certainly do not want to turn off any potential buyers in this market.

7.  Any fencing needs to be painted or powerwashed, so it will appear clean and new.

8.  If the driveway or walkway has any stains, please powerwash them to remove any unsightly stains or spots.

9.  During winter months, always clear walkways and the driveway as soon as possible.

10.  During summer months, always have planters with flowers on either sides of the front door to frame the door and draw the attantion in from the street.

Good luck with your home sale.

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and redesign. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room. We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey and Rockland County and Orange County of New York, basically the lower Hudson Valley. We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors, a member of RESA, ASHSR.

Well, according to www.decoratorsecrets.com, the color for 2010 is YELLOW.  Yellow is the color that makes us think of warm sunshine and bright happy spring days.  Yellow is a primary color, one of three primary colors and when mixed the primary colors will make up the basis for the other colors in the spectrum.

Light lavender is another color being recommended for bedrooms.  Since purple is often associated with royalty this may be a "trick" to try and help all of us in this slow economy feel better when we go to sleep in our purple bedroom.

Gray has made it on the list again. I am pretty sure, I saw this mentioned last year somewhere also as a new neutral color to try and replace the beige color that has been around forever.  Most people still prefer beige, it tends to blend better with wood furniture and greenery.

Another one of my favorite sites for color advice is MyPerfectColor.com and this site reports Benjamin Moore HC-35 Powell Buff as the top selling paint.

  This color certainly looks like a beige to me!

Going with the latest color trend is never really the best advice when you are staging a home.  Since most home owners paint their walls every five to ten years (my opinion), you need to make sure when you suggest a wall paint color that your client can live with this color for the next 5 years.

Before you pick a wall paint color, there are a few thing to consider:

1.)  The size of the room.  In a smaller room, you will want to go with a lighter wall color to make the wall appear to recede. 

2.)  The amount of natural light in the room.  Sunlight is reflective, so a room with six very large windows may need a paint color that is a little darker.

3.)  The ceiling.  I like to paint ceilings a lighter shade of paint as the walls as long as the room is large enough to support an added design element such as this.

4.)  The style of the furniture in the room you are painting.  The wall paint color needs to complement your decor.

5.)  The adjoining rooms.  The wall paint color needs to also complement the paint in the adjoining room, this is how you create a well put together home.

6.)  The taste of your home owner - if this is an interior design job.  If your home owner is planning on living in this home for the next 10 years, she/he can basically paint the walls any color they want to.  Remember, an interior design job is completely different that a staging job and should be based on the home owner's unique taste's.

When in doubt of the color you want to select, you should paint color boards and look at them during different times of the day and in different lights.  I recommend NEVER to paint directly on a client's wall, why leave a mess on a client's wall when you can use a paint board.  You can order small boards on the MyPerfectColor website, and use blue painters tape to secure it to the wall or ceiling.

I do not see beige going anywhere in the home staging world, it is such a nice neutral that is a better option than a stark white wall. 

What are your thoughts?

-Kate

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign now sells semi-custom window coverings at discount prices. Our window coverings include roman shades, Levolor and Dynasty blinds, faux wood blinds, bamboo blinds, woven wood blinds, cornices, valances, sheers, and drapes. Our roman shades can be ordered in 100% pure silk, linen, cotton, or designer fabric. We also offer Benjamin Moore color consultations and test color boards, interior decorating, home staging, and redesign. Please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com for more info or call 845-538-3623. All window covering appointments include a free 30 minute design consultation for the same room.  We serve Passaic County and Bergen County of New Jersey.  We are an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors.

If you are planning on selling your home, I am sure you want to make sure you receive top dollar for your home and draw the most amount of potential buyer traffic to your front door. For years, this was your cherished home, you have built memories here, made repairs, celebrated holidays and birthdays and really love your home.

If you price your home too high, you may risk not attracting any potential buyers those critical first 30 days your home is on the market.  If you price your home too low, a buyer may think there is something wrong with your home and why are you trying to offload it for such a "cheap" price.

Here are a few tips to ensure you home's asking price is spot on for your neighborhood and the current real estate market:

1.)  Contact a local Realtor for a complementary CMA, which is a Comparative Market Analysis.  A CMA is a report prepared by a Realtor which compares what homes in your area are currently listed and competing with your home. The Realtor will also obtain data on comparable properties on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and may also compare it to properties that have already sold.

2.)  Visit your local county court house and check in with the Tax Assessor.  This will tell you what your home is currently valued at.  The tax assessor will most likely over estimate your home for tax purposes.  While you are at the court house, you can research how much similiar homes in your area were assessed for.  I would also see if I could find out how many homes recently sold in my area while I was at the local county court house, you may be only an office away from this information.

3.)  Use the Internet.  Use sites like Trulia and Zillow to see what homes are currently for sale in your area.  You need to see what homes similiar to yours are selling for.  I would also suggest you look at homes that are not selling and try to understand why.  Are there any similarities between these unsold homes and my home? If the answer if yes, you may need to do some work before you place your home on the market.

4.)  Drive By Homes in Your Neighborhood that Are For Sale.  Do these houses have great external curb appeal?  Do these yards have that "wow factor?" Does the front door really stand out and draw you in from the street?"  If your competition has made the extra effort preparing their home for sale, it is a good idea that you do also.

5.)  Go to Open Houses in your Neighborhood.  This is a great idea to see how your competition is preparing their homes for sale.  Internet pictures are very important but you really need to walk through an entire home to get a "feel" of the home.  Does the home make me "feel" relaxed or anxious? When selling a home it is very important to create at least one area of the home that is seen as a calm place to relax.  A home that does not have this will not sell.

You really need to take the above steps before you list your home for sale, this way you will have the correct pricing for your home.  Good luck with your home sale.

-Kate

Kate is a certified home stager that servers the Rockland County, Orange County, Passaic County, and Bergen County Areas.  If you are planning on selling your home, we offer a home staging consultation which starts at only $199 and includes a written, personalized Action Plan. We also offer Digital Services to sell your home faster, we will stage your home with our accessories, re-take your digital pictures, adjust your pictures to ensure they will show correctly online, and then load them into our Virtual Show.  Our Virtual Shows are a Free Special to all our home staging clients.  We also are a semi-custom Window Coverings reseller (roman shades, draped, valances, cornices, bamboo shades, woven wood blinds, faux wood blinds, etc.).  Contact us for more information at 845-538-3623 or visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com

Homes for sale that have 20 or more pictures on the Internet get the most traffic from potential buyers. Virtual shows are also very attractive to potential buyers. The Internet is how we attract the buyers into your home in today's technology driven market.

It is extremely important the you prepare your home before you take your MLS pictures that will get posted on the Internet for everyone to see.  The home with the best Internet pictures will most likely get the most buyer traffic to its' front door.

Here is a quick list of what you should do:

1.   Clean each room. Get rid of any clutter and make sure all the counters sparkle and look fanstastic.

2.   Bathroom.  Please close the toilet lids and put in fresh towels.  Put your personal items and toothbrushes away please. Absolutely no medications on the sink.

3.   Outside your home.  Pick up all your yard debris and remove the cars from your driveway, this will make the picture look even better.

4.    Bring in some fresh flowers for your tables.  I always love fresh flowers, besides the smell they also look great in pictures.

5.   Garbage cans.  Please remove them from the room prior to taking your picture, a potential buyer does not want to see your over-flowing kitchen garbage can or your bathroom garbage.

6.   Lighting.  Take pictures with your lights turned on and off and with your blinds opened and closed.  This way you can post the pictures that look the best online.

Preparing your home before you take your MLS pictures is very important since over 85% of potential home buyers are starting their home searches on the Internet.  We cannot ignore the importance of technology when marketing your homes today!

Also, do not forget to crop those digital pictures after you take them.  If the picture is very dark, please use the photo light adjustment feature and lighten those photos up. You can also try the "auto-adjust" feature to see if this helps your pictures. If a potential buyer cannot see what the picture actually is, they may more on the the next online listing that has clear, bright pictures.

If you need help with this process please contact a local Realtor or home stager for help.  Remember, if a potential buyer does not like how your pictures look on the Internet chances are they will not come to your house to look at it. 

Remember, if you are planning on selling your home also make sure you leave your light on during the evening hours and that your house number is clearly marked.  A potential buyer may try to drive buy your home after work to take a look at your external curb appeal!  This is why it is important to keep those yards clean and neat.

Good luck with your Home Sale.

-Kate

Contact Kate today to see how a home staging consultation can help sell your home, for more information please visit http://www.kateshomestaging.com or call 845-538-3623.

Kate's Home Staging and Redesign serves the Rockland County and Orange County area of New York, Bergen County and Passaic County of New Jersey. Kate is an affiliate member of the Passaic County of Realtors and hosted the affilitiate mixer tonight at the Greenhouse Cafe in Wayne (Thank you everyone for coming and showing your support, I really appreciate it and enjoyed getting to know all of you more!)  Kate's Home Staging and Redesign is now offering Full Digital Styling Services to sell your home quickly. In other words, we will bring in the accessories, we will stage your home, we will re-take all the digital pictures, and then we will load these pictures into a virtual show to help sell your home.  The virtual show is being offered to all our clients FREE of CHARGE to help SELL your home.