Month: May 2018

What’s Holding You Back In Your Home Staging Business

As home stagers and redesigners you are just like any other business owner. You can get full steam ahead with your work, love it and then suddenly without explanation you come to a screeching halt! So what happens?

You get sabotaged by your thinking! It’s often been referred to as the ‘What If’ scenario that plays havoc with your mind. You seem to forget everything that you have accomplished in the past and actually feel paralyzed from moving forward. The ‘What If’ mind talk is fear and ego based and you know the ego doesn’t like you changing and moving out of fear!

Do you paralyze yourself with negative mind talk of ‘WHAT IF’?

I’d like to share with you some of the ‘What If’ mind talk scenarios that I have heard over the past several years of coaching women in the home staging and redesign business.

WHAT IF…

* I don’t get my website up before I have my first client…

* I spend all this money on the course and I’m not very good at the work…

* I don’t get any good leads from my trade show booth…

* I can’t get anyone to help me on the staging job…

* I don’t get that bid for the home staging job…

* The client doesn’t like my work…

WHAT IF YOU DID…

* Get your first client before your website was up! Fantastic! You will do a great job for them and be able to use their testimonial and have great new photos for your portfolio.

* Know that you have made a great investment because you have confirmed that you are in fact, a fantastic home stager; you have the confidence and the credentials now to attract clients.

* Screen your trade show attendees really well and because of this, got some amazing ideal clients.

* Put out a request for helpers from other home stagers you met in the course. You can even try a few different ones out to see who is the best fit for you and your business. And you find a great partner!

* Find out who got the bid and most importantly ‘why’. Next time you bid you now have more information to surpass your last bid offer.

* The most amazing job possible and you loved your work. Is it possible this client would not have liked what anyone did?

Take a look at what you have accomplished in the past because the way you do anything is the way you do everything! Focus on your strengths and know that you can achieve your goals.

Dana Smithers is founder and creative director of the PRES Staging Resource Centre (www.presstaging.com), a company devoted to teaching entrepreneurs how to start and run their home staging business. Through her workshops, courses, mentoring programs, and products, Dana shows her students how to live their dream of becoming a home stager whether part time or full time.

Home Inspection The Different Types of Specialized Inspections

Normally, general home inspections are performed during the process of buying a property in Raleigh real estate. There are certain cases, however, wherein items or parts of the house are required to be checked by a particular specialist. The difference between a general inspector and a specialized inspector is that the former might know if there’s something that must be fixed or replaced, but does not have the skills to do it; while the latter knows what must be done. This is the reason why you should get all the necessary inspections for the home.

There are various types of specialized home inspections. Some of them include, but are not limited to, the following:

Inspection of Roof – It’s wise to have the roof inspected if you’re planning to buy a resale, particularly if it seems a little old. The seller may pay for a roof certification, but if he/she does not want to, you should just get your own. However, make sure the company you’re going to hire is respectable.

Inspection of Septic or Sewer System – A lot of older houses may possibly do not have any connections to a sewer system, so it’s important to hire a specialist to inspect the sewers before you close the deal to buy the house. Nowadays, technology uses a digital camera to put into the system and then have it pushed to the main line.

Inspection of Spa and Pool – If you’re planning on buying a house with a swimming pool, you should get a spa and pool inspection. Experts on this field would know how to estimate the life expectancy of key components like the heater or the spa blower. The inspection can also show leaks, if there are any.

Inspection of Plumbing and Water Systems – If the house has galvanized pipes, plumbers can determine if they need replacements. There are cases in which pipes are so clogged up that a pencil’s lead can hardly fit through it.

Inspection of Trees – If the house you plan on buying has some trees on the yard, you should have it inspected by an arborist to see whether they are healthy.

Inspection of Soil Stability – Houses that are located near mountains or on hillsides must have the stability of the soil inspected by an expert. Obviously, no one wants to experience land slides during rainstorms. Some places have soil that is likely to be contaminated so it is really crucial to get this type of specialized inspection.

Inspection of Well – Have the well examined by a specialist if there’s one in the property you’re about to purchase. He can inspect the construction and figure out the water table’s depth and check the water sanitation.

Inspection of Methane or Radon Gas – Experts who handle this type of specialized inspection are called mitigation contractors. Hire one so you can have the house examined for methane or radon gas, and then have it removed, if there are any.

Inspection of Mold – A lot of health problems may be caused by mold; even healthy people can be affected. Mold has various kinds and it’s advisable to hire an expert to test the quality of the air if there is mold.

Aside from those listed above, there are other types of specialized inspections available. If your inspector suggests that you hire some specialists, you should do it before purchasing the house you like among Raleigh homes for sale. You would want everything to run smoothly, right?

Get More Money At Sale By Home Staging Melbourne Properties Correctly

If you are looking to increase the sales price of your home, some property styling strategies deliver better returns on the investment than others. Identifying which strategies will have the best ROI involves identifying your target buyer and adding features which they are most likely to pay premiums for.

Lets take a look at several case studies of how people were dramatically able to affect their sale prices, with some moderate and tasteful investments in appropriate home staging in Melbourne:

1. First-time Home Buyer in Melbourne

Our client renovated their property to draw the interest of first-time home buyers. They decided to focus on this demographic because the neighborhood was up-and-coming, relatively new, and local schools were highly regarded. A well-considered home staging Melbourne program spruced up their exterior paint, performed repairs, enhanced the landscaping, and improved their dcor. Net result? Over $80,000 more in our clients pocket at sale all for a $21,000 investment.

2. Bathrooms and Kitchens Matter

No other rooms have the potential to affect the value of your home more than the bathrooms and kitchen. One client had a lovely home, but the kitchen and bathroom werequite outdated. By installing new fixtures, appliances, and cabinetry, they were able to turn $15,000 invested into nearly $100,000 more at sale by updating the property styling.

3. Consider Expansions When Justified

Paying attention to what is offered by other houses in your area is extremely important. In one instance, we were able to help a client identify that the fact that their home had only 2 bedrooms was hurting the value of their property; most homes in that particular neighborhood had at least 3. The total increase in value after a $35,000 investment which paid for the addition of a bedroom and full bath? Almost $150,000.

4. Demographics Can Drive Prices

The composition of neighborhoods can change over time. We had clients who, having raised their family successfully, were looking to transition to a smaller living space now that their children had moved out. However, every other family in that part of town had the same idea. We advised them to focus their efforts on transforming the property styling to appeal to empty-nesters. By adding a modern bathroom and extra security, and working to reduce the amount of required maintenance on landscaping, we helped them sell a home quickly, and pocket nearly $45,000 at the same time.

As you can see from these examples, it is quite possible to receive a significantly higher price upon the sale of your home, if you engage in the proper home staging Melbourne programs prior to listing. A little research into market and demographic trends can help you identify the best ways to add big value to your sale through proper property styling.

Entice The Client’s Eyes To Buy Your House Through Home Staging

If you have really made up your mind on selling your house, make sure it looks good! You should check out every aspect to see what needs repairs and other works. However, if you are so confident your house can bring in the big bucks quickly, you may decide to sell it as it is. In this case, just double your efforts in advertising your house so that those interested will take a look at your house first. If you ignore the demands for even minor renovations, your house may not get sold.

To guarantee that nothing in your house will turn off potential buyers, you need to employ the services of someone working in a home staging business. This person has the qualifications to provide you valuable insights on what should be done to clinch the sale. Of course, this will cost and you may just decide on doing all the repairs and renovations on your own. However, unless you are an expert yourself, you may just create more work for yourself. This will be disastrous since you will only be driving away your potential buyers with all those drawbacks you inflict on your house.

You should not expect people involved in the home staging business to just take a few glances at your house and come up with a prescription on what should be done. They are professionals that see their job as an art that requires perfection. You can tell them apart from an interior designer. They do not get inside the house and redo everything including the decorations that you have. Instead, they will just improve your house and make it presentable enough to catch the interest of people who are searching for a home to buy.

These experts will not require you to have expensive decorations in your house. That is why you don’t have to save a large sum of money to pay them. Instead, they may even ask you to keep some of your pricey decors away from the buyers’ view. Such things, including most of the heavy furniture, will take away the buyers’ eyes from the more important details of the house. They are there for the house and not the furniture and decors after all.

If you decide not to use the services of someone working in the home staging business, you do have the option of simply trusting the real estate agent. This may get you a cut in your expenses but you also lessen the chances of your home being sold earlier. A real estate agent can only talk his way into convincing a potential buyer to purchase. However, they run out of excuses once the client finds out that there are many things that need to be repaired. People buying homes are more prudent now. They don’t always believe in everything that the agent says; they wait until they see the house.

Having the help of home staging business people, you can be better assured that a possible buyer’s visit to your home will turn out to be fruitful. They won’t just take care of the home’s interiors. They can redo the outside too, from the sidewalk, to the lawn, to the backyard. Businesses rely so much on promotion and packaging to sell their products. It’s the same with selling your home; you need to package it in a way that ensures it will sell.

Lowering the Expenses of Home Staging

Home staging could be really be difficult because there is so much to complete that knowing how to start if you are doing it yourself is as important as the home staging process itself. In any real estate market, you’ll find yourself paying out hundreds to thousands of dollars merely to make your house stand out from the competition. But are you certain that you will manage to recover the expenses? Are you aware where you can specifically begin with the home staging project? See here what are the fundamental ways to lessening the expenses of home staging.

Excellent lighting is perhaps the most efficient approach to sell your house. Whenever a buyer looks through your home, they’ll investigate every detail during their pursuit. Once a purchaser perceives a burned out light bulb or lamp and in consequence is not able to see the details of a space or closet space, then they won’t have a very good impression of your house. Make sure to change all old bulbs with brand new ones to be sure they are working especially when a purchaser checks out your place.

Another means to lower the expenses of home staging is to thoroughly clean the gutters outside of your house. How your home looks outside almost comprises 50% of the buyer’s first impression. When they see that the gutters outside the house are cluttered with leaves together with other trash. It will make them think that house upkeep is extremely bad. Purchasers do not want to inherit a seller’s cleaning problems so safer to clean up your act and start cleaning those gutters.

Clear the kitchen counter space. Kitchens are the heart of the house and this signifies buyers will desire to realize if there will be room to grow in that space. Do away with pointless counter appliances as well as kitchen arrangements to provide the buyers an impression of much more room.

Paint high traffic spaces. These areas are the best places to locate unwanted marks on the walls which may look like poor upkeep however are in reality signs of every day deterioration. Paint the walls in high traffic spaces.

Minimizing the expenses of home staging can be a fairly daunting task, however they’re in fact pretty simple to pull off. You merely have to know these basic things so that when the time comes that you need to stage your home, you’ll simply invest several hundreds of dollars and even before you realize it, you have already recouped your expenditures for the home staging.