BiggerPockets

Investors Real Estate Staging

Monday, December 26

Real Estate Staging For A Los Angeles Investor

Here's a video of a project we did this year for a Los Angeles real estate investor. The property went under contract 2 weeks after staging after being on the market for 5 months.

Investors Real Estate Staging (with before and after pictures)

Want to sell your properties faster and for a higher price? Call Michelle @ Moving Mountains Design (626)385-8852. We know what makes homes sell!™

Curb Appeal & Home Staging

Sunday, March 13

In January I was called by some homeowners for a comprehensive home staging consultation. They wanted to prepare their home for sale and planned to put it on the market in the beginning of March. Yesterday we staged the home and I applaud the home owners (now home sellers) for following my home staging recommendations to a T! Countless hours of hard work and elbow grease went into making this home shine.

I can't over stress the importance of curb appeal when selling a home.

From the moment a prospective buyer has a first view of your home, they are making a sub-conscious decision about how much they like or don't like your home. If they have a good impression of the outside of your home (often called curb appeal), that is one less objection you must overcome when they walk through the front door. Your house (no matter how lovely) is not having to overcome that bad initial impression from the curb.

Here's the front of the home as I first saw it in early January.

And here's the house almost 2 months later - the epitome of "charming English cottage"!

The list I gave them during the home staging consultation was long and specific. Some of my suggestions were:

• Trim camellia bushes in front of the windows below the bottom of the window and "lace them out" (trim out some of the inner branches to give a lighter, more lacey effect).
• Trim and lace out camellia bushes on either side of the front door and either corner of the house.
• Remove all dead plants and fallen leaves.
• Plant new colorful flowers in planting beds (I suggested adding Impatiens which grow quite well this time of the year in Pasadena).
• Cover all exposed dirt with redwood bark chips.
• Neaten border edging.
• Broadcast a weed and feed product on the front lawn and rake in some grass seed on bare areas.
• Paint the front door red for a jolt of eye-catching energy.
• Add 2 bowls of colorful flowers on either side of the front door.

Making these changes created a true Cinderella transformation for this house. The house now shouts "Look at me! Aren't I lovely?" 

The importance of curb appeal cannot be under-estimated. Make sure your home or listing looks like Cinderella and not the ugly step-sister.

Home Staging Real Estate Auction Property

Friday, December 04

This week we staged 2 Los Angeles condos for a real estate auction company.

This was the first time they had worked with a home stager and this was the first time I had worked with a real estate auction company. I think its a match made in heaven. The condos they will be auctioning look 100% better now that they've been staged by Moving Mountains Design. Having a more desirable product to auction should create greater urgency to bid resulting in more units sold and higher prices paid.

Here are photos of the Pacoima condo after home staging:

 

These are not expensive condos relative to Los Angeles home prices. But the model now looks like a high price, luxury unit after home staging. We used just enough furniture, accessories and artwork to highlight the condo's architectural features and to give purpose to every room yet still remain cost effective.

These condos originally listed for around $400,000.00. According to the website, the opening bids at auction will be $125,000.00-$150,000.00. The auction is scheduled for November 15, 2009.

UPDATE: All 24 units have sold, all for over the expected price, some for more than double ($400K)!

For more information about the Hansen Villas Condos, visit the Kennedy Wilson Los Angeles home auction website and scroll down to the Hansen Villa information.

If you have any questions or would like more information about using home staging to help sell your REOs, foreclosure listings or you are a real estate auction company, please contact Michelle Minch at (626)441-8975.

How To Choose A Home Stager

Friday, December 04

Not all home stagers are created equal

Before hiring a stager, there are some things you should know. At this time, there is no independent national organization (like ASID for Interior Designers) that certifies home stagers or real estate stagers and no government oversight or licensing in most areas.

Here are some tips to help you select the right home stager for your project:

• Remember - you get what you pay for.

  • You are selling your most valuable asset (your home). Look for the staging professional with the greatest competency, experience and professionalism, rather than the cheapest price.

• Hire the Los Angeles stager with the most real world experience, not the stager with the most letters behind their name.

  • Experience and professionalism trumps “certification”, “education” or “designation” in the staging world.

• Ask to see the stager’s portfolio, either on-line or a hard copy (book form).

  • Does their portfolio display a wide range of styles or do all the homes they stage look the same? Make sure the stager is capable of staging in a manner that accentuates the architecture of your home and will be attractive to the buyers in your area.

• You want an experienced stager who has lots of jobs under their belt, and lots of photos of their work.

  • All photos in a stager’s portfolio should be of their own work. Ask the stager if the photos in their portfolio are of jobs they performed themselves or as part of a class exercise.

• Ask for references, including phone numbers and/or email addresses.

  • Check those references.

• Ask for proof of liability insurance.

  • If they are not insured, then you may be liable for any damages or injuries that may occur as a result of the staging. All helpers and employees of the company should be covered by Workers Comp Insurance.

• Make sure you are given a clearly written contract and that you understand all aspects of the contract.

  • If you don’t understand something, or something you discussed is missing, ask for clarification.

• Trust your gut. Do you get a good feeling from meeting the stager?

  • Do they seem well organized? Do they make notes and take photographs?Just as in any business relationship, you should expect to be treated with professionalism, courtesy & respect.

  

When you hire Moving Mountains Design to stage a  home, you get all this and more:

In addition to staging your Los Angeles or Pasadena home to showcase its most appealing characteristics, we will provide you or the listing agent with professional quality photos of your home for use in the MLS, on the internet or in print marketing. Since almost 90% of home buyers are searching for homes on the internet before contacting a real estate agent, this gives your home a distinct marketing edge. This is a value added (free) service for all our vacant and occupied home staging clients (addl. charge for consultation only clients).

We treat our staging clients with the utmost respect, courtesy & professionalism. Our goal is to stage your home in a manner that exceeds your expectations, helps you sell your home fast, and for top dollar.

Moving Mountains Design, providing home staging consultations, vacant home staging and occupied home staging services in Southern California including Los Angeles, Los Feliz,  Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Long Beach, Studio City, Encino & the San Fernando Valley.