(or: Things that Make Me Go "Aaarghhh!")

I'll admit that I've never owned a Peeve so I don't know what they're like as Pets, but I DO know what drives me nuts as a Home Stager:

Painted-over Wallpaper

I realize that some of the stager-types do this on HGTV, but it's EVIL!  Even a HINT of a seam will make buyers run screaming from your home. Plus, eventually, the paint will pull the paper away from the wall making the unsuspecting homeowner curse the person who painted over the wallpaper (whose life is now in the toilet and doesn't know why). To avoid bad karma you'll never hear me say that it's okay to paint over wallpaper. Meanwhile, is it too much to ask builders to size before hanging wallpaper?

Exercise Equipment in the Master Bedroom

All I can say is, if you're going to sweat in the master bedroom then you'd better be having fun, and stairstepping to Nowhere is not my idea of fun.

Smallish Master Closet with a Single Bar Across

There are home improvement store aisles devoted to this very important space. I recommend that sellers raise the bar (pun intended) so that a double-hanging bar can hang in a port of the space…add a shelf or two above…and for goodness' sake hide the open hamper of dirty skivvies seen on the closet floor.

Updated Kitchens with Brass Cabinet Pulls

The new stainless appliances look amazing, the lighting has been updated…why are the cabinet pulls still brass? A hundred bucks or so and the kitchen is fully updated!

Granite Counters with Dated Back Splash

Why? Why? Why? Buyers see the dated back splash butted against the gorgeous granite counters and wonder why the seller didn't finish the job. What should have been a fabulous plus is now a frustrating negative.

Chandelier Hung Too High

It's one thing to hook the chandelier higher to prevent the movers from bonking their heads on it, but it's another to leave it hung too high five years after the movers have moved on. Rule of thumb: 33" to 39" from the top of the table to the bottom of the chandelier. Easy fix.

Ceiling Fan Over a Dining Table

Unless the table is bathed in hot sun most of the year requiring an overhead fan to keep diners from melting into the chairs, who wants to serve a hot meal that will be cold in 15 seconds? (Or, depending on housekeeping skills, covered in dust!)

Empty Bookshelves

Really? They look better empty? I suspect this trend was started by a "stager" who writes reports for a living and can't be bothered with dusty hands. Empty bookcases make a home feel soulless. Technically, I realize homes don't have a soul, but buyers tend to connect to a home at that level, so just give me a call if the bookcases aren't cutting it. I can save them!

Artwork Hung at "Eye Level"

Just whose eye level are we talking about? Mister Basketball Star over there or Miss Pretty 'n Petite over here? The only time "eye level" applies is in a foyer or hallway, where one is never sitting. And that rule-of-thumb is: the top of the frame should never be level with–or higher than–a door or window frame. We spend our time sitting in most rooms, so the artwork should be hung in relation to the furnishings, providing balance and color. You can feel the difference. 

*sigh* I feel better now; thank you for lettting me vent.

Wait, did you say vent?

The slats on a return-air vent need to be slanted so we don't see the unfinished wall behind it. Another simple fix!

If your listing needs a little tweaking feel free to contact me. I stage what sellers already own, making furnishings work very hard to sell the home; I can do serious damage in just two hours.

Meanwhile, I'm having "Save the Bookcases" bumper stickers made; I'm on a mission!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2011). All rights reserved. For reprinting information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

…signed, The Gorilla House

Someone posted this question on a buyer/seller bulletin board and at first it made me laugh.  Then it became a little disconcerting that someone needed help to say "No" to a stranger in their home, home stager or otherwise.  That's because the first thing I tell a seller who has allowed me into her home to work my magic is, "I don't want to offend you in any way.  My only goal is for your home to sell quickly and for you to get as much money for it as possible, preferably without spending a dime."

That said, sometimes I have to "tell it like it is."  I figure, I charge by the hour, so why waste time being indirect and obscuring my meaning with: "Hmmm, I don't know about this life-sized bronze gorilla smoking the cigar in the corner of your formal dining room…" when I DO know that your home is about to be labeled by buyers as "The Gorilla House" and no one is going to remember the gorgeous crown molding, expensive chandelier and bayed window, so BigBoy here should probably hide under a sheet in the garage.

Feel free to tell me that BigBoy is too heavy to move, that your grandkids love to climb all over him and that, during Christmas, he'll be wearing a Santa cap, thank you very much.

I'll probably reply with something like, "It costs ZERO DOLLARS to move him out, and you're going to be moving him out at some point anyway so you may as well move him out when it can put money in your pocket."

I do understand that this is YOUR home, but it will probably help to start thinking of it as a very expensive product that you're trying to sell; it's no longer your personal refuge.  (And I might be wondering if you are truly ready to let it go; moving from a home where you raised your children and spent some of the happiest times of your life is difficult!)

In the end, not heeding solid advice can cost you in the way of a dropped price and more mortgage payments that you really didn't want to pay because, well, buyers often don't buy a house that they make fun of.  As a professional home stager I try to create reasons for buyers to say "YES!" to your house, and again, if I can do that without spending your money, all the better!

The moral of this story: While it's true that not all home stagers are alike, our goal is usually the same, to help your home sell quickly and for as much as possible.  We can all say "Yes!" to that!

Let me help your home sell faster; contact me today!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2011).  All rights reserved.  For reprinting information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

Remember when the turquoise-and-mauve color combination was in style? It was about the same time when people were decorating with plastic cacti and coyotes, and heavy stone lamp bases. Dated decor often creates an impression that the house itself is dated, and a dated house makes buyers think that it'll cost them more in time and money to update it. "Perception Is Reality" after all.

This is the story about a home seller with navy kitchen counters and burgundy wall paint.  All that was missing was the forest green…nope, spoke too soon because there it was in her canister set and in the rug beneath the breakfast table.  The overall impression made the home seem in serious need of an expensive kitchen make-over. 

Even though the home was priced to accommodate SOME of the datedness, if buyers thought this kitchen would cost $20K to update and the home price wasn't reduced by AT LEAST that much, buyers would move on…without bothering with even a lowball offer, leaving the seller with no chance to negotiate.

What I did: First, I determined that the counters were not going to be updated; the seller just didn't have the cash now that she was living on unemployment.  Next, I removed every bit of burgundy and forest green, convincing her to paint the walls a warm white (now that she had a little spare time).  I used the blue and white art and accessories found elsewhere in her home and transformed the dated burgundy-navy-green combo to a timeless and fresh blue-and-white combo, complete with three cloth napkins draped across the curtain rod over the sink (trust me, it looked very cool).  I tweaked elsewhere and the house sold less than two weeks later.

How are YOUR color schemes influencing the perception of your home?  Even though "red" might be in style, which red is in your home?  The above-referenced burgundy was once the updated red.  If you didn't see it with navy and green, you saw it with gray (yet another dated combo).  Today's red is more of a brown-red. Tomorrow, another shade of red will be the updated red.

The old mauve-and-turquoise will never come back, but a light ice blue and chocolate brown combo has been dominating the retail stores for a few years.  Combining chocolate brown with a darker mauve or lighter turqoise can work, but only if there has been a thorough purging of the dated combo color and accessories (yes, the plastic coyote must be set free).  The good news is that most of the fixes can be accomplished with some paint, and you can take the new accessories with you to the new home!  After all, if you're planning to redecorate the new home you might as well buy the stuff now and make it earn a living!

The moral of this story: Don't leave it up to buyers to "think around" your home's dated appearance.  Most of them can't, and they won't have to because there are plenty of other houses that won't make them work as hard.

Meanwhile, if you're like buyers and are having problems "thinking around" your own decor, contact me for an appointment to help freshen things up for a quicker home sale!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. ©  copyright (2004-2011). All rights reserved. For reprinting information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

If your Internet photos are missing, few, or bad, don't count on many showings of your home. Buyers will just click to the next home. Rule of thumb: the first three photos should show the BEST aspects of your home, even if that means the photos are "out of order." Often, the photos begin with the exterior front, followed by a walk-through of the home, ending with the exterior back. However, if you just spent big bucks on an outdoor kitchen and pool (and your competition is lucky to have a newly-stained deck), a wide shot of your back yard should be one of the first three photos that buyers will see!

These days, going "live" without photos is a  killer. Sure, your home will show up on searches, but without the photos there's little chance you'll make the "To-See" list. By the time buyers take your home seriously, you've racked up days-on-market, missed a handful of buyers and are on your way to a lower offer before you've had your first showing! Essentially, no photos says, "There's nothing about this house worth photographing."

PREPARE THE SET: Don't be so anxious to hit the market that you flub your entrance. Stage the home BEFORE photos are taken. Check the details: remove ALL refrigerator magnets, magazines, toys, ant & roach spray from the counter, and pull the bed covers so that the box springs doesn't show. Otherwise, you could receive bad review when you discover too late that a box of tissue is your focal point.

KNOW YOUR LINES: In this case, know your camera. Light meters are usually in the center of the camera frame, so if you center on a window, your camera will assume that the rest of the frame is also that bright and you'll end up with an underexposed room.

CREATE GOOD LIGHTING: Turn on every light available, no matter what kind of day it is, and always use your flash when shooting indoors. A tip for shooting into the sun outdoors: stand in a shadow, or cup your hand above the lens to shield it from sun flares.

FRAMING THE SHOT: Your viewfinder is your friend. What is in your frame? Does the living room photo include the fireplace, bookcase and part of the window, or is the back of your sofa or too much ceiling dominating the frame? In the kitchen photo is the side of the refrigerator or cabinet dominating? Is the "horizon line" such as the top of the kitchen cabinets straight? If you're not sure what will look best, move around, reframe, take multiple shots; digital film is cheap!

THE ESTABLISHING SHOT: Ever notice in movies how the camera shows the house or cityscape to let the audience know where the next scene is taking place? If you are shooting the back yard toward the neighbor's, include part of the deck railing in your frame, or shoot over the table and chairs.

LONG SHOTS VS. CLOSE-UPS: Long shots allow buyers to see the home's layout, such as a hearth room-breakfast area-kitchen combo. However, the photo may end up too full, with key features being lost. Take both long shots AND room-specific shots, but avoid close-ups of, say, the fireplace surround; they're mostly annoying to buyers.

AD-LIBBING: If you are unable to include the fireplace, both flanking bookcases and the entire wall of windows, off-center your focal point (fireplace) so that the part of the second bookcase and part of the window are included. A photo of a skylight will look odd, but you can include a hint of it. Use the mirrors in a master bath to include boths sides of the room (excluding yourself!). Stand on stairs or a chair to get a better angle of a room.

Ask about my Photography Services; I can stage the home then photograph the exterior and interior, select the best shots, rename them for easy identification, then Email them to you for posting. Let the showings begin!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2011). All rights reserved. For reprinting information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

I believe that there is a Universal Law of Surfaces: If you have a surface it WILL get covered! The trick is to cover it in a way that looks good and makes us feel good when we see it. Here are some tricks for five areas that I regularly "tweak" when staging.

Kitchen Soffit

DON'T use the top of your cabinets for storing items that should be behind a cabinet door. It's like a neon sign flashing "Not enough storage! Not enough storage!"

DO arrange decorative items grouped at a focal point such as the area directly over the stove. 

China Cabinet

DON'T add brightly-colored children's clay artwork and last year's tax information that hasn't yet been filed.

DO stick to dinnerware that is the color theme outside of the cabinet (artwork, window treatments, centerpiece), and keep the items to a single china pattern. Add stemware and clear glass items for a serene and pulled-together look.

Table Tops

DON'T use table tops for storing everyday utilitarian items (e.g., paper napkins centered on the breakfast table, nail clippers and crossword puzzles on the end table, children's toys below the coffee table).

DO limit surface items to pretty decorative items, or nothing at all. Tip: A decorative hinged box can contain items such as the TV remote and nail file, if necessary.

Fireplace Mantle

DON'T display a series of items the size of a soup can because the scale is too too wrong. And be careful of mirrors: they can reflect (and emphasize!) your popcorn ceiling!

DO start with something large in the center, such as framed artwork, preferably in the colors that are within the room.

Bookcase

DON'T empty bookshelves of everything simply because someone said that books equal clutter!

DO keep hardback books, some personal photos in similar frames, and a few nice decorative items, then start in the center of the bookshelf and go outward but not to the edges. Distribute books on each of the shelves.

Bookshelves are fabulous "display ops" and do have a tendency to become visually overwhelming. Study photographs of well-done bookcases to see the patterns used, or give me a call because I can make all of your surfaces beautiful and functional! (I  plan to do a blog on bookcases soon…stay tuned!)

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright [2004-2011]. All rights reserved. For more information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

One of my Realtor® clients said to me recently, "I can always tell when I'm touring a home that you've staged. It's like recognizing an artist's paintings." I beamed, of course, but the reality is, Yes, I tend to arrange furnishings in a specific way, but style isn't the only way to distinguish one Stager from another.

Price is another. As one Realtor® said to me after meeting a new Stager, "She thinks she's going to get rich on a couple of staging jobs each month." The reality is that Sellers usually don't have the luxury of time; they need to be on the market, like, yesterday. Therefore, I show up at a staging job prepared to start moving things around. (After close to 4,500 homes ya kinda get the hang of it!)

I sometimes hear, "Your job looks fun; I could do this." I'll look at their home and think to myself, "But you don't care about your own home; this isn't your passion." Unfortunately, there are some untalented people staging homes that I will be called to re-stage when the first Realtor® and Stager couldn't sell it.

Some Interior Designers are trying their hand at staging. They may be talented but they tend to over-stuff the home with furnishings (that's usually how they make their money), resulting in beautiful but distracting decor. Buyers leave the beautiful room without seeing what they're buying. One tell-tale sign is a fireplace hearth that's covered with decor to the point where you don't see the actual fireplace. Yes,  your eye is drawn to the fireplace, but all you see is its decor.

The goal, for me, is to create a balance of beauty, space and function. The home should overwhelm the decor, not the other way around.

Visit the Stager's Web site to see finished products…entire rooms, not just vignettes of a chair, table, lamp and picture. Buyers aren't purchasing a little corner of furniture, they're purchasing a home. Click here to see my Portfolio, or click here to Schedule an Appointment. I'll see you soon!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2011). All rights reserved. For more information, contact Cynthia Black directly.

I probably shouldn't care about this, but I do. Staging is often about controlling the buyers' experience when touring a home. For example, I prefer that the bedroom closet doors be shut. I want buyers to enter the room, turn the doorknob and see the closet up-close, rather than pass over it with their eyes from the room's entry, seeing hangers and shoes and multi-color clothing.

I prefer that buyers sloooooow dowwwwwwwn. We need them to see beyond the furnishings…to see what they're buying. 

That's why home staging isn't just about removing clutter. It's a calculated arrangement of furnishings, creating a place for the eye to land, rest, and move on to the next thing. After staging an area I'll often step back to the room's entry to check my work, to see how everything sets up. Items in the foreground can affect items in the background. A lamp shade can block a fireplace, even if it's twelve feet away!

Sometimes I'll arrive to stage a home and the sales literature area is set up in the kitchen. Yes, everyone is going to visit the kitchen so initially that makes sense. However, do we really want buyers reading a piece of paper about the house when they're standing in one of the most important rooms of that house? Plus, when they enter the kitchen they see a bunch of paper covering all-important counter space. The best way to see counter space is to, well, SEE the uncovered counter space!

I prefer that the sales literature area be set up on the dining room table, or on a foyer table. These tables are usually closest to the front door so a flyer can be picked up before the tour begins, before buyers get into the groove of touring the home. The buyer's agent can be reading from the flyer during the tour, too.

Even if there is no space for a foyer table and the dining room is further into the home, the dining room isn't as important as other rooms, so again, any reading shouldn't distract buyers because they'll see key features when approaching the room such as a bayed window, updated chandelier or a gorgeous view.

Paying attention to every detail is the essence of staging a home for sale. As they say, "You only get one chance to make a great first impression!"

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2011). All rights reserved. For more information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

 We're the land of the free and home of the brave, so we should be able to smoke in our own homes, right? Correct, until you decide to sell your home. When that happens it's no longer your "home" but a very expensive product that you're trying to sell.

This is truly a delicate issue. There's the "It's my home, d*** it!" point of view, competing with the "Ick!" point of view. Both are valid.

Poor smokers: they've been ostracized from every public building and now they cannot enjoy a puff in the comforts of their own home. (Nudists probably feel the same way, but that's a topic for another time.)

Here's the thing: because smoking has been banned pretty much everywhere, buyers are no longer desensitized to it. Folks can now smell it a mile away. And in case you missed it, "scent" has become big business. Plug-Ins, candles, reed diffusers, oil warmers…we want our homes to smell pleasant. Buyers are very sensitive to the way their potential new home smells.

The good news is that it costs sellers ZERO dollars to smoke outside, and smoking in the bathroom with the fan running–or in the garage–doesn't count; the smell WILL seep into the house!

An occasional garage seepage can be remedied with a nearby Plug-In (just one per floor please!). On the other hand, if there is a brown film throughout the house, more drastic measures are needed:

(1) Fresh paint will cover up stale odors and the smell of new paint is less offensive.

(2) New carpet (and padding!) will work miracles.

(3) Launder everything possible: window fabric, decorative blankets, rugs, towels, coats, clothing, stuffed animals, bedding…everything.

(4) Invest in a 55-gal. drum of Febreze, even after doing items 1-3 above. The Febreze needs to be sprayed directly onto every inch of fabric in the house: upholstery, decorative pillows, clothing…everything.

I'm sometimes asked about using an ionizer, but to me, they scream, "This house smells funky and we're trying to cover it up!" Personally, I prefer to remedy an issue rather than cover it up; it's a "treat others as you want to be treated" thing. And no one wants to be sued for what could be construed as non-disclosure.

The good news: other than carpet and padding, the above remedies don't cost as much as a giant price reduction! Other questions or "sticky issues"? Contact me and I might address them here!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2011). All rights reserved. For more information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

On New Year's Eve my husband and I have a tradition of walking around our neighborhood at midnight, sipping champagne, listening to firecrackers, and leaving things behind in the old year that we don't want to carry into the new year. We name disappointments, bad habits, unpleasant memories, the same 10 pounds (some items refuse to cooperate), forgive grievances, and announce that they cannot accompany us into the new year. Rather than add resolutions to our plates, we prefer to scrape off stubborn crumbs and start clean.

A clean slate energizes me. It makes me feel creative. When everything is in order I don't have to think about it, freeing up "head space" to be creative. To dream. To set goals.

One of my favorite mottos is, "Everything has a place, everything in its place." Sometimes there are too many "things" in one place, though, and the beginning of a new year is a perfect time to get organized: purge closets of old clothes, fill bags with unused toys, empty folders by shredding old documents while preparing taxes. It feels good!

Whether you're conducting your annual Winter organizing blitz, making space for a new family member, or packing to move into a new (sometimes smaller) home, consider whether an item is worth keeping. Ask yourself:

(1) Have I used it in the past two years?

(2) Do I have another item just like it…that I like better and use more often?

(3) Is it worth paying to store it or to have someone move it?

(4) Is it worth handling eight times?

That last one is interesting. Have you noticed that when we go to the grocery store we place an item in the cart, place it on the checkout counter, load it in the car, carry it into the house, unpack the bag onto the counter, then place the item in the cabinet or refrigerator? We handle that one item no less than six times!

Packing to move is the same. If an item is not worth handling eight times, trash it. Otherwise, you'll wrap it, box it, store it, move it to the truck, move it into the house, unpack it, unwrap it, and place it in its new storage space in the new home. If the item made a pit-stop at a storage facility, that's two more times it's handled, PLUS, you paid hard-earned cash to store it!

If something has been sitting in a musty, forgotten, unpacked box from the last move, just how precious can it be?

Finally, ask yourself, "Does this item bring me joy?" I believe we should have nothing in our home that doesn't bring us joy (this of course does not apply to teenagers). Hand-me-down furniture that wasn't good enough for the person who gave it to you should not be a part of your home if you don't like it.

Just keep repeating: Let it gooooo, let it gooooo, let it gooooo.

If you keep it, put it to work. Think of unique uses for fabulous things. Don't buy ugly plastic for bathroom toiletries, use that interesting box, basket or wooden utensils carrier. Store your toothbrushes and Q-tips in small vases and crystal jars. Store fresh eggs in a fabulous crock inside the refrigerator. Baskets can keep small items contained and out of sight in a drawer or on a closet shelf. It brings me joy to see my paperclips in a chipped Waterford champagne glass!

As they say, you can't take it with you. You can, however, take it to the next level. Let me know if I can help clear your slate…and Happy New Year!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2010). All rights reserved. For more information please contact Cynthia Black directly.

(1) Jetted Tub: Most sellers I work with say they HAD TO HAVE the large jetted tub when they bought the home, but after years of living with it they can count on one hand the number of times it's been used. It's dusted more often than scrubbed. Better to have a bigger, tricked-out walk-in closet!

(2) Planning Desk: One in 50 sellers actually use the desk, complete with laptop. For the other 49 it becomes a damaged and worn dumping zone: mail, 500 pens jammed into one tiny mug, a tangle of cords at the single outlet. Worse is the glass-front cabinet above–What was the builder thinking?!?–displaying telephone books, broken items in need of glue (or the trash), the digital camera, jars of pennies, last year's Halloween candy, and piles of paper. Better to have a pantry and center island!

(3) Wet Bar: It's no longer the 60s and there's only one Super Bowl per year. Unless your Animal House friends need a place to stink up with cigar smoke, families just don't consume that much alcohol. A basement wet bar is useful if a full kitchen is attached, along with a nearby full bath, "bedroom" with closet, and living space–especially in a walk-out, because then it's a separate apartment or in-law quarters. Most "man caves" require an area for the home theatre and pool table; stand a refrigerator in the unfinished storage area and you've scored!

(4) Gas Stove: And granite. And hardwood floors. And stainless appliances. And French doors. And repainted walls. These are examples of things that are relatively easy to change. Having your dream home can be a work in progress, especially if the floor plan is right and the house meets your main criteria (location, main-floor master, 3rd garage bay for the "toys"). It's not a compromise; it's a plan, and if your real estate agent can negotiate a better price for you then it's a plan with a bigger budget!

(5) The Holiday House: Retired Empty Nesters sometimes buy a huge, zillion-square-foot house and fill it with bedroom furniture and sofas and big-screen TVs for the family to all be comfortable when they visit at Thanksgiving or Christmas, only to discover that the remaining 51 weeks of the year are expensive and time-consuming as they heat/cool and clean their behemoth before deciding to downsize after just two years and far too much money down the drain. Better to teach the next generation your family recipes…in their kitchen…and stay at the Ritz!

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. © copyright (2004-2010). All rights reserved. For more information please contact Cynthia Black directly.