It is no suprise to us that home sales are down compared to last Spring and it is still a buyers market. The Akron Beacon Journal just had an article on Akron’s market filled with reinforcing facts on the need for staging. Here is a quote from Tom Capensa, president of the Akron Area Board of Realtors, that we couldn’t agree with more:  “Buyers are taking their time selecting what they want and going for the super-nice, clean homes that need little work and are priced correctly.”  Super-nice? Clean? Need little or no work? Those sound like STAGED homes to me. Here’s another good one from William Askin, Akron area’s top realtor, on curb appeal, ”You have to get people to the door, and if the outside isn’t appealing, they won’t want to look at the inside.” Exactly. Stagers let the homeowners know exactly what needs done and who to call. Askin also said 80% of his buyers look at new construction, so sellers have to compete with homes similar to their’s as well as model homes. A stager’s goal is to make the seller’s home look as new as possible and give it the style and appeal of a model home. Thanks for the the quotes guys. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Sing along with me…”70,000 bottles of beer in a condo. 70,000 bottles of beer. Take one down…”  Makes for a good song, but it was actually one realtor’s smelly situation. It looked like a completely normal townhouse from the outside, but the inside was up to the windows in 70,000 beer cans. One room was literally up to the ceiling in boxes. CAN you believe it? See for yourself here.

Happy first day of summer and longest day of the year! Enjoy!

One of the questions that came up at the recent CEU presentation was, “what are the black streaks on my roof, and how do I get them off?”  The answer: algae. We ran across this answer in the local newspaper and found these facts interesting:

• once algae is in an area, it is carried from one roof to another and can infest the whole neighborhood
• there are no proven damaging effects of algae
• repeated cleaning/powerwashing can damage the roof and the color or life of the materials (but it will get the home presentation ready to sell)
• there is a prevention!!! a product can be installed between shingles on a new roof to protect against algae, stain, and discoloration

Let’s face it, staging inventory gets outdated and worn out over time.  To reduce our inventory, we participated in the annual neighborhood yard sale. Items up for sale included pillows, artwork, handbags, belts, jewelry, a stunning antique fainting couch, and many other great items. It didn’t bring in tons of cash but it did force us to do our Spring cleaning and gave us an excuse to sit and “work” out in the sun!

Wednesday, at the Akron Area Board of Realtors office, I presented a 3 hour CEU on staging to 15 Realtors. The presentation was very well received and I got great feedback from the interactive group. The most notable feedback was receiving a 100% rating in these two areas: “did the course increase your knowledge?” and “did the course obtain its objective?” and the compliment from one attendee saying “This is a terrific course, the instructor was dynamic and interesting.” Thank you to all who attended!

Staging a home to help it sell is all about presentation.  Presentation of the outside of the home and yard and presentation of the inside.  It goes beyond clean and neat, however.  If you pick up any magazine or catalog, you will notice that the rooms are all staged for high drama because that’s what sells.  Staging not only takes away dirt, disorder and clutter, but puts in place “wow” factors that sell.  Like a bottle of wine and wine glass on the kitchen counter with a cookbook, cutting board, veggies and pasta to present a gourmet meal being prepared.  Or a spa look in the bathroom with flowers floating in the garden tub and candles lit.

Great presentation ideas not only come from magazines and catalogs, but high-end retail stores as well.  My all time favorite is Anthropologie.  They take retail merchandising to the highest level.  They combine theatrical art with the products they sell for “wow” factors galore.

That’s why stagers can make the most difference when adding the theatrical “wow” factors to homes that are on the market.  We can showcase a luxurious lifestyle so buyers will make an offer.  Who doesn’t want a spa bathroom, or gourmet kitchen?  We can make staged homes present these lifestyles.

Another great example of taking presentation to the highest level is a new store in Beachwood called Lush.  To quote from NorthernOhioLive, June 2007 magazine, “The 450-square foot space is tricked out like a ‘beauty deli,’ with soaps wrapped like cheeses, fizzy bath bombs piled high like produce and face masks stored in fridges.  The most intriguing product?  Possibly the Sex Bomb, a hot pink bath bomb scented with aphrodisiacs like jasmine, clary sage and ylang ylang.”  The pictures included with the article say it all.  It makes me want to shop there!

Life is short and Fridays are our favorite days, so Rachel and I try to experience something that relates (sometimes very remotely) to the design or staging industry by taking a field trip out of the office.  Like the time we went to the Cleveland Museum of Art and Design to enjoy the Monet exhibit.  We called that trip “Monet and Mansions” since we took the Fairmont Blvd. route to comment on all the home designs of the rich and famous. 

 This last Friday we went to see Hudson Girl’s Softball in the state finals.  We drove to Ashland, Ohio and enjoyed the scenery of a town reminiscent of Mayberry.  We critiqued the design of the ballfield.  It had fabulous seating - very abundant for a community park’s ballfield in such a small town.  They host the state finals every year, so I guess the City of Ashland was inspired by the Field of Dreams movie and “built it so they would come.”  It’s a beautiful stadium, has a press tent, a trainer table, t-shirt vendors, food vendors, a ball retriever to collect foul balls, a professional announcer, etc.  Rachel and I tried the popcorn and hotdogs which did not disappoint.

 This week we are diverting from Field Trip Friday to go to the Cleveland Indians day game on Thursday.  We have great seats and can’t wait to see our team, especially Grady.  Who doesn’t love that good looking guy.  And he can really play baseball too.  We couldn’t have designed him any better.

We all know how important curb appeal is. When a potential buyer is standing at your front door, or driving by your home to get a preview, they will notice any obvious maintenance issues. Door hardware is often overlooked by the homeowner. If cost is a concern and your doorknob, deadbolt lock, knocker, doorbell, house numbers, kickplate, etc. are discolored, PAINT THEM. I just did this using Rust-o-leum’s metallic spray paint and they look incredible! Now everything matches perfectly and they all look new! The paint cost less than $2.00.

Now that your street numbers will shine, Rachel might not pass your house three times (see previous blog to hear her complain).