Based on a question raised by a person selling a condo and buying new construction, I wrote a post regarding the somewhat surprising differences between condo markets and single family home markets.

Click HERE to read that article on Condo Sale Market Stats.

Staging your home before putting it on the market is simply one of the steps in "Positioning Your Home to Sell". 

I recently acquired my Accredited Staging Professional designation, but frankly, staging homes before putting the house on the market is not a new concept.  There are key areas of the home on which people base their buying decision.  First is curb appeal.  If they don't want to come in the house, it doesn't matter what you do with the inside of it. The entire first floor is very important as this is where the buyer will view enternaining and impressing their friends.  The master suite including the bath, is next in line. 

For many years, new home builders have staged their model homes with great success.  Now the resale market is better able to compete with New Construction by using the same strategy of giving the buyer a better idea of what the house or condo can look like in its best condition.  If you have ever been to a New Construction Model Home, you know what staging is.  Your real estate professional should assist you in making your house look THAT good, or as close to that as possible, especially the first 10 days it is on market.

All homes sell.  But the staged home will sell faster and at a higher price.

 Getting your home ready for market is much easier if you have the right tools to get the job done quickly and well. The first step to Staging Your Home For Sale is to clean, clean, clean!  And this product can save you both time and money. Think you need to paint the interior because of marks on the walls?  Try this product first!  Think those shower doors are frosted glass?  Try this product and you may find that those shower doors were supposed to be clear and see through!

The Mr. Clean Eraser will give you better results than traditional cleaners, leave no fumes or tell tale odors and take you less time.

Here's an actual demonstraton by some weird girl in her bathroom that I thought was both informative and hilarious.  CAUTION some offensive language.

There truly are not enough articles about the poor, frustrated sellers of the world.  I started my real estate career in a buyers' market, when everyone sympathized with the sellers.  Today it seems everyone pictures all sellers as lucky people who are making a ton of money on the sale of their home, that sells in hours, with no inconvenience at all to the seller.

Everyone seems to forget that some people are selling because of a divorce, a failed business venture, the death of a spouse or Dad being relocated.  People selling their homes are not always happy people singing and dancing "all the way to the bank".

I have no "meat" in this post, just a kind word to sellers, acknowledging that I recognize that being a seller often has its sad and frustrating moments. 

• Everyone in the world feeling "entitled" to enter "your home" any old time they please, and being annoyed if you want to take a long hot bath or have a romantic dinner with your wife.
• The buyer wanting the key within 5 minutes of closing, after you waited two weeks after the proposed closing date, for their loan to fund!  As in YOU can wait two weeks, but I want the key NOW!
• Agents making annoyed faces at you because there's a dirty dish in the sink.
• All the rushing around to make sure your home is picture perfect while trying to get out the door and to work on time.
• Brushing your teeth in the shower so as not to "spatter" on the mirror.
• Coming home from a hard day at work to hear this recorded message, "I'm planning to show your home this evening sometime between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

What happened to the days when we tiptoed through the house because the baby was taking a nap?  What happened to the days when we gave the seller a 15 to 30 minute timeframe, so that they could have a life!?  What happened to the days when the seller had the ability to say "that's not a good time", without someone shooting back "Oh, I guess you are not a 'motivated' seller!"

I've always wanted to put "Relocated Wives Day" up there with Mother's Day.

In David Letterman style, let’s list the top ten things that make a buyer say “let’s get out of here!!”, when I am showing a house. 

NUMBER TEN: DEAD BUGS LYING AROUND!  That being said, I have to admit that not only have I sold properties with dead bugs lying around, I have bought them myself.  Often people will exterminate a home after moving furniture out and then put in new light carpet and put it on the market vacant.  After exterminating a home, dead bugs can appear for weeks afterward, and with no one living in the house, you find the dead spiders lying on the brand new light carpet.  “I said light, bright and airy NOT light, bright and buggy!” 

NUMBER NINE: SKEEVY CREEPIES!  You know, those things that make you just a tad nauseous.  Like when you open the shower curtain and there’s black gunk in the corners of the tub and along the caulk line, or in the grout spaces.  Or that thick, heavy layer of soap scum on the shower door.

NUMBER EIGHT: MAJOR FLOOR SQUEAKS!  I once had a buyer who loved to stand on these and rock back and forth like he was playing an accordian.  If I was in another part of the house talking with his wife, he would rock back and forth until it annoyed us so much we had to acknowledge where the noise was coming from.  These are usually fixable.  If it is squeaking under a rug, there are screws to put in right through the rug to resecure the subfloor to the joist.  The screw has a “break off” head that is removed once the base of it is screwed in.

NUMBER SEVEN: THE NEIGHBOR!  Good luck with that one.  I have found no cures for a neighbor’s dog who barks incessantly.  The neighbor with 8 junk cars parked on his front lawn.  The neighbor who has eight buddies drinking beers out front and lining up the empty bottles on the shared fence.  It’s not a good sign when I’m showing a house and the neighbor is whistling and saying “Hey Baby, Whatcha Doin’?”

NUMBER SIX: PILES OF DIRTY CLOTHES! I saw a really odd one tonight.  The house was completely empty until I got upstairs into one of the bedrooms.  One of the main features on the flyer was “remodeled master bath”.  When I got up to the master bathroom, the new jacuzzi tub was filled with dirty clothes, as was the floor of that bathroom and the closet and the bedroom.  Big piles of dirty clothes and towels.  Pretty weird for a vacant house.  Dirty clothes lying on chairs, on beds, on floors…once someone’s seen your dirty underwear, they don’t seem to be interested in buyng your house.

NUMBER FIVE: BIG DOG BARKING!  You ring the bell and no one answers except the dog.  He’s barking and growling on the other side of the door as if he’s saying “Do you feel lucky today?”

NUMBER FOUR:  DIRTY ROOF!  Huge piles of pine needles all over the roof or big mounds of moss growing on the roof and into the gutters.  Gutters jam full of pine needles.  If you live in one of those great places like Bridle Trails Bellevue with big tall pine trees everywhere, get out the blower and round up those pine needles!

NUMBER THREE:  BUYER STEPPED IN DOG POOP!  I know it’s been winter in Seattle and you haven’t been out in the yard for awhile.  In fact it was raining so much you just opened the back door to let Fido do his business, instead of taking him out for a walk.  And you haven’t wanted to go out in the rain to clean up after him.  But nothing says, I’m not buying this house! like the would be buyer stepping in mounds of dog poop in the yard.  Especially when you made him take his shoes off at the front door so he wouldn’t dirty your carpet, and now he’s got dog poop all over his socks and can’t put his shoes back on.

NUMBER TWO: PICTURES ON THE WALLS  Pictures, Pictures everywhere!  I know it looked great in that Pottery Barn catalogue when they took a whole wall and covered it with all different sized pictures in black frames.  Long ones, tall ones, short ones and wide ones.  Do you know what people see when they look at these pictures?  The holes that will be left in the wall when you take them all with you when you move.

NUMBER ONE: ODORS!  In my experience, this applies to all smells, both good and bad.  If you open the door and there is a strong smell of ANY kind, it is a problem.  That doesn’t just apply to pet odors and smoke or mustiness, but also bleach, pine cleaners, rose and floral scents, carpet fresheners or wall plug in room fresheners.  I can only think of one time in 16 years where I have sold the house, when I had to walk outside to get a gulp of fresh air after viewing each room.  If I feel like I am going to pass out before I make it up the stairs to the second floor,  the buyers and I are usually out of there before making it through the entire house.  Often these homes are vacant, and the owners or listing agents haven’t been inside the house, since they installed  “plug-ins” in every single room outlet, to mask some other foul odors.

I just sold another house from an Open House this weekend, and am reminded of all of the articles about how Open Houses do not sell houses. Sometimes I think the articles are sponsored by agents who don't want to spend their Sundays working .

I have changed a few things that I do based on technological advances, like pricing the home straight on $350,000 for double hits, instead of $349,899 to be first to show in the mls book. But listing and selling houses via Open Houses has always been "my thing". I have provided some online training on the subject to agents around the Country, and still there are some agents who can honestly say that they have never sold a house from an Open House. It just boggles my mind.

I have always spent a great deal of time helping the seller get the house ready for weeks beforehand, before it goes on market. Then I usually do open houses the first two weeks back to back. This weekend I listed a property, that I had already spent many hours staging,and put "No showings until the Sat. Open House and Open Sat. and Sun. 1-4 p.m." in the mls remarks. This is less wear and tear on the seller and creates a new listing that opens up with a BANG! Lots of energy! Agents showing and people coming all at the same time. I have 6 Open house signs and those big flags that new construction people use. It's like a big party! Sometimes I even cook Italian food and play Connie Francis and Mario Lanza…and of course FRANK! But that's usually for Broker's Opens. I even had agents dancing once…that's an accomplishment

Anyway, back to this weekend. I had an offer by the time the Open House was over and another from an agent who was begging me to wait for her as she rushed back two hours from wherever she was to write it for the buyers who came without her to the Open House. Turned out I didn't have to do the Open House on Sunday, as it was all tied up by noon on Sunday.

Of course an agent who sits in the living room watching the ball game or playing with his laptop looking bored to tears may never sell a house at an Open House. But if you love doing them, there are plenty of ways to turn an Open House into a SOLD House! I hate to admit it, but I did get a call from my friend Reidi in Florida when she saw American Beauty. When Annete Bening got to the Open House hours early in her work clothes scrubbing it down saying "I am GOING to sell THIS HOUSE TODAY!!, Reidi called me and said "Ardell, they made a movie with YOU in it! LOL I'm not quite that bad…but close.

When the ceilings are high, as in this soon to be for sale townhome, I place things to attract the eye upward to highlight the fact that the ceilings are higher than 8 feet.  I also try to put some stainless objects up high when the appliances are stainless. 

1. Seller and Agent determine price and marketing strategy and ascertain where and how the seller will get to where they are going once the property is sold.

2.  Seller and Agent prepare home, sign paperwork, take photos, make flyers, review showing instructions and put the property in the mls.

3.  Agent does Open Houses (public open and/or Broker's Open)

4.  Offer is received.  Agent and seller review the offer. Offer is negotiated and "signed around".

5. Escrow is opened and if a condo, resale certificate is ordered and paid for by the seller.

6.  Seller contracts on their home purchase, if they have not already done so, so they have a place to move out to.

7.  Home Inspection is done and negotiated.

8.  Seller packs and hires mover.

9.  Loan documents arrive at escrow and escrow makes a signing appointment with the seller. (sometimes done prior.)

10.  Escrow faxes estimated closing cost details to agent.  Agent reviews seller's net proceeds with seller prior to the signing appointment.  Agent adjusts figures as needed with escrow.

11.  Seller goes to escrow to sign closing papers with escrow officer.

12.  Escrow calls all parties when the transaction is recorded at the county and agent gets keys from seller' to deliver to buyer's agent.

There a few more steps shown in "Anatomy of a Real Estate Transaction" which has more detail and color coding of who does what.  The Title Company portion is not elaborated upon, as it generally happens in a more "behind the scenes" manner.  However it is an important part of the process as well.

Last night I went to to a townhome that  I will be listing for sale in the next two to four weeks at about $350,000.  Aside from talking about price and marketing strategy, I started "staging the home" in my head and taking notes.

Some agents give the owners a list of things to do.  I can't seem to do that, because I have a "vision" or "an eye" for things that are easier for me to just do, than to explain.  Also, I try something in one place, step back and look at it, and change my mind.

I thought I would try to give a blow by blow of my thought process last night to see if it might help you stage your home.

Be a buyer.  Go out front and start there.  This townhome had a front step, a traditional door and a two car garage.  I like to put a wreath on a traditional door.  Something with Spring flowers.  Homes do sell better in the Spring...it isn't spring?  Who said.  Put a big wreath of spring flowers on the front door.  If it's a wide "stoop", like this one, put a potted tall but narrow evergreen on each side of the front door.

Like most townhomes with attached garages, there is a long staircase in front of you as soon as you open the door.  Put something dramatic at the top of the staircase.  In this case, we will be moving a beautiful tall piece there, that is now somewhere else in the house, with a big floral arrangement on top.  That piece is currently blocking the entry to the main area.  Keep your entry and exit ways wide and uncluttered.

The kitchen is easy.  Clean, clean and clean again!  Attractive things on top of the cabinets to draw the eye up.  I like big bottles of peppers, olives, cherries and other foodstuffs.  This way the color at the top is natural.

Keep colors coordinated from kitchen to living room to dining room.  I am taking everything they own away that doesn't coordinate with the sofas and bringing in place settings, over the window froo-froos and a lace topper for the dining room.

I never take "before and after" pictures.  I think it is insulting to show peoples homes "before", as if the way they lived before I arrived was "awful".  But I will put up some photos after it is staged.

It is a three year new townhome, so I know it will look really good.  We just have to take away the "lived in" look and transform it into a "model home".  Or as close to that as possilble.

Stay tuned for photos.  Will be two weeks to a month.

Yesterday we had a very nice young man come in to our office.  He was asking about a house for sale in the window.  In speaking with him, he told us that he and his wife were trying to decide whether to renovate their existing home, or move to a larger home. 

Over the years I have had many people ask me that question, Should I renovate the house that I have, or should I move?. We have all seen the numerous charts that show the return on investment of various renovations. I just checked a few of those charts and found the following results: Remodel your kitchen anywhere from 70% to 103% return, depending on who wrote the article. Add a bedroom, 80% vs. adding a master suite: 73%. 

Every time I see these charts showing the percentage of return, I put them down thinking that none of them actually answer the question and none of them are the least bit accurate. One house might achieve a 200% return on investment, while another might return 25% with the exact same renovations.

 The first consideration is the location of the house. Lets take two identical houses. In one of them you can see cars going by at a steady pace and you are considering in your list of renovations new, triple pane, sound proof windows to block out the traffic noise. The other is an interior lot in a quiet neighborhood. Clearly the return on investment in renovating the house in the quiet location will be much greater than the return in the noisy traffic location, even if the two homes are identical both before and after the renovations.

 The second consideration is the functional obsolescence of the style or flow of the house. I dont like to disparage a certain style of home, so lets let the builders do that for me. If you currently own a style of home that is no longer built. If no or very, very few homes are being built in the exact style of your current home anywhere in the country, then you likely live in a functionally obsolescent style that will be discounted below the value of other styles in your neighborhood. You can spend thousands and thousands of dollars renovating that home and return only $.25 on every dollar that you put into it. This would be particularly true if the style and flow are not in tune to the needs and desires of todays home buyers and it is also in a noisy location. 

The highest return will involve correcting a specific type of functional obsolescence. The charts may tell you that adding a bedroom may return 70% and adding a bathroom may return 85%. In truth, adding a 6th bedroom to a 5 bedroom house and a 4th bathroom to a 3 bath house, may return you next to nothing, especially if that extra bedroom and bath is in the underground basement. But adding a 3rd bedroom and a bath in the form of a master suite to a 2 bedroom, 1 bath rambler on a great lot in a great location, can easily return double your investment dollars. 

Worth mentioning is the question, Should I add a second story?. Not if the footprint of the main level is too small. Again we are back to the issue of functional obsolescence. If the footprint of the home is 790 square feet, adding a second story would not irradicate the functional obsolescence of the small size of the main living areas. My opinion is that the main floor should be about 1,200 square feet for one to consider adding a second story, unless you can expand the square footage of the main level at the same time.  

So back to the question. Should I stay (and renovate) or should I go (sell and buy a different house).  

If your current house is not a style that you would build today, and if your lot is not located in a place where you would build a new house today, then you should sell it. Limit your investment dollars only to those things that will produce the highest return, like painting it inside and out and beefing up the curb appeal and making what you have better. My limit for this type of improvement is no more than 1% of the current value of the home. If you could sell it today for $450,000, then only put $4,500 into it and put all of that $4,500 into material and do the labor yourself. Same as getting a house ready for market, even if you are staying. 

If you have a perfect location but an obsolete style, then you should consider building a new home on your existing lot. If you have a great house on a great lot that just needs to be updated, then by all means you should stay and renovate the house. 

If you and your husband or wife dont agree on what you should or shouldnt do to your existing home, invite me to dinner and Ill make you a list