Los Angeles Home Staging Info

In January I was hired by Pasadena homeowners for a home staging consultation. They knew their home had "good bones", but they also recognized that a house with "good bones" that doesn't look super sharp is not going to sell quickly or anywhere near their target price.

Kitchens are one of the most important rooms home buyers consider when evaluating homes to buy.

A kitchen remodel can be expensive, dirty, stressful and time consuming. When buying a home, home buyers want a move in ready home, not one that's going to cost them more money and stress. During the home staging consultation, I made several suggestions regarding their kitchen:

• Paint the cabinets white (they had a medium brown wood stain). This would brighten the kitchen and freshen tired cabinets.
• Change the cabinet hardware to better reflect the style of the home. Cabinet hardware is like jewelry for your cabinets.
• Replace tile counters with granite or a solid surface quartz material (the homeowners had already researched the cost of granite counters)
• Replace the old sink and faucet with a new stainless undermount sink and stainless modern faucet.
• Remove 2 cabinets that had been added in an earlier remodel and didn't match the style of the other cabinets. This also opened up this galley kitchen.
• Clean out cabinets so they were half empty and neatly arranged.
• Clean off kitchen counters of everything except what they needed to use every day (coffee maker, toaster, etc.) while their home was on the market.
• Remove window treatments that made the kitchen feel dark and small.

Here's what the kitchen looked like before:

And here's the kitchen after the minimal (and cost effective) remodel and home staging:

The floor tile was not changed and the walls were not repainted, thereby saving money. The kitchen now looks fresh, bright and updated. It looks clean and a pleasant place to prepare meals. And, while the kitchen is updated, it blends well with the architectural style of the home.

To see the curb appeal transformation of this home read Curb Appeal & Home Staging

This was originally posted at Home Staging Recipe For An Appealing Kitchen on my LA Home Staging website.

Home buyers in the Los Angeles real estate market want a house that is move in ready.

Home buyers don't want an allowance to repair the roof, replace the carpet or repaint. Allowances are for teenagers. They want a well priced home, in a decent location, that they can move right in to without spending another dime.

Its a big fallacy that home buyers want to choose their own carpet or paint colors. If you choose a nice, neutral color carpet and nice neutral color wall paint (both things the best home stagers can help you with) most home buyers will see your home as more desirable because it is move-in-ready. They'll be thrilled they don't have to worry about picking out carpet and having it installed or find a painter who has time in their schedule. If your home stager can't help you with this, then you are working with the wrong home stager.

Most home buyers are maxing out their home purchasing budget by making an offer on the nicest home they can possibly afford. They don't have extra money to paint, install new carpet or retile the bathroom. They want to move in as soon as escrow closes, not after they have to make a lot of repairs to make their new home livable. Here's what happens when you offer a $5,000 allowance for repairing the roof that should have been replaced 5 years ago:

1. The buyer thinks "What else didn't they repair that they should have?"
2. The buyer thinks "What structure got damaged by the leaky roof?"
3. The buyer thinks "Is it really going to cost only $5,000 to repair the roof?"
4. The buyer thinks "How much time will it take me to get bids, hire a roofing company & get the work done?"
5. The buyer thinks "What happens if (fill in the disaster: it rains, the contractor absconds with the deposit, a worker falls off the roof)?"
6. The buyer thinks "The seller must be desperate since the house isn't in good shape."

Here's what happens next: The buyer accepts your offer of $5,000 to repair the roof, and then also knocks off another 10% because they think the house is not in good condition or you are desperate...

~or~

The buyer rejects your house and moves on to the house down the street that is move in ready.

Here's what happens when you offer a $3,000 allowance for new carpet:

1. The buyer thinks "Will $3,000 really cover new carpet for the whole house?"
2. The buyer thinks "I'm not from around here. Where do I buy new carpet?"
3. The buyer thinks "That house down the street already has new carpet. Why should I take on the added stress of shopping for & installing new carpet?"

Here's what happens next:

The buyer accepts your offer of $3,000 to buy new carpet, and then also knocks off another 10% because they think your allowance won't cover all the costs ...

~or~

The buyer rejects your house and moves on to the house down the street that is move in ready and already has new carpet installed.

By not repairing and updating your home before you put it on the market, you are asking home buyers to assume risk and additional expenses. You add more stress and uncertainty to the situation. Many home buyers are already investing every penny they can get their hands on in order to purchase a home. They are unable or unwilling to purchase a home that will require repairs before they can move in.

Additionally, the condition of your home may effect the appraisal causing the buyer's lender to refuse the loan.

Want to get a Los Angeles home sold? Price it right, hire the best full service Realtor you can find, hire a professional home stager and make sure it is in move-in ready condition.

A few weeks ago we staged this lovely Altadena Spanish Revival home. Altadena is an unincorporated city located in Los Angeles County. The home had been on the market for more than 2 months with no offers before staging.

I'm happy to report that this Altadena home is now in escrow less that 3 weeks after staging (there was an earlier offer that fell out), with multiple offers!

As you can see, the home had some furniture in it before it was staged. The owner had attempted to stage it themselves with whatever furniture they had on hand. While it was a good effort, the furniture they used and the way it was placed did not help sell the concept this was a home, not just a house. Proper furniture and accessories, along with proper placement made this Altadena Los Angeles home feel warm and welcoming.

Home staging works in Altadena and Los Angeles!

For more information about this home read Los Angeles County Home Staging - Staging an Altadena Spanish Revival.

Call Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design (626)441-8975 for more information about home staging and preparing a home for sale in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Long Beach CA, or visit our Los Angeles Home Staging Info blog.

©2009 Moving Mountains Design ~ We don't sell homes but we know what makes home sell!

As a home stager and interior designer in Los Angeles, I am often asked about the value of upgrading a home for sale. The Wall Street Journal recently did a story on this subject: You May Not Recoup The Entire Cost Of These Upgrades When You Sell Your Home. While I agree with the article that you may not recoup the costs of upgrades, some upgrades will help your home sell faster.

The value and wisdom of the upgrades will be reflected in the faster selling time. This results in a net savings of carrying costs (mortgage, property tax, insurance, utilities) and less stress and turmoil. The most frequently asked questions is:

Which home upgrades help make my home more attractive and therefore help it sell?

Answer: Before you put a house on the market you should consider doing the following -

• Interior Painting - unless your home was painted in the past year, you should probably repaint the interior. Avoid pure white unless your rooms are very small and very dark. Choose colors that you might see in a Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware Catalog (many paint stores will color match from a photograph or both those brands sell their own <expensive> paint). The art directors who design these catalogs are on top of color trends and know what shoppers find most appealing. Don't go too dark. A moderate to lighter color can be very charming.
• Wallpaper Removal - Very rare is the wallpaper that will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. Since your goal is to make your home as attractive as possible to the greatest number of buyers, the wallpaper has to go. Walls painted a single, solid color are always in style.
• Exterior Painting - Depending upon where your home is located, if the exterior hasn't been painted in 4 or 5 years, you should paint the exterior of your home. At the very least, you should paint the trim and the front door, and pressure wash the rest of the house. To select colors, drive around the neighborhood until you spot a home similar to yours that has colors that are appealing.
• Replace your carpet - If your carpet is newer (less than 5 years old) try having it professionally steam cleaned. If it still appears soiled or stained, or it is more than 5 years old, replace the carpet. You don't have to buy an expensive carpet - oftentimes just being new is good enough. Select a light neutral color - cream, tan or cafe au lait are popular colors that work with a lot of different architectural styles. Lighter colors will 'lift' the room and make it feel larger. Berber is OUT. Select a medium cut pile, preferably with no pattern.
• Replace your appliances - Even if your home is in a lower price range, home buyers today are looking for homes that look like homes they see on HGTV. Try and purchase a 'suite' of appliances (all from the same manufacturer) so all the knobs and handles match. If some of your appliances are newer, then replace the ones that are not. Stainless steel finish appliances are the most desirable finish among home buyers. Most appliance manufacturers have a lower priced line that comes in a stainless steel finish.  To save some money, look for discontinued, floor models or 'scratch and dent' appliances that might have one or 2 small cosmetic flaws.
• Replace the knobs and handles on your kitchen and bathroom cabinets - This is the least expensive way to upgrade your kitchen and bathroom. Its like adding tasteful jewelry to a little black dress. Choose simple metal knobs in a finish that matches your appliances or sink faucet.
• Landscaping and Curb Appeal- Stand across the street from your home and snap a photo. What do you see? Do you see overgrown shrubs that block the front of the house or the windows? Do you see a weedy lawn that hasn't seem fertilizer and a mower for a while? Do you see a bunch of junk laying around the yard or the dreaded 'dead' car in the driveway with weeds growing up underneath?  Mow your lawn. Fertilize it an water it regularly. Plant some colorful flowers along the front wall and near the front door. The drive up to your home is the first time potential buyers will see it. Make sure what they see leaves a positive impression that makes them want to go inside.
• Get a Home Staging Consultation - An experienced professional home stager will be able to provide you with a road map for preparing your home for sale. Professional home stagers can look at a home through 'buyers' eyes' and tell you exactly how to prepare your home for the market. With that home staging consultation in hand you can choose to do the work yourself, do part of the work and hire out the rest, or hire the home stager to complete everything. Most home stagers have a Rolodex full of painters, handymen, carpet installers, etc. to help you get your home in tip-top shape.

Offering a 'carpet allowance' or a 'painting allowance' won't get your home sold. Buyers have a hard time imagining a house with worn or soiled carpet and peeling paint can be the kind of home they would pay good money for. They'll reject your home and move on to the next home. There are plenty to choose from on the market right now. Make your home move in ready, and home buyers will be able to imagine themselves living there, making it their dream home.

Homes in better condition will sell faster. It is very simple. When you put your home on the market, you are entering it in a beauty contest. The best looking homes sell faster and for a better price.

*Will Upgrading a Home Help Sell It?* Copyright 2008 Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design. All rights reserved.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Call Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design Home Staging to arrange for your Comprehensive Home Staging Consultation (626)441-8975. Or visit our Los Angeles home staging portfolio to see pictures of our recently completed projects.