Refinishing Hardwood Flooring

Posted on February 22, 2015 by johanna wells

Hardwood floor refinishing 1

Recently at a home staging consultation for a mid range priced home going on the market for sale, recommendations to the main level of a home were made for hardwood floor refinishing for a floor that had seen better days.

I had to base the hardwood flooring refinishing in the context of sales price, condition of the home, competing properties and what home buyers would find desirable. Homebuyers and people with allergies across the United States want hardwood floors. Making a recommendation for a hardware flooring update made sense for the home seller and statistics showed a 101% return on investment.

Hardwood floors add value to a home, if the hardwood floor is looking a little worse for the wear, sanding and refinishing the hardwood flooring is the first consideration to get your investment back when selling. Hardwood flooring refinishing

Refinishing hardwood flooring is not that expensive and can completely change the look of a home with the option of changing color. Lighter color will make a space look open, light, bright, airy and informal. Darker refinished hardwood floors look more formal, sophisticated and dramatic. The majority of people prefer a forgiving satin finish that obscures scratches more than a semi gloss finish. A

Stained hardwood can usually be fixed if you hire a professional and replace stained sections by weaving new hardwood into the existing flooring, and then refinishing. No one will ever even notice the new pieces of hardwood, it will blend seamlessly.

Hardwood flooring refinishing carpet

Lucky for you if you have hardwood hidden beneath your carpet, it’s like finding a hidden treasure. Rip up the carpet and refinish hardwood floors and you will improve the value of your home by making it more desirable to the maximum number of home buyers.

In another post The Cost of Home Staging Is Always Less Than the First Price reduction discusses the fact of not taking steps to stage your home, not refinishing hardwood floors will make buyers assume that you don’t take good care of your home, and will more likely make a price reduction accordingly.

Front Entry First Impression

Posted on February 15, 2015 by johanna wells

Image courtesy the Inspiredroom.com

Front entry first impression, Imagine you are pulling up with your car to a home that you are considering to purchase. You can’t help but notice the front entry your first impression of the home. What first impressions do you notice? Is the door dented and dinged, paint chipping, hardware tarnished or dated?

Continue reading →

Painting When Selling a Home

Posted on January 23, 2015 by johanna wells

Painting when selling a home provides a whooping 148 percent return on investment with dramatic results and little investment.

Repair any damaged interior walls by patching all chips, cracks, dents, dings and holes; then touch up or repaint interior walls with neutral color. Wanna know the priority rooms? Read on…

Continue reading →

Stage Your Home for Showings and Marketing Photos

Posted on January 17, 2015 by johanna wells

Home staging if done correctly can provide a return on investment of 251%. Stage your home for showings and marketing photos by freshening a space, cleaning and de-cluttering, adding art, greenery, lighting and staging or renting furniture.

Remember the cost of home staging is always less than your first price reduction, which comes in the way of longer time on market and low offers.

Perception is everything when it comes to marketing a home for sale. The goal is to highlight strengths and to downplay home weaknesses. Dressing a house for success will appeal to a broader range of potential buyers.

Stage your home for showings and marketing photos by:

Decluttering and removing extra items by providing the illusion of more space. Too many items in marketing photos add a air of confusion, make it hard for the eye to see important details of a home. Unless someone wants a fixer upper, home buyers don’t want to purchase a home that appears cramped and lived in. Homebuyers want the feeling of new and fresh.

Dirty homes feel gloomy, are overwhelming and depressive. Cleaning a home of fingerprints, dirt, grime, stray hairs and personal care items will make those that view your property have a positive feelings. There is just something about the thought of taking a bath in another’s dirty tub, or sleeping in a room strewn with dirty clothes and cooking in a kitchen with grimy, greasy cabinets and appliances, yuk what a turn off.

Art is used in home staging to create visual interest. Staging artwork is different than personal art collections that are purchased to inspire memories and are personal in nature. Staging artwork entices home buyers, by creating style, adding color, distracting a view of negative features, highlighting architecture, focal points, providing the illusion of bigger, smaller, wider, taller and adding excitement to a space.

Home staging existing furniture or renting furniture and placing into pleasing arrangements and vignettes, help a home appear functional, spacious and welcoming.
Another part of proper placement of furniture is improving traffic flow, drawing the eye to architectural attributes, hiding flaws and creating balance within a room.

Although much of a buying decision is already predetermined like location, or size of home. Home staging can assist with curb appeal and homey characteristics of a home listing.

Studies have revealed that buyers first impressions of a home’s interior are:

Cleanliness, Clutter and Odor 35%
Decor 21%
Condition & Lighting 16%
Floor Plan 15%
Rooms 13%.

72% of home buyer’s first impressions and feelings can be controlled by the seller with the use of effective home staging.

Selecting Faucet Finish and Style

Posted on January 11, 2015 by johanna wells

selecting faucet finish and style white gold

The return on investment for plumbing will vary from year to year and market to market. The importance of selecting faucet finish and style for your plumbing fixtures will add to your return on investment and increase your bottom line when it come times to sell your home.

As mentioned in my article about top 27 return on investments, updating plumbing depending on market can provide a 260% return on investment on average when selling a home.

Continue reading →

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends

Posted on January 2, 2015 by johanna wells

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends black drum crystal

Lighting size, placement and trends both inside and out when preparing your home for sale reaps one of the greatest returns on investments. Simple lighting improvements can be as easy as washing windows inside and out and replacing spent light bulbs. Othertimes you will need to make updates to compete with new and model homes in the same price range.

Refreshing the look of a room can be done by replacing old, dated light fixtures and ornately decorated fixtures that may not appeal to the broadest range of buyers. I typically recommend when providing home staging consultations that home sellers keep it simple and select lighting in a transitional style, which is neither traditional nor contemporary.

The great thing about transitional style is that it will give you a great updated look in a contemporary setting or a traditional interior setting. As for finishes, transitional styles are flexible allowing you to mix finishes with existing hardware, but if you want to match your finishes to your faucets and hardward, go right ahead.

According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association consumers are looking for contemporary spa like easy to clean bathrooms and kitchens with less clutter and clean simple lines, with LED lighting cited as an “in-demand” kitchen feature for its energy efficiency (which is another hot buyer preference).

Knowing what lighting size, placement and trends when you are updating your home for sale will help you obtain a greater return on investment. Keep these simple home staging tricks handy as a practical solution for any home interiors lighting updates and you won’t go wrong.

Lighting Trends

Consumers love out door living and revamping garden areas, patios and porches can make your curb appeal really “shine”. This will be the first impression buyers will have of your home.

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends black sh

Pendant lighting in 2015 will take on the shapes of bowl pendants and drums (like the one above).

Chandeliers aren’t just for the dining room anymore and are making their way into spaces like studio apartments, attic bedrooms and small mother-in-law suites. The luxury market demands, dramatic, upscale and extravagant transitional crystal chandeliers.

Power in the shower continues its popularity as we head into 2015.

Silver, Chrome and Stainless steel have commonly been used in the kitchen but warm metals like gold, copper and bronze are the trend for 2015.

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends gold pendant

Image Courtesty Decor Pad

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends copper

Image Courtesy KitchenModel.org

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends bronze

Image Courtesy Houzz

Lighting Placement

Lighting placement, size and how high you hang your lighting play an important role in the over all look and feel of a space.

When hanging lighting above your kitchen island hang 24-34 inches above the counter top.
Lighting diameter in the center of a room should measure 1/12^th the size of the room to maintain a balanced look. Measure your rooms length and width and divide by 12 to get the proper size of the light fixture.
When hanging lighting above a table the diameter of the fixture should be 12” less than the width of the table.
Hang your chandelier over the dining table 28” to 32” between the table top and the light fixture.
In a hallway a 7ft. clearance between the floor and light fixture is a good rule of thumb to keep lighting in line of sight.
Image Courtesty EHow
In a stairwell clearance should be 18” to 24” above the tallest occupants head.
Hanging fixtures in the middle of a room demand a 7ft. clearance unless hung above a table or other piece of furniture to avoid bumped heads.

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends bedroom chandalier

Image Courtesty New England Home

Hanging lights in the bedroom and above the bed should be 7 feet or 6” above the head when kneeling on the bed.
Image Courtesty Crisp Architects
Sconces or pendants in the bath should be spaced 28’ apart and 60” off the floor.
Foyer light is placed 80-84” from the bottom of the chandelier to the floor. Center to the window and hang no lower than point of the second floor when the ceiling is really tall.
Table and bedside lamps should measure from the base of the shade and eye level from a seated position.

Lampshade Size

Sometimes your lampshade may be all that is needed to get an updated look. Follow these rules when updating your table lamp shades.

Shade length from top to bottom should be 65-80% of the base length. For example if your base length is 18”, the shade should measure 11”- 15”.
The diameter of the shade should be no more than 2” less that the base diameter. If you have an 18” base the width of the shade not be more than 16 inches.

Top 15 Features Homebuyers Want

Posted on December 29, 2014 by johanna wells

I’m a little statistic nut at times and find that as a home stager it is important to know the studies and statistics available in the market to share with home sellers, who are preparing their home for sale.

Armed with this knowledge it allows me to provide the home seller with a better understanding of where they should place their budget and where they will receive greater return on investment when home staging.

In a nationwide study of new and potential homebuyers of various racial groups, more than 120 home features were rated to be essential, desirable, indifferent or do not want in the homes that homebuyers want to purchase.

Below are the top 15 features homebuyers want:

80 percent of buyers would choose a highly energy efficient home with lower utility bills rather than a home that costs 2-3 percent less without those features.
Around 80 percent of buyers consider garage storage essential or desirable.
80% of homebuyers most wanted outdoor features that include exterior lighting and a patio.
A full bath on the main level is the highest ranked for accessibility
Wide hallways at least 4 feet wide claim the top spot among African-American and Asian buyers.
A wireless home security system is the most wanted technology across all groups
Three features desired in the master bathroom include, an exhaust fan, a linen closet, and both a shower stall and a tub.
Top three essential and desirable features In the kitchen include table space for eating, a walk-in pantry, and a double sink.
Neighborhood green areas are very important to buyers of all racial/ethnic backgrounds.
When homebuyers rated windows, the top two features were an energy-star rating and triple-pane glass.
80% of homebuyers consider garage storage essential or desireable.
A large majority of homebuyers want 2 ½ baths.
Home buyers are willing to pay between $6774-$9146 upfront to save $1000 per year in energy savings
A small percentage of homebuyers report being concerned for the environment, but not to the point of being willing to pay more for such a home.
83% of home buyers feel that contractors with specialized designations, “provide better quality work and craftsmanship. 64% of buyers agree specialized contractors are “worth paying a higher price for.” Suggesting providers want quality workmanship in their homes they want to purchase.

Home Staging Winter Curb Appeal

Posted on December 5, 2014 by johanna wells

Home staging winter curb appeal for our shorter, snowy or dreary days makes lighting important when selling a home – homebuyers don’t want to be surrounded by darkness when they arrive at your door. Outdoor lighting will add to winter curb appeal with an air of welcome, warmth, and accent unique features of your home or landscape, which can add value to your property. The exterior lighting will increase the safety around your home to avoid slip and falls from ice or missed step.

If selling a home during winter months it’s still important to keep deck and patios lit. Painting a picture for home buyers to envision the possibility of barbeques and entertaining family and friends in the sunnier months ahead is an important aspect of any outdoor setting and adds great value to your home.

Its easy to forget the exterior when we aren’t spending time outdoors, but our exteriors play an important role in home sales. Checking the following exterior areas will help in gaining a greater return on investment when it comes time to sell.

Home Staging Winter Curb Appeal

Repair split or decaying wood on the deck and be sure the wood is still sound.

Railings and banisters should be clean and secure.

Clean away any leaves and debris from porch, deck and patio, since these can be slippery and promote mildew.

Grills, ﬁre pits, chimneys create a warm and cozy deck atmosphere, but make sure they and the surrounding areas are clean and free of charred wood.

Be sure all spent light bulbs are replaced and working; clean any light covers to allow maximum light to shine through, and trim any plants or tree limbs that may be blocking light.

Remove cobweb and spider webs from entry way and overhangs.

Be sure to clean all outdoor furniture.

Ding, dong, don’t forget the doorbell, replace if broken or dated, clean if dirty.

If you have trees overhanging your deck, make certain there is no danger of decaying limbs breaking free and falling from trees surrounding the deck.

Now, the dreaded four letter word, you guessed it snow! Make sure the driveway is shoveled or plowed, sidewalks and walkways are free from debris (my neck of the woods its tumbleweeds, ugh) and de-iced.

Your welcome mat if tattered and worn will need to be replaced with a new welcome mat to create friendly, welcoming visual interest. Not to mention grab snow, mud and other dirt off the feet of homebuyers who will be visiting your house.

Home staging winter curb appeal if decorating for the holidays with outdoor lighting, should be kept simple. Clear or white lights tastefully strung and a simple wreath on the door, will be all that you’ll need. The architectural detail of the house should be the shining star when you are trying to appeal to the broadest range of potential homebuyers.

Home Staging vs Interior Design

Posted on November 30, 2014 by johanna wells

Image Courtesty Home Star Staging

Sometimes clients of my Realtors when home staging in Denver is recommended, hear, “I used an interior designer my home is beautiful the way it is and it will sell”. Partially true, eventually all homes sell. The mantra in our neck of the woods from Real Estate pros is “home staging is always less than your first price reduction”.

Image Courtesty blog.ctnews.com/realestatewithjudy. Check out the fresh new look!

I have gone into many homes that from an interior design standpoint makes my heart skip a beat. However, when providing a home staging consultation I explain the differences of home staging vs. interior design.

The use of furniture, artwork, greenery and lighting are used in both home staging and interior design to create an attractive, stylish environment, but that is where the difference ends.

We become blind to the little things in life. It’s the small things that take away from the newly updated kitchen as you will see below.

Interior design is used to create a highly personal space decorated to the tastes of the homeowner. Home staging does the opposite, its goal is to create an impersonal space that looks awesome in marketing photos to attract and appeal to a broad range of people who are looking to buy a home.

Removal of coats, wastecan, items on ledges, refinishing floors, turning on a light and adding art turned this space into an inviting room.

My job as a home stager is to provide unbiased, tactful recommendations, using what you have to impersonalize the space and transform the home into a fresh, welcoming, non-taste specific house that potential buyers like and want to live in. A staged home avoids price reductions from sitting on the market for long periods of time.

Although a lovely room by some standards, dated swags and traditional design create a dreary old feeling that won’t appeal to many.

Removng curtains, hanging a simple mirror and a rearrangment of furniture creates an updated look in this room.

If you hired an interior designer it was because you needed help in the design of your space and that’s ok, but if you aren’t aware of the differences between interior design when staging a house you may open yourself up to not selling as quickly and without the return on investment you were looking for.

Have at it! What’s wrong with this picture?

The goal for we home stagers is to create a welcoming, functional, peaceful and well-organized space. Getting rid of visual distractions that the camera will capture and perspective buyers will see. My job is to be strategic in capturing the positive architectural attributes and downplaying the not so positive. It doesn’t mean that everything has to be plain Jane with no color and zero accessories, it just means we will be using it in smaller doses.

Curtains soften the hards lines of this basement bedroom. Re-arrangement of furniture highlights architectural selling points, making this room inherently more stylish.

Every home no matter the size or price range, if a condo, town home or country manor, even if beautifully decorated can benefit from staging services to create a mood that buyers emotionally respond to that is the difference between Home Staging vs Interior Design. A home stager will consult or do the work for you to update, re-arrange, edit and make changes to reflect current trends using low-cost solutions.

Home Staging the Generation Gap

Posted on November 26, 2014 by johanna wells

My recent home staging consultation sporting refinished hard wood floors, trending paint color and tasteful decor.

National Association of Realtors say that 60% of the buyers that will drive the real estate market in the coming years is the generation under the age of 33 and the slightly older Gen X’s. The bulk of the housing inventory will come from retiring and downsizing Baby Boomers in the next 15 years.

20.1 million senior and booming households will attempt to sell between 2015 and 2030, according to University of Utah researcher, Arthur C. Nelson.

Adding new bedding and pillows is one of the easiest updates for a fresh, updated look.

What pray tell do our young buyers want? An updated home with a large percentage of homes built before 1990. What they don’t want is an older looking, outdated home. This will pose a challenge for our upcoming baby boomer sellers, should they be hesitant in improving a homes appeal.

Updated kitchen featuring new appliances, updated cabinets and granite counter tops in this open floor plan.

Home staging, renovation and updates will continue to be an important part of marketing a home for sale — to boost a home’s value to appeal to younger buyers and sell fast.

The more a home seller knows how to appeal to buyers the better their chances for selling fast and for top dollar. Home buyers will be looking for homes that look their very best and stand out on from the competition.

Spacious, multi-use, finished basement is an update that appeals to a broad range of both GenX and Millenial home buyers.

Home Staging the Generation Gap Will Include:

Home renovations and updates.
Move in market ready homes.
More closet and storage space.
Open floor plans, home offices with up-to-date wiring and technology.
Finishd basements.
Energy efficiency.
Hardwood floors and granite counter tops.
Extra rooms.
Upgraded kitchens.
Media Savvy homes.
Living spaces optimally designed for family usage.
New Appliances.
Quality and well-priced inventory.

Home sellers who consider buyer preferences when preparing a home for sale can make your property more appealing to a broader range of buyers to sell faster. Home staging will help to emphasize the space in a home by showing property to appear open, light, bright, spacious and use merchandising techniques that update and enhance the property to more likely attract top dollar.

Check out this article on what home improvements to make for the best return on investment.

Johanna Wells

Home Staging | How To | Marketing | Resources | Tips and Trends

Category Archives: Return On Investment

Refinishing Hardwood Flooring

Front Entry First Impression

Painting When Selling a Home

Stage Your Home for Showings and Marketing Photos

Stage your home for showings and marketing photos by:

Selecting Faucet Finish and Style

Lighting Size, Placement and Trends

Lighting Trends

Lighting Placement

Lampshade Size

Top 15 Features Homebuyers Want

Home Staging Winter Curb Appeal

Home Staging Winter Curb Appeal

Home Staging vs Interior Design

Home Staging the Generation Gap

Home Staging the Generation Gap Will Include:

Related posts on Home Staging:

Related posts on Home Staging:

Related posts on Home Staging:

Stage your home for showings and marketing photos by:

Related posts on Home Staging:

Related posts on Home Staging:

Lighting Trends

Lighting Placement

Lampshade Size

Related posts on Home Staging:

Related posts on Home Staging:

Home Staging Winter Curb Appeal

Related posts on Home Staging:

Related posts on Home Staging:

Home Staging the Generation Gap Will Include:

Related posts on Home Staging: