M/M Homeowner: I'm here to make you $

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. ...Wikipedia.org

Well, yes.  But it is always about the money!  Money for the homeowner and Realtor®. 

1. A Staged® home sells as much as 80% faster and 7% higher on average than it's non-staged counterpart.
2. The faster a home sells, the faster the homeowner gets out from under the mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA fees, utilities, and maintenance costs. This can save them tens of thousands of dollars.
3. The cost of Staging a home is almost always (if not always) less money than the first price reduction.
4. Realtor's simply do not get paid unless and until a home sale closes. They invest time and energy marketing a property, but it must actually sell before they earn any money. Staging their listings brings higher offers and faster sales, which enables them to work on securing their next listing.

RISMedia published a report in 2010 illustrating the signifcant impact Staging has had on the real estate market.  Of the 500 Realtors® from across the country surveyed at the National Association of Realtors Expo:

• 96% believed buyers react better to Staged homes than vacant ones
• 94% believed vacant homes take longer to sell than Staged homes 
• 94% believed vacant homes sell for less money than Staged homes
• The majority of Realtors surveyed agreed that vacant homes take twice as long to sell and sell for at least 15% less than a Staged home.

Occupied homes also do very well when Staged. Within the past 10 days we have had one Staged occupied home go under contract on Day 15 at 95% of list price, and another went under contract on Day 5 near list price!

Home Staging is really about making money for the homeowner. With typical ROIs of 250% to more than 300%, it simply doesn't make financial sense to try to sell a home without the assistance of a Professional Home Stager.



http://www.ballantynehomestaging.com/ | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Oops...You Shouldn’t Have Done That

Has this ever happened to you?

You get to the appointment and walk into a home with an unusual mix of styles, colors and upgrades. The proud homeowners are beaming with pride and it is up to you to (as gently as possible) burst their bubble?

It’s a terrible position to be in, and I wish we could band together to stop homeowners from bad, equity-draining home repairs and/or upgrades before they happen.

Problem #1: The do-it-yourselfer. This is perfectly okay if a) they actually pulled a permit if it were required and b) they are capable of doing the work properly themselves. Doing work that requires a permit WITHOUT a permit can cause quite a bit of pain when it’s time to sell. Although painting is a good way to update the house, please seek professional advice on colors BEFORE you paint.

Problem #2: Kitchen & bathroom upgrades. They aren’t always the best place to spend $$. Before a homeowner spends thousands of dollars on upgraded appliances, granite countertops and the latest fad sinks and tiles, let’s consider the ROI for each improvement. What style is their house? At what price will it likely sell? Does their competition offer these? Will these “upgrades” appeal to the likely demographic buyer? Are these upgrades necessary to sell their house at the price the market will bear?

Problem #3: The Right Stuff. Did the homeowner update their house too cost-effectively? (Yes, there is such a thing.) Nothing says poor craftsmanship louder than badly cut crown moldings, paint roller marks on the ceilings, gaps between the vent covers and hardwoods, and missing quarter rounds. Oh, and in the $450,000 home, nothing says cheap more like a vinyl floor that looks like wood!

Since not all home repairs and updates are created equal, let’s help home owners and sellers make wise choices.

www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Short Sales and Staging

This afternoon I met with a Realtor and we were discussing the plethora of distressed properties in the Charlotte market.  And we both agreed that even sellers of short sale homes typically receive higher offers and sell faster if they stage those short sales before putting them on the market.

Yet we all know the problem: most, if not all, short sale sellers are upside-down on the mortgage and dont' want to spend money to get their house sold. I understand this completely because all these homeowners want is to get out of the house and out from under the mortgage.

This, paradoxically, is why they need the help of a Stager. 

We’re all guilty of it. When we live in our houses for a while, we tend to overlook – or truly do not see -- the things that need attention. Yet with so much distressed inventory on the market, even short sellers have only seconds to make a good first impression. Even short sale properties should be q-tip clean and memorable.

Hiring a professional home stager for a consultation will help a seller understand:

1. What should stay, what needs to go, an dwhat can be repurposed
2. Space planning – how to make the most of each room
3. Proper furniture arrangements
4. Proper accessorizing

Never underestimate the impact of proper color combinations, which can almost always be done with accessories the homeowner already owns, or from discount stores in the area like Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Kirkland’s and Ross. Don’t forget about second-hand stores and garage sales, too! Of course, the most cost-effective way to accessorize is to borrow items from family or friends.

To improve the curb appeal, a short seller can use a little sweat equity to make a big difference. Paint the mailbox & porch lights, straighten the flagpole, clean the gas lamp, replace burned out light bulbs, weed the flower beds, trim the shrubs, clean out gutters and – for the cost of a quart of paint – paint the front door with a high gloss finish.

Sell Higher | Sell Faster | Sell Smarter

http://www.ballantynehomestaging.com/ | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Local family hopes to adopt special needs child overseas

This is a copy of 2/26/2011 article on News14 Carolina:

MONROE - A family who has dealt with the challenges of having a child with Down Syndrome has decided to take in another child with the chromosomal disorder.  The Maddex Family is raising money to adopt a child from an eastern European orphanage. Laurie Maddex first learned about 3-year-old Danil on the Internet, from an international adoption ministry. With financial donations, Reece's Rainbow helps others like the Maddex family bring children with Down Syndrome to the United States.

“Something just kind of clicked in my heart that said ordinary people could do this,” said Laurie Maddex.
Her husband, Bryan, was against the idea to start but later had a change of heart when a co-worker shared personal experience of the conditions of orphanages overseas and the unimaginable fate of special needs children living there.  “Just thinking about Chase being in an institution and not having anyone to love him or hug him or hold him or give him every opportunity in life is really what pulled on me,” said Bryan Maddex.  The Maddex family has already begun the adoption process. They have started an online auction to raise the $25,000 needed to bring Danil home, selling everything from jewelry to homemade honey.

Danil is just five days older than Chase. Brian and Laurie Maddex plan to meet him for the first time when they visit Danil's orphanage over the summer. So far, the Maddex family has raised about $9,000 The online auction runs through the end of the month but you can make a donation anytime by logging onto Reece's Rainbow's website.

***********

Bryan is a friend of mine and we've been discussing ways to raise funds.  I've volunteered to donate $1 for every new like on my company Facebook page.  All you need to do is tell all your friends to LIKE Ballantyne Home Staging between now and April 15th!  That's it...you can unlike us later :-) but we hope you don't.

Thank you for your help in bringing Danil home.




www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Nanney & Bumgardner Join Ballantyne Home Staging

We are excited to announce that Mary Pat Nanney and Elizabeth Bumgardner have joined the Ballantyne Home Staging team in Charlotte!

Mary Pat Nanney





Nanney has a B.S. in Interior Design and has worked as an interior designer, visual merchandiser and advertising photo stylist. Her background enables her to take a critical look at a setting, ensure its features are enhanced and presented at its best to evoke a positive emotional response from the consumer. 

Elizabeth Bumgardner



Bumgardner earned her B.A. in Architecture from Clemson University and worked for a building design firm in New York City for more than three years. Her background includes developing floor plans, structural plans, kitchen and bath layouts, and assisting with the selection of
materials and interior finishes.

Ballantyne Home Staging is a licensed and insured company offering staging, redecorating and move-in assistance for residential and commercial properties in the greater Charlotte area. For more information on the company, visit www.ballantynehomestaging.com.

www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

The Cottages, Pineville NC

www.ballantynehomestaging.com 980.322.5825 carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Home Staging Costs

The Cost of home staging is a hot topic in the real estate community. Some Realtors® don’t blink and understand the value of the service, other Realtors® think Staging® fees are too high.  The value of home staging is determined by how quickly the house sells and the satisfaction the buyer perceives for the service (as is the case in just about any transaction in life). Staged houses sell more quickly (50%-80% less time on market) and for more money (average 7 %) than un-staged homes.

Let me start with this: there is no set price for home staging services. The size of the home, the location of the home, the condition of the home, the staging professional chosen, the scope of the project, the condition of the housing market in that area/community and other factors will all contribute to the price tag.

It can be a complicated equation! 

And the ROI for a home professionally staged is huge: below are some of our real life examples: 

1. A Staging investment of $5,000 yields $14,000 higher list price! 
2. A $650 Staging investment had a house sold in 32 days at list!
3. A $1,200 Staging investment had a house sold FOR CASH in ONE day!
4. A $24,000 Staging investment resulted in a $70,000 higher list price -- and this house actually had competing bids and went under contract $91,000 higher than where it was going to originally list prior to the Staging overhaul.

Many of the variables that must be taken into consideration to calculate the cost of home staging include:

• The Consultation fee charged by the Stager.

• The Design fee charged by the Stager if hired to do the staging.

• The cost of Staging assistants.

• The cost of items that are either rented or purchased to Stage the property.

• The cost of transporting, delivering heavy furniture. This is multiplied by 2 because the items have to be removed and returned to storage when the house sells.

• The cost of labor for moving the furniture. This is multiplied by 2 because the furniture must be removed when the house sells.

• The cost of labor for projects to be handled by contractors.

• Monthly rentals for furnishings and accessories until the house is sold.

And there are always standard costs of running a business involved that must be factored into any quote.

Some of these costs can be deferred if the homeowner is willing and able to invest some sweat equity, which is why I prefer to start with a Staging Consultation on all occupied properties.

www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com