Sheron Cardin's Input...: October 2007

Most homes are decorated WRONG if decorated at all. Since entering the decorating business in the early 80's, I can count on two hands how many homes I have walked into where the furniture was in the right place, the art was hung the right height, window coverings were flattering and functional, and accessories were exciting and fresh. I can count on one hand how many homes CLOSETS were neat and organized...smelling fresh, and towel bars were lint free and polished, dog dishes coordinated with the decor, and the beds were made properly.

Another bugaboo of mine is seeing liquid soaps, shampoos, moisturizers, toothbrush holders, cleaners, sponges, laundry soaps, and squeegees all out in plain sight. This may sound very anal but when was the last time you walked into a model home and thought about your teeth? All these items on counters and shelves do just that...they take you down the hygiene highway far away from where you are supposed to be heading.

So as far fetched as it may seem, if you are going to be showing your home to anyone other than cousin Joe and Aunt Mildrid, then you better get your home shaped up for prospective buyers. There is a good chance they just went through the model homes down by the school and have a slew of decorating magazine's in their kitchens looking for the right kind of place they can call home. So if you want to sell your home to these people, you are going to have to catch up and match up.

Dear Consumer,

Here is a quick list to help you visualize what you must do if you want to compete and win in the house selling game:

1. Your yard, front and back, needs to look better than everyone else's on your block.
   
2. Your exterior lights at night need to be brighter than anyone else's on the block
3. The paint color of your house needs to be fresh and current.
4. Your front door and entrance to your front door need to be spotless and colorful.
5. Your view from the entry in your home needs to be decorated and clearly defined.
6. Each room needs to reflect the purpose of that room like a page out of a magazine.
7. Every closet and cabinet needs to be organized and odor free.
   
8. All hardware and lighting fixtures need to be fresh and working properly.
9. All walls and floors must look and feel new.
10. The lifestyle of your target market needs to be addressed and presented clearly.

I know this is a lot of work but today's market is a NEW MARKET with above average expectations! If you fall short and don't give it your best effort, then your buyers will keep looking for someone who does.

how2homestage.com shows you how to do it yourself. 

The two most difficult obstacles to overcome when staging an occupied home are... 

1: The kids: Why isn't it as fun to put something back as it is to take it out...does it get heavier? What's the big deal about picking up after yourself? We all get sick of saying "Clean your room right now!" and we would drop dead in the doorway if the room was actually clean when we go check on them. 

Most of us are parents and we know how hard it is to get kids to do something they don't want to do. But the bottom line  is... there is no reward in putting something back. So how can we suggest to home sellers to keep their homes spotless for sometimes months if we cannot even get our kids to put their clean and folded laundry away in the right drawer? Children are not the big supporters for a move anyway, so the resistance to cooperate is even stronger than before, but as in all training techniques there has to be something in it for them.

Here is the trick...bribe them with real profit sharing from the sale of the house! (I received a killer back massage last night from my granddaughter for $5) Do the math for them and show them how much money can actually be made when the house is kept clean, tidy, and staged.

Money talks! Let's say the house is staged for $1,500 and the asking price for the house is $300,000. The first price reduction could be as much as 5% so lets say that adds up to $15,000. The chances of a house selling in the first 30 days are slim and none these days without staging. Keeping the house up with children is next to impossible unless there is something in it for them.  

Back to the math:  Assuming the selling family has 3 children all school age were to get 10% of the potential profit of $15,000, that would be a whopping $1,500. That is a lot of money and it is just being thrown away because they are not willing to keep up the look of the house while it is on the market! (obviously these are guesstimates) 

"But what if?" With today's statistics on staged homes selling faster than their non-staged counterparts and for more money that their competition...it is well worth the try. If the house closes in 75 days from the listing date, that comes out to $20 earned every day, per child. That is a lot of money! It can be used or saved for a college fund or down payment on a car, or a clothes shopping spree, or however that child wants to spend it. Anything over the price of the home after the first price reduction can be called profit and that profit...now matter how large or small...10% is earned by each child.

2: Where is it supposed to go? Once the seller has the kids on board the money train...then what? An essential element of merchandising a property is to clear it out so once this is done, the cluttering slows to a minimum because that stuff is gone. This helps tremendously. 

Setting up a simple system for clothes, laundry, everyday essentials, toys, personal items, etc., is critical to the success of a successful sale. Putting a basket in each closet for laundry is easy to do. Install some hooks in the closet for quick hangups. Baskets with lids for toys, games, clickers, etc., keeps each room tidy and organized.

If you would like a complimentary Family To Do List, the same one I give to my clients, just enter your email address in the newsletter sign up window under my profile. I will be happy to send it to you. It is a tool that will make family life easier to deal with while the home is on the market and increase the chances of a profitable sale for even the kids.

Active Rain is not only active...it is everywhere and everyone is getting wet. The search engines are flooding with Active Rain Blogs and I got my first big phone call yesterday! 

So what is wrong? Nothing really...but a big lesson has been learned...and maybe some of you already know this but for those who don't...

Here is the lesson #1: You are what you write about!

• If your posts are full of complaints, your name will pop up in the search engines when someone is looking for "The Biggest Complainer". If you want to whine and nag everyone to death with your bloging then before you know it...you will be called to be on the Maury Povitch show.
  
• If you post about food and recipes, Martha may be trying to reach you.
• If you are the highest earning real estate agent in your city but you blog about kids and dogs, the SPCA will find your name at the top of the list when they are looking for a new regional director.
• If you are an interior designer with an Internet business servicing the home staging community and you blog about feng shui, the Entertainment Network may call you to be on one of their shows.

The latter is what happened to me yesterday and the gentleman who called me was very disappointed when he learned that I was not a feng shui expert. He was just doing his job and he thought he had found a HOT LEAD when he Googled his query and Sheron Cardin was at the top of the list. Woohoo, he probably thought...and she lives in California...it would be no big deal to have her fly down to Los Angeles and do a taping for a special segment of the Chelsea Lately Show. 

If I WERE a feng shui expert yesterday, I would have been well on my way to living my dreams. 

Active Rain members can become who ever they want to be...all they need to do is write about it. I have only written seven feng shui posts and I have caught a bubble to the top of the heap.

Lesson #2: Post in the language of your dreams!

I have had a lot of fun with feng shui and want to learn it all over the next few years but I am an Interior Designer/Decorator/Stager so if I want to live in MY DREAM, then I now know what to do!