What Home Buyers Want

What Home Buyers Want


by: ashleywhittenberger Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Author: ashleywhittenberger





Ashley Whittenberger is a chronic entrepreneur, business consultant and speaker who has learned to successfully balance her left brain with her right. As President and CEO of several companies Ashley knows exactly how to harness her creativity, vision, business savvy and leadership skills to inspire others to “play a bigger game” in life and business. You can learn more about Ashley at www.ashleywhittenberger.com.



In a recent study of home buyer preferences conducted by Avid Ratings Co featured in on one of our favorite blogs, Styled, Staged & Sold, we learned a lot about what today’s new home buyer is looking for. How does this relate to properly packaging, marketing and staging an existing home when going on the market? First of all, we can probably assume that these preferences would be applicable to those purchasing pre-owned homes as well. Since the definition of staging includes “preparing a property to appeal to the most number of buyers as possible” and this study shows us what most buyers are looking for, BINGO! We’ve got the ingredients for our action plan right before our eyes. Thanks to this study, we know where focusing our attention will yield the best ROI when staging a home to sell. Ready to get started? First let’s take a look at the Top 10 Features Buyers Want in a New Home:

1. Large kitchens with an island.



2. Energy-efficient appliances and high-efficiency insulation and windows. (These were the most sought-after “green” features from buyers.)



3. Home office or study



4. Main-floor master suite



5. Outdoor living room



6. Ceiling fans



7. Master suite soaker tubs and oversize showers with seating areas



8. Stone and brick exteriors



9. Community landscaping with walking paths and playgrounds.



In this blog series, we’re going to dig a little deeper and see how we can take this helpful information, and use it to help us in staging a pre-owned home. After all, you’ve got to be able to compete with new homes and well as other pre-owned homes if you’re putting your home on the market. This is a beauty contest you won’t want to lose!



Stay tuned for our next blog entry where we’ll discuss Item #1: Buyers want to see large kitchens with an island…



Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Ashley Whittenberger is the Principal and Chief Decorating Officer of Interiority Complex. You can visit Interiority Complex, access the free article archive of design prescriptions or learn more about home staging and creative design therapy at www.myinterioritycomplex.com. Ashley lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, son, two dogs, and two cats, and she is proud that she has learned to successfully live and thrive with her compulsive and chronic rearranging and re-designing disorders.







[[T_F]]Data Leak Prevention – Data Security Solutions – Information Theft Protection, Detection and Prevention Software Productstracefusion_signature=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[[T_F]]© 2010, ashleywhittenberger. All rights reserved.

Facebook - Ugh

Well I have decided to take the plunge to Facebook.  Ugh!  I set it up under my name but seemed to have attracted all the prattle of various "friends".   It's more complicated than I envisioned.  It was intended to be just for HomeReady Home Staging stuff so I guess I need to fine tune the links and discourage the personal.  Maybe I should just deactivate and start again.  This is one reason why I have held off until now.  If anyone has constructive suggestions I am open to hearing them.

Addressing the "clean up the house before the Cleaning Lady comes" syndrome

I'm sure that you've all heard the saying "Oh, I have to clean up the house before the Cleaning Lady comes".  As a Home Stager, I meet with a variation on this theme all the time.   Referrals and potential referrals often are thinking, "Oh the stager can't come to see me for a consultation cuz we haven't painted, cleaned, decluttered, packed away. . .  etc. yet.  Well this is where I need to educate.  I like to get working with a referral before they embark on their house preparation trek.  This way I can help homeowners looking to sell with a priority list of what needs to be done and this may save them a lot of guess work and stress in the long run.  As a home stager, I know what would best suit their situation to highlight the unique selling features of their house and what might be the most cost effective changes.  For instance, I keep up to date on the latest trends that appeal to home buyers.  I have my Staging Safe Colors(TM). that help sellers use colour to the the best advantage to show off their house.  I can suggest simple tricks and tips that make the house look newer and more modern.  As well, too often prospective home sellers in their zealousness, wholeheartedly embrace the notion of decluttering and pack away everything not nailed down resulting in a bare and bland decor.    Then we have to go searching through all their boxes looking for those pieces of this or that to add to the lifestyle and ambiance they are hoping to create to get buyers interested. 
Spending more money than needed is thus sometimes the problem.  An interlock walkway is expensive, where a more simple flagstone and pebble one would do.  Ceramic counters are nice, but look at what is selling in your neighbourhood.  Hardwood versus laminate, ceramic versus vinyl.  These are the things that a home stager can help the homeowner with long before their house is ready to be Show Cased.  So this is why I like to see prospective sellers right at the beginning of the house preparation process.  Home Staging is more than just arranging the furniture and accessories nicely.  A home stager can help with the whole house selling preparation process.   So take a risk; contact HomeReady Home Staging now before you pick up a screwdriver or paint brush; before you spend more money than you may need to.  I can advise you right at the beginning what is the best way to prepare. 
homeready@homereadyhomestaging.ca,  http://www.homereadyhomestaging.ca/
613-894-4155

What's in Your closet? A place to hide or a place to organize and store?

Most houses have a coat closet fairly close to the front door.  What it looks like inside can give the prospective buyer a clue about the storage capacity of your house whether this perception is realistic or not.  As with most things, perception is everything!  So what's in your closet?  When selling your house it just won't do to lop all sorts of odds and ends into the closet.  The old adage "out of sight - out of mind" just doesn't hold up when when your house is listed for sale.  Why?  Because prospective buyers will look into your closet to see if their "stuff" will fit in.  If there are coats hung from all seasons willy-nilly on hangers  and shoes and sporting equipment thrown into the bottom of the closet and hats, scarves, gloves and mittens thrown up on the shelves, and that box of things meant to go to the Sally Ann, toys that were lying about on the floor, a bag of clothes meant for the dry cleaners. . . I think you get the picture.  Yikes, there is no room for anything!  What a great first impression buyers have of the storage in your house.  Wonder what other closets and cupboards have to offer?  Are they big enough to hold everything?  So you can see that this negative first impression can carry over into buyers thinking about all the storage within the house.  This negative psychological snowball effect can have a detrimental effect on the saleability of your house.  Of course all of this can be eliminated by applying the principles of organization offered by your Home Stager who has specific training in effective organizing and storage techniques.  Your Home Stager can help you decide what needs to stay and what needs to be stored elsewhere or given away.  She (he) can suggest containers and systems to organize sports equipment and hats and gloves and shoes so that the coat closet is neat and organized and has the look of lots of space for a prospective buyer's things.  Now I wonder what the other closets look like?  If you would like to find out more about organizing your closets for your house sale, contact HomeReady Home Staging.  We would be pleased to give you a free quote for our consultation services! Call 613-894-4155.

How's your Curb Appeal?

Now that spring really seems to be here, it's time to ask "How's your curb appeal?"  Yes, go stand out by the road looking straight at your house.  How does it look?  Yes, a little worse for wear after the winter, eh?  And you're thinking of putting your house on the market, when?   Next week!  Well, you might want to reconsider when you take a critical look and actually see what a prospective buyer might be looking at. 

Is your driveway weathered and cracked?  And does it lead up to a garage door that needs a good paint job or even worse, replacing?  What about the trim around windows, is it chipped and peeling?  That is if you can see them through the tangle of overgrown shrubs and trees.  Now the roof, are the shingle past their expiry date? And for goodness sake, please take down those Christmas lights!  Is the walkway a minefield leading up to a gloomy entry way saying "go away"?  I think you are getting the picture!  Yes there often is a lot of work that needs to be done on the exterior of the property too to enhance that Curb Appeal.  Remember that you only have one chance to make a good first impression.  I can help, just call. . .  HomeReady Home Staging, 613-894-4155.
Now is the time to create the Wow, Let HomeReady show you How!

Contrary to popular opinion Home Stagers do not work for free! Rant # 3

I repeat, contrary to popular opinion, Home Stagers do not work for free!  However, if the principles of Home Staging are correctly applied, the cost of the service to the homeowner is often free when you consider the ROI of over 500% in many cases.  This is different!  The Home Stager though, is paid for their services; be it consultation with suggestions/recommendations for upgrades or the actual show casing to present that lifestyle image that will attract the buyers.  In efforts to be sensitive and to keep costs low for the homeowner, I have recently submitted several proposals for show casing that I typically don't charge for.  In presenting the proposals to the homeowners, I took my time (time=money) to explain the plan for show casing.  The homeowners were very impressed and excited with what I had proposed and suggested.  Considerable time and effort go into the research and creative design of these proposals so that my clients get the best possible result.  So I do get a bit worked up later when the homeowners come back with "Thanks for your input and help.  Your ideas are great.  We think we'll take it from here after all"  or  "We can't possibly pay you that, but we will use your ideas anyways to prepare our half million dollar home for sale".  Maybe it's just sour grapes on my part, but I can't help feeling cheated.  I've learned my lesson though - There aren't any free lunches and I will be charging clients now for what I think I am worth and valued for!

A Little Garden Magic

With a seemingly early spring upon us, my thoughts are to uncover the tender little shoots coming up into the warm air.  However, this is not a wise idea as it is really too early for little green shoots to survive the still cool nights.  One can't help thinking about the garden though it you have the "bug".  The smell of the earth beckons.  I realize though that not everyone thinks like I do and gardening is not their thing.  I have viewed many houses that may have that "WOW" on the inside but lack that curb appeal on the outside.  They may like the look but lack the inclination to get it so I have decided to expand the business to include more "garden staging" projects for homeowners looking to improve the curb appeal when selling their house.  Also, some homeowners who do want to stay where they are, are also looking  for someone to "stage" what they already have.  That is, to make small changes to the garden they have or would like to have.  This could be simply planting flowers or shrubs to small garden reconstruction.  The idea is to beautify the outdoor areas to compliment the appeal of the indoor areas.  The ambience of a lifestyle is created to attract prospective buyers or to engage the current owners in their own plot of paradise.

If this is something that appeals to you or someone you know give HomeReady Home Staging a call as we would love to help out with a little garden magic!  Let HomeReady Home Staging create that Wow - We know how!Homeready@homereadyhomestaging.ca , 613-894-4155.