Rockland Home Staging

New Home Staging company in Rockland County NY

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:51:49 -0500

The Staging Prince is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of its homeowners’ consulting business — preparing and presenting homes for sale in the lower Hudson Valley. Based in Rockland County, The Staging Prince’s goal is to maximize the homeowners’ equity on sale.

The Staging Prince is also pleased to announce its affiliation with veteran staging consultant Maureen Henry of Rockland Home Staging (who wrote these blog posts). Ms. Henry, through her vision of what will grab a buyer’s imagination, lit the way to a sale for many Rockland homeowners. Now she is moving on to a career in teaching and passing the torch to Jerry White of The Staging Prince.

“The Staging Prince’s timing is excellent,” Ms. Henry noted, “since the value added by staging (beyond simple decluttering) is becoming recognized in Rockland as it has been in Westchester. Many agents recommend that their clients hire a professional stager because staged houses typically sell faster and for more money than unstaged ones. Buyers’ agents like to show staged homes because they can count on their looking good.”

“I expect that professional staging consultations will become de rigueur in Rockland,” Mr. White said, “and that agents will offer to sponsor them to help them win listings. Some Rockland brokerages now pay for initial staging consultations as part of their listing service, splitting the modest cost with the listing agent on closing. Any further costs for needed home repairs, upgrades and staging itself is paid for by the homeowners, an investment that will pay off for the seller in a better price and a faster sale.”

While it is advantageous for homeowners to stage their home before the first open house so it will be 100% ready to show, The Staging Prince will also provide consultations after listing, focusing on barriers to sale.

Call The Staging Prince today to get started 845-875-4561 or 201-505-0005.

Oh my, a Barny Dining Room Transformation

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:03:13 -0500

Sometimes transforming a room is as simple as adding a coat of paint $50, Replacing the lighting $50 and decluttering $0. You don't need a ton of artwork, accessories and distractions. Staging is about showcasing the space, the floors, windows and architectural details. In the after pictures below the space is the star.

BEFORE AFTER

Call Rockland Home Staging for to sell your home quickly and for top dollar. Let us take the guesswork out of getting your home ready for sale. (845)731-9510.

Curb appeal transformation - is it worth the money?

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:17:53 -0500

You be the judge:

Exterior Front Before: Exterior Front After

Here is a close up of the garden:

The after photo does not even do the landscaping justice. There is a lovely Japanese Red Maple and a Weeping Cherry tree along with various red and green shrubs.

Home staging really begins at the curb. This is a lovely home but before you could not even appreciate how pretty it is because of the overgrown trees in front. With a minimal investment this home has turned into a swan. The total cost for ripping out the old trees, installing more than 15 new trees and shrubs, planting flowers, edging and mulching the garden was only $1600. This 5 bedroom colonial is due to hit the market on Monday. Hopefully it will sell quickly. The inside is just as pretty as the exterior!

If you are selling your home in Rockland County NY contact Rockland Home Staging to help you take the guesswork out of getting your home ready for sale. (845)359-5112.

YouPublish.com New Home Staging Group ~ Share your files, forms or photos

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:07:52 -0500

Have you guys heard of You Publish.com? It is a way to share any files, eBooks, movies, pictures or any type of file you can think of. It is kind of like eBay for files.

Youpublish just came out with a Group Feature. It makes it easier for people to share information. Stagers can post articles, forms, power points, word documents and even jpg files. You can give them away for free or charge for them. You can offer things for as little as $1.00 or name your price. This could be a great resource for stagers to share materials they have created. I think it could be almost like a home staging training company without the affiliations.

The home staging group home is here:

You can join by visiting youpublish.com/referredby/rhsmoe.

I posted this a while ago when I first found out about Youpublish:

I created a home staging presentation designed for stagers to teach classes for Realtors®. It was originally intended for a typical three hour continuing education class - it is 35 pages in length. I teach these classes through my local board of Realtors®. Agents are required to take a number of classes to maintain their real estate license. The home staging class is one of the most popular classes offered by our local board of Realtors®. It blows doors on the Mold Class!!!

It can be hard to come up with enough material to teach a three hour class and speaking for that length of time can be intimidating. This PP has all the facts you need and will help you stay on track. There are little breaks built in where the agents play a little staging game called: Stage that Room. It works out great because it gets the audience involved so the stager is not talking through the entire thing.

This PP is fully customizable and there is space for your logo and tagline. Stagers can also shorten it to accommodate 20 minute office presentations or hour long library programs.

All the work has been done for you. Here is a sample page. Check it out at : youpublish.com/rhsmoe.

Have something you'd like to sell on You Publish? Join here: youpublish.com/referredby/rhsmoe, I do get credit for referring people.

No cost Home Staging

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:59:22 -0500

Sometimes home staging is just a matter of rearranging the furniture to make the space appear larger and more aesthetically pleasing. Rockland Home Staging recently did a consultation with the owner of a one bedroom condo. The unit was overpowered by the large entertainment center and bulky furniture. We had a budget of $0 for this project. I was called in to to a consultation and the homeowners did all the heavy lifting! Here are the results.

The photos on the left are the actual MLS photos, mine are on the right. I think choosing a good angle and having a wide angle camera also help.

BEFORE AFTER

By separating the entertainment center and placing the two pieces on the side of the windows we really maximized the space. The hutch that was to the right of the window fit perfectly in the entry that was previously bare. Even with no budget staging can make a difference.

If you would like to schedule a home staging consultation call Rockland Home Staging at (845)731-9510. We'll help you take the guesswork out of getting your home ready for sale.

Fasten your seatbelt, you are now leaving 1970

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:04:02 -0500

Many of the homes in Rockland County NY were built in the late 1960's and early 1970's and have not been updated since. Thes homes are often characterized by dark paneling, velvet couches, matching custom window treatments and brass fixtures. While these furnishings may have been perfect for the 70's they hold no appeal for today's young buyers.

Sometimes all it takes is a coat of paint, a slip cover and a few throw pillows to update this look of the home. This home was transformed for under $400.00. These simple inexpensive changes have brought this home into the 21st century.

Home staging does not need to be expensive to create dramatic results. At Rockland Home Staging we will work within your budget. in most cases we can work with things you already own to create a look that will appeal to a broader range of home buyers.

Call Rockland Home Staging today to take the guesswork out of getting your home ready for sale. (845)731-9510.

Advertising Home Staging with Magnetic Car Signs

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:41:15 -0600

I am always looking for new ways to market my business. I've heard that people have gotten business from advertising via magnetic signs on their cars so I decided to try it for myself. Home staging is still a relatively new term here so I figured maybe driving around with the sign will spark some discussion on home staging.

I finally got around to ordering Magnetic Car Signs for my vehicle. I tried a few different companies, both local and online. I found some of the software very difficult to work with. I was not able to upload my Logo on any of the sites. I think the file may have been too large.

Finally I found Build A Sign. Their software was pretty easy to use and very easy to change around. I was able to play with the colors and fonts. I tried to keep it simple so it would be easy to read when I'm on the road.

http://www.buildasign.com/

Let me know what you guys think. If you have any creative ways to market your business I'd love to hear about them.

Slip covers help give rooms an updated look!

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:10:16 -0500

I just finished staging a beautiful home that just needed a few finishing touches. The living room and family room appeared dated because of the gold crushed velvet couches. I purchased SureFit Slip Covers at Bed Bath & Beyond for $198. These slip covers are fantastic!!! They are like Spanks for furniture. The sofa and love seat were small in scale and had a very low back and narrow arms so I was a little woried how they would fit. It turned out perfectly. Don't you just love a happy ending?

The home is in a beautiful family neighborhood and just needed a gentle nudge to appeal to the under 35 set. The home goes on the market tomorrow and will hopefully sell quickly.

Home Staging Statistics

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Wed, 09 May 2007 18:20:23 -0500

I have been looking for some time for a credible home staging statistic to put on my website, Rockland Home Staging.com. Recently I found a statistic with a credible source. I was reading about STAGING FEATURED IN "PARADE" SECTION OF MOST MAJOR PAPERS! The article listed that staged homes sell for 6% more. The direct quote is: A Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. survey found that staged homes spent half the time on the market and sold for more than 6% above the asking price. At first I thought this was going to be like most of the other home stating statistics that are hard to track back to the source. They seem to take on a life of their own.

I did some research online and was able to find this statistic quoted many times. Here is one from USA Today:

read article.

For my friends in Canada, here is one from Canadian Business, Money section.

read article.

I think when I update my website next I am going to include this quote in the What is Staging section. If this statistic is good enough for USA Today I think it is good enough for my website. If anyone can find the original Coldwell Banker study I'd love to be able to quote the source directly. If anyone has any other credible home staging statistics please share them!

Update - Addbranding merged with another company and is no longer available.

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:31:20 -0600

TRY IT FOR FREE!!! Then purchase it at a 40% discount. Promotional code AFL267.

This is absolutely my favorite new product. It is an email Stationery from Addbranding.com. I love it!

I think it is one of the best ways to market yourself using email. You can upload your photos, logos and any other information you want to use on your stationery.

Every time I send an email I am marketing my company - getting my - website - logo and tag-line seen.

I'm sure a lot of Realtors already use this service or a similar one. It works with every email system and is MLS compatible. There is even a wireless component (although I have no idea how to use that part). I think it is the perfect tool for stagers also. I am marketing it as "Staged" email.

I liked Addbranding so much I decided to become a certified Addbranding reseller.

I think the best part is that you can try Addbranding email stationery for free at: http://www.addbranding.com/rm_wizard/newuser.php?ref=homepage_h

For any more information and testimonials you can check out their home page at: http://www.addbranding.com/index.php

Since I am a reseller I am selling it at 40% discount. The retail price is $40 for email, $30 for MSL and $20 for wireless stationery. I am selling all three for $24.99 for one year. To sign up, first try it for free- you can send up to 20 emails for free, then if you decide to purchase it put in my discount code: AFL267. You don't have to put in a credit card or anything - it really is a free trial. You can go in and change the stationery any time you like and it is easy to send Branded emails or send them plain for friends and family. Here are some other examples of people's stationery.

OK I have a new reason to LOVE my email stationery. The logo is embedded with a link so now I linked my Real Estate Show commercial to my logo. I put a little note on the top. To see our amazing transformations click the pink logo. HOW COOL IS THAT Here is the show that is linked to the logo:

If anyone would like to see what the stationery looks like when emailed just send me an email and I'll reply with a staged / Branded email:

maureen@rocklandhomestaging.com

Do granite counter tops emit radon gas???

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:07:16 -0500

I was just reading Todd Clark's blog where home buyers did not want to purchase the home because it had granite counter tops. The buyer said that granite can give off radon. At first I thought it was one of those urban legends or an exaggerated tale that happens one in a million, but the dangers may not be so far fetched.

The Marble Institute of America reports that “radon is a naturally occurring gas generated by the decay of trace amounts of uranium found in the earth’s crust throughout the world. It is an unstable gas that quickly breaks down and dissipates in the air.”

In 2008 the Marble and Granite Institute of America conducted their own study and found granite counter tops do emit radon and some colors have a higher change of radon leakage than others. Crema Bourdeaux has the highest radon levels followed by Tropic Brown and Baltic Brown. Most manufacturer will say that these gasses will be dissipated by the home's ventilation system. As you can imagine the debate of the safety of granite counter tops in the home gets pretty heated. You can read the study HERE in PDF format.

All natural products, especially stone, minerals, and sand, contain trace amounts of some radioactive elements called NORMs (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Mineral) that can produce measurable amounts of radiation and sometimes radon gas. It has been said that there is no more threat from granite than from the air outside. Read article.

If you are planning on installing granite counter tops in your kitchen you can check with the manufacturer. Many are advertising radon free counter tops. If you already have granite counter tops in your home you can purchase a kit to test the radon levels. There are several available on the market.

When it comes right down to it I think people could find a possible environmental threat almost anywhere.

This subject is fairly new to me so if you have any more information or opinions I'd love to hear them.

Can a room be too neutral?

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 22:02:56 -0500

Rockland Home Staging recently staged a colonial in Rockland County NY where the kitchen was just not working. It was very neutral but it looked washed out. The cabinets are that bleached wood that is almost pink and the walls were painted a pail peach. It really wasn't such a bad color but it did nothing for the room.

I decided to break one of the most sacred home staging rules and paint the kitchen RED.

We chose a really warm rusty red. We only painted two of the walls, near the cabinets red. We painted the others a really nice putty color then accented that wall with some artwork that had the red in it. We also tidied the place up and installed new stainless steal cabinet hardware. The old hardware was brass with a white center. It really gave this tired kitchen a fresh new look.

The home has been on the market for over 6 months. Once the staging was completed they got an offer within 2 weeks. Sometimes you just have to break the rules to do the right thing.

The 12 Days of Staging - DO NOT READ THIS

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:53:53 -0600

The Holidays are fast approaching and since we have all agreed that tasteful holiday decorating is in order - I thought I'd add to the mood with the eagerly anticipated sequel to the 12 Days of Active Rain.

So without further adieu I present you with the 12 DAYS OF STAGING.

(Go on SING it - you know you want to.)

12 Before and after photos

11 Messages from Marci

10 Elegant dining room

9 Comments from Phyllis

8 Spotless kitchens

7 Wise words from Val

6 neutral decors

5 REALTOR REFERALS

4 Advertising advice from Cindy

3 Spa-like bathrooms

2 Tips from Judy

And Stage It Forward with Craig Schiller

Disclaimer: I am a much better home stager that lyricist. Feel free to add your own verses - it is a work in progress.

Gotta Stage - Will add a picture later.

Before, After and After that - Evening Shots

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:43:50 -0600

Rockland Home Staging recently staged a property in Rockland County NY that needed quite a bit of renovation. During the course of the staging we ripped up the carpet, refinished the hardwood floors, painted the entire house, replaced all the light fixtures, restructured the furniture arrangement and generally cut the clutter. It was a huge project with a fairly large budget, about $5000. Almost all of the funds went to rehab. When it came time for staging we were on a very tight budget - I tried to use the things the homeowner already had and went for a clean minimalist look.

I think a lot of the time in my area homeowners need to focus their efforts on making the home more current. I would have loved to have another $1000 to add the finishing touches but all in all I'm happy with the results.

The three living room photos are in the Left, Family room photos are on the right

The second set of pictures were taken when I completed the staging at 2pm. The sun was bright and it had just snowed so the lighting was terrible. I just wasn't happy with the photos and the agent was planning on using them on MLS. I made a second trip back to the property (30min from my home) to take the third set of photos. I am so glad that I did.

There is just something really special about twilight photos, a mood or ambiance that just sets the home apart. I've learned so much from the gang in the photography group. I'd like to thank Aaron, Bryce, Cheryl and my new mentors; John, Lee, Margaret and Met. If you don't know these cats maybe you should hang out in the Photography Group more often. Everyone is always encouraging and willing to share their expertise.

Homeowners and Realtors® in the Rockland County NY or Bergen County NY area should contact Rockland Home Staging. We can help you take the guesswork out of getting your home ready for sale. (845)731-9510.

You Publish.com / Home Staging Power Point

Maureen Henry - Rockland Home Staging — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:05:00 -0500

Have you guys heard of You Publish.com? It is a way to share any files, eBooks, movies, pictures or any type of file you can think of. It just launched today. It is kind of like eBay for files. You can join by visiting youpublish.com/referredby/rhsmoe.

I just created a home staging presentation designed for stagers to teach classes for Realtors®. It was originally intended for a typical three hour continuing education class - it is 35 pages in length. I teach these classes through my local board of Realtors®. Agents are required to take a number of classes to maintain their real estate license. The home staging class is one of the most popular classes offered by our local board of Realtors®. It blows doors on the Mold Class!!!

All the work has been done for you. Here is a sample page. Check it out at : youpublish.com/rhsmoe.

Have something you'd like to sell on You Publish? Join here: youpublish.com/referredby/rhsmoe, I do get credit for referring people.