We've had our home on the market by owner since this past Christmas. We've now been listed with an agent for 43 days. In those 43 days, its been shown only 5 times, with no offers.

I have NO money for re-decorating, so slip covers, paint, knobs for cabinets, etc is not an option. How can I better stage my home?? These are the pics that are on the web listing. I want to stage it, and get new ones up there.

Ok, can't figure out how to post pictures here, so I'll just post our listing:

http://www.mlsfinder.com/tx_ntreis/kw_500/index.cfm?act...dedf948c&npp=10&sr=1


Thanks!
Jen

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jvdeibel,

Sorry the links you've posted don't allow individuals to view the pictures.....

Hey Jvdeibel, I'm getting your personal photos when I go to the links...I see several albums but not house pictures. You prolly need to change the settings...?

You've come to the right place for help! The ppl here helped me immensely in getting our home ready for selling.

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Sorry, everyone. I'm not sure how to post photos here. Can I just embed them into the post somehow??

I edited my first post to have the link to our listing, the pics are on there.

They came up fine when I hit the link.

Okay, no problem, we can help you here with staging. Just don't get mad at us, as some of us are pretty direct. Okay?

I probably have to post several times going back and forth to the photos to give suggestions from this end.

Okay, Living room.. fireplace looks like it needs cleaned (brick). Find a brick cleaner product and clean it. Some other folks may know of a product here. Look at the colors in your kitchen/LR. Beiges and white in the kitchen, black chairs in the dining, blue scarf on purple sofa. And redish FP. Too much going on...so I woud work with black, beiges, and browns/tans, whites...much you already have.
Buy a slip cover for the purple sofa, as close as the color you can get that is in the other sofa. Buy a bunch of black/white/tan throw pillows (thrift stores - wash before using). Put away the blue scarf. Buy a nice piece of art/Picture - large 15 x 20 ish (even at Goodwill) with beiges, black, white and maybe a touch of red. At least with some of those colors if you are having difficulty in finding something...there are many thrift shops.
Remove all other items from the fireplace mantle. Buy an Black ornamental candle holder 5 to 8 candle holders(tealight candles)--I think I would buy one for the mantle and one for the dining table. I just bought one at big lots for 8.00. The two kid rooms are cluttered. No pictures of backyard and remove picture of storage area.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: real estate lady,

Ok, I'll try not to get mad.

One frustrating thing is that the couches appear to be different colors. They are the same color, not sure why the pic isn't showing that.

I've been searching slipcovers and seriousy, we cannot afford ANYTHING out there. We can't even afford the sheets to make new ones. What should I do????

Where should I put the toys in the kids' rooms?

I'm all for decluttering, but seriously don't have much places to hide stuff that people won't look in. LOL

Do you have any furniture in the garage a chest you can paint white -- to hide toys in? Or shelve unit. You have to retake the photo that looks purple. Have you considered painting your fireplace?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: real estate lady,

jvdeibel..
Hi! I am from Clear Lake, TX and I have a staging business. Your link is not fully working but I was able to see some of the pictures of your home. From what I have seen if you are unable to budget for any improvements or changes, I would first be sure your are priced right and second I would suggest you show your home empty. In some cases an empty home shows much better than a home that is furnished with the current owners items. Your home has beautiful features that a buyer would find attractive even with any upgrades that need to be made if the price was right.

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Originally posted by jvdeibel:


I've been searching slipcovers and seriousy, we cannot afford ANYTHING out there. We can't even

I hear ya, we have had to spend a lot more $ than we wanted to BUT on most things I searched & searched & found some real bargains. That slipcover on the chair in the den in my house cost $12.99, it is regularly priced $50-60. I just got lucky, but that's cause I kept checking & checking at the different stores. BBB had it at $19.99 & then it was 1/3 off the lowest price so, I really lucked out there.

Didn't mean to go on so long but, just trying to make the point that it DOES take persistence...and yes you will get discouraged, at least I did. Very frustrating to KNOW what needs to be done & not have the $ to just waltz in & pay for things! But REL is right, there ARE bargains out there...you can do a lot with a little.

Is there any place you could store extra furniture/belongings? A relative or friend's garage, maybe? You might consider taking out one of the sofas in that living room & then you'd only have the 1 to deal with...

One of my biggest "decorating mistakes" is having a lot of little items instead of a few striking big ones. Keep your eye out at places like Big Lots, Old Time Pottery, the Habitat stores, thrift stores etc. for accessories & art.

And...a little paint goes a long way...maybe you could sell some things if you aren't in love with them, & use that money to make some improvements.

Above all hang in there, it's a wonderful support system here!

What I see is white walls, no color, I know you say NO Money and Alot of us selling understand that completely, but I think you are cutting yourself short. Some of the "box store" places have discounted paint where they've mixed the wrong color or the people didn't like and then they sell them for $5 or less! These are things you can work with and mix/match them to get a room done for $10, I would start with the Kitchen!! That is just too white and needs some color brought in. Keep it neutral colorwise but I really feel if you just painted some of the rooms it would help improve the look of the home! justmy2cents

Declutter.. the picture of the closet jumped at me because it's STUFFED to the gills.
take down the funiture cozies, afgans, scarves.


In the master bedroom find a single large item for over the bed, or put those two pictures into matching frames.

Try Freecycle.org for slipcovers. try craigslist for a way to barter slipcovers.

is your kitchen floor a matte look or is it in need of a deep scrubbing? same with the fireplace, it needs cleaning..

lighten the bedding. if you have to go to Goodwill and find something nice and light, a matalaesse coverlet for instance.

is that a nursery? take down the heavy dark drapes..


it looks like a very nice cozy home, but it has so many colors, patterns, textures c going on that it FEELS cramped and cluttered..

OK,with only 5 showings did you get ANY feedback? What suggestions has your realtor made?

We can see the pics,however we cannot SMELL your house,I'm not implying anything-just wondering if perhaps there are carpets that need to be cleaned,etc.

Fireplace: definately needs new decor on the mantle & above. Go to thrift stores & look for large candlesticks as suggested and/or a nice large picture. Remove quilt from loveseat. Can you borrow someone's large plants? It just needs to look more filled in & balanced. Why are the sheer curtains pulled back?

Master bedroom,again you need something larger over the bed,declutter the nightstands & perhaps even move away from the bed a few inches,it looks cramped to me.Maybe a couple of matching lamps on each side for better balance also.

Bed.#2-I'd remove the valance over the drapes,in fact maybe remove the drapes altogether since they appear to be very dark (would they work in the LR?)

Declutter the hall closet. Pack up everything not needed since you will be packing it up anyways. If you can't find cheap storage containers,consider getting free cardboard boxes & covering with contact paper. This closet is an asset so I'd have it looking very nice.....make those people go wow!when they open the doors.

You home has many nice features,and appears clean. Give yourself some credit!

As for the kitchen: I'd get some colorful candles or flowers for the countertops. It does look very white,but I disagree about getting cheap paint to change the color.....there's a reason those cans are cheap! Maybe some bright colored towels? A valance?

I think for less than $100 you can make a difference.

You can hide toys in nice baskets w/lids.

Hope some of this helps,and none of it offends.Good luck!

Thank you all!!

I just went to Hobby Lobby and Ross and got a couple of candle holders and candles for about $20.

The paint int eh house, though the pics dont' show it, isn't white. Its like a light plum/latte color. Its very subtle.

I'll post some new pics of the changes I do make when I get the chance.

The dark curtains in the kids' rooms I struggle w/because they are there to keep the room dark for sleeping. IRL they look really nice, particuarly in teh baby's room. They are a sage color with a sage and white genghim valance. However, I know that doesn't translate in the picture, and the pics are what's going to draw the buyers. *sigh*

Thanks again for all the input and I look forward to more!!

I have a gift card to JoAnn's fabrics that I've been saving for sewing lessons...maybe I'll see if I can get some things for the sofas there or something.

Thanks again, everyone!!!

Jen

I suggest:

Removing blue-white quilt.

Deleting picture of cluttered closet. And definitely clean out that closet before any showings.

Clean up that clutter in the kids' room. If you have to, store it in your car trunk.

Dining room is dated. Take down and spray paint with a bronze spray paint.



Appears to be a bargain -- good luck selling!

Peri - believe it or not, or realtor took those pictures on the listing!!! I re-arranged some of the master bedroom and took some different pics. I'm goign to get everythign teh way I want and take my own pics, then send them to the realtor and say, "THESE are the pics I want".

I'll try to post them here when I'm done. How do I put pics into a post??

Dark, dark, DARK! I can't emphasize how much a lighter, brighter look in a photo makes a house seem attractive enough to go look at it. My husband and I are looking now and my first impression of your photos is the rooms are too dark. Maybe they aren't in person, but they seem so in the photo.

First of all, open all the curtains and flood the rooms w/ as much light as you can. Take pics when the sun is streaming into each room if you can.

Take photos on an angle so the rooms look larger. Look in magazines. They often do this.

First photo: The front of the house should be taken further off to the right (as you are looking at the photo now) and on an angle toward the house. Try to get more of the HOUSE and yard and less of the garage, which right now is the main feature of the photo. I would get that tree trimmed. Thinned out so you can see more of the house, and probably bring it up from the bottom a bit, too, again, to see more of the house. Try to get less of the road in front of the house. You don't need it and it's not really a feature of the house, right?

Second photo: Again, angle. The back of the couch is not that attractive -- and I'd lose the top of the chair in the foreground. I'd try to make the couches look similar and make the dark one lighter, so if you have another quilt I'd drape it over the dark couch -- tuck it in but use it to tie the two couches together and lighten up the one that's so dark. It ***** light out of the shot right now.

I'd try to angle the shot from the t.v. cabinet across to the windows, or try it from the other corner (near where the two couches form the angle). Experiment a little bit. Angling the shot will make the room appear larger. And the room is simply not bright enough, I can't emphasize that enough. Also, clean the brick on the fireplace. No potential buyers will be attracted to anything that looks dirty.

Third photo: What is that thing on top of the counter in the kitchen? It looks like an extra top to the counter and all I could wonder is "Why? Is there something wrong with the counter underneath?" You really don't want people thinking that. Again, try angling the shot more -- either by the fridge or by the other corner (at the end of that counter).

Usually there is too much clutter but in this case the kitchen reads sterile and boring and very, very bland. I'd put some color in there. Just pick one accent color and spread it around the room (towels, canisters, a little pop of the same color in the valence over the window, a cheerful pitcher on the counter). This room doesn't read too dark but just dreadfully boring. Lose the cord at the L. side of the pic. Unplug it. I might put a runner on the countertop closest to the foreground in the accent color you've chosen (and make sure you tie this color over to the other side of the kitchen, as well), then put a bowl of oranges or lemons or something in the middle. Something low but decorative. If the pitcher has oranges on it, use oranges in the bowl and so forth. It's best to cross link your colors/design elements so they flow and make sense.

Fourth photo: So, so dark. Go to the left of the bed more and try to angle the shot (again). I'd use a much lighter bedspread (but not white). That one ***** all the light out of the shot. And open the curtains -- make sure you take the shot at the sunniest time of day. It seems to me you're trying to get the tray ceiling so perhaps kneel on the floor and angle the camera up? Or perhaps post two shots of the bedroom from different angles, one showing the bed/room and one showcasing the ceiling.

What else is great about your house because I tend to like more pics rather than less. What about the back yard? Another bedroom? Or even two of the living room from different angles? The photos could use more variety is what I'm saying, and there could be more of them.

Good luck selling.

Sorry -- I didn't see the other photos.

Bedroom 2: Way too dark and too high. What is it w/ the ceiling shots? Lower, angle and take that thing off the door in the foreground.

Bedroom 3: Again, too high, but not too dark. Feels cluttered. I'd clean out that corner and take the shot again. Leave the basket but take the stuff on either side of it out of the room for the photos.

Dining Room: I don't like the couch up against the dining table. Slide it out of the way and retake the shot. No one who hasn't seen the house knows that couch is so close to the table. Make it appear more spacious.

Hall Closet: I agree w/ everyone else, the closet is too cluttered. Should be cleared out for viewing (in person) anyway. Look at some of the house selling shows -- they do stage closets and you should -- especially if you are going to include the photo on the site for your house.

So now I saw all the photos! I think you should include one of the backyard if it is nice. I always like to see the outside of the house, too (in photos). It can be an incentive if I am not sure about the house itself.

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Originally posted by CatzyJ:
What else is great about your house because I tend to like more pics rather than less. What about the back yard? Another bedroom? Or even two of the living room from different angles? The photos could use more variety is what I'm saying, and there could be more of them.

Good luck selling.

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Originally posted by jvdeibel:


I'll try to post them here when I'm done. How do I put pics into a post??

Tou can't post photos directly into this forum; what most ppl do is get a free Photobucket or Flickr account & upload their pics to that, then post the link here.

I just read Catzy's posts before writing this one; h/she has give some GREAT suggestions for improving your photos. Do you have a digital camera? If not, try to borrow one from a friend...you can take TONS of pictures, put them on your computer & go through them & find the best ones. If you aren't happy with them then retake them.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!! I will take more pics tomorrow and post them.

I plan to take the shots I want and send them to the realtor, rather than using the ones he's taken. He's proven that he's no better at it than I am. LOL

Can't wait to post tomorrow!

How long is your contract with this Realtor? Maybe a change in Realtors might be considered?

My first suggestion would be to take the stuff back to Hobby Lobby and Ross and get your $20 back. You are short on money, and a couple of candles will make ABSOLULTELY NO DIFFERENCE in someone's decision to buy your house.

Look, I'm a big fan of staging, but a clean, uncluttered house, priced right, and a good marketing plan from your agent are the combination things that will help sell your house.

Your photos are OK, I guess, but they could be take better. The baby's room shows only stuff, not the room, the closet picture certainly doesn't inspire me to hop in the car and come see your house, and I don't see a photo of the bathroom, which makes me wonder what's wrong with it.

Do you have a digital camera? You could re-take the photos and give them to the agent to put on the site. That would give you more time to "neaten-up" the house before you take each picture, such as removing the stuff from the front of the frig.

But all in all, your house looks good, it isn't overly cluttered. Your problem is the market, not the staging.

Traveler - thank you for your thoughts!

The marketing plan our realtor team has is the main reason we went with them. They do more internet listing than the other agents in the area, they seemed very aggresive in their marketing strategy, including front page adds in all the local real estate magazines in the area.

However, I just discovered that realtor.com and homes.com, what has been boasted as the two most used real estate websites for finding a hoem, only has the exterior photo on it! I will be calling him today and asking why they don't have any interior photos on there?? They themselves say its bascially these photos that sell the home, so why aren't they on the two most used sites? They are currently only on the realtor team's site and the keller williams site (the one link I posted in the original post).

I was able to use my giftcard at Joann's to get a few more things, and it dind't cost me a dime (I was going ot use them for sewing lessons, but I work nights now and can't take the classes, and we're moving overseas, so I can't use the card to fill the new hosue. So, it would've just been wasted anyway).

So, I'll get a link to the new pics once I have them. Thanks again for all your help, everyone!!

One question, though it may be hard to answer w/out seeing it. I took the pictures over the master bed down. I took some new pictures of the master bedroom yesterday and I think it looks kinda bland....do you think I'll really need soemthing over the bed, mostly to anchor the pics? I guess you'll probably have to see the new pics I took to really see what I'm saying. LOL

Ok, now I'm just rambling.

Jen