A Home Stager's Goal is to package a home to sell fast and get the highest price.

A Home Decorators Goal is to create aesthetically pleasing, functioning and comfortable environments that reflect a homeowner's personal style, design preferences and values. 

Investment to prepare and stage a home will range for .5 to 1% of the listing price. These costs can include updating fixtures, painting, handywork, furniture and art rentals, and the staging expert's fees. 

Investment to decorate a home can range from 30-40% of the home's value. This varies based on the scope of work, but typically includes fixtures, furnishings, art, window treatments, rugs and accessories and the home decorator and craftsman's fees. 

Home Stagers use furnishings, accessories and art to accentuate the positive aspects of the home and appeal to the largest pool of buyers. The home seller's personal style preferences are irrelevant in the staging. 

Home Decorators create spaces that reflect the homeowner's personal style and design preferences. They design and plan around how they live and what's important to them. 

Home Stagers install furniture, accessories and elements to best present the home's style and what will resonate with prospective home buyers. Professional photos are important to stand out among other homes for sale online. This can mean installing certain items that make a lifestyle statement and also present well online. Home stagers stage with less furnishings than in a decorating project. Fewer items will make the spaces feel larger. An experienced professional home stager installs items that not only fit the space, but also align to the price point of the home for sale. 

Home Decorators install furniture, accessories and elements that are selected to create a livable space with function, comfort and personalization. Items in a decorating project also reflect the customer's budget and their quality standard. Home decorators are often involved in selecting finishes, fixtures and structural aspects of the home. While homeowners hire a decorator for their talent and design sensibility, the best home design projects are collaborative with the home dweller and the professional home decorator. 

With the home's architectural style in mind, a home stager selects furnishings from their available inventory at the time the contract is executed. The choices are tailored to best appeal to the buyer's profile. Stager's inventory changes every day based on the homes staged. Scheduling can impact furnishing availability.

​A home decorator has the global marketplace to source both stock product and custom items for the client. Timelines and budgets are not always a factor. 

The home stager selects the items for the home. The home seller does not approve the items before the staging. They are hiring a professional and and need to trust their expertise and remember why they are staging, to get the home sold.

​The home decorator prepares vision boards prior to installation. Vision boards present design stories before items are ordered and installed. The decorator relies on the home planning feedback and their style preferences. 

Most home stagers will charge a fee for edits to a staging after the items are installed. If the homeowner or Realtor has ideas or insight, this needs to be shared with the stager in the planning process. 

A home decorator cannot return or exchange any custom items. Depending on the supplier, returns and exchanges are allowed, but may have restocking or shipping fees for stocked items. 

How long does home staging take to plan and install? Depending on the home size and the team's project load, it can take from 2-5 days to stage. Destaging takes less time, but requires a 10 day notice to pick up items after the home has sold. 

How much time does a home decorator need to design and furnish a home? Despending on the home size, number of rooms, and custom items, the average home decorating can range from 30 days to 6 months. 

 We have walked through many homes. Occasionally, we walk into a dining room and are not really sure it is a dining room until we walk through the rest of the first floor. The lack of a chandelier or lighting in the center of the room hide the true potential of the room and can be confusing to buyers. You don't want to confuse Buyers, that only results in your home being on the market longer. 

Seeing a picture of an empty dining room with no chandelier on an MLS listing can be very confusing to Buyers and could stop them from making an appointment to go see the property. Seeing a picture of a staged dining room is more clear and inviting to Buyers but still looks unfinished without a chandelier. 

Updating a chandelier is always a good idea. It updates the whole room. It completes the room and is more appealing to Buyers.

But how do you choose the right lighting fixture for your dining room? That's a very good question. Some may go to their local Lowe's or Home Depot and pick out something they like, which is fine when you are on a budget. Others call in the professionals...Call Set2Sell and we can help you choose the right lighting fixture for your dining room or any other room in your home, including lighting fixtures on the exterior of your home. 

By Susan Rivera, Design Consultant

 
For those who aren’t familiar with the term “pillow chopping,” it describes a way of shaping pillows. A chopped pillow is achieved by fluffing a feather or down pillow and using a karate chop motion to create an indentation in the top.
 
 
This debate has been going on for years now. Is karate chopping throw pillows a trend, or does it actually make pillows look better? Believe it or not…There is no right or wrong answer when making the decision whether not to chop or not chop? It’s simply a personal style preference. Truly, the secret to a nice-looking pillow has more to do with the fabric used to cover it as well as the quality of the insert. The higher the fill, the better your pillow will look — chopped or un-chopped.
 
If you have silky pillows or pillows with a sheen you can really show off the fabric with a slight chop. The soft dent enhances this luxurious fabric by creating shadows and allowing light to hit the pillow from different angles. Chopping can also make some prints look less uniform and bold as well as give you a more casual look. If that’s the look your going for?
 
 
The type of insert your pillow has may help you decide if you want to chop or not.  A feather or down insert with a high fill count will look full and plump with or without chopping. 

A foam insert is definitely not a good contender for a pillow chop. Pillows with foam filing tend to be more rigid and usually look good without frequent fluffing. If you over manipulate them, in fact, they can get lumpy.
 
Give it a try, plump up those pillows and give them a nice karate chop right through the center. If you like it, keep it. If you do not like it, just give it a shake and plump it right back up again.
 
Happy Chopping… or Not?
​

Most of you who know me, know that I am the ultimate planner. Normally by Thanksgiving, the house is decorated, my shopping is complete and the gifts are wrapped...This past year however, our family has faced some unexpected challenges and I have had to take on additional and unfamiliar responsibilities that have left me longing for 24 more hours in a day!


I was feeling the pressure...



and then...

Early this week I received a call from a previous client of mine who has been battling cancer for the last several months...sadly, because of her prognosis, she informed me that she had donated all of her Christmas decorations to a needy family thinking she would no longer have use for them. I was drawn in by the sadness of it all...the physical, mental, and emotional things that she has had to endure over the course of the last several months...still unsure of the end result. She asked me if I would be willing to help her by planning, shopping for and decorating her home (as soon as I could) in the hopes of boosting her spirits. Despite my hectic schedule..."no" was not an option...although, my heart said YES, my mind was spinning over how I (the ultimate planner), would be able to accomplish everything necessary in such a defined  and short time period...After a brief discussion on the type of decorations that would make my client "feel good", I began the quest for what I hoped would be the perfect decorations to lift her spirits...Several days later, I arrived at her home with an SUV of Holiday decor, excited to begin. When I arrived, my client was not feeling well and asked if I minded if she went to bed while I did the decorating...so I tiptoed through her home decorating in silence...hoping, but questioning whether my small part would be enough to encourage her even a little bit...

So many times, we miss the opportunity to give the best gift...our time and talents to help those who need us (when they need us)...the gift of a listening ear and a call to action are gifts that we all can give not only at Christmas but, all throughout the year...

Although I am not a huge fan of most greens, I have fallen in love with Benjamin Moore’s 2015 COLOR OF THE YEAR…Guilford Green.  Its description cannot be presented any more accurately than in the words of Ellen O’Neill Creative Director at Benjamin Moore.

“Guilford Green is a neutral that’s a natural.  A silvery green that works with, well, everything.  No worries.  No second thoughts.  Just a brush, dipped in a can, whooshed on a wall, and a whole lot of happily ever after.”

These colors are here to stay and sure to be remembered by all who view them…So, take a trip to your nearest provider of Benjamin Moore paints and pick up a can of Guilford Green…your friends and neighbors will be “GREEN WITH ENVY” !!!

We love fall...the spectacular weather and fall colors are mesmerizing...but here in the northeast, most of us in real estate are wary of the fast approaching winter weather. It’s challenging enough to maintain a “show ready” property during temperate weather...but snow, salt, cinders, and lack of vegetation, can cause even the most attractive homes to look like they need some TLC! If your’e feeling blue...cheer up! Statistically winter showings are fewer...but don’t be discouraged...typically this is a quieter time for the real estate market and unlike spring, where many folks are “just looking”...winter showings are all about “buyers” who need to purchase.

SET2SELL Home Staging & Design has some home staging strategies to help you take advantage of the seasonal opportunities in those challenging winter months...

CLEAR ALL ENRTY WAYS & ACCESS AREAS
Keep steps, walkways, and driveways free of snow & ice...use sand/salt to ensure your buyer’s safety...but remember, sand & salt can wreak havoc on your floors...so prepare your home for winter traffic by investing in a new doormat/carpet for inside and out. Talk with your agent about posting a small neatly printed and laminated card asking buyers to wipe their feet or remove their shoes...your potential buyer will appreciate the care you have taken with your home.

LET THERE BE LIGHT
One of the biggest turn offs to a buyer is lack of light...pull up the blinds, open the draperies, and turn on the lights...add accessory lighting if necessary...remember to plug accessory lighting into wall sockets that are live when the switch is turned on. This prevents real estate agents from having to find and manually turn on “each” light. Keep all under counter and built in lights on...many times they have hard to locate switches. Use technology to your advantage...set timers for obscure lighting, especially if you will be out for the evening. Always leave exterior lighting on from the hours of dusk to at
least 9 pm...many potential buyers drive by properties in the evening after work prior to making an appointment with their realtor.

TURN UP THE HEAT
Make sure the thermostat is a degree or two warmer than average...regardless of how you like to keep the temperature...buyers may have been out in the cold for hours looking at properties. Give them a warm welcome , a cozy memory to take home, and a reason to linger in your home a little longer. If you have a gas fireplace...it’s a nice idea to have it lit...I do not suggest lighting a wood burning fireplace...not only is it dangerous, but most people don’t light fires and leave their home unoccupied.

SHOW BUYERS AREAS THAT CANNOT BE APPRECIATED OR SEEN IN WINTER
Make sure you have quality pictures of the exterior spaces and landscaping that cannot be seen in the winter months. Place pictures on a hall table or in a notebook with a photo of your home on the cover and a caption that reads...INFORMATION ON 123 Any Street, USA...you can also add other pertinent information that may interest your buyer(school bus stop location, distance from nearest grocery store, monthly neighborhood events). Your home shopper will appreciate the information and it may cause them to remain in your home longer.

DON’T OVER DO THE SCENTS
Be careful not to over scent your home...avoid plug in and all other free standing air fresheners...many people are allergic to these scents and over scenting may cause buyers to wonder what you might be trying to hide. Never light candles or bake cookies...it is highly overrated & misunderstood. Although smell is important, your buyer is there to view your home...not to eat and smell Yankee Candles’s holiday scents!

TASTEFUL HOLIDAY DECORATIONS CREATE AN INVITING SPACE
Holiday marketing can give you an edge over competing properties...simple
conservative white lights and a festive green wreath or topiary with a spotlight will strike the right note and give an appropriate dose of seasonal cheer!

SHOWCASE THE INDOOR ENTERTAINING POSSIBILITIES
The winter season is prime time for parties and holiday open houses...show off your entertaining areas with neutral festive decor and florals...make it inviting & cozy... a decorative tray, 4-6 wine glasses and a bottle of holiday wine with some small pine foliage.

OUTDOOR WINTER MARKETING
In the middle of winter, it can be difficult to visualize fabulous perennials, plantings, and outdoor entertaining areas...Take advantage of your outdoor space...A fire pit, outdoor fire place, covered porch, urns, and planters decorated with seasonal greens can help buyers see the potential even in the coldest months...be sure to keep these outdoor areas fully furnished if possible.

WINTER STAGING SET ASIDE...REMEMBER THE BASICS...
Regular home maintenance and repairs are essential regardless of the season.
Cleaning and decluttering are always necessary. Improving curb appeal & tidying up the exterior prevents a buyer from making a negative first impression and encouraging them to come in...turning SALE into SOLD!!!

REMEMBER THIS...
Your real estate agent has done his/her due diligence and knows where your home should be priced...in a slow market, nothing counts more than pricing your home right! Your real estate agent will check competing listings and recent sale prices in your neighborhood...He/she is an expert...listen to their advice and marketing expertise!