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10 Tips For Downsizing Your Home

Today many people are downsizing due to the economy, age, company transfers or being empty nester's. Some just want less maintenance and smaller mortgage payments. In any case, it is a difficult task.

Here is a list of tips and advice to help you downsize.

1. Make a list of items that are must haves. If items don't make your MVP (Most Valuable Possessions) list then get rid of it. If you have sentimental pieces, give them to relatives, or close friends that will appreciate them.

2. Recycle, don't throw away. Please consider sorting items that can be reused or recycled or donated instead of throwing away. Remember, another mans trash is another mans treasure.

3. Start with key rooms. Start with the largest most cluttered rooms first. The kitchen usually has the most little items in cabinets and drawers. The family room should be next, master, then other rooms.

4. Get another perspective. If you are having trouble getting rid of items, bring in a friend, relative or professional home stager, someone that doesn't have an attachment to items like you do.

5. Get rid of the clutter as soon as you know you are moving. This is the hardest thing to do, but start as soon as you can, tackling a little bit everyday, even an hour or so will help. Don't try to get everything done at once, it will not only be exhausting, but overwhelming. Eventually, when moving day comes you will have everything ready.

6. Know how much new space you will have. You may go from a home with a formal dining room to one with none, or 4 bedrooms down to 3. You will have to prepare yourself that you will need to let go of furniture and accessories. Giveaway to relatives, donate or auction off higher end pieces. Don't try to cram everything into your new space.

7. Have 4 piles. Sort into four different areas. Keep. Donate. Give to family members. Throw away.

8. When organizing new space. Use clear bins or totes to keep things organized. They are efficient, you can see what's in them, and they stack well.

9. Purge your closets. This is a great time to donate your clothes to a shelter. If you haven't worn it in at least 2 years get rid of it. Especially if you're moving to a warmer climate from a colder one, thin out the long sleeves and vice versa.

10. Take a breath and relax. Realize this is one of the most important steps you'll be taking in your life. Try to look forward, and understand that downsizing will probably give you more time to do things that you really enjoy. Less or no yard work, less maintenance, less to clean, less money for mortgages which means more money to spend on other things you want to do.

Bonus Tip- If you don't have the time or need help downsizing you can hire a professional to help you. We offer these services and help you take the worry out of it, making your transition as easy as possible. Contact Redesign Etc. today!

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Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to provide solutions to getting your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation. Please visit our website for more information. We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area League City Home Staging.
Areas Served: Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood. And all areas down to Galveston Island.

Houston RESA Home Stagers Get Together...Need Your Input

To the Houston RESA members of Houston and surrounding area. How about a meet and greet? I was thinking a central location at a restaurant (Tex-Mex?) for dinner. What do y'all think?
It would be an informal meeting, casual, no suits. Just a get together to meet the members in this area, and talk about Home Staging, RESA, and well, whatever we want to talk about.
I am open to suggestions, comments, times, places, months, weeks, days, etc..

If you haven't joined RESA, and are a Home Stager please visit the website and look around. There are so many exciting things happening, it's really a great organization to be a part of.

As the Regional VP for this area I would like to encourage you to join by signing up on the website and adding my name Cindy Bryant in the sponsor box, so I'll know you're in my region.
Looking forward to everyone's comments!

Also, feel free to contact me via email Cindy@RedesignEtc.com or phone 281-748-2170.

Cindy Bryant
RESA RVP Region 10

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Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!
Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation. Please visit our website for more information. We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- www.League City Home Staging.com
Areas Served: Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood. And all areas down to Galveston Island.

Serious About Selling Your House? Read what the 2008 NAR Survey Says

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) Sellers Survey for 2008 showed that:

• Buyers used a variety of resources in searching for a home: 87 percent used the Internet.
• Fewer buyers rely on a home book or magazine, home builders, television, billboards and relocation companies. Buyers most commonly start their search process online.
• When asked where they first learned about the home they purchased 32 percent said the Internet; 15 percent from yard signs; 7 percent from a friend, neighbor or relative; 7 percent home builders; 3 percent a print or newspaper ad; 2 percent directly from the seller; and 1 percent a home book or magazine.
• Local metropolitan multiple listing service Web sites were the most popular Internet resource, used by 60 percent of buyers.
• Buyers searched a median of 10 weeks and viewed 10 homes.

What do these statistics say? They say that the majority of home buyers, (87%) are starting their search on the internet, as their main source for buying a home. A picture is worth a thousand words, and if your photo's don't reflect a warm and inviting, picture perfect home on the internet, buyers won't even make it to your front door.

It also means there is a short timeframe they are looking and a small amount of homes that they are viewing. Why? Because they have already looked on the internet and ruled out the homes they weren't interested in. This means you have to be the most competitive and aggressive with how your home looks. If home buyers are only looking at a total of 10, odds are if your house is not picture perfect, it won't even get the chance of a walk-through from a buyer.

Home sellers can't afford not to be ready for the selling season; you have to be show ready when buyers are out looking. When you miss that short period of time, your house becomes a stale listing, and real estate agents don't show it as much, because it has lost its appeal, they will show the newer fresher listings. It also shouldn't stay on the market a long period of time, this tells the buyer, that a price-reduction is probably imminent.

Don't think that de-cluttering, cleaning, picking up all of the toys, and straightening up will do the trick either. That is not home staging, and don't be mislead that it is. That is getting your house clean, and ready to be staged. Home Buyers are looking for their perfect dream home, they want to imagine what it would be like to live there.

If it's vacant, your chances are even worse, buyers want to see a homey place; they want to see livability, functionality, and use of space. Not poorly rearranged mis-matched furniture, that is outdated and thread bear.

This is probably your biggest investment; spend a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to not only get your home sold, but to get it sold fast. Make your home the stellar stand-out in the area that outshines all of the others you are competing with.

We highly recommend a home staging consultation for any home, no matter of age, size or condition. It will be the least amount of money for your biggest investment to merchandise your property, which is unfortunately mandatory in this economy being a buyer's market. Home buyers have a mass amount of homes to choose from.

Make yours stand out!




Cindy Bryant - Owner of Redesign Etc. a Home Staging & Interior Redesign Service.Serving Houston's Bay & Gulf Coast.Featured on ABC Channel KTRK Channel 13 Houston in two segments called "Strech Your Dollar". Segment one on Redesigning A Home. Segment two on Tips for Redesigning Your Own Home.Cindy has also been featured in the Houston Chronicle, and Chron.com in "Money Matters". Appearances on Am Talk Radio "Keeping You In The Loop".Cindy is the Regional Vice President for RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) for TX, NM, AK, OK, LA.Member of ASHSR (American Society of Home Stagers & Redesigners).Cindy is Houston's "Ask the Expert" for StagersList.com.

Link: http://www.blogger.com/www.redesignetc.com

Organizing Kid's Closet's

These adorable 2'-3' little people we call children are not always the best at putting things back where they belong. Sure, it's easy for us to go through their rooms and organize it, but we have a few feet on them. The secret to having them put things up is to have them help you with the original organizing of the their room.
When you decide to start, make sure your children are with you and make a game out of it. They love that, and more so, they love spending time with you. The key is making sure they can reach everything.

Put out of season clothing in boxes in another part of the house.
If possible put a hanging rod in the closet that they can reach. A substitute would be to use an adjustable shower curtain rod, but only a light amount of clothing could be hung on there. No heavy coats.
Take out games they are not playing with so much anymore, maybe there are some they've outgrown.
Take out books, and crafts, school papers and again put them somewhere out of their room, if possible.
If their closet is big enough, you can put these items on the top shelf, but just keep the lower ones free.
Put a plastic cart with drawers that pull out to keep misc. items in them. Copy or cut out pictures or make labels of what is to be put in each drawer so they will know that everything has a place.
Store stuffed animals in a hammock where they can reach it.
Get containers that will fit underneath and slide under bed for toys, games, crafts, etc. Again label with pictures, or a label maker.
Use a clear shoe bag for the small things. Make sure it is hanging low enough for kids to reach. If they can read you can label each compartment or again put pictures on them. Loose change, matchbox cars, rings, etc.
Buy or make some decorative shelves for some of the items they can look at but can't touch. Breakables, figurines, collectibles.
Use a small coat rack with pegs on it on wall to hang bracelets, purses, umbrella's on it.
The bottom line is to keep everything on their level until they get older. They will be more perceptive and likely to put things up and maybe it won't be such a big event!

Cindy Bryant - Owner of Redesign Etc. a Home Staging & Interior Redesign Service.
Serving Houston's Bay & Gulf Coast.
Featured on ABC Channel KTRK Channel 13 Houston in two segments called "Strech Your Dollar". Segment one on Redesigning A Home. Segment two on Tips for Redesigning Your Own Home.
Cindy has also been featured in the Houston Chronicle, and Chron.com in "Money Matters".
Appearances on Am Talk Radio "Keeping You In The Loop".
Cindy is the Regional Vice President for RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) for TX, NM, AK, OK, LA.

Member of ASHSR (American Society of Home Stagers & Redesigners).

Cindy is Houston's "Ask the Expert" for StagersList.com

Vacant Home Staging...Do You Really Have What It Takes?

I added on to a previous post that I feel is even more important with vacant homes sitting everywhere, and hobby stagers trying to get into the business.
With vacant homes on the rise in the real estate market more people are turning to Home Staging to give their home that competitive edge. What most people don't realize is the time and labor involved in staging a vacant home. Here is an example of what can go into the process from start to finish.
After the necessary recommendations and improvements from the Home Staging Consultation Report has been implemented the acutal Home Staging process begins.

The following usually takes place:

Visiting the property to take a look at each room, the space, feel, and style of home.
Visually figuring out what furniture and accessories will best fit the spaces to be done, also known as space planning.
Taking photos of each room.
Figuring out the cost of furniture and accessories for the house.
Ordering furniture, paperwork, contracts, and phone calls.
Delivery of furniture from Furniture Company, if you use one.
Going to warehouse to start picking out and packing accessories.
Getting a truck, or trailer to carry all of the items you'll need.
Loading all items, accessories and furniture into truck or vehicle of choice. (Hoping you don't need anything else and have to make several trips)
Driving to location.
Unloading items from truck, unpacking, and placement of items and furniture, known as hands-on staging.
Take after photos.
Taking all excess that's not used, including totes or boxes and load back into truck.
Drive back to warehouse to unload.
Drive home and Crash!
Wake up the next day sore from head to toe, with scrapes, bruises and cuts, (forget the nails).
House Sells...Then What?
Call furniture company to pick-up furniture.
Drive to get truck that you'll be using to bring items back.
Drive to warehouse to get totes and boxes to put items from home back into them.
Drive to house that has now sold.
Start packing, bubble wrapping, and placing all items in totes.
Load furniture and accessories into truck.
Drive back to warehouse.
Unload, Unpack, and put everything back into warehouse.
Take truck back.
Drive home and crash again!
The next day start all over!
This is just an example of what usually happens, every Home Stager does it a little differently.
The average time from start to finish can average between 20-25 hours.
So when someone asks what the big difference in staging a vacant house versus a home with furniture already in it put your pencil to the paper and figure out how much time you spend from start to finish.
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Feel free to add to this list!
Here were some add-ons from fellow stagers.
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For those in the unglamorous world of vacant home staging with their own inventory add:
Shopping for more furniture because all of yours is out - or you just don't have the exact thing for the space.
Shopping for just the right rug, pillows, accessories to compliment the paint color because you just don't have the right thing in your warehouse. (For us perfectionists)
Wrapping/padding all of your furniture so it does not get damaged in transit and stays looking new and fresh. (Repeat process when unstaging)
Unwrapping/unpadding all your furniture before set up.
Joan Inglis (Lake Wylie Home Staging)
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Staffing and sceduling of assistants, instalations such as draperies and window treatments (in some properties), STEAMING & IRONING of linens the night before or day of staging, cost of food, gas & supplies, Project Managment of upgrades such as flooring, painting, lighting, etc, hmmm~ I'm sure I'll think of more....
Connie Tebyani, Platinum Home Staging Serving Los Angeles and Ventura Counties (Platinum Home Staging, Inc.)
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I know the shopping and the trips back and forth can get crazy. The one thing thats no one thinks of is hauling all the stuff that a normal occupied house would have. Like an ironing board, an iron or steamer, a vacumn cleaner, a broom and dustpan, rags, just the stupid little stuff you need for spills and dusty tables, and fuzzy rugs.
Becky Raike & Nicole Forte -Staging Sells Your Home (Staging Sells Your Home )
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Don't forget the extension cords, tape of ALL kinds, velcro, glue, stapler...and I love ZOTS...there is awas something you have to tweak.
Renee Pratta ~ Renewed Rooms ~ SC (Renewed Rooms)
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You can add making sure any new items purchased for the job are included in your inventory list. Staging - especially vacant staging - is not glamorous! It is a labor of love.
Tracy Moses~Redefining LUXE~Staging ~ Redesign (Redefining LUXE)
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What it REALLY takes to stage a vacant home, and what MUST be added to the list is.......many doses of Ibuprofen!
$8.00 for a bottle of 750 tablets at Costco........about a 6-month supply for me!! The best investment in my business I can possibly make:)
Marianne Sweet, Home Sweet Home Staging, LLC Rochester Hills, MI (Home Sweet Home Staging)
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So the next time you have someone ask you how to justify the cost of vacant staging give them this list.

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Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!
Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation. Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served: Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood. And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Where Do Consumers Cut Back When Budgets Are Tight?

Based on an article in the April 2008 issue of Residential Design & Build when budgets are tight homeowners start prioritizing where they want to put their money into their homes. So this is where the budget minded will wisely spend their money.

Square Footage-50%
Finish Details-29%
Landscaping-28%
Home Electronics-24%
Outdoor Living-18%
Cabinetry-15%
Countertops-14%
Appliances-13%
Plumbing Features-12%
Flooring-11%
Security System-10%
Windows-9%
Fireplaces-8%
Decking-7%
Roofing-6%
Lighting-5%
Interior Doors-4%
Siding-4%
Locks/Hardware-3%
Structural materials-2%
HVAC-2%




Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation. Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served: Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood. And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Study Shows Vacant Houses Are Slower To Sell

In a recent study and article by redfin.com the #6 reason to a slow sale of a house was to show it vacant. The study suggests keeping your homeowners there. It showed 9.5% of homes that were vacant would go through a price reduction, based on what a buyers thinking process was when buying a home. When they see it empty, they automatically assume the homeowner needs to get out fast, thus bidding low.

Marketing your Home to Sell- 7 Tactics By Redfin.com


To avoid this underbidding, home staging and the use of furniture can turn your lonely house into a "Buy Me" house.

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!
Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation. Please visit our website for more information.
Areas Served: Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood. And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Cindy Bryant - Houston Home Stager - Featured On ABC Houston Local News

Recently, the owner, Cindy Bryant of Redesign Etc a Home Staging Company was featured in two segments on ABC Channel 13 Local News. Reporter Patricia Lopez interviewed Cindy and watched the transformation of how to redesign a room. The segment was "Stretch Your Dollars" and the features were "Redesigning a Room", and "Tips on How to Redesign a Room Yourself"

Click link to watch video segment.


http://www.redesignetc.com/html/tv_video.html



Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Houston's Home Staging & Redesign Specialist Staging Your Home To Sell! We Serve Houston To Galveston Bay!

Houston Home Stager Cindy Bryant Featured In Houston Chronicle

Recently Houston Home Stager Cindy Bryant was featured in the Houston Chronicle and was asked 5 questions by Reporter Purva Patel.
June 10, 2008, 9:44PM


MoneymakersFive questions with Cindy Bryant

Staging homes adds a dimension to selling
By Purva Patel-Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle


Cindy Bryant grew up watching her mom prep homes for sale.
After spending most of her career marketing professional athletes, she started her own home-staging business, Redesign Etc., a year ago.
Staging entails cleaning, stylizing and depersonalizing homes so others can imagine living there.
Staging can also mean painting, new landscaping and other changes, depending on how much a homeowner is willing to invest in marketing a home.
Bryant recently spoke with Chronicle reporter Purva Patel about home staging. The following are excerpts of that conversation.

Q: With home sales slowing in parts of town, are you seeing more sellers resorting to staging services?
A: Absolutely. Yes, the market is not great, and I'm getting a lot of calls every day. People are having their houses on the market three to six months now and they're not getting any traffic to the house.
If you can't get traffic, you don't get offers. I'm getting more calls, and some people are calling before they put their house on the market because they realize there is so much competition. They want to start out with a bang rather than have to sit on the market for six months.

Q: How long does it take to sell once a house is staged?
A: Nationally is a whole different can of worms because every city and every market is different. In Houston, for my business, I've had houses sell in two days. My houses usually sell under 30 days. On average they sell about two weeks after they've been staged by our company.
I had a house that was on the market for a year, and it sold two days after it was staged. I got a call from an owner, who said the Realtor had said their million-dollar view would sell the house. After a year, she called me and said, "My million-dollar view is not selling this house."
I came in, picked out some paint color, completely repainted the whole place, brought in furniture and redid the whole place. Two days later, she had a full-price offer. So it does work.

Q: Are there any particular types of pieces that are better suited for staging?
A: It depends on the demographics of where the home is that you're staging. It's different in the suburbs versus a loft downtown. That's going to appeal to two different types of people — a family home in the suburbs as opposed to a loft that would appeal to young professional couple living in the city. That's why I pick up all kinds of pieces: urban, modern contemporary and traditional pieces as well.

Q: What's the biggest mistake people make when it comes to staging?
A: The biggest mistake is, and I come across this every day, people usually love their homes and it's a very, very emotional thing for them, so it's very hard for people to detach themselves from the house.
Because of that, they cannot look at their house objectively because they've lived there and it looks fine to them. They can't get past, say, their red dining room that maybe they spent hours and hours picking out that red color they love.
They don't understand that not everybody is going to love that red dining room. It's almost like a child to them.
They're just so emotionally attached to it that they can't give an objectiveview.

Q: Have you had to adjust your prices because of rising gasoline costs?
A: No. I should because I do go all over Houston. But I haven't yet. I can tell you it's tough because I drive a Suburban, so it's definitely driving up costs.


Contact Cindy Bryant for a Home Staging Consultation. Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Houston's Home Staging & Redesign Specialist Staging Your Home To Sell!

cindy @RedesignEtc.com or Phone: 281-748-2170

Website