Home Staging Blog of Houston by Redesign Etc.

1/28/10

RESA 2010 Conference-Matthew Finalson

I'm back from the 2010 RESA (Real Estate Staging Association Conference) in Las Vegas. There were loads of information that I will be implementing into Redesign Etc. soon! Here is Matthew Finalson from HGTV's "The Stagers" opening up the conference. The conference was the 1st International Home Staging Conference where stagers from all over the world came together.

I was sitting at the very back, and this was the best shot I could get in the dark.

11/12/09

Biggest Turnoffs For Home Buyers

When they say the "nose" knows, it's really true. I have been into alot of homes that were emitting some strange smells. Pet odors, body odor, dirty house odors, dirty laundry odors, food/cooking/spice odors, smoke, dirty linens odor, and some strange unidentifiable odors. There's more, but you get the idea.

Unfortunately, we get used to the way our homes smell. Have you ever gone into someones house, and walk through an area and catch a whiff of something, maybe from the dirty laundry hamper?

This is one of the biggest turnoffs for buyers when looking at homes, even over cleanliness (it's a very close 2nd). The difference is, a house can be cleaned, but odors penetrate into carpet, padding, walls, linens, draperies and fabric of any kind. And it can be quite a chore to banish them.

One examples of the worst cases I've ever smelled was from pet odors. I walked into the front door and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought maybe it was isolated in that area, but the further in I got the more intense it got. I literally got a migraine, and went outside a few times, it was that bad.

They explained their kids had brought down a couple of dogs and a cat. The dogs were long gone, but the cat was still there.

Here was the puzzle, this house had been practically gutted because of some water damage. The floors were down to concrete, the walls had been stripped of all wallpaper, there was no fabric type materials left, and no draperies.

I felt extremely bad for these sellers, as it was an odor free home before, and now they are plagued with this extreme odor. The sellers didn't smell it, but I guarantee a buyer will and turnaround and walk right out!

Luckily, it's being updated and we will be replacing everything and will make sure sure the odor goes away.

Sellers... you can't smell your own odors.

Don't lose potential buyers, have a home stager give you a consultation and see what their opinion is.

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Redesign Etc. Houston, TX, Full-Service home staging with expert professional stagers.

Please visit our website for more information. We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area League City Home Staging. Or contact Cindy Bryant 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.