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July 2009 Newsletter
Greetings!
 
Last month I introduced Part I of No Cost Ways to Improve a Home. Click here for the full article. To recap, they were: 
  • Curb appeal enhancement
  • Decluttering
  • Clean, clean and clean some more
  • Lighten and brighten
  • Eliminate odors

This month I will finish this list with Part II.  As I said last month, all it takes is some motivation and an investment of time.  And in the end you'll be rewarded with a house or apartment that looks better than the other listings on the market, or at the very least a better looking and more comfortable home to live in.

Warmest regards,
 
Donna M. Dazzo, President
Designed to Appeal
 
P.S.  I am pleased to announce that I am blogging! Seems like everyone's doing it, so I thought why not join in. Read and subscribe to my new blog here
 
 
No Cost Ways to Improve
a Home - Part II
 
 
 
 
Staging a home for sale doesn't mean money has to be spent. 
In Part II of this series, here are FIVE more things that can be done at no cost:
  1. Depersonalizing - You may be proud of photos of your children, their artwork, your trophies and diplomas, as well as your collection of antique salt and pepper shakers, but buyers will not be able to imagine themselves living in your home if your home reminds them too much of YOU!
  2. Define the space - . while the dining room works perfectly well for you as your home office, once the home is on the market, you don't want buyers to be left to figure out that the space with the desk and computer in it is actually a dining room or dining area.  And the living room should be just that, a place to entertain and relax - not a play or storage area for children's toys. This will lead buyers to think there's inadequate space or storage for their children. 
  3. Basic maintenance and repairs - don't think that buyers won't notice a light switch that doesn't work, a drip in the tub, or a cabinet door that doesn't shut properly.  Buyers will think two things: 1) "If the owner can't fix these minor things, what larger problems does this house have?" and, 2) "I wonder how much I can deduct from the asking price because of all of these needed repairs?". 
  4. Master Bedroom - Bedrooms should feel like sanctuaries for rest and relaxation.  Think HOTEL when reviewing and enhancing yours. Make sure it's easy to walk around the bed, so get rid of excess furniture.  Clear nightstands and dressers of clutter.   Make sure linens are clean and fresh and the bed neatly made.  Closets must be clean, organized and as sparsely filled as possible. Let in the natural light.
  5. Kitchens and bathrooms   ...sell houses.  We've all heard this before. Both should be sparkling clean.  Clear the kitchen counters of clutter, including appliances.  It will make the counters appear to be more spacious. Go through the kitchen cabinets and discard or pack away unused items, neatly place remaining items and even go so far as to organize pantry items such as jars, boxes and spices by type and size, with labels all facing out.  Take the magnets and everything underneath them off the refrigerator. Bathrooms should appear as if they belonged in a hotel, so that means storing away your shampoo and toiletries during showings, and displaying the nice, fluffy show towels. Toilet lid down and wastebaskets emptied.  Plungers and cleaning supplies off the floor.

 
   Market Overview:
     New York, NY
 
 According to trulia.com:
  • The median sales price for homes in the quarter ended 5/31 was $996,000, up 10.5% from the prior three months, but down 13.3% from same time last year
  • The average sales price per square foot was $1,164, a decrease of 13.8% from same time last year.
  • The number of sales was down 40%
  • The average listing price as of 6/24 was $2,021,723
  • There are 12,192 homes for sale

  

 
 
Tips and Tricks
 of the Trade
 
 

How high should a picture be hung? How low should a chandelier hang over a dining room table?  Find out the answers to these questions and others:

  • Hanging Pictures -  generally, pictures should be hung at eye level, but whose eye level? Hang it so that the center is at 5'8" to 5'10".  But it should relate to the height of the furniture (and the objects on it) and not be hung too high. Also, the width of a piece of art or group of art should be a minimum of 2/3 the length of the piece of furniture it is hanging over.  If hanging two or more pictures next to each other, the ideal spacing is 3 to 4 inches between them but no more than 8 inches. 
  • Dining Table Chandelier - the bottom of the chandelier should be 30 to 36 inches from the tabletop.
  • Cocktail/Coffee Table - should be 2/3 to 3/4 the size of the couch or loveseat they are in front of and should be placed 12 to 16 inches from the edge of the seat to allow for legroom.
  • End Tables - for comfort (and so not to knock things over), the height of an end table next to a sofa or chair should be within 3 inches of the height of the arm of the sofa or chair.
  • Table Lamps - the bottom of the shade should be within 2 to 4 inches of your eye level.
 
 
 
 
    

Did you know....              
 
 
  • 87% of ALL home buyers and 94% of buyers aged 25 to 44 use the Internet to search for homes
  • 10 seconds is all you have to make a first impression
  • Only 10% of homebuyers can actually visualize the potential of a home

A home seller can be just a mouseclick away from losing a sale if the home doesn't show well online. So consider the "Quick Staging for a Photo Shoot" service offered by Designed to Appeal.

 
 
 
Market Overview: The East End
 
 
 
 
Not a lot has changed since we reported these numbers last month.  The amount and dollar volume of sales transactions are about half of what they were in 2008, and price declines are ranging between 10% to 18%.
 
All three major towns on the East End suffered similar percentage declines in the number and dollar value of sales year-to-date through 5/31/09 (on an annualized basis compared to last year), but Southold town is beginning to catch up with the other towns with respect to the decline in its median sales price.  
 
 According to Suffolk Research Service, in...
  • East Hampton Town:

         - The median sales price was $812,500 down 18%

         - The number and dollar value of sales was down 46% and 54%, respectively 
  • Southampton Town:

         - The median sales price was $675,000 down 15.6%

         - The number and dollar value of sales was down 45% and 58% respectively
  • Southold Town:

         - The median sales price was $450,000 down 10%

         - The number and dollar value of sales was down 44% and 52% respectively
 
Note: median sales price means that there were an equal number of sales above and below that price
  
southold
 
Testimonial of  the Month
  
 
 
 
A free home staging consultation by Designed to Appeal was recently won by Henrietta Chituk of the Southold, New York office of Brown Harris Stevens. 
 
She decided to quickly take advantage of it and called me in for one of her listings, an historic barn converted into a country home.
 
Here's what the homeowner had to say after the consultation was completed:
 
"Donna Dazzo spent several hours at our home for a home staging consultation.  She immediately impressed us with her keen observations of every detail in each room of our 100 year old converted milk barn.  It was so helpful to hear the comments of this gifted professional.  Her suggestions were clever, ingenious, and down right brilliant.  For every negative...which was always diplomatic... she had a positive viewpoint.  To view our house through someone else's eyes, who is gifted enough to suggest simple changes that make a big difference...is a win/win situation.  We highly recommend the services of Designed to Appeal and Donna Dazzo."
 
Carol & Ed Coakley
Southold, New York
 
Click here for more information and to schedule a Home Staging Consultation 
In This Issue
No Cost Ways to Improve A Home - Part II
Market Overview: New York, NY
Tips and Tricks of the Trade
Did you know...
Market Overview: The East End
Testimonial of the Month
An Easy Way to Send Your Thoughts and Appreciation
Quick Links
 
 
 
 

An Easy Way to Send Your Thoughts and Appreciation 

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For a free trial to Send Out Cards, click here.
Home Staging
Consultation
 
For Manhattan and the Hamptons from Montauk to Southampton:  $300 for the first 2 hours and $100/hour thereafter.
For Other Areas:  A travel premium will apply.
 
Click here for more information and to schedule a Home Staging Consultation