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April 2011 Newsletter
Greetings!

In February's newsletter we highlighted Before and After photos of an apartment in the West Village we had staged.  We are pleased to report that the owners had a signed contract six weeks after staging, after being on the market for TWO YEARS! The agent, Sara Dai of Prudential Douglas Elliman's DeNiro Group said "It would never have sold without the staging."

 

And our latest success is a staging we did last month of a two bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side which resulted in an offer at the first open house and a signed contract 10 days after we completed the staging!  The agent Jill Sloane of Halstead said "It never would have sold this quickly and for 99% of asking if it hadn't been staged."

 

These examples go to show that staging works and is well worth the investment.  See our Home Staging Savings Calculator below to calculate if the cost of home staging will be outweighed by the money you save on monthly expenses.

  

Warmest regards,


Donna M. Dazzo, President
Designed to Appeal
 
In This Issue
Testimonials of the Month
Signed Contract 10 Days After Staging
Market Overview: New York, NY
Tips and Tricks of the Trade: The Flower District
Did you know...Home Staging Savings Calculator
Market Overview: The East End
F/REE Closet Organization, Open House & Moving Checklists
 
Testimonials of the Month
  
"Without the help of Donna Dazzo and her dedicated team, there is no way I would have been able to get an offer at 99% of my asking price in just 24 hours after my first open house. No way!
 
Donna's eye for design allowed my buyers to imagine my apartment as their own. She knew exactly what they needed to see!"

 

- Boris Lvovsky, homeowner
  
  
Jill Sloane
 Jill Sloane, Executive Vice President
 Halstead Property:
  
"I sold this same apt 5 years ago and it took me 8 months in a very good market. When I was called to sell it again, I discussed the strategy of staging with my seller.  We had Donna and her team stage the apartment and it sold at the 1st open house! One buyer walked in and could imagine her family living there. It looked beautiful! Staging works!"
 
See the Before and After photos below.
 
Signed Contract 10 Days After Staging!
   
Designed to Appeal staged this 2 bedroom /2 bathroom apartment on the Upper West Side on a Wednesday last month.  Twenty-four hours after the first open house on Sunday, an offer was made, and the following Sunday the seller had a signed contract in hand! 
   

Living Room Before

The living room was partially furnished by a conglomeration of furniture that was left behind by the owner after he moved out.

 

 Living Room After

So we kept most of it, but brought in some rental furniture and decorative accessories to warm up the space and make it more inviting. 

 

 Dining Room Before

There was no dining space designated in this combo living room/dining room.  You don't want a buyer to wonder where they would put their dining room table. 

 

Living Rm/Dining After

So we put in a dining table and chairs, and before the owner could hang the chandelier he had ordered, the apartment was sold.

 

Bedroom Before
The owner left behind some bedroom furniture, but furniture does not equal staging. This bedroom is not the relaxing retreat it's supposed to be to entice potential buyers.

Master Bdrm After
That's more like it. 

2nd bdrm before 

The second bedroom had just two lonely shelves and, because it was small, would leave a buyer wondering if a bedroom was even possible in such a space.

 

Child's room before

The demographic for this neighborhood is young families, so we had to lure in the target buyer with a children's bedroom.

 

   NYMarket Overview:
     New York, NY


According to Corcoran's March 2011 report:

 

"Marketwide sales activity picked up significantly in March. Both condo and co-op sales increased in comparison to last year and last month."

 

Market Wide:

 

There are 9,181 units currently listed on the market. Absorption of new listings increased a whopping 39% since last March. New listings in March represent 25% of the total number of listings.

 

The following is a comparison of March 2011 vs. March 2010:

 

Condos:

  • The median sale price of $1,110,000 represents a  decrease of 3%
  • The average price per square foot of $1,301 is an 11% increase
  • Discount from last ask to sale was unchanged at 6%
  • However, days on the market increased 3% to 250 
  • Listed inventory decreased 8% to 4,080

Co-ops:

  • The median sale price of $670,000 increased 2%
  • The average price per square foot of $967 is up 15%
  • Discount from last ask to sale is up 3% to 4.1%
  • Days on the market also decreased 11% to 152
  • However, listed Inventory increased by 10% to 4,481
 
 
Entry with orchid 
 
 
Tips and Tricks of the Trade: Manhattan's Flower District

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I would love to use real flowers in a staging project, it's not always practical as the homes we stage are often unoccupied by the owners and there is no one to water the plants or change to new fresh flowers every week.

 

So I turn to Manhattan's very own century-old Flower District, located on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, open Monday through Saturday.  There I can find authentic looking silk flowers and plants that don't require any maintenance.

 

In addition to silk flowers and plants, you can also find:

  • Fake fruit
  • Vases and decorative bowls and urns
  • Pots and planters
  • Decorative balls
  • Seashells
  • River rocks and sea glass
  • Ribbons of every color and size
  • Topiaries
  • Twigs and branches
  • Wedding party items
  • Live flowers and trees, of course
  • ...and much more

Here are my favorite stores:

  • PANY Silk Garden (105 W 28th):  This is where I always buy my potted orchids, pictured above.
  • CFD Flower Inc (145 W 28th):  Has an extensive assortment of silk single stem flowers.
  • Jamali Floral and Garden (149 W 28th): This is where I buy vases, urns and bowls in glass, silver, and other materials to hold the silk flowers. They have tons of accessories!

I stumbled upon this store which is having a 50% off closing sale as it is moving down the street:  28th Street Orchids at 123 W 28th Street.  Get there before it's too late!

 

 

 
StagingCalcDid you know....      
 
...that the "expense" of home staging can actually save you money in the long run?

Try our new Home Staging Savings Calculator developed by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA):


 

Click on the calculator above, which will launch in a new window. 

 

For more detailed instructions, click here.

 
 

 
     EastEndMarket Overview: The East End




 

According to George R. Simpson, president of Suffolk Research Services, Inc. "The East End is showing disappointing results" for the first quarter of 2011.  All three of the market indicators: Median Price, Number of Sales, and the Dollar Volume of Sales, showed a downward trend in the 1st quarter of 2011 versus the 1st quarter of 2010.

  

East Hampton Town:
  • The median sales price decreased 31% to $795,000
  • The number of sales decreased 24% to 115
  • The dollar volume of sales decreased 54% to $144 million 
Southampton Town: 
  • The median sales price decreased 8.4% to $779,000
  • The number of sales decreased 10% to 224
  • The dollar volume of sales decreased 1.2% to $384 million  
  Southold Town: 
  • The median sales price decreased 18.5% to $440,000
  • The number of sales decreased 12% to 58
  • However, the dollar volume of sales increased 2.5% to $40 million

So, despite the downturn in the first quarter, is the East End "back in the money"?  See what the East End real estate experts have to say about the current state of the residential sales and summer rental markets.

 
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