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Greetings!
One of our most successful stagings this past month resulted in 17 appointments at the first showing. This resulted in 3 offers, two of which were over the asking price and one of which was an all-cash offer at 96% of asking price. Needless to say, the homeowner was very pleased with these results.
In addition, she had nothing but great things to say about our services and the job done. See the Testimonial of the Month below, as well as the before and after photos.
Warmest regards,
Donna M. Dazzo, President
Designed to Appeal |
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Testimonial of the Month
"Thanks for a staging well done! Not only does the apartment look fabulous, you did it all in an amazingly timely way! It's really like an HGTV staging, but better! Donna, in addition to your artistic eye, you have great attention to detail, which is great! Thank you for your responsiveness and professionalism. It's a pleasure to do business with you!"
Elizabeth Wood, Homeowner
New York, New York
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 Staged, then Three Offers at First Showing, Two at Above Ask!
At the first showing after we staged this apartment , homeowner Elizabeth Wood received three offers, two of them over the asking price. The one that was less than the asking price was an all-cash offer. Needless to say, she was very pleased with the results of our staging.
Ms. Wood decided to put her two bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side on the market after her rental tenant moved out.
After touring the apartment, we recommended to her the following updates, among others, and she smartly agreed to implement all of them:
- Paint the walls a warm beige, rather than it's current chalky white, a.k.a., "rental white"
- Update brass doorknobs, cabinet hardware,sink faucets and kitchen lighting fixture to brushed chrome or stainless steel
- Recaulk the bathtub and shower so that they look sparkling clean
Her total investment in staging and improvements was a little over
1% of the asking price and well worth the investment, given the quick and profitable results.
Here are the dramatic before and after photos:
Living Room/Dining Area Before
Living Room/Dining Area After
Repainting the walls from "renter's white" to a warm light beige (Benjamin Moore Elephant Tusk) served as a great foundation for the addition of rental furniture and our decorative accessories.
Living Room/Dining Area Before
Living Room/Dining Area After
Master Bedroom Before
Master Bedroom After
Master Bedroom Before
Master Bedroom After
Children's Bedroom Before
Children's Bedroom After
Designed to Appeal has staged many apartments in this building, and the target market is definitely families, so we positioned this second bedroom as a child's room rather than a guest bedroom or study.
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Market Overview: New York, NY
"Spring continues to be a very active season for residential real estate sales in Manhattan. The number of market-wide sales increased from the First Quarter 2011...however sales decreased from Second Quarter 2010." Market Wide: - There are 9,326 units currently listed on the market.
- New listings represent 58% of the total number of listings
The following is a comparison of 2nd Quarter 2011 vs. last quarter and 2nd Quarter 2010: Condos: - The median sale price of $1,130,000 represents a 7% increase from last quarter and a 5% increase from same quarter last year
- The average price per square foot of $1,194 is a 1% decrease from last quarter and a 2% increase from last year
Co-ops: - The median sale price of $671,00 increased 7% from both last quarter and same quarter last year
- The average price per square foot of $889,000 increased 8% and 6, respectively%
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Tips and Tricks of the Trade: Window Treatments
When we staged the apartment pictured above, the room seemed to cry out for window treatments. So we hung these panels, and it definitely added a softness and polish to the room.
Recently, we came across an interesting and helpful article about window treatments that began with:
"Great windows with a wonderful view need no decoration. Therefore, the question that should be asked first is: "Does this window need to be covered at all?" This is in keeping with the notion that less could be more if you have a lovely view or as the old saying goes,"If it ain't broke don't fix it."
But What If...?
The list is very long for the benefits of "a little something at the windows." Let's count the ways."
Read more about when window treatments should be used, and some useful tips on how to hang them. |
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 Do you know....
...the magic color for selling your home?
According to an article on the Better Homes and Garden website: "White is a great accent, but for walls it is a harsh and cold color. Instead of white, choose warm, inviting and neutral paint colors such as yellows, warm beige and olive tones."
As we stated in the article above, we recommended to the home seller to repaint the chalky "renter's white" walls to a warm beige and chose Benjamin Moore's Elephant Tusk.
Download a complete list of our recommended neutral colors when selling your home, as well as the proper paint finish to choose.
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Market Overview: The East End
According to George R. Simpson, President of Suffolk Research Services, Inc.:
"The real estate market on the East End of Long Island is UP! It is showing encouraging results over previous quarters."
Median Price and Dollar Volume of Sales were up over the first quarter 2010, though the number of sales was down slightly.
However, all three of the market indicators showed a strong upward trend in 2nd quarter 2011 vs 1st quarter 2011:
- Median Price is up 22%
- Number of Sales is up 31%
- Dollar Volume of Sales is up 59%
Note: The following is a comparison of 2nd quarter 2011 vs 2nd quarter 2010
East Hampton Town:
- The median sales price increased 5% to $970,000
- Thenumber of sales decreased 3.8% to 153
- The dollar volume of sales increased 3% to $232 million
Southampton Town:
- The median sales price decreased 1.6% to $910,000
- The number of sales increased 9.5% to 322
- The dollar volume of sales increased 40% to $632 million
Southold Town:
- The median sales price increased 11.5% to $499,000
- The number of sales decreased 9% to 68
- The dollar volume of sales decreased 10.6% to $45 million
Read how the major East End real estate firms reported that sales "jumped dramatically" in the 2nd quarter compared to the first quarter. |
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For More Info During the Month...
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F/REE Closet Organization,
Open House, and Moving Checklists |
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Download your FREE Closet Organization, Open House and Moving Checklists, | | | |
Try our new Home Staging Savings Calculator developed by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA):DIV>
Click on the calculator above, which will launch in a new window.
For more detailed instructions, click here . |
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