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June 2012 Newsletter

 

Greetings!  

 

A few months ago we staged a two bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side for a couple who was retiring out of state. We are happy to report that the apartment sold in less than one month and at full asking price!  So now, the couple can move on with the next chapter of their life.

 

See our before and after transformation photos below to see what we did to get this apartment sold so quickly and at asking price. 

 

Have a Happy 4th of July!

 

Warmest regards,

 

Donna M. Dazzo, President

Designed to Appeal 

 

 
In This Issue
Testimonial of the Month
Featured Staging
Market Overview: New York, NY
Tips and Tricks of the Trade: Finding Great Decorating Resources
Did You Know: Central Park Views Command Twice the Price?
Market Overview: The East End
F/REE Closet Organization, Open House & Moving Checklists
 
TestimonialsTestimonial of the Month

"Dear Donna, 

 

The work that you did on my customer's apartment was nothing short of amazing. The sellers followed your lead and the apartment turned into an extremely salable home that in fact sold extremely quickly and at top dollar.  

 

They and I appreciate the talent you brought to the table and I thank you."   

Elaine Clayman BHS 

 

 

Elaine Clayman

Managing Director
Brown Harris Stevens  

212.906.9353

[email protected] 

 
         

 


Staging
 

Sold in Less than One Month After Staging 
 

 

During our Home Staging Consultation, the homeowners of this month's featured apartment wanted to use most of their existing furniture when staging their apartment for sale, despite our advice that it was too traditional for the target market of buyers.

 

When they originally came to New York City, they brought with them furniture from Washington, D.C.  While this traditional furniture may have worked in DC., it doesn't work here in New York.

 

They finally agreed to remove all of their furniture and decorative items since they were moving anyway to retire out of state.  So we were given a clean slate to work with to present the apartment in its most favorable light.


The unit is comprised of two apartments remodeled into one and features a stunning view of the 59th St. Bridge and tram. We focused our design to highlight the great view, and maximize the appeal of each room.   

And it sold in less than one month at full asking price!

 

Here are some photos showing what it looked like with the owners' furniture and what it looked like after we were done staging it:

  

 Den Before 

 

Den After 
   
Den Before
 
Den After

 

    

Living Room Before 

 

Living Room After 

 

Living Room Before 
 
Living Room After 

 
Master Bedroom Before 
 
 
Master Bedroom After 


Guest Bedroom Before


Guest Bedroom After

 

   NYMarket Overview:
     New York, NY


According to Corcoran's May 2012 report:

 

"May's contract activity was the strongest month since the downturn. Sales have been strong all Spring but May surpassed April by 15% and March by 13%. Both condos and co-ops are benefiting from the surge in contract activity."

 

Market Wide: 

  • There are 8,233 units currently listed on the market.
  • New listings in May represent 23% of the total number of listings.  

The following is a comparison of May 2012 vs. May 2011:

 

Condos:

  • The median sale price of $1,280,000 decreased 4%.
  • The average price per square foot of $1,403 is a 17% increase
  • Discount from last ask to sale at 4.1% represents a 17% increase 
  • Days on the market decreased 35% to 156 
  • Listed inventory decreased 18% to 3,405

Co-ops:

  • The median sale price of $740,000 increased 9%
  • The average price per square foot of $956 is up 8%
  • Discount from last ask to sale is down 31% to 2.4%
  • Days on the market decreased 6% to 139
  • Listed Inventory decreased by 10% to 4,229

 

 
                             TipsTips and Tricks of the Trade:    
Finding Great Decorating Resources 

 

 

Stumped on ideas for decorating your daughter's bedroom?  Love looking at decorating magazines to dream and wonder?

 

Well, there's a site made just for you with thousands of beautiful photos of each typical room in a house, as well as the exterior.

 

It's called www.houzz.com.

 

And you can also do the following: 
  • Save your favorite photos to individually create Ideabooks e.g., "ideas for Kayla's room".
  • If public, you can view other people's Ideabooks.
  • Sign up for regular emails from the site for gorgeous photos on specific topics such as "Make the Most of your Entryway":

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/2768629/list/Make-the-Most-of-Your-Entryway 

  • Ask questions of the Design Community  
  • Find a professional  

 
Didyouknow Did You Know...    
Central Park Views Command Twice the Price?


 
"Co-op buyers who covet direct views of Central Park pay three times as much for their apartment than a similar buyer without such requirements."
  • Co-ops around the park's border had a median price of $2.4 million last year
  • Apartments in surrounding neighborhoods not on the park only drew an average of $795,000 last year.
  •  New York differs from other largely populated cities by having higher premiums for views of Central Park rather than waterfront properties.
  • Some brokers do suspect that improved waterfront parks may start to change buyer's preferences from park views to water views. 
 
 
 

 
     EastEndMarket Overview: The East End




 
The following is a comparison of results through May 2012, annualized, vs. all of 2011, by town:

 

East Hampton Town:
  • The median sales price increased 8% to $945,000
  • The number of sales increased 12% to 557 
  • The dollar volume of sales increased 33% to $953 million

 Southampton Town:

  • The median sales price decreased nearly 15% to $735,000
  • The number of sales increased by 3.6% to 1,015
  • The dollar volume of sales decreased 5.2% to $1.7 billion
Southold Town:
  • The median sales price decreased 5% to $415,000
  • The number of sales decreased 4% to 281
  • The dollar volume of sales decreased 12% to $158 million

Source: Suffolk Research Services 

 

 
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F/REE Closet Organization,
Open House, and Moving Checklists

 

Checklist

 

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)

 

 

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

 

For more detailed instructions, click here.


HomeStagingConsultationHome Staging
Consultation
(occupied homes)
 
For Manhattan and the Hamptons from Montauk to Southampton:  $350 for the first 2 hours, $125/hour thereafter
Other Areas:
  A travel premium will apply.

Click here for more information and to schedule a Home Staging Consultation.


FREE VACANT STAGING ESTIMATES IN MANHATTAN AND THE HAMPTONS