Why offer home staging to your clients or consider it for preparing your home?

•  By staging your listing prior to advertising, you can rest assured that your advertising mediums will be more effectively drawing  buyers in. 
• We give your listing a "wow" factor that will linger in the minds of the buyer after they have left your listing.
• We maximize your home's potential by implementing the techniques of staging. These marketing techniques, including placement of furniture, color, and accessories will allow the buyer to see and feel the property as their new home.
• Staging is the best return on your investment, costing considerably less than your first price reduction.

Hi, I'm Katherine Zupan and I am  the owner of MVOR Designs and My Very Own Room, based out of the California Central Valley.  I look forward to helping assist you or your clients in preparation for the selling of their home. As a Designer and Interior Decorator, I look forward to using my experience on builder's projects through the use of Model Home Merchandising. Please feel free to contact me in regards to any projects or listings you are working with. I would happy to be of service.

Katherine has 10 years of experience in preparing re-sale homes and working with builders through Model Home Merchandising.

Model homes are on display, being showcased in Central California.

While working as an advocate for the Realtor and homeowner, I am able to communicate effectively with a seller to make sure all necessary tasks are completed to present a home with magazine quality appeal.  Agents often make requests or comments on what needs to be done prior to showing and return to find those tasks have not been accomplished.

As a third party, I help preserve the relationship between Realtor and homeowner by handling the delicate issues of providing a home evaluation, furniture layout, along with editing list, working with client to make the necessary changes in a timely manner. Time is money, and advertising photos must look their best in todays market!

Dear Katherine:

I would like to take a few moments and express my gratitude to you in writing for the valued services that you provide and my ‘delight' in your execution. You were exactly what I was looking for and you appeared at our London Properties sales meeting to make your presentation not a moment too soon!

With our new real estate ‘Buyer's Market' cycle, curb appeal plays an even more vital role than ever in order to get buyers through our front doors. Most buyers today have toured one or more of the many new home subdivisions. When they later come to a resale home they expect to see model type homes. Therefore, your service in working with sellers to bring out the best in their homes, and the curb appeal, is invaluable.

You have been quite successful in working with my sellers as that neutral third party to tell them some of the things I was trying to get them to do but, "I was just the Realtor". When they hear it from you as a professional interior decorator, and the tactful manner that you engage, you influence behavior resulting in getting the job done- this is a win win for all!

In today's market, time is more valuable than ever. The cost of your services to quickly enhance the appearance of a seller's property is miniscule compared to lost time, money and energy in attempting to market a home that is going nowhere. My clients have all provided positive feedback regarding your meetings with them, and, the quality output of your work stands out the moment I pull up to the curb and then walk through the front door.

You've done a fantastic job and you are now part of my listing presentation to new sellers in the full array of services I provide to them when they list with me. Keep up the great work!!

Sincerely,

Chuck Dudek- Realtor

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Dear Katherine,

Thanks to you!

As I told you in our conversation, I did close the 1003 Drakeley in Atwater. I owe you a big heartfelt Thank You. If it were not for you coming over and telling my clients what to do they wouldn't have done what I had suggested. I tried for two months to convince them with no success.

When you came for the home evaluation, they went the same day, bought paint, and did everything you said to do, and they did a wonderful job.

As a real estate professional I am sure that their house wouldn't have sold in 9 days as it did if it was not for your recommendations. It made all the difference in the world and I thank you for that.

Staging and decorating is very important when a house if for sale. People do not realize that with some little improvements and with professional advice from you, it can make the difference from "FOR SALE" to "SOLD".

Kind regards,

MARIJA PRGOMET- Realtor

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"HOME STAGING" helps sellers

By Bernard Brown

Putting your house on the arket takes work. A lot of that work is getting the house presentable for those would-be buyers who'll be poking into every room and closet. And gettign a house ready to sell these days takes more than having your lawn mowed and carpet shampooed.

"Home Staging" which sounds like a home and garden channel television show is the next step in preparing your home for sale. Katherine Zupan is a professional "home stager", also known as a property enhancement specialist. Based in Merced and working with clients from Sacramento down to Fresno, Katherine has been helping people sell their homes for 10 years now.

Usually working with a realtor, Zupan usually starts with a walk through of the potential clients home. She'll take note of every room- floors, furniture, paint, wallpaper, decorations- everything is concidered.

"After the walk-through I prepare a report- what we do is typically start of with is an editing list, because that's what they need- removing personal items" explains Zupan. Some home sellers may hesitate, but a house has to be neutral- a potential buyer has to envision themselves living in the home and what they are going to do with the house.

After cleaning, decluttering and removing the personal items, "lighting is a big issue as well as the spaciousness" says Zupan. "Upgrading old lighting is a quick fix, especially for the bathroom. I recommend if the lighting is dating the home that it is updated it".

Spaciousness can mean ex-changing that huge sectional sofa for maybe a matched set of love seats to make the living room look bigger. Closets need to be thinned out. Zupan recommends getting rid of over half of what's in there, cooridinating the outfits that are left and leaving nothing on the closet floor.

Window treatments usually need to be changed or removed, allowing in more light. Also door harware and light switch covers should be replaced if they are not new looking and or dull. "A rule of thumb here" says Zupan, "is that anything a potential buyer is going to be touched should be in the best condition, preferably new."

Color is very important. Wild colors, bright colors, exotic looking effects or trim, old wallpaper, borders and such are nuetral and can turn a buyer off. Katherine carries paint color samples with her and can offer recommendations.

There are lots more things a good 'home stager' will point out. And according to Zupan, "it's to make a great first impression, Homes are purchased on emotion and within the first fifteen seconds the potential buyer developes an attitude towards the house. The attitude is reinforced by everything else in the house they're going to encounter".

Instead of the seller buying new furniture or lamps for the makeover, Katherine offers rentals to her clients. She also works a lot with realtors preparing homes for internet listing pictures and open houses. She has a warehouse of furniture and accessories and "if a bedroom requires a twin bed, rather than leaving it empty we'll bring in a bed iwth a headboard, table, lamp and accessories".

Does all this help sell a house? In today's slower maker where buyers have more choices and comparisons, Zupan pointed out that statistically, "staged" homes sell quicker. They can also appeal to a broader spectrum of potential buyers.

Katherine Zupan's website is http://MyVeryOwnRoom.com