staging your Overland Park home Archives - Overland Park Home Staging

Easy Solutions When Your House Isn’t Selling

There may be several easy solutions when your house isn’t selling. Today we are going to focus on one – home staging.

Years ago, Fortune Magazine stated that a house will sell for 3 reasons: the price, the way it was or wasn’t staged and the Realtor you choose. As a lifelong Realtor and Home Stager, in my humble opinion home staging is all that matters. The right home staging is what will make the buyer buy your house. It creates the emotion.

Staging a home and preparing it for the market is crucial for a fast sale and oftentimes with multiple offers. Within 10 seconds of opening the front door, buyers will make a decision about your house. If your house doesn’t grab them emotionally from the start, you probably won’t sell your home anytime soon. Buyers make their decision about your house emotionally and justify their decision later rationally. Going hand-in-hand with home staging is the condition of your home. Selling your home is show time. Now is your time to shine. Do what it takes to prepare your home for the market and you’ll be singing all the way to the bank. This is an emotional sale. Take advantage of it!!!

Agents say things like:

It just didn’t wow my buyers
Don’t know exactly what it was but they just didn’t connect with the house
Might need some home staging to give it more appeal because it didn’t appeal to my buyers

Recent Home Staging Case Study

I recently received a text message from a lady whose house was on the market in Leawood. She told me her son said she needed to have her home staged after being on the market for over 2 weeks and not selling. There again, she thought home staging meant bringing furniture to a vacant house. That’s not what home staging is at all. He told her there were people who worked with what you had to give your home a better home selling look. She googled home staging in Overland Park and found me. She sent me 3 messages in a short time frame (I was on an appointment) and finally told me what she wanted. After asking her a few questions via text, I looked her house up on MLS and determined it just didn’t do much for me. I responded that I could meet for a consultation the next morning and do whatever I could while I was there.

Your Home’s Photos Tell the Story

When I entered the house, it was exactly as I expected…it didn’t wow me at all. After seeing the photos online, I knew it probably had potential but most of the furniture was poorly arranged. Remember, the way you live in your home and the way you sell your house are two different ways!

What Was the Solution to a Home that Didn’t Show Well?

After thinking things through, I had a discussion with her of my opinion and vision. The kitchen and hearth room area was huge and had nothing to bring them together. Little did I know, she had a free-standing kitchen island that was stashed in the garage. We brought it in the house and I went to work searching for things that could be used in the staging of it. Between the island and changing the furniture in the hearth room, it brought the space closer together rather than having what seemed like a basketball court between them.

Connecting the hearth room to the kitchen

Clearing countertops and furniture tops is never anything I recommend because that’s not what home staging is. Agents will tell you to do that because they aren’t home stagers and it’s less expensive than hiring a stager. But at the end of the day, buyers want to see themselves living in your home and when it’s cleared of all of its personality, they don’t connect with it.

Since this seller had put all of her accessories away, I got them out to stage her kitchen. I ended up creating a coffee station, lemonade area, as well as a meal prep space on the island. Unfortunately in preparing her home for sale, she had stripped it of its personality. But it had a huge personality by the time I left. I was there for 2 hours and got the job done. Needless to say, we were both thrilled with the end result and she hugged me as I left:).

Happy Client Testimonial

Here’s what she had to say after we rearranged the furniture in her living room and hearth room/kitchen area and accessorized her house.

“Melinda did an outstanding job of giving my home a whole new look in just 2 hours. Amazing what she could accomplish by rearranging my furniture and using just what was in my cupboards. She responded quickly, communicated often and was easy to work with. I highly recommend her services.”

One happy seller name withheld since it wasn’t my listing

There may be many reasons why your house isn’t selling but these are the only 3 that matter. Figure out your situation and address it now. Days on the market are a killer for anybody selling a house. Buyers are wondering why no one has bought it!!!

In Conclusion

Don’t waste time sitting around wondering about the easy solutions when your house isn’t selling. It may need a little furniture rearranging or just a personality boost. Please text (913) 515-3250 and tell me you need some home staging and I’ll respond immediately or you can contact me here. We stage occupied homes and have been for the last 17 years! In as little as 2 hours, your home could have a whole new look.

Quick Ways to Create Spring Curb Appeal

From recent freezing temperatures, warmer weather is just around the corner, and here are some quick ways to create spring curb appeal, whether you are selling or dwelling.

While shopping over the weekend for fresh, new spring curb appeal accessories for my new listings, I went into Home Goods to see what they were featuring this spring.

First of all, I love the feeling I get when I walk into Home Goods. They know how to get you in the mood to shop. It’s the same trick I use for all of my new listings. Home Goods and I both know we’ve got a short time to grab the buyer while they are present and either they’ll buy or they’ll move on. I call it the 10 second rule. It’s based on grabbing the buyer within 10 seconds of entering a house.

Home Goods is bright, full of happy music, and the colors throughout the store are outstanding. Furthermore, it’s such a pick-me-up and an incredible feeling. I love their bright cheery dishes, pillows, springtime furniture and outdoor cushions. It makes me want to buy everything in the store and give my own home a spring makeover.

I also love Home Goods for doormats and front door wreaths. They are bright, colorful, and full of life. The spring season is the best time for a change. It’s like starting over new again. In addition, you get a new lease on life and your home deserves this as much as anything. For that very reason, you will reap the benefits from your spring curb appeal makeover.

How to be the favorite house on the block

This week while working on a couple of houses, I thought about what would make us stand out from the other neighbors? What were some quick ways to create spring curb appeal?

Both houses had substantial front porches so I decided with the new season and the energy in the air, I wanted to focus on the porch and really hone in on the spring curb appeal to draw people inside.

As a result, at one of the houses, I added a new spring doormat, a fresh wreath and added new outdoor pillows to the homeowner’s glider. Adding large, colorful planters to each side of the front door was a plus.

Here are 5 quick ways to create spring curb appeal

Paint your front door
Add an expensive pot or planters filled with colorful flowers next to the front door
Find a pretty new wreath and hang it on the door
Get some new, large house numbers
Change out your mailbox (if it’s on the house) or paint it to match the color of your door

Do these 5 things to create your spring curb appeal and while the buyer’s agent is busy getting the key out of the lock box, the buyers are quickly falling in love with your house.

We had a cold winter in Kansas City. The spring real estate market is here and creating the model home look starts with your curb appeal. Zing your home into spring in no time with our help. Call or text (913) 515-3250 to schedule your home styling appointment.

Home Staging Magic

If you are selling your Overland Park home anytime soon, you definitely need some home staging magic – especially in this real estate market!

Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me that many Overland Park Realtors just don’t get it. Certainly, it’s not like home staging is a new concept – it was “created” in 1973 by a lady who knew occupied houses could look better when selling. For that reason, I flew to Chicago in 2006 and worked with her one-on-one, and became an Accredited Home Staging Stylist. That was a very long time ago. Where has everyone been?

Buyers only see what they see

After showing several houses over the past weekend, I just sometimes have to laugh. I’m truly embarrassed. “OMG – let’s go. Another house no one cares about. This isn’t going to get any better.”

Because you have a house that doesn’t show well, you want my feedback after showing your listing? Come on now!

Selling a house is simple but it’s not easy. Prepare, List, Sell is my formula for home staging magic. It works over and over again for those home sellers who get it and for agents who want my help.

Here are my 5 best tips if you are selling your home in Overland Park or Olathe or anywhere:

Home Staging Magic

Have a plan – first of all, what are you trying to accomplish? If you don’t know, start over. You’ve got to have a plan. We don’t need more inventory, we need more GOOD inventory.

Be ready to sell – another issue is most sellers aren’t ready to sell. If your house is filled to the gills with stuff you can’t seem to part with, that doesn’t tell me as an agent that you’re going to be moving anytime soon. My buyers want to close in 30 days. Can you possibly be out? Probably not.

Prepare your home to sell – would you just roll out of bed and show up and run a 5K? Of course not. It takes preparation. There’s a whole list of questions you need to answer. Selling your house is the same thing. You’ve got to prepare. And it’s hard work. But it’s got to be done.

Pick up your stuff. In all honesty, nobody wants to see your collections, family photos, piles of papers, or anything else for that matter. Buyers are trying to see themselves living there and yet you are preventing them from doing that. They are easily distracted by your own stuff.

Step up to the plate and be ready. Selling your house is an event to me…it’s called Showtime. There’s no dress rehearsal, no guessing. If your agent isn’t sure and needs the approval and feedback from the entire office, get a different Realtor.

Create your best model home look

Above all else, you want buyers to go ga-ga over your house, fight to get it and make ridiculous offers. Don’t know how to do that? Hire a Realtor who has a clue and is producing the results you want. Consequently, you don’t want a Realtor who has 30 listings. That just means their houses aren’t selling. I’m not knocking my competition. I’m only educating you on getting your home sold.

You are not only wasting your time, but you’re also wasting my time and my client’s time when your house isn’t spot-on and ready to be sold. Plus the worst part is you are giving away your hard-earned equity. All of my sellers tell me they want MORE MONEY! I get that. Why don’t you realize that your days on the market are only taking away from your own hard-earned money?

The way you live in your home is your business,

the way you sell your house is my business!
Melinda Bartling

Ready to get started with some home staging magic?

Finally, selling your house is simple, it’s just not easy. Furthermore, my home staging services are FREE to my sellers and my sellers consistently sell faster and get more money than they were expecting. I’ve never had a seller tell me they wanted less money. My services are the solution to all of their home-selling problems.

If you are an Overland Park or Olathe home seller and need help getting your house ready to sell, call or text me at (913) 515-3250 or contact me here. Let me create some home staging magic for you!

Check out today’s new listings either below or in the sidebar. Call or text me at (913) 515-3250 to see inside one of these homes. I AM NEVER TOO BUSY to show you a house. Real estate is my main hustle after 35 years! Everything else I do is bells and whistles to enhance your experience!

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Fall Home Staging Curb Appeal

Fall Home Staging isn’t just about busting the clutter inside your house. It actually starts at the curb. If you’re selling your home this fall, follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to a faster sale and more money!

Want to create your best fall home staging curb appeal?

Walk across the street and take a long hard look at your house. What do you see? Look long and hard. Make some notes and get busy. Home Staging doesn’t mean removing everything in sight. It’s about removing and adding back in to create that perfect model home “I can see myself living here” kind of look. You know the one. If you’ve been to the Fall Parade of Homes, I’ll bet you said that to yourself – more than once!

Painting is the number one thing you can do to spruce up your exterior fall home staging. Look closely at your house. NOW is the time to do some whole house or touch-up painting – before the temperatures drop. Don’t get caught up in the waiting-to-paint dilemma. I know about that. I woke up one cold morning in January and decided I was selling my house. Unfortunately, my house needed to be painted. Luckily it was one of those typical Kansas City winters where we had a few mild days in the 50s and I had my house painted in February.

Clear the clutter around your front door. Do you have too much stuff? KISS – keep it simple staging is the best advice. Add a couple of urns on each side of your door with some pretty mums to frame the space. Invest in a new doormat and a simple fall wreath. As the seasons change, so should your curb appeal.

Do you need to change your outdoor lighting? If it’s weathered brass, the answer is yes! You’re so used to looking at it that way, you don’t even see it. But agents may spot it first thing and wonder what else hasn’t been updated. Yes, today’s buyers want an updated home so if you’ve failed to do that throughout the years, you’ve got some work to do! I’ve got a 5 Year Plan for that!

Along with the lighting…look at your house numbers. How do they look? Do they need to be replaced? Are they located so buyers and agents can see them from the street? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost entered the wrong house because I didn’t see the numbers.

Last but certainly not least, look at the hardware on your front door. If you have more than one lock, do they match? Many times, the doorknob will be brass and the deadbolt will be silver or vice-versa. Be sure to match them up or replace them entirely if they are worn. It will send the message to the buyer and agent that this house is going to be just what they are looking for – clean, fresh, and updated.

Bottom line

First of all, do yourself a favor and follow these tips to update your fall home staging curb appeal. There are plenty of houses out there, just not a lot of inventory that buyers want to buy. Because at the end of the day, it’s easy to get a leg up on your competition and sell your house fast. Remember, it’s all in the updates and details when selling your house faster and for top dollar. Buyers don’t want “projects” unless, of course, they can get a steal on the house. Once you get those projects done, it’s the final arrangement of your furniture and accessories that seal the deal. Furthermore, the home staging is always the icing on the cake and the reason my average house sells in less than 3 days for way over the asking price.

Finally, there’s still time to sell your home this fall and be moved on by the holidays. That’s what my clients, Brian and Fiona did. We listed their house at the end of September and it closed on November 1st. They are now living happily ever after in their new home in Colorado. Who wouldn’t want those fast results, especially in a shifting real estate market?

For that very reason, if you’d like to see what it’s going to take to get your house sold faster, for more money call me direct at (913) 515-3250 or contact me here.

Staging Tips for Your Outdoor Space

If you are thinking of selling your home anytime soon, here are some staging tips for your outdoor space. Especially since Covid, outdoor spaces are trending bigger than ever and are an added feature that every homebuyer wants.

Today’s home buyers want that extension of outdoor living and are willing to pay extra money for it! Whether you are selling or dwelling, when it comes to creating a fun, outdoor space for your home in Overland Park, there are loads of options for you to try.

Staging tips for your outdoor space

Whether you have a deck, patio, or neither, start with what you have and create a fun outdoor space from there. If all you have is a yard, you could create a new fire pit area in your backyard. Build out your firepit and get a few cool Adirondack chairs in a fun color.

Maybe you have a deck or patio and already have some outdoor furniture. More staging tips for your outdoor space would be to buy some new, colorful cushions and pillows. Add an outdoor umbrella, some party lights and voila! Be sure to include an eating table for outdoor dining. Whether you have a green thumb or not, buy some plants to add to the ambiance.

Create your outdoor space now

Enjoy your outdoor space and your buyers will be able to see themselves living in your home. Everyone wants a special place to hang out and taking it outdoors is the right thing to do. It not only extends your living space, being outdoors is good for your mind, body, and spirit.

Having a fun spot to enjoy a nice glass of wine at the end of the day and to hang out with friends and family is what everyone wants.

Now is the perfect time to create your best outdoor space. Let your backyard be an extension of your home. After all, home is where your story begins and if you don’t have a story, you can definitely create one. If you need help creating an outdoor space you’ll love spending time in, call me direct at (913) 515-3250 or contact us here!

Smudging Your Home in Overland Park

Smudging your home is an ancient spiritual practice and ritual that we use to cleanse a home, rid it of negativity and prepare it for its new occupants. Above all, it’s an actual sage burning ceremony that works for sellers or buyers depending on their specific needs.

Who is home smudging designed for?

At Fresh Juju, we know our home smudging services can be for sellers who want to rid their home of negative energy, buyers who want to know that the home they bought will be filled with positive energy or residents who want to remove bad vibes from their homes.

The very first smudging I did was in 2008 when I listed a home where a murder with a chain saw had been committed. Needless to say, it was a gruesome situation. Even though a couple of years had passed since the incident, I learned about smudging because I was having bad feelings just being in the home. I studied the practice of smudging and took it upon myself to perform a smudging ceremony once a week while the home was on the market.

Other reasons sellers smudge:

There was a break-up or divorce
One of the occupants went through a long illness
Someone passed away in the house
A dramatic event occurred at the house
Turbulence in the family
The house was the scene of a crime
The home had been vacant for a while and had stale energy

Buyers love the art of home smudging for similar reasons:

Smudging helps to purify and redirect the energy in the home
It’s a natural disinfectant
Removes any negative vibrations, pains, fears, anxieties, and uncertainties that could be lingering in a home
Sage is known to boost your mood, improve memory, focus and help with insomnia

Smudging is a quick and easy fix to prepare the home for new buyers. Furthermore, they can move in knowing all negativity has been released and the environment is filled with positivity, love, and light.

Our process of smudging your home

We prefer to smudge the home after the sellers have vacated and before the buyers move in. An unoccupied home is a perfect backdrop to rid a home of any previous negative energy. But either way, occupied or not, we can smudge your home to your satisfaction.

There are as many different ways to perform a Smudging Ceremony as well as different products to use. We prefer using white sage as our main tool for the ceremony. Our intentions are always set first. Then we ask why we are there and what you want to specifically accomplish with the home smudging. The final preparation step is to always smudge ourselves first before we smudge the house.

The art of smudging can be done with your hands or with a feather. We use a feather to direct the smoke from the sage to clear the space. In our Smudging Ceremony, we say different prayers to rid the house of evil spirits. We will get very specific with the prayers if we know “the story” of the house. We go room to room as we smudge. The process is slow and mindful and each smudging ceremony usually takes about 1 hour.

Will one home smudging do the trick?

That depends. As previously stated, I smudged a house once a week for about a month back in 2008. We’ve had buyers purchase a home where the previous owners had been battling through a divorce for the past couple of years.

With this type of negative energy flowing throughout the house for so long, we would recommend at least 2 smudging ceremonies. The 1^st should be once the house is vacant before the buyers move in and the 2^nd one about a week after moving in.

Those 2 smudgings will remove any negativity from the house as well as the new owner’s things. Furthermore, that will clear the air of the occupied space by the previous occupants and allow the buyer’s possessions to go through a good smudging as well.

Is smudging your home right for you?

While smudging your home may seem a bit weird and confusing to many people, it’s merely a way to remove bad juju from a home and replace it with light, love, and joy. Especially when buying a home, you never know what went on behind those closed doors. You may discover the previous residents were horrible people who did terrible things.

Smudging is a sacred, religious and spiritual practice to many Native American tribes. For that very reason, we have high regard and respect for the process. We believe smudging works to rid a home of its demons.

You can start off life in your new home with a clean slate knowing the bad energy has been moved out of the house to make way for your positivity, love, and light. It’s a small price to pay for a large investment and a fresh start!

Personal smudging ceremony

Due to the recent chaos with Covid and unrest in the world, we offer our Personal Smudging Ceremony to rid negativity from your mind, body, and spirit. Much like a home smudging, the purpose of the ritual is to allow the smoke from the white sage to carry off all negativity, fears, and attachments and be replaced with light, love, and joy.

We use White Sage, which is a natural healer for your mind, body, and spirit. Furthermore, its leaves are rich in compounds that work to turn on your brain activity, raise your mood, reduce stress, and relieve pain. It’s even been proven to be a solution for insomnia!

The smoke from the sage cleanses everything it touches and has direct communication with our Creator. With your intentions and goals for healing, combined with our Ceremonial Prayer Ritual, you will start a daily practice of reciting your personal affirmations to deepen what we created.

Our most requested service

Our most requested ceremony is smudging the home and one of the residents. On average, about 8 out of 10 personal smudging ceremonies that we perform are centered around health-related issues. Whether it’s a recent diagnosis or surgery, our clients understand the importance of removing all the bad juju from their homes as well as their spirits. In addition, as everyone knows, having the right positive attitude is the most important attribute for healing.

If you or a loved one has encountered ill health, unmanageable stress, anxiety from a break-up, insomnia, or just negativity in general, a Personal Smudging Ceremony can work for you, too!

Get the combo!

Our Combo Personal and Home Smudging Ceremony is the best deal! Likewise, it will remove the contaminated demonic forces, stale or negative energies, fear, sadness, uncertainty or anxiety about the future, or just plain bad spirits that may be lingering in your environment and your mind.

We work with your intentions to promote new beginnings, purify the mind, body, and spirit, and transform all energy from negative to positive.

How much does a smudging ceremony cost?

Personal Smudging Ceremony (for one person) – $95

Home Smudging Ceremony – $95 (average home) – $195 (over $3,000 sf)

#1 Best Offer – Combo Personal and Home Smudging Ceremony – $175 – $275 (over 3,000 sf)

Each extra Personal Smudging Ceremony is $75 if performed while we are there.

ATTENTION REALTORS – ask about our Preferred Realtor Program that can save you $$$ on your next Home Smudging Ceremony. It makes a great housewarming gift for your favorite buyers!

How do I order a personal or home smudging?

Schedule your personal or home smudging by calling or texting (913) 515-3250 or contact Melinda here. For more information, check out our Smudging website at FreshJuju.com.

Restaging a Home Staging

Last week a lady called me and hired me for restaging a home staging. When I asked her to explain her situation, she said her house had been staged and she thought it looked awful. She said her agent staged her house, it had been on the market for almost 30 days and she was not happy with the way her house looked online or in person.

What is Home Staging?

Home Staging is an art and a science. It’s the most important part of selling your home. Your photos online portray your home stager’s understanding of the home staging concept. Furthermore, your online photos determine whether or not you will have any showings or any offers.

Similarly, Home Staging is about creating the best look for your house that will appeal to the largest number of buyers. Above all else, it’s preparing your home to sell it faster and for more money.

What is restaging a home staging?

Restaging a home staging is typically one of two scenarios:

1) when people move to a new home without removing all their belongings and they get spread out throughout the house and/or

2) when the house has been staged by someone who didn’t understand the concept. I’ve restaged hundreds of homes since 2006.

In this particular situation, these sellers had downsized and had moved out of their house into a smaller condo. What didn’t fit into the condo, they left in the house. The real estate agent they hired to sell their house thought she was a home stager. After all, how hard can it be to put some random pieces of furniture around the house?

The homeowner said that the agent they hired “sold a lot of houses” and she was told the house would be staged before coming on the market. Since they had already moved out of the house and she trusted the agent to do the right thing, they didn’t see the house before they saw it online. They literally freaked out!

Home staging is the most important part of selling your house. It’s your house and your responsibility to have a conversation with your real estate agent about the home selling process and what you can expect – especially when it comes to preparing your home for sale. In addition, all buyers follow the 10-second rule when buying a home.

Home staging case study

I sold a house in Parkville that I listed after it had been on the market for 435 days with another agent. The sellers told me not one agent they had interviewed had mentioned anything about Home Staging.

It’s the first thing I told them after walking through their house. They did everything I asked them to do, I showed up and staged the house and their house SOLD.

The right price will get the buyers to the house but your home staging will get you the offer. Why don’t home sellers understand that concept? It’s not new. Home Staging has been around since 1973. I learned the concept in 2006 from the lady that created home staging. I knew then I could make a difference for home sellers that would sell their home faster and net them more money.

Detailing your house

Today I showed a house that had a dirty front door, peeling paint on the threshold, a dirty master bath shower. Needless to say, I was embarrassed. The buyers made a comment to me about it. Nobody wants to buy a house that’s not ready for the market. All homes should be shown in their best light. Unfortunately, they’re not.

Whether it’s home staging or restaging, you’re under the microscope when selling your home. Buyers will leave one house and come to your house and compare the two houses. If your house isn’t stacking up to The Joneses, you’d better step up your game.

Want more money?

Home Staging or restaging a home staging is the fastest way to not only get your home sold but also get it sold for the most money. Your lack of staging is only costing you your hard-earned money. Unfortunately, too many agents don’t even understand that. I am making a difference in the home selling experience with my home staging concepts.

If you want to sell your home fast and for more money, call or text me at (913) 515-3250 or contact me here.