Talking to the Kitchen Sink?

My father always said to me as a teenager that I wanted everything in my life to be push button. I remember looking at him like “hello and uhhh duh, of course, we must have a life like that”. So now here we are in September 2019, and just by my voice alone I can make my kitchen smarter? We are long past “push buttons”, Dad. But, wow check out this Kohler Konnect Sensate Smart Kitchen Sink Faucet. This virtual kitchen assistant features voice-activation technology, making it compatible with Amazon Alexa (I have her in my house & stage with her all the time), Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. The Sensate Smart Faucet dispenses accurate amounts of water and offers two sprays to simplify your daily kitchen tasks. Likewise, you can just use your voice to turn the water on or off or dispense a certain amount of water. You can even customize filling items that you use regularly. Utilizing an innovative sensor, the faucet offers reliable touch less operation so you can turn it on and off easily. Furthermore, switching from stream to sweep spray is simple when using the two-function pull-down spray head. Available in three finishes, the Sensate Smart Kitchen Sink Faucet both acts and looks smart. This is amazing, right? I sure think so!!!

Oh, and guess what? Gardella Design Group can hook you up with a Smart Kitchen, and well, we can set your home to be in the now…Smart Home trending. Use your voice, and let us know how we can help.

Staging Hack! White Towels!

There is a reason hotels have their white towels in the mix in our guest rooms. That’s because white is refreshing, bright, and clean feeling. So take this fresh hack when selling your home and replace your current towels with new white ones. You can find white towels, on sale, at Target for less than $3.00 each. One of our fav go-to stores Home Goods, also has a pack of them for $19.00 - $28.00. Store your current towels in a basket when there is a showing or Open House underneath the sink or linen closet nicely folded after they have dried.

Here we got fancy in one of the model homes we staged in Lake Stevens, and layered the towels, placed a fun thick ribbon around them for some umph!! We also rolled up some white wash cloths and placed them in a white bowl. You got this!

10 Homebuyer Turn Offs

In a still very competitive home buying market in the majority of communities across the country, paying close attention to detail is key in selling your home quickly.

What’s a smart seller to do?
We suggest and have put together 10 buyer turnoffs that sellers should avoid at all costs.

If you do all the staging correctly and have a good agent, the house will hopefully only be on the market a few weeks. Then you get your life back!!!!

10 home sales killers

1. Dirt

2. Odors

3. Old fixtures

4. Wallpaper

5. Popcorn acoustic ceilings

6. Too many personal items

7. Snoopy sellers

8. Misrepresenting your home

9. Poor curb appeal

10. Clutter

Quick Refresh for Your Home

Freshen Up With Paint

It’s that easy!!! When preparing your house for the market, or just need to refresh your space, it is wise to invest in a fresh coat of paint preferably in a flat finish. Add color and dimension through accessories and wall accents. And “bingo”, you have a fresh new look, and truly not that expensive.

Cool Fall Table Settings to Create Yourself

Guys, fall is here! If you are planning a cool family dinner at the weekend, or a party with your friends, a great and cozy fall table setting is a must-have.  We came up with a couple to put a thought in that creative mind of yours to do yourself at home. Try it this weekend. Your friends and family will love it! We promise you!!!

You Get What YOU Pay For!!!

There was a DIRECT correlation between the stagers who charged a bit more and the homes that got the BEST results in price!  In other words, you get what you pay for when it comes to "staging investment". 

Fact: When sellers spent just .5% of the sales price MORE on the staging services, they saw at least a 6% price difference!

Staging Hack

Staging Hack!! Cord clutter is one of those things we tend to become blind to in our own homes. The phone charging cord on the kitchen counter. The tangled web of cords behind the TV. The stray lamp cord. As best as you can, clean up and hide all the cords. You can buy cord management tools or simply use zip ties to organize and secure cords. Invisible tape or same color tape works like a gem in taping the lamp cords down one leg, or on the back of a table.
😎
Real Estate Agent Hacks: In this photo the photographer photo shopped the lamp cord completely out of the photo!!! Simply brilliant!!!

Airbnb Fake Listings - Beware!

This past summer we were honored to have staged this beautiful Lake Tapps waterfront property. When we called our dear agent, Joe Drazich of Skyline Properties, Inc to let him know we were bringing accessories to the house prior to our actual staging day, he told us of this home falling victim to the Airbnb fake listing scams the night before. Yikes!!!

See the story below, and some of our staging in the background.

Get the Most out of your Staging Day

Home Preparation Plan

In order to get the most out of our Staging Day, it is recommended that you follow this quick checklist to prepare your home to be transformed:

1.  Disassociate yourself from your home – Staging success starts when you begin to view your beloved home as your number one commodity to sell!  It’s impossible for a home owner to be “objective” with their belongings and home (that’s what we are here for) but you can start by critically assessing each room

2. Commit to the Process – In this more competitive marketplace, there's no room for half-heartedness!  You either commit to selling your home or hold it.  Disassociating from your home and making sure it’s the best-looking home on the market in its price range is a first step.  The Staging Process can be tough, but it gets results and allows you to sell your home faster and for more money if you follow through the entire staging process for optimum results.

3.   Have the home professionally cleaned (dishes done, beds are made, laundry put away, etc…) – One of the primary goals of our staging time is to get fantastic photographs of the completed rooms, so that the 9 out of 10 buyers online first viewing the photos, drive to your home!  The best way to get the most out of our time, as well as great photos is to have your home professionally cleaned beforehand. 

4.  Clear your kitchen counters of excess and unused appliances, place your best cookbooks/kitchen décor items out for the Staging Day.  – If you have appliances that you use regularly keep them out but consider packing excess glasses/dishes, so that we can find a convenient home for those items that you still need on-hand.

5.  Clear off bathroom counters of any personal products, we will bring our best white towels for the Staging Day

And finally...Packing Starts Now – But you have already started!!!

All Staging is NOT Created Equal

Our job as Stagers, is to make a property look worth every penny of its asking price.  We believe that using top quality furniture, accessories and artwork in high-end homes will accomplish that.  If you put thrift shop "finds" into a $1 million+ property, you'll get more people nickel and diming you on the offers.  It's all about perception.  The last thing you want is for potential buyers to question the value of the property.  If the owners of high-end properties are willing to pay the extra to upgrade the "eye candy" dropped into their homes, it will help them reach their goal of selling sooner and hopefully for more money.  Of course, for more modestly priced properties, a different approach would be taken.  We hear so many buyers say they have walked through homes that have been so poorly staged and on the cheap that they wanted to run from the home before finishing the tour.

We say over and over, "all staging is NOT created equal".