Do I Need to Stage My Home?

This is a common question asked of me by a great number of prospective clients who have heard about home staging, but really do not completely understand the concept or fully appreciate its many benefits. As a designer working in the property sector in several regards, I can honestly see both sides of the argument for and against home staging, particularly in this incredibly tough real estate market. However, when studied objectively, staging almost always makes sense, regardless of the type of property sold or the economic climate of the current market, since staging is statistically proven to bring in higher offers and get homes sold faster than comparable unstaged houses or apartments.

So, “Do I need to stage my home?” Yes, I believe you probably do and this is why… Staging is always a benefit to sellers. A well staged home will always rise to the top of elite properties in the area and will certainly attract the most attention from prospective buyers and their real estate agents based on look, feel and flow of the interior and exterior spaces. A staged home will address any functional or aesthetic issues in advance of buyers ever seeing them, so the home is likely to fulfill every want without any downside in the buyer’s eyes. Best of all, staging is well known to make a real estate agent’s job so much easier for representatives of buyers or sellers, since buyers will LOVE staged homes and will immediately become emotionally attached to them… We all know that emotional attachment is the best way to get a deal done quickly and profitably…

However, staging is not all about upside and there are some cons to consider… First, if you intend on hiring a professional home stager or staging company, you will have to pay them. Quality services do not come for free… However, statistics once again point out the fact that an investment in home staging will likely return itself many times over in terms of a higher sales price. Additionally, the costs of home staging are fully tax deductible in the US as a marketing expense for your property. This means that the service is actually free and will make you more money… I guess there is not much downside after all.

So, the final answer to the question, “Do I need to stage my home?” really is another question unto itself. That question being “Do you WANT to sell your home?” If the answer is yes and you want to sell it fast and for the most money possible then you MUST use staging as part of your real estate marketing plan. To discount the value of home staging is simply taking another tool out of your arsenal and handing an advantage to your sizeable competition on the property market. Remember, good times or bad, you NEED to distinguish your house against all its competitors in order to make the most money with the least work possible…

¿Necesito escenografiar mi casa?

Esta es una pregunta común que me hacen  un gran número de posibles clientes que han oí

do h

ablar de escenografiar  su casa, pero en realidad no comprenden el

concepto o aprecian plenamente sus muchos beneficios. Como un diseñador que trabaja en varios aspectos del sector inmobiliario, honestamente puedo ver los dos lados de los argumentos tanto en  favor como en contra del Home Staging, especialmente en este mercado vallartense de bienes raíces tan competido. Sin embargo, cuando

se analiza de manera objetiva, el Home Staging (escenografiar) casi siempre tiene sentido, independientemente del tipo de los bienes vendidos o la situación económica del mercado actual, ya que  está estadísticamente demostrado que atraerá más ofertas y ventas en un periódo de tiempo muchísimo mas corto  que las casas o apartamentos no escenografiados.

Por lo tanto, “¿Es necesario el Home Staging para mi casa?” Sí, yo creo que lo debe  hacer y la razón es esta: … Home Staging es siempre un beneficio para los vendedores

. Un hogar bien escenografiado  siempre siempre estará a la cabeza  de las propiedades a la venta  en la zona y sin duda atraerá una  mayor atención de los posibles compradores y sus agentes de bienes raíces sobre la base de la apariencia, sensación y el flujo de los espacios interiores y exteriores.

Una casa escenografiada  las cuestiones funcionales se abordarán antes de los compradores puedan  siquera verlas, a los ojos del comprador este tipo de propiedades  cumple todas las necesidades y requisitos sin ningún tipo de inconveniente. Lo mejor de todo, Home Staging  es bien conocido por hacer el trabajo de los agentes de bienes raíces es mucho más fácil tanto para  los vendedores como compradores, ya que estos  se involucran emocionalmente con las propiedades  … Todos sabemos que el apego emocional es la mejor manera de llegar a un acuerdo de forma rápida y rentable …

Sin embargo, en el Home Staging no es todo es dulzura y hay algunas desventajas a considerar … En primer lugar, si tiene la intención de contratar a un  profesional del Staging tendrá que pagar. Los servicios de calidad no son gratis … Sin embargo, las estadísticas,una vez más, señalan el hecho de que una inversión en la escenografía  de su casa es probable que sea muy redituable  en términos de un mayor precio de venta y sobre todo que no haya que hacer ningún descuento a cuenta de desperfectos visibles de la casa. Además, los costos del Home Staging  son totalmente deducibles de impuestos tanto en  EE.UU. como en Mexico, ya que es un gasto de comercialización de su propiedad.

Por lo tanto, la respuesta final a la pregunta: “¿Es necesario el Home Staging para mi casa?” nos lleva a otra cuestión muy imporatante que es “¿Quiere vender su casa?” Si la respuesta es sí , desea vender rápido y obtener la mayor cantidad de dinero posible, entonces usted debe utilizar Home Staging como parte de su plan de comercialización de bienes raíces.

Recuerde, en  tiempos buenos o malos, es necesario hacer que  su casa sobresalga contra las de  sus competidores con el fin   de lograr una venta mas rápida y que le deje la mayor cantidad de  dinero con el menor trabajo posible …

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However, not every designer or decorator would agree with this statement. 
Some professionals believe, that by incorporating in a design decorative convex mirrors, or “special effects” mirrors that are made by using deformed sheets of polished metal, you can create a quite unique interiors. After all, the reflection in such mirrors is as unusual and impressive as if it would be a surreal piece of art. 
Another decorative trick used by designers and decorators – angling mirrors. When mirrors are situated on an angle toward each other, the reflected image “brakes” into several parts, while reflected objects do not appear distorted. It creates an artistically appealing mosaic effect. This method of decorating with mirrors is widely used in a hotels, restaurants, stores, and some times incorporated into residential interiors. 
Another popular method of decorating with mirrors – fragmentation. This method is based on arranging mirrors in certain order near each other. For example, if several long and narrow mirrors are placed near (not against) each other it will not only elongate the appearance of the wall, but also creates a comforting repetition. Reflections in the mirrors will capturer not a continues view of an interior, but fragments of it, creating a unique effect. If the same long mirrors are located in a vertical, but in an horizontal pattern it will make a wall appear wider. 
Using this method endless composition can be created. By using different shapes of mirrors dramatic or whimsical effects can be accomplished. Talking about the fragments, some of today’s innovative mirrors designs contain several differently shaped mirrors (round, oval, square, or odd shaped) assembled together. This type of mirrors combinations are definitely unconventional, and can have an impacts of a true artistic expressions. One of our favorite old tricks – shelving with the mirrored back. Dingy, purely lit wall can be brought back to live with mirrored shelving. You can attach mirrors to the back of any shelving unit, and place it against the wall. Than you can decorate the shelves with your favorite crystal accessories, or other accessories with reflective surface. This method will not only brighten up a space, but add interest to the overall room decor. By placing live plants on the shelves the amount of flowers will be doubled by they’re reflection in the mirror, and you can create blooming parodies in your room. 

Lack of lighting is a common problem these days. Dark unused corners and nooks often become a challenge to decorate. Long mirrors placed in such places will do the trick of expanding a space and bringing in more light. The combination of wall mirrors with soft lighting (indirect lighting, electrified or candle sconces, candles arrangement) increases this effect.

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These exotic plants, orchids, confront strong environmental pressures due to their great beauty. They are parasitic plants, living off of other plants and trees. They spread their roots on them and obtain their nutrients that way. Their flowers are attractive not only because of their shapes, but because of their colors and the contrast they offer to the forest in the background. However, they can grow in just about any habitat. There are an infinite number of species, some growing almost 12 feet tall, while others are less than an inch long. They have a long life span, which is a disadvantage. The can take anywhere between 6 and 10 years to mature and make flowers, so this makes artificial reproduction difficult.

In spite of those difficulties, the Orchidacea are one of the largest families in the plant kingdom with close to 300,000 different species. Although the majority of these are found in tropical rainforests located at an altitude between 3000 and 9000 feet over sea level, orchids can be found from the tip of South America , Africa, Australia and the northern part of New Zealand, to the Artic Circle, and from the plains to the Alps. Many are terrestrial, in other words, rooted in the soil, while others are epiphytes, growing on the stems of other plants but not as parasites, and still other are lithophytes, growing on rocks.

In Mexico, they’re found all over the country, from the Pacific coast to the Gulf, and on up to over 11,000 feet above sea level. The greatest diversity in orchids is found in the states of Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Chiapas, although every state has at least one species. Orchids were very important for our country’s ancient cultures. The Aztecs and Purepechas used the flowers for their rituals and religious ceremonies. The famous sugar cane paste Christs, famous around the world, are made with a Pre-Hispanic technique. They use a substance extracted from Michoacan orchids (Laelia speciosa, Laelia autumnalis and Encyclia citrina), to paste them together. Although the number of Mexican species is less than that of other countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru or Brazil, Mexico has the greatest taxonomic information on its species. Miguel Angel Soto, an orchid specialist, found 1,106 species and subspecies in a study carried out in 1995. He concluded that 40 % of Mexican orchid species are in danger of extinction.

Cultivating orchids is no easy task because of the conditions required for their growth. That’s why most of the orchids found on the market are not as beautiful as wild ones are. They’re hybrids, crossed with other species so they can be cultivated more quickly. However, thanks to their great adaptability we can obtain 100,000 types of hybrid orchids with attractive qualities for people interested in their cultivation or for those that just want some beautiful flowers to decorate their home. It’s easy to see why the wild species are being exploited. The problem is that aside from being illegal, they are damaging the environment by deforestation.

Las Juntas y Los Veranos became famous due to the great amount of orchids found in that area. When Robert Price first went to the area, he decided to create a sanctuary. By 2005 he’d set up a non-profit organization to generate enough resources to create the Botanical Gardens that opened in 2005. “We’re trying to conserve the area, because Puerto Vallarta is growing so much. Many restaurants and other places know orchids, although they sometimes refer to them as irises, and they use them for their decoration. People pay a lot of money for one of these plants, and they’re taking them out of our jungles. We’re trying to show what this plant really represents and how important it is to the wildlife of the area”, said Jesus Reyes, one of the people in charge. The work carried out by the association has allowed them to identify 70 different species just in that area. Like Soto, however, they’ve found that about 40 % of these are in danger of extinction.

“The first stage is to have a large collection in order to conserve the 70 orchid species of the region. We decided to build a greenhouse, so that the orchids could have a better environment. The next step is to set up a lab so we can cultivate them”, said Reyes. They’ve set up an orchid club, which meets on the last Saturday of every month at 1:00 pm, and carry out classes that cover anything from their cultivation to legislation to protect them. The group also promotes research and is building an Environmental Management Unit, to get government support, not only for the protection of orchids, but for the protection of cacao and coffee plants also.

Now, running a botanical garden requires resources, so the not-for-profit is in charge of fund raising with the help of volunteers. There is also a restaurant on the grounds, part of a different business that generates income. Other income is generated by taking visitors on walks through the area. They charge $30.- pesos per person.

“We’re looking for ways to stay afloat, so we’re also selling orchids. These are orchids we bring in from Mexico City, where they’re cultivated in a lab there. What we’re trying to do is to have people buy orchids from places that don’t damage the forests and receive sales receipts to prove it”, he says. “We’ve been at it for four years and it hasn’t been easy. However, our efforts have produced some results. We’ve been able to get the orchids to grow near the paths and in the greenhouse and we’ve seen greater growth in the forest,” he concluded.

Lots of Flavor

One of the best known flavors around the world comes from an orchid. It’s vanilla, a purely Mexican plant, subject of much research at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens.
“We want to create the greatest exhibit of Mexican vanilla on the Pacific coast. At the moment we have three species, uniflora and pompolia, which are local, and planifolia. Right now the pods are very small still, but hopefully we’ll get them to mature in about a year and a half”, explained Jesus Reyes.

This genus comprises over a hundred monopodial climbing plants that can reach a height of 100 feet with alternating leaves going up the entire length. Vanilla leaves are usually short, oblong, dark green and leathery, although some species have meatier leaves. However, there are numerous species whose leaves have become scales or that don’t have leaves any longer. They use their creeping stems for photosynthesis. They have long and strong aerial roots growing from each node. Their flowers don’t last very long and come out at the peduncle of the leaves or scales. Each bundle can contain up to 100 flowers, but they usually don’t have more than 20. They’re large and very attractive, mostly sweet smelling. They have 6 petals and are usually white, green, yellow or cream colored. Each flower opens at dawn and closes at dusk, so pollination has to occur in that period or else the flower dies.

The vanilla fruit is a long, meaty seed in the form of a pod. It takes between 8 and 9 months to mature after flowering, turning black over time and emitting a strong aroma. Each pod has thousands of tiny seeds, but it’s the pod itself that‘s used for flavor. The planifolia vanilla is the only orchid used industrially. “Vanilla was taken to Asian countries by the Spaniards on the Nao de China (Chinese Ship). Nowadays, those countries are major producers while Mexico has lapsed to third place”, he said.

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1.) Choose a white according to your furniture style. Very bright pure whites (like Benjamin Moore’s Super White) tend to work best in minimal interiors with very modern furniture. Traditional furniture incorporating dark antique woods often looks out of place in bright white interiors but looks harmonious when pared with creamier whites (Linen White) with a hint of yellow, gold or taupe.
2.) Avoid white in rooms that are basic boxes. White looks fantastic in rooms with high ceilings, mouldings and large windows, but can seem very bland in new construction with no architectural details. If you use white in these circumstances, consider an accent wall of color or use colorful art to lend the room more interest.
3.) Choose a white with the color of your furniture in mind. White walls will reflect colorful furniture. A red couch will turn walls pinkish. A green couch will lend the walls a greenish cast. Choose a white keeping in mind how it will look when reflecting large colorful pieces. For example, if you’ve got a green couch, you might use a pinkish white to offset the color cast.
4.) Keep in mind where the light comes from. Where the windows face in a room can have a profound effect on the tone a white takes. Northfacing windows can make a white room appear grayish. Eastfacing light can lend a room a pink or lilac cast. Westfacing rooms may have an orange-gold cast, and southfacing rooms receive intense sunlight that can drain out color. Keep these color tones in mind by choosing a white that will help balance out color reflected by natural light. For example, you might use a white with a pink or yellow undertone for a northfacing room. You might choose a white with blue or green undertones for an eastfacing or southfacing room. If a room receives primarily artificial incandescent light, choose a warmer white, as a cool white with hints of blue can seem drab.
5.) Don’t paint high-traffic areas white. If you do choose white for areas that get a lot of use, be sure to choose a washable paint that can be wiped down often.
6.) Choose a warmer white to keep rooms from feeling sterile. Cool whites are much harder to pull off, and never feel cozy.
7.) Invest in a color wheel of white. Because there are so many shades of white, it makes sense to see the whole spectrum at once. Study the wheel, choose three or four to sample, and compare them by painting patches of your wall.
8.) Check out the favorites. Every designer seems to have a favorite white. These are some oft-cited favorites from Benjamin Moore: Decorator’s white, White Dove, Moonlight Night, Super White, Linen White, Cloud White, China White.

There are actually hundreds of  shades of white, each with a very specific feeling.  There’s Alpine White and Easter Lily. There’s Decorator’s White and China White. The list goes on and on. Some whites have hints of green or blue. Others hints of gray, red or yellow.  Some whites feel traditional, others feel hard-edged and modern. So how to choose?

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