About Sara Garden

Rocky Mountain Home Staging serves real estate agents and sellers in Boulder & Broomfield Counties, Colorado. We make selling easier!

From Foreclosure to Artist Retreat

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Sara Garden

This lovely home in Longmont, like so many in the last few years, had fallen into foreclosure. A couple of Boulder area real estate investors had purchased the home and were looking for insight on how to showcase the property to receive the highest possible selling price in the shortest amount of time for the smallest investment.

As is sometimes common in these properties the home had been stripped of all light fixtures, toilets, sinks, faucets, towel bars and all appliances. In addition the home boasted retina searing paint colors and bright bathroom tile. Lucky for us, the sellers called us in to help prep the property for sale.

After staging and prep work the house received multiple offers the first weekend and sold for 103% of the list price. The average Sales to List price was 98% in Longmont, Colorado for that period with 34% of the listed properties taking at least one price reduction – meaning the 98% number is high because the calculation is only based on the percentage of final list price and does not account for any price reductions. Average Days to Contract for other homes was over 60. Check out the photos and an overview of the transformation: Continue reading →

Multiple Offers After Home Staging in Boulder, CO

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Sara Garden

Update: This lovely home received multiple offers after staging. Sadly, after we de-staged the house the deal fell through and this home is now back on the market.

SOLD for Full Price After Staging

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Sara Garden

This home has been beautifully remodeled and Rocky Mountain Home Staging was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stage it.

See more details on this 5 bed/4 bath, 2,959 square foot home presented by Tony Martinez of Stellar Properties here.

Staging Sells Mountain Home in Nederland

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Sara Garden

This beautiful home in Nederland, Colorado sat on the market for over a year before the sellers called us to stage it. Two of the bathrooms and the kitchen had been updated and it had gorgeous views, floor to ceiling windows, a private master suite in the treetops and gleaming hardwood floors. The seller had been renting the home for some of the time it was on the market and it was showing less than it’s best.

A few updates in the master bedroom such as carpeting and paint as well as new paint in a second bedroom, enhance curb appeal and re-finishing the deck helped this home entrance buyers. After staging the home received two offers in a matter of weeks. See the photos of the transformation.

Walk-out Family Room Before

Walk Out Family Room After

Things I Hate Telling Home Sellers

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Sara Garden

Today, I decided to make my post a lot more like a “Dear Diary” entry.

Dear Diary,
I’m going to confide some of the deepest darkest truths that I hate telling home sellers. So here goes. In no particular order:

1. Your house stinks. This is a tough one. I always look around and try to spot the source of the smell. Sometimes it literally knocks you over from the front door and when you live there, you can’t smell it. It can be delicate, and it can be tricky but I can’t be a chicken and let my clients be one of those “Smelly cat” properties that sends good buyers running for the hills and gets the investors all excited because they know they will be buying for pennies on the dollar.

2. The paint colors you have lovingly and painstakingly selected are not great for selling. In fact, they are terrible. Continue reading →

On-line Photos Are the New Curb Appeal

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Sara Garden

Did you know that buyers review hundreds of homes on-line but will statistically only tour a dozen before making an offer?

This is why having fabulous on-line photos is critical.

If you want to get more interested and qualified buyers through the door of your home, you need to intrigue buyers with your internet marketing. Now I know you are thinking “That’s what my agent is for.” And yes, your agent is the one who will put your photos on the MLS and arrange for the home to be photographed. But you are the one who determines how good those photos are:

Here are a few simple tips that will make your shots look better: Continue reading →

Tips on Choosing Your Boulder Area Real Estate Agent

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Sara Garden

Choosing a fabulous real estate agent is critical if you want to successfully sell your home, especially if you want to do it quickly and get top dollar.

It’s always good to get referrals and to interview more than one agent. Here are seven tips to consider when it comes to selecting a listing agent:

1. Choose someone who practices real estate full-time in your area.

They should specialize in selling homes like yours and be very familiar with your city and neighborhood. You need full-time effort when it comes to selling too. This isn’t the time to choose the neighbor lady who sells 3 houses per year because she is just so nice. Selling your home is a business transaction, a big one. Choose an expert who will give your listing full time effort.

2. Review their other listings on-line.

Continue reading →

Is Fido Chasing Away Buyers?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Sara Garden

Your cat or dog is part of the family. As an avid animal lover and lifetime pet companion myself, I have to guard against the slight feelings of mistrust I feel towards people who don’t love my animals. Many sellers have cats and dogs. Some even have more exotic pets. The cold, hard truth though is that many buyers don’t like them. Some people have allergies, some don’t like the smells, or the hair, some are worried about past carpet damage, some are afraid of specific breeds.

Further, all of the trappings of pet ownership detract from the selling features of our home. I’ve walked into many a living room and the very first thing I see is a huge dog bed, covered in half chewed raw hides (yuck) or worse, Continue reading →

Be Aggressive! Be, Be Aggressive!

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Sara Garden

I was never a cheerleader. I was a pom-pom girl and while I didn’t cheer, I still remember this chant from my high school glory days.

For home owners who are serious about selling and need to do it fast – being aggressive is a necessity. How can you be aggressive you may ask? After all, I’m obviously not talking about yelling, doing high kicks or shaking your pom-poms. I am talking about shaking your money-maker though, and in this case, your money-maker is the preparation and packaging of your home..

There are 3 aggressive steps that are absolutely critical: Continue reading →

Don’t Paint it White!

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Sara Garden

Somehow word has gotten out that white is a good color to paint when selling your home. Unless you live in a light filled contemporary home, full of windows and on a beach or in an uber modern abode, this could not be further from the truth. Simply put, when it comes to selling, white walls are not your friend.

True, a neutral color is a must when it comes to staging – the key word is color. The house should feel light and bright, yet warm and comfortable. White is cold. White spaces feel stark and they don’t complement most furniture and accessories. White walls will not generate the desired response in your buyers, but many colors will. Choosing a color when selling is completely different from choosing a color when you decorate your home to live. You want to remove your personality from the home so that the new buyers can imagine themselves living there. But you don’t want the house to have NO personality, i.e. white walls, you want it to have a neutral personality – one that could work with all different styles, tastes and colors of furniture. Think Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware or Crate & Barrel when choosing a paint color. Notice how the strong colors are typically in the amazing accessories?

Soft tans and beiges work well as can Continue reading →