Home Staging NJ Luxury Real Estate

"To do List:

1. Poo poo stagers report on Mom's unit.

2. Have brother put in writing that I am a model home interior designer and that what I did on Mom's apartment is pure model home strategy. (ugh! What do stagers know about design anyway?)

3. Call realtor to drop the price $20K.

4. Call estate sale woman to reschedule house clearance. Realtor says it will take a while to sell Mom's apartment. Guess the market really stinks up there.

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Juliet Johnson has been offering home staging services in New Jersey with often quite nice results. Here's a full price offer, opening weekend - 2 weekends ago:- (June 14, 2009)

What a white sofa from Ikea can do for a home!  Not that I, as a humble stager, know anything about design!

This home was listed for a year.

When the listing was renewed, I was called in to consult on the Home's presentation. My job was to advise on the things that were undermining the perceived "value". I went through the entire house, itemizing points per room that could be inexpensively addressed.

The homeowner didn't agree with a word I said. The only action they appear to have taken was to take out the vast tree in the foyer, and repaint the master bathroom.

I'm not the slightest bit offended that my advice wasn't taken. It's a free country, and when you are vested in your own taste, you think everyone who disagrees with you is wrong. You'll just wait for the right person to come along. Perfectly understandable. There's a cost associated with that line of thinking, though.

What is the cost of not presenting your home with the broadest appeal, styled by a professional?

In this case it took them 144 MORE days on the market, after the home had been listed for a year prior. And, it closed $175,000 lower than the list of $1,625,000. Here's the house. What would you have done differently?

______________________________________________________________________________________ Juliet Johnson Staging offers property presentation styling to appeal to the broadest range of buyers. with more than 7 years home staging nj, JJS specializes in the $1 - 3 million luxury suburban homes. Our latest stats:- 50% of homes sold or under contract in Watchung, NJ since Janaury 1, 2009 were staged by Juliet Johnson Staging.

Candidly, I have few WOW stories this Spring season.  My staged homes have sold, only when beautifully presented and priced startlingly low.  While the suburbs on train line into New York City saw what little activity there was first this Spring, towns and villages further out in New Jersey struggled hard to find buyers this season.  So, it was great fun to discover that a rural young colonial I had consulted on had sold in 11 days!!  I was busy this Spring with work and with moving. I did not follow what happened to my Owner Occupied Consults as I might have done in slower years, earlier in my career.

[Note to self: check up on folks - the news can be great fun!!]

Here's the 11 day results:

And here's a fun house for which I only have after shots.  However, it, too had a speedy sale - 62 days - which in Watchung is remarkable and exciting in 2009. 

Both listings were the handiwork of Chris Joo, who probably deserves a lot more credit than the humble stager!

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The "ever-so-humble" Juliet Johnson can be found staging suburban New Jersey in the luxury niche of $1- 3 million homes.  In the business of home staging nj for over 7 years, this British stager works hard to market a home in tune within the style of the neighborhood, the price point and the parameters of each listing realtor's specific brand.

As with all large group projects, a huge number of people are responsible to for different pieces of it.  I would be remiss if I went any further without thanking our sponsors for the opportunity to present this event.

All of our gorgeous furniture is from American Furniture Rental.

These guys went above and beyond for us.  Our contact was Claire Andia, but they are all wonderful, soothing, calm, creative people who have an uncanny knack for making things work!

Pictured here are Barbara Killelea, Claire Andia and Jennifer Marra

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Also, Coldwell Banker's Warren-Watchung Office, specifically Sue Tucker --who is not only a great realtor but a fantastic cook! Sue single-handedly catered the gourmet brokers' luncheon, AND the Twilight Reception.  It was all delicious, high end and totally spectacular!!!

More to come...

The June Bloom Show House is open to the public until June 21st.  Please check the website for further details.  It is teh collaborative result of the NJ Chapter of RESA - the Real Estate Staging Association.  For more information, please contact RESA or NJ State President, Juliet Johnson. 

Proceeds will benefit Watchung Schools and Habitat for Humanity.

Pictured here are, from left, NJ State RESA President, Juliet Johnson, who's clearly enjoyed rather too much of Sue Tucker's refreshments!  (JulietJohnsonstaging.com); Event Coordinator, Suzy Minken, (BestinShowing.com) Blair from Habitat in Morristown and Claire Andia from AFR (rentfurniture.com)

Opening last week, the RESA-NJ June Bloom Show House - affectionately referred to around here as merely "the Mansion" - is a success!  We think.  How we will all judge it's success is a topic for another blog post.  In the meantime, thanks to all who have asked for photos.  There will be many posts to come, of course.  Here's the first:-

This house is for sale, and can be viewed through Coldwell Banker's Sue Tucker.  You can find her at (908)432-1388.

Here's the Show Home's Cast:-

The mansion is open to the public from 11 - 3 on Tues, Wed and Thurs, Sat and Sunday through June 21st.  A donation of $5 is welcomed for Habitat for Humanity.

10 of our members took on a room, drawn by lots, and staged it - to demonstrate the room's best assets and their own unique approach.

No doubt you would all like to see photos of the house.  Hopefully you'd like to hear the story.  We all have tons of photos...and professional photos were take today.  Stand by, it's all coming atcha!  Stay tuned.

The house is open to the public starting on Friday evening, but realtors get a gourmet luncheon preview, courtesy of renowned local chef and realtor, Sue Tucker!  If you're a NJ realtor, and you'd like to come, please get in touch with me and I'll zoom you the exact address.