Getting ready for the Spring market is no easy task. But it is an important one. We're extremely busy right now, choosing paint colors and carpet. Choosing the right furniture and accessories for the right rooms for the new season.

We take the guess work out of bringing floor plans to life for our clients. We are still amazed how difficult some houses are to "decode." Which is the living room? Which is the family room? Is this the dining room or is it that? Many modern designs are flexible, but without staging, they create confusion in the buyer's mind.

Houses are already starting to sell! One sold coming out in Greenwich next week- two going in.

Is your front door ready to welcome guests? Even in this freezing cold weather we have to start thinking about curb appeal.

Is your home warm and inviting? Are your photos online bringing in buyers? Did you know that over 90% of buyers do their research online, even before they choose their agent. Don't lose them. Make sure your on their list by staging for perfect photos.

Our marketing plan includes photos and an "event" for every home we stage!

Don't let another season pass you by. Get professional help. Believe me it's worth it.


Cheers

Gabrielle

This has been a very busy couple of months- We staged more beautiful homes and homes sold!

198 Bridal Path in New Canaan - The broker is Phyllis Doonan of William Raveis
A condo for Joe Barbieri from William Pitt Sotheby’s international in Greenwich
A condo for Anne Ward in 1 Millbank in Greenwich- Anne is with David Ogilvy
And many more to come.

We won the 2009 HOBI for “Special Recognition Best Home Staging”

And we have been really busy working on all our new ventures- coming soon. For all our upcoming news please sign up for the newsletter!

Along with the newsletter, we have a new office in the Farmington Valley with Beth Mcdonald who is an Interior Designer and has had a design business in the area for over 20 years. She’s lovely, talented, and eager to go!

Beth will be spending time with us in Fairfield County two days a week to concentrate on our growing design and staging business in the Farmington Valley area.

Bring design into your life!

Back soon

Cheers
Gaby

After a nonstop June, things slowed to a simmer in early July and we were able to take a breath. August has just flown by with consultations, stagings, and design work. This should be a very interesting Fall, as the market has definitely picked up.

During all this work our family has moved into our new home in a new town, Ridgefield!

Most people love vacations - I love real estate. There is nothing like buying a home and making it your own.

We found a lovely home with very little work to be done, (for a change) in one of the sweetest towns in Fairfield County. The kids are making friends, my husband’s got a basement to set up, I’ve rooms to fill, even the dog has a pal next door. Nesting is good.

Deals are out there. It has never been a better time to buy If you are in the market for a new home.

And if you are selling in this still challenging market, it has never been more important to set the stage for a sale.

Cheers!
Gabrielle

June was sizzling over here at our offices, the phone has been ringing off the hook. I think we broke all our own records for consultations and mini re-do’s in a month.

Recommending wall colors, repairs and de-cluttering, re-arranging furniture, re-hanging art, bringing in accessories, and shopping for new bedding; are just some of the things we did for our sellers living in their homes.
Five homes sold or went into contract in June, all do to our beautiful work!

Darien in contract in two months, after many months on the market - new construction

Rowayton sold - new construction - furniture moved to Bedford Hills

Bedford Hills in contract - one month after staging, after over six months on the market - almost new construction

Ridgefield in contract in two weeks - sellers home


The decorating side of our business is growing also. When I started Stage to Show I decided to put decorating aside, too many things to do for this mom. But as we grow more of the buyers of the beautiful homes we stage want us to help decorate. So... we are.

We also have great deals on almost new furniture, only used for staging.

Here at Stage to Show we have an amazing team of people who love doing what we do.

Nothing is more satisfying than helping someone with a home that has been lingering on the market, whether it’s a builder or homeowner and getting that call “ We’ve got an accepted offer and it’s all do to you guys” “Thank you”

Cheers
Gabrielle

Okay, maybe the market doesn’t have a fever -but it’s warmer!

The last couple of months have flown by. Stage to Show has never been busier, which is great, sellers and builders are really getting that this market requires that they do everything possible to get there homes showing as well as possible or there is no hope for a sale.

Staged Homes in Rowayton, and two in New Canaan, just Sold!

Two more Stagings in New Canaan went in, as well as Bedford, Greenwich and Ridgefield.

Buyers are still lurking, but there is more movement. What a great time to invest in Real Estate!

On a more personal note the last six months have been a gift. I was able to care for my father who was suffering from Pancreatic Cancer, until he passed away.

Caring for him the last months of his life was truly remarkable for my whole family.

Which takes me back to Home.

There has never been a more exciting time in Real Estate for buyers than right now. Whether you are buying your first home or just investing in rental properties.

Go for it!

Happy Hunting!
Gabrielle

February is gone and we’ve been extremely busy! Two homes sold that we staged... one in New Canaan, Ct and one in Westchester, New York. And four more stagings went in, transforming cold and empty homes to warm and inviting homes. Remember an empty home is an unmemorable home. Buyers buy homes that tug at their heart strings.

People remain hesitant to take action because of the constant economy-bashing in the media, but now is not the time to sit still, now is the time to take action. It is more important than ever to stage and aggressively market your house.

In The News: Please pick up a copy of the March/ April Bedford Magazine featuring a very cool piece about Stage to Show called “The Stage Is Set” on page thirty. Also if you are in New Canaan, this weeks New Canaan News Review has a new column in the Business section by Ann Sample Lineberger featuring Stage to Show!

March is here and soon Spring will be blooming, and this year it will bring a needed, universal sigh of hope. Flowers will be blooming, buyers will be buying!

Cheers!
Gabrielle

2008 has almost come to an end and I look forward to the future with a sigh of relief.

The past few months we have all watched the nightly media with dread. But what an amazing time for hope. A new President, a new beginning, a new year is almost here.

It is a time to look inside, tune into ourselves and our hearts, turn off the media, enjoy our family and friends, and know that we are blessed.

Spring will come, buyers will eventually buy, and maybe things will never be the same again... maybe they’ll be better.

Thank you to all who I have worked with this year and may you and your families have a safe and peaceful holiday!

xxxxxxx
Gabrielle

We are happy to announce that Stage to Show has been chosen by the Connecticut Home Builders Association to receive a 2008 HOBI Award for Best Home Staging (a new category this year!). The awards ceremony was very nicely done and spending a relaxing evening with a number of builders we work with regularly was particularly enjoyable.

The “Best Home Staging” award is now included in the Real Estate Marketing Category and as the inaugural winner, we would especially like to thank Joanne Carol for her leadership in the industry and her support of Stage to Show over the past years.

Cheers
Gabrielle

Tags: Connecticut Home Builders, HOBI Awards, Home Builders Association, Best Stagers

Fall is here and it is my favorite time of year. Sweater-weather, leaves falling, nights getting nippy. The perfect time to have friends over for dinner and wine.

It is also a short Real Estate season in some of the worst economy I’ve personally ever experienced. It‘s not a time to sit back and wait, but a time to push ahead and work harder.

Whether you have been on the market since spring, or you are preparing to go on this fall, do not wait to have a professional consultation. It costs pennies compared to what you can make in the sale! It’s so important to have an experts opinion. I’m always surprised when clients who have been watching too many staging shows have de-cluttered themselves right into the realm of blah.

Some tips for Fall:

• Make a great first impression!
• Keep up with the falling leaves, Clean gutters, check roof for sticks, curling shingles and moss.
• Dress up your newly painted door with pots of greenery, gourds and pumpkins.
• If you haven’t already, fix any flaking paint or drying rotten trim, all round the outside of the house.

• Make sure your outdoor lighting is working and updated

When your done, relax in front of the first fire of the season with a cup of hot apple cider and enjoy while you can!


Enjoy!
Gabrielle

Well, this summer has been a real eye-opener for me.

I got to personally experience the pressure I put on my clients to get their homes ready for sale.

My husband and I decided that our home was just too much to take care of with two businesses, two children, two ponds, two out-buildings and over six acres of very landscaped property. We needed a break. Our dream is to downsize to something small and charming with a yard.

Six years of filling our barn (yes, we’re both collectors) to the rafters, plus the house and cottage made me feel like an anxiety attack was looming every time I looked at it all. Six dumpsters later, one for every year, and we were down to something manageable. What didn’t go into dumpsters went to charity, (it was a lot), and that was just the beginning...

Painting inside and out;
Replacing any rotting wood, and on an antique home... well, you know;
Making sure we were mulched and weeded and trimmed;
With two little bizarre empty rooms in the basement that became catch-all- dump rooms, we created a wine celler and an art room;
I redid curtains and reupholstered the sofa in the family room, and staged and staged and staged.

$20,000 dolars later, we sold our home to the first person who saw the house!

I did my job! We also got lucky on the timing front.

I have since vowed to do a mini cleanup makeover every year - I deserve to live in my home like I’ve always wanted, all the time, not just when I’m going on the market!

Cheers!
Gabrielle