Speaking Up about Home Staging

Let me tell you all, this was no ordinary "Expo"!  Oh no, this was more like an old-time Revival Tent Meeting!  An event where one could go and meet - and even touch - the Stars of Staging!  And yes, get Religion too!!!

How can I possibly describe the many talents that were present last Thursday, Nov. 12, at the lovely NJ Churchill Rental location?  I believe over 100 attended this Expo sponsored by StagersList.com!  So many old and new friends were there.

 

How can I describe my extreme delight to meet, IN PERSON, such AR luminaries as Terrylynn Fisher, Chris Fisher, Melissa Marro, Christine Rae, Shell Brodnax and several other major talents?  And let me tell you all one thing about that Melissa Marro:  she says she is "dry" and humorless.  Well, watching her slide her lovely eyes around the room after a "dry" comment just makes you burst out laughing.  She knows what she's doing, and I love it!  (Good thing she brought her jeans...)

How much do I appreciate the Activerain blogging platform?  It's been more than a year since my last post, and people were still recognizing me!

How can I describe the incredible value derived from this one content-filled day?  Including entry fee, gas and tolls, the total cost was under $100!!!  Key topics included:  "Marketing for Explosive and Consistent Sales", "Market Driven Trends for Revenue", "RESA Overview and Update", "Feng Shui", "Overcoming Objections"...and many more.  This day was packed with valuable information.

So, I got Religion, which is well-timed, as Nestings has re-entered the Staging field in Fairfield County, CT, with gusto.  This Expo has re-energized me, and I came away with a long, but purposeful, To-Do list.  Primary items include:  joining RESA (I finally GOT it, Shell - thanks!), converting my newsletter to Constant Contact, and treating my business like a business.  Hallelujah!

When this Expo comes to a city near you, I encourage you to clear your calendar and plan to attend!

Happy Staging - Julie

Julia Vigneron Maher, Nestings:  Award-Winning Staging for Model, Vacant and Occupied Homes in Fairfield County, CT and Connecticut.

We just took a listing that has previous been on the market in Goose Creek for over 10 months.  When we reviewed the past listings prior to our listing appointment, we instantly knew the problem(s) and how we could improve the odds of selling.  The problem was presentation! It's the first rule in marketing IMHO.  The product must be appealing and packaged properly. This is a lovely home with a fabulous floorplan in a wonderful community but the previous listings didn't convey this. If buyers don't like what they see in the photos, they aren't going to step in the door.

During the first listing, the house was occupied and wasn't showcase properly to entice a buyer.  This home is in a neighborhood competing with new construction and a model home making it irrestible to buyers. In second listing, the house was vacant. The rooms looked small, lonely and forgotten.  This home needed the dining room needed to be painted and the house needed to be staged.  The transformation made by Melissa Marro of First Impressions is amazing as showcased in the photos below.  We are expecting amazing results and can wait to report back.  What do you think? Which house photos are going to make a buyer schedule a showing?  They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  I believe they can be worth several thousand dollars in saving carrying costs and helping a seller retain more of their equity. I wish I would have met this seller sooner because I believe if we had taken this listing sooner and made these changes, they would have sold sooner and at a higher price since the market has changed in the last 10 months when they went on the market.

UPDATE 11/16/09: We've been on the market 10 days and we just got our first showing and an offer!!  While it was a low offer and I'm not sure if we'll work it out, it goes to show staging works! This property was on the market with another agent for 10 MONTHS with NO action.  Just 10 days with staging has produced an offer!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are Relocation Specialists with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC. Contact Top Real Estate Agents, North Charleston, SC Relocation Experts, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtors® in South Carolina at 843-849-5217 to list your home for sale or to purchase a home in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in relocations, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. We can also be contacted at info@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com. To view all North Charleston SC and surrounding homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes.

We recently took a listing in Goose Creek, SC in Berkeley County that had been on the market for over 10 months with another company.  The first listing was occupied by the homeowners and the 2^nd listing was vacant after they relocated out of the area. I previously blogged about this listing showing vacant, occupied and staged photos-Take a look at the difference here. I've posted photos of the most dramatic room transformation here-the dining room.

During the previous 10 months, they had approximately 25-30 showings with not even one offer.  In just 10 DAYS, we had our 1^st showing and an offer in hand.  I do not believe this is luck of the draw. The property shows amazingly different and looks like a model after the fantastic staging job by First Impressions staging company and it cost the owner less than 1% of the sales price to have the whole house staged and repaint this room. Because of the new look, we even raised the price slightly to offset the staging costs. While the offer is still in its infancy and I'm not sure we will come to terms, the fact of the matter is that this home has now generated an offer.  Staging works!  This home proved it in just 10 days to elicit an offer.  Even if this one doesn't work out, I'm confident, we'll get another bite. 

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We are approved by Boeing 3^rd party relocation company as Charleston Boeing Relocation Specialists with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.  Visit us at www.CharlestonBoeingRealtors.com. Contact Top Real Estate Agents, North Charleston, SC Relocation Experts, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtors® in South Carolina at 843-849-5217 to list your home for sale or to purchase a home in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in relocations, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. We can also be contacted at info@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com. To view all North Charleston SC and surrounding homes for sale at www.myCharlestonMLS.com

Setbacks happen.  Life is sprinkled with challenges as we navigate our way through our daily path.  Sometimes it is a minor annoyance, sometimes it is more serious; setbacks come in all sizes and impacts. 

 I like to start the week with a little motivational reading and today it is the source of inspiration for this post.  I'll paraphase and truncate it in my attempt to share it.

A mule fell into a dry well and cried out for help.  He knew he could not escape such a deep hole without assistance.  The farmer heard his cry, investigated and deemed the rescue impossible.  He decided to end the mule's suffering and began shoveling dirt and stones upon the mule's back.

The mule was confused when the first scoop full of debris hit his back.  When the second struck he felt betrayed.  When the third load fell on him he knew it was time for action.  He shook it off his back and stepped up.  The farmer continued to shovel and each time the mule shook it off and stepped upon the growing mound of soil and stones beneath his feet.

Amazed at his mule's will to overcome, the farmer called for his worker and together they shoveled, and the mule continued to shake it off and step up.  At the end of a long challenging day, the mule stepped up and walked out of the well.

Shake it off and step up. 

 

Thanks to Yoga For Every Body--the catalyst for this post.

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

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 November is here and traditionally it's the time to begin preparing for the holidays.  For most of us, it's like taking on an additional part time job - shopping, cooking, decorating, wrapping gifts, entertaining. 

 Since joining Activerain, I've already taken on a second full time job... writing market reports and hyperlocal posts, revamping my website and attending online courses in Internet marketing and technology, otherwise known as reading blogs.  The homework level is crippling.

 As I sat down at the computer this morning, I found a note to myself scribbled on a scrap of paper:

"Edit your life as though you're a writer or a filmmaker.  Cut out the chaos and the clutter.  Keep only the very best."

So with this extra hour on the first day of November, I'm taking stock of how I want to spend the other 24 hours today and every other day.  This isn't going to be a blog about cleaning out your closets.  It's about getting back to the basics.  Which of your daily activities brings you joy or enriches your life and the lives of those around you?

 Starting the morning by sharing a cup of cowboy coffee with my husband as we sit on the deck and greet the sunrise is one activity I'll never give up.  I'd much rather miss an extra hour of sleep and have that special time together to start my day.  

 Baking an apple pie is an acivity that takes a great deal of time.  But for me it's a way of bonding with my daughter.  The time we spend talking and laughing together is priceless.  So I'll be keeping that chore.  I'd rather have those memories years from now than to recall dashing to the store for a frozen dessert because I spent that extra hour on the Internet.

But I've made the decision to delete negative people from my life.  That's one of the toughest things to do, especially if it's someone who has been in your life for a long time, but it can have the biggest payoff.  Listening to complaints, backbiting and gossip every time you take a coffee break at the office or run into your neighbor at the store drains the soul.

Another group I'm getting rid of are the drama queens.  And I'm not just taking about women here.  Sorry, guys, but some of you are the biggest drama queens around.  I don't care how big your deal is - real estate is not a life or death matter.  And I don't need to spend MY time listening to your endless tales of triumph and tribulation.

 

 So as dawn breaks over the mountains in Murphy, I've decided that today, I'm going to look at eveything I do with two questions in mind -

•  Does this bring me joy?
•  Does it enrich my life or the lives of those around me?

 

Looking for your dream getaway in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina? Visit the country homes and land website to see all the latest listings.

Enjoy a preview of our scenic mountains in the YouTube video Murphy Mountain Nights