A Day in the Life of a Stager

Have you ever finished a crazy staging job and wished you'd had a videographer recording it? Because no one would believe it otherwise. Well, we just survived a true HGTV drama. It could have been a staging episode with all the deadlines and chaos. Excited and organized, two assistants and I arrived at the designated address on time. We were surprised to see the contractor's vehicle still there along with a few cabinet people and painters. The RE agent, stripped to his undershirt (and pants, of course), is sweeping the floors. Yike! I knew we only had a few hours before the first people would arrive for the highly publicized open house. The contract clearly states that the home must be cleaned and ready before the staging day. Hmm! Let me back up a bit. This home was a rehab in a popular downtown historic area. The owner lived in the New Jersey/New York area and had just flown in the day before. Things were not completely finished. It happens. He usually has 4 or 5 houses being renovated at the same time in NY and Jacksonville. This was our first job for him. I am hoping to be his favorite stager. Now, back to the drama.   We brought in our things and simply worked around the contractor's team. We started in the bathrooms while they finished in the kitchen and hung pictures while the floors were being cleaned. Before long, the furniture was arranged and the accessories all in place.    Just as we exited with the toolbox and empty bins, people were lining up by the front door to see the house. My heart was racing and we were all sweaty.... but happy that we could adjust our plan to accommodate our owner. Thank you to Charlene Hoadly and Katherine White who have staging businesses of their own but love to assist.   Just another day in the life of a stager. I totally love it and still pinch myself daily that I get to do this for a living. Yes, there is drama, frequent broken fingernails and sweat. This is Florida. HELLO!!! But it is so worth it and so valuable to homeowners. Our stats indicate that 90% of our homes sell in 15 days.  I'll let you know when it sells. Just put on the market. 3864 Concord St.     And a few words about the HOME & PATIO SHOW this past week-end... Also, thanks to Cort Rental and Sherwin Williams for their contributions to this year's Design Feature at the Home & Patio Show. The floors were provided by Keith at the Carpet Man. Also, thanks to Sandra Millis of Southern Comfort Redesign who partnered with me on the Psychology of Color 30 ft. display.  Everyone loved it and usually identified with either the warm or cool colored rooms. The colors Rainwashed and Bold Brick won out as the 2 wall colors after a detailed evaluation of homeowner favorites. I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read the newsletter. You are truly good friends. Have a beautiful day.

Curb Appeal for Dummies

 Avondale Porch 

               

I always enjoy styling and staging houses in our intracoastal neighborhood. One of the problems I run into frequently is overgrown shrubs and outdated plant selections. Newer varieties perform better and don't take over the visual space that we call Curb Appeal.

 

When these homes were planned many years ago, a certain budget was required by our POA for landscaping. The builder had to supply an abundant selection of prime plant material. Now, twenty-something years later, those plants have taken over the lawn.

 

One of my clients who could not sell her house called and asked my opinion. The interior of the home was absolutely gorgeous. That was not the problem. I asked her to walk outside and look at the house from across the street.

 

"Now describe what do you see?" I asked as she turned around. "I see what you mean. The curb appeal and front of the house doesn't begin to tell the story of the beautiful space beyond the front door. In fact, there were times people made an appointment and didn't get out of the car."

 

Riverside Historic District

The old overgrown azaleas and junipers dominated most of the front yard and covered the quaint front porch. I recommended that she pull them out completely and plant low-growing plants next to the foundation. Then sod the space where the large plants had been. This added some extra real estate. After the changes were made, the home sold overnight.

 

Curb Appeal isn't just an after thought. It's the pretty face that gets the date to the prom! Who cares that you spent a fortune for the dress and shoes.

 

Since 95% of home buyers look online before deciding which homes to tour, the first picture, the front of the house, may be the most important one.

 

I bumped into one of my Queens Harbour staging clients awhile back and she said the house had not sold after a long time on the market. I was shocked since our average DOM - Days on the Market - is about 2 to 3 weeks.

 

She remarked that the online stats revealed that 1500 people were looking at the first picture, the front of the house, but only 500 opted to look inside. The interior was beautiful and updated.

 

After reviewing the online link, I realized what caused the problem. The hedge around the house had obscured the photographer's view so he walked up the driveway to get the whole house into the picture.

 

It appeared like the property was tiny when in fact, it was huge. An aerial photo fixed the problem and the house sold right away.

 

How can you judge your property for Curb Appeal? Look at it through the lens of a camera from across the street. This is a powerful tip to objectively view your most important picture.

             HGTV Smart House in Jacksonville Beach

 

Obviously, a manicured lawn, fresh mulch and annuals go a long way to freshen things up. One of our "tricks of the trade" is too use Design Master acrylic floral spray in green to camouflage a brown spot on the lawn. Sometimes the shutters or front door need a coat of fresh paint or a color change. And obviously, everything must be immaculate.

The decorators of the HGTV Smart House added 2 comfy chairs and a tray table with iced tea glasses and a pitcher. We call that Life Style staging.

 

So, put on a pretty face to get that date to the prom. All of your efforts will pay off in getting that property sold in record time for more money.

Magic Wanda Makes an Appearance

Women seem to frequently put their wants and needs on the back burner and sacrifice their dreams for a more convenient time. We seem to tolerate disorganization and sometimes chaos in our life to meet the demands of work and family. Take a minute today and do something for yourself that will cause you to move toward that goal of excellence in every area of your life. Suggestions---Clean out your make-up drawer, buy a book about getting organized, buy flowers for your kitchen or bathroom. Sometimes one little action in the right direction leads to another, and then another. Transformation begins with one small step. I just finished reading The Compound Effect by Daren Hardy. It suggests that one or a few small steps toward our goals will make the next small steps easier and soon the momentum carries us off into the wild blue yonder of our dreams.  It's true. I also recently read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which has been on the non-fiction NYTimes Bestseller List for a long time. Last week, it was #1. Found it at Costco for $9. That was my sign from God that I needed to read it. I started a small Goodwill box and soon my entire car was filled with clutter and clothes that don't fit anymore. It was insane! I couldn't stop. Old accessories and ratty towels are "outta here." Whew! I am so happy!  It all started with one little choice. Then my inner organizer, who shows up maybe twice a year, popped out of the closet. I call her Magic Wanda. Insanity for a day then I'm done. I do need to redo the pantry and closets, but alas, Magic Wanda has disappeared till next time. I wonder if that happens to Martha Stewart. Get one or both of these books for a little late summer motivation. Godspeed in your endeavors to keep moving in the right direction.  Your home is an extension of your heart. It represents your personal statement to the world and to yourself. When we fill our lives with things that uplift us, we become a product of that environment. Having an organized and beautiful home is about honoring the very important person who lives there...YOU.        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read the newsletter. You are truly good friends. Have a beautiful day.

Flying Off the Shelves

Have you heard? Homes are selling like hot cakes. Consequently, we should all be busier, right? The answer is ... yes... if you have positioned yourself as the "go-to" person for home staging for your area.

What strategies can place you at the top of your industry?

At the Real Estate Staging Association convention awhile ago, several of the best speakers mentioned the same book. It was the short, but powerful Purple Cow.

The essence of the book tells us to simply, "Be Remarkable." Just being the "best, the biggest, the smartest" isn't enough anymore. Yes, you should be those things but also be outrageously unique.

Southwest Airlines is an example of being remarkable.  They go out of their way to make air travel fun... funny preflight instructions, for example, and their antics at the airport check-in counter are noteworthy. The SW employees took part in an April Fool's joke on all the travelers at the Dallas terminal on April 1st.  It's hard not to notice them.

  

Steve Jobs is the best example of this concept. Everything he presented to the world was not only remarkable, it's  hard not to notice what he contributed to the tech world. He created demand for things we didn't know we needed. We all became "raving fans." He truly was one of the most remarkable people in the last decade in the world of innovation.

Cirque do Soleil reinvented the circus. They took a fading industry and transformed it. They eliminated the costly animal acts and then added a sense of theater... outlandish, beautiful costumes and drama... to the best of the standard circus acts. They created demand for something unknown to us 15 years ago. If you have ever been to a performance, you will agree that they are remarkable.

Home staging as an industry is in the process of creating a permanent place for itself in the real estate process. Its value is becoming more evident as time passes. The demand is increasing as the word gets out.

How can you stand out as a competitor in the marketplace? What do you need to do to have your own "raving fans." 

  

STAGER SPOTLIGHT

One of Transformations grads who has come to my attention lately is Becky Robbins from St. Louis. Her website is gorgeous. www.beckyrobbinsdesigns.com Check out her amazing website. She just put up a great, out-of-the-box video that was locally produced by the company who created her website. 

Becky, you are remarkable!

RESA Meeting News

Social Media Marketing Strategist, Mary Habres, will let you in on a few secrets she has learned which will make your social media marketing more effective.  You don't want to miss this presentation! 

Location:     Southeast Branch of Jax Public Library - Meeting Room B

                     10599 Deerwood Park Blvd.

                     Jacksonville, Florida 32256

Date:            Friday, July 10, 2015

Time:           10:15 am - 11:45 am

Topics:         The Secrets of Successful Social Media Marketing

• Should your business be on social media sites?
• Which sites should your business frequent?
• What type of social media activity does Google favor?
• What are the most popular things to post? How does social media affect your SEO? 

Please RSVP early as Mary's last presentation was packed!  Please respond to this email or call 904-710-1428 to reserve a seat.

Our meetings are open to anyone interested in staging or design. Realtors are especially welcome.

Cost of our meeting is $5 which is used to support our fundraising efforts and giving back to our community.  RESA Jacksonville chapter's annual membership is a bargain at $25!

New Ideas for Your Business

I love networking with successful people. I have a few nuggets of info for you from one of those meetings and also from stager Cathy Malone, who was our "roving reporter" at the RESA convention.   I met with stager Amy Maynor from Beauty for Homes last week for a brainstorming session. Amy produced 2 shows for HGTV in the early days of the network. She's also coordinated numerous high-end home renovations over the years so she brings a lot of experience to her client's projects. I  reminded her of the value of tapping into a variety of social media outlets, other than just FaceBook. LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google + and HOUZZ are all free. You must have a profile on these sites!!   **She came up with a great idea for a different kind of portfolio presentation... a hardback photobook. I LOVE that idea. They are usually less than $20 and quite simple to create. We have been displaying photos in a simple album and more recently, an iPad. I can't wait to implement this idea.   **Another great idea that works for Amy is offering a savings if someone purchases a time block. She charges $100 an hour for under 5 hours but $75 an hour for a 5-hour time block. $375, a savings of $125. She said almost everyone purchases the 5-hour block. Great idea!!   Cathy Malone sent lots of notes and great tips from numerous speakers at the RESA convention. I'll be sharing some of them over a period of time. Here are 2...   **One tidbit of info from the convention which is easy to implement immediately: offer the option of paying with a credit card. A bank merchant account is complex to set up and the fees are costly. If you have a Pay Pal account, which is free, you can invoice your clients with your pretty logo by email in a matter of minutes. They can pay quickly and easily, even if they don't have an account. Pay Pal also has a swipe device for your iPhone similar to Square. No excuses stagers! Your clients will appreciate the convenience and you will not appear like a part-time decorator who can only take cash or a check.   **The last tip from RESA speaker, Carol Bass, is to "tell them a story." If you begin sharing the staging benefits with a true story, you have them more engaged and relaxed. Rattling off stats can be artificial and sound canned. I just finished the book, Lead with a Story by Paul Smith so I was already on board with this idea.   So, that all folks. till next time.     I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read the blog. You are truly good friends. Have a beautiful day.

FAQ and New Pictures

What's new for 2015? What is changing in our industry? Any predictions for the future of home staging and redesign? I get questions about the future of our industry all the time. We speak regularly to real estate investors, agents and home buyers in our area. We also participate in a monthly conference call with the Real Estate Staging Association chapter presidents from around the country.   What is happening locally and nationally? Locally, those of us who have websites and a social media presence are busier than ever. This has been my best January in 10 years. More home sellers are open and enthusiastic about hiring a stager.   Are agents attitudes about the value of staging improving? Agent's attitudes locally about staging haven't been changing as fast as we would like. The younger ones value our services more. We have a number of agents who stage nearly every listing. Agents tell me that if they recommend home staging and the homeowners decline, if the property sits on the market too long, those homeowners don't blame the agent. That's a pretty good reason but our stats continue to improve. 30 days vs 90 days on the market. 95% of our listings sell within 2 weeks.    What are the trends in home staging? Have you noticed how Baskin Robbins Ice Cream has partnered with Dunkin Donuts? They share a building to minimize costs. One of the trends we see is that home stagers are partnering with others service providers to be a "one stop shop" for the home owners. Things like organizing and senior move management top the list. One of our class graduates partners with a photographer/ videographer; another with a cleaning company. Everyone gets more business.   How are your class grads doing now? Recently, one of our local stagers, Kelly Wulburn, appeared on a pilot for a new HGTV series. The house sold in 6 days, by the way.  Another grad from California is being considered for an HGTV reality show. Jaima  Emmert from Jaima Brown Home is an international fabric designer. Randa Clark is a designer and stager in Chicago who specializes in chemical sensitivities. Gale Marcell from the Palm Beach area gets great opportunities to update multi-million dollar homes built in the glory days of the area.    Interestingly enough, one of our grads from 5 years ago is THE home stager for a chain of 13 real estate offices in Pennsylvania. She got placed on the vendor list of one office and gradually the others added her. She averages $2000 a job and is a busy gal. If you are a grad, please let me know how you are doing. I would LOVE to hear from you.   What are you working on right now? Currently, we are staging a 6,000 sq. ft. home on the Intra-coastal waterway... 8 bathrooms, for crying out loud. It was pretty nice before we began.  It has taken about 26 man hours to complete. We are still waiting for the professional photos but some of my favorite pictures from my camera are included here. A mountain of furniture and accessories came out and went to storage. We loved every minute working on this fun project, not to mention the added benefit of getting to know the interesting couple who own this amazing property.   Any continuing ed webinars coming up? Yes, next week we will do an encore of our Curb Appeal presentation. It's a short webinar and you can participate. If you wish to join us, sign up by emailing me. EMAIL Very limited space.Tuesday 2-10-15 at 3:00PM EST  I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read the blog. You are truly good friends. Have a beautiful day.           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Top 8 Best Business Books

~ SOME OBSERVATIONS from 2014

More and more investors or property rehabbers are staging their properties. How interesting!!

In the past, we've seen little interest from this community of real estate professionals. Not necessarily because they are mostly men, but because their beliefs and training methods have not changed much in years. Also, Jacksonville, it seems, always lags behind the rest of the country in following trends.

Picture is from outside the Yacht Club early in the morning, before a staging class. 

Because of HGTV's house flipping shows, the mind-sets are shifting, women are becoming investors and we are busy staging flips. What fun!

Lately, we have staged and/or consulted on local Jacksonville properties being rehabbed by investors from Texas and California. Investing is bigger than ever. Maybe we should be called Flip City.

I just spoke to a large group of interested staging fans a few weeks ago. I found it interesting that a sizable number of them were investors, many of them women. So glad to see things are changing. 

Watch for a info on a presentation coming soon on Curb Appeal which includes many pictures of local rehabbed houses. More info in the BACKSTAGE section below.

  

~ So here is my list of favorite business and motivational books, in order of importance.

1. Purple Cow* by Seth Godin

2. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast*       by Laura Vanderkam 

3. The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs* by Carmine           Gallo 

4. Platform* by Michael Hyatt 

5. The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino 

6. Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim 

7. Eat That Frog* by Brian Tracy 

8. No BS Time Management* by Dan Kennedy

* read it multiple times

Picture from my guest bathroom.

Thank you all for taking the time to read the blog.You are surely good friends. I appreciate all of you. I wish you the best of the Christmas season and the happiest New Year.

New Top 10 Reasons to Stage Your Home

Happy Fall, You All, We just returned from a lovely vacation in Montreat, just outside of Ashville, North Carolina. I noticed something cool. In Montreat and also here in Jacksonville, people are paying more attention to curb appeal. I'm so happy about that!    I have been gathering pictures for my CURB APPEAL for DUMMIES presentation. Watch for the notice about this webinar, coming soon. You will love it! I just updated my list of  the Top 10 Reasons to Stage your Home. I thought you would be curious, so here goes: 1. You will sell it 78% faster, according to the Real Estate Staging Association national stats. That means 30 days on the market vs 100 days.   2. You will get 6 to 10% more money. That means if your home is worth $300,000, you stand to gain (or not lose on markdowns) $18,000 to $30,000.   3. Agents are much more likely to show a home that they know is staged.    4. 95% of home buyers look online to decide which homes to tour. So, great photos attract more buyers to your home... lots more.   5. Your home will lose at least 1% a month while on the market, according to Zillow.   6. The first markdown can be 3% to 5%. For a $300,000 home, that is $9 to $15,000. Staging costs are a tiny fraction of this number.   7. Home staging services for an occupied home cost an average of ¼% to a max of ½% of home value for an occupied home. So, spend about $750 for that $300,000 home to save $9 to $15,000 on the first markdown.   8. A vacant home must add carrying costs to the 1% a month it can lose when it doesn't sell quickly: mortgage, lawn care, HOA dues, electric, water, insurance, etc... $3000 a month for a recent client.   9. The cost of home staging services for a vacant home can vary a lot but 1% of home value is a good average for a 3 month leasing term, depending on the number of rooms furnished... about $1000 a month for the $300,000 house. So, spend $1000 a month to save an estimated $3000 a month carrying costs plus $9 to $15000 or more in markdowns.   10. You will have less stress and the satisfaction of knowing that you have done all that is needed to maximize your home's potential. If you were selling your car, you would have it detailed, wouldn't you?   Some recent  2014 examples: A $200,000 house gets 4 showings and 2 offers in 2 days, one is a cash offer. A $700,000 house gets 2 showings and sells in several days to the first person who saw it. A $400,000 house, on the market for 6 months with no acceptable offers, then gets staged and sells to the first person who sees it. A $350,000 house sells to the first person who sees it. A $200,000 house gets 3 showings and sells in 72 hours. A $600,000 beach condo sells in 10 days.  See the whole list with addresses: August Blog Post     Also, I told you last month about one of my staging students from this area, Kelly Wulbern, who staged a home that will be on HGTV this fall. Check it out on Realtor.com. 3208 Southwell Ct. 32225 It sold in 6 days!!! Great job Kelly!! We will let you know when it airs.        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hope you are all doing well. I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read the newsletter. You are truly good friends.

Home and Patio Show Pictures from our Designer Rooms

Sandra Millis, of Southern Comfort Redesign, and I have created the Design Rooms feature of this weeks Fall Home & Patio Show. We are on WJXT tomorrow morning at 9:15AM. I don't have time to do anything but share the pictures of our designs. 

The concept, "The simple beige sofa is the little black dress."

The 4 rooms titles are:

Ponte Vedre Chic

Safari Club

Atlantic Beach Coastal

River City Living

Rebecca Bowser is the wildlife artist who painted the Safari style picture. Wally Sears Photography created the stunning Ponte Vedre art and Cottage by the Sea, loaned the art in the Atlantic Beach style room. 

3 Pictures below...

 

Ponte Vedra Chic

 

River City Living

 

Safari Club

Come see us at the show. 

Also, one of my staging students from this area, Kelly Wulbern has just staged a home that will be on HGTV this fall. Check it out on Realtor.com. 3208 Southwell Ct. 32225 I stopped by the open house this afternoon for the open house and they were filming. Great job Kelly!! I am so proud of you. 

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you are all doing well. I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read the newsletter. You are truly good friends.

  

Our House and New Stats

I have a feeling you want to know the story about our house. Did we sell it? You'll never guess what happened! 

Hubby and I sat down with a trusted realtor friend and she asked us a few questions.  She then stated confidently, "You don't really want to move, do you?" Hubby and I looked at each other and we both said "no" at the same time. We had looked at houses, planning to downsize and simplify. We never saw anything that we really liked. We weighed all the pros and cons and just couldn't justify moving at this time. Plus, we love all the changes that we made in the process. It was a great learning experience!

I am more convinced than ever that you cannot stage your own house!!

Back to my main topic...

 I hope you like math. This is about numbers or stats.

I focus a lot of attention on the training school and my existing design clients. But a number of students were curious about our staging jobs. So, I have made a list for you with some of the details included. It tells an amazing story about the value of our services. Starting back to earlier in the year + one house from late '13. I didn't count that one in my stats.

~24726 Misty Lake, Marsh Landing, 4 showings in 2 days with 2 offers, contract for 98% of full price, pictures on my HOUZZ profile

~13874 Ibis Point, Vacant listing, not updated, green carpeting, sold 30 days after staging

~1652 Norton Hill Dr, Oueens Harbour, Priced $20,000 higher than comparables and still sold to the 1st person to see it

~7533 Royal Crest, Vacant with accessories only, sold in 30 days after staging

~13457 Troon Trace, Queens Harbour, didn't sell for a about 4 months but fetched the highest price per sq.ft. for comparable homes

~1503 Avondale Avenue, 4 showings the 2 days after listing, full price contract, pictures on my HOUZZ profile

 

                                Avondale House

~11401 Portside, 70's waterfront canal home, not updated, sold in 30 days

~1736 Indian Springs, Sold in 30 days after staging

~12853 Julington Forest, Vacant, cool home but smoker + dogs, ionizer got rid of smell, sold in a week

~3822 Painted Bunting Way, Pablo Bay, sold to first person who saw it

~3591 Shady Woods, Pablo Bay, sold to 2nd person who saw it after staging

~2100 Ocean Blvd., Vacant oceanfront condo, owner hoped to sell in 3 months, we had an contract in 10 days, pictures on my HOUZZ profile

~8470 Lynda Sue, Vacant 60's house, updated, sold in 30 days

~2183 Hovington, Older dated home, sold in 1 week

~233 Candlebark, Sold to first person who saw it, 4 showings scheduled after pictures went online, cash offer

~1003 Mystic Harbor, Vacant on the market 60 days, then staged, sold in a week

~1850 Sutton Lakes, Vacant, 3 showings, sold in 72 hours

~8060 Cypress Hollow Ct. Marsh Landing, This was a staging report for a fellow stager's home. He did all the work. I didn't add it to my stats. It was priced high for the neighborhood comparables but still sold in 4 days.  Congrats Danny Hanson! You did a fabulous job.

With all the numbers, the average Days On the Market (DOM) is 28. The Duval county average for 2014, so far is 82. Our DOM average is 3 times faster than the stats for our area. Since the first markdowns are usually after 30 days and certainly after 60 days, we save the homeowner 5 to 10% of home value, at least, not to mention the massive expenses involved for a vacant home. 

 

The cost of staging can be 1/4 to 1/2% of home value for an occupied home or 1/2 to 1% for a vacant home with furniture, art & accessories added.

We did a lot of staging reports or verbal evaluations, which start at $150. Our results were quite good with just the report. So, everyone can afford a staging service.

We had 2 houses that sat around longer than we would have liked but it was usually because the house was over-priced or the homeowner didn't do all that  was recommended. If I take them out of the equation, my results are 15 DOM average.

I hope this shines a light into the value of our services. Agents, if you are not recommending staging to your clients, you are a little bit crazy.

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you are all doing well. I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read the newsletter. You are truly good friends.

The Client From Hell... Me

I have new found compassion for all the home sellers out there that we work with on a regular basis. We are going through that process right now, preparing our home to sell. Aaaagh! It's not fun!

 

In the spring, we thought it might be a good time to downsize. My friend and frequent staging partner, Ann Gobler, came over with her clipboard and pencil.

 I WAS THE CLIENT FROM HELL! I argued about removing many of my favorite accessories. We only made it through about 3 rooms that day. Gone! my beautiful palm tree. Gone! My green accent wall. Gone! About half the contents of my china cabinet.

She was right, of course. No one knows that better than I do. In a two-week period, we made numerous trips to Goodwill... so many, I've lost count. Now I have lifestyle staging accents in strategic places. See photo example above. It really looks refreshingly open and neutral. Much better.

I am more convinced that ever that you cannot stage your own home. 

We just got word that a very nice house in an upscale neighborhood sold to the first person who saw it. It had been on the market for a long time, an expired listing. 

They had staged it themselves with the previous agent. We were called in to "see if it needs anything." We did a little staging but left a critically important, detailed staging report. 

The staging report is an extensive list of things to do to make the home appeal to the broadest group of potential buyers. The homeowners followed through on all if it. My agent said they were a little irritated about the long list at first. They are happy now. To read a step by step article from my blog on the staging report, go to this link. The Staging Report

See you next month for a FAQ session. Send in your most difficult questions.