5 Simple Factors That Keep Your Home From Selling

Believe it or not, even though the market is “bad” homes are still selling. Of course they are not selling at the rate they used to… but they are selling. So if you are trying to sell your house and find yourself asking the question “Why isn’t my home selling?” you may be surprised to know that the answer to that question is quite simple, but a bit multifaceted. The sale of a home in today’s market is dependant on a five factors that if not seriously considered and advantageously applied will keep your home from selling.

The first factor you must look at is PRICE. The asking price of a home today can not be dependant on what the price would/could have been in the “good old days”. The price of your home must be appropriate for today’s market… AND, because there are so many other homes in the market, it also needs to be aggressively competitive. Home buyers want and will spend the least to buy the most they can. Holding out for more, will only result in MORE time on market… so be wise.

The next factor is CONDITION. The better condition your home is in, the more attractive it is. Buyers do not want to spend their money repairing and making simple updates once they take possession. A home that is “move-in ready” is going to be snatched up long before a similar home that needs attention. Investing in a home inspection and addressing any major issues earlier on may cost you some money, but it will never cost you the sale. However, problematic issues, discovered by the buyer’s inspector, will still cost you money and also may be just enough to kill the sale. Besides hiring a home inspector, who focuses more on structural and mechanical conditional issues, you might want to also work with a home stager who will focus on the numerous smaller maintenance details and repair concerns that influence a buyer’s perception of condition.

PRESENTATION, both on-line and in person, is third factor that needs to be taken into account. The on-line presentation of your property needs to be captured and shown in first rate photography. Gone are the days when a Realtor could take poor quality digital snapshots and loaded them into an MLS system. Today’s buyer, who lives are busy and hectic as yours, depends on the Internet to help them prescreen properties. Better photos capture and tell a better sales story. In addition to having quality photos taken of your home, it still must look great when being toured by a buyer. An experienced home stager will guide and direct you to set and present your home so it can be easily toured and distinguished from your possessions in it.

Hiring the right listing AGENT is the fourth key factor essential in getting your property sold. Selecting a Realtor, solely because they recommended the highest listing price, may be the biggest reason why your home will not sell. Picking a savvy and strategic Agent who has skillful with a variety of marketing tactics and who is adept in working through a myriad of sales issues that can stop a sale once a buyer makes an offer is crucial. An experienced Realtor, who has a proven track record that demonstrates they have mastered both the marketing side and the sales side of real estate, will earn every penny they are paid for selling your home.

The fifth and final factor has to do with your INVOLVEMENT. Sellers need to fully share concerns, needs and objectives with the selected Agent right from the start and continue until the property is sold. But while candid honesty is key, it must also be two way street. Your Realtor must not only listen to you, but you must listen to them. So stay informed, watch the market conditions, and objectively listen to the feedback after showings. Then consider and act on key information you gather as if you were the buyer. Ultimately your home’s sale is controlled by you… NOT your Realtor.

So that’s it… the secrets are finally revealed on how to sell your home in a tough buyer’s market. How you choose to work with and apply these five simple factors will make, stall or totally keep your home from selling. In closing, if you think that just because you have a few of the factors under control your home will sell, you are wrong. It really takes all five working in together.

Sell It Forward...
Me

You Can Stage It... Even if THEY Still Don't Get It

In the 4 years I have been staging, I now notice a new trend taking place... the number of calls we get directly from home sellers, prior to their hiring of a Realtor, is on a sharp rise. But the odd thing is that while staging has been out there now for a number of years, it still AMAZES me how snubbed, ignored, and misunderstood the staging message has been by the Realtor community in general. For what ever reason, many Realtors seem to have shut down any possibility to understand any opportunity staging offers.

Why aren't Realtors getting it? Well, I have a feeling that what many Realtors think staging is... actually is not all that it is.

• If a seller goes on line and finds a list of "10 Things You Can Do To Ready Your Home for Selling" and does as it advises... THAT IS home staging.


• If seller’s Realtor then comes to look at the home and directs them to do 10 more things, that better readies their property for selling, and they do those things... THAT IS home staging.


• If a Stager is hired and they find and additional 10 MORE things for the seller to attend to and the seller and/or the Stager do them... THAT IS home staging.

Just as selling a house does NOT always require a Realtor, staging a house does NOT always require a Stager. However, home sellers who have worked with a good and reputable Stager have learned that we do see more issues that work against the homes sale and offer more creative ideas and solutions to ready/package/market a home for selling in ways they never considered.

First, and most often, the service a Stager does is give advice. We guide, direct and counsel home sellers as to what they can do to BEST to prepare their property for selling. A Stager can also coach sellers on how to quickly, easily and inexpensively accomplish and address that which can be done to help make the home more appealing. Consulting services from good Stagers are, in some markets, less then $100. If needed, Stagers can come in and help do some of the things that need to be done to prepare the home for selling… including “setting” the interior space.

Information is power. The more you and your Realtor knows and understands what home staging does and does NOT do and when to use our services , the more empowered you both are.

So don't let the words "staging" or "Stager" trip you up. While these words are relatively new, what we advise has been given as advice in real estate sales for year. All that has really changed is that there is an entire INDUSTRY now committed to understanding the intricacies of how a home can be best merchandised and marketed as a product so that it entices them to buy.

Staging It Forward...

Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thanks you REACHED.COM for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The 8 Top Picks" in the 87th Carnival of Real Estate.

Chipping Away the "PRICE IS KING" Myth in Home Selling

The way many Realtors and home sellers rely on pricing as a marketing strategy for home selling is not entirely all it is cracked up to be. Believe it or not there is a simple yet profound parallel lesson both Realtor and seller can gain from the way Lay's potato chips are packaged, priced, marketed and sold and how real estate is packaged, priced, marketed and sold.

First, lets me be clear... when it comes to selling anything, be it real estate or potato chips, price IS king. It is a fact that the selling market will only get the price the buying market is willing to pay... this is what makes price "KING". However, I think that too many agents and sellers collapse the concept of "KING" down to mean it is the ONLY thing that matters when it comes to selling real estate. They don't understand the total ramifications of HOW pricing is but one factor managed and integrated into the overall marketing and selling process of real estate.

With that in mind, let's crunch on the pricing lesson of the potato chip...

Recently I saw a persuasive news segment on CBS Sunday Morning. In the piece the correspondent reported on the dynamic and well-regulated world of food labels. Interviewed for the segment was the Product Manager at FritoLay that was responsible for marketing their "natural" potato chip product. FritoLay knows that while Classic Lay's Potato Chips (Bet'cha can't eat just one!) have been a snack "staple" in America for years, consumer tastes change. Because markets and tastes change, FritoLay knows they must ongoingly develop products… including potato chip products.

Surprisingly on camera, the FritoLay's marketing manger shared a company "secret" about one of their newer products... the Natural Potato Chip. She revealed that Lay's Natural Chips are for the most part exactly same product as Lay’s Classic Chips. BOTH are nutritionally the same product and are made using the same type of potato and are cooked in the same way. The only real difference, between the two, is that "natural" chips are salted with sea salt, a salt PERCEIVED to be more natural, are cut thicker and are put in bag that looks more earthy in color and has a matte (paper bag like) finish. Classic Chips go into a shiny red and yellow bag.

Ok, so what! Both bags of chips are the same. What's does that have to do with price?

Well, there is one other BIG difference between Lay’s Natural and Classic chips. FritoLay admitted that they put LESS chips in the Natural chip bag AND the then charge MORE for them. That's right, less product for MORE money. So if price really is KING, how could they get away with this? Well, FritoLay's knows that buyers buy what they want...some potato chip consumers want "natural" chips. Buyers do not perceive Classic Chips as natural... even though they really are. If FritoLay wants to sell chips to the "natural" buyer, they have to sell a product that is viewed as "natural" they know he packaging then becomes essential in driving home the "natural" point.

So even though these chips are basically the same, because the potato chips are packaged in a way that buyers can easily and visually relate to them... they buy them. FritoLay knows that buyers buy products, as simple as potato chips, when they connect to it.

Or said another way... even though homes are often the similar, when homes are packaged (staged) in a way buyers can easily and visually relate to them... they buy them. Stagers know that buyers buy products, as COMPLEX as a home, when they can connect to it. A real estate stager's job is to package a house in a way that the buyer will relate to. In a chip, THAT is what staging is all about.

So, while it is important for a home/listing be priced right, don’t be misguided into solely believing the "Price is King” myth… if you do then your home/listing may just end up sitting there on the market as a Real Estate Couch Potato.

Chip It Forward...
Me

It Ain't All Pretty... But it is Darn Good Marketing!

Even though America is a consumer society, it's an odd fact that the typical home seller does not view their property as a product for sale in a marketplace. Because this is so, many home's sales end up languishing. But this need not be the case.

Basic old fashioned marketing principals teaches that how a product is perceived and received within the market can be positively altered and impacted… and this is where home staging can help. More then just being decorators or designers, good home stagers are focused in applying a full array of strategic property marketing principles and practices which positively influence the consumer about a product (your home) in a market.

So even though a staged home might look attractive, it is important to note that staging is NOT solely about making a home just look "pretty." In fact there are homes that CAN look visually attractive and STILL not be staged.

Any Realtor, home seller, or builder who thinks that all staging is is making a home look "pretty" is grossly ignorant to the reality of what a good stager does and therefore probably not using a stager and benefiting from what we do.

The "Why" and "How" a home is prepped and set for its showing and ultimate selling is what a staged home is all about. Be it Macy’s, Best Buy, Safeway, Walgreens etc., what we do is much like what happens every day in these retail stores across America.

Real estate staging is actually more about the process of strategically setting up (merchandising) a property in a manner that makes it not only easy for buyers to tour, but also creates a way for their eyes and hearts to connect to it with a powerfully effective first impression that lingers and stays with them.

Today I am not surprised to find there are many pretty homes that still are not selling. But a staged home, that is priced right, will sell quickly, even during ugly markets.


Stage It Forward...
Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thanks you HotPads.com for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The Fools Edition" in the 84th Carnival of Real Estate.

When Realtors Commit this Crime… Sellers Do the Time!

Earlier this week I received a phone call from a desperate a home seller looking to home staging as marketing solution that would help finally sell his $499,000 town home... that had been on the market for over 1½ half years. Right from the start, the caller was frank and wanted to make sure I knew that when compared to similar sized units for sale in the development, his townhouse was the most expensive. He also wanted to make sure I understand the price difference was due to the fact that his property had been totally gutted and extensively remodeled… including the kitchen and baths. So while they all were same size on the inside and looked the same on the outside… his was NOT exactly the same as the neighboring “competition”.

Intrigued to know what we would be working with, I hoped to take a little "sneak peak" and pop over to the listing Realtor’s site. I asked the seller for the name of his Realtor and the name of the firm he sold for. Hmmm… I never heard of THAT company. So I did a quick Google search to find the Realtors site. To my surprise NOTHING came up. WOW… the listing real estate company, nor the Realtor, had a website to market themselves OR their listings. OK, that is a bit odd, but it was a small real estate company… after all there are other online property marketing options available to Realtors for their listings.

Luckily the seller happened to know his MLS#. So with no other place to go and see view the property on line, I did what I have done before... I went over to a popular online-listing site here in Chicago that give buyers the power to preview and pre-screen properties ahead of time. At that site I punched in the MLS#. WA-LA! The listing popped up with an exterior shot of the caller’s property! (Shown Above)

But to my surprise and dismay that was the only picture available on line for anyone to look at. The Realtor was relying on just ONE picture on one publicly accessible site to capture and sell all that this totally updated and rehabbed property had to offer. Why wasn’t the remodeled interior of this town home being marketed? If you ask me there is no excuse for this level of service and is nothing less then a marketing crime. Why a crime? Well, if it is estimated that 80 to 85% of homes buyers now FIRST pre-shop properties via the Internet... what would you say about a Realtor relying on one exterior shot for the buying public to preview is? But the story gets worse.

After we hung up, I was now even more curious. Something told me to take a look at this seller’s competition. So I dug a bit deeper. I then found 2 comparable properties within the exact same development. (SEE clipped ads shown in the larger graphic along with larger original ad) One property listed for $84,000 less then the property the caller owned and the other listed for $89,000 less. Now I know there could be a lot of discussion, pro and con, about the effect listing price has on property sale’s probability, this is NOT the point of this post.

The point I am making has to do with marketing. While I know there are many marketing options and tools (like real estate staging) available. Each Realtor, of these 2 cheaper properties, invested the time and money to tap into one of the most basic yet most effective marketing tools available today. Each used MULTIPLE photos posted on easily an accessible listing site to help build and reinforce potential buyer’s interest. Considering the seller, who I was talking to, had a property that costs more AND offered more, would it not be helpful to capture and display those differences to potential buyers? Plus, what does NOT showing the interior communicate to potential buyers?

Finally just let me say that most likly it is not just the lack of pictures that are keeping this property from selling. The point is that Realtors in today’s industry MUST realize that digital photography, which is cheap and easy, coupled with easily accessible on-line listing sites now give buyers the power to preview and pre-screen properties. (Watch my CURB APPEAL SHOW) Any Realtor that chooses to ignore this basic yet very important fact is committing a crime, that ultimately can cause his client's to have to do some time while they wait for their homes to seller.

Market It Forward…
Me

WOW... REUTERS picked up on this post! (Click Here to see)

WOW! THANKS... this Home Staging Blog is a "MUST READ"

The authors over at Future of Real Estate and Loans recently posted a list of blogs they feel are "MUST READS".

They write "there’s a ton of excellent mortgage and real estate blogs out there – way too many to list, in fact. But for a unique spin on the market as well as perspective that makes sense to anyone interested in real estate anywhere, there are some blogs that really are masters of their niche."

Home Staging Rants & Ravings is definitely in good company. To see the entire list, click here to read 11 Must Read Daily Real Estate Blogs.

THANKS GUYS! The recognition is appreciated.

Home Stage & Blogging... Reflecting Opportunities in Real Estate Marketing

For a little over a year now I have been writing about home staging here in this blog. I have to admit I have been fortunate in raising my staging voice up in an ever expanding world of real estate blogging. I believe part of the reason for my blogging success is due to the fact that the approach I take to blogging reflects the approach I take to staging.

When it comes to staging and selling a home it is no secret that good curb appeal is desirable. If a buyer doesn't like what they see, there is a good chance they will just move on. Well the same goes for a blog. I consider a blog’s headline its initial curb appeal. Headlines should be interesting and captivating so that your reader wants to stop in and read on.

When touring a home, which is for sale, a second critical moment takes place the instant the buyer opens the door and sees the interior of a home for the first time. What a buyer sees in this moment better be a visually appealing. For just as it is important that a stager creates an attractive first visual impression within the homes interior, the same can be said for using a picture in a blog. A strong visual impression positively reinforces what the buyer/reader are about to see/read.

Moving on (literally) is the next key element to both staging and blogging. A home that is staged well has certain connected "flow" that entices the buyer to move from room to room. As you develop your blog it should have transition/flow as your reader travels from paragraph to paragraph.

Recently we here at Real Estaging have seen more and more amature stagers’s relying on contrived tricks and gimmicks (i.e. champagne glasses on the edge of tubs) that make the house look “too staged” and ultimately distract a buyer away from seeing the home and it’s “personality”. So whether one is staging a home or writing blogging it is important that the unique personality of the home, or you the writer, comes through. Staging and blogging is about making connections… the buyer needs to “connect” to a home they are going to buy. In order to gain long term readership, readers need to connect to you. And remember… always be original, never plagiarize another's work, it will come back to haunt you.

The final parallel that I see between staging and blogging has to do with clutter. It is a well know fact that stagers remove all unnecessary distractions and get down to the homes most basic elements. Well the same goes for blogging. Keep in mind that reader often will skim your blog, so give it a lot of white space to make that process easier. Also you might want to consider highlighting key phrases in each paragraph that if only they are read… the basic gist of the blog is communicated.

So there you have it… my staged blog on home staging and blogging. Respectively, each can create a good reflection of home seller's home or a real estate professional's words.

Stage It Forward…
Me

POST SCRIPT 1: "They" must like what this blog has to say... cause once again it gets picked up fed to the masses, click each link to see it at: NBC - NY and USA TODAY's online news sources.

POST SCRIPT 2: I have had the idea for this blog bouncing around my head for a while.. but I gotta admit I am glad I held off from writing it until now. Tomorrow I am to be and industry expert panelist on home stager and real estate blogging at Coldwell Banker's Emagine Expo 2007 here in Chicago. With over 1,200 attendees coming to this event, it creates perfect reason to finally write this blended blog.

Are Vacant Homes Black Holes That Suck the Life Out of their Own Sales?

Recently I was asked by Design Talk to write a column on a question they are frequenly asked. The question comes from sellers concerned abut selling their vacant houses and wondering if thier property would have a better chance of selling if it had furnishings in it.

Well I replied saying... the fact that most Realtors dread handling a listing that is vacant says a lot, for they know that an empty house is typically a harder sell to make than one that is fully furnished. But why are vacant houses more difficult to sell then furnished homes? Let’s take look at a few reasons…

First, an empty room will always feel smaller than a furnished room. When a potential buyers tour a property, they are trying to “map” their lives into the home’s space. Buyers are evaluating the house to SEE that it will work for them. To help them understand how a house will work or not, buyers will relate the size and fit of the seller’s furnishing to their own. Vacant homes make this basic part of the buying process more difficult.
Next, for many buyers a big part of knowing a house will be the “right” is the emotional connection/vibe they get from it. Houses that are vacant often give off a hollow desperate loneliness. Because it is harder to get the welcome feeling of “home” from a vacant property, the emptiness will actually make it more difficult for buyers to emotionally attach to it.

You may have noticed that Realtors, about to show a furnished home, first turn on EVERY light and lamp in it before the buyer gets there to tour it. (And when I say “every light,” I mean EVERY light.) They turn on the lights because they know that a well lit home sparkles, shines, and adds a warmth and glow that buyers find appealing. Unfortunately, a vacant house will quite often lack or have no lights at all in some rooms. This bad lighting makes it harder for the buyer to see what they are buying, and ends up making the house show as dreary, dark and dull. A big reason why vacant houses are harder to sell is that there naturally is not much to look at, so what there is to see gets scrutinized. While a buyer does want to spend their hard earned money to BUY a home, they are not too interested in spending money on making repairs and fixing the problems the seller chose to leave behind. Having nothing in a house makes it very easy for the buyer to focus their attention on even the smallest of flaws and then negatively fixate on having to spend money to make repairs. Think about it… a wood, tile and linoleum floor will show more dirt, scratches and mars; the smallest carpet stains will clearly be visible; and naked walls will noticeably reveal all the holes, nicks and scuffs that are present. Because the home is unoccupied, the exterior maintenance will often go undone. In the summer, lawns will either overgrow or burn out and weeds will take over gardens. In northern markets, walks and drives will be hidden if not shoveled after a winter snow fall. In general an unkempt exterior will kill any curb appeal and immediately start to diminish the buyer’s hopes as to what to expect on the interior.

For all these reasons, a vacant house will be more difficult to sell then a furnished home. A buyers market will only make it even more difficult for a seller to sell for there are more than enough homes to choose from. Therefore, it is easy to understand how a buyer will be attracted to a home that they spatially understand; get a good feeling of “home” from; is bright, warm and inviting; and shows no glaring signs for maintenance or repair.

Oh… and just because a home is furnished does not make it an automatically and perfectly appealing home to buy… for even a furnished home still should be light, bright, CLEAN, maintained and uncluttered.

Stage It Forward…
Me

Part 1 of 3: Tips for Selling Vacant Homes.

Click HERE for Part 2.

WOW! USA TODAY featured this post on Vacant Homes to its on-line readers!

Judging for Real Estate Blogging Award Ain't Just Easy as Black & White

Real Estate gives bloggers a variety of colorful subjects to write on. In fact, as a guest judge for this week's Carnival Of Real Estate, I had so many GOOD posts (about 30) to choose from, I have to admit, it was tough to narrow it down to just one overall winner. Since working with color is a basic tool that a stager relies on, I choose it to be the award's theme... so, that allowed me to narrow the field down to six R-O-Y-G-B-V Finalists, from which one would reign as the Most Colorful and winner for the 46th Carnival of Real Estate.

The six R-O-Y-G-B-V Color Finalists for this week's Carnival of Real Estate (in no particular order) are:

The RED FINALIST AWARD goes to Michael Simonsen. Red is the color for danger, power, passion and desire. It also it the color of energy. The fascinating pricing "heat maps" Michael presents in Bay Area Price Reductions Heat Map posted at Altos Research Real Estate Insights are FULL of red energy.

The ORANGE FINALIST AWARD goes to Brian Brady. Orange is the color that represents creativity, determination and success. Brian is writes a post with "character" as he offers his fresh and "memorable" advice in Realtors Should Stop Selling Houses... posted at BloodhoundBlog.

The YELLOW FINALIST AWARD goes to Oliver Muoto. Yellow is associated with joy and happiness but also can be a cautionary color. Oliver warns Realtors of the primary importance of using good quality pictures when advertising listing in A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words posted at vFlyer Blog.

The GREEN FINALIST AWARD goes to Michael Price. Green symbolizes growth, harmony and, as we all know, money. Michael reminds us that growth can come from looking at new business models. People that think differently will enjoy his Book Report: Be Unreasonable posted at Mike's Corner - Web 2.0 For Real Estate Pros.

The BLUE FINALIST AWARD goes to Dr. John Yacenda. Blue embodies trust, loyalty, wisdom and intelligence. While John definitely demonstrates all those traits in his tale, the same can not be said for his clients. ?Pro Pro Per Pla? ? A Cautious Buyer?s Motto, and It?s not Latin! is a fun read posted at RenoRealEstateVoice.

The VIOLET FINALIST AWARD goes to Karen Rhodes. Violet (purple) is often associated with wealth, extravagance, dignity and independence. However, sadly these noble traits were mischievously played with and convoluted by so many parties involved with the loans. Karen writes of the Subprime troubles in The Party is Over posted at Chattanooga Real Estate Blog.

But when it comes down to it, the #1 post for this week that should be read, is all about RED. The heat maps posted on Michael Simonson's blog entitled Bay Area Price Reductions Heat Map captivated my interest... it was new, fresh, interesting and different. Because I am a home stager, I have seen time and again how it helps to sell people by helping them see. Micheal shares a tool Realtors could use in any market to help visually explain and then create effective pricing strategies with their client home sellers. CONGRATULATIONS MICHAEL this was the Most Colorful post and this week's winning post!

So... those are the colorful award winners for the 46th Carnival of Real Estate here on Home, Staging Rants & Ravings... I hope you enjoy reading them and learning from them as much as I did. I have to say I am truly honored to be the FIRST HOME STAGER ever in the nation to be selected to host and judge this forum that represents the best voices within the Real Estate Industry. Zillow recognizing stagers helps the home staging industry Stage It Forward. The next carnival will be held on Monday, June 18 at RE Agent in CT. Please submit your best post by Sunday, June 17, to be considered.

Color It Forward...

Me

PS: In the future, if you are interested in offering your thoughts and ideas you write of in your own blog (YES HOME STAGERS... YOU TOO should be submitting posts!) to the Carnival, all you need to do is submit your blog article to a weekly edition of the Carnival of Real Estate using their carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Selling Your Home is as Easy as Riding a Tricycle

Home sellers, when you put your home up for sale… you might say it is like you are like a little kid about to go on a tricycle ride. But for this particular “sales trike trek” 4 basic elements impact how smoothly your ride will go. These 4 important elements in your home’s sales trek are: Market, Location, Condition, and Price.

During your ride, consider the MARKET as the sidewalk that your tricycle maneuvers on. Sometimes the market is bumpy, sometimes smooth. Regardless, what the market’s surface conditions are, you must just keep rolling along for there is little you can do to impact the market path.However, to get the tricycle ready for its travels, you must consider the 3 wheels that keep your home's sale rolling along.

First, PRICE is the big front wheel where the knowledge and expertise of a Realtor helps you steer and direct your sales ride for the best possible result.

But in order for your front wheel to maneuver properly... the two back wheels must also be looked at and operate smoothly and in conjunction with your front wheel.

One of your trike's back wheels is LOCATION. The LOCATION wheel is a fixed hard rubber wheel that will NEVER go flat... it is what it is.

Your other rear wheel is CONDITION. By the time you, as a home seller, are ready to jump on your trike’s seat and go for a sales ride many of you don't always want to look at the rear wheels... especially the CONDITION wheel. Unfortunately, much of the time your CONDITION wheel's treads have worn down, the rim is rusty, it has leaked some air and maybe even gone flat.

Home stagers go to work on your flat worn-out rear tricycle wheel. We pump up, shine and make suggestions that will improve the rear CONDITION wheel, so that your home’s sale doesn't end up being a rickety ride.

So when you sell your home, preferably before you list it, find and use a home stager in your area to see just how smoothly your own tricycles can roll along to the closing.

Stage It Forward...

Me

PS: I spelled "peddling" the way I meant it.

House vs. Home

Years ago, you bought a HOUSE and turned it into a your home.

Today, to sell your HOME you must return it to being a HOUSE.

CHICAGO REALTORS... tune into this opportunity NOW!

So I've been talking to Kim Segal a researcher working for HGTV.

Kim has shared with me a BIG OPPROTUNITY for realtors in Chicago-land... it is the fact that HGTV's #1 Real Estate Show wants to feature realtors in Chicago! (Kim is also looking for realtors in Denver, Raleigh, Vancouver, and Montreal!)

"BUY ME" is HGTV's reality-based TV series that chronicles the real-life drama of selling a home. From "For Sale" to "SOLD", each episode features a new story with a different entertaining twist.

"BUY ME" will tell your story by taking their viewers behind-the-scenes to meet your sellers, buyers, contractors, stagers and home inspectors. Televised across Canada and the United States, "Buy Me" gives participating agents TV exposure on a massive scale. As an added incentive, Homeowners receive a cash bonus.

Debbie Travis - famous for her decorating flair and hit series' The Painted House and Facelift, is the show's executive producer.

GOOD NEWS for Real Estate Agents in DENVER, RALEIGH, VANCOUVER, CALGARY and MONTREAL they are looking agents there too!

Kim's Criteria: Extroverted homeowners and agents, single family homes, more then 1 person occupying the home, new listings preferred.

INTERESTED in being on the show? Well you can contact Kim Segal (a major sweetheart!) via phone at: (514) 846-1940 ext. 242 or email Kim directly at kim@buymetv.com.

This is an AWESOME OPPORTUNITY and is just what "stage it forward..." is all about... professionals helping each other succeed.

PS: THANK YOU Kim!

stage it forward...

This Clown gets to host a Carnival by being Active in the Rain

I gotta admit one of the GREAT things I can say about being a member and starting my blogging on ActiveRain is when I joined I DIDN'T know what the heck a blog was, but I soon would... in a very short time.

Once you have an ActiveRain Blog (which are totally FREE), if you got kids... you might even be able to stand proud, puff out your chest and say... "I GOTTA BLOG". (Unfortunately, your kids won't be THAT impressed... so you'll feel somewhat like Charlie Brown on his Halloween special when he says... "I gotta rock.")

But I digress...

But, after awhile you get your ActiveRain blog groove going and you will be all happy and content and you start reading other's real estate industry blogs and you love it, for you will be learning and sharing and commenting and associating. And you'll then realize that REALLY you are part of a real estate social network. So if you got kids (who most likely use My Space) you will be able to stand proud, puff out your chest and say... "I'm on a Social Network too!" (And your even more proud of the fact that THIS social network doesn't have Lechers... but we do have Lychees (inside joke) so that's gotta count for something!)

But I digress...

So, you'll continue to you read and read and read. And you'll stumble on Mary McKnight's blogs on blogging. TRUST ME... YOU'LL BE STOPPED COLD IN YOUR TRACKS. WHAT THE HELL IS SHE TALKING ABOUT? THERE'S MORE TO BLOGGING? THERE CAN'T BEEEEE MORE!!! RSS FEEDS? FEED what? So you'll do like most others and consider it best just to IGNORE her figuring she is WAAAAAY too pretty to be intelligent. (You are just happy and content in your simple conclusion that RSS FEED must be the delicious little candies E.T. ate.)

But I digress...

So you'll read on. Comment on. Blog on. And you will find that life is good in the Rain. But in your readings you'll hear that a Blog Carnival is coming. Members like Maureen Francis and Christine Forgione like to talk about these Carnivals! And you'll think... I love Carnivals! Can I go? A CARNIVAL for adults.... sounds like fun. Now you FEEL like your kid... only when they were about 5 years old.

And in your discovery about Blog Carnivals you hear that Broker Bryant, another ActiveRain Blogger, has WON a Carnival. WIN!!!!????? There are games at the Carnival? Are there rides too? And you mumble and grumble a bit because Broker Bryant you'll by then know that Broker Bryant is King of the ActiveRain bloggers. He seems to be able to win gold stars for farting in the Rain, and on top of that he has a Lovely Wife! Is there anything HE can't do well?

But I digress...

So the whole point of this blog is to announce that I am hosting a The Carnival of Real Estate on June 11, 2007 RIGHT HERE on my "pretty blog". I couldn't be more thrilled and honored. The cool part of all this is is it will be the FIRST TIME EVER that a stager has hosted a Real Estate Blog Carnival... which will surely help the staging industry get its message out.

I have to thank Mary, Maureen, Christine, Bryant, TLW, and Matt Heaton (creator of ActiveRain) these ActiveRain bloggers have tought me and coached me about blogging and all that it can be. In my mind you are some of the best drips that have ever dropped (inside joke). You have helped us and our efforts to "stage it forward..."

But I digress...

Me

PS: WHAT IS A BLOG CARNIVAL.... just click and read. It is easy to take part in and share your thoughts.

Property Pricing advice can be hard for sellers to swallow

Being a stager can put us in a "funny spot" with sellers. After working in a seller's homes and transforming them in ways they never consider... sellers REALLY starts to TRUST us.

Stagers need to be very careful. While you may be asked... a stager should NEVER suggest what a property should be listed for or sold for.

Determining pricing is the Realtors job.

So, while it is not our job to advise a client on pricing of their homes... this information is good to know and understand. Basacilly, if asked, I ALWAYS advise a seller to listen to and trust in the professional advise of a Realtor.

Here are some tips I just came across...
TIPS FOR DETERMINING PROPERTY VALUES

A Sellers Property Market Value is NOT based on:

-What is invested in the property

-What they need to get out of the property

-What it is appraised for

-What the neighbor's property sold for

-What the tax office says its worth

-What it is insured for

-Personal memories and treasures

-The prices of homes the seller is moving to

TRUE Property Market Values ARE based on:

TODAY'S PRICE which is what the buyer is willing to pay. And... TODAY'S PRICE is based on these 7 points:

1. Today's real estate market
2. Today's market competition
3. Today's financing options
4. Today's economic conditions
5. A buyer's perception of the property's condition
6. Location Location Locaction of the property
7. Normal marketing time

Sellers CAN control the following:

-The price of the property that they ask for

-The condition of the property (stage it!)

-Access to the property

Sellers CAN NOT Control the following:

-Market conditions

-The motivation of their competition

-The overall value (as described above)

NOTE: This information was shared with me and I share it with you in the hopes you all could use it. I think it could make a GREAT pro-active marketing piece... I totally believe in "planting seeds".

REALTORS... I'd like to NEEDLE you to make a marketing POINT

I am a stickler for words. (Pardon the pun.) But something has been bothering me since I first started my own home staging company. It has to do with referring to ourselves as "Home Stagers."

Is that the best way to describe ourselves? Is being a "Home" Stager actually what we are? Does that term help or hurt the realtor who believes in us and wants to bring us to a client?

The problem and marketing disconnect lies with the word "HOME." If you buy a property, condo, real estate or build a house... how and when does it become a home? I believe it becomes a home when we personalize it with our belongings, life experiences and create memories within and around it.

To capture the emotional connection we have with our homes society has even coined endearing phrases like:

• - Home is where the heart is.
• - Home sweet home.
• - Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
• - Welcome Home!

Staging 101 teaches staging professionals to advise sellers to de-personalize.... remove those items that make your house your home. Hence bring it back to being just a house.

Even authors on the subject of staging agree. Barb Schwartz in her book entitled Home Staging starts by telling her readers... "You must begin to think of your home as your house, and your house as a product." In their book Dress Your House for Success Martha Webb & Sarah Parsons Zackheim advise sellers to "Start referring to your home as a 'house'. The word house carries much less of an emotional tie."

So I wonder about what we are communicating to realtor and sellers when we call ourselves HOME Stagers?

Recently I had a realtor call us and wanted us to talk to her seller about staging. But the realtor was afraid that she would be insulting her seller by bringing in a home stager.
In her head this is how the realtor thought the conversation with her seller would transpire...

Realtor: I think it might be beneficial if we bring in a home stager.
Seller: What are you saying my home is ugly?

Can changing the languaging of the message, communicate a better message?

For example...

Realtor: I think it might be beneficial if we bring in a Real Estate Stager. OR I think it might be beneficial if we bring in a Property Merchandiser?
Seller: ____________________________________ (Really, what can the say?) Actually a lot of things... but it is not insulting the personal taste or home decor choices the seller has made.

So is it best to refer ourselves as Home Stagers? Remember good and effective marketing is subtle and crafts the message the market will easily relate to.

When working with sellers, trying to convience them about using staging services, might that term "Home" just create another sub-conscience marketing obstacle we then must overcome? Would terms like: Stager, Real Estate Stager, Real Estate Merchandiser, Property Stager or Property Merchandiser be a better way to describe the professionals that are building this Real Estate Staging Industry?

Stagers... are we red headed step children that get no respect?

Lately I have been getting a lot of email from stagers that are frustrated with the response they have been getting from the real estate community. Basically they are surprised that realtors are not flocking to them with open welcoming arms and lavishing them with clients. Compared to mortgage brokers or home inspectors we are "red headed step children that get no respect".

The best advice I can give you is to "persevere".

Staging is new and in many parts of the country untested. So it is up to us as a united industry to get the word out about staging and the benefits it provides. When you are marketing yourself to realtors keep in mind the following and remember ultimately you need to craft your message to them and their issues/needs/concerns.

1.) Staging has become a leading-edge marketing tool for realtors that demonstrates they are savvy and leading edge.

2.) Staging fee is typically the seller’s expense, not the realtors! (Many realtors think the fee has to come out of their pocket.)

3.) Real estate staging is NOT just renting furniture… it is much more. It is up to you to explain the depth at which you go to prepare a house for market.

4.) The best time to stage is BEFORE a property is listed. Our work can move the listing price to the top end of the property’s possible price range thus covering our fees and making the seller MORE money.

5.) Let us discuss our services and fees directly with the home seller… this keeps the home seller from feeling as if additional fees are being tacked on by the realtor.

6.) INSTEAD of a price reduction… consider using us. Staging can be less costly and have more of an impact.

7.) Do not market yourself as a designer/ or decorator... rather market yourself as a "real estate/property "merchandiser". Why? Because bringing in a "designer/decorator" may be construed as an insult to a seller's tastes. Hiring a property merchandiser sounds like a wise marketing move.

In today's age, where it seems like it is all about hard core marketing, sometimes what is forgotten is that marketing ourselves and our services is ultimately about building authentic relationships. Finding ways to be of help to the realtor and EARN their respect will surely end the "little orphan Rodney syndrome" we all experience in this new industry.

Staging Realtors... how big are your guns?

When should a realtor, who considers themselves to be a stager, bring in a professional real estate stager?

In my opinion it really comes down to 3 key elements: TIME, TALENT, & TREASURE. A keen and rich knowledge of these basic 3 elements and a system for implementing and administering them is what truly makes a stager an effective resource. I have found if stager does not have access to all 3, they undermine the true benifits of staging and what is available to the seller. (Please note, the key word here is “access” and does not mean EVERY property needs all 3 elements.)

So realtors, if you are thinking about becoming a “Staging Realtor” but are not sure you want to, I ask you to consider the following basic questions regarding these 3 key elements.

TIME: How much time is preparing properties for market going to take you? Taking into account that staging can take a considerable of time to perform physical and/or project management tasks, is this the best use of your time?

TALENT: Do you already know and are you willing to continue to learn all you need to know, about landscaping, cleaning, de-cluttering, room & furnishing arrangement, home repair & maintenance to best prepare these properties for sale?

TREASURE (Props): Considering staging is real estate merchandising and that scale, proportion, color and style do make a difference… Do you have access to the RIGHT furnishings and decorative accessories that can be added to your properties that subtly blend in, yet enhance their overall appeal?

If as a realtor you are willing to fully and ongoingly commit to these basic elements of staging, as you commit to the basic growth and development of your realtor skills... I say GO FOR IT. But I think it is far to warn you... to do staging RIGHT it often takes more then one thinks. It might be best at times to call in the BIG GUNS of a professional stager.

Because sometimes it’s not what you know… it’s what you don’t know that you don’t know, that can best help your client sell their house.

Staged Property does NOT sell... BUT WHY?

Here is a set of Before & After pictures of a TOTALLY VACANT property we staged back in mid June and un-staged yesterday.

IT DID NOT SELL. WHY? Was it because staging really does not help?

SOME nay-sayers might (and will) jump to that conclusion. I happen to have experienced far too many POSTIVE results because of our work to agree with that deduction.
Could it be because of the slow / poor market? Yes, that is a strong possibility. Actually the owner WAS able to rent it in the end.

OR COULD IT BE IT WAS PRICED WAY TO HIGH? YES, DEFINETLY in this case that WAS the reason! How would I come to that conclusion? Well my first clue was the day we were unloading our deliver truck and a “curious” neighbor popped over to greet and meet what she hoped was the new neighbor. When I told her we were the stagers she curtly replied… “Well, I hope it works… this house is WAY over priced.”

THEN the listing agent confided in one of our Services Specialists that he felt the property was OVERPRICED by whopping $40,000!

This is why when a potential client asks me “Does staging REALLY work?” I reply with confidence… “YES! If it is priced right. You HAVE to LISTEN to your Realtor and take their pricing advice!”

BOTTOM LINE: Staging will NOT work if the property is priced wrong!

Paint your HOME'S SALE into a corner... by not making repairs!

While many stagers talk a lot about cleaning, depersonalizing, decluttering and rearranging a home, which ARE important aspects of what we do, there is another area a GOOD stager will focus attention on and find solutions for... home repairs.

Much like a buyer, the moment a real estate stager steps into a house they are looking for problems. We have trained our eyes to look for those items and areas in a house that need tending and mending. Why? Because quite often a seller no longer sees the issues we see... the owner/seller has become so accustomed to and accepting of the property the way it has been they no longer can see all that needs fixing.

Sellers need to understand that buyers are looking for reasons NOT to buy a house as much as they look for reasons to buy a house.

Repairs mean money... and if the potential buyer can already SEE repairs on the surface it is only logical to wonder what repairs lurks below. If basic repairs, that seem so apparent to them as they walk thru a house are not being made, potential buyers wonder what MAJOR repair issues need tending to... which again means more money.

I love it when a seller says that they will leave a repair issue to the new buyer. "Oh good... I get to spend MY time and money fixing someone else’s mess!"

Yes there are those handy buyers (like my father) who always bought diamonds-in-the-rough and fix them up. But that is a smaller group... and in today's market the responsibility is on the seller to merchandise the house so appeals to the LARGEST market as possible.

Home repairs are an area that a GOOD stager can either attend to themselves, or we have the resources and connections to contractors and repair people who can quickly assist a seller tend and mend the property so it looks its absolute best while it is in the market.

The Power of Blogging about Staging

Much has been asked about the power of blogging. People want to know if it is "worth" it? They want to know if blogging generates more staging business... will it make them more money?

Well in order to make money your blog first be seen… and it looks like my rants & ravings about staging are being seen by others.

One of those “others” noticing and mentioning this blog is a cool site that until yesterday I never even heard of called Grow-A-Brain. In my opinion, now that I have seen it, Grow-A-Brain is on of the finest examples of how blogging by someone in the real estate industry can be done. As you read it… you are charmed, challenged, intrigued and taught.

AND did I mention it is written by a realtor… all I can say is if I was looking for real estate in Riverside California, I would definitely be giving Hanan Levin a call. "HE" comes thru his blog. THIS is the first lesson of my blog today.

The second lesson is much more personal and has a bigger payoff.

Upon my return from a weekend get-a-way tp Galena Illinois, I found an email in my box from a person whose name I did not recognize. The email started out,

“How weird is it, me finding your blog! I was on the 'Grow A Brain' site and your blog was linked there! How are you? I see you are still in Chicago, I am in Northern California, Gilroy to be specific…”

Here after nearly 20 years and lives that have taken us to different parts of the country a friend of mine from my high school years found me… thanks to blogging.

To say I was blown away… would be an understatement as I have tried to find this friend of mine numerous times, Goggling her name and finding nothing.

So, if you blog you may make money… and sometimes if you are lucky much much more.

HI GAIL!