illinois: REALTORS... Selling a home is as easy as riding a Tricycle - 03/04/07 03:24 PM
When a home seller puts their home up for sale, they are much like kids about to go on a tricycle ride. But for this selling ride there are 4 basic elements impacting how smoothly the ride will go: Market, Location, Condition, and Price.
The Market is the sidewalk that the seller's … (57 comments)
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illinois: Active Rain drops create ripples of opportunity & possibility in 2007 - 12/31/06 11:37 AM
So it is the closing of the inaugural year of Active Rain... and what a year it has been for all who have taken part of this amazing community.
In a year where the real estate industry was swirling with change and challenge and where large companies were jockeying for position on the web... … (32 comments)
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illinois: HOLIDAY DECORATING: Should home sellers GRINch or BARE it? - 11/29/06 08:45 AM
Back in the fall I blogged on about whether or not it was wise to decorate for Halloween... and while at that time many people gave varied opinions, I stated that I thought it best not to.
SO... what about Christmas? Should a home seller decorate their house during Christmas Season? My … (20 comments)
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illinois: Property Pricing advice can be hard for sellers to swallow - 11/09/06 12:13 PM
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 … (32 comments)
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illinois: Staged Property does NOT sell... BUT WHY? - 10/18/06 10:06 PM
Here is a set of Before & After pictures of a TOTALLY VACANT property we staged back in mid June and un-staged today.
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 … (15 comments)
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illinois: For the love of Pete... Give it a rest! - 10/15/06 07:10 PM
To all you sending me emails wondering why I shut my mouth... THANK you for your concern. When you have a type A personality it is hard to allow yourself time to get away. But this weekend I did.
I followed Eileen Landau's fine example and traveled over to Galena Illinios for a … (11 comments)
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illinois: ANNOUNCING: My new book on Real Estate Staging - 10/07/06 12:17 PM
While there are a few books out there that talk about real estate staging. I still feel there is room for a more comprehensive discussion.
I have been working on my own staging book and am PROUD to début the cover HERE on ACTIVE RAIN.
For marketing purposes (so that I … (29 comments)
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illinois: If Switzerland was a color, what color would it be? - 10/05/06 06:52 PM
Ok… so this is NOT a blog on behalf of the Swiss Visitor & Convention Bureau.
It is a blog with another basic staging tip about color of and in a house
Q: What is the RIGHT color to use in a home that is on the market… most notably for paint and carpet?
A: … (6 comments)
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illinois: Someone needs to tell the truth... PHOTOS LIE! - 10/03/06 07:29 PM
In my previous post today I showed Before & After Photos of a property that we just completed staging. What I did NOT show was how I got those After Photos to look so good.
Realtors and stagers need to understand a very important point about digital cameras... THEY DISTORT THE TRUTH.
Below is … (76 comments)
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illinois: NO SALE! for Good Morning America - 10/02/06 05:12 PM
If you didn't catch the conclusion of GMA's "Sell Your House In a Week Challenge"... well it was NOT a happy ending. Real estate expert Barbara Corcoran gave it her all to prepare and market the NJ house and get it sold in 1 week. And while they had 80 people … (15 comments)
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illinois: Halloween Decorations or DISTRACTIONS? - 09/30/06 01:55 PM
Well it's that time of the year when the ghost, goblins, gouls come out of attics and basements and into homes. While for some the day is great fun... for other's Halloween carries a negative connotation.
You might want to suggest to your seller's that this year they cut back or totally avoid decorating.
As a stager I advise our … (31 comments)
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illinois: Another FEISTY BLOG about "Professional" Staging! - 09/27/06 06:22 PM
Well it seems like everyone and there brother/sister is becoming a stager. Which is a good and bad thing.
GOOD... because it means the industry and the concept is growing.
BAD... because is seem like all a person needs to do is get a cute name, business card and an accredited/certified “staging … (5 comments)
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illinois: Your Royal Highness: The CLEAN of Staging - 09/24/06 08:29 AM
When we speak of staging, we talk of a lot of things. Like thinning, de-cluttering, organizing, rearranging, repairing, trimming, mowing, painting, etc… but Cleaning reigns over all. The house on market should be cleaned as if Royalty was coming to visit… and remember royals wear gloves.
In today’s age, with all the … (9 comments)
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illinois: Staging Web Sites - 09/22/06 09:31 PM
Since I have been a member of Active Rain I have be in contact with so many people "intrigued" with staging and the possibility of staging.
I am honored to "field" the questions of stagers or wanna be stagers ( by "wanna be" I mean people intrigued in the opportunity staging offers). So … (8 comments)
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illinois: I CONFESS... I watch OPRAH and enjoy it! - 09/18/06 06:14 PM
So today opens the new season of Oprah. I am sooooo in need of a fresh Oprah "fix".
I recently was shopping for props for our prop library at IKEA here in Chicago and there was a woman that looked so much like Oprah... I had to ask. She just … (17 comments)
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illinois: Staging should BLEND with the house and the target buyer - 09/10/06 08:51 AM
Debra Gould blogged on this topic yesterday and as I was posting my comments on her blog there was more I thought I could add.
Debra said it perfectly whe she said staging should NOT "...look contrived and artificial, it needs to fit the mood of the house. You shouldn't be … (12 comments)
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illinois: Tips for Stagers: regarding Before & After Pictures - 09/07/06 07:27 AM
Photograph EVERY project. Pictures are SOOOO important... they tell our story in an instant. THAT is why I have so many posted on my website. You can write and write and write... but people will ALWAYS look at the pictures.
AND I keep updating them too, because you have 2 … (11 comments)
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illinois: Asking Price RAISED $55,000 after Real Estaging! - 09/02/06 11:47 AM
I know I keep ranting and raving about how staging can impact the asking price of real estate. So I am just THRILLED to share this story of a property we JUST finished staging yesterday morning (September 1). We fully staged the Foyer, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Hallway, Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom … (22 comments)
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