real estate: Tired of paying $1.00 or more for a directory assistance call on your cell phone. - 08/17/07 10:28 PM
Here is a trick that can save you money when you need to get a phone number quick but don't want to pay outrageous prices for directory assistance from your cell phone provider (mine is currently $1.49! If your phone is equipped to send text messages, then program in a new … (16 comments)
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real estate: Why so many? - 08/05/07 10:20 PM
Ok..I'll admit up front that everything I know about real estate could be put on the back of a match book cover and still have room for a good sized advertisement...but I have a question I am hoping some of you can shed some light upon. My question is, "Why are … (1 comments)
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real estate: The 60-30-10 rule? - 05/16/07 08:09 PM
OK, I may be showing my ignorance but I ran across an interesting item on the HGTV site. They stated a rule whose proportions I was not familiar with but which made sense to me. They claim that the correct balance of color in any room is: "do you know the color … (15 comments)
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real estate: Introversion as an Asset - 04/21/07 11:37 AM
Contrary to popular wisdom, I submit that introversion can be a valuable assert in today's market place. Long gone are the days of the aluminum siding salesmen and even the stereo-typical-loud-mouthed-pressure-you-to-buy-right-now-used-car-salesman (although admittedly this breed was hard to kill off and there are still some around). In a world that is … (6 comments)
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real estate: Are your clients really committed to selling their home? - 04/17/07 08:44 AM
I firmly believe that in today's real estate market the days of selling homes "as is" is rapidly fading away. With the emergence of "home staging" as a profession, the explosion of home shows on television that deal with this issue (not to mention things like home staging features on Oprah) … (8 comments)
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real estate: You Can't Jump the River in Two Medium Leaps. - 04/16/07 09:11 PM
This tag line can, of course, be read at several levels. First it is a metaphor for risk and effort. In the case of our own efforts, it says Go For It. What ever you decide to do, do it with passion-don't do it halfway. Make the leap-if you fail, at … (6 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging and Listing Photos - 04/05/07 11:10 AM
As some of you know I am always looking for great articles that are both from inside the staging industry and great articles about staging that are from "outsiders." I just ran across an article in the Business Week magazine (March 26, 2007). The title of the article is "How to … (8 comments)
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real estate: The Cheapest Stager in Town-NOT - 04/04/07 10:20 AM
As part of the normal stager's inquiries that I receive a number of them are, of course, people trying to find out about the staging business itself. These are pretty easy to figure out by the types of questions they ask. Usually one of the first questions they ask is "What … (6 comments)
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real estate: Exterior Staging: Landscaping Maintenance - 04/02/07 03:41 PM
With spring just around the corner my thoughts naturally turn to the outdoors. As a home stager, I am of course concerned with the exterior of the homes I am staging, after all this is the "First Impression Point" and therefore critical. Without curb appeal buyers will just drive on by. … (1 comments)
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real estate: The One Question - 04/02/07 09:18 AM
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If you were being interviewed by a newspaper or magazine reporter what is the one question you would want to be asked so that you could better educate the public about either buying or selling real estate or the real estate profession? It is my belief that the more information the … (1 comments)
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real estate: The Psychology of Hoarding - 03/23/07 07:42 AM
One situation that home stagers and Realtors frequently see is the person or family that can't seem to let go of anything. Their homes become filled with stuff. It would seem to be a simple thing really-just tell them why the stuff needs to go and once they get the logic of … (29 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging Rational: Sometimes others say it best - 03/13/07 08:22 PM
Sometimes people out side the home staging industry can say things a certain way that, perhaps, we "insiders" may not because it is obvious that we are, shall we say, a bit biased. But when ever I see home staging justified by others I try to make note of it. My … (13 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging-The Oft Asked Question: To Stage or Not to Stage - 03/12/07 07:55 PM
No I am not referring to Shakespeare as my literary skills do not extend to the Elizabethan world of the Bard....
Recently, a number of post have ask the question: To Stage or Not to Stage and looked at this question from different angles. I wish to offer another angle.
I … (10 comments)
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real estate: Home staging: Fear and Loathing with the Kodak Camera - 03/12/07 07:27 PM
OK so many of you read Jeff Turner's post Sell Your Camera On eBay & Buy This One! on the amazing Kodak camera (V705 or like mine V570) and ran out and bought one. So far so good, but then you got it home and tried to work with the amazingly … (39 comments)
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real estate: Desperate situation calls for desperate measures - 03/10/07 08:31 AM
Sometimes things just aren't like one would want them to be; so, when this happens part of our stager creativity has to be used to solve a problem. Here is one example. I have a client who has a daughter and son-in-law who, like many people bought a new home, moved … (17 comments)
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real estate: Realtors, Internet Marketing and Spam - 03/06/07 12:50 PM
Ok, given that Realtors may hold the distinction of being the most frequently targeted group by everyone trying to sell ANYTHING......I was wondering. How would someone who had a legitimate product that you would most likely find useful to you and your real estate business get to you? What would be … (1 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging: Networking- Who Knows You? - 03/04/07 09:40 AM
As Jeffrey Gitomer points out in his cogent and informative book, "it is not who you know but who knows you." [1] He makes a very powerful case for exposing yourself in the marketplace and operating on the laws of attraction. He calls is "putting yourself in the marketplace as a … (3 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging: People as props - 02/25/07 03:28 PM
I am not making this up. Someone today ask me if I used people as a prop. In other words, did I bring in families to make a place looked lived in? After my initial shock and a quick scan for the tell tell facial expressions of someone who is pulling … (5 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging and Painting Tools - 02/22/07 08:34 AM
I generally use Benjamin Moore paint and so I wanted to share some tools that they have which you might find useful. First of all, for those Pottery Barn Fans (yes, I know it is becoming fashionable to trash Pottery Barn but I am still an unrepentant and shameless fan). Anyway, … (3 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging and Flowers - 02/21/07 09:19 AM
OK, I know that many of you do not use fresh flowers due to the fact that they do not last. I know that many of us use silks for the most part. I usually do not use dried flowers to a great extent but I still love dried roses, especially … (1 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging: Eliminating Offensive Odors - 02/20/07 07:27 PM
Since we have recently been discussing offensive odors such as pet scents and cooking smells, I thought I would let you know about a product that I use. It is called Pure Ayre Odor Eliminator and it is specially formulated for getting rid of offensive orders. One of their "kits" contains … (2 comments)
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real estate: Home staging and Giant TV's - 02/18/07 11:24 AM
One of the common difficulties that I have run into is the giant TV sitting next to the fireplace. Not only does this monster take up space but it competes with the fireplace as a focal point. Since the eye naturally seeks a focal point to any room, these competing features … (28 comments)
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real estate: Home staging: Creating "how everyone wants to live" scenes - 02/17/07 12:46 PM
Much of what makes a staged home so different from a non-staged home can be seen in the extras that professional stagers are willing and capable of creating- the things that go beyond cleaning, removing clutter, and even furniture and art arrangement. Emotional connection points through staged scenes actually create what … (6 comments)
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real estate: Interent Real Estate Search - 01/29/07 10:12 AM
In reading the interesting post Your Personal Statistics? Online SIte? Monica Hubert where she has actually tracked and verified that the vast majority of her leads are coming from the Internet , I was reminded again of one of my main arguments for home staging- the real estate internet photos. Which … (4 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging Tools: In Praise of the PDA - 01/29/07 09:30 AM
OK I know this may be an outdated blog due to the fact that in the length of time it takes me to write this, technology will have run me over. The new models of FILL IN THE BLANK arrive in the store about 15 minutes after I leave with whatever … (11 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging and Creativity - 01/29/07 09:13 AM
"The poet is the man that puts things together"
R. Buckminster Fuller
Home stagers, at least I can say home stagers on active rain, are very creative bunch. Although" Bucky" Fuller was not likely thinking of home staging when he wrote the above line, given his philosophy, I have a feeling he … (9 comments)
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real estate: Another call for references and statistics - 01/29/07 08:48 AM
At the risk of repetition, as well as some major embarrassment, I am putting out another call for any and all references and citations of studies, surveys, and statistics on home staging. I am afraid I have suffered a major computer glitch and the document where I had these stored has become … (5 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging- Adding emotional connection with flowers Part 3 - 01/27/07 01:36 PM
Here is another in my series of simple easy to do flower arrangements that will help you add color, warmth, and emotional connection to any staging project. This one uses five sunflowers in a simple thick green glass vase. The vase is about 4 inches square. The sunflowers are cut very … (11 comments)
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real estate: Vacant Home Prices - 01/27/07 08:17 AM
I was speaking to a Realtor yesterday about the differential between the sales price of a vacant home and one that is furnished and then immediately following that I read a statistic from Realtor Magazine Online which stated that, "vacant homes for sale nationally jumped more than 30 percent during the … (1 comments)
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real estate: Home staging and our shadow - 01/26/07 02:14 PM
One of the things I have noticed about Active Rain is the general atmosphere of support, encouragement, and acceptance that one feels on the Rain. For many of us, who feel fairly isolated and alone in this business, the Rain can feel like a cool oasis in the desert, so to … (3 comments)
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real estate: Home staging presentations to Realtors - 01/25/07 09:24 AM
Yesterday, I was talking with a Realtor about home staging. He does mostly apartments and condos but some single family homes as well. He admitted that he did not know much about staging. Of course, he knew what it was, was familiar with the concept, had toured a few homes that … (14 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging: Creating emotional connections with Flowers- Part 2 - 01/24/07 09:17 AM
Some time back, I did a post on making floral arrangements using only foliage to create dramatic results for very little money. At that time, I promised to post a photo if I ever learned how to upload. Well, I have at least been able to get few up so I … (10 comments)
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real estate: Education and Consultation in Home Staging - 01/22/07 10:38 AM
A recent post by Debra Gould Real estate agents ask, "Why should I recommend home staging to my clients?" started me thinking about additional reasons why Realtors should consider a professional home stager vs. just giving their own advice or resorting to handing their clients a book or booklet on "staging … (5 comments)
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real estate: Top Ten reasons NOT to professionally stage your listings: - 01/17/07 08:14 PM
1) You have become attached to the mice nesting in your lock box.
2) "For Sale" sign has become part of landscape and removal would now require heavy machinery.
3) Don't really need the commission since already wealthy beyond wildest imagination.
4) Afraid stager would suggest removal of client's beanie baby collection.
5) Afraid … (11 comments)
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real estate: Home Staging and Realtor's Opinions - 01/17/07 10:46 AM
I was reviewing some past blogs on Active Rain. They, are, admittedly, from the ancient past as blogging goes (Dec 7, 2006) when I read one of Sheron Cardin's fine postings titled Could Realtors who have heard of HOME STAGING please raise your hands! and it started me thinking again....I know, … (17 comments)
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real estate: Home staging techniques- adding emotional connection with flowers - 01/10/07 09:30 AM
Nothing quite adds to a home's appeal like fresh flowers. For one thing, they are special because they do not last long. That is one reason why we value them- their beauty is deep but fleeting. So traditionally, giving someone flowers coveys a certain sense that they are special enough to … (10 comments)
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