Late September I scheduled 4 library workshops on Home Staging and the results were SUPER!!!! In fact so SUPER that I have been so busy still in October I am now just getting to blog about it.  One lady traveled 80 miles one way to hear about it and made an appointment. Another has me redesigning and making window treatments for her home. The librarians told me it was the most people they have ever had for workshops.

I used a power point presentation and showed them what not to do and what I could do for them. I also explained the average costs of home staging based on a home I had just staged which was priced at $415,000.00. They thought my costs were reasonable for our area. I explained to them that I work with the real estate industry to help market their property with the most profitable results.

What I learned from the homeowners was very important to my business and the real estate industry. They have lots of questions and want to know how to market their home using the internet and new marketing tools.market and economy. They want to know how to best use their money and get noticed. They are interested in home staging and understand the benefits and want to include their realtor in the process but didn't know how to ask the realtor about home staging. I was so excited that they were asking questions, they stayed late to talk to me. I had a realtor drop off her clients for this. They do get that they are dealing with hundreds of other homes as competition in this market and economy.

So what I think is we need to find a way to get the Homeowner, Realtor and Home Stager together and help the Sellers show the potential Buyers what great property they are selling . That is what they want!

So Realtors what can we as Home Stagers do to team up with you and help the Sellers and Buyers see the best of what the real estate industry has to offer? I would like help finding ways to work with you and assist the homeowners.  Please give me suggestions on this because I know after listening to the homeowner that they want and need this also.

I also met a Realtor named Brad Plantz with Sopris Realty who interacted with me and the homeowners about home staging. It was great!  I recommended AR and he joined so please WELCOME Brad Plantz!

Garfield County Libraries will bepresenting 4 Home Staging Workshops for Homeowners & Realtors by Debby Puckett with Altitude Designs. New Castle, Glenwood Springs, Silt & Rifle Colorado are setting up workshops to teach homeowners and realtors about Home Staging and its benefits. Or if you wnat a new look with your excisting furniture and accessorieslearn about ReDesign.  Please see each branch's schedule below for dates and times. Please mark your calendars for these workshops to learn how to market your home even in this market.  Call Debby @ 970.230.0479 for more information e Designs

I like the idea of WORKING out this economy situation for us little people so I am announcing today a strategy that will put money into our economy and keep everyone WORKING (and paying taxes). For you Americans who are ready to sell your home or you bigger people who are willing to sell one of your homes this is how it will play out.

1. Call a Professional  Home Stager and she will do an evaluation on your property and will provide a WORKING plan that will direct you on how to proceed.

2. On that list you will find out that you may need some painting, electrical , intense house cleaning, or landscaping done to complete the package for resell. This is where we help the little people who keep this country moving and functional. We then hire these professional little people to complete the needed tasks and keep them WORKING. Then the Professional Home Stager will set up your property so that the first impression says WOW-That Home Stager is GREAT!

3. We then call the Realtor of the homeowners preference and get that agent's group WORKING.

4. The Realtor will call photographer, printer, an appraiser,and any other professionals they work with and keep that group WORKING.

5. We will then get an offer on the fabulous staged home and put a mortgage lender, an inspector and all their office help WORKING and anyone else that completes the task.

6. We will close on this property and get a Happy Client Referral and keep on WORKING with our Network of Professionals 

Did you notice the key word here WORKING

                            W-wonderful

                            O-orchestrated

                            R-real estate professionals

                            K-keeping

                            I- individuals

                            N-networking

                            G-geographically

I didn't intend to leave any professionals we may work with out. Just wanted to explain what makes the ECONOMY go around. We all help each other provide for our families, neighbors and communities so let's not get caught up in the negative circus and keep going forward in the industry we all love to be connected to... The  REAL ESTATE Industry.

From My World Headquarters in New Castle, COLORADO

Debby Langford-Puckett HSE, CEO, CSO,CMO (the more titles I have the more the buyout bonus pays off-Right?)

ALTITUDE DESIGNS

You see it all over the country, the listings that have bad photos. I can not believe the photos that get released with houses of all price ranges. "90% of buyers will pick out the top 5 to 8 properties they want to tour from the on-line photos" This office photo shows the corner of the room not the full room and it's cluttered. The kitchen photo shows you can stack as many things in a corner as you need and all the magnets a family can collect. That is all I see and I am a professional home stager.

If you were selling your car you would detail it for the first impression. Your home is your biggest investment, the on-line photos are the first impression that a potential buyer will see. The same when they pull up to the curb, grab a brochure and never come back because the photos show bad room shots and clutter.

A home that has been staged professionally will stand out from the curb appeal to the on-line photos.

Please think about the angle and the clutter before you snap the picture, we had this above home professionally done by a photographer with a virtual tour for less than $300.00

This beautiful Colorado Executive Home is for sale in New Castle, Colorado. Go to www.altitudedesigns for full virtual tour. Call Jessica Peterson with A-Team Realty @970-379-1530 for more information.

Debby Langford-Puckett HSE certified with 23 years experience of looking at good and bad photos.

ALTITUDE DESIGNS of Colorado now has StageOnYourWage™ program for Do-it-Yourself Homeowners. Go to www.altitduedesigns.com and find out how you can have the expertise of a Professional Home Stager and do the staging yourself.

Hello, I'm Debby Langford-Puckett from the Beautiful Western Slope of Colorado. I own Altitude Designs a home staging and redesign business. I actually signed up March 27th, 2008 but I have been so busy learning all this information about the real estate and industry associates that I forgot to sit down and write this blog. I'm so impressed with how everyone is sharing their victories and struggles with the community. It inspires me to keep going no matter what happens today, tomorrow has the potential to be better. THANK YOU all for sharing!!!

I also would like you to Welcome Molly Kehoe from Harlan & Mastro Real Estate,INC of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Molly and I met a month ago at the second meeting of the New Castle Garden Club. She was looking for a place for a community vegetable garden and we have some space. The whole community is excited about the garden club's plans for xeroscaping the towns main street, having the Girl Scouts working together with the seniors from the senior apartment complex on container gardening and the 1.25 acre vegetable garden for all the community to work together on. We have a display at the Earth Day Expo this Saturday the 19th at the New Castle Community Center from 11 to 3 p.m. We will update on gardening pictures from the community projects.

Molly and I are also going on our first home staging adventure together tomorrow so wish us luck.

Thank you again for keeping Activerain up and going so newbies can join and learn!!!!

Debby Langford-Puckett

Altitude Designs

www.altitudedesigns.com