We blog here because we believe . . . we believe in what we do . . . and we believe what we do makes a difference in the world of Real Estate.  Why do we believe what we do . . . HOME STAGING . . . makes a difference in the world of Real Estate? 

Well, there is a time and place for belief based on faith; but the home staging industry isn't going  to grow based on faith. 

Unfortunately Realtors and home sellers require proof; not faith.

Proof comes from statistics.  And those statistics need to come from us . . .

Well, now's the time . . . step on up and share your successes, and all your 2011 staging statistics.  Share them all, great ones, good ones, so-so ones and the not-so-good, as well. 

And there are some nice incentives, besides having access to the 2011 end results! 

Here's the recent note from RESA:

“If you enter more than 10 properties we will extend your RESA membership by 3 months.

If you are not a current RESA member please still submit your statistics.  If you would like to join RESA and get 3 free months. Please join RESA first, then enter your properties. You will be asked for your RESA membership number, which is found above your name in your contact information in your dashboard on your RESA profile.  Click here to join RESA.

Statistics are due by January 25th. If we do not collect enough statistics we will not be able to release new stats this year. Please include ALL statistics, even the properties that did not sell quickly. We need accurate information in order to release new statistics.”

 

 Here’s the link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L8VTKT2

 

I just added about a couple dozen of mine and it was simple, quick and interesting.

 

Help RESA paint a picture based on facts - the proof

 

 

 

 

On the market vacant 240 days, staged by Peachtree Home Staging and U/C in 2 day with multiple offers.

 

And that's a stat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHARE, SHARE, SHARE ! ! !   

Us stagers -- well, we must be nuts!  All of us!  Do you think we have a "moving" fetish???  Statistics show that the average person moves every 5 to 7 years.  I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would want to go through the process of moving to a different home a couple times a decade let alone make a move a couple times a week???

 

 

Okay, so we don't actually move, but we perform the act of moving.  The stagings that really bring this thought to mind though is when Peachtree Home Staging in Atlanta gets to pick stuff up at one house in the morning and move it right to another house in the afternoon.  We moved in home staged this vacant home early December.  

 

 

 

 

2 weeks later this home was under contract.  After the contracts due diligence period was satisfied, we moved in home staged a mile up the road in the Chamblee area of Atlanta.  This next home was completely different so we changed up our look some!  Hope you like it!

 

 

Never lost; but FOUND, we were!!!

I received an e-mail from a Realtor.  It read . . .

"Hi there,

 

I have a listing located at 1368 Ormewood Ave, Atlanta, Ga 30316.  Beautiful down-to-the-studs renovation.  We have had fabulous showings but not offers!  We've been the bridesmaid to two other homes that were picked (funnily enough they were staged).

 

My sellers and I would like to look into staging.  Is this something you can talk to me about?

 

I e-mailed back . . .

 

"It would be a pleasure to stage that home!  I have staged several in East Atlanta.  I currently have one staged right around the corner.  It's under contract -- went under contract first day on the market.  It’s a beautiful rebuild -- Here’s some before and after photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within minutes, my phone rang.  What I heard on the other line was this joyous Realtor saying, "I found you!  I found you.  This is the house that made my listing a bridesmaid for the second time!  You staged the other one, too!"

So, once found, and two days later we were outfitting the bridemaid to be an eye-catching bride.  She hasn't walked down the aisle yet, but here's a sneak peak straight out from behind the dressing room door! :-)

 

 

I just had an encounter with an accessory hoarder! 

Yes, seriously.  This was the biggest accessory hoarder I have ever staged!

Now you may think I am speaking of a home owner I helped de-clutter to get ready to put their home on the market; but I am not.

This “accessory hoarder” was a cute little VACANT bungalow home in the sought after Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta in desperate need of Peachtree Home Staging.

Now, you may ask, “How can a vacant home be an accessory hoarder?”  Well, it was like having vacant room -- inside vacant rooms!  And to stage it right, it hoarded accessories like you wouldn’t believe!  

There were vacant built-ins everywhere, just screaming for accessories to hoard!

There was the living room hoarder --

 

There was the dining room hoarder --

 

There was the kitchen hoarder --

And, there were TWO hallway hoarders --

 

Truth be known, I too, can be an accessory hoarder.  But, as you can see, I do share and lend a helping hand to those poor vacant spaces needing my accessories.  :-)  

 

Dining Room Staging Quick Tips

Walking into homes as a stager we are required to find simple and fulfilling solutions to the homes awkward and unfulfilling problems.  This can sometimes leave us perplexed thinking to ourselves "What were they thinking in 1952 when they designed this house; there is no good furniture placement to watch T.V.?" Silly really, since in 1952 T.V.'s were up and coming with all 3 offered channels and not in every home. Not like today's new construction homes that have entertainment centers built in with room for a 56" television.  We chose to hang Art to Demo the TV placement.

This home in Atlanta that Peachtree Home Staging recently staged had a long narrow living room leaving a lot of extra space somewhere no matter where we arranged it.

We came up with a fulfilling solution that would appeal to younger buyers in this trendy and up and coming neighborhood in Atlanta.  Anyone can put a sofa table behind the couch and call it a day, but that was not what we were going for. So we got creative..... We pulled inventory geared to the younger buyer that meets the demographics of this home; a little metal sconce, a thin decorative photo, a tall plant, a plant about two feet tall, a short plant, and a couple oversized boxes ranging in sizes that looked like books. So with a bit of arranging and going back and forth we came up with a plan to balance and fill in the space.

It is these sorts of challenges that keep us on our toes as stagers. Yes, it is nice to go in have a nice simple day, but how long can that be fun? These creative solutions are the difference between home staging and interior design.  As an interior designer, I would have gone and bought a sofa table and gotten many years of use out of it. As a stager it is about showing the space, making creative everyday use of it fit the target buyer.

~Brette

before fillling in the narrow space between the wall and loveseat --

 

 

 

 

Hello to all our Active Rain, Home Staging, and Realtor Friends!

                I wanted to stop in and introduce myself as the newest member to Peachtree Home Staging. My Name is Brette Duffner and I am Karen's daughter.  I live in the Metro Atlanta area with my fiancé Jeremy. We are happy to say there is a baby on the way and life is blessing us day in and day out. 

                I have always loved design since I was little! I would rearrange my room several times a year as a kid to try and change it up and get a new look! Now I have the tools to get a different look without having to drag furniture around! I am an avid watcher of HGTV and have been since I was a teenager. I think that is what inspired me to make a career choice to pursue my love for the design world.

                In 2008 I started taking classes at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I graduated in the spring of 2010 with a 3.7 GPA and a diploma in Residential Planning. Throughout the course I learned about design periods, drawing, colors, AutoCAD, Photoshop, drafting by hand, and many other useful tools to interior design.  My favorite part of all my classes was drafting by hand. Although it was time consuming and rather tedious for a perfectionist like myself, it always gave me the sense of accomplishment in an art that I created.

                Ever since I told my Mom that this is the career path that I wanted to take she has known that I would one day be by her side and help her with her dream, (at the time) newly created company.  Four years later the world has aligned so that we can be a team, mother and daughter, to concur the staging world side by side. I think I can speak for the both of us when I say that we have never been so lucky. We both have our loving and supportive significant others, along with the rest of our family who is by our side 100%. Not to mention we have each other!

                I am happy to begin to blog for us and hope that I can only satisfy you as Karen has! I look forward to “meeting” all of you and learning from you as well!

Looking forward to singing in "the rain".......

Brette

 

 

 

I know it is the 4th of July, but I feel like it could be Thanksgiving?

It looks like the 4th of July.  I certainly feel the patriotism.  I see the flags flying gloriously.  And there goes the parade up the street past my home as I sit here and blog!  Tonight there will be fireworks all around town.

. . . . but, I can't help the Thanksgiving heart felt emotions, tugging at my throat.  Let me tell you why!

Home Staging in Atlanta is booming for Peachtree Home Staging!  And I couldn't be more grateful.  

Grateful for my Independence . . .

Grateful for my ability to run a small business . . .

Grateful for my fellow stagers nationally that I learn so much from . . .

Grateful for my local competing Stagers that validate the necessity of staging services . . .

Grateful for my Realtor partners and Investors that use my services over and over again . . .

Grateful for RESA, my trade organization that supports this industry . . .

Grateful for the willing vendors that help make staging affordable . . .

Grateful for HGTV, the media platform that brought visibility to the staging trade . . .

Grateful for Active Rain, the primary blogging platform that brought awareness to the value of staging. . .

Grateful for my loving family that always supports my efforts . . .

Grateful for my local networking business associates that continue to refer my home staging services . . .  

Peachtree Home Staging Mid-Town, Atlanta, Before --

Peachtree Home Staging Mid-Town Atlanta After --

Peachtree Home Staging Buckhead in Atlanta, GA, Before --

Peachtree Home Staging Buckhead in Atlanta, After --

 

Peachtree Home Staging, Peachtree City, Atlanta Metro, Before --

 

Peachtree Home Staging, Peachtree City, Atlanta Metro, After . . .

Peachtree Home Staging, Decatur in Atlanta, GA, Before

Peachtree Home Staging in Decatur in Atlanta After --

Peachtree Home Staging in Brookhaven, Atlanta, GA  Before --

Peacchtree Home Staging in Brookhaven, Atlanta, GA  After --

Peachtree Home Staging Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA Before --

Peachtree Home Staging Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, After --

Peachtree Home Staging Atlanta New Construction before --

Peachtree Home Staging Atlanta New Construction after --

Peachtree Home Staging in Virginia Highlands, Atlanta, before

Peachtree Home Staging in Virginia Highlands, Atlanta, GA, After--

The above before and after home staging photos are from some of the different homes, and condos we have staged in 2011.  No two examples are from the same home. These are just a sampling of some of our many projects and successes.  We will be sharing more of 2011 soon. 

I am so pleased (thankful actually) and proud to announce that Brette Duffner, my daughter, is joining my team full time starting tomorrow.  She will be an active RESA member, will be doing marketing and of course utilizing her recently earned Interior Design degree to further enhance our home staging offerings.  Most importantly, Mom (ME) no longer will be working 24/7.  I am scaling back to 20/6.  :-)

So, I know, out there on the grill I smell those hot dogs, burgers, and corn on the cob grilling.  I even smell the fresh cut watermelon.  Yummmmm . . .

But, I swear, my heart smells the turkey roasting, the dressing and gravy simmering, and the pumpkin pie slow warming in the oven. 

Honestly -- I never thought of how much these two holidays represent similar emotions . . .

Happy 4th of July (and a Happy Thanksgiving moment) to all!! 

oh, and thank you, Ginger  (teehee) 

Was the first April Fool a FSBO?  After all, we all look forward to the Spring Market. 

 I believe the April Fool FSBO demonstrates the value of the many Real Estate professions!

Here are the top ten indications that the first April Fool getting ready for the spring market was, in fact, a FSBO

#10 -- I am not updating anything -- the buyer can do that! Brass and wallpaper are just fine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#9 -- Why should I have to finish all of the repairs?  Let the buyer get the repairs done.  They can finish it their way!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#8 -- The carpet is fine!  They may like BLUE!  We like Blue!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#7 -- If I take the curtains down from around the closets, I'll have to put up new closet doors.  The buyer can take it just the way it is!  It's always worked for us, and we are happy to leave the draperies (for a price)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#6 --  I don't need a Realtor!  Every home in here sells for $200,000 give or take a few dollars.  I can simply price my house at $250,000!  THEN I HAVE ROOM TO NEGOTIATE!

#5 -- I don't need a Realtor!  I have superb negotiation skills.  I will walk every buyer through myself in great detail pointing out how much this home was just perfect for us and all the fun times we have had here! They'll enjoy that!

#4 --  When the buyer sees just how much storage this house has, they'll be eager to make an offer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#3 --  Buyers want to see a lived-in-look, so that they can see how they can live!  This photo really shows how "OPEN" our floor plan is.  You can see how we live from every part of the house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2 --  The Master bedroom is the perfect place to show the buyer they do not need to join a gym!  Why the excercise equipment fits just fine in the master and there really is no other place it could possible fit.  We'll let them know that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND, THE #1 REASON  THE FIRST APRIL FOOL MAY HAVE BEEN A FSBO --

#1 -- Having photo's of the property on the Internet is just a bunch of hype.  People want to see the real thing  -- photos won't pull in propestive buyers for showing, and if so, these here are good enough!  Besides, my for sale sign will catch their attention!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------- The End  ---------------------------

 

December 31st, any year; it's a time for looking back.  The days to follow; it's all about looking forward!

So what's to see when Peachtree Home Staging looks back and stares down the spiral of 2010? 

Well, we look back with a smile and a big bucket of gratitude!  The home staging concept has really taken off; the business model is becoming more defined, and opportunities to expand are growing like a healthy new born infant. 

The year 2010 brought us bank owned homes and many investors homes to stage.  It brought us home sellers fascinated by the concept and wanting reassurance with a professional home stager's consultation.  The number of REALTORS utilizing our services has easily doubled.

Anyone reading this post also knows, that as in the past; since the inception of home staging, it has been a battle of educating.  Home stagers across the country have had to sell not only their individual skills, but also the very concept and value of investing in home staging.

When I reflect back, I see 3 major venues that have created our home staging platform for spreading the word of our worth, purpose, and success.  The one you most frequently hear about is HGTV.  Of course!  It has done wonders for creating enthusiasm about what home stagers do.  (Now if we can just get HGTV to remind the public we need to get paid! LOL)

The two other major players that have helped us spread the word so successfully are less often recognized, and whether you are a participant with these two or not . . . THESE 2 TRAILBLAZING PLAYERS HAVE HELPED YOU GROW the acceptance of your home staging business through the frontrunning talented home stagers that ARE participating.

One is right below your nose!  ActiveRain.  Without the Rain puddle, we would be further back in our infancy. 

ActiveRain has been the platform for our discussions; members only, and publicly.  AR has put us in front of REALTORS throughout North America!  Through Group postings, ActiveRain channels, and Hyper-Local Pages we as home stagers have benefited the "ActiveRain Way" by creating attention beyond what I ever thought possible.  We get attention from Google, REALTORS, and the public.  Not to mention being able to display our work!

For example, let me indulge myself by showing off just a bit!

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE PHOTO OF THIS HOME . . .

Now, where else do I get a venue like AR that let's me show off directly to my peers, my target market of Realtors, the public, and at the same time create Google epidemics with my sensational home staging talent! . . . Okay, enough about me!  :-)

The other organization I must mention here in my last post of 2010 is RESA (Real Estate Staging Association). 

This unbelievable platform is bringing stagers world wide together for the 2nd annual Real Estate Staging convention in January 2011.  When I started in 2006, I thought a world wide convention to be impossible in less that 10 years!  RESA is providing stagers with continuing education, ethics, designations of excellence, marketing tools, and award opportunities.   

So, reflecting back; I am glad HGTV is there; but my humble true thanks extends deeply to Active Rain for letting home stagers participate and share in your venue, and to RESA for educating and rewarding us for our efforts!  

BRING ON 2011!  I AM READY!

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