North Texas Home Staging - Not Your PlanO Staging Blog!

Home Staging for Income Properties

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:44:03 -0600

I'm a big fan of the new HGTV Show Income Property. Host Scott McGillivray takes a rental property from un-leasable to the most sought after on the block all in a span of the 1/2 hour show. Much work is put into these properties and the icing on cake is the reveal in the end where Scott and his team use Staging as the final marketing tool to showcase their mini masterpieces. I am so thrilled to see their use of staging for these income properties and am hopeful that prospective landlords around the country will see this and understand why staging is also a necessary part of getting their properties leased.

Leased properties are a hot commodity on the real estate market in many areas.

For many people leasing is the only option they have currently for a variety of reasons:

Financial:

many people in need of a home cannot qualify for a mortgage currently
many don't have sufficient funds for a down payment
many need to build up their bank account before heading back out to the home buyer's arena.

Geographical:

many people and their families are in need of housing while on a temporary or long term job assignment in another area
many people are from out of the country on work assignment for a year or more in the US

Personal:

Some folks like to get a lay of the land in a new area before putting down roots
Some folks prefer a lease to buy option to get a feel for the house before purchasing
Some folks just like to change vistas every few years and enjoy moving into a new home without the ties of having to sell first
Some folks are in transition through life changes like divorce, death or other family related crisis or changes

Many of these folks are in a great position to lease and have a lot of properties to choose from. Many home sellers are also offering the option to lease or buy in this market too. As with any property for sale(and a leased property is essentially "for sale" for a time and is making income for the owner) it is imperative to showcase that property for prospective tenants to see themselves in.

Home Staging for income properties is a must do in today's market.

Utilizing the services of a home stager to showcase these rental properties is a smart move.

Even leasing furniture for the property from a national rental company and making it a selling point,(when working with a national rental furniture company the furniture can stay with these properties for as long as the tenant needs it. The lease will just be transferred in the new tenants name after the terms of the original agreement are met) is a wise move. It will assist the prospective tenant to see that their furniture will fit and gives them ideas of what to do with the space. It is the same principal that applies while stage to sell.

I've worked with a few leased properties over the course of the last couple of years and with much success. In the case of one lease &/or buy option, the house sat on the market over 90 days with no offers either way, once staged, after 3 days a Canadian couple on a temporary work assignment in the US saw the property staged and leased it for a 3 year term.

Home staging is a valuable marketing tool for income properties.

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Home Sellers, Realtors, Investors and Landlords, for expert advice on preparing a home for sale or lease contact Home Star Staging, a Plano,TX based Real Estate Staging and Consulting company.

Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

By TwitterButtons.com

2009 Home Gain Study Questions - Does this study reflect true costs of all Home Staging services as an average of $300?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:50:39 -0600

Recent posts on the 2009 Home Gain Study have made me wonder where the averages of these home improvement costs are coming from and if this is helping the home staging industry reflect the true investment and value of the service we provide.

Please don't get me wrong, I am thrilled with any reports and statistics that reflect the positive return on investment that we in the industry know that home staging provides. My concern is that a potential client (and this includes Realtors) will see this and think home stagers can provide all their home staging needs for an "average" of $300 and that is simply not going to be true in many cases.

While the study is great in showing the ROI for these "under $5,000" home improvements, many of those listed in the study are actually areas that home stagers would already cover in a home staging consultation. From "lighten and brighten" to "cleaning and decluttering" these areas are what home stagers would make recommendations on in a home staging consultation and if the $300 average for home staging in the study means a "home staging consultation" then I whole heartedly agree with that.

From the study these were the Top 5 that Realtors recommend based on cost and return on investment (from highest to lowest ROI):

1. Cleaning and de-cluttering ($200 cost / $1,700 price increase / 872% ROI)
2. Home staging ($300 cost / $1,780 price increase / 586% ROI)
3. Lightening and brightening ($230 cost / $1,300 price increase / 572% ROI)
4. Landscaping ($320 cost / $1,500 price increase / 473% ROI)
5. Repairing plumbing ($385 cost / $1,250 price increase / 327% ROI)

Since the study was based on answers given by Realtors, I'm just curious to know what everyone (home stagers in particular) thinks about this average cost for home staging being $300 and if it is truly reflecting the investment and value of the service in it's proper light.

As one commenter & fellow Texas stager, Michael Fontana, The Stage Coach, made on Marianne Sweet's post on this new study:

"Home Staging covers a broad service area - REAs and Home Stagers define Staging differently."

I have to agree.

But my questions still remain;

Is the average cost of all home staging services truly being reflected properly in this study?
Is this specific to a certain level of service?
How is home staging being defined in this study?

Thoughts?

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For expert advice on preparing a home for sale contact Home Star Staging, a Plano,TX based Real Estate Staging and Consulting company.

Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

By TwitterButtons.com

RESA-Dallas Chapter November Meeting Welcomes AR Ambassador Dallas Loan Guy, Tom Burris

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:44:57 -0600

Greetings,

The RESA-Dallas Chapter is planning another information packed meeting. Many of us are out of touch with how to get the internet working for our businesses, so come learn about how to make it happen.

How to increase your online presence through Blogging

Tom Burris, a mortgage industry professional, has branded himself as The Dallas Loan Guy and is also an Active Rain Ambassador and Rainmaker. Tom has certainly grown his online presence with blogging and can give us some great tips, especially for those beginners out there who have no idea what a blog is, what it's for and what it can do for our business. Meet Tom at this month's meeting, as he will be our featured speaker for November.

Sweet Basil Restaurant - Dallas, TX
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
17610 Midway Rd. Ste. 150 Dallas, TX 75287 http://www.sweetbasilitalian.com/default.asp

A $5 fee will apply for non-Dallas Chapter members. Cash or Check Only.

NOTE: Guest attendance is limited to 2 visits.
If you've previously attended two meetings we invite you to join RESA nationally and at the November's meeting you'll have the opportunity to join us locally as a RESA-Dallas Chapter member.

To Join RESA National Click Here

Please RSVP by Friday November 13th.

Click on the appropriate link, and send.

Yes! I will attend this event.

No. I cannot attend this event.

Trick or TWEET! Scare up some Halloween Marketing ideas

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:55:40 -0500

I've been a little Halloween loopy today gearing up for a Saturday night Halloween scare fest at the Ottoween house. We like to make the kiddies earn their treats and DARE to come up and get it. No children are harmed in the process, at least not physically....

For some reason I decided to tweet some thoughts on the Real Estate market to generate some home staging marketing for Halloween. After all we are home marketers!

Just want to share the tweets below and would love to hear yours too.

Enjoy your Halloween and may your listings not SCARE anyone away!

Happy Halloween!

TRICK OR TWEETS

Got a listing whose DOM is DOA? Conjure up a home stager 2 revive the sale.half a minute ago from web
Dead listing? Bring new life to your property with the magic touch of a home staging professional | In North Texas www.homestarstaging.com 3 minutes ago from web
Take your listing from Haunted to Hallowed! (I'm just getting started...)5 minutes agofrom web
Don't frighten your home buyers away this Halloween. No tricks! Scare up a local Home Staging Professional 2 alleviate everyone's fears!

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For KILLER expert advice on preparing a home for sale contact Home Star Staging, a Plano,TX based Real Estate Staging and Consulting company.

Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

By TwitterButtons.com

SET YOUR OWN COURSE AND STEER YOUR OWN BOAT. BUILD YOUR OWN UNIQUE INTERNET PRESENCE!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:44:21 -0500

Some great sound advice from Lenn Harley! Reblogging below:

Via Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate:

SET YOUR OWN COURSE AND STEER YOUR OWN BOAT. BUILD YOUR OWN UNIQUE INTERNET PRESENCE!

Just because it's there doesn't mean it's beneficial to you.

How many contacts have you received in your e-mail box or by telephone from a company who said that they could "put you on page one of Google"?

How many "social media" sites have you joined only to forget your login/password or can't figure out how to navigate?

How many lead generation sites have you previewed that are full of non-real estate related ads?

How many real estate related web sites/blogs have you reviewed that are so convoluted that you couldn't load a blog post??

How many so called real estate related web sites have you joined only to be quickly bombarded by SPAM?

How many real estate "Guru"s have you read about who promised to triple your business if you just attend this "FREE" seminar. BTW, the books and tapes on the table in the back of the room are not "FREE"!!

How many? Fess up! How many??

DON'T FEEL GUILTY. Just because it's there doesn't mean it's beneficial to you.

Time has value for real estate practitioners and we need to learn what has been and is profitable for our own businesses.

Look at the "social media" sites and determine which of them that appear to be beneficial to your business. If a web site includes a preponderance of non-real estate related pages, posts, etc., it may not be a good use of your time.

Fact is, our real estate practices are all different and a reflection of our own needs and personalities. If you are "on the Internet" to generate business only for yourself, one or two networks/blogs/social platforms or web sites may be sufficient to generate more buyer/seller business than you can handle.

My business is generating home buyers for my network of Agents/Brokers. So, I spend a lot more time on the telephone with prospective home buyers, getting relocation packages out (yes, buyers still like to get packages by mail), tweaking web sites, etc. than most agents/brokers. Years ago when I generated business just for myself, I was on the road most days previewing, showing, managing inspections and settlements. Today, I'm at my computer most days working hard developing and updating web sites and blogs, speaking with prospective home buyers and making referrals to real estate agents in my network. Big difference.

If you're working full time and generating a good income, don't worry about what others do.

Success is not always doing what others expect or claim to do.

Success is earning a decent living doing what you do for your own unique business.

ACTIVERAIN IS A TREASURE CHEST. It's probably no secret that I believe ActiveRain to be, in terms of $$$ and time invested, the most cost effective online web site/blog platforms available to real estate practitioners today.

The ease of use is critical for new members. The camaraderie, transparancy and personal outreach to all members is unique to ActiveRain. If you have a question about blogging for your business, just ask. You'll get answers.

ACTIVERAIN SPEAKS GOOGLE! The creators of ActiveRain speak Google so you don't have to! The benefits of the synergy between ActiveRain blog posts and member profiles and Google are unique. ActiveRain makes Google rank so easy, members benefit just by being here. How good is that for your business?

I learned this from my server logs and posted about it back on September 26, 2006.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988, Serving Maryland and Northern Virginia Home Buyers.

This post inspired by Martha Brown's post about searching for the perfect social media site.

CORT Furniture Rental Irving,TX Clearance Center MOVING SALE!

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:32:02 -0500

I just received this flyer today from my friend Kathy LaMarr at CORT Furniture Rental. The CORT Irving,TX location is moving to new digs at Valwood Parkway in Carrollton and is having a clearance center inventory reduction and moving sale. Lot's a great stuff for any room of the house or office for you, your clients or just updating your inventory.

Hurry, sale ends October 23rd!!

Staging your Real Estate Business for Success - Don't miss the RESA-Dallas Chapter October 21st Meeting!

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:23:42 -0500

Greetings, The RESA-Dallas Chapter had a very successful launch in September and we
look forward to another great meeting! You won't want to miss this month's information packed discussion.

We are excited to announce that Dan Eason, President of Energized Seller is the featured speaker for our October 21st meeting. Dan will share information on how to set yourself apart from the competition and stage your real estate business for success!

Some of you have already joined Dan's site, Energized Seller as professional members and this will be the perfect opportunity for you to meet Dan and put a face to the name. Dan is working hard to continue to provide value to home sellers and real estate professionals alike.

RESA-Dallas Chapter meetings are open to anyone interested in home staging regardless of affiliation with other organizations; home stagers, Realtors, Investors and trade services we welcome YOU!

You do not need to be a RESA member to attend!

Staging Your Business for Success

Dan Eason is our featured speaker for our October meeting. Dan is the Founder and President of www.EnergizedSeller.com the website for home selling and home staging tips. Dan's topic is "Staging Your Business for Success."

Dan will cover

differentiating yourself from the competition
crafting your marketing message
identifying your target market
spending your marketing time and dollars wisely
and working your plan

Everyone in attendance will receive a free copy of the EnergizedSeller home seller booklet.

Sweet Basil Restaurant - Dallas, TX
Wednesday, October 21st 2009
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
17610 Midway Rd. Ste. 150 Dallas, TX 75287 http://www.sweetbasilitalian.com/default.asp 972.733.1500

A $5 fee will apply for non-Dallas Chapter members. Cash or Check Only.

Please RSVP by Friday the 16th.

We have the capacity available for up to 70 Attendees

Click on the appropriate link, and send.

Yes! I will attend this event.

No. I cannot attend this event.

Collin County Meals on Wheels 2009 Holiday Programs needs your help!

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:59:55 -0500

If you'd like to assist a senior citizen this holiday season please read the flyers below to see how you can help the Collin County Meals on Wheels Holiday program this year. Although the September 30th date has passed (by only one day) for the Harvest Boxes I'm sure they'll be happy to receive your call should you be able to assist any of their programs.

Plano East Theatre presents - EAT (It's not about food) - October 8th, 9th, 10th

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:31:59 -0500

Plano East Senior High Theatre proudly presents, EAT (It's not about food) (EAT) as the first show of the fall season. Written by local playwright in residence at the Dallas Children's Theater Linda Daugherty, EAT first debuted at the Dallas Children's Theater in the spring of 2008.

In a highly relevant, informational and at times, lighthearted drama, EAT uncovers the dangerous and baffling world of eating disorders affecting boys and girls, men and women. Eat explores the causes and warning signals and takes a hard look at the role society, media and pressure for perfection play in the spread of this disease. Woven together in a series of individual stories of young people struggling with the disorder this play for our times is a must see for anyone who wants more information on eating disorders.

EAT will be presented for FREE as a community service to spread the message about eating disorders.

Ms. Daugherty graciously visited the cast and crew to explain how she came to write EAT, and answer questions the students had about the play.

Dr. Katie Sternweis, who heads up the Intensive Outpatient Program for eating disordered patients at Children's Medical Center Dallas (CMC), also came to Plano East to speak to the cast about eating disorders to give them insight into the disease and offer them answers to the many questions they raised about the disease. Dr. Sternweis along with other professionals from CMC will be heading up the after show talk backs that will be available to parents, students and teachers at the end of each show.

Opening night is October 8th 7:00 PM. EAT runs through October 9th and 10th at 7 PM each night. On Saturday a 2 PM matinee will be offered as well as the evening show.

With the generous assistance of the professionals from Children's Medical Center, educational materials provided by The Elisa Project and the assistance of Dallas Children's Theater, we invite the community to attend this powerful and relevant play.

Date: October 8th, 9th, 10th

Time: 7:00 PM each evening with a 2:00 PM Matinee on Saturday and 7:00 show on Saturday as well

EVENT: Free Play. EAT (It's not about Food).   All ages.

Doctors and Professionals from Children's Medical Center Dallas from the Center for Pediatric Psychiatry and Eating Disorders will be on hand after each show for audience talk backs.

LOCATION:

Plano East Senior High School Fine Arts Building
3000 Los Rios Blvd.
Plano, TX 75074

Contact: Lisa Hale, Theater Director,               469-752-9247

RESA-Dallas Chapter Launch Meeting September 24th, 2009 North Texas Home Stagers, Realtors & RE Pros join us!

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:25:46 -0500

The Real Estate Staging Association RESA-Dallas Chapter has formed and we are excited to start our meetings and share our mission with you!

RESA is the only worldwide, non-profit, member governed association open to ALL home stagers regardless of affiliation or training.

We invite YOU to join us this month as we host our first meeting. Please see details below for more information and feel free to RSVP on this blog or email me at karen@homestarstaging.com

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF RESA TO ATTEND!

Hope to see YOU there!

DALLAS CHAPTER

Greetings, The RESA Dallas Chapter is on its way and would like you to be a part of the first official meeting. Whether you're a builder, Realtor®, stager, or just interested in learning more about Home Staging this is the event for you.

Home Staging, What's in it for you?
Regardless of what you already know about Home Staging there's bound to be some questions you'd like answered. Well, here's the opportunity. The open forum will allow you to pose a question, verbally or written, and have it answered by the board members.
Learn more about how Home Staging can benefit you, and meet others interested in the industry by joining us for lunch and some Q&A.

NOTE: CHANGE OF VENUE

Space is limited to 30 guests

PLEASE RSVP by September 21,2009

Sweet Basil, Italian Restaurant

Thursday September, 24th 2009
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
17610 Midway Road Dallas, TX

http://www.sweetbasilitalian.com/default.asp

A $5 fee will apply for non-Dallas Chapter members. Cash or Check Only.

Please RSVP by clicking on the appropriate links below, and send.

Yes! I will attend this event.

No. I cannot attend this event.

The staging was FREE!

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:42:09 -0500

"The staging was FREE?", you ask unbelievably. Especially if you read my most recent blog.

Yes, in some cases the staging can actually be free and we who are in the home staging industry know the value and ROI that staging a home can bring to the sale of a property.

"Did you charge for your services?", would be a logical next question.

Of course! this is a business endeavor after all.

Home staging is a powerful marketing tool that can assist in the successful sale of a home. Staging is a MUST for selling a home in today's real estate climate.

With powerful statistics reported from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) and the testimonies of others who have experienced the benefits and success of staging a home we know it works. Indeed in some cases, the staging pays for itself and is FREE or can actually bring more money to the table.

"How do I know this can be for real?"

I'm glad you asked!

I recently received a wonderful testimony from a client. I did not know what she was going to write and when I read her letter I was thrilled to read that the staging paid for itself.

While I do not recommend adding costs to the sale of a home when it is priced right to begin with, there are cases in which a home may fall within a price range and can be priced at the top portion of that range when prepared and packaged for purchase properly.

Another powerful testimony to the fact that when working with a professional home stager staging works & can also be FREE!

"Thank you so much for all your help with staging our home. The final result was beautiful. We increased our asking price to cover the cost of staging, then put the house on the market on Monday. On Tuesday, we received two offers for our asking price! We are closing on our house within 30 days of putting it on the market. That's amazing! I am positive that we would not have had this result if we had put our house on the market vacant!! Your services were all done very professionally and efficiently. You even came and took care of everything on a day that I had to be at work. Thank you for helping us. We will not hesitate to request your services again when we need to sell a house."

T. M. Home Seller, Plano,TX

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For expert advice on preparing a home for sale contact Home Star Staging, a Plano,TX based Real Estate Staging and Consulting company.

Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

By TwitterButtons.com

"I have a $500 budget and only need a few pieces of furniture can you stage for this amount?"

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:31:17 -0500

This question was recently asked of me by a prospective client who requested "key room staging" with furniture. These were the areas requested:

Living room
Dining room
Master bedroom

For what was needed in the price point of home in question and from my company's perspective the answer was No.

Let me explain why.

My company does not carry large furniture pieces as part of our accessory prop inventory.

Home Star Staging utilizes the services of reputable, national furniture rental companies to supply the large furniture inventory for our home staging projects that require this service.

I define "large furniture" as any that I cannot personally lift or move by myself.

It was a business decision I made as I got into the home staging industry over 3 years ago.

In my opinion furniture rental, which entails

purchasing,
warehousing
maintenance
manpower
service vehicles
delivery
insurance
and much more

is another business in and of itself and one I personally do not want to be in.

I find that working with national furniture rental companies has suited the needs of my business and my client's very well. I do however, keep a large accessory, small furniture and prop inventory that I warehouse for use in my client's properties. This service is available for a cost effective investment if needed.

Locally, the 2 major furniture rental companies I work with work very well with the home staging industry however both companies require monthly minimums on staging rental packages.

I'd like to explain why and how working with a professional home stager, should you need rental furniture, will be easier, more cost effective and provide you with the best result in this process.

As a professional home stagerI've educated myself on this subject and made it my business to work in conjunction with the furniture rental companies to bring their service to my clients in an effortless and efficient manner with NO UPCHARGING of their furniture to my clients.

In fact, working with a professional home stager will provide you with additional savings over walking in off the street because we provide a valued service to the rental companies as well. In essence, we are an independent sales force that brings customers to their doors who may normally never consider them as an option or understand how to work with them. Over the last few years I've developed an understanding, a solid working relationship and a partnership not only with the furniture rental companies for my business but for serving my clients as well.

My knowledge of how to work with furniture rental companies for staging a home is at your service.

For Realtors and clients interested in understanding how rental furniture companies work with home staging projects in North Texas I'd like to provide an general overview and explanation of how they work. I find myself laying out this subject at least once a week when a call or email comes through inquiring about this service.

I will also explain why working with a professional home stager can make this prospect easier, more cost effective and with successful results.

How Furniture Rental companies work when staging a home:

Monthly rental fees at minimum are between $250 - 300 (and depending on the size, style and price point of your home, number of rooms to be staged, this fee can be more)
A minimum 3 month lease agreement is required for jobs under $1,000 in monthly furniture rental (however, if you rent over $1,000 in furniture a month, a 2 month minimum is allowed)
A damage waiver, tax and one time delivery charge (with delivery and pick up included) will also be applied
You can expect to pay in total - at minimum - approximately $1,000 over the 3 month lease agreement for the furniture and this does not include staging services or accessory prop inventory.
Should the property sell in less than 3 months (many times the case) you will still be required to fulfill the full 3 month terms of the agreement but you will not have the carrying costs of the home to consider any longer nor price reductions, which can easily be triple the initial investment in staging your home! However, should the property go longer than the initial 3 month agreement, you are free to cancel the contract or choose to lease on a month by month basis until the property sells. I have had instances where these contracts can be transferred to another staging client and both clients save money, however this is a somewhat complicated and time sensitive circumstance however I can easily make this happen when conditions are right.

Why working with a professional home stager makes it easier & more cost effective to lease furniture:

We've developed a solid working knowledge and relationship with the rental companies & know what to ask for and how to get it done quickly, efficiently & most cost effectively
We work with them for you, saving you time and money
We know their product lines and which ones will be best suited for your individual property
We know how to get the most furniture (which pieces work well together and which don't) for the best price and pass the savings on to you

It is my hope that this blog will explain some of the questions clients may have regarding costs and benefits of staging a home, particularly a vacant home, using the services of a professional home stager in conjunction with renting furniture.

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For expert advice on preparing a home for sale contact Home Star Staging, a Real Estate Staging and Consulting company. Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

By TwitterButtons.com

Is there value in a home staging consultation?

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:58:12 -0500

One of the most requested services my company, Home Star Staging provides is a home staging consultation. And if anyone is wondering whether there is value in a home staging consultation, I'd like to provide an answer to that question for any skeptics out there or those who may feel there is no value in this service.

For those who feel that they don't need or cannot afford to stage their home using the services of a professional home stager, I'd like you to think again. A home staging consultation is your personal blue print to do that very service yourself, enlist the help of others or hire the home stager if budgets allow and it is most affordable!

In fact, I dare say you cannot afford NOT to have this service at your disposal if you have any questions about the marketability of your home in its current condition.

A home must stand apart from the competition in today's tough real estate market!

Any home at any price point could benefit from a staging consultation with a professional home stager.

Here are 2 things you can expect to gain from a home staging consultation:

It can provide you with the tools & recommendations you need to do the work
It can give you the constructive, objective feedback you need to showcase your home for move in ready appeal.

Buyer feedback is crucial to understand why buyers may not be interested in your home. This important information is often non existent but you get the message loud and clear when your home has been sitting on the market for months, price reductions are taken and still you receive no or too low offers.

Recent Home Staging Consultation result:

Last Friday I provided a home staging consultation for a North Texas home seller whose home had been on the market over 45 days. The house had multiple showings but received NO offers. When I arrived at the home the seller informed me that a showing was scheduled that same afternoon just after our consultation. I really felt the need to make sure we could do some work in the 2 hour time frame that could help showcase the home better.

I immediately identified a few areas that needed addressing and we quickly went to work. Yes, the home seller and I worked together in the 2 hour time frame to get some things moved, fine tuned and "tweaked" before the showing. From what I could initially see, the home was clean, neat, very de-cluttered (in fact too much so) and well, lacked some warmth, appeal, purpose in some areas and flow was a problem in another area.

We were able to do some of the work and I also made further recommendations to be done after I left. We got a lot accomplished in a short time frame and my client was surprised at the difference the changes made in how the house "felt" and showed.

Home staging is not just cleaning, neutralizing and de-cluttering folks, sometimes I think too many Real Estate professionals overlook that and recite that mantra and some homes are actually too stark and unappealing due to a lack of "stuff".

Neutralize does not mean sterilize.

I left hopeful for the client's prospects after these changes and thanked him for allowing me to provide him with the service. I don't always hear back from my consulting clients but this time I did the following Monday. The message was short and to the point and I've included it here below:

"Hello Karen. Thank you for your help last week. The people that came by after you left made an offer on my home." Jeff D.

I followed up with an email and asked if it was an offer that was acceptable to him and he answered yes and I congratulated him and am hopeful this will go through to a successful closing.

If you're still a skeptic you may be thinking this was just luck. For those who believe in the power of home staging and the marketing and merchandising of properties to showcase them to their fullest potential this was no coincidence.

Home Staging has the ability to get a home noticed on the market, it can create buyer appeal and the desire to purchase. It can be as simple and affordable as a home staging consultation or a full service staging job if a budget allows.

If you sell homes or you are selling a home, one of the best values for your marketing dollars is to consult with a professional home stager.

Professional Home Stagers are here for YOU!

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For expert advice on preparing a home for sale contact Home Star Staging, a Real Estate Staging and Consulting company. Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

By TwitterButtons.com

Selling a Home? House get ready for your date.

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:22:59 -0500

Selling a home?

Then staging your home is like getting ready for a big date.

Only it's your house that has to impress its potential mate.

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For expert advice on preparing a home for sale contact Home Star Staging, a Plano,TX based Real Estate Staging and Consulting company. Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

By TwitterButtons.com

Collin College Home Staging CE Course - September 16th - 28th 2009 Register now

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:17:29 -0500

COLLIN COLLEGE, Plano,TX IS OFFERING A HOME STAGING COURSE STARTING SEPTEMBER 16th 2009. This is the only session being offered for the Fall Term 2009. Next course offering will be in Spring 2010.

This Home Staging CE course is designed for the home seller or professional real estate agent to prepare a home for resale. Learn from a professional home stager the benefits of home staging and how staging a home can help you achieve a faster sales time and top dollar.

Please note:This course is not designed for those interested in starting a home staging business.

1. GO TO www.ccccd.edu/ce

2. LOCATE CE Courses at the top of the page then find Workforce Development. Go to Real Estate.

3. Under Real Estate you'll find HOME STAGING.

4. At bottom of page you may login to register. Make sure to type in CRN 70110 Home Staging (WECM RELE1091).

WHEN: Mondays - Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30 PM, September 16 -28th, in Plano, TX
WHERE: Collin College Courtyard Center (across the street from Border's Bookstore) 4800 Preston Park Boulevard Plano, TX 75093-Call to register by phone: 972.985.3711

Address & Directions: 4800 Preston Park Boulevard, 75093 google map | yahoo map

Cost of class is only $69 for 2 weeks of fun, informational, and practical instruction.

Class instruction provided by Professional Home Stager and North Texas home staging expert Karen Otto, ASP, RESA, owner of Home Star Staging www.homestarstaging.com

If you are interested in having an in-home staging consultation or more information on staging your occupied or vacant property please contact Karen@homestarstaging.com or by phone 469.964.0516

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For professional home staging services and expert advice on preparing a home for sale in North Dallas & Collin County, TX Home Star Staging is here for you.

By TwitterButtons.com

The Sins Of A Seller

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:50:15 -0500

Just had to re-blog this post by Clint Miller!

As a professional home stager I can totally relate to his points as I'm 100% sure other Real Estate Professionals can too. I plan on using examples of his real life experiences in my home staging course.

Home Sellers, it is imperative that you do everthing you can to position your home in the the best way possible the first time you list. Take heed of this list and put it to good use!

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Via Clint Miller (Real Estate Client Referrals, LLC):

Many of you know that I recently bought a home.

And, for those of you that don’t know that I recently bought a home…I recently bought a home. Here’s proof.

Although we are very happy with our home we did purchase, during this process, I happened to notice that as we viewed house after house, I kept seeing the same things happen over and over. And….not good things. Bad things. Bad things that were blatantly obvious to me. Bad things that literally turned me off. Bad things that were keeping this otherwise fine house I was standing in from selling faster.

So, as we went through the homes, I started keeping track of things that I saw that made the average buyer – ME – want to run away screaming. Here is my “Top 10 Seller Sins”:

1. Addition Addiction – Ok…exactly what were these people thinking when they added this addtion to their home?? It isnt level. The door frame isnt square. And, that simulated wood-grain indoor/outdoor burber carpeting is HIDEOUS!! Wasn’t this were the garage should be anyway?? I guess that explains the severely sun-faded paint job on the Sport Family Truckster in the driveway and the Christmas decorations piled floor-to-ceiling in the closet in the spare bedroom. I don’t care what anyone says…Bigger is NOT always better.

2. The “Pet-Owner Moaner” – The over-all assumption that since the seller loves their pets more than chocolate, so does everyone else. Here are a couple of quotes I heard directly from the sellers mouths: “Awwww, my cat must really like you to nestle into your neck like that.”; “I know he looks big, but he is really just a teddy bear.”; “We were able to clean up everything in the house except the cat room.”; “I cant remember if my son put away the ferrets or not, but feel free to look around downstairs.”
a. Ok…first and foremost, Im allergic to cats. I don’t mean that cats make me sneeze. I mean that I quit breathing and require adrenallin shots to keep from dieing. That thing is lucky I didn’t toss it out the open window that was next to me.
b. The “teddy bear” they were referring to…Yeah, that was a 158lb Rotweiller with a googlie eye and a broken tooth on the right side. His chain was tied to a cinder block that he happily drug around and tossed into the air during “playtime”.
c. The “cat room”??? Oh Lord in heaven!!!
d. If you cant figure out if your son left out a pack of rodents in the dark rooms down the creaky stairs without a safety rail and a working light switch, you can be damn sure Im not going to find out for you.

3. Auditory Unawareness – If you cant hear that your refridgerator is making a clicking noise that can be heard from the front yard, Im fairly sure you cant hear the floorboards creaking, the doors squeaking, or the apparent family of raccoons living in the attic. You also only hear what you want to hear. Instead of “Your house is priced too high”, you hear “Your house is of a high value”. Its not the same. Pay attention!

4. Color Blind – Holy Lord!! Who decorated this place?? Its like Andy Worhol threw his color pallet into a Cuisinart and hit ‘liquify’. The fuscia flower print wallpaper needs to go. And, I don’t carew what you say, it doesn’t do any justice to that wall with the fake woodgrain panelling it joins up to by the sunshine yellow couch. Worse yet…the white cabinets, white-washed walls, white countertops, and white tile is just a bit much.

5. “Take it or leave it” – Yup. Heard that come right out of a seller’s own mouth. We were discussing the possiblity of him making a necessary repair to a sliding glass door that lead out to a deck. Between the glass panes was about half an inch of standing water. Obviously, the seals on the window were compromised. When asked if he would spend the money to get the glass replaced and the seales re-done…or just replace the entire door…that was the response I got. Guess what…I left it.

6. Price-itis – The fear that your home wont sell for the price you are asking for it. I put in an offer on a home that was only $5,000 under what was being asked. The counter came back with a reduction of $1,000, but a clause to pay $4,000 in closing costs. Now, I may be bad at math…but, isnt that the same damn thing????

7. Fried Food Funk – You know what Im talking about here. If you can smell it, you won’t sell it. Bottom line here is that fried food smells, kitty litter, a back yard filled with dog crap, a nursery reaking of dirty diapers, etc…all add up to one thing – a very short showing. (Well, it also leads to gagging, shortness of breath, tears streaming down your face, and everyone skrunching up their nose and making that internationally known face that says, “Do you SMELL that???”)

8. Photog Fog – Everyone should take pride in their family photographs. I do. But, Im not trying to sell my house! I went into one home where, I kid you not, the entire living walls…every square inch…was covered in frame pics of family. There must have been 100 pictures in that room. Frames mounted together like a patchwork quilt of memories and bad matting jobs. Love the sentiment…love the family pride. But, I was COMPLETELY distracted from seeing the actual house.

9. “I collect them” – No kidding, really??? Nothing would have made me realize you collect dolls were it not for the fact that Im now suddenly very aware of the fact that 226 eyes are now following me through your house like Chucky with an ax to grind. Yeah, I couldn’t tell that you collect Vegas casino ash trays since they are on every flat surface in your entire house including 4 separate 6-ft tall bookshelves, your coffee table, the top of your TV, the end-tables, and the extra two shelves that you put up encircling the entire living room. But, worse than that, you have them on your toilet tank, your dresser…and in an amazing twist, you have drilled holes in them and replaced half of the doorknobs in your house with them. In case your agent hasn’t told you this….PACK THIS CRAP UP!

10. Livin in the past – I don’t care what you think, the pea soup green shag carpeting is not coming back in style. And, regardless of how many memories are associated with it, the nine-foot long, hunter orange, faux-leather couch on the wooden legs with the sleigh-style arms on the each end is FREAKING UGLY!! Regardless of whether or not they still work, the matching avocado green stove, fridge, and counter tops are ugly…and they are ugly 24/7/365. If you want to move this house…replace this ferocious eyesore. Better yet…HIRE A HOME STAGER!

Yeah, selling a house is hard. Selling a house in the market is harder. Selling one of THESE houses with a seller that sins like this…nearly impossible. Sellers, if you are reading this…listen to your agents. Agents, if you are reading this…make sure your sellers understand that buyers – like me – will look at these like neither of you know what you are doing and act accordingly. Probably by running away quick.

If you would like more information about Real Estate Client Referrals and how we can send you more clients to work with, please contact Clint Miller at 800-977-7058. Or, follow me on twitter www.twitter.com/TheRealClint.

REMINDER: Dallas RESA Chapter Formation Meeting July 30th, 10:30 AM - 12 Noon CORT Conference Center Irving, tX

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:55:06 -0500

THIS IS JUST A REMINDER FOR North Texas Home Stagers. The Dallas RESA Chapter formation is well under way and we invite you to attend the next meeting.

RESA is open to any and all professional home stagers regardless of affiliation, accreditation or not.

Please join us for this 2nd start up meeting as we:

Elect the board members for the Dallas RESA Chapter on July 30th, 2009.
We will open the floor to additional nominations should there be any however you must be a current member of RESA in order to be considered for a board position as well as vote.
There is still time to join RESA prior to the meeting too but
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF RESA TO ATTEND THIS MEETING!

Please visit the www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com website for your membership application and more information.

This is the 2nd of 3 meetings with the 3rd meeting being the "first official Dallas Chapter meeting" once we've laid the ground work, gotten the commitment from members who are willing to take leadership roles and other members who are interested in stepping up and growing the home staging industry locally through our Dallas RESA Chapter.

PLEASE RSVP by July 28th to karen@homestarstaging.com or this blog post with a comment.

ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED TO 50

I'm excited to have this opportunity and hope you are as well! I look forward to growing our chapter with you!

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF RESA TO ATTEND!

Graciously hosted once again by CORT Furniture Rental at their Irving Conference Center please see the details below for more information.

Irving CORT Rental Furniture and Clearance Furniture Center
250 W Airport Fwy
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 445-2678‎ (972) 445-1165‎

cort.com

Get directions: To here - From here
Edit

3 Marketing Tools I Don't Leave Home Without

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:02:01 -0500

Ever consider the what your best marketing tools are that don't break the bank?

For my home staging business in Plano, Texas I have 3 marketing tools that I don't leave home without and they're inexpensive and have returned the investment countless times. I'd like to share them with you.

3 marketing tools I won't leave home without :

Name badge
Business cards
Company emblem on my car

Name Badge:

Cost: about $15 at any office supply store.

Any time I leave the house whether work related or running errands (in appropriate attire mind you) I make sure I wear my name badge. From the grocery store, Target to Networking events you never know who'll you'll meet and if they are selling a house or know someone who is. I get lots of people asking me what "home staging" is because of it and I'm always glad to share. It's also a great way to practice your 15 second pitch in a relaxed setting because you've already been invited to share what it is that you do.

Business Cards

Cost: about $175 for design and printing.

No. 1 rule of business: NEVER leave home without them! I run into people all the time who once we've spoken (they've seen my name badge and asked me what I do) ask for my business card. A suggestion I learned in a marketing workshop was to hand them 2 cards: 1 to keep and 1 to give away!

Company Emblem on my car:

Cost: About $70

I've written on this subject "CARketing - using your vehicle to advertise your business" before and each time I drive I'm advertising my business. It also makes me a more aware, cautious and friendly driver when I know I'm representing my company.

What are the inexpensive but effective marketing tools you don't leave home without?

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For professional home staging services and expert advice on preparing a home for sale in North Dallas & Collin County, TX Home Star Staging is here for you.

By TwitterButtons.com

Dallas RESA Chapter 2nd Start-Up Meeting - July 30th, 2009 CORT, Irving, TX

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:36:46 -0500

Greetings North Texas Home Stagers. The Dallas RESA Chapter formation is well under way and we invite you to attend the next meeting.

Please join us for this 2nd start up meeting as we elect the board members for the Dallas RESA Chapter on July 30th, 2009. We will open the floor to additional nominations should there be any however you must be a current member of RESA in order to be considered for a board position as well as vote. There is still time to join prior to the meeting too.

Please visit the www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com website for your membership application and more information.

PLEASE RSVP by July 20th to karen@homestarstaging.com or this blog post with a comment.

ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED TO 50

I'm excited to have this opportunity and hope you are as well! I look forward to growing our chapter with you!

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF RESA TO ATTEND!

Graciously hosted once again by CORT Furniture Rental at their Irving Conference Center please see the details below for more information.

Irving CORT Rental Furniture and Clearance Furniture Center
250 W Airport Fwy
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 445-2678‎ (972) 445-1165‎

cort.com

Get directions: To here - From here
Edit

Tonight's Tweet especially sweet - Thank you @dfwhomesearch!

Wed, 27 May 2009 22:46:09 -0500

Have you joined Twitter yet?

If not, you should, it's a great tool to connect and keep up quickly with those in your SOI or around the country. Tonight's Tweets were especially sweet and I'm going to post it here below but before I do I just want to give a little background.

I received a voice mail this evening from a great DFW Realtor I've worked with, Ted Blanchard. Ted is a member of Active Rain, LinkedIn, Twitter etc. We've connected on many sites.

He had called earlier this week about a potential home staging consultation client. In a twist of sweet serendipity, tonight he was also apparently previewing a home with some buyers. That home happened to be a home that Home Star Staging staged. In the much appreciated voice mail I received, Ted let me know what he thought of the staging, it was a good thing.

And in yet another turn we happened to be twittering at the same time this evening.

Below is the exchange we had this evening again, this time on Twitter a national platform:

I am @homestarstaging and Ted is @dfwhomesearch - you can read from the bottom (No. 6) up. In between are some of the other Twitter users I follow.

homestarstaging@dfwhomesearch made my night Ted & I appreciate that you called very much!less than 5 seconds ago from web in reply to dfwhomesearch
dfwhomesearch@homestarstaging. What can I say, it was me that called. The home just looked awesome! My clients were very impressed.3 minutes ago from web in reply to homestarstaging
CowboysNFLNFL Video >> Players roundtable: Pressure in Big D: How much pressure is there on the Cowboys .. http://kl.am/pJx 3 minutes ago from twitterfeed
blogboy2Some good advice on how to maximize the use of twitter & cbox here: http://budurl.com/et47 3 minutes ago from web
dfwhomesearchMortgage rates got hammer today. I have never seen the rates move up so fast. Well over 5% now.10 minutes ago from web
homestarstagingso cool... got a call from a Realtor 2nite in a home I staged previewing for a client, called to say what a "great job" on the staging13 minutes ago from web

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For North Texas professional home staging services and expert advice on preparing a home for sale, Realtors, Home Sellers and investors, Home Star Staging is here for you.

By TwitterButtons.com

When selling a home better check your feelings at the door

Mon, 11 May 2009 13:09:13 -0500

Home sellers often get offended at comments that are made regarding their home. It's only natural.

You've worked hard to make this your home, you may love every inch of it from décor to wall color, why would anyone else think different?

No doubt about it, home selling is an emotional process for all parties involved.

Better check your feelings at the door...

How can you do that?

Find out how at Energized Seller

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For North Texas professional home staging services and expert advice on preparing a home for sale, Realtors, Home Sellers and investors, Home Star Staging is here for you!

By TwitterButtons.com

CORT partners with home stagers to bring staging services to a growing segment

Thu, 07 May 2009 19:09:10 -0500

Yesterday CORT furniture rental company announced that it was launching a "national home staging services" segment of their business and it may have set off some red flags in the staging community, especially if you read one of the releases that was "tweaked" in the Bizjournals article. It was certainly confusing and misleading to some degree.

After speaking with the media representative, Amanda Denton, and my local CORT representative, Kathy LaMarr I received permission to post the original press release as correctly written here on my blog.

I have taken the liberty to highlight, in bold blue, the areas I hope will help you understand that this is a benefit to home staging professionals not a form of competition. Having personally built a relationship with my local CORT representative, understanding their desire to partner with home stagers and in turn help me grow my business (because I personally DO NOT want to be in the furniture rental business) I am encouraged by this new segment of their business they are offering large corporations to help them sell their inventory of homes faster and for the most profit.

They are not only leveraging the longstanding relationship with home staging professionals across the country with this new program, they are leveraging their influence and power to help home stagers grow their businesses as well through this mutually beneficial partnership.

Home Stagers with off site storage facilities - BE AWARE of your surroundings - original post May 2008

Sun, 03 May 2009 14:25:29 -0500

This blog was originally posted back in the spring of 2008 but as "member's only" and having been asked to re-post this by my staging friend Ginger Foust, I went back to find this and wanted to re-post for the public, because home stager or not, everyone should be aware of their surroundings no matter where you may go.

Not a moment goes by when I'm at my new location of the storage facility that I'm not aware - I keep my phone and my keys always handy as well as lock my car doors while loading (only leaving the trunk gate open). I have also memorized the street address of this location in case of emergency ever again.

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Today I feel very fortunate.

I believe I was almost a victim of a crime and my guardian angel and the "flight or fight" reflex kicked in.

I want to relay this incident that happened today at my off site, "secured" storage facility while I was working on loading my car for a job. Below is what happened and how you can be more aware and protect yourself if you too have off site storage.

I believe I live in a relatively safe area here in Plano, TX, however, we must always be aware of our surroundings.

I arrived at my units today to load my car for a light staging job I was doing this weekend.

My storage facility is a nationally known company with about 4 other sites within about a 3 mile stretch along the same road this location happens to be on. I rented my units based on size, price and location as well as the fact that I could get them side by side. These type of units are really convenient because I can pull my car right up to the "garage" like opening and load and unload relatively easily. They fit my needs however they are in the very back part of the facility which is surrounded by an 8 Ft. chain link fence and 2 rows of barbed wire above that. These units also face an unused portion of a former railroad track and greenbelt.

I began leasing these units last November when the weather was colder & without incident but I have noticed in the past few months as the weather has gotten warmer & on weekends that there often are groups of men congregating near the tracks to socialize or whatever and it has been bothering me to be there alone. In fact, I have called the police on 2 occasions prior to today because I had observed on two occasions activity that just didn't sit well with me. It was typically on the weekends and mid-afternoon.

I informed the site management who have been somewhat understanding but unable to help because they do not have jurisdiction outside the facility unless someone trespasses. The site is "secure" with fencing and barbed wire (or so I thought) & I did call the police and would leave & I assumed the matters were being handled. It has been several weeks since I needed to be back there on a weekend and today was the day.

Against better judgment I did go to the unit alone late this morning.

As usual our weekends are jammed packed and my husband had charge of the kids and taxi duty while I assured him it was early enough to get what I needed done before any of the activity I'd observed in the past may begin if even at all.

I was nearing the end of my loading with both units fully opened and without incident or anyone around. I was also keeping my eyes open too for any of the possible activity starting or men starting to congregate. I had left all the doors to my vehicle open as I loaded to squeeze in any 'extra' items I could fit. (Only fellow stagers could understand how much we can pack in an SUV!).

As I was continuing my loading I began to notice a couple of guys heading down the greenbelt toward the facility (they were outside the barbed wire fence).

I still had items sitting outside my car ready to load as well as all gates open. Instinctively I felt I needed to watch and be aware of where they were headed but kept working and get finished as quickly as possible. I entered back into one of my units and watched from the inside back portion of the unit to see if they would pass and what they may do, observe, say or whatever else. Only one guy passed the fence outside my unit but very close to the fence, he was looking in at my unit but I don't know if he noticed me. It gave me great pause and I headed towards the front of the unit as he passed to see where he'd go. Before I got to the back of my vehicle I could hear the sound of the chain link fence rattling and he was already over the fence. I immediately got back in my unit and got out my cell phone (on my belt) and called 911.

As the 911 operator answered the man was up to my unit and I yelled "can I help YOU?!" with the phone in my hand and he paused, looked at me and then kept walking. I most thankfully think I caught him completely off guard.

Long story long, while trying to stay calm with the 911 operator asking me "what's the address of my emergency" I realized I DIDN'T KNOW THE EXACT ADDRESS of my emergency!

I proceeded to tell what I could, "I'm at the 'ABC' (I'm protecting their name until further notice) storage facility located north of P. Road and on Ave. K, behind the CC shopping plaza facing the RR tracks. I even told him I didn't know the number! The operator asked me many more questions, including the number on my units, description of the man, kept me calm and stayed on the line until he said "the police units are on site" and we hung up.

However, the cruisers actually never showed to my units. After calling 911 back and reiterating that there were 3 or 4 other storage facilities owned by this same company on this same stretch of road and not knowing my exact location I once again gave them the nearest landmarks to this facility. They ended up being at the WRONG SITE!

By this time I didn't see the man anymore, he had gone around the front of the building and while I was still on the phone with the operator this time I quickly completed my loading, closed & locked the units and sat in my car until the police finally arrived about 25 minutes later from the first call. I was not pleased (there's more to this below) but I was relieved and thankful that nothing actually happened other than a very big wake up call.

Here's what I want to share with you for future safety precautions.

Know your surroundings. Even others who use the same facility are complete strangers to us and we need to be aware of who is around us (inside or outside observable gates) when we are busy loading or unloading. It's easy to become distracted when busy and feeling 'secure'.
Keep your cellphone on you and charged
Work in pairs whenever possible. Another set of eyes and hands is always helpful as well as much safer
Memorize or write down the physical address to the location of your off site storage facility if ever there's an emergency
Know the exact number or letter (or both) of your units
Never leave your purse or wallets exposed in your vehicle.
Consider where your unit is and the safety issues it may involve based on location. I never imagined this back side, gated, unit would be a problem when I leased it last November until the weather got warmer and the 'activity' started. I called the management today and explained the situation and they are looking into moving me to a more secure location on site.
Make sure your local PD have access to your sites security code to enter the facility. I didn't know this was even done until today and another SNAFU was that the police couldn't access this particular site. Not only did they not have this facility on record for the address but didn't have the necessary security codes to enter the gate! I had to relay my own access code to the operator as the officers entered it into the pad out front!

Please be careful out there and truly I am very thankful that today went without real incident however it was a perfect "crime of opportunity" situation that was mercifully avoided and I felt the need to share the experience to help others be safe.

Secure it forward....

UPDATE: May 8, 2008

Since Saturday I have contacted, met with and spoken to the site management, the General Manager and the Plano PD to let them know my concerns. I have been given the opportunity to move my units from the back portion of the property to a more secure location on site and they've given me enough time to do it on my schedule. Plano PD are aware of the groups of men congregating and they have also been in contact with the management on site. They now have the correct address on file as well as access codes to gain entry should they ever need to again.

I do feel more safe knowing all the right things are in place. I still won't take for granted my surroundings and will keep a watchful eye however it's comforting to know that people responded and listened and understood the seriousness of the situation.

Thank you ALL for your kind comments and concern! It is so appreciated!

Dallas RESA Chapter Meet & Greet Kick - off May 19th, 10:00 AM - 12:00 CORT Conference Center

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:29:39 -0500

Greetings North Texas home stagers!

We are officially starting the process of bringing a Dallas Chapter of RESA to our area and you're invited to attend the 1st "Meet & Greet Kick-Off" .

Graciously hosted by CORT Furniture Rental at their Irving Conference Center with snacks provided by Energized Seller.

The purpose of this kick off meeting is to network and get to know about each other and the mission of RESA nationally and for our local area.

This will be the first of 3 meetings with the 3rd meeting being the "first official Dallas Chapter meeting" once we've laid the ground work, gotten the commitment from members who are willing to take leadership roles and other members who are interested in stepping up and growing the home staging industry locally through our Dallas RESA Chapter.

PLEASE RSVP by May 15th to karen@homestarstaging.com or this blog post with a comment.

ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED TO 50

I'm excited to have this opportunity and hope you are as well! I look forward to growing our chapter with you!

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF RESA TO ATTEND!

Irving CORT Rental Furniture and Clearance Furniture Center
250 W Airport Fwy
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 445-2678‎ (972) 445-1165‎

cort.com

Get directions: To here - From here
Edit

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF RESA TO ATTEND!

Below are the details of the event:

Why Sellers Should Not Be Home When Buyers View Your Home

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:25:36 -0500

This is definitely a post worth re-blogging as recently, while previewing a property, the home seller was making commentary to me about certain 'problems' with the home that weren't really problems but eventually made the comment that, "now I know why I shouldn't be home when a buyer comes!"

Via Loreena Yeo - Broker|Realtor(R) of Frisco TX Homes For Sale (3:16 team REALTY):

I typically advise my Seller clients not to be home when buyers view their house. Even on a short notice. Sometimes, the appointment is not relayed to the Sellers in time, buyers and their agents have been known to walk in on Sellers. My typical advice if this situation arise is, Thank the Buyers for coming, drop whatever you are doing, grab the keys and head out the door IMMEDIATELY. Jump in the car, go somewhere. Close the door behind you. Take a walk for a few minutes.

As a Seller, you really don't want to be at the house. Your presence might hurt than help.

Buyers can feel uncomfortable with you at the house. They will quickly walk through the house, head for the door and move on. No one can make the proper and emotional decision in that 10 minute tour. At least most men cant! Your goal as a Seller is to keep the Buyers in your house for as long as possible. Let them sit on your couch with their feet up and let them sit at the high bar bouncing ideas back and forth about the new imaginary life at their/your house. If you are at the house - either hiding in your bedroom or sitting on your patio, makes them feel uncomfortable, as if you are waiting to reclaim your life back once they are gone. No, no to that.

Another important reason why you shouldn't be home is that sometimes you voluntarily release information that may hurt in your future negotiation. I never felt how terrible this situation is until I had experienced it myself yesterday. I showed a house in Frisco Texas to my buyer clients. We walked in the door and the Seller came out to greet us. She looked like she just got up from a nap (that was about 2pm). She shook my hand and she apologized for how she looked. That's when her life story spilled out. So, she went on and on and on about what she was going through and about why she had to sell the house. My clients and I do really feel for her situation. But at the same time, had my clients been interested in the house, we could really negotiate in our favor.

It wasn't pretty and thank God the Buyers weren't interested in the property. Otherwise, I could have used the information in a tough negotiation. It's not fair to begin with, I understand that. But in my business, I have pledge to give my best to my clients and I will have to do that.

Information is power in negotiation. Voluntary or involuntary, it is still information that we - real estate agents gather to use in the best interest of our clients. Hence, it is best not to answer any question related to the house. Politely tell the Buyers or the Buyer's Agent to contact your real estate agent. If needed, call the agent on the phone immediately.

What you say or don't say sometimes can hurt you in your sale. So, my best advice is to leave the house.

Note: All contents are original. Consider subscribing to my blog for more business building ideas. It is my intentions to bring you tips and ideas to help you grow successfully. I want to ensure the worthiness of your time subscribing to my blog. Click on the icon if you are an Active Rain member.

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I proudly serve and sell real estate in the northern suburb cities of the Dallas metroplex. If you are thinking about purchasing or selling your home in neighborhoods of Frisco, Plano, Dallas, McKinney, Allen, Little Elm, Prosper, Celina, Richardson, Dallas M-Streets, Dallas White Rock Lake area and other surrounding areas and more importantly, want to work with a local area expert, contact me at your earliest convenience.

I employ a systematic market approach in selling your home - an intentionally unique proposal that most real estate agents do not use. Find out how past clients are on their way to the closing table with this different proposition to home selling.

Contact:
Loreena Yeo
Realtor®/ Broker of 3:16 team REALTY
(214) 783-2210
loreena@loreenayeo.com

Copyright © 2009 by Loreena Yeo (3:16 team REALTY). Why Sellers Should Not Be Home When Buyers View Your Home.