I love the european approach to enhancing a home.  It's about personality, color and uniqueness.  It is easy to be drawn down a narrow street curious to find out what is around the next corner. Colorful plants draw the eye and brightly painted doors and awnings shine against stone and stucco walls.

Home sellers could learn much from our European brothers and sisters.  First impressions matter.  The view from the street can determine whether a buyer will ever see the great fireplace in the family room. 

Curb appeal is a powerful marketing tool!  Stand on the street in front of your home.  (Check for cars first!) What do you see?  Can you see the front door?  Is more than two thirds of the house obscured by overgrown landscaping?  Do the trees in the yard overwhelm the house? 

Remember, if you can't see it, you can't sell it. Grab those hedge trimmers, trim those trees and tame that landscaping!  Buyers don't want to have to use a machette to get to the front door. (I'm not sure realtors would be on board with buyers carrying machettes!)

Below is an actual photo from my local MLS. . .you be the judge!

Lori Gilmore
One Savvy Move Home Staging and Room Redesign
Providing expert Staging services to homesellers in Joliet, Shorewood, Lockport, Plainfield and throughout Will County Illinois.

Or more importantly, where do you want to? 

I am a lover of modern architecture, I can spend hours pouring over "shelter" magazines.  My favorites?  Dwell tops the list, followed quickly by Metropolitan Home. . .  I adore flipping through the glossy pages filled with clean, modern rooms boasting large expanses of glass. These rooms evoke the indoor/ outdoor lifestyle that I love.  Natural light pours through the windows and illuminates the sleek modern furnishings that make my heart beat a little faster.

I have such respect and appreciation for these architectural gems that meld beautifully into the landscape and cradle their occupants in concrete and glass.  I quickly envision myself, coffee in hand, gazing out over a wooded ravine, polished concrete under my feet being warmed by the sun.  I see myself welcoming guests into the open kitchen devoid of artificial ornamentation and instead warmed by the patina of natural materials juxtaposed against industrial steel beams that support a soaring ceiling. To me, my perfect life can be lived in this modern setting. 

I know that glossy magazines are not real life, I know that stylists have carefully composed every shot. . .but I don't care.  I love those houses and I crave the lifestyle they represent.  The "stage" is set and I quickly "buy" the product. 

A properly merchandised and marketed home has the same emotional impact on a buyer.  Through online and print media they are introduced to the life they are striving for. Those images entice them to visit the property and that visit fulfills a dream or pushes them to keep searching.

We don't live like the homes in the magazines, for many a treadmill in the bedroom is reality, for others a desk in the dining room is their home office.  But when it is time to sell, don't make buyers wade through your reality, give them their fantasy!

Loft. . .den/bedroom. . .multipurpose room. . .bonus room. . .nook.  Realtors use a myriad of creative phrases to describe awkward and questionable spaces.  They know that  buyers have a difficult time visualizing uses for all of the rooms in a house, especially those that have an unusual placement or configuration. 

I recently completed staging a vacant home that had one of those rooms that makes buyers question its purpose.  The room was small, with a large window and  two doors, one to the living room the other to a bathroom that opened to the laundry room.  The room did have a closet, so it could be used as a bedroom, but was that the best use?

A small writing desk, colorful lamp and nice artwork turned a potentially awkward space into a comfortable home office. 

A professional home stager is an expert at adding value to a home by ensuring that each space has a purpose.  Don't leave buyers questioning how to use a space . . . stage it and answer their questions!

One Savvy Move Home Staging and Room Redesign helps prepare homes to sell in Will County, Illinois.

When selling a home in Brainerd, MN  homeowners have the competitive advantageif they are savvy enough to hire Kathleen Lordbock of Re$ale Design and Home Staging. Together with her daughter Allison, this dynamic pair brings organizational expertise and design flair to every project. 

In a sluggish home market, a properly merchandised home stands out from the competition enticing buyers to make offers!  Remember, the home buying process is an emotional one and Kathleen and Allison are skilled at creating interiors that capture the hearts of buyers. 

When preparing to sell a home in Brainerd, MN the first call you should make is to Re$ale Design and Home Staging.  They can be reached at 218-829-4664.

In addition to preparing your home to sell, these talented ladies can help make your current home more comfortable and organized.

Check out some amazing transformations!

I was recently referred to some savvy homeowners by an agent I met as a result of a "warm cold call".  They had just finished rehabbing a lovely home in Homer Glen, Illinios and wanted to bring in a stager to consult before putting the home on the market. 

The home is a 3000 sq ft two story with six bedrooms.  Yes, SIX bedrooms!  Talk about a family home!  It is nestled on a wooded 1.5 acre lot and has all the modern amenities.  Much time, money and effort went into creating a lovely home, but in a vacant state the rooms felt cold and stark.  A day of staging has turned this home into a welcoming place that buyers are sure to love.

Interested in transforming your vacant home or listing?  Calling a professional home staging company is a wise marketing investment!  Selling a home in or around Will County Illinois?  Contact One Savvy Move Home Staging and Room Redesign.

As many of you know, I am both a professional home stager and a Realtor.  I've struggled a bit with the duality of the roles. . . how to do both well, how to market myself, etc. I even wrote a blog to gain some perspective from all of you.  I have to admit to being a little surprised at the positive response I received as a result.  I am in an area of the country where staging is underutilized, thus my motivation to launch One Savvy Move Home Staging and Room Redesign.

I truly think that home sellers are being shortchanged if the Realtor does not utilize a home stager.  Obviously, some home owners will be reluctant or even outright refuse to use a stager.  That's fine, but every Realtor worth their salt (my Grandmother's saying) should have a professional home stager in their arsenal of weapons to effectively market a home.

Each morning as I pull the hotsheet, I see drastic price drops on homes whose value could be maximized through the keen eye and merchandising skill of a home stager.  Instead, homesellers are losing thousands and in some cases tens of thousands of dollars, a travesty that could have been prevented by a minimal investment in staging. As a result, I feel compelled to be both stager and Realtor. . .offering home sellers in my area a unique option.

So, my alter ego is officially registering on Active Rain.  The stager in me has loved the interaction of this forum.  I am learning from fabulously talented stagers across the world. (thanks to the addition of our friend in Australia)  My website has climbed higher and higher in the search engines and AR has caused my phone to ring.

The Realtor in me would be foolish not to harness the power of AR and Localism on behalf of my clients.  Homes and communities get noticed because of the great local content Realtors throughout this forum are posting.  Localism is becoming more and more powerful and I intend to be known as the local real estate professional, offering expert merchandising AND marketing of homes in Will County Illinois.

Besides, my alter ego and I will have a fabulous time competing for top billing in our area!

In order to get business, you have to ask for business.  Staging is a benefit to the homeowner and to the agent, but we as professional stagers have to get out there and prove it.  I for one hate to cold call!  I am not incredibly fond of rejection and I know how cold calling works.  Rejection, rejection, rejection. . .score!  Way more rejections than sales.  Not my favorite activity.

The other day, I was perusing the listings and status changes on my local MLS and all of a sudden I was compelled to pick up the phone. It was my moral responsibility to make a cold call.  I had to discuss with one particular agent the benefit of my services to him and to his client.  Here are the pictures that pushed me to act.

This particular home has been on the market 351 days as of this writing. . .I'm sure each of us has an idea as to why!  I know I can help this homeowner and his agent.  It is with complete confidence that I picked up the phone.  The response was warm!  I had a specific listing to discuss and specific benefits to offer.  The realtor quickly understood how I could help him.  While this particular homeowner is not interested in my services, the discussion with the agent and a subsequent meeting with he and his partner has led to three referrals and an agreement to further consultations for his clients.

Take a look at your local MLS. . .there are homeowners and agents who need a professional stager to merchandise properties for a fast and profitable sale.  Don't like to cold call?  The response can be surprisingly warm!

My profile here on AR is one of a home stager, I also am a licensed Realtor.  I have had success as a Realtor, but love the creativity of staging.  ( I am also an artist of sorts, I have a penchant for silversmithing, and as a result, I have lots of fabulous jewelry!)  I live in an area where a Realtor is born every minute and stagers are not to be found.  Thus, the leap into staging.  I created my website, licensed and insured my business, started an aggressive marketing campaign and soon realized that creating converts is a long and arduous process. 

Recently, I was given the opportunity to bid on staging a model for a high-end custom homebuilder.  A friend works in his sales office and mentioned to him that I am also a Realtor.  Guess what the bulk of the meeting was about?  Yep, working as an agent on his behalf.  He has had Realtor relationships in the past, all of which disappointed him.  He needs a creative team player, a marketer, someone aggressive.

There may be a gazillion Realtors in my area, but most are putting signs in yards, crappy photos in the MLS and waiting for buyers.  This guy wants more!  He builds a spectacular house, is passionate about customer service and recognizes the value of Realtor relationships, but can't seem to find a Realtor willing to work.  The agents who currently have his homes listed haven't checked in with him in months, have a broken sign in front of one of his houses that has been that way forever, and despite having his listings for a year, have not brought a single buyer.  This is his third such experience.

What do you all think?  Can one person do both well.  I love real estate, I love staging. . .I am good at what I do, and am a stickler about customer service.  Local Realtors have been resistant to using a stager, maybe homesellers in my area need a one stop shop of sorts.  A new approach to merchandising and selling a home.  A real estate professional who recognizes the need and has the skills to create a fabulous product, and who utilizes progressive tools and resources to sell that product.  Can a company be built upon this premise?  Something new, something different. . . something effective.  What do you think?

Remember back to the last time you went house hunting. It can be a daunting and exhausting experience.

You meet your agent, who excitedly tells you about the homes scheduled for the day.  They all sound fantastic. You set out with hope and optimism that today you find a new "home".

But with each stop, your optimism wanes.  The decor needs updating, the tile is cracked the countertops are just plain ugly!  You think about all the work it will take to make this a home you love.

Love, that is the key to a home purchase.  When you enter a home and fall in love, the search is over.  Most people begin a home search in a logical fashion.  They come armed with a list of things they really want in a new home, but when the heart becomes involved, all bets are off!!

Offers are made when a buyer falls in love with a home.

So if you are a home seller, how prepare your home to WOW buyers?  Turning to a professional home stager can be one of your best marketing investments!

In addition to creating that "this is home" feeling, a home stager can quickly identify necessary updates and repairs that will maximize the selling price of your home.

A home stager can be objective about your home- evaluating with the eye of a highly critical buyer and finding solutions with the eye of an experienced home stager!  Professional home stagers quickly develop a strategy to get your home showing ready. They can give you the plan to do the work yourself, or manage the entire process for you. 

Sellers in Will County have been fortunate that growth is continuing and buyers are still hunting for homes.  However, buyers are taking more time to make a decision and have more inventory to choose from.

A staged home stands out from the competition, giving home sellers a competitive edge in the marketplace.  Tap into the magic and discover how home staging can help you sell faster and for TOP DOLLAR.

Feel free to contact ONE SAVVY MOVE with any questions regarding home staging!

Many of you read my post this week about having the opportunity to bid on staging a custom builder's model.  In preparation, I took some time to walk through other model homes in the area. I'll call it "checking out the competition!"

As I was standing in a model talking to a sales agent, I suddenly realized I was shaking hands and talking to someone who desperately needs my services!  Did the builder's agent have a home to stage?  No. But she has buyers with contracts to purchase the homes she sells and those buyers can't close the deal until their current home sells! That builder is so lucky I walked in the door, I can make his or her life a whole lot easier and more profitable. 

Every week I read the real estate section and marvel over the incentives that big builders are offering buyers.  Big screen TV's, college tuition for their children, paying the first six months of mortgage payments. . .the incentives are endless.  They should really offer a valuable service like staging!

I can help the buyer sell his or her home faster and for more money, freeing them to move into that fabulous new home.  Isn't that an incentive worth offering! Home I went to plan my attack. 

Ironically enough, during a google search to check my website rankings for the week, I stumbled across an interesting article published by the Chicago Sun Times highlighting the top 50 builders of 2006.  Check out what #5 is up to.

5. Pulte Homes

$379.2* million, 1,200* closings

Pulte Homes has about 10 developments in the Chicago area. In the builder's south suburban division, single-family homes as well as town houses are available at Cedar Ridge in Lockport, Autumn Creek in Yorkville and Prescott Mill in Oswego. At Canterbury Woods in Plainfield, single-family homes begin at $301,990,

The north division of Pulte Homes recently announced a home staging program to help home buyers sell their existing home faster and at a higher price.

Pulte's preferred staging company is Order in the House Staging Services Inc. "One client's house was on the market for nine months before we performed a staging consultation. After our recommendations, the home was involved in a bidding war three weeks later -- and sold for more than the asking price," said Lorrie Witt, co-owner.

Incidentally, Pulte is the parent company for Del Webb Homes, a builder of developments for active-adults 55 and older. The home staging service is available for select Del Webb sites too. Del Webb is 14th in the 2006 Sun-Times survey.

Builders realize the value of Staging!  Congratulations to the ladies who developed this alliance with Pulte!  This opens the door to some fabulous opportunities for the rest of us.  Has anyone else tapped this market?

I for one am going to spend some time developing marketing materials to present to the large home builders in my area!  Hopefully I can "build" a profitable relationship with them.