FREE Realtor Lunch & Learn - Real Estate Staging 101: Learn the fundamentals of home staging, how it works, how it benefits sellers and buyers, how to address staging with your clients, overcoming homeowners objectives and how to choose a professional home stager.

When: November 11, 2011
Time: 10:00
Where: Liberty Bank of Arkansas, Tonitown location

Instructor: Donna Schoby, Ready, Set, Stage!
Sponsoer: JP Sexton, Liberty Bank of Arkansas

Seating is limited so register soon!

Hi Everyone!

I’m pleased to announce that my newly redesigned website is open for business!

http://ReadySetStageNWA.com

I wanted a professionally designed site to show off my portfolio of staged properties and offer lots of new functionality. My new site is:

• Classy but minimalistic, showing off my properties and those of the Realtors and Homeowners that use my services
• SEO Optimized - my new Wordpress based site is optimized to shine in the search engines for hundreds of different keyword terms
• Offers an all new Realtor Information page  where Realtors can get detailed information about my services and download materials for themselves and their clients.
• And Much More!

Head over and check out my new site at http://ReadySetStageNWA.com and give me a call anytime you have a need for Home Staging Services or a Consultation.

Talk to you soon!

As a professional home stager I find it difficult working with some teens on their bedrooms when it comes to preparing this space for the real estate market.

Teens bedrooms are their only personal space in the home and most parents understandably allow teens to decorate this space for their own personal use.

Today's (consult) teen girl had a serious case of Beiber Fever!  Yes that cute little teen heartthrob is everywhere!!!

We need to bring the fever down...way down. While not making the teen girl happy, but hopefully she will see how important this is for the move of her family. I told her to just think about the "larger new bedroom" that she could fill if they sell their current home.

So hopefully the Beiber will come down...at least until they sell the home.

This was the commet from my client today, before I even began my consultation.  Although I can appreciate the value and the pieces that you have collected over the years...your home is not an art gallery and as a professional stager I need to make sure we are helping buyers focus on your home...and not your art collection.

A very difficult situation...but as a professional stager it is my job to help homeowners focus on the home and not their belongings. In the end I was able to help the homeowner realize the true purpose of staging...some pieces will be coming down and some pieces replaced. This homeowner had over 250 pieces of art to choose from, so we had a great selection to work with.

Now I'm confident that his home will show well and sell fast!

Listen to my new episode Staging Your Home To Sell! at http://tobtr.com/s/2188345. #BlogTalkRadio

 Welcome to Ready, Set, Stage! Blog Radio. Please join Donna Schoby host of Ready, Set, Stage! Blog Radio each week for some great tips and insight into staging your home to sell in the real estatemarketplace.  Ready, Set, Stage! is Northwest Arkansas’ Premier Home Staging Company, serving the Northwest Arkansas real estate market since 2007.  We will also have several guest speakers including local Realtors, Movers, Inspectors, and Photographers that will offer some valuable tips for your selling and moving process. We welcome your questions and comments and invite you to visit our website at  www.ReadySetStageNWA.com . 

So does Home Staging  REALLY work? Our stats for 2011 proves that home staging works in Northwest Arkansas!  We have had an average of 25 days...that's right 25 DAYS!!!  From the time of staging until going under an accecpted contract this year!!!! The average for our area is about 155 days...so which pays? Home Staging...or your carrying costs?  

Home Staging works!!!!...call your local home stager for a staging quote!!!

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette committed a page and half story about home staging in it's newspaper today. Ready, Set, Stage!   was featured as the go-to-stager for this article! 

I wish I could furnish a link to the article but the paper has an online subscription only.

But I would like to share a couple of quotes from the article from the reporter and a couple of Realtors....

Title: All the home's a stage, And setting it well can help a house sell faster.

Home Stager Search:

"Selecting a home stager isn't as easy as just doing a Google search or picking on out of a phone book. Home stagers aren't all created equal. Sellers can find a good home stager in several different ways, however.

• Ask your Realtor. Realtors often have suggestions on home stagers they trust. Make sure the home stager is insured and ask for a written contract detailing exactly what you'll be getting as well as the price for services.
• Use realestatestagingassociation.com. The Real Estate Home Staging Association, or RESA, is the professional organization for home stagers. It offers an interactive tool on its website to help sellers find local stagers as well as some good information on home staging itself. Typically, stagers have individual websites that feature their portfolio. Look at the images to gauge whether their style will be suited to your house. Also, be sure to read the testimonials from customers."

Quotes for Realtors:

"I believe staging helps homes show better and sell faster."  says Tara Limbird, a Realtor with Re/Max in Bentonville.  "Many sellers try to do it themselves, but when you live in a home, you become immune to the way it looks"

Visuals are an important aspect. "Buyers are so visual." says Whitney Morgan, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker. "Before they read the first word of text, they're looking at photos" online, which many people now peruse before setting up appointments.  Showings often pick up dramatically after a house is staged and photos are posted he adds.  I can show you listings that had been on the market for month's or even a year," Morgan says. "Then, once I listed the home and Donna (Schoby) came in, we had the home sold in the matter of a month or two. "A stager has a definite place in a buyer's market."

How I wish I could share the entire article with you becasue the reporter really did an in depth job of the benefits of staging to sell!

Side note...the article hasn't been bad for business thus far, booked 2 consults today and had an offer to teach a class at a community learning center this fall!

Ready, Set, Stage! recently had the privilage of working with an owner occupied home located in Fayetteville, AR. The homeowner had great items to work with and we were able to highlight the features of the home!

I just staged this home and it hit the market today...had 3 showings and SOLD!!!!

I like keeping my arrangements quick and simple. I love using different kinds of containers that can also be used elsewhere for staging. This keeps my arrangements fresh and new with each staging job.

I like to purchase flower bunches rather than working with individual stems and add additional greenery. I place plastic bags or paper in the bottom of the containers to help stabilize the arrangement.

Here is one I recently did. I fell in love with these sunflowers that I found at Pier 1.  I would love for you to share a simple arrangement or a favorite that you may have!