Tampa Bay Home Stagers, Inc.

New Statistics on the advantages of Home Staging

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:02:18 -0500

It is really amazing what a difference selling a home that has been properly Staged versus a home that has been left vacant or "as is."

A recent study shows a staggering and dramatic gap in sales time between the two.

Here are the highlights:

94.8% of Professionally Staged Homes sell, on average, in 37 days or less

Average time on market for homes that are not Properly staged is a staggering 182 days!

Data is based on a survey of 1,000 homes (55% vacant & 45% occupied) across Canada and the U.S. from November, 2008 to May, 2009

FACT - Home Staging Works! Sell your home faster and for top dollar by hiring a professional AND experienced Home Stager

We have been successfully Staging homes in the Tampa Bay Area since 2003. We now offer financing options and accept credit cards. Be sure you hire an experienced and reputable company when choosing to Stage your home for sale.

We normally charge $200 for an initial consultation. However, if you mention you read my blog on Active Rain we will offer the consultation for free through the end of July, 2009. We are so confident in what we have to offer that we are sure you will decide Staging is the way to go.

Good luck and Happy Selling!

Anne

Make a Decorative Cork Board

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:42:49 -0500

Anne's Free Staging Tip Of The Week:

Here is an easy way to update a plain corkboard:

This is so easy and fun. I used a remnant of decorator fabric, grosgrain ribbon and some assorted buttons. Here are the directions and what you'll need for this project:

Supplies:

Fabric about 3 inches wider than corkboard
Spool of 1" grosgrain ribbon
Gold buttons
Staple Gun
All purpose glue like "Hard as nails"
Wire cutter or pruning shears
High grit nail file

Directions:

Lay the fabric face down on a flat surface and center the corkboard face down on it.
If you have a pattern, like above, be sure it lines up nicely along the top or bottom edge if possible.
Start on one side and bring fabric up over the side and staple in the center and at both corners.
Do the same thing on the opposite side being sure to pull the fabric a little taught and smooth.
Again the same thing on remaining two sides.
Then go back and fill in with a few more staples around the entire back leaving room at corners for tucking.
I use the "top sheet tuck" method for folding in the corners.
Secure the corners in place with staple gun.
Turn over cork board and cut lengths of ribbon long enough to wrap around the cork board.
Staple them in place on the back at the top and sides.
For the diagonal pieces I placed the ends under the corner of the ribbon and used a staple to secure.
This is why you see buttons on the project.
Place another staple where the ribbon meets in the middle.
Using the wire cutters, snip off the button loops from back of buttons.
Use the nail file to smooth off the remaining bit of button loop.
Glue buttons over the staples on the ribbon.
Let dry for several hours to be sure the buttons stay on.

Not pictured: I also made some cute thumb tacks with additional smaller buttons by cutting off the backs and gluing them to flat head thumb tacks. They are so whimsical. You can get really creative with the tacks. Try using found objects instead of button to glue to the tacks. Be sure to use a super strong glue and let dry thoroughly.

If you make this project, I'd love to see photos. What ideas does this inspire in your mind? Adding gems, rhinestones, shells? How about game pieces? Make your corkboard a themed item that will be a work of art. Email photos and I'll post them for you!! Anne@TampaBayHomeStagers.com

Have a great week!

Help with the cost of Home Staging

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:20:14 -0600

Starting in February, we are rolling out a new payment plan option for Sellers who really need Home Staging services but cannot afford an "out of pocket" expense before closing.

This market has affected everyone. Sellers needing their homes Staged should not have to do without. We want to give back to our community and are willing to wait for payment if it will help them sell their home faster and for more money.

Is anyone else offering this service to their clients?

How to have a successful yard sale

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:31:30 -0600

I just finished writing an eight page article about how to have a successful yard sale. You may view it at the following link. Feel free to use this article as long as you keep my contact information and credits intact. It is very useful. Your clients will probably like reading it.

http://www.TampaBayHomeStagers.com/HowToHaveYardSale.pdf

Please share any ideas for successful yard sales with me too! Happy Selling!

Saying Good Bye to Dubai!

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:48:13 -0600

Saying goodbye to Dubai!

December, 2008

This beautiful view of the Burj al Arab from the Madinat Jumeirah will remain with me for the rest of my life. I enjoyed this year in Dubai for the most part.

But, I can't wait to get back to the greatest country in the world! God Bless America. You don't appreciate what you have until it is gone. Living in Dubai has made me realize what is most important in my life.

Florida is my home and always will be. It's time to go home. Even in a bad economy, I look forward to my return with great joy and anticipation. I hope to be able to continue my work as a Home Stager. We'll see how the market is when I get there.

Even Dubai was not un-touched by the recent economic down-turn. There are layoffs happening, businesses going under, construction delays and more. Don't believe everything you read about Dubai being the greatest place to live and make a fortune. It simply isn't true. I know. I lived here.

A few ideas for Open Houses

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:22:34 -0500

I couldn't sleep last night so I jotted down a few ideas for interesting Open Houses. I hope you enjoy them and find a few useful. Let me know if you use any ideas and how they work out?

Don't make buyers feel rushed. Typically Open Houses fall on Saturday and Sunday within a small timeframe. I never quite understood this. My husband and I have bought and sold over eleven homes since 1995 and when it was time to shop for one, we would rush around like crazy to see as many as possible without having the luxury of really enjoying each property.

Hold a Friday evening open house, create a mood with lighting in the landscape, candles, etc. serve seasonal refreshments. Have bottles of water with a picture of the house on the label along with the MLS number and your contact information. You can purchase waterproof labels for both inkjet and laser printers and create them on your home computer. The easiest bottles I find, to remove the original label from is Target's brand Archer Farms.

Depending upon the Seller's budget, or your confidence level in the asking price and market, you may want to consider holding a themed or catered Open House.

You may also want to spread the word in the neighborhood of the upcoming Open House. They may have friends or family members who wish to buy in the area. Word of mouth is an amazing tool. You can even invite the "locals." You never know when they might pass along what they saw to a co-worker or another casual acquaintance. Back in the day, the only people Realtors wanted at Open Houses were actual buyers. In today's market, the more people visiting the more interest is stirred up. You can reach neighbors for very little money by having post cards printed up and hand-deliver them. Vista Print, an online printing company, often has sales for up to 500 full-color glossy postcards for free. All you pay is the shipping, ranging from $6 to $12 for rush delivery.

In Florida, during the summer months, offer iced tea and lemonade or fresh squeezed orange juice. We did this with fruits from the actual tree in the Seller's yard. Buyers were really "wowed" by it.

In late fall you may want to offer spiced apple cider to give the "feeling" of fall. Since we don't really have a chill in the air until much later in the year, many people like the idea of fall. You can create the feeling of a cozy fall day for visitors.

It goes without saying that if the property has an amazing view of sunset - you must hold your Open House during that time so buyers will see what they can enjoy every night if they buy that house.

Home Staging Trip to Dubai

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:13:56 -0500

What a wonderful Summer I had Staging in Dubai, the land of grand! Price was certainly not a concern to my client at the amazing Jumeriah Beach Residences in Dubai Marina. With views of the sea and the Burj al Arab, it was a joy to Stage a few of their models.

Every store I could imagine needing was there for me. IKEA is a great resource for Home Stagers. A new store will open soon in Orlando! We had a great time buying local textiles but our aim was to entice professionals from the West. So, Americanize I did!

I have been invited back to train local Real Estate Agents about marketing properties. Even though the Real Estate market is booming there, people are still trying to get higher prices for the available properties. The views don't sell a space by itself when the building has 40 or more empty units all designed quite similar. Foreign investors have purchased the units at a fraction of the resale value. Then, they sit back and wait for them to sell. There is no MLS service there so one must go from Realtor to Realtor to view each property. Our Staging made a big difference in getting our clients properties viewed first!

Professionals over there don't have a lot of time to be going all over the city looking for a place to live. Most have been relocated by their company and need to rent or buy something fast.

Amazing, that so many people had not heard of the concept of Staging in such a progressive and vibrant Real Estate market. It was a pleasure working with everyone there. I can't wait to go back.

Take a look at the area I worked in: Click Here

We offer Home Staging Training "Florida Style" in our North Dale Mabry offices. We usually hold one training session per month. Part of our training is actual "hands-on" in a real client's home! We have two openings available for the September class. Hurry up and take my course before I leave for Dubai again!

Home Staging Society Web Site

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:08:58 -0500

Hello All!

A few years ago I created a Home Staging Society on the premise that people should not have to be trained by one particular person or company to join an organization. I created this web site http://www.homestagingsociety.org/ for just that purpose. My intention was for it to be a valuable resource for all professionals working in fields related to home staging. I did a great job of getting it to show up quite high in search engines. However, I have been so busy lately that I have not given it the proper attention.

If anyone would like to submit content, for free, I would really appreciate it. I will give you full credit for your submissions. Please send original content only or information that you have permission to pass along and where it came from. Eventually I would like to charge membership fees to cover costs of maintaining the site. But, I want anyone who has proven they are truly seasoned professionals will be able to join, regardless of where or how they were trained.

Since I have been so busy with the sluggish Tampa Real Estate market, I just haven't been able to add any content to the site in a while. I hope to work on it later this summer. In the meantime, please send your submissions for a great way to get some free advertising and recognition.

By the way, it's funny because there have been several television and print articles about Home Staging in my area lately. The people they feature and consult don't seem to be big players here. Any ideas as to how to get through to these media outlets? I have contacted all of them and never get replies. Do you have to "know someone" to be heard?

We are the largest home staging company in all of Tampa, yet no press on us! Maybe it is because we don't pay to advertise anywhere? Our business is all word of mouth and reputation. Any thoughts?

Home Staging Society Web Site

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:01:20 -0500

Dear Realtors,

I have recently joined this active rain community and the experience has been wonderful. I own a Home Staging company in Tampa, Florida. Please feel free to browse my site for useful information to pass along to your Sellers. Also, any tips or interesting market related information may be submitted to me, free, to post on my society web site. I haven't had a chance to spend a lot of time on this other web site, but I hope to get to it later this summer. My company web site is: http://www.TampaBayHomeStagers.com and the society web site is: http://www.HomeStagingSociety.org.

Thank you all!

Anne Jousou

Home Staging Society Web Site

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:57:13 -0500

Hello All!

A few years ago I created a Home Staging Society on the premise that people should not have to be trained by one particular person or company to join an organization. I created this web site http://www.HomeStagingSociety.org for just that purpose. My intention was for it to be a valuable resource for all professionals working in fields related to home staging. I did a great job of getting it to show up quite high in search engines. However, I have been so busy lately that I have not given it the proper attention.

We are the largest home staging company in all of Tampa, yet no press on us! Maybe it is because we don't pay to advertise anywhere? Our business is all word of mouth and reputation. Any thoughts?

Home Staging Tips

Anne Francis (Tampa Bay Home Stagers) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:08:09 -0500

This is my first post and have never used a "Blog" before. Each week I post free advice on Home Staging on my web site. I am happy to answer your questions here as time permits!

In a tight Real Estate market, like the one we are experiencing her in the Tampa Bay area, it has never been more critical to Stage your home. The concept is still new to many in Florida, but popularity is growing. We have seen evidence of this based on the number of inquiries we receive on a weekly basis. They are double what they were this time last year!

We still do the occasional resale property:

This beautiful home on San Isidro Street in prestigious South Tampa was a pleasure to work with.

The home is listed with Jim Walters of Smith & Associates.

Living Room Before Staging Living Room After Staging