Tamara's Blog

You buyer just needs a little perspective!

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:01:58 -0500

Many people are unaware that an empty space can often look and feel smaller than it actually is. Rather than "opening up" the room, that lack of furnishings leaves the room without distinction, and often, without purpose. It actually forces the eye to the corners of the room in the brain's search for a focal point. This creates a sort of optical illusion, drawing the corners of the room together and making the space look and feel smaller.

Since we know a great amount of a prospective shopper's search is looking through those all-imprtant MLS pictures, a professionally staged home can make all the difference between a home that languishes, neglected and unwanted, on the market and a home with that memorable and eye-catching space the prospective buyer falls in love with.

Notice the difference in these vacant space professionally staged by Sold By Design, and ask yourself which would be more enticing to a buyer in this flushed market:

Notice how some light staging by Sold By Design gave this neglected space new life and purpose:

This kitchen was bland and cold before some light staging by Sold By Design:

At Sold By Design, we work with a wide variety of budgets to put your listing at the top of the buyer's "Must-See List." Staging works in every price market, and we do our best to prove it. Give your property the opportunity it deserves to be brought center stage in this market.

What are your favorite holiday promotions?

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:51:43 -0500

Now that the "holiday slowdown" is upon us, it is once again time to kick the inspiration into overdrive! I'm just about to mail out a whole new batch of mailers to REA's, with the incentive of a discounted Consultation through the holidays, and I began thinking of other promotions... but I'm always interested in what my more experienced colleague have done, enjoyed, and from which reaped reward.... So, what has worked for you, and what have you seen the most Return on your Investment? As always, I'm looking forward to your responses!

Update on A Tough Urine Smell

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:57:54 -0600

I posted earlier on what I should do about a tough bathroom with an even tougher urine smell. Many of you responded with some wonderful advice, and I thought I'd let you know what I did do! The bathroom started out like this:

and ended up like this:

In order to center the shot, I couldn't get the surrounding tile in picture, but the cleaning team did a great job, and it does not look like the Before picture.

The smell lingered, though, under the bleach smell, and I used Perfect Pet Pet Stain and Odor Remover on it. It worked like a charm! I'll be using it regularly from now on!

Thanks again for all the advice!

What to do about that >grimace< urine smell?

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:43:39 -0600

My client is an older gentleman who bought a new home, didn't seal the grout after he moved in, and four years later, the bathroom looks like this!

I've already called in a cleaning team, and they did a decent job of cleaning it up, but unfortunately, the urine smell lingers.

What would you do?

Many thanks; I'm looking forward to hearing your responses!

How do you get out a tough urine smell?

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:21:40 -0600

My client is an older gentleman who bought a new home, didn't seal the grout after he moved in, and four years later, the bathroom looks like this!

I've already called in a cleaning team, and they did a decent job of cleaning it up, but unfortunately, the urine smell lingers.

What would you do?

Many thanks; I'm looking forward to hearing your responses!

What to do with a converted garage?

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:56:48 -0500

I was recently at a networking event when a REA/real estate investor asked me what I recommended doing with a garage that had been converted into living space. That's actually very common here in San Antonio, Texas, where we have neither basements nor attics, and plenty of good weather. Normally I recommend showing the garage as a garage, but this space was totally converted, with raised flooring (to match the rest of the house), plumbing installed for an extra bathroom, and nice sheetrock walls. There was some room left from the original garage space for storage, though it was apparently outside the room. The REA said the converted room was finished off very nicely. I didn't see this property in person, mind you, but it really piqued my interest. What would YOU do for a room like that?

Another Staging Success!

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:30:10 -0500

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but it's always such a feeling of happy satisfaction when you know the staging you did was the key to moving that difficult property! I just got a phone call from one of my favorite REAs who told me the property I had staged for her client had just SOLD! We both breathed a sigh of relief, because frankly, it was a difficult property. It was small, it had problems the homeowner wouldn't fix (like floor-to-ceiling mirrors in three rooms, outdated lighting, etc.), it was old, and it was competing with much newer construction close by.

Oh, and did I mention the seller wanted TOP dollar for this property? Well, after staging by Sold By Design, he got it! And in about HALF the normal DOM for this neighborhood! (The last two properties for sale in that neighborhood languished on the market and ended up "For Lease" instead.)

The great thing about staging? Everyone benefits! The homeowner sells in less time for more money, the REA earns a sale, a commission, and a nod to their good judgement and obvious business savvy for recommending home staging, and the buyer, for realizing the full potential of their new home!

This just might be the best job in the world!

The painter hijacked my color scheme!

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:29:49 -0500

I recently had the rather unpleasant experience of coming back to a home I was staging to find that the painter my client had decided to go with (a friend of his- he thought my painters were too expensive) had disregarded my color instructions and talked my client into using different colors! This property was light staging only and a lot of redesign. My client really didn't want spend any money, so I'm frankly proud of him for doing any staging at all. First, there was the dark wicker sofa I wanted painted to a light soft green that matched the artwork in the room, and was a unifying theme in the living areas. Instead, he painted it a cream that was okay, but it did nothing for the sofa's cushions and didn't "pop." My biggest disappointment, however, was what happened in the bedroom. (Don't take that out of context!) It had this strange "built-in" that was frankly awful. But since my client wouldn't get rid of it, I decided to treat it as a dresser. (He didn't want any staging in this room, so I couldn't really work it.) Here it is before painting:

I wanted everything white painted the same cream as the walls, and everything either red or blue painted the same darker 'creme brulee' as the trim. Built-in, right? Blend, right?

Instead, the painter painted the entire thing white and it really threw off the room!

Has this ever happened to you? What did you do?

What's in your "Update Arsenal?"

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:37:24 -0500

Recently, Tori Lynn Ross posted a blog titled, "Grout Recolorant To The Rescue!" and it got me thinking about some of the things I have done to update. Get rid of dated wallpaper, of course:

Before After

and paint over dark, dated wood with something light and neutral:

I loved Tori Lynn's grout recolorant tip, and all of the wonderful tricks we have up our sleeves (and packed in the car) to freshen, lighten, and update our clients' homes. So what about you? What's in your "Update Arsenal?"

San Antonio Realtors: Don't ask your clients to lower their price...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:48:24 -0500

Home prices are dropping at record amounts . According to the National Board of Realtors, median home prices are down 7.1%! Do you really want to ask your seller to drop their price even further to entice a buyer? Instead, showcase your professionalism and innovation suggesting professional home staging to your clients! Studies have shown that professionally staged properties sell faster and for more money than non-staged homes. And, unlike a price reduction, staging averages a 343% return on investment!

Having the property prfessionally staged costs less than you think, and usually costs less than the first time you reduce the price! At Sold By Design, we work within any budget, from doing straightforward Consultations, redesign, using the homeowner's existing furnishings, to full-service staging of a vacant home. We offer detailed, personalized service that is garunteed to bring that "Wow!" factor that will put your listings on the buyer's short list.

By referring your client to Sold By Design, you are encouraging your client to show their home to its best potential, sell it in the shortest amount of time, and for as much money as possible. And, as an incentive to our realtor associates, if you refer us to a client that contracts our services beyond the Consultation, we will take your MLS photos for free!

Tamara Cline

Sold By Design

Custom Redesign and Home Staging to Sell Your Home Fast!

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=692d53edb3f6de24dd150c&skin_id=1602&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

(210)287-7733

How do you network?

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:24:00 -0500

In this business, it is important to let our work speak for itself.

This............................to this!

But it shouldn't always speak for us. Especially for newbies, and those still trying to get their work seen. That's where networking comes in. Meeting those contacts for services and clients that gets your name passed around and referred. So I pose the question, especially to all the seasoned Stagers out there: how do you network?

Update on Sold By Design's presentation at the REA Team Mtg...

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:57:10 -0500

Thank you all so much for your helpful responses to my previous post. It went off well,but with some unforeseen snags: it was storming that morning, so we only had 30 REAs instead of 50, and the large-screened TV on which I was going to give my presentation went to college with the neighbor's kid the day before my presentation! I found out that bit of information on my way there, so I was unable to bring my laptop or any other way to show my video montage of my work. But I did give a good presentation anyway, I had packets of information, (incl. my flyer, services and price list, statistics on home staging, and why they should choose Sold By Design for their clients) and my business card to give them. The REA who sponsored me was very pleased with both the staging and my presentation and offered to let me keep up everything and leave my packets and business cards for the following day, when a lot of realtors would be coming through on the Tour of Homes. I did, of course! :) It's still too soon to tell if my advertising investment paid off, but I am hopeful!

I think the staging came off rather well, but you be the judge! (Seriously, I really want to know what you think!)

The kitchen before staging:

This is the KT after staging:

The space is actually quite large, which I think was lost in the pre-staging photograph.

Another angle of the KT, before staging

This is a different angle, but you get the picture... :)

Also, the 1/2 BA turned out to be a real challenge: It was tall, it was very dark, and there was no flat surface on which to set anything (even the tank lid was rounded!).

This is what I came up with:

What would you have done differently?

And, hey, since I've shown everything else, here's a picture of the eat-in, after staging. (I don't have a good before picture):

By the way, I did add actual candles to the candelabrum the day of the presentation.

Love to hear your comments and feedback! Happy posting!

Should we rent from more than one store per client?

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:29:20 -0500

The title is a bit cumbersome, but so is the predicament I've found myself in. I'm preparing to stage an extremely nice, pricey home in a very upscale neighborhood. It's vacant, so it's like having this wonderful blank canvas. Unfortunately, not one rental store (we have basically Cort and Aaron's to choose from here) has everything I need to stage the LR, DR, KT and eat-in, MBR, MBA, and three additional BRs. I like to keep my client's responsibilities and involvement limited, so as to make this whole staging process as easy and seamless for them as possible. It is my policy that the rental store faxes all the paperwork to them, they sign it and return it, and are responsible for paying the rental co. directly. The client also leases my inventory. I'm not really comfortable asking them to take on a third company to pay; it seems sloppy. But I'm worried they won't get the full benefit of staging their beautiful home without the third company. Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with this professionally? I'm really looking forward to hearing your comments.

So excited!

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:57:52 -0500

This upcoming week I have the opportunity to talk to a group of realtors at their quarterly meeting. I am staging the kitchen, eat-in, and bath in the GORGEOUS home where we will all be meeting, and it's looking great so far... I have only five minutes to speak (my work will speak for itself), and two-and-a-half minutes of that, I'll be showing a video montage of my before-and-after work. I plan on having two-page "packets" to give them, with my information, a before-and-after pic, a list of my services, and some stats offered by Quicken loans, etc. I know I'll do well, but this is a great opportunity and I want to make the most of it. Has anyone done this before? Any suggestions on how to make my 5 minutes in the spotlight pack the most punch? I'm really looking forward to your responses; I learn so much here!

So excited I can't stand it!

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:56:14 -0500

Paid to de-Stage?

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:02:02 -0500

Okay, so I admit it... this one has me stumped. As my business grows, and the staging jobs get bigger and bigger, I'm running into a problem I hadn't thought of: do I charge the client to de-stage their property? I am paid for the hours I've put in at the completion of the staging. But as the jobs grow bigger (we're talking 4500 square feet and more), more and more time is required to destage the property. I would love to hear the wisdom of experience on this one... What do you to do to cover the time and costs of destaging a property? Thanks so much for your input!

OOps!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:45:07 -0500

I forgot to give a nod to Kimberly for "adding to" her blog title. Kimberly, you inspired me to go ahead and try posting again, and then I was rude to you about it! I'm so sorry about that!

to SIN or not to SIN? That is (one of) my questions...

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:37:45 -0500

Wow!

I'm so excited to find you! I have been lurking on AR for several weeks, avidly reading posts as I prep to launch my staging business. I've given a lot of thought as to whether or not to go out and "buy" my
"credentials." Beacause as near as I can tell, that is what it comes down to. Pay the money to take the course, and at the end of it you're suddenly "certified". Or am I missing something here? Since there is no governing Home Staging body in the US, we don't need this kind of certification to do what we love, and I am also of the camp that says the eye for design cannot be taught.

So... what now? I am SO excited about doing this! The only thing that does not excite me is pretty much everything to do with the financial aspects. For instance, at the end of the consultation, how do you politely and professionally say, "Here's the part where you pay me?" Also, when it comes to adding a lot of accessories, new/rental furniture, etc., how is the money transaction actually handled? I buy first, then take the client's check? I arrange for the furniture and delivery, but the client must be on site to pay them, or what?

It's these questions that have led me to consider taking the courses, just so I can get the 'business' aspect down. I actually posted this another AR (I'll name no names) Home Staging group, but was completely ignored. Not one comment. Ouch. It was much shorter, and I didn't even mention my lack of letters!

I would love, love, love to hear from any of you about how you handle this aspect of the business. And thanks so much for being here!

This newbie needs help! (Or possibly just a backbone...)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:32:57 -0500

First of all, I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you for your wonderful posts, and sharing your insights and experience. I am brand new to this business, and finding AR has only increased by excitement!

There is one area, however, that does not exactly... excite me. The actual "business transaction" part of working with a client. I find it so awkward to bring up the subject of "now here's the part where you pay me..." HELP! Will you please share how you go about doing it? I would be so grateful!

This newbie needs help! (Or possibly just a backbone...)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:25:58 -0500