Omaha's Premier Home Stager Tori Lynn Ross's Blog

Shooting Turkeys As A Benefit For "Toys For Tots"?

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:21:01 -0500

Well, not quite! But it is a "Turkey Shoot" bowling event AND "Toys For Tots" Toy Drive. If you are a Realtor® in the Omaha area make sure you don't miss this event. Hosted by the Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) AFFILIATES, this annual event is a huge hit every year. And yes, ACTUAL Marines will be on-site collecting the toy donations :-)

For more information about the OABR AFFILIATES, please view our website at www.oabraffiliates.com. The AFFILIATES are a group of diverse professionals who promote and support the real estate community through education efforts, events and ongoing partnerships with members of the Omaha Area Board of REALTORS® (OABR).

If you need a service for your own home, please visit the "Search" page of our website to locate a professional who will do the job right! http://www.oabraffiliates.com/SearchAffiliates/tabid/59/Default.aspx

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Incorporated in 2004, Ross Designs stages 150-200 homes every year. Owner Occupied and Vacant Staging Programs, Color Consultations for Existing and New Construction, Holiday Decor Design and Implementation, and Odor Removal Services.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

YES! I Do Windows!

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:49:52 -0500

Perhaps the title is slightly misleading; I absolutely DETEST washing windows. But I LOVE "treating" windows. Check out my latest direct mail flier.

This is an area of my business that I have been developing and it is very rewarding. There are so many creative things to be done with custom fabric treatments because there are so many affordable fabrics and trim options available these days. I am happy to say that I am partnering with a highly talented seamstress; she has years of experience and is able to make any of my design thoughts a beautiful reality.

If you have a client in the Omaha Metro looking for blinds, shutters, shades or custom fabric treatments such as cornice boards, valances or draperies, please feel confident in referring them to me.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

What's The Scariest (Or Strangest) Thing You Have Found...

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:01:09 -0500

... In A Vacant Property?

The other day as I was driving home and a silly squirrel about ran under my rotating tires, I was reminded of a time awhile back during the winter when I had, "The Scariest Vacant House Encounter" of my Staging career.

One of my agents had asked me to tour a vacant property to do my usual report and rental quote. Since NAR doesn't yet think it is necessary for Stagers to have E-key access, the agent had left a punch code lock box on the door (slight point made there). Whenever I tour a vacant property I try to be very aware of my surroundings, ring the bell first in case there is SOMEONE there, let myself in when nobody answers and then lock the door behind me. I always keep my cell phone and keys on me.

This particular property was mostly unremarkable - dated wallpaper and fixtures, some gross stuff in the bathrooms, badly stained carpets, trash on the kitchen counters, the usual.

I had looked through most of the main level and part of the basement when I noticed THEM. Frozen like little statues above the curtain rod surrounding the patio sliding doors were TWO squirrels!! They were so still that at first I thought they were some terrible decor idea gone wrong (believe me, it would have coordinated with the rest of the house). I also quickly froze and stared at them - silently daring them to move to prove that they were real.

A moment later one of them twitched, confirming my worst suspicion. Since I had so carefully locked the front door behind me when I arrived I began desperately trying to unlock the door so I could escape. It was a tricky one but luckily I was able to get the door opened before the squirrels could attack me and of course I just KNEW that they were going to attack, because isn't that what squirrels do when they get a human cornered alone in a vacant house?

Well, the agent and I got a good laugh out of that one, although I refused to enter the home again until the sqiurrels were removed and premises were secured against future wild life entry.

What's the scariest or strangest thing you have encountered when Staging????

Ross Designs, LLC Omaha's Premier, Full Service Home Staging Company

OABR & WCR Affiliate Member

www.ross-designs.com for more information and photo gallery.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

50k Milestone, Baby!

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:35:42 -0600

Are we still doing posts about our AR milestones? I haven't seen any recently, but then again I haven't been around as much as I used to be either!

I am proud to say that I hit the 50k mark on AR! Yea!!!!

Is it faux pas to celebrate points now? I can happily say that my AR experience - about one year now - has been about A LOT more than points. I have made friends, learned a lot, shared a little, laughed quite often and been reassured about many things.

I LOVE Activerain and am grateful to be a part of it.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Virtual Staging - What A Concept!

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:50:01 -0600

Seeing really is believing! Sellers of mine want to paint their kitchen cabinets in order to update them (old, dark 70's wood) but not sure what color to use. Their appliances, flooring and countertops are all various shades of white and off-white, so painting the cabinets white or off-white would likely look like they were trying to match one of the existing colors but weren't able to get it right. Can you imagine an entire kitchen of different whites? Blahsville!

My suggested solution? Consider another neutral color - sage green. My sellers were still not convinced, so I went to my fabulous friend on the ‘Rain for help. Michelle Molinari of Featurethisdotdotdot . Michelle has so many wonderfully inspired solutions when it comes to Staging that I always think of her first when I have a dilemma.

Michelle offers "virtual staging" which allows sellers to "see" the changes in a mock-up. So many people are not able to visualize major changes and analyzing a mock-up can really help a seller make informed decisions about what to change and what colors or materials to use. Here is the example that she created for my clients:

Michelle offers this service at a discount to other Home Stagers. This is not something that I have the ability to do (technically speaking) and I am happy to hire Michelle whenever something like this comes up. Thanks, Michelle!

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Are You A Little Off Center? Create A Vignette

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:47:28 -0600

I had an installation for a vacant house this week in a great neighborhood in Omaha called Happy Hollow. This is a very historic part of town and the house is beautiful.

When visualizing how I wanted this house to look after Staging, I had planned to hang a three piece set of art above the sofa on the wall first visible upon entering the home. In my mind this looked f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s!

When the install time came and I had all of the pieces in the living room, I realized that my original vision wasn't going to work. The wall that was intended to sport the three piece art set wasn't as long as the opposite wall which was full of windows. I have two sofas floating in the room with a coffee table in between. If I had placed the art set centered on the wall, then it would be very off center from the sofa beneath it. If I had placed the art set centered above the sofa, there would be about six feet of dead space to the left of the set and no space to the right.

Solution? Place one piece of art centered on the wall, then group the floor-standing lamp and silk tree together near it so that they visually took up more space and the vignette didn't look like it was off center from either the wall or the sofa.

Here is a full view of the living room:

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Hey Baby, What's Your Category?

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:08:57 -0600

I was Staging an occupied house the other day and was going over some general recommendations. Replace the weathered exterior light fixtures, add a welcome mat. The new paint colors are great but maybe consider replacing the yellowed vinyl in the bathrooms and the brass, builder's grade light fixtures. And then I was describing the "categories" of sellers and realized that there are about four general categories that apply to most sellers.

Category #1: We want to sell this house, and are willing to invest X amount of dollars in it to get it up to par.

Stager's Challenge: This is a great category of sellers!!! They are open to discussing all aspects of their house and are willing to learn about what will be most cost and time effective to upgrade things such as light fixtures, flooring, cabinet fronts or hardware, paint colors, etc. Does not necessarily mean they will spend unlimited amounts of money, but there are options and significant opportunity for the Stager to make an impact on the property in addition to re-arranging furnishings.

Category #2: We know we need to be competitive and have to spend a little money and elbow grease on a few areas, but need help prioritizing and maximizing our budget.

Stager's Challenge: Some ability to affect change, must be smart and budget savvy to make the most of this seller's budget. Sometimes these are incredibly fun clients/houses because the project might be a bit of a challenge, but in the end the opportunity to combine business skills with creativity is ultimately rewarding.

Category #3: We do not have, or are not willing to put extra money into, this house. We cannot invest in anything new; you have to use what we have to make the best of each room. We have plenty of furnishings, art and accessories.

Stager's Challenge: These clients are also fun because the challenge of "designing" and "marketing" a space using only what you already have on hand eliminates extra time spent sourcing new product. This category usually only takes a couple of hours but is also very rewarding because the end result is very different from what would have been presented to buyers.

Category #4: We do not know how to clean or maintain a house. We do not have any neutral or somewhat attractive furnishings to showcase our house and are not going to buy/borrow/rent anything else. We are looking to our Stager for some assurance that our phenomenal agent will be able to sell our house and please don't make us do too much work because we HAVE to get this house on the market ASAP.

Stager's Challenge: The most important thing for this seller to do is hire a professional cleaner to get the house up to snuff. Clean houses sell and this is the bare minimum that MUST be done before putting a house on the market. Having a professional do all of the hard work makes it easier for sellers to spend a little time each week keeping things clean. Sometimes this category of seller needs some general guidance from the Stager about how to clean, what areas to clean, and what type of product to use.

The bottom line is that no matter what category the sellers fall into, a Stager can make all the difference in how well or how poorly a house is presented to potential buyers. And every category of seller is fun to work with.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

I Promise, You’re Not Wrong!

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:48:37 -0600

Over the last couple of weeks I have been blessed with several Occupied Home Staging appointments and I have noticed a common sentiment among my sellers.

Many sellers, during the part of our appointment where we create/discuss the comprehensive Staging strategy (move this here, pack this, repaint this, etc) were saying. "Oh, I'm glad I wasn't wrong to put that there" or "I'm glad that paint choice wasn't wrong".

After hearing this several times I was reminded that many sellers do not hire professional decorators and also many don't have a natural flair for interior design. Therefore, when a professional in the interior world comes to analyze their home (read: Professional Home Stager) they are automatically curious as to whether or not the "professional" will bless the choices they made when putting their personal stamp on their home.

What I continually tell my sellers and would like now to remind agents is that when "living" in a home, there really is no wrong choice for decorating. When a family is "living" in a home they should make it their own with regard to paint or wallpaper choices, furniture arrangements, re-purposing rooms, etc. Reminding nervous sellers that their home in its current state isn't "wrong" may help reduce their defenses and increase the likelihood that they will have an open mind when working with the Stager. And although their choices were not wrong, there may be other choices that are "more right" when selling a home.

Many statements that I employ to re-assure sellers that my purpose is not to criticize their house but to help them make their home as marketable as possible include some of the following (these statements are also appropriate for agents to discuss with sellers when first suggesting Staging):

- The way a family lives in their home is not often the best way to "market" their house

- Staging is MARKETING, not decorating. Even the best decorated houses benefit from Staging!

- Space and neutral are what help sell houses the fastest; you are selling the square footage of the house not the furnishings in it and sometimes its best to "edit" the furnishings on display so buyers can more readily notice the size of the house

- Think about how much time and money companies spend on packaging something as simple and low cost as a box of cereal; we should spend at least half that much effort to "package" your most important financial asset when up for sale. That's what Staging is about.

Stagers, remember that many of your sellers may be nervous about letting you into their home and say what you can to make them feel comfortable; let them know you are not there to criticize their design choices but to help them achieve the most successful home sale possible.

Agents, if you are the first contact with the seller, make sure that your sellers don't feel put off at the suggestion of a Stager. We will all reap the rewards if sellers feel like we are all on the same team.

Sellers, I promise, whatever design choices you made were not "wrong"; but when selling your home, other choices may be better :-)

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Phrases Commonly Uttered By “The Perfect Staging Client”

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:35:34 -0600

I had the pleasure of Staging an Owner Occupied home this last weekend with the quintessential "perfect Staging client". It has been awhile since I worked with one and I was pleasantly reminded of what phrases are typically used by a "perfect Staging client".

The "perfect Staging client" experience began with the appointment setting phone call. The referring agent and I have a great set up - he texts my cell phone with the latest client's contact info, I call the client to schedule the appointment, I text the agent back with the appointment time, then I conduct the Staging appointment and email him a follow up report. It works like clockwork.

So I called the "perfect Staging client" and we scheduled our appointment for a couple of days later. He said (perfect Staging client phrase #1), "The sooner you can get here the better. I will be ready to do whatever you say when you get here."

Awesome! I love it when people are excited for their Staging appointment. I especially love it when it sounds like they have no opinions. I REALLY love it when the client is a single guy; not because I am looking for a date (not anymore, happily married!) but because the single guy usually graciously accepts décor tips from a female. Not to sound stereotypical, but often the bachelor KNOWS that his house looks like a bachelor pad and is happy to make changes, especially with a female in the know to hold his hand through the process.

Staging Saturday arrives and I get there and see that the bachelor has some nice décor items and a few that are probably best stashed away for selling. He says again (perfect Staging Client phrase #2), "Come on in and do your thing. I will do whatever you want me to do." After a quick tour of the joint I ask how he would feel about moving some furniture from the crowded dining room and re-purposing some in the empty bedrooms. (Perfect Staging client phrase #3), "You're the boss." Yes! I really love that title :-)

For a brief time I let him do some of the heavy lifting and went about my business re-arranging and clearing accessories in the living room/dining room/kitchen areas. He came back to the space where I had been working and said (perfect Staging client phrase #4), "Wow, you sure work fast. You're like hell on wheels!" I realize that wouldn't always be a compliment, but from this gentleman I believe it was.

After some work on the main level, I ask how he would feel about re-arranging the family room in the lower level. (Perfect Staging client phrase #5), "If you think it will help, sure. I'll do it!."

Awesome again! In less than two hours we had re-arranged just about every room in the house and there were only a few items that the client would have to address on his own time (switch out a weathered light fixture, repaint a wall). I can safely say that house went from bachelor pad mish-mash to pulled-together family home in a very short amount of time. The success was due in large part to the "perfect Staging client's" positive attitude toward change and wanting to do whatever he could (within reason) to help make his home more marketable. That agent will have a great seller to work with and as a result will probably have a great selling success!

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

My Christmas "MeMe"

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:31:05 -0600

I have been "memed" by David Matney of Alliance Real Estate. I am not sure if this has already gone around the usual groups or not, so if it already has, please forgive me! This is a Christmas meme and there are "official" Christmas meme rules.

The Christmas MeMe Rules:

You have to name one gift you would like to have on Christmas.
It has to be an object. We all want happiness for Christmas.
If you could pick one single gift out for yourself-what would it be?
Remember-it has to be something you can touch and hold....
Once you have done this, name five people or more and send this to them for them to name the one special gift they would like to have.

My husband thinks that I would love an I-Pod or an MP-3 thingy that I could download music to (um, help me there, dear hubby!) AND be able to listen to the radio stations at the gym that the televisions are set to so I can actually hear the Today Show or the Rachel Ray show instead of reading the VERY incorrect captions for the hearing impaired (seriously, don't those poeple have to take classes or something in order to have that job? They make up some amazing words that I KNOW are not what the people are actually saying).

According to the rules I now have to name at least five or more other people to participate.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

The Ionizer Strikes Again! Another Stinky Success Story :-)

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:13:22 -0500

Well, my little ionizer faced a HUGE challenge this week. A friend of mine is selling her house and she runs a Boston terrier rescue. She has (I believe) 3 dogs of her own and often has another one or two rotating through her care and not all of them were perfectly potty trained. Needless to say, most of her home had a definite doggy funk to it.

The family moved all their belongings into their fabulous new house and had the carpets professionally cleaned. STILL the eau de doggy clung to many rooms in the house.

The typical odorous home requires about 2 hours of run time for the San-Air Blaster (purchased from Michelle Molinari of "Feature This" - a friend here in the 'rain!) depending on the size of the home and overall layout. I ran the ionizer for about 4 hours on Sunday afternoon and the next day there was STILL a sizable stink.

Staging day came and after furniture and accessories were installed, the ionizer was ran again. First in each of the four bedrooms for 20 minutes each with the door shut. When THAT didn't do the trick, I ran the ionizer for three more hours on the bedroom level and 3 hours on the main level.

The following day the agent came to take the listing photos and gave each room a serious sniff test. Lo and behold WE FINALLY BEAT THE STINK!!!!!

I am very happy for my friend that I had invested in this ionizer a few months ago and had this available. I have no idea what she would have done without the ionizer to get rid of that smell and I am confident that most, if not all, buyers would have smelled that home upon entering and walked back out the door.

Ross Designs, LLC is Omaha's only full service home staging company invested in the real estate industry. OABR & WCR Affiliate Member. OABR Affiliate Member of the Year, 2007. Co-host of the "Real Estate Reality Hour", Saturday's at 9am on 1290 KKAR.

Ross Designs, LLC incoporated in 2004 and has been actively staging homes in the Omaha metro since 2005. We are proud to partner with the most aggressive and progressive agents in town.

Visit our website at www.ross-designs.com for more information.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Allowance: Effective For Your Kids, Not For Your Buyers

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:57:26 -0500

When sellers consider putting their home on the market and the carpet or counters or vanities or light fixtures, etc are outdated, the all-familiar debate ensues - upgrade now or offer an allowance to potential buyers?

Many sellers think it is wise to offer an allowance and then the potential buyers can select what THEY want to put in. There are several backfires to this theory.

The first backfire is that buying a house is often an emotional decision. If a buyer doesn't fall in love with what they see upon entering the house, it is harder to appeal to that emotion with a small product sample of what they COULD have.

Additionally, living through renovations or even just organizing installation of carpet or counters or vanities or light fixtures, etc can be a hassle not welcomed by buyers who are already stressed out by the moving and home buying process. If the upgrades were installed before the buyer first laid eyes on the house, then this issue would be eliminated. Many buyers highly value "move-in ready" properties.

Thirdly, sellers are often afraid to move forward with upgrades now because they think, "What if potential buyers don't like what I pick?" The reigning guideline when preparing a home for sale is to go neutral. I have yet to hear of a potential buyer saying, "I don't want that house. That nice, new carpet is too neutral for me. I'd rather go buy the house with outdated, pink carpeting and pick something else out later." Many real estate professionals would agree that 9 times out of 10 the brand new and neutral carpet or counters or vanities or light fixtures, etc will win out over a buyer seeing dingy items but knowing that they can be replaced with an allowance.

Of course there are instances where it is impossible financially for a seller to make upgrades and the only way they can facilitate changes is to offer an allowance out of closing proceeds; however, if it all possible it is most effective to make smart upgrades now rather than later.

For more information on Home Staging services in Omaha, Nebraska, please call Ross Designs at 402.490.3244 or visit our website for more information at www.ross-designs.com.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

The "Real Estate Reality Hour" Is Proud To Present ... Joe Frost, Chief Giver of Mortgage Pledge

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:33:20 -0500

This Saturday's guest on the "Real Estate Reality Hour" is Joe Frost, Chief Giver and Founder of Mortgage Pledge. Joe founded Homesmartz several years ago and merged with Dundee Mortgage in Spring of 2008. Joe also founded Mortgage Pledge, an philanthropic effort where real estate professionals participate in giving to their clients' charities of choice.

Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, LLC is Omaha's Premier Home Stager, co-host of the "Real Estate Reality Hour" Saturdays at 1290 KKAR. Listen locally or listen via the web at www.1290kkar.com.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Safety For The Single Mom - Another Reason Not To Go FSBO?

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:50:07 -0500

Often when Staging a home for a single woman/mom, I suggest that they add some men's clothing to the Master bedroom closet. Either borrow some slightly off season items from a friend or family member, or buy some inexpensive items at a thrift store. When only women's clothing is in the Master closet it can signal that either the husband has already relocated or the husband has left the home due to death or divorce - all of those situations infer to a buyer that the seller could be in a stressful situation and NEED to sell. Even more worrisome, it potentially advertises that the single woman is easy prey for a robbery or burgulary or worse.

This week I was Staging a would-be FSBO (For Sale By Owner) for a single mom. I went over my suggestion for adding men's clothing to the closet and a thought struck me. If she were listing with an agent, would she have more security?

Think about the process - a FSBO takes all calls from potential buyers him/herself and also handles all showings. Who knows who could be calling? If the home were listed with an agent, the agent would handle all phone calls and showings. Therefore the agent would add a layer of security since they often pre-qualify buyers or the showing agent has. Either way the agent would have personal data on all potential buyers therefore making them less likely to commit a crime since they could more easily be found?

As a former single mom I am often aware of the need to protect these families. I am curious what other agents and Stagers think about this?

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Great Blog From Successful Agent – Pro Staging

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:41:03 -0500

Here is a great blog from a very successful agent partner of mine, If Your Home is not Staged to Sell, then it Won't Sell. It was originally posted in February, but I just recently came across it. The info is so on point I thought I would share it with other Stagers in case they would like to add this info to their arsenal when educating agents about Staging.

A little about this agent, Troy Trumm of Alliance Real Estate. He became an agent in 2005 and has bought/sold over 50 homes per year, every year since. Those are great numbers for any agent, especially a new agent during a tougher market.

So, Stagers - happy Staging! Here's to converting disbelievers to happy clients, one agent at a time.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/372056/If-Your-Home-

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

The "Real Estate Reality Hour" Is Proud To Present ... Troy Trumm of Alliance Real Estate

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:20:09 -0500

This Saturday's guest on the "Real Estate Reality Hour" is Troy Trumm of Alliance Real Estate. Troy is a highly successful agent in the Omaha area. Troy will be discussing what makes him such a success and a great choice of a Realtor when selling homes. We will also briefly discuss the Omaha market and whatever additional information Troy has to share. Click here to view his profile on Activerain.

Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, LLC is Omaha's Premier Home Stager, co-host of the "Real Estate Reality Hour" Saturdays at 1290 KKAR. Listen locally or listen via the web at www.1290kkar.com.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

The "Real Estate Reality Hour" Is Proud To Present ... Paul Vojchehoske

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:43:27 -0500

This Saturday's guest on the "Real Estate Reality Hour" is Paul Vojchehoske. Paul is involved in many areas of residential real estate such as the Omaha Landlord's Association and operates www.omahaarearentals.com. He also does a lot of training of agents through his company called the "Real Estate Resource Institute" and with his position at Deeb Realty. Paul is a wealth of knowledge and will be discussing a potential new Omaha city ordinance that would require homeowners to certify that their homes are lead free every three years.

Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, LLC is Omaha's Premier Home Stager, co-host of the "Real Estate Reality Hour" Saturdays at 1290 KKAR. Listen locally or listen via the web at www.1290kkar.com.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

The Power Of The Ionizer

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:44:42 -0500

About two months ago I became intrigued by some of Michelle Molinari's comments about her industrial strength ionizer that is available for rent. I thought it sounded like a dream come true for sellers with odors in their home so I HAD to buy one and try it out.

I have had the opportunity to test it out a few times and so far the results have been great. The most notable home was two weeks ago. The agent was at the property in the morning before the ionizer treatment to do her measuring, and she said she really didn't detect much of an odor. She came back later that afternoon to drop off disclosure sheets AFTER the two hour ionizer treatment and she COULDN'T BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE! She said the house smelled clean and fresh (and trust me, this house was neither clean nor fresh!!).

Check out my promotional flier:

I am also going to make a sheet to post at the front door of homes during the treatment, so other vendors or family members don't in advertently walk in.

Looking for a Home Stager in the Omaha Metro? Call Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, Omaha Only Full Service Home Staging Company invested in the real estate industry - OABR & WCR Affiliate Member.

402.490.3244 - Torilynnross@ross-designs.com

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

The "Real Estate Reality Hour" Is Proud To Present: Dan Grwyza from American Family Insurance

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:00:03 -0500

This Saturday's guest on the "Real Estate Reality Hour" is Dan Grwyza from American Family Insurance. Like much of the country, Omaha has been hit hard in recent months with tornadoes, hail and other extreme wind storms. Significant damage and insurance claims have been the results. Tune in Saturday morning at 9am CST to visit more with Dan about this increase in activity.

Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, LLC is Omaha's Premier Home Stager, co-host of the "Real Estate Reality Hour" Saturdays at 1290 KKAR. Listen locally or listen via the web at www.1290kkar.com.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Successfully Sold In 12 Days!!

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:53:29 -0500

This vacant home was Staged before listing and successfully sold in 12 days! Tell the national media that it's not impossible to sell a house quickly in this market. Staged rooms included the living room (shown below - this is the room the entry opened into), kitchen, bathroom and master bedroom.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

The "Real Estate Reality Hour" Is Proud To Present Jamie Grayson, Executive Director of Destination Midtown Omaha

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:03:56 -0500

This Saturday's guest on the "Real Estate Reality Hour" is Jamie Grayson, Executive Director of Destination Midtown for Omaha, NE. Jamie will let us all know exactly what Destination Midtown is all about and some of their upcoming activities. Tune in Saturday morning at 9am CST.

Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs, LLC is Omaha's Premier Home Stager, co-host of the "Real Estate Reality Hour" Saturdays at 1290 KKAR. Listen locally or listen via the web at www.1290kkar.com.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

This Is Marketing A Home On A Different Level - Buy A Home, Get A Wife????

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:24:48 -0500

Just saw this article on MSN.com, "Single mom selling Fla. home, heart online"; go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25416138/?GT1=43001 to view the online story.

This poor woman has been looking for love for several years and has also been trying to sell her home in a declining real estate market. Apparently she thought merging her search for the two things most important to her - the perfect mate and the perfect buyer - might yield better results than individual searches for both.

I wonder if she has tried Staging her home? Might be a little less extreme than marrying herself off with the joint!

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Butttttt …. I don’t wanna use a Stager! She’ll make me work!

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:08:47 -0500

I often wonder why some of my devoted agent-clients don't hire me for every SINGLE one of their listings. I don't stalk their websites like a hound dog and accost them for not hiring me for some of their listings or anything like that. But occasionally I come across one and wonder to myself, "Is it something I did? Or is it more likely some resistance on the seller's part?".

Then I started thinking to myself about how UN-anxious I am about the prospect of selling my own house a couple of years down the road. I don't wanna fix the missing trim piece in the kitchen. I don't wanna paint the ceiling where we got the wall paint all over it. I don't wanna replace the window with the broken seal.

Is it possible that many sellers have the same "I don't wanna" syndrome???? I can just hear some sellers saying to their agent, "I don't wanna Stager to come to our house, because she'll make us work!"

What do you think?

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Please Vote in the “Ugliest For Sale Sign Contest”

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:38:32 -0500

As promised (although a little tardy), here are the contestants for the "Ugliest For Sale Sign" Contest.

Please review the sad little entries and vote for your favorite.

An award was generously donated by James Cox of Seven Design Studios. Winner will receive a single property website.

Judging will be open until midnight CST, Friday (June 27^th).

P.S. If one of these photos was submitted by you, please feel free to vote for it!

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244

Don't Laugh - Staging On A MAJOR (I mean, really MINOR) Budget

Tori Lynn Ross - Omaha's Premier Home Stager (Ross Designs, LLC) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:23:31 -0500

Okay, so we all know what it is like to work on tight budget. The following photo is not indicative of my typical quality of work, but IS indicative of what Staging can be done on a VERY tight budget.

The following living room photo is actually a SUCCESSFUL Staging photo. I was put in touch with a client whose home was very dated, full of wallpaper and they refused to put any money into their home to change anything. However, they were sold on renting some furniture for the living room. As long as it cost them almost nothing.

So I got in touch with my furniture vendor and got the best deal I could. The house was on a busy street, slightly overpriced, and extremely dated AND it sold in less than 30 days. The agent is convinced that the Staging had a lot to do with the successful outcome.

Don't laugh at me (too much) over this unattractive photo. We also had a chair opposite the sofa, and a dining table and centerpiece in the dining room.

Ross Designs Is Omaha's Full Service Home Staging Company, Dedicated To Supporting The Real Estate Industry!

Omaha Area Board of Realtors (OABR) and Women's Council Of Realtors (WCR) Affiliate Member.

Call anytime at 402-490-3244