Does your client have enough time to sell their current home, find a replacement home AND qualify for the "Repeat Homebuyer" tax credit? 

If the answer is "Yes," then read no further.  However, if your answer is somewhere inbetween, "I think so" and "no way," then you may want to consider home staging by someone other than yourself - a certified home stager.

Why home staging by a certified home stager?   

1) Staged homes sell 50% faster AND for more money

2) Staged homes stand out from the competition

3) Home staging costs less than a price reduction

4) Formal training takes what you "think" you know about staging to a whole new level

Home staging is a small investment with a big return for you AND your clients. 

Why?  Maybe the fact that the average Christmas tree takes up the space of a VW bug, AND it usually takes up to a day to drag out the tree (more if you buy a fresh tree), along with the decorations, and miscellaneous décor - you may be ready for a festive "change of space."

If you are looking for Christmas tree alternatives as a time-saver, or would like to have space in the room besides "just the tree" for yourself and guests over the holidays, or just something a little different, please read on . . .

• Hang a wreath inside the front door.
• Hang a wreath over the fireplace, or in place of artwork.
• Drape garland, faux or fresh evergreen branches over the fireplace.
• Place holiday candles of all shapes & sizes on the mantel of the fireplace.
• Place/stagger large holiday candles of different sizes inside a wood-burning fireplace.  Add evergreen for filler, but make sure it is placed at the bottom of the candles, or candle holders so it does not catch fire.
• Hang stockings off the mantel of the fireplace.
• Drape garland over mirrors.
• Wrap garland around the hand rail on your staircase.
• Drape/loop garland around your hanging lights in the entry, dining room or kitchen.
• Wrap garland or wide, colorful holiday ribbon around deco columns; add a small wreath or large bow at the top for accent.
• Choose the "best of the best" of your ornaments and place in a clear bowl or large jar.  Add faux or fresh evergreen and pinecones.  Use as a centerpiece.
• Use your "holiday" dishes everyday between now and the New Year - not just for that special dinner or company.
• Choose the "best of the best" of your holiday décor.  When you add a holiday piece, make sure you remove 1-2 pieces of décor so the holiday décor stands out vs. a mixed collection on the same surface.
• Place electric candles in your windows.
• Spray artificial snow on windows or use stencils for distinct patterns.
• Use holiday candles of all shapes & sizes on a plate for a centerpiece.
• Place peppermint sticks in a clear jar, or hang on a ribbon for garland.
• Place gingerbread cookies in a clear jar - they are not just for eating. 
• Place sections of your Christmas Village collection in multiple rooms vs.
  all in the same room, and spread the festive look throughout your home.

I think you get the idea . . . And, I'm pretty sure you can come up with some ideas of your own.

Keep in mind; you do NOT have to use every piece of holiday décor you own - all at the same time.  Highlight your home using the "best of the best" of your décor vs. giving your home the look of a holiday store.  Why?  Nothing really stands out. 

My vision regardless of the season is, "Understated Elegance."  Try it - it's timeless.

Okay, in my defense for all who want the Christmas tree at all costs, let me clarify my thoughts.  IF the home was not staged beforehand, then you can pretty much bet that the room has too much furniture in it in the first place - that's how most people live in a home vs. how you should prepare a home for sale.  So, if you squeeze in a tree of any size, it will appear super crowded.  Regardless of the holidays, we as Realtors are always selling space, or we should be. 

Most prospective buyers can not visualize what a room would look like with new carpet, or new paint on the walls.  I think it's a leap to think they can look at a crowded room with a tree in it and imagine their over-size furniture in it.  If the homeowner moved the extra piece or two of furniture out to make room for the tree, then whatever room they squeezed the extra pieces into will appear crowded as well - there goes that spacious bedroom you advertised. 

Often, you will see the tree placed in front of a large window or in front of the fireplace which should be the focal point - not the tree.  A window with a view or a fireplace is usually a big selling point.  Again, if they can't see it - they can't buy it. 

Hire a certified home stager for one hour as a value-added bonus for your seller.  They will love you for it.  It's money well spent vs. a basket of fruit, bottle of wine, etc.  Let the certified home stager talk to the seller about Christmas tree alternatives, and they can actually help them decorate.  At the same time, IF the home was not staged prior to going on the market, they can create a larger space for prospective buyers to see when there is a showing.

A Sample of Holiday Decorating Alternatives Are:
Christmas stockings on the fireplace
Wreath hanging on the inside of the front door, or in place of artwork, or over the fireplace
Garland draped over the fireplace, mirrors, or wrapped around the railing going up the stairs
Holiday centerpieces, holiday candles
Bowl with colorful ornaments or add pine cones and sprigs of evergreen
Table set with your holiday dinnerware
Add apple & cinnamon or pine scents to the room
Pick out the "best of the best" of your holiday decor - but remove your existing decor
Plug-in candles in the window sill

Think "outside the box/tree."  My past clients after decorating for the holidays with Christmas tree alternatives have continued doing so.  The trade-off - a very festive "holiday look," and a huge time saver.  They can keep all of their existing furniture in the room, which they really need for friends and family who will visit over the holidays.  It's a nice change of "space."

Just say "No" to putting up a Christmas tree over the holidays when your listing is on the market.  I never tell my sellers "No" to the tree without giving them many holiday alternatives, which are very festive and great time savers.

Believe it or not, most sellers are actually relieved when I tell them "No."  They are stressed just having their home on the market in the first place.  Keeping their home "show ready" just adds to it, along with the usual demands of the holidays.  The notion that a seller will put up a tree just a couple of days before Christmas, and take it down soon afterwards seems hardly worth it, considering the time involved - unless you are talking about a table top style tree. 

Yes, there are normally less buyers looking for homes over the holidays (we'll see if that changes with the extended and expanded tax credit).  However, the buyers are always more motivated.  And, if you are lucky, you will have one to two showings during that time.  However, one to two showings is too many if a tree is up.  The average tree takes up the same space as a VW Bug (see my last blog - What Do Christmas Trees & VW Bugs Have In Common). 

As a Realtor, we are still selling space, regardless of the holidays.  "They can't buy it if they can't see it," still rings true.  Since most sellers will have their tree up - your property will definitely stand out from the competition, IF the tree does not go up. 

If you do not feel comfortable telling your seller "No" to the Christmas tree, then hire a certified home stager.  We are trained to explain how staging a home will make a home stand out from the competition, alternatives to putting up a big, old Christmas tree, and still make the home look festive.  Do not project your feelings about not putting up the tree on your sellers.  They honestly may not care as much as you do.

Make every showing count - all of them!

For all Realtors who have clients whose home may be on the market over the holidays and want to know if they should put up a Christmas tree - the answer is NO, please don't.  The only exception would be if the room your client would be placing the tree in is large enough to comfortably accommodate a VW bug!

It has been my experience that most Christmas trees once decorated and with presents placed under it - takes up the space of a VW bug.  The guidelines for selling a home any time of the year is, "We are selling space, right?  They [prospective buyers] can't buy it if they can't see it" - still holds true. 

The living room or great room generally speaking, is the largest room in the house.  This is the room that usually captures the heart of most women when buying a home.  They are not taking into account that there is a lot of furniture in the room in the first place, all squeezed together because you have also added a big, old tree.  Even if you moved a chair out of the room to add the tree, I venture to say, you would still have too much furniture in that room.  And, whatever room you decide to move that "extra" chair into, is now squeezed for space too.

It's all very basic to me as a Realtor over 15 years and a certified home stager.  How you live in a home is very different than how you prepare your home for sale.  There are absolutely no rules when it comes to space and design when your home is not on the market - that is the beauty of it, it is your home.  However, when your home is on the market, even over the holidays, you still need to make it feel "more spacious than your competition."  How do you do that?  Do NOT put up a Christmas tree!

If you do not feel comfortable telling your homeseller those dreaded words, then hire a certified home stager.  We are trained to explain the advantages of home staging, alternatives to putting up a big, old Christmas tree, and still have your home look festive. 

More than ever you can stand out from the competition over the holidays with the help of a certified home stager.  Call one today - the holidays are around the corner.

Count down to the tax credit expiring on November 30.  Question.  Do all of our clients and friends know that the tax credit is not exclusively for "first time" home buyers?  Do they know it is also for any buyer who has not owned real estate in the last 3 years?

I contacted my clients and friends to let them know what the guidelines were for getting the tax credit.  The media always states "first time" home buyers, and basically that is what most people remembers.  Let's contact our clients and friends, and spell out the guidelines.  Let's help the "other" first time home buyers gain a tax credit for 2009.

We've only have about a month to still get er' done.  Wth a qualified buyer, and a good lender - we can!

This book is soon to be released to the public (Fall 2009).  It has inspiring, humorous and idea-filled stories authored by 30 professional interior redesigners and home stagers - which I am one of them.  Why is this book so special, besides the fact that I wrote one chapter?  It describes real life tales of challenging, memorable, unique and fun interior redesign and staging experiences.  

I am guilty of saying in the past, "Yes, I am Realtor, and I stage my own listings."  Now that I have paid mega bucks for formal training in the field of Home Staging & Interior Design, I found that everything thing I THOUGHT I knew in regards to home staging - the formal training took it to a brand, new level!  In retrospect, I would gladly pay a certified home stager to stage my listings. 

Since I stage ALL my listings, regardless of the price point, on average, homes I list and sell is under contract in one month or less - even in the slow Denver market.

Yes, home staigng by a certified home stager make a HUGE difference in selling a home in less than half the time.  Isn't that why we went to college in the first place, and joined a board of Realtors - to separate ourselves from the competition?  The formal training makes a HUGE difference.

If you are not a certified home stager and a Realtor - make one part of your team today!

This recipe is not just for the holidays.  It's a recipe standard for year-round.  However, there are some Realtors that still need convincing.  Convincing that home staging works - not just on the high-end homes, but all properties.  Convincing that although you call yourself a stager, and stage your own listings, unless you have the formal training, there is still a lot to learn.  And, convincing that furnished homes sell faster than vacant homes - half the time, in fact.

Isn't that why we got our real estate license and joined a board - to separate ourselves from the competition?  That makes us stand out from the "for sale by owner" who thinks they are just as knowledgeable as Realtors.  I had an "eye for design," but the formal training I received 4 years ago took everything I thought I knew to a higher level.  Your clients deserve the best and so do you. 

Faster sale = happy sellers + you get a commission in less time. 

I offer FREE home staging for owner-occupied and vacant homes.  Homes I stage on average sell in one month in the Denver metro area.  You can offer inventory leasing for a vacant property as part of your marketing plan, split the costs, or have the homeowner pick up the total cost - whatever.  Either way, it's a small investment for a large return

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Add - 1 New Listing
Add - 1 Certified Home Stager
Wait - 1/2 days on market vs. a non-staged home
Results - Quick Sale = Big Return for Client & Realtor

What does home staging and the seasonal slowdown have in common?  Everything.  "How is that," you say?  If you want to continue selling homes at that same pace you did during the summer - home staging will be the key differance. 

I encourage my clients to go on the market or remain on the market during the seasonal slowdown.  Why?  A lot of seller's don't want to list their home then, or they take their home off the market during the holidays. 

Less competition + home staging = quick sale.

Maybe I am one of the few Realtors who encourage listing homes during the seasonal slowdown, but it works.  I have the luxury of being a certified home stager, with over 15 years of real estate experience.  I own inventory that I lease, and use myself.

When a client lists their home with me, I will stage their home for FREE - that also includes inventory for vacant properties.  Short term investment on my part with a big payoff for my seller and myself.

In today's real estate market, you need more than a good Realtor to sell a home.
Add value to your marketing plan and separate yourself from the competition. 

Offer a home staging consultation for a "honest" evaluation of your listing. 

Benefits:
Home stands out from the competition
Less days on the market 
Faster sale at the highest price
Increased equity for the seller
Quick closing
Less stress for the seller
More referrals from clients
Home staging costs less than a price reduction!  

As a Realtor since 1994, I get more listings because my marketing plan includes me staging their home from top to bottom.  I became a certified home stager in 2005, and started my own home staging company.  Both businesses compliment one another.  On average, homes we stage go under contract in one month.  

Home staging is a small investment which equals a huge return to the seller.  After all, we are working  in the seller's "best interest" right?