Peggy Givens - Tulsa's Home Stager

New Construction and Home Staging is Alive and Well in Tulsa Oklahoma!

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:09:27 -0700

Tulsa is having a great home selling season in 2010. Lots of homes have been sold and new construction is alive and kicking. Tulsa is a great city and a beautiful place to live.

I have posted a few before and after photos of a new construction that was staged by Staging Tulsa. The 'before' photos are last. The elctricity was not on yet.

What a difference a home staging makes!

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Peggy Givens is a home stager with STAGING TULSA serving the greater Tulsa Oklahoma area, including Broken Arrow, Bixby, Catoosa, Claremore, Coweta, Glenpool, Jenks, Owasso, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Tulsa and Wagoner. Please visit our web site www.stagingtulsa.com or call 918-520-7565.

Staging Tulsa Oklahoma: Great Photos are like Great Home Stagings

Fri, 21 May 2010 21:10:01 -0700

Home Staging is all about a great presentation and helping home shoppers with a great connection.

Guess what… so are the Internet photos.

Let me ask you a few questions. The two photos are of the same room, which master bedroom can you ‘feel’ or envision yourself living in? Which one offers you more connection to the room?

How do your internet photos look or how do you want them to look?

Today, the Internet is where we shop for homes. Think for a moment of your listing photos as your property’s ‘store front'. Think of a real estate search site as ‘The Mall’ and your property listing is a store within The Mall. At The Mall, shoppers walk by looking in the stores, checking out what is in the display window to see if they are interested in going inside. This is exactly what happens with home buyers. Thanks to iPhones, lap tops office PCs and home PCs, we can cover many ‘stores’ in a small amount of time, almost any time we want.

There are many homes for sale… which photos will catch the eyes of the home buyer…

will it be yours?

Lots of traffic is the number one goal of your listing photos.

Great Photos are like Great Home Stagings,

they invite a home buyer to pick up the phone and call their Realtor.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Do You Have a Mission Statment? You Should.

Wed, 19 May 2010 18:48:52 -0700

What is a Mission Statement and why should I have one?

Glad you asked.

"A mission statement defines in a paragraph or so any entity's reason for existence. It embodies its philosophies, goals, ambitions and mores. Any entity that attempts to operate without a mission statement runs the risk of wandering through the world without having the ability to verify that it is on its intended course."

(Taken from MissionStatments.com)

You can visit this website for helpful inspiration and good examples on how to make your own.

Before you begin this journey (this will take a little while so don't rush it) sit and think about why you do what you do. What drives you and what is your heart saying about it. Mine is simple, not a paragraph, but just one thought... one sentence. (I will continue to perfect this, but this is my course.)

"Fulfilling dreams by connecting homes with families, through home staging."

This is what I will keep before me as a reminder to stay on the right path that I have set for myself.

Best wishes in your endeavors.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

HOW TO start a Facebook business or fan page

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:35:25 -0800

(Be sure to come back and 'fan' everyone on AR - it's nice to have fans.)

Please stop by and see my page AND don't forget to 'fan' me!

Staging Tulsa Facebook Business page Thanks!

HERE IS WHAT YOU DO:

http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=12809 --- a link to the easy directions.

If THE LINK DOES NOT WORK, here is what I did.

Go to the very bottom of your profile page, then:

HELP CENTER

ADDS AND BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

PAGES FOR BUSINESS (has a little fan flag)

Here you click on CREATING Admin & editing link

HOW CAN I CREATE A PAGE

*** Once you have your FB fan page, copy your link in the URL and paste it into your profile page information box, just below your profile pic. Invite your friends to fan you.

It's nice to do business on your business page and your personal stuff on your profile page - which includes some yahoos! when your staged homes sell (with pics)!

Active Rain's Mike Mueller recently did a Facebook Business Page Webinar and it was great. Lots to learn, but some GREAT general tips. The next time he has one, sit in on it.

If you do not have a FB logo located on your posts, add a link to your AR signature so we can 'become a fan'!

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Home Stagers Help Dreaming & Imagination Come to Life in Oklahoma

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:26:35 -0800

Home Stagers Help Dreaming & Imagination Come to Life in Oklahoma!

This Rental Property has been Transformed and is Now Ready to Sell!

Everything in this cute cottage style home was cleaned, painted AND repaired. Just this step alone, will give home sellers a great launch into the real estate market with an edge on their competition. BUT, some smart sellers will take selling to the next step which is: HOME STAGING.

Home staging brings to the table an entirely different dimension in the 'selling' process. Once a home has been staged, dreaming & imagination come to life... it is called suggestive selling or marketing.

Smart home sellers realize that the sale of their property begins on the Internet. Either on the PC at lunch break or iPhone while waiting at the doctors office, this is the NEW WAY TO SHOP FOR HOMES TODAY.

An empty house offers nothing to the buyer except the ability to see ALL of the home's flaws. A staged home allows buyers vision and imagination. Your great staged INTERNET PHOTOS will bring buyers to your property and once inside, buyers begin to dream.

(And remember: the first 30 days your home is on the market, is the very best time to get it sold!)

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

I can stage it myself! Why do I need a Home Stager's help in Oklahoma?

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:40:26 -0800

Other than the fact that I didn't have a very good camera at the time, these photos show why it can be much better for the sale of your home, to bring in a professional home stager. Let me explain.

In the lower pic, this home owner had staged her house herself. Before she had scheduled with us, this home owner had gone through the house and packed up items she felt were not necessary in showing her home. Her fellow Realtors THEN toured the home and thought it was beautiful, AND it was. BUT, it was still too taste specific.

Okay, now think about this: How can someone depersonalize their own home when they are the ones who decorated it in the first place? It is a personalized home and trying to take oneself out of the home is virtually impossible. True, you can bring friends over, but are they going to know what needs to stay, what needs to go and where it all needs to be placed for a sellable presentation?

Home Staging is not decorating... it is MARKETING. Knowing and understanding this concept is the beginning of selling your home quicker and for more profit.

Take a look at the photo again. Do you find yourself looking at the things in the home (lower pic) or can you see how much easier it is to see the HOUSE (above pic) and not the decorating.The room look much larger too.

PLUS, this may not be a style you like at all and getting past it may be difficult. This personal style is BRANDING this home with its style. Here is why.

90% of home buyers cannot visualize their things in your home. They will use what is or is not in the home for help in trying to 'see' in their minds eye, what their furnishings will look like and how they will or will not fit things into the house. 10% are left with the ability to visualize.

Be sure to ask your self: how does my house and yard look and how do the internet photos look?

And don't forget, home staging is MARKETING.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Home Staging Tip for Oklahoma: Doggie Doors - Take 'em or Leave 'em

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:06:59 -0800

Doggie doors are the greatest invention of ALL time. My cats use their "window door" all of the time. It was so nice to finally get them trained... now I am free. But, what if I am a buyer and don't have a dog or cat - this means I will need to replace the door after I move in. Home owners today generally don't have the time or energy to make changes to their newly purchased home right at or soon after they move in.. Most likely, they have been busy updating THEIR OWN home for sale and now don't want to buy a house that will need more of the same... at least not right away.

Most everything you will do to your house in preparation to sale, will bring you great returns... including a sale!

If you can, replace doggie doors before you list especially if it is on the inside of the home. These are the doors that are easier to replace. In this photo, the homeowner had this hollow core door replaced and it took this room from looking like a room next to the garage (this door went into the laundry room) to looking "dressed" to be simply a nice sellable room.

Put your self behind the home buyer's eyes.

Think about what they may want, not what you have liked while you lived in and loved this home.

No more doggie door!

This room looks fresh with no sign of pets.

The home owner also took out the cabinet over the counter to give this potential office area a better look.

(doggie door)

Most everything you do to your house in preparation to sell, will bring you great returns... including a sale!

This is what HOME STAGING is all about.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

In the Pink!

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:17:01 -0800

It just doesn't get any better than this (well, maybe purple... or tangerine)!

Before: The pink house... EVERYTHING was pink with the exceptions of the roof and deck (red stain, gray roof). Even the chimney was pink... even the flowers are pink!!

The interior was much the same. pink, pink and pink. The exceptions were the kitchen and the deep cherry red living-room.

After: Our recommended colors look great on this ranch. The house now compliments the other neighborhood homes, adding value to their property as well as to this sellers.

This home sold in 34 days.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Marketing your Oklahoma home for sale? A picture is worth a thousand words.

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:11:58 -0800

It's true.

When we shop online for clothes, doesn't that black velvet dress look much better on the beautiful skinny model than in the lifeless picture? The seller has marketed that dress so you will want it and buy it.

And what about car commercials? The shinny red Cadillac with the beautiful red-head driving it - there was a shot of her shinny red heel on the gas pedal (remember that one). Really, do we need to know what the gas pedal of Cadillac looks like? Now that is marketing.

A picture is worth a thousand words. It's true.

Over 85% of home buyers shop for their homes online. Your Internet presence is your MARKETING.

Take a look at your listing photos as a buyer would and what do you see? Be honest.

Is it a 'beautiful model' or is it a lifeless picture?

Market your home so buyers will want it and BUY it.

Here’s a great comment from Judy Peterson's post:

"It still amazes me how many people still do not understand why their house needs to look like a catalog if they want to sell it fast. And yet, if you take that same person out shopping for houses, they're equally as picky."

Marketing your home for sale? A picture IS worth a thousand words.

Ask your Realtor where you can find a home stager OR just Google 'home staging' and your city.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Is it okay to use Christmas decorations in my Oklahoma home while it is for sale?

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:06:45 -0800

Yes it is, especially if you live in the home that is for sale. It is not necessary to decorate an unoccupied home though (if you do, be sure to take decorations down RIGHT after Christmas). Here is something to think about as you decorate.

Christmas decorations can be too personal and distract home buyers from looking at your home. Either they are SO beautiful that buyers become too busy looking at the decorations OR because they can't believe you decorated your house in a way they are not accustomed to! Either way is not good for a sale!

Simple decorating is your best choice.

Even better, let nature decorate for you!

You can go one of two ways... either decorate with only a tree and front door wreath or skip the decorations altogether. You don't want to hinder the sale of your house so DO consider what your BUYERS will think while in your home. To see more home staging tips, please visit my website.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Home Staging TIPS for your Oklahoma 'for Sale by Owner' Home

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:45:10 -0800

There is lots of work to be done if you are selling your home on your own. The old 'sign in in the front yard' is only the beginning! Here are a few reminders.

#1. Show a SQUEAKY CLEAN house - this includes cabinets and closets.

#2. Get ready to LIVE squeaky clean every day your house is on the market! Everyday, Remember to make your bed, take a small sack and go through the house and collect clutter (just takes 3 minutes), empty kitchen sink, etc. Buyers love well kept homes!

#3. Stage your home to sell. Refresh your home with new sofa pillows, new fireplace screen, new neutral comforter sets and fresh towels. New furnishings will give a house a 'well cared for' feeling. Is there too much furniture in the house? This will it make seem cramped and look small. Are your window treatments open? Bright and airy sells homes.

Are your furnishings dated? pack them away, they are presenting your house to buyers with an 'I'm an old house' look - this is a very negative effect. Just take them out! This will also give your home the 'less crowded' feel that you want.

#4. The outside of your home is as important as the inside. EVEN in the winter months. Don't skimp, use a great mulch and use plenty of it. Keep your front entrance swept - every day. This area is the buyer's first impression - make it a great one.

#5. Market you home well! Home Staging IS marketing.

These home staging tips for your 'for sale by owner' home will get you off to a great beginning...

oh, and still put the sign in the front yard ;)

Good Luck!

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

Curb Appeal Brings a Lasting Impression when Staging your House for Sale in Oklahoma!

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:44:15 -0800

Your home needs just as much WOW FACTOR on the exterior as it does the interior. The first impression begins when the home buyer sees your house listed on the Internet, then it continues as they drive up to visit the house that has grabbed their interest! If this key area (curb appeal) doesn't get their attention, you may NEVER get them into your house.

Great CURB APPEAL begins a lasting impression for home buyers and helps to create that 'I desire to live here' feeling.

Home buyers are looking for a house to fill their vision of their DREAM HOME and it is up to you to bring this to them when staging your home for sale. Begin with the curb appeal!

This freshly painted exterior sold this home! We painted the front porch deck too (it was a faded red)! If you want to see the before shot plus tour this home, see the before and after photos page, click on VIDEOS.

Make sure this very important part of your home is staged to perfection!

Remember, a first impression is a lasting one.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

"I see home staging shows on HGTV all the time, but is it all really necessary in Oklahoma?"

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:59:58 -0800

Most often this is the scenario in home selling - it goes like this: "let's try putting the house on the market and see what happens. If it doesn't sell, we will lower the price. If it still has not sold in a few months, we will lower the price again."

On it goes until the house is sold or taken off the market. There is so much more you can do to sell your home! Why pay another costly price reduction, another mortgage payment, another electric bill or continue to wonder if you have done all you can do to help the sell of your home. It does cost you to have a home sitting on the market. Once the homeowner gets discouraged, growing tired of showing their house (or not showing it), the upkeep can go down along with their spirits. This will also cost you in the long run.

Selling your home within the first 30 days of its listing date, should be your goal. Realtors will tell you this. When your house hits the market, it should be at it's best sell-able price and showing at its very best. This winning combination will sell your house. Great photos come from great home staging. Great photos are a must as over 85% of home buyers shop from their computers, laptops and iPhones while at lunch, on a break, waiting at the doctor's office and from the comfort of their own homes.

This is the time you will get the most hits on your house... when it is a NEW listing. Once a buyer has seen your home, they have no need to go back to it... unless SOMETHING grabbed their interest.The only time your listing can become like a NEW listing again is if the price is lowered into a different price level of buyers.

Realtors like to show staged homes
Buyers like to see a staged home & dream of owning it
Home sellers will give their house its best launch into the housing market, competing at its very best!

"I see home staging shows on HGTV all the time, but is it all really necessary in Oklahoma?"... Yes it is!

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

What color of beige paint should I use?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:33:12 -0800

This is a question that I never hear, but everyone should ask.

Beige. My quest for the understanding of the color of beige paint began after we bought a 5 year old home that was ALL 'builders beige' beige. This beige had pink undertones and it was EVERYWHERE. We loved our new house so much, but we couldn't figure out why we kept referring to it as 'the apartment'! (these are not photos of our home, couldn't find a good one)

I have learned A LOT about the color beige since I read a blog titled 'what everyone should know about beige' by Maria Killam. It use to be a very confusing issue to me, but now, with a little training, I can see why our house felt like an apartment and why all beiges aren't alike and DON"T all work together. What color of beige paint should I use? It all depends on the 'undertone' of the beige paint.

Okay, here it is in a nut shell: green undertones, yellow undertones or pink undertones - that's it, it is that simple. BUT, next comes the hard part, it's time to TRAIN the eye to SEE these undertones. As an exercise for this effort, I painted several white foam boards (12"X12") each in one of the 3 basic beige undertone colors and I take them with me when visiting a new client. When placed next to the carpet, or beige wall if helping select a beige carpet, I then can tell what color beige was used and what needs to be used. Now it makes sense why the beiges in the client's attempted color design don't work together!

What color of beige paint should I use? Now you know :)

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager

How much does home staging cost in Tulsa Oklahoma?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:41:41 -0800

This is the number one question home sellers will ask before they are even aware of what a home staging really is and what it can actually do for the sell of their home. Many home stagers are reluctant to give out their prices before they have the chance to help home sellers see the real value of a staging. Pricing will always vary according to the size of the house, amount of rooms staged and the many other home variation factors, but I hope this this will give you an idea what home staging cost is like in the Tulsa Oklahoma area.

Cost begins at $125 for a consultation. Please, please do not underestimate the power of a consultation. Getting an outsiders professional opinion can be priceless.

After a consultation, the next step is the staging of the property. The more services provided by a home staging company the higher the cost will be. While it is not uncommon for a Realtor to pay for a consultation, home sellers generally will pay for their home to be staged. A home staging will pay for itself in the long run. What this means is; when your home sells quickly, you have less price reductions, less mortgage payments, far less hassle. Take a look at our before and after photos

This is a general price range of a staged room per month.

Living room $150- $500
Dining room $100- $500
Bedroom w/Queen size bed $100- $450
Office $75 - $350
Kitchen/b.nook $100- $450

All homes are not the same so all home stagings will not be either. To see a more in depth explanation of our cost visit my website Staging Tulsa.

Don't forget, you are trying to sell one of the largest investments you have... your home.

Peggy

Creating a warm and inviting 'connection' for home buyers to get emotionally attached to just might sell your home. This Tulsa house was once empty.

Learn how Professional Home Staging will change the way you sell your home.

Peggy Givens, Tulsa's Home Stager