Team Whitten shares a wealth of real estate knowledge which allows each of us  to use our own strengths to best market and sell your home.  We have a list of designations which to most people just look like strange letters after our names.  I’ll try to explain what they mean, and I’ll start with one of my own. 

I’m Sarah Cooper and among other things I am an ASP, or an Accredited Staging Professional.  What this means is that I have trained and continue to study Staging as a means to help my clients sell their homes faster and for more money, regardless of market conditions.

There are two vital aspects to selling your home.  The first is Price.  Your house MUST be priced correctly in order to sell, or it will linger on the market.  You will end up having to reduce your price, probably to an amount lower than you might have been able to receive had your property been priced correctly from the beginning. 

The second is Condition.  You want your house to be free from defects, in good overall shape and as appealing as possible to the majority of buyers.  It might be a good idea to have a preemptive home inspection and take care of any needed repairs before putting your house on the market.  This will give you a very strong negotiating stance.

Another good idea is to use a qualified Stager to prepare your home for the market.

Your home should be at its very cleanest and free from clutter.  Then begins the job of transforming your home back into “a house”, something we can market and sell.

You have probably worked very hard to get your home to reflect your own tastes and personality.  Your home fits you, and people may feel that they know you better after visiting you there.  The trick is that when it comes time to sell, you need your house to appeal to a much wider audience. 

Decorating is personalizing a space just for you.  Staging helps your home to look inviting to nearly anyone who views it.

A qualified Stager will look at your home with buyer’s eyes and help emphasize the best features.  Often I use only what you already have in the home, so that there is very little out-of-pocket expense.  My goal is to help you receive a better return on your investment.

There is no additional charge for Staging your home when you list with me.  The only payment I receive is my normal commission upon the successful sale of your home. 

If you have any further questions about Staging, please feel free to call me at (304) 206-1457.

This is the first post for Team Whitten's new blog.  You may know me already as I write on Active Rain for myself as well, I am Sarah Cooper and I will probably be doing most of the talking for the team.  (Unless I can drag Duck off the golf course, turn on the computer for him and tell him what to do ... nah, it's all me.) 

Our team is made up of, from back left, Duck Underwood, Rick Whitten, Pat Murphy, then Georgeann Underwood, Misty Taylor and me.

We are pioneering the team concept in our area.  We are six agents working together in a way that benefits our clients and ourselves.  Having six agents together gives us increased advertising dollars, allows us to specialize in different areas and helps us to meet the needs of our clients in a way that would be nearly impossible for an individual agent.  It also allows us to have days off and time with family, which is vital to staying happy in any line of work.

We offer expert home pricing, negotiation skills, superior marketing and more.  Our team members hold such designations as Graduates of the Real Estate Institute, an Accredited Staging Professional, e-PRO Internet Marketing Specialists, Accredited Buyer Representative and Certified New Home Specialists.  

In future posts I hope to show off some of our listings as well as explain who we are and why we love this job.  We believe our team gives our clients better accessibility, improved communication and a better overall experience.  If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Putnam, Kanawha or Cabell counties in West Virginia, please contact us to see what we can do for you.