REALTORS: Do you leave the Toilet Seat up? - 01/31/10 01:27 PM
It sounds like a strange question - but really, it isn't!  When you are taking pictures for your listings, do you leave the toilet seat up?
I was looking at some listings near a home that is on my schedule tomorrow, and there was a picture of the commode with the seat up. This prompted my to post to The Stage Coach's FB Page:
"The Stage Coach hates to say this, but he's going to say it any ways: if your REA doesn't put the toilet seats down when they are photographing your home, how do you think they are going … (65 comments)

Schlitterbahn Development in Cedar Park - 01/29/10 09:47 AM
Thanks to Laura for posting this - I'm not wild about the Tax dollars being pumped into this project on one hand... On the other hand... Not having to drive out to New Braunfels would be a great asset... The spot they were discussing is about 20 minutes from our house on the back roads...
http://www.hillcountrynews.com/articles/2010/01/28/news/news29.txt
Via Laura Ivy Blessing (Keller Williams ):
http://www.hillcountrynews.com/articles/2010/01/28/news/news29.txt
 
Today the Cedar Park City Council approved a 96-acre commercial development (located not far from the Parmer and 1431 intersection) that will include a hotel, conference center, water park and retail component.
The media keeps pushing that this … (0 comments)

facebook ignoring option for simple courtesy? - 01/28/10 04:48 PM
Some one please direct me if my rant comments are incorrect - I'd love to know how you do the following: Send a direct message to a new Fan.
When some one comes to The Stage Coach's Facebook page and becomes a Fan, why can't I send them a direct message?  I have to become a Friend if I want to post on most people's wall. But maybe I don't want to Friend every one who becomes a Fan. 
I looked at sending an update. But I have to send those to every one, or sort demographically. And there may always … (10 comments)

My ROI in this year's Christmas Cards - 01/25/10 10:12 AM
Each year, I send Christmas Cards out to clients: REALTORs, other Home Stagers, business affiliates, etc.  And I was going to thin the list this year.  Initially, only cards were sent to people who worked with The Stage Coach in 2009.  Since there were many cards left over, I went ahead and sent them to 2008's clients as well, even if I had not heard from them since we last worked together.
Any ways, in early January, I received an email from a well established and successful REALTOR Team.  I had performed a small job for them in 2008 when their … (7 comments)

The Stage Coach cracks the case of the mystery Home Staging Co. [*Satire*] - 01/05/10 03:04 PM
[Warning! *Satire & Sarcasm*]
For several years now, a local Home Staging company has been offering Free Vacant Home Staging services and promising they will turn "vacant homes into living models that sell." Their pitch is to move a family of Unicorns into the home and they will magically make the home appeared lived in and remain nice and tidy.  Well, actually, that's an exaggeration - there are no Unicorns.  But their promise is almost that fantastic: they provide Home Managers to pay rent to the home owner, move into the home while it is for sale, and take care of … (18 comments)

The Stage Coach's 1 & 1/2 Rule... - 01/04/10 10:02 AM
...is a simple rule of thumb for determining cramped spaces.  It's really quite simple and I use it all of the time during consultations:  An area of the home, primarily those buyers would walk through, that measures less than 1 & 1/2 of The Stage Coach across is too cramped. 
Considering myself "Larger than Average", I think this rule works out great, and more importantly, it is a great visual that home owners can understand.  This rule was created one day when I was at a friend's house, holding my younger daughter's hand, and we could not get into their living … (13 comments)