Thomas's Showhomes Blog

Newly Staged in Jacksonville's Marsh Landing

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:08:15 -0600

Jared Biby of Showhomes Jacksonville emailed me these photos of a stunning home they just staged with a live in home manager in Marsh Landing, the exclusive golf community in Ponte Vedra:

Wow - what a difference! Builder Biege is tough in today's market. Every home has similar, monochromatic colors and if buyers look at several homes, the rooms quickly run together. I love the pattern on the area rug - it really changes the feel of the room. Great job by Kaye Biby on staging this home!

Nice work!

Thomas Scott www.showhomes.com

On the market 503 Days before Staging, Sold in 32 Days in Elmhurst, IL

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:10:33 -0600

Laura Johnson of Showhomes Naperville in the Western Suburbs of Chicago emailed me today about a great success story from a home in Elmhurst they recently staged:

'We have great news to share about one of our new construction homes! After

503 days on the market, the home sold within 32 days of Showhomes staging it!"

Here's some before and after of this really nice home:

Great job! This is one of two homes we staged for a builder who started the process before the market dropped. I love that we really get to help people in dire straits using home staging to help sell a home. This home, like most that we stage, is staged with a live-in Home Manager. Another beautiful home that avoided the short-sale and foreclosure option and sold for a great price!

Great work!

Thomas Scott, www.showhomes.com

We're recuiting!

Newly Staged in South Tampa

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:06:51 -0600

On a field visit to Tampa where Showhomes has three locations, I was able to view this $1 million dollar in-fill new contruction home in South Tampa. This 3-story home has a lot to offer and looks amazing now that it is staged:

We've had a really successful run of home sales this year, far outstripping the local market conditions. In Florida and especially in Jacksonville and Tampa, we've sold over 40 homes with an average list price of $816,000. These homes have been on the market for an average of more than a year before we stage them (they are all vacant) and we've been able to turn them around in an average of 132 days.

Those are great numbers for the luxury market theses days - there are few buyers and far too many homes for sale. This segment of the market is not seeing the short-lived spikes the lower end segments are seeing becuase the FHA mortgages and first-time buyer credits don't apply.

Great work!

Thomas Scott, www.showhomes.com

We're recuiting!

Scam Artists Prey on Owners of Vacant Homes For Sale in Down Market

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:28:25 -0600

Home Staging Company Employs Live In Caretakers to Protect Homeowners and Sell
Homes



As foreclosures continue to spike and the number of vacant homes on the market
for sale spirals higher, homeowners are increasingly vulnerable to companies
that peddle questionable services or outright scams. 

Thomas Scott, vice president of operations for Showhomes, the country`s largest
home staging company, says conditions are ripe in the foreclosure and high-end
housing market for exploitation, where such a high percentage of vacant homes
are lingering on the market for a year, two years or more. He encourages
consumers to be on the alert. 

"These are really scary times for owners of vacant homes," Scott says. "Almost
daily, we read in the paper about vandalism, theft, parties in vacant homes,
expensive repairs and plummeting property values that come from leaving homes
vacant and for sale. In some cases we`re seeing fly-by-night companies moving
home squatters into vacant properties in the hopes of wrestling possession of
the home from the owner. It`s unbelievable." 


Vacant home damaged by vandals in Phoenix

"Letting a home sit empty is a recipe for disaster," Scott says. "Home sellers
need reputable managed staging and live-in stagers more than ever these days." 

"The prospect of selling a home for 20-30 percent below its real value, and in
many cases waiting years for it to sell, is hard enough," Scott adds. "Now you
have to worry about sneaky scam artists trying to take advantage of distressed
homeowners." 

Showhomes, which currently has 56 franchises in 23 states, is having dramatic
success in today's tough real estate market with its innovative blend of
impeccable home staging and method of employing qualified people as live-in
caretakers to keep homes in show condition. It`s all above board - no squatting,
taking possession or scamming involved. 

And, it`s and remarkably effective. 


Home staged by Showhomes with Live In Home Managers

In a recent case study, homes in Chicago staged by Showhomes with live-in home
managers sold for 93 percent of the original list price when using home managers
to stage. Comparable homes left vacant for sale sold for 75-85 percent of the
original list price. Homes staged with home managers sold in 4-5 months and
vacant homes took well over a year to sell, if they sold at all. 


Showhomes - www.showhomes.com
Thomas Scott, 615-483-4923
VP Operations
tscott@showhomes.com

A Challenging Space to Stage and Sell!

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:56:47 -0500

Every now and then we get asked at Showhomes to stage a home outside our comfort level. Anyone with expereince and enough inventory can make a pretty room and an amazing home look great. However, it takes someone with real skill to stage and sell a home with small spaces. Cindy Montgomery emailed me photos of this very challenging small cottage she staged and that sold in 10 days last week:

I can see why this home sold so fast! This home, although totally updated and in a great area of Minneapolis, has some really small spaces. Vacant, these spaces look really difficult to live in and staged they look very comfortable and usable. This is a great home for a single professional or starter home for a couple.

Great work!

Thomas Scott, www.showhomes.com

We're recruiting

Home Staging Testimonial in Milwaukee

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:36:34 -0500

Donne Muelver, owner of Showhomes Southeast Wisconson, emailed me this excellent testimonial from a listing Realtor on a home we just staged and sold:

Hi Donna,

I was very impressed with Showhomes! After six months on the market, our sellers were relocating and needed to have their home staged and decided to go with Showhomes. We were thrilled to receive two offers within three weeks of the staging! Donna's professionalism and expertise made the entire process seamless. I would highly recommend Showhomes, and encourage Realtors to contact Donna for details on this very innovative and unique way to help sellers with a vacant home.

Sincerely,

Sue Nikolic ABR

Take a look at Donna's work:

Great work and yet another reason you should stage a home in today's market. You DO have to win the beauty contest in today's market to sell a home!

Thomas Scott, www.showhomes.com

We're recruiting

Home Staging Success Story in Fox Valley, Chicago

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:10:14 -0500

Mike Callahan, owner of Showhomes Fox Valley in the western suburbs of Chicago, emailed me his recent success story. A home he recently staged with a live-in home manager sold in less than 90 days after over a year on the market:

Great work and another happy homeowner and Realtor!

Thomas Scott, Showhomes

We're recruiting!

Banks turn to home staging to sell homes

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:47:57 -0500

The Jacksonville Business Journal ran an article on Showhomes today and how we are doing more and more bank business nationwide. For many banks, the type of staging we provide fits their needs. Showhomes got its start doing bank owned homes in the 1980s and we contiue today. Take a look:

Heritage Bank Senior Vice President Greg Totten was a skeptic when he decided to try using a home staging company to sell a bank-owned property that had been on the market in Queens Harbour for nearly a year at $2 million.

After a home manager moved in and staged the 6,000-square-foot home, the number of showings increased as well as the dollar amount of the offers before it went under contract in September to sell for $1.5 million. Totten’s now a believer in home staging.

Home stagers specialize in furnishing and decorating vacant homes to make them look lived-in for prospective buyers. Although the industry started as an indirect result of the savings and loan crisis in the mid-1980s when lenders needed help selling a glut of foreclosed homes, since then most homes have been staged for homeowners — until now.

“Banks are looking to try to get the most from the homes they now have,” said Totten, who is the branch manager at the Ponte Vedra Beach branch of Heritage Bank. “We came out, over all, I think pretty well.”

In the last three to four months Showhomes franchise owners Jim and Kaye Biby said they’ve seen an increasing interest from lenders looking for help to sell some of the homes they’ve had to foreclose on. The Queens Harbour home was the first foreclosed home the Bibys helped sell with a home manager who actually lived on site during the staging process. They’ve already signed a contract with a regional bank, which preferred not to be named, to help sell one, maybe two foreclosed homes and is negotiating a contract with a third.

Kaye Biby, Showhomes Jacksonville

The Bibys have also staged a short sale home in Palencia that sold in 21 days in March and have signed a contract to stage another short sale in the World Golf Village.

The Bibys say they think lenders are becoming more interested in their staged properties, which typically include live-in home managers, because it reduces the bank’s overhead.

Even though bank-owned home staging is growing, the Bibys expect it to remain a small portion of their overall portfolio. So far this year, the franchise has helped sell 17 homes for a total value of $16 million compared with 21 homes for a total value of $21 million in 2008. Only one of the homes sold so far this year was a foreclosure and one was a short sale. They had no foreclosures or short sales last year.

In the past most banks maintained minimal upkeep on foreclosed homes, often selling them as is. Lynn Vitel, broker at Vitel Realty Group of Keller Williams Realty, said now with competition stiff in the residential real estate market, banks too are looking for a competitive edge.

“Staging means everything. It lets people visualize what the rooms are,” Vitel said. “The banks are having to smarten up.”

Sandy Steiner, an agent with Re/Max Specialists who used Showhomes to stage a property that was not a owned by a lender, said she expects that as market values continue to decline more lenders will reach out to home stagers.

“Banks are taking on a larger responsibility,” Steiner said. “They don’t want to be blamed for that one foreclosed property bringing down the property value for the whole neighborhood.”

Christy McCarthy, owner of Jacksonville-based Interiors Revitalized, said that while she hasn’t actually staged any lender-owned properties yet, she too has noticed the interest, and she understands why.

“It’s crucial to get these homes back in top-dollar condition so they don’t lose any more money,” McCarthy said.

Thomas Scott, Showhomes

Franchise Information

This isn't what I meant by going green

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:39:14 -0500

At Showhomes, we stage all types of homes. Some are amazing, beautiful homes that look stunning when staged and some are, ummm - more challenging?

We strive to make every home we stage look amazing. Some just take more work. At our training class last week in Nashville we deconstructed an already staged home and spent a day putting it back together:

This $800k hilltop tudor home was built about 20 years ago. The home has amazing views and state of the art fixtures for its age. Here's the main room our class had to work with and as you can see, it's a bit of sage overload:

The carpet and walls are green. The light fixtures are green. When this room is empty, it is just plain green! How do you tone down the mono-chromatic colors? With the 2-story wall of windows, how do you use the fireplace? making it worse, the traffic pattern runs right through the middle of the room.

After moving couches and chairs all over the room, our class settled on what I think is the right way to stage this room:

They used the fireplace as the focal point, pulled the furniture off the walls, made it so everyone could reach the coffee table (a must for good conversation groups) and used the hearth as additional seating. The traffic pattern goes around the grouping, not through it and there are large accesories to make the room pop.

When you add in lamps and soften the lighting, the room isn't nearly as green. After staging the room, we noticed that everyone wanted to plop down on the couch or in a chair - the room went from cold and green to warm and comfortable.

Thomas Scott, Showhomes

www.showhomes.com

Franchise Information

Book Review: The No Complaining Rule

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:39:41 -0500

It's easy to get negative in today's real estate market. I come across all types of negative Realtors, home owners, home buyers and people who love to complain about the market.

Ever worked with a complainer? Have someone on your team who is always negative, finding an endless stream of critical things to say?

Have you noticed how these people suck the life out of a business and take the fun out of work?

I just read through Jon Gordon’s The No Complaining Rule. The short, 136 page book was easy to read and hit on some of my favorite points about working as a team.

As a rule, I avoid negative people and I work hard to be a solutions-oriented person at work and at home. I gravitate towards enthusiastic and positive people and like most people I avoid negative people like the plague. I believe this is critical in a down real estate market - people are looking for a message of hope and a solution to the crisis. Complaining simply helps no one.

Here are some points I learned from reading this book:

1. Complaining serves little purpose. It sucks the life out of company, is hurtful to those around you and kills both productivity and moral.

2. One negative person can create a miserable office environment for everyone else.

3. Complaining and negativie emotions are associated with:

decreased life span
fewer friends
increased risk of heart attack
more stress
less success

The book is worth a read for anyone who works with others or has a family. In other words, it should be manditory reading for anyone in your office or family!

The book focuses on positive thoughts and behavior as the key to eradicating negativity:

Start with yourself – you might be more of a complainer than you realize. Lead by example!
Try not to complain. At all.
If you can’t avoid a complaint or a negative statement, add a ‘but’ to the end and stack on two solutions.
Start your day with gratitude – be thankful for the things you have. If you are stuck in traffic, be thankful you have a nice car to drive.
Avoid saying ‘I have to…’ and replace it with “I get to….” Don’t say “I have to work late to finish this job.’ Say, ‘I GET TO finish this job!’

If you’ve read it, let me know by leaving a comment. I’m going to make my kids read it and buy some copies for my office. How about you?

Thomas Scott, Showhomes

www.showhomes.com

Franchise Information

Staging With Black and White

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:19:34 -0500

On field visits to many of the homes we've staged, I've seen some really creative use of Black and White to make rooms both memorable and contrasty. Even in builder-biege rooms, the black and white makes for a sharp and smart look and I find that buyers can easily remember these rooms after looking at homes all day.

They may not like the sharp look for themselves but it jumps out among all the other homes they see that look alike. It's a bold move to increase stickiness of a listing. See for yourself:

Have you experimented with using Black and White to stage rooms? If so, what's your expereince been?

Thomas Scott, Showhomes

www.showhomes.com

Franchise Information

Tough Room to Stage

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:18:00 -0500

Linda Saavedra of Showhomes Tampa emailed me these photos she was really proud of today. This room, as is typical in Florida, had all white, even the white tile floor. Vacant, this is a harsh room and feels like an operating room. These rooms, very contemporary in nature, can be really difficult to stage. Take a look at what she did:

Here's the after and this home sold in 7 DAYS:

I love the cozy conversation grouping near the fireplace - this gives buyers the ability to visualize some real activities. The sea-grass rugs work really well in FL (and just about anywhere else, too) and she added some color which takes the edge off this room.

What would you have done here? Have any feedback?

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Franchise Information

Great Before and After - Sold in 39 Days

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:17:05 -0500

This Minneapolis home sold in 39 days after staging by Showhomes. This beautiful home had been on the market for 1.5 years before it was staged. The owner and Realtor beleive the staging is what made the difference and we agree! like many homes, the interior of this home was wide open space and when vacant buyers spent very little time in the home. With nothing to help them undersatnd how the space could become the next chapter in their lives, they just blitzed the home. See for yourself:

Wow! I know I would spend more time in the staged version of this home. I particulary like that it is neutral. Although this home is in Minneapolis, it could be anywhere. This same decor would work in many cities.

$720k Minnepolis Home Sold in 7 Days

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:24:33 -0500

We're on a roll at Showhomes!

Showhomes' Cindy Montgomery, possibly one of the best home stagers in the country, emailed me with pics of a home that sold this week in 7 days. Edina Realty Realtor Paul Pudlitzke is surely happy with this result. This renovated infill home had been on the market for a long time before. Within 7 days of moving our Home Managers in and staging the home sold for very near asking price. Take a look:

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Franchise Information

Home Sales Success in Tampa

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:24:54 -0500

Linda Saavedra, owner of Showhomes Tampa, emailed me with some pics and an amazing story about her home staging business in Tampa:

Hi Linda,

I just want to thank you for doing a fantastic job with my listing in Tampa which had been on the market for a year and 1/2 before learning about your services. My listing was a vacant custom built pool home which lacked the warmth and connectability. I had an almost full price offer within a week of your staging with the home managers' furnishings, and 25% higher offer than the 2 offers that had come in a week prior to the home being staged. Your professionalism, responsiveness, attention to detail, and marketing skills are First Class! I have already referred you to many fellow realtors. Thank you Linda and Showhomes Tampa & I look forward to partnering together in the future. Your results since you're Grand Opening speak for themselves. It really works!!

Tracy Truitt

Realtor

Century 21 Elite Locations, Inc.

Since this email, Linda had two other homes sell only days apart. One had been on the market for well over a year and sold in an amazing 8 days. Two days later, a 3rd home sold in 7 days! All three of these homes are staged with Home Managers (live in home stagers.) Adding life back to the home really does make a difference!

Here are some of her pics:

Great work - good staging taylored to the target buyer in that market and it produces results. If you've got a vacant listing in or around Tampa, give us a call and see if we can help you move homes that sit.

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Franchise Information

Newly Staged in Calabasas (LA)

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:42:22 -0500

Craig Brown of Showhomes LA emailed me these pics of a home they staged yesterday in Calabasas in LA County. This home has a live in Home Stager and after many months on the market, we expect it to sell:

Good job! This house is in the foothills and when vacant was really difficult to show. Even when professionally cleaned, dust settled over everything, sucking the life out of the listing. With a live-in home stager, the home kept in show-to-sell condition long after it is staged and prepped for every showing.

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Open a Showhomes Franchise

Newly Staged in Park City, UT

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:07:11 -0500

Just in time for Ski season!

Showhomes Park City just staged this $2million dollar new contruction home. This is a beautiful home that had been sitting vacant on the market for almost a year. The home is in a mountain community outside Park City and a year with few showings made the home hard to show. Showhomes' Katja Cain and crew moved in a live in home stager and staged the home to perfection. At an open house to reintroduce the home to Realtors and Brokers last week, over 60 professionals commented on how amazing the home now shows. Take a look:

Nice work! Bet this home sells quickly!

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Join us, we're recruiting

Newly Staged in Laguna Beach, CA

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:46:36 -0500

Wow, what a view!

Showhomes Orange County's Jill Cosby staged this spectacular home this week and check out the amazing view:

Nice work! I'd expect this home to sell quickly, even in the southern CA real estate market.

You can follow Jill on twitter: @jillcosby and follow me as well: @showhomesthomas

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

we're recruiting - join our team

Wow - Home Staging Sold this Home in 2 Weeks After 3 Years on Market

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:32:46 -0500

Townhouses and condos are hard to sell in tough markets. Unlike single family homes, townhouses and condos swing in price much more rapidly and in today's real estate market there is a glut of unsold inventory. unfortunatley for buyers, much of this inventory is vacant.

Cindy Montgomery emailed me some after photos of this townhouse in Hennepin County, MN that sold in two weeks after sitting on the market for a staggering 3 years:

That's a tough room to stage. Really tall ceilings, not much color to work with and an urban environment than has some noise. Add an empty space and its a recipe for a poorly showing townhouse. The staging with a live in home stager did the trick -the first person who viewed the home bought it.

Congrats, Cindy!

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Join us, we're recruiting

Sold in 60 Days in Naperville

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:23:41 -0500

Its a tough market out there!

Most of the homes we work with at Showhomes are in the $400k - $1.5 million range. With the super-tight conventional loan market, these are hard homes to sell: for every qualified buyer, there are simply too many choices.

This $550k Pottery-Barn inspired home in Naperville sat on the market for almost a year before the owner engaged Showhomes to bring in alive in home stager and sell the home. Traffic to the home picked up and the owner accepted an offer within 60 days!

Take a look:

Good staging by Showhomes' Laura Johnson in Naperville!

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

We're recruiting - join out team

Stunning Dining Room Before and After

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:30:10 -0500

This Minneapolis dining room staged by Showhomes' Cindy Montgomery is getting RAVE reviews. This is an older, dated home and when vacant, very hard to show. Like many rooms in older, expensive homes, this one had typical lower ceilings, some outdated cabnetry and normal wear and tear. Take a look:

The homeowner hired Showhomes beacuse we have been selling a lot of homes this year, beating the average time on market by as much as 50%.

Like many vacant homes, showings had really tapered off and few buyers were venturing inside. The ones that did spent very little time in the home, making it hard to sell.

Take a look at what Cindy did to bring it to life:

WOW!

No wonder it gets rave reviews - this is a very intellegent room. Here's some staging tricks worth noting:

1. That's a $99 Ikea floor mirror painted and hung sideways. Its big and bold and really fills the space. The horizontal takes your eye away from the low ceilings and points towards the view which is really pleasant.

2. Those are Pier 1 leather dining chairs and a french farm table. Both wear really well and age gracefully, developing character the more you use them. My favorite choices - both smart and approachable for a wide range of buyers.

3. Big accesories and few of them. No knick-knacks. Big accesories make the room look more complete and you'll find you don't need as much to complete a space with larger items.

4. No set table - just a clean tabletop with two cool candelabras and a ceramic bowl. Very cool.

5. Contrasting cushions on the window seat take your eye off the dated cabnetry and draw it to the focal point - the window.

Great job, Cindy!

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Join our team!

Newly Staged in LA

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:55:47 -0500

Showhomes' Beth George emailed over these pics of a home they staged last week. As usual, they did an awesome job and I'm sure this house will sell qiuckly:

This home could be anywhere - the staging is classic and every one of these rooms looks and feels comfortable!

This home has a live in home stager to keep it in perfect show condition every time it is shown.

Great job by the Showhomes Orange County and LA group!

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Interested in what we do? We're recruiting

Best Business Advice Ever

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:44:09 -0500

Selling a home in today's market is tough. It's stressfull. Emotions are up and IQ is down. Under this kind of pressure, we are all prone to make occosional mistakes.

Molly Ivans has a quote I really like: ‘The rule of holes is: when you are in one, stop digging.”

I've certainly found this to be true in my personal and business life.

In fact, part of being driven and customer focused is that you move fast with a high sense of urgency. Customers need this. Work teams need this too.

The down side is you make mistakes. Even the best of us. Even with the best of intentions

Chris Brogan, author of 'Trust Agents' wrote something I’ve been able to use often lately with our staff:

The Three A’s of Apology:

A #1 – Acknowelge: admit you made a mistake

A#2 – Apologize: Say you are sorry. Don’t rationalize or editorialize it, just say “I’m sorry.”

A#3 – Act: do something to make things right.

This works – like I say to my kids, being honest is always the best way to dig your way out of a hole and often, if you display honesty and work hard to fix a problem, you’ll end up with lifelong customers simply because they trust you.

Has this been your experience?

Thomas Scott

Showhomes

Frank Discussion about Selling Homes Today from Experts

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:33:04 -0500

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to be a guest on Alice T Chan's Home Staging radio show. Alice is a west coast staging expert who works with tons of Realtors and home stagers helping get better performance. As VP of Operations for Showhomes, I train the largest home staging team in the country and operate with thousands of Realtors in over 50 real estate markets.

Alice T Chan of the staged home lifestyle and Thomas Scott of Showhomes, America's largest home staging company

Alice called with an interesting question? What does it take to really sell a home in today's market and how does Home Staging fit into the mix? I agreed to share my thoughts on her radio show based on our helping sell over 25,000 homes in markets across the country.

If you are a Realtor or home stager in today's market, take a few minutes of your day and listen to this frank and very vital conversation loaded with really valuable information that will help you become more relevant in today's market.

To listen to the recording of the show or download it as a podcast for your ipod, click here:

http://ow.ly/scxj

Let me know what you think - do you agree with the advice? Have other thoughts?

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Do you flikr?

Thomas Scott - Showhomes (Showhomes) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:46:31 -0500

We've been in Home Staging for almost three decades. When we started in the 1980s, home staging was unheard of and explaining what we did was a really conceptual sell for most people. The conventional wisdom went like this:

1. Most people have too much stuff and no place to put it

2. Reason #1 is why they are selling the home in the first place

3. People would prefer to see your home empty so it doesn't look so claustrophobic

This reasoning led to the conventional wisdom that a vacant home was easier to show and showed better because it didn't have 'stuff' everywhere.

Thanks to HGTV and a rapidly growing home staging industry (home stager was listed as the top emerging career in the down market - see my earlier post about this topic) home staging is becoming more and more normal.

Because it is popular, training classes and 'certification' can be had for less than $250 and you can even take them online. This attracts all sorts of folks - Realtors who want to be more educated, part time people who like decorating and some serious business mided entreprenuers.

Because the barriers to entry for home staging are so low, there are no quality standards making it hard to tell who really knows what they are doing.

I'd put forth the idea that you should use 2 things to evaluate a home stager or home staging company:

1. What is their recent track record of selling homes?

2. What does their portfolio look like?

In an effort to help our team build trust and credibility with new clients, we started a flickr photostream of our work.

I think public flikr photostreams are great for getting your work out there and really help drive traffic to your company.Take a look at our flickr stream here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/showhomesphotos

Do you flickr? Have any direct experience using flickr to market via social media? Have comments on our work? Let me know!

Thomas Scott