Tracy's Blog

Beautiful Home Just Staged and Available for Sale in Mount Pleasant, SC

2008-05-13T08:00:45Z

We just staged this amazing home that is for sale in Mount Pleasant, SC. It is located in Cathedral Oaks, which is in the back of Seaside Farms. The builder of this home spared no expense and really paid attention to detail throughout each room. The home offers dual Master Bedrooms ~ one upstairs and one downstairs. It was so much fun to stage this beautiful property! Please take a look at the slide show below.

When to grow your business and what is the best way to do so

2008-05-02T08:37:35Z

My partner and I have finally realized that we need to grow our business and bring in some new stagers to our company. We have been so busy we cannot even think. We just finished a million dollar vacant and are getting ready to meet this morning to finalize 5 vacant home staging proposals and we still have to walk 2 homes in Daniel Island and another downtown. Additionally, we just had an agent contact us about staging a development that he will be listing and he is interested in a year long contract and wants to keep moving the furniture throughout the development as the properties close. Yikes!

We are now trying to decide how to best grow our company by adding new stagers to our team. We have 2 awesome, talented women whom we are speaking with, but what is the best way to move forward??? We like the idea of new designers/stagers being independent contractors as agents are when they are with a company.....we have our website, marketing materials, an established reputation, jobs we can immediatley give to new team members and more. We certainly would want anyone with our company to be succesful and to be independent...we do not want to micro manage people.

Any ideas/suggestions would be much appreciated!!! We really need to move forward with this ASAP and want to make sure we do this in the correct manner.

Creating Beautiful Bathrooms to Make a Difference

2008-04-13T17:51:44Z

Bathrooms are the easiest rooms to really make a visual impression in. With staging, these cold rooms become warm and alive. It is easy to create a spa-like feeling of luxury in any bathroom that a potential buyer will connect with. When the budget allows, we like to stage every bathroom in the house - especially when the Master Bedroom is downstairs as this would leave the entire upstairs vacant. This is also a wonderful opportunity to add lightly scented candles. Here are some bathrooms we have staged recently......please show us yours!

$2,590,000.00 Home Staged and Under Contract Within 3 Weeks....Staging Statistics to Write About!

2008-04-12T10:53:46Z

My partner and I staged a beautiful new construction home in a high end neighborhood in our area, Olde Park, that had been sitting on the market with no offers. In the slide show below you can see that the home has a very large, open room when you walk in the door which consists of the Great Room, Dining Room and Kitchen without any structural details to define each space. This of course, was problematic when potential buyers looked at the home as they could not envision the size of each space and how they would furnish the room. We received a call this week from the owner of the home telling us that they have a contract. It has only been 3 weeks since we staged the home! Additionally, the owner told us, "I really believe that staging is what sold the house." We are so happy for our client and excited about another great statistic for our company. We have staged 2 other homes for this client and hope to continue working with him in the future. It is becoming more evident that staging really does work! Below is the slide show of the home, if you are interested in viewing it.

Staging Becoming Steeped in History

2008-04-05T09:01:46Z

My partner and I just received a job to work with the Charleston Library Society for a paint consultation and we are so excited to add this to our portfolio. The Library society is the third oldest library in the United States. It has an amazing history and has held a high position of importance since it was established in 1748.

We feel we have to be very careful as this is not just creating a new look ~ we have to take into consideration the history and the feel of the building and at the same time think 'refresh'. This will be a fun challenge!

If you get a minute, please visit the website. http://charlestonlibrarysociety.org.

Just Staged Beautiful Home for Sale on Sullivan's Island......I wish I could buy it!!!

2008-04-04T16:16:33Z

My partner and I recently staged this amazing home on Sullivan's Island and both of us fell in love with it! The floorplan is very open and inviting and the detailing is perfect. This house boasts ship lap siding, brazillian cherry floors, a fully equiped gourmet kitchen with a second butlers' kitchen, two master suites and windows and doors everywhere to let in the light. The home also has a pool and a seperate pool house/living quarters. Now if I could just win the lottery, I could own this lovely home!

Sold to the First Buyers to View the Home One Hour After Staging!

2008-03-27T09:23:11Z

My partner and I staged a beautiful vacant, new construction home 2 months ago and literally one hour after the staging was complete a couple viewed the property and wanted to buy it. Unfortunately, the contract on their beach condominium fell through and they were not able to write on the staged home. In the interem, the builder received another offer but was unable to ratify the contract.

This week we learned that the builder finally received a ratified contract from the original couple whom viewed the home right after staging. An added "bonus" is they want to close really fast!

Let me add that this home sat on the market for almost a year during the construction phase and after completion. It was listed with another agent, not staged, and received very few showings and NO offers.

We are so excited to have this statistic for our company! We are also happy the original couple was able to buy the house. Staging really does work!

Staging for a Parade of Homes ~ Too Much? Not Enough?

2008-03-22T09:46:03Z

We are currently staging two vacant homes for a Parade of Homes in a new neighborhood in our area and if all goes well, we will continue to stage the rest of this beautiful development as it grows. This is a new development that unfortunately started when the market hit a downside and therefore has quite a bit of product finished and just sitting. Now that things are thankfully picking back up, the developers are implementing a major marketing campaign to rejuvenate and continue with this beautiful project.

We were contacted by the head agent from a marketing package we left with a different real estate company - grass roots marketing does work! She looked at our marketing materials and some of the homes we had staged and liked our work. We explained the difference between model homes and staged homes and talked about the budget needs for this neighborhood. My partner and I do tend to lean more towards model home staging, but we of course do not use custom fabrics, designer furnishings and so forth. We also just address the key rooms and any problematic areas, so this is also a savings for our clients.

My question is....we obviously want to do go above and beyond for this client as there is huge potential for additional business....not to mention the advertising we will receive from the parade of homes. But how much is too much? We have debated addressing some additional rooms even though the budget will not be able to pay for it. We are wondering if this will be a good "future" investment for us, though. Our client said "they specifically chose us because we do more in our staging and do not leave things so bare". They want a model home feel but like the way they are seeing stagers create this. How far above and beyond should we go with this client??

Beautiful Home for Sale in Mount Pleasant, SC

2008-03-20T09:39:20Z

We just staged this lovely home in Grassy Creek and I have to say that the pictures do not do the home justice. The rooms are all unique and the detailing throughout the home is truly amazing. You really have to walk through the house to visually take it in. This job came to us from a recent trade show we participated in and the agent has now become a great client.

Tradeshows are a HUGE success!

2008-02-19T18:38:06Z

Recently I wrote a blog about trade shows and if anyone has had success from participating in them. The link to the blog is as follows: What is the success rate of tradeshows? Will it help grow your business? My partner and I just finished our second trade show and I have to say that we feel they are really worth the money and time spent.

During the show, we were able to speak one-on-one at length with several agents (our card count is well over 75) and we were able to show them our portfolio of pictures and educate them on our services. We had a lot of positive feedback and HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED SEVERAL LEADS AND JOBS FROM OUR PRESENCE AT THE SHOW. We really wondered about spending the extra money to be the tote bag sponsor, but really feel it paid off as everyone was carrying our bags with our logos on them stuffed with our marketing materials. One agent actually called a client while in our booth to talk about us staging their home! I just got home from this lovely show....after stopping by a home we just staged to make sure it is 'show' ready for the potential buyers flying in tomorrow AND checking on another home that I am meeting a top broker at tomorrow to look at our work for 3 jobs in a speculative neighborhood.....and I already have emails pertaining to the show!!!! If anyone is wondering whether to participate in trade shows...my advice is YES! In our area, they are certainly worth the time and money. We are really blessed to be in an area with beautiful homes AND amazing Real Estate Agents!

Another great aspect of the show.....we met a fellow stager (whom is not on active rain yet and we are going to change that!) and she is a lovely lady with great talent and we are proud to have her staging in our area!

I would say this was a very successful day!

The First of 13 Million Dollars of Homes to Stage is Finally Complete...Here is the slide show

2008-02-16T13:35:01Z

My partner and I were very fortunate to form a relationship with some wonderful clients and now have the opportunity to stage several homes for them. We just completed the first one, and already we have 2 additional leads from other sources. We are so happy...and also wondering if a day off is going to become a thing of the past for us. Yikes!Please view the slide show below of this lovely home. If you have time, please also look at the additional pictures at the end of the show as this builder is amazing and this house is one of the nicest homes I think I have ever been in. The details are just breathtaking and the entire house is very unique.

My "Marley" all Grown Up

2008-02-16T12:56:38Z

A while back I posted a blog about my dog Beaufort and included a picture of him as a baby. Well...here is the picture of him now - at 11 months and 95 pounds - and I sure hope is not going to grow anymore! The only problem is that Beaufort thinks he is a small lap dog and does not understand why I do not want him sleeping in the bed. I keep trying to get him to look at himself in the mirror so that he will realize his size, but I just don't think it is working. LOL

A Lead to Stage 2 Vacant Homes From Visting a Real Estate Office.....Good Marketing Tip

2008-02-14T06:49:19Z

My partner and I recently stopped by a Real Estate office in our area with a basket of goodies and our marketing package. We were in between appointments and being the 'A' type personalities that we are, we could not just waste time!

Well...we received a call 2 days ago from an agent in another Real Estate Office whom is selling in a new development which caters to various speculative builders using a preferred builder list. A few of the homes are now complete and she wants to stage them and host a mini tour of homes to showcase the development. She said she had received some information from some other stagers in our area, but her friend at Ion Realty told her she HAD to call us.....AND SHE DID!

Sometimes just basic grass roots marketing pays off......and, I think, can be more personal.

The Calm Before The Storm and Getting Inspiration From Active Rain

2008-02-11T18:52:23Z

I am sitting here tonight with some of the last large amount of free time I am going to have for a few weeks. I am so enjoying having the opportunity to look through all of the inspiring and educational blogs on staging and gathering my thoughts and ideas.

Starting tomorrow, my team and I will be staging 3 back-to-back large, upper end vacant homes in our area....one traditional, one so beautiful it is almost indescribable and one very indicative of a beach house in the Lowcountry. I have garnered many wonderful ideas so that we can pull items from our studio, begin our shopping and start our master-plans. And I have also read so many funny blogs that I can remember in order to put a smile on my face when things are going crazy! We are so excited about how we have been received in our area and can only hope this keeps up!

Thanks so much to all the amazing and professional stagers on Active Rain whom are giving me inspiration!

13 MILLION DOLLARS IN HOMES TO STAGE!!! GOOD WORK PAYS OFF!

2008-02-04T18:37:34Z

My partner and I met with a group of builders and high end investors in our area today that we have been communicating with for a while trying to get their business. We sent them our marketing package and a bio of ourselves and the services that we offer. They replied back with, "we have seen staging information, we would like to actually walk a home that your team has staged". They already believed in home staging if done "correctly." We set up an appointment with these fabulous gentlemen to view the home we recently staged and they WERE VERY IMPRESSED.

We had submitted a bid on a 2.7 million dollar vacant home they had for sale.....after seeing our work, they gave us FIVE VACANT HOMES totalling over 13 million dollars to stage. They furthermore committed on how impressed they were with our marketing materials and our staging and said that if this works out, they will recommend us to every builder and developer that they know in our area!

We are so excited! This is just such a blessing! The biggest bonus in all of this is the fact that these incredibly savvy business men realized and VOCALIZED that staging works if done, in THEIR words "CORRECTLY TO SUIT THE TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC." And they felt that we totally understood this concept.

I know there has been talk on here about model home staging versus not model home....these clients in the high end market WANT a more "model home" presentation. They vocalized that their buyers were savvy and expected to see certain things as far as furnishing go in order to be able to connect with the home that they would want to write a contract on.

We are just extremely pleased, and again, we feel totally blessed. Staging DOES work...and it is nice to have clients whom realize that. Thank you all for allowing us to share this good news. Now...off to view 5 homes and set up design boards and buy furniture for.....I do so love my job!

Staging provides positive agent feedback response...HERE IS THE PROOF!

2008-02-03T09:59:18Z

This feedback response was just sent to my partner and I about a home we recently staged. Prior to staging, this home was getting shown but with pretty much "lukewarm" response. This is the THIRD potential client that has shown this level of interest/intent. Now if their homes would just sell........

This really proves that staging does work! My partner and I write in our bid proposals that the 3 key factors for selling a home are: price, condition of property and presentation of property. In my opinion, the emotional and visual impact staging creates is priceless.

I also have to add that these are great agents listing the house and their marketing is amazing!

Coker" <ccoker@prucar.com>
Subject: Fwd: Feedback Response :: 1712 CANYON OAKS DR
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 14:20:23 +0000

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: mhtml:{4B52840C-10E8-4760-950C-1C673C298423}mid://00000926/!x-usc:mailto:autoemail@showings.com <mhtml:{4B52840C-10E8-4760-950C-1C673C298423}mid://00000926/!x-usc:mailto:autoemail@showings.com>
Date: Feb 2, 2008 7:43 PM
Subject: Feedback Response :: 1712 CANYON OAKS DR
To: mhtml:{4B52840C-10E8-4760-950C-1C673C298423}mid://00000926/!x-usc:mailto:ratkinson@prucar.com

FEEDBACK RESPONSE :: 1712 CANYON OAKS DR
Listing & Showing Information
A feedback response has been received from the Showing Agent.

1712 CANYON OAKS DR
MOUNT PLEASANT, SC 29464

Saturday, Feb 2, 2008 4:45 PM - 5:15 PM
SHOWING AGENT:
CHUCK OMORROW
PRUDENTIAL CAROLINA REAL ESTATE
843-266-5000 (Office)
mhtml:{4B52840C-10E8-4760-950C-1C673C298423}mid://00000926/!x-usc:mailto:irish@realtor.com
Feedback Response from Showing Agent
Clients like the home a great deal. Have a home in Hilton Head on trhe market. If it sold today .. they would write a contract... ChuckO'
This email was generated on 2/2/2008 6:43 PM CT and sent to mhtml:{4B52840C-10E8-4760-950C-1C673C298423}mid://00000926/!x-usc:mailto:ratkinson@prucar.com.

--
Rick Atkinson
Prudential Carolina Real Estate
Cell 843.224.0756 Office 843.884.1622
www.homesofthelowcountry.com

What is the success rate of tradeshows? Will it help grow your business?

2008-02-02T07:38:20Z

I am wondering if any fellow stagers participate in trade shows to market themselves? If so, have you found success? Did you receive jobs directly related to the show?

My partner and I are exhibiting at the Charleston Trident Academy of Realtors Tech Trade Show this month and we really though about the potential benefits before adding this to our marketing budget. We chose to rent a bigger booth in a high traffic area. We also looked over the various sponsorship options, which were not cheap!, and decided to additionally be the sponsor of the tote bags being handed out at the show. We thought this would be a good choice as it would enable us to put our marketing materials in every hand that came through the door, even if the particular agent did not have the time to come by our booth. Additionally, the bags will have only our logo on them and we chose some pretty nice ones hoping that agents will actually keep and use them. We figured we could use any extras for packaging our marketing materials throughout the year in different areas. Being the bag sponsor also allows us participation in the Realtor of Distinction Luncheon, but that only allows us access to certain agents for a limited time.

So.....did we make the right choice in how to spend our dollars for the best exposure? Please give us advice and opinions! Also, anyone whom has participated in a real estate trade show....any tips would be greatly appreciated. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Does anyone else have a marley??

2008-01-29T18:59:19Z

This is a picture of my sweet, cute little baby lab named Beaufort. He was so cuddley and innocent. I had friends laugh and tell me to read the book Marley and Me and I promptly did so. After finishing the book, several months ago, I just knew that MY Beaufort would NEVER be anything like Marley. LOL!!!!

The laugh is on me! This sweet "little" baby is now 10 months old and 90 POUNDS. He is the jolliest boy in the world and is a bull in a china shop. His tail takes out everything in his path, he chews, he slobbers, he tears holes in my socks.....and I just LOVE him! I guess I do have a Marley. Oh well...Does anyone else have a Marley, also?

staging DOES work!!!!

2008-01-27T10:39:00Z

I posted earlier about a vacant, new construction home my company staged that was filmed for a TV pilot......well, we have heard some really good (and exciting to us!) news. The morning after we staged the home - and before the film crew arrived - our agents had a call from another agent with clients wishing to see the property. They fell in love! They said they have a contract on their current property, and if it closes, they want the home we staged. The downside is, a contract these days doesn't always mean sold......but the agents of the property we staged have their fingers crossed!

Did this happen because we created an inviting, "home like" feel in the house? Did we create enough of a visual impact? Did we cater to the buyers "taste and style" in this area? I would like to think so! We really try hard to stage according to the demographic of the potential buyer for the specific property. I hope this potential buyer walked in a felt like she was home.

I just want to shout out to everyone, "STAGING WORKS!!!"

Again, I feel truly blessed to be doing something I love so much and with such a wonderful team.

Paint Consultations.....what do you include????

2008-01-26T19:37:00Z

When you go to a client's home for a paint consultation, what do you leave the client with?

We just completed a consultation in our area (On Daniel Island) and we felt we needed to create a "mood" board for the client with the colors chosen and pictures from magazines showcasing the feel of what she wants her home to end up like. We are actually managing the painters and will help with the redesign. This is such a lovely lady and I want to make sure we go above and beyond for her. She is so excited about how her home is going to look and I want to make sure we exceed her expectations of us.

What would you include in your consultation????

Here it is.....the staged vacant that was filmed for a tv pilot

2008-01-24T18:31:58Z

We finally finished staging this vacant home and the filming for the TV pilot occurred yesterday. I will be receiving a copy of their footage, but here are some of our pics in a Real Estate Slide Show. As always, we were exhausted when we finished and sad the job was done. We are truly honored everytime we get to create something beautiful! This is a wonderful job! Now on to our marketing package for this home.....

Please help! Need statistical numbers and advice for the staging industry

2008-01-20T09:10:35Z

I am in the final stages of creating a 2008 press package/kit for our company. My goal is to send something newsworthy and/or of public interest on our company and the staging industry to targeted media outlets in our area atleast once a month. I was formerly the Publicist and Marketing Manager for the Charleston Coliseum and therefor know that I have to be very careful and keep my content newsworthy or my releases will end up in the junkpile of the hundreds media outlets receive each day. I truly feel statistics are what potential clients want to know - especially in this market. The question is WHAT STATISTICS to use? We will certainly use our own company's numbers, but I want staging as a whole. A new agent/client just told us that a stager told his broker that "all staged homes sell for 18 percent more than unstaged homes. I have not heard that one! So please, help us in using the correct statistics for staging.....

Will a TV Presence Help Our Marketing Plan????

2008-01-16T17:10:27Z

My partner and I have been working on our 2008 marketing plan, as I am sure everyone has been doing!

We just received a call from a local agent we have developed a working relationship with and a home we are in the final phase of staging is going to be filmed next week for a pilot for a new TV program that is being put together by a local publication in our area. This will be a regular show and will feature all of Charleston and each episode will have a real estate segment. Our staged house is going to be ONE OF ONLY THREE homes in all of Charleston featured! We are so excited and so thankful to our agent for wanting us to be a part of this and for being so vocal in giving us credit. Can all agents be just like him???

We will be able to use the video and clips once filming is complete in our marketing materials. I will update as we move forward.

Just wanted to share this exciting news! We are truly thankful and overwhelmed. I really feel that staging is "taking off" in our area.

What is your "other" passion ~ Staging is number one, of course! ~ here is mine

2008-01-14T07:50:49Z

I love what I do for a living, but when it is time to clear my head (and get a good workout as this girl is POWERFUL) I hit the barn and go for a ride. I ride and show my horse in Dressage and she really keeps me humble.....1300 pounds and she is in charge.

Please share your interests and passions outside of our industry!

accounting and inventory software ~ any advice???

2008-01-11T11:55:45Z

In looking at being really organized and TRYING (ha!) to stay on top of everything in our business, my partner and I are wondering what accounting and/or inventory software everyone is using? Please let us know why you use certain programs and what you use them for.....also any strengths and weaknesses you see with those programs.

Organization is such a key to any business and I thank everyone in advance for any recommendations.