Donna ~ the home is very well built, but all of the main rooms had large picture windows that looked out onto what amounted to a pile of dirt.  Here in Oregon we're fanatics about our gardens, and previous buyers may have felt it was too big a project to take on.  During the three years this home was on the market, there were a number of price reductions.

Lenn ~ In addition to the landscaping which includes a fantastic water feature, the bank also felt that staging this home would help in a few key areas -- and they were right.  Before, the kitchen looked disjointed and bare.  Staging made it possible for buyers to imagine entertaining and spending time with family and friends.  The home has a different vibe all together.

Margaret ~ thanks for your feedback.  The agents' held an Open House every Saturday and Sunday for 4 weeks and really gave this home some good exposure.  The bank promoted special financing for it as well.  The entire team worked hard and the results speak for themselves!

Todd ~  It's funny how when we do our job well, there are still some skeptics out there (see comment above LOL).  Thanks for weighing in.

Kathy ~ We're looking forward to staging their next property later this week and hope it sells quickly too!

Peg ~ Yes, they're very happy.  Even though I've staged homes that were on the market for a year, this is the first one that was for sale for 3 years -- and the results are very satisfying for everyone involved.

Diana ~ I like that analogy ... cakes without frosting are boring!

Heather ~ I really hope this idea will catch on!  Wouldn't it be great if the foreclosed homes were "rescued" instead of being left to drag down all the adjoining property values?  Thanks for your input.

Thanks Cathy, it was great to find out that this home sold so quickly ~ and that the bank had so much confidence in the staging that they hired us to do another one!

Teresa ~ I hope that other banks will start considering staging as a means to sell their properties faster.

Donna and Ginger ~ Good for you both for pursuing this option with your local lenders!  Be persistent and they may reconsider. As you know there are many levels of staging so perhaps starting with some of the more reasonably priced services would work.  Good luck!

Tosha ~Thanks for your kind words.  I hope more stagers will pursue this type of business in their areas.

Kathy ~ Many thanks, we love it when staging works don't we?

David ~ Great to see you & Nik at the RESA/ASHSR meeting today too!  Thanks for your feedback.

Janis ~ Good idea to call some local banks and see how they feel about staging... they may need to "warm up" to the concept, but keep after them.  They'd be smart to rescue those foreclosed properties and our equity would be preserved -- good luck!

Matt ~ This bank is just plain smart.  They're aggressive and put a great plan into place, and it seems to be working!

Jessica ~ We hope that more banks take this direction ... thanks for stopping by.

Lisa ~ The client was the Bank, and they are very happy.  We've just staged another one of their outstanding properties and look forward to another good outcome.  Thanks for your comment!