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WHEN IS STAGING NOT ABOUT ACCESSORIES AND FURNITURE BUT ABOUT THE WRITTEN WORD ?

By
Home Stager with HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC

As a stager, I get asked to do a lot of different things, however, yesterday it was not all about the accessories and the furniture and where I should place what and where. I was working with a good friend who is a Realtor ( actually I was trying to set her up on Active Rain, never could get it to work, but that is another story )... She wanted to show me some of her listings that were on her website, one of the vacant homes had many photos and she had written captions below each one. 

 

Since she is a really good friend, I suggested that we change some of the wording, to pick it up a notch or two. She was all for the idea, some of the words that she had used were used over and over for the same listing. So we huddled over the computer and made the changes. Here is some of the wordings and the changes I made.

"Open floor plan" went to " Wide spacious plan suitable for entertaing friends and family"

"Kitchen window lets the sun shine in" went to " Looking through the kitchen window allows you to see the vast flat back yard"

"Family room has cozy fireplace" went to " Family room is highlighted by corner fireplace"

We went over several of her listings and changed the wording to make the buyer visualize what the room was. Now in defense of my friend, she does these day after day and I know it has to get a little boring. So now all she has to do is call me and let me know what the photo is trying to say and I will come up with a quote for her !!!   

              NOW EVERYONE IS HAPPY !!!!          

 

Posted by

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

        HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC   

             " design support to sell or dwell "

              MARY LOU TEAGUE

         Certified professional stager and re-designer

                      

          ASHSR East Tennessee Chapter President

                   Knoxville, Tennessee

                        WWW.HOMESTYLEANDSTAGING.COM

                     HOMESTYLEANDSTAGING@COMCAST.NET

                          (865) 368-8484

For your staging, re-design, de-cluttering and holiday decorating           needs please give us a call

 

                          

 

                                                                                           

    

Catherine Chaudemanche - Edison & Central NJ
Metuchen Keller Williams Elite Realty / Middlesex County, NJ - Edison, NJ
Full Time, Informed and Involved- Results Driven

Yes, nicer wording in the pictures caption or in the description of the listing can make a huge difference...

Mar 12, 2010 04:35 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Good for you Mary Lou.  Does she use you to stage her listings?

Mar 12, 2010 04:44 AM
Mary Lou Teague
HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC - Knoxville, TN
Home Style and Staging Knoxville. TN

Yes Ginger she does, in fact we are thinking about marketing ourselves together as a team,,,have you ever done that with a Realtor ? I have a partnership with ReMax for two years but that is alittle different, I guess.

Mar 12, 2010 04:56 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Mary Lou, not exactly.  The realtors that I work with are not consistent but I certainly would consider it if things were different. 

Mar 12, 2010 06:48 AM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

Mary Lou....I think it would be GREAT to have this realtor market with you on "her team"!  Love the "Cindy Crawford" lips!

Mar 12, 2010 07:40 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

So you are a stager of text now too?  She is lucky to have you on her team!  Best of luck with the partnership!

Mar 12, 2010 01:39 PM
Mary Lou Teague
HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC - Knoxville, TN
Home Style and Staging Knoxville. TN

Stager of text..yes I guess that I am..lol it was fun and alos I like being creative in any way that i can..it was fun and she was happy that is all that matters...

Mar 13, 2010 12:03 AM
Lori Donegan
Ready 2 Stage - Cleveland, TN

Flowery speech will get you.....everywhere!!  Great post Mary Lou.  Creativity comes in many, many forms, and you know how to use it!!

Mar 13, 2010 07:23 AM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Mary Lou, It is amazing that changing the words makes you see things in a whole different way!  I think I need to get more creative in what and how I write!

Mar 13, 2010 09:50 AM
Cindy Bryant
Redesign Etc. Home Staging - Houston, TX
"Houston Home Staging Pros"

That's great you were able to help, do I see a real estate future ahead of you?

Mar 13, 2010 04:00 PM
Mary Lou Teague
HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC - Knoxville, TN
Home Style and Staging Knoxville. TN

Cindy, I doubt that anytime in the near future I will be selling real estate, I sold insurance for over 25 years and those days are over for me...

Mar 14, 2010 03:39 AM
Lori Churchill Cofer
Beasley Realty - Pullman, WA
Realtor - 509-330-0086 - Pullman, WA

Good point...I will have to work on this one!!!!

Mar 18, 2010 02:49 AM
Michelle Pimentel
Empire Home Staging Solutions - Upland, CA
ASP, IAHSP Empire Home Staging

Mary Lou,

Property descriptions are so important when marketing a home and just by making slight changes you have made this home sound so much more inviting!

Mar 23, 2010 07:30 PM
Mary Lou Teague
HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC - Knoxville, TN
Home Style and Staging Knoxville. TN

I really had not thought alot about the captions under the photos until I was reading one right after the other and they were all the same...so that is why I decided to help her and change the wording, it was fun coming up with new adjectives

Mar 26, 2010 02:08 AM
Mary Lou Teague
HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC - Knoxville, TN
Home Style and Staging Knoxville. TN

I really had not thought alot about the captions under the photos until I was reading one right after the other and they were all the same...so that is why I decided to help her and change the wording, it was fun coming up with new adjectives

Mar 26, 2010 02:08 AM
c m
Colorado Springs, CO

I have moved 40 times in my life, so the hubs and I have sold a few homes.  we have always spent a great deal of time wording ads for the paper that we have run/supplemented the marketing the agent did.  Words are powerful, they can create as much emotion for some, as the visuals of a good staging and combined, well, that is the perfect package!  Hmmm...I might have a new blogpost! =o)

Mar 28, 2010 05:36 PM