home staging consultation: Another Home Staging tool worth checking out - 03/29/09 05:22 AM
It's funny how things cross paths.  It's been said before that there are no coincidents.  HHHMMMM....  My husband, Tim, does home improvement and handy-man services around northern Atlanta, which has been great because he is my 'handy-man' referral on my written consultations for home staging clients.  He is also a recommended vendor for our Metro-Atlanta ASHSR chapter. We've created that opportunity for things to cross paths for us, but this situation was really cool.
Recently he was hired, by referral from one of his other clients, to replace doors for a man in Roswell.  Through conversation, and mentioning my home staging … (21 comments)

home staging consultation: Spring will be here before you know it! Are you ready? - 01/22/09 09:54 AM
It's hard to think that far ahead, while at the end of January and after an arctic blast that covered most of our nation.  But yes, Spring will be here before you know it and this is the perfect time for a proactive seller to start preparing their house for sale, especially if they are going to take advantage of the Spring market.  The buds are already forming on the trees around Atlanta while some of the early spring blooms are beginning to peak out of the ground!  Don't wait until the last minute.
An agent friend of mine recently shared with … (4 comments)

home staging consultation: Deciding to Wait it Out? - 10/29/08 07:15 AM

 
 
 
 
It's something I've heard many times over the last 6 months or so from prospective home staging clients from around the Atlanta area: 


"We've decided to just to wait it out to see if the market gets any better."
 
 
 
I suppose if you aren't in a dire need to sell your home then this would make sense...the market has to recover to some degree and at some point, right? 
I remember reading an Active Rain post months ago by someone who referred to people using their equity as an ATM machine.  … (15 comments)

home staging consultation: Creating a One-Stop-Shop Solution for Homesellers - 10/22/08 09:24 AM


 
 
 
 
 
 
Networking is a key factor to owning a successful home staging business.  While there are many opportunities to have repeat business, in a market like we have today, there's no guarantee that previous clients can be relied upon for subsequential business.  That's where networking becomes invaluable because, like every other service business, it's those referrals that will get the business before the random company from the yellow pages.
It's been said before that the real estate professional and the home stager make a great team to successfully prepare and market a home for … (4 comments)

home staging consultation: An Alternative to Craigs List - 10/19/08 05:55 AM
Part of preparing to stage a house begins with decluttering.  The homeowner must begin the process of moving, at this point, by packing up unnecessary items or unloading things they no longer need/want.  Home stagers can guide homeowners through this process but ultimately it is the homeowner that must make the final decision.
When the process of sorting through your belongings begins, you have to decide what should stay and what should go begins, the decisions need to be made 'what to do' with the things that in the 'Go' pile.  As part of my home staging consultation report, I suggest things … (12 comments)

home staging consultation: It's Never Too Late to Say 'Thank You' - 10/13/08 04:06 AM

 
 
 
About a month ago I received the most wonderful voicemail message from a prospective home staging client in Alpharetta, for whom I did a free estimate for about 6 months prior.  It was for an occupied home and she was looking to start preparing to list the house this fall. 
 
 
 
Let me back up and say that about a month after doing this free estimate for her, and for about 3 other prospects (it was springtime...it was peak season...gotta take advantage of the traffic!), I realized that I could no longer afford to do … (13 comments)

home staging consultation: The Perfect Marriage - 09/25/08 10:29 AM
As a home stager, I get the benefit of working with many different people in all different kinds of circumstances. 
Sometimes they are the empty nesters looking to downsize or move closer to the family who's spread their wings and left the nest. 
Sometimes they are the people that move sideways...just looking for a new house in another neighborhood. 
And there are times I've had people in the process of graduating to the bigger home. 
The common denominator in all of these scenarios is making sure the house is properly prepared to sell.  All of my consulations include the basics: 
Clean, … (10 comments)

home staging consultation: So, you're an expert, huh? - 08/24/08 02:44 PM
Yes, you are an expert.  What ever field you are in, you are an expert.  Well, you have to be an expert at something, right?  Think of something that you do really well.  There you go...you are an expert!
I'm an expert at a lot of things:
Folding jeans perfectly (hey, I was visual manager for GUESS? for almost 6 years...I can do it my sleep, ok?) Folding perfect towels. Making marinara (C'mon, I'm half Italian and grew up on Staten Island.  There would be something wrong with me if I couldn't make marinara!) Organizing closets. You get the idea....
Now that we've … (4 comments)

home staging consultation: Take 90's Brass into the new millenium...on a budget - 08/22/08 05:44 AM
When I'm called upon to conduct a home staging consultation, it's typically for an occupied resale in the northern suburbs of Atlanta.  The homeowners often just want professional guidance:  to be told where to begin, what to do and what not to do.  As I take my notes, I include everything that should be done to update but prioritize according to ROI because realistically not everyone has the budget to do everything.  This helps them decide how to best spend their money.
The development of suburban subdivisions in Metro Atlanta over the last 15-20 years, or so, have left today's market with some very … (33 comments)

home staging consultation: Home Stager: Take Two, Please...From the Top! - 08/01/08 03:57 PM
Let me tell you how much pressure this is.  This isn't a homeowner sold on home staging hype or someone else's home staging testimony.  This is a homeowner sold on his own personal statistics and testimony.  They've been there and done that with the home staging process.  Now the question is, can it be replicated?  That's a lot of pressure.  I was left with some pretty big shoes to fill!
The assumption is, if they staged a house and sold it within a week 3 years ago in Florida why shouldn't they be able to stage a house here in Atlanta today and … (5 comments)

home staging consultation: Occupied Staging on a Limited Budget - 02/11/08 12:07 PM
When performing a consultation for staging an occupied home I give the home owner all of my suggestions to upgrade and change, regardless of budget.  My feeling is that the homeowner should be educated as to what should be done to properly stage the house in order to expedite the quickest sale.  From that point, the homeowner can determine what is within their budget and what is not.
As with most homeowners, they want to spend as little as possible to stage their home.  If they do not take the advice to repaint, remove wallpaper or upgrade light fixtures, for example, then … (16 comments)

home staging consultation: Let me be your 'bad guy'. - 01/30/08 03:41 AM
When meeting home owners for occupied home consultations for the first time, I'm always anxious to find out to what extent they are willing to take my recommendations to stage their home.
On a recent occasion, I had the opportunity to meet this REA for the first time at the house I was going to be conducting the occupied home consultation for.  It was because of her suggestion, to have a stager come in, that I even had the opportunity to be there.  She told me that she knew things needed to be done but preferred to let it come from someone else, … (9 comments)

home staging consultation: Occupied Staging ~VS~ Vacant Staging - 01/23/08 04:20 AM
Staging a home, whether it's occupied or vacant, is a very smart move for the home seller. 
In general, the reasoning is that a home stager will utilize and create functional spaces that allow prospective buyers to see how the house can be used.  A home stager will ensure that the decor {both furniture and accessories} is appropriate for the home AND the target market that home is being marketed to.  A home stager will ensure the interior is neutralized so the next owner can move right in and call it home, until they are ready to make it reflect them and their … (8 comments)

home staging consultation: This one's for the horses - 08/31/07 10:01 AM
New Page 1 I met a new client the other day to conduct a consultation.  Upon entering her home, we shook hands and I commented how pretty the house looked from the outside.  She immediately said she wanted to sit down and talk before I did anything.  OK...that's fair.  She had already provided me with some background before I arrived so I actually got nervous for a minute.
She proceeded to tell me that her current realtor told her from the get-go that she didn't need to stage her house.  I peered over my shoulder and saw a few things that … (9 comments)