woodstock home staging: New Stager Introduction - 01/08/08 07:49 AM
I had the pleasure of meeting Laura Jones of Accent Home Staging based out of Woodstock, GA today at the very first ASHSR Metro Atlanta Chapter Meeting.  {Ironically, we live in the same town and never met before!}  She is a partner with Amy Powers, who is also an AR member and an SIF member.
Please welcome Laura to AR...I've encouraged her to browse all the amazing groups to join here on AR but told her SIF is a MUST!  =)  I hope we'll be hearing from her soon!
Thanks!
 
… (7 comments)

woodstock home staging: What do you do with 'weird' spaces? - 11/08/07 10:57 AM
Before touring this $179K home in Douglasville this past week, the REA told me that it was still being worked on as it is an investor flip.  I guess it was her way of preparing me for what I was about to see.
Thankfully, all of the rooms were going to be painted this week as they were all covered in spackle to cover up holes and cracks.  Most of the rooms had poorly removed borders and wallpaper. 
Thankfully, all of the carpeting and tiling had been replaced througout.
Thankfully, some of the poorly functioning windows were replaced, including sliders to a back deck.
Thankfully … (5 comments)

woodstock home staging: A Staged Split-Level in Douglasville, GA - 10/18/07 01:45 AM
The homeowners of this Douglasville, GA home made their first inquiry about home staging over this past summer.  The house, at that point, had been vacant and listed for about a year.  They decided to get it staged to speed up the process.
When touring a home to provide a proposal for services, I always take note of things that should be done BEFORE the house is staged.  You wouldn't put on clean clothes if you were dirty or stinky, right?  Well, I wouldn't bring in furniture and accessories if the house was dirty or stinky, either.  Being the homeowners live out of … (6 comments)

woodstock home staging: A Transformed Ranch in Lawrenceville, GA - 10/18/07 01:04 AM
The first time I went to tour this house in Lawrenceville, GA I was not only meeting the homeowner for the first time, but the real estate agent as well.  The REA was the one that had made the inquiry about staging this home.  She had never used a stager before but was sure this house could benefit from it. Being the smart lady that she is, she's waited to list it until the staging is complete.  It actually won't be photographed and listed until the home owners complete the landscaping and clean out the garage.
Boy, was she right!  For the record, … (22 comments)

woodstock home staging: From the mouths of my Woodstock, GA neighbors... - 08/15/07 07:20 AM
Let me set the stage (no pun intended!) real quick:
It's a hot and sunny late Sunday afternoon at our subdivision's pool.There are about 5 adults and close to 12, or so, children varying in age from 3-15 in the pool.It's noisy; there's a lot of splashing, jumping, screaming and yelling.I'm there with my daughter, watching her swim as I sit under the market umbrella thumbling through a magazine.I know a few of my neighbors here but since our subdivision in Woodstock has over 200 families, it's difficult to know everyone.  This particular day, I didn't know any of the other parents … (8 comments)

woodstock home staging: A Master Bathroom update - 07/26/07 05:06 AM
Of course, no one wants to put anymore money into the home than they 'have to'.  Oh, I got that loud and clear!  It seems it's the first words uttered when I arrive to do consultations or give an estimate.  So, with a trusty consultation report guide in hand, I make my list of all necessary and recommended changes to be made.  Even when there isn't a budget to work with, I always take into consideration the costs and usually give two or three reasonable options to choose from, when making recommendations to update or change.  This particular home won't be listed … (4 comments)

woodstock home staging: Kiplinger's Home Staging Article - 05/09/07 05:13 AM
While I am a fairly new member of the home staging industry, I am not new to merchandising things to sell, which, essentially, is what staging a home is.  My experience in merchandising is taking, say, a pair of jeans and making it a complete lifestyle.  One week those jeans might be paired up with sweats and sneakers, the next week they might be paired up with heels and dressy tops, the following week they might be paired up with sweaters and boots.  The jeans didn't change but what did change was how they were merchandised.  The sales of those jeans would fluctuate depending upon what the target … (0 comments)

woodstock home staging: Touring the FSBO listings - 05/05/07 07:42 AM
Every few days, I click through listings searching for my next prospective client.  I love the FSBO listings the most because the homes are typically in the same condition:  A) Vacant (which tells me it's usually an investment property) or B) Occupied, that an attempt was made at cleaning it up.  For my company, ALR Home Staging and Showcasing, I prefer to streamline my prospective target clients and handpick them myself rather than target every single homeseller out there. 
When I come across those vacant properties, I analyze each room and take mental notes of what the room needs to be staged.  For sure, that home … (0 comments)

woodstock home staging: A little post card success - 04/23/07 09:32 AM
YAY!  YAY!  YAY!
OK, I'm not a cheerleader in any way, shape or form but I almost jumped off my desk chair this afternoon!  I mailed out 80 postcards to local homes listed in my zip code on Saturday.  About 10 minutes after I got off the phone getting my account set up to accept credit cards for the biz, I got a bite on my postcards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The woman said she just brought in her mail, liked the postcard and wanted to get an estimate for services.  I don't give estimates over the phone (and I honestly don't know how anyone could, site unseen) … (1 comments)

woodstock home staging: "New" to Woodstock, GA? - 04/17/07 08:46 AM
Coming up on my 10 month anniversary here as a resident of Woodstock, GA I can say that I am HOME, for sure.  Being born and raised in the same 2 mile radius of NYC for my entire life, I expected complete culture shock when I moved here.  Luckily, I can say, I have adjusted very well to my new surroundings and I love it here.  The people are nice.  The homes are nice.  The schools are good.  The weather's better than NY.  Yes, I'll stay for awhile!
I love my neighborhood: Towne Lake.  It took me awhile to understand the reference … (0 comments)

woodstock home staging: ALR Home Staging and Showcasing - 03/06/07 05:44 AM
Home owners that are listing their homes on the real estate market should always consider home staging services.  Statistically, homes that have been staged will get a higher selling price than those that are not.  Homes that have been staged also sell faster than those that are not. 
Why wouldn't someone get their home staged?  Typically, the common complaint is that the home owner doesn't want to spend any more money on the house.  The mantra includes they are moving, they don't have the money, they want to spend the money on the new home, etc.  What the home owner doesn't … (0 comments)