From the mouths of my Woodstock, GA neighbors...

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 or children that were there.  Neither did my daughter, which is really unusual because she keeps tabs on everyone.

Two of the other mom's began chatting while wading in the pool directly in front of me.  I'm not an eavesdropper but they made it very easy to overhear their conversation.  Their 'blah blah blah' became suddenly audible...I'll admit, I tuned in when I overheard them talking about wallpaper!  Let's call that a 'stager's instinct'! 

The one mom, I'll call 'Jenny' went on and on how long it's taken to remove ALL of the wallpaper since they've moved in.  She moaned and complained how ugly it was and that it went all the way up the two story family room, etc.

Here's the kicker, ladies and gentlemen:  Jenny later went on to say that if she had known how long and how much money it was going to take to remove it, she would have looked into purchasing another home! 

The other lady, I'll call her 'Mary', totally agreed as she went on and on about her home.  She said they are still painting because the previous owner had every room painted crazy, bright colors!  Mary continued with how it has been such a drag because nothing they own looks good with the existing paint and it's taking so long to get it all done to the way they would like it. 

If I really had nerve I should have politely excused myself to make an introduction about what I do and tried to sell some staging and re-design services.  I didn't.  It did cross my mind, though.  I wasn't dressed for business, clad in my terry shorts and tank top, sunglasses and baseball hat...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  LOL  I know, worst case scenario, I would have met two more of my neighbors. 

But, I did bask in glory of knowing, thanks to the proof from their mouths, that what I do DOES make a difference therefore it IS worth spending a few bucks to stage before selling.  Thank you, my Towne Lake neighbors!  Next time I tour a home for a consultation I'm not going to feel bad about suggesting the removal of wall paper or repainting that bright red wall!