NOT! :)
Ok so have you ever heard that Home Staging Doesn't Help Sell Homes or perhaps maybe you have said Home Staging will not work for my properties.
Well, to be honest, after over 5 years in the Home Staging Business, I have heard those words again and again and again! Blah...blah...blah...blah...blah......
Who knew becoming a Professional Home Stager would be such an uphill battle. When all I ever wanted to do was help Home Owners, Realtors, Investors market and SELL properties!!
Well...its time I stand up for myself and my colleagues and let you all in a little secret that I and tons of other Professional Home Stagers know and that is.....................
Home Staging Helps Sell Homes!
The proof is in the pudding...I mean Home Staging!! :)
Woooooo HooooOOOOO! I am thrilled to let you know that our Home Staging Company has helped 4 Vacant Riverside County, CA properties enter into Escrow the 1st month listed! And I am talking this month....August 2010!
Staged and SOLD in 1 month!! Ummmmm it doesn't get much better then that!!
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Here are a couple of Before & After pictures of the properties.
Padaro, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!
Cottonwood, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!
Falconer, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!
Windsor, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!
Still don't believe me......Well ask yourself this "What makes my Vacant Listings better then all the rest?" Answer.....Home Staging!
Bottom line......Home Staging Works! Try it you might like it!
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Blog posted by Janice Sutton, Murrieta Temecula Home Stager. We home stage & market homes for the Inland Empire/ Riverside County.
Are you looking for a Home Staging Professional? We currently stage homes in Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Fallbrook, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Corona, Banning and other surrounding Riverside County cities.
Don't delay....Home stage today!
Blog posted by Janice Sutton, Murrieta Temecula Home Stager. Home staging & marketing homes for the Inland Empire/Riverside County & San Diego County.
Are you looking for a Home Staging Professional? We currently home stage in Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Winchester, Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Fallbrook, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Corona, Santa Ana, North Tustin, Mission Viejo, Anaheim Hills, Moreno Valley, Banning, Yucaipa, Palm Springs and all other surrounding Riverside & San Diego County cities.
Home staging services included Vacant, Occupied, Model Home, REO & Bank Owned Home Staging.
Contact us at 951.704.0597 for a free vacant home staging estimate!
Some very dramatic BEFORE and AFTERs - although some of these transformations seem to have gone well beyond what most people think of as "staging" (new flooring, for instance!) -- Thanks for posting!
Lisa - Thanks for stopping by! You are correct these are dramatic Before and After pictures! Home staging has gone far past the good ole' days of "fluffing" and "de-cluttering" since today's Real Estate Market has become competitive with so many Vacant Homes for Sale!!
Professional Home Stagers often recommend changing flooring, cabinets and counter spaces if needed to update a property for sale. Adding the furniture & accessories is the "cream on top" which allows Home Buyer's to see the potential of the property! :)
Fantastic before and after photos. I hope that you have continued success in your market! At the very least you should be able to target other agents that have vacant listings that are not selling.
Wow, Janice - great stats! I don't think anyone is Staging vacants here. All the new vacants I see online in my area look alike: same finishes, same boring colors (or lack thereof), same unidentifiable spaces...all looking poorly lit and very, very sad! The older homes look like they had their guts ripped out: old paint and wallpaper, dingy carpet, forlorn window treatments...so sad. Julie
GREAT news.....and you should be proud of both the sales and the staging!
Karen - Thank you! Realtor's would benefit from suggesting Home Staging to their clients! Especially if the property is Vacant. It would set Realtor's one step above the rest if they had a Professional Home Stager as part of their team. Don't you agree? :)
julia - Thank you! So far this year has been a stellar year! Smart Investors and Savvy Realtors are very happy with the results of Home Staging.
Wow, that is very sad to hear that vacant homes aren't Home Staged in your area! I love having the opportunity to help bring these empty properties to life!! Many time the new Home Owners buy the inventory at these properties too! Happy Seller, Happy Buyer & Happy Realtor! A win-win-win!!
Kathy - Thank you! I am so happy that my clients are thrilled with the results of my Home Staging serivces. Working together with them has created a perfect long term partnership! :)
Congrats Janice! Is that before picture of the bedroom with the original carpet?!? It looks like there is a clean area where there was once a bed. You did a great job. There's no question that your staging played a heavy part.
I know for a fact the difference Home Staging has on a vacant house. You staged one of my listings...which by the way sold, and we couldn't have been more pleased. What a difference...and the photos of the staged home made it look wonderful in the MLS.
Janice - Each room went thru one heck of an incredible transformation. Your photos are proof on just how valuable home stagers are!
Congratulations. Your home staging is being featured in the group Staging Before & After Pictures.
Kathy
Amen, sister. I'm 6+ years in, and still feel like I am constantly "defending" home staging, rather than informing and helping. We all need to keep plugging away, although I honestly don't know how much more fight I have in me!
Great staging, great photos!
Agree totally, these befores and afters are the perfect example of why staging makes such a huge difference. Buyers need to see how the space looks with furniture arranged. I really think most buyers need the help to see how they can use the space. Plus it is the feeling someone gets when they walk into a space in the first few minutes that makes them decide if they want a house or not. Well done!
Janice - cute comeback and you did an amazing job on these homes. It's no wonder they've sold quickly!
Awesome shout out Janice!!! I recently did a presentation for our local realtor board. During my slideshow I shared about a listing that had been on the market for FOUR years with no interest and it sold within 3 weeks of my staging. I got at least 4 comments/questions from the audience each trying to find another reason why the home sold OTHER THAN our STAGING. Those people will never be on my team and they will never "get it" and I just have to accept it and move forward. It does seems to be a never ending battle that you are winning. Congratulations!
Say it loud and say it proud Janice - Home Staging Works!!! Thanks for the post.
Amazing transformation - light, crisp and beautiful. Bravo on a job well done!
Janice....you go girl...staging DOES help sell properties...and your staging is wonderful!
Leanna - Thanks! This property was a foreclosed home. When I went to view the property I had to hold my nose!! The Investor replaced all carpet, tile, painted, ceilings (popcorn before) & landscaped front and backyard! It was like a brand new home!! :)
Kathy - Amen! It was my pleasure helping you with your Banning listing. Staged listing are wonderful for the MLS......a great 1st Open House Online! :)
Kathy - Thanks! I appreciate the "Feature" and look forward to helping spread the word about the Home Staging Industry!!
Marianne - Thanks! You can do it Girlfriend! Educating people is rewarding and priceless. A Win-Win for ALL! :)
Cindy - Thanks! I totally agree with you too! Wouldn't it be great if all our potential clients thought like us! Haha! Nah....that would be too easy!
Tessa - Thank you! I was kind of afraid fellow home stagers would be mad at my blog title and start throwing decorative pillows at me! ;)
Your work is lovely, Janice. Congrats on the fast sales. Its no wonder, looking at your photos.
Ginger - Thanks Girlfriend!
Darn those REA's doubting you! I can see it now...been there....done that....sometimes we are still there. There will always be doubter's in any industry! Just remember you can't please all the people all the time! Don't waste your time and energy on them. You can only please the savvy smart ones ;)
Maria - HOME STAGING WORKS! WOOO HOOO! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!
Kristine - Thank you so much!
Marianne C - Thank you! I am going going going and it feels great to help! :)
Very nice before-and-after pictures.
As for doubting real estate agents, you'll never be able to persuade them all. Remember: Most have had it beaten into their heads: price, price price. Too often, the answer to any problem is "drop the price." Or "anything will sell at the right price." And I'll bet that most of the questions Ginger was getting were price-related.
Not that price isn't important, of course, but some properties (that look bad, smell bad, etc.) won't sell at any price. And sometimes, in a buyer's market, it's not possible to cut the price sufficiently to compensate for other deficiencies.
The title is good. Bet a lot of realtors look in because of it.
Great job in showing that staged homes sell faster.
i strongly believe in staging, but sometimes with the lower end homes the budget for staging just isn't there...
You are just awesome Janice...and so is your work! Keep it up girl!!!
These are great testimonials to the power of home staging and its always encouraging to see properties selling quickly. Good work!
Incredible job and stats Janice. Hearing this from you reallly helps. Sometimes it almost makes me want to give up, yeah, like that will happen! Your rooms are fantastic. Keep charging on! Someday home staging will just be part of selling a home!
I agree it sometimes feels like an uphill battle to help home owners and real estate agents recognize the value of staging. It always surprises me that they seem unable to understand how this can MAKE THEM MONEY rather than costing them. Your work tells it all. Great job.
Congratulations on your success, Janice. People in my area seem to believe in staging enough to do much of themselves, or their realtors. Most of the homes on the market look fairly good, but they don't feel the need for stagers.
Great photos! I especially love your art (I have those same aspen trees in my own inventory!) Way to go helping sell those homes!
Great post, Janice, and it truly shows the difference (before and afters) as well as the RESULTS! THIS deserves a reblog - and a flag =)
From simply rearranging furniture to large scale staging--anything you can do to make a property look inviting is an absolute must. It doesn't HAVE to cost a lot of money! Great job!
Michelle - Thanks Girlfriend (RESA HOME STAGER OF THE YEAR!) It was great to work with smart Investors and Realtors that understand how to reach the SOLD GOAL! :)
Donald - Thank you! I agree that we can't please all the people all the time and sometimes never! What we can do is educated and "try to beat in their heads" Staging, staging, staging instead of price, price, price. :) Of course, Price is KING and Home Staging is QUEEN. However, the two together is a match made in Real Estate HEAVEN.
Virigina - Thanks! I was cringing as I wrote the title but it seems to have worked! Marketing is a must, whether its your property, self, blog, etc.... :)
Spencer - Glad we are cheering for the same team..home staging! As far as the budget not being there for lower end homes, I think you would be pleasantly surprised on the how much home staging can be done on a small budget! I have staged homes in every price level. The 4 homes this past month were all under $410k and 1 was under 215k!
Donna - Thanks Girlfriend! It takes one to know one! You are awesome too! :)
David - Thanks! It is encouraging to see how properties are selling quickly! I couldn't keep it to myself!! Hopefully this post will get at least one...two..three REA's to consider home staging one of their listings that is not selling before lowering the price by 10lk! That just makes me crazy!!!
Laura - Thank you! We all need to hear encouraging news and stay positive in this wild industry! I agree, someday home staging will be a must and every Real Estate Office will have a Professional Home Stager.
Karen - Thank you! You are right, we need to keep educating potential clients on home staging and how it isn't a COST but an INVESTMENT is selling their property!
Beth - Thanks! I am glad staging is going on in your area. However, it would be nice if REA's would use Professional Home Stager's instead of staging themselves. Just like I would never sell my house without a Professional REA. More on that topic later :)
Tamara - Thank a lot! Great minds decorate alike..haha! Art, as you know, plays a big part in home staging! Gotta love your art!
Connie - Woo hoo thanks G-friend! I appreciate the RE-Blog and flag! We must spread the word! HOME STAGING WORKS!
Chris - Amen Brother! Thank you so much! :)
Great pictures, deserves a reblog from me for sure. You have a great talent Janice some are blessed and some are not. I am still learning and I love it....
Congratulations on your success!
When a home is $25,000 in Maine, staging is not the end all, and really no money in the sale to justify, afford it.
Or need it. Keep it clean, uncluttered of needly debris, over furnitured, turn the lights on and jaw dropping, wolf whistle attention happens getting attractively priced broadcast with video, tons of images, concise but details property copy information. How did we ever sell property without home inspectors, property stagers, buyers agents and four attorneys when one handled it all not many years ago?
Nice article. You have wonderful taste! Who generally pays for the staging? The seller, I assume, but what about bank-owned properties? Surely the asset managers won't fork out money for staging when we can hardly get them to pay for what is required by law! Do some Realtors pay for staging themselves?
Hi janice,
This is a really good post, I liked it - so I've bookmarked it for future reference.
Thanks for the time to get it out to us.
Patricia/Seacoast NH
You don't have to convince me. I agree and statistics prove it! Nice work!
Nicely done! If a seller can afford staging I certainly encourage it!
Of course it helps. I look at everyone's situation on an individual basis and I make a recommendation accordingly. How we move forward & how we will ultimately show the house comes down to the seller but I always make some good recommendations on how we can better the house & most are happy to take the advice. A lot of my client's are short sales so I am the stager- luckily I have a great eye and am dedicated to them showing at their best ;)
Home staging will absolutely help to sell a home! So will scrupulous cleaning and removing everything that is not essential to the life of the seller..... AKA getting rid of all the clutter and the crap we all accumulate! Living in a home and selling a home are two totally different things. Good job!
Great photos and great job! I agree totally.
Ditto on #46! Couldn't be said better! I absolutely believe in staging to sell a vacant home! Congrats to you!
Janice,
I have home staging in all my marketing plan - it's essential to stage a home whether it's vacant or occupied. i have a closet full of staging towels, bathroom essentials, flowers, platter and so on....presentation helps attract buyer's attention and even decision making. A BIG fan of home staging.
Janice, absolutely. The very few buyers who CAN see full potential of an empty room are indeed very few. And maybe that's why they MIGHT get better deals sometimes.
I'm currently working with a couple, the wife likes interior design (on a hobby level), and has great eye, good taste - but she tells me herself every time we see an empty room: I don't know what to make out of it. I don't understand how big or small it is! I need to see furniture! At least a table and a chair!
Agreed, I see it time and again that home straging really does work. Homebuilders are professional sellers and wouldn't think of marketing their product without staging. You've done a good job with your staging before and after pictures in adding scale to the room and enphasizing these homes' generous size. I am working with a buyer now that described a family room as small from the pictures until I pointed out the three double doors on one wall of the room - staging would have done wonders for this home and pictures. Best of luck Janice!
I read the title of your blog and was very surprised as a stager, I was going to prove you wrong but when I read the blog you already had proved the point. pictures speak more than words. Staging works.
Shobha
stagewithme.com
There's just no arguing with SOLD! Great job!
My favourite part of your post was your comment under the pictures:
Still don't believe me......Well ask yourself this "What makes my Vacant Listings better then all the rest?" Answer.....Home Staging!
If they argue that it was all the new paint and carpets that sold the place and not your furnishings and decorative touches, you have toppled that theory right there in that comment.
All it takes is a couple of before and after photographs and you can see the proof that staging is going to make a huge difference.
Great job! The stager I used in the last runup is gone (not dead, just doing other things). I will refer my clients your way.
Brenda - Thank you and thanks for the Re-Blog! I really appreciate you spreading the Home Staging word! :) AR rules!! You are in the right place to learn and network! Best to you :)
Andrew - Thank you for stopping by and offering your opinion on Home Staging depending on property, price, etc.
I believe every property for sale deserves and can benefit from home staging. Even properties for 25k can be highlighted with furniture placement for better flow, lighting to show off space, MLS pictures to attract online shoppers, paint to update, etc.....all on a no or low budget! A Professional Home Stager knows how to add the most BANG for the BUCK! :) I have even staged a Mobile home with little budget and the Seller re-couped his investment in home staging in the selling price!! How cool is that!
As for your questions, not sure how we ever sold "properties without home inspectors, property stagers, buyers agents and four attorneys when one handled it all not many years ago" however I am happy we don't have to try to sell what is usually are biggest investment alone anymore! :) Thanks to AR, we can network, blog and help one another to become the best in our field!
Barb - Thank you Girlfriend! That is exactly what I aim to do....."set these properties above the competition!" :)
Sue - Thanks! Glad you stopped in to AR. I hope you will join this wonderful networking group!
Ahhhh the HGTV shows. TV is like reading the newspaper..you can't believe everything! I am thankful for HGTV bring awareness to people about what a Home Stager is and does. I am happy HGTV helps spread the word on the importance of home staging properties for sale! :)
Virginia - Thank you so much! Usually the Seller does pay for the home staging. Some REA's will not list a property with out using a Home Stager. I have had REA's pay home staging and for consultations for occupied homeowners.
How I WISH Banks would step up and pay for home staging. I have heard from other AR Home Stager's that have worked with small banks that have used Stagers. So, there is hope! :) I would love to get together with you to see how I can help you!
Patricia - Thank you! I hope my blog helps you help your clients. It is my pleasure to spread the word and educate the public about the benefits of home staging! :)
These are great examples, Janice. Keep tooting your own horn!
Nancy - Yaaaah! Thank you!! This is what I am talking about! :)
Cynthia - Thanks! Many REAs believe home staging is too expensive or their client can not afford it. Newspapers and articles sometimes inflat the price of home stagin services. REA's should contact a Professional Home Stager in their area to find out about the costs of services. Home Stagers can work within any budget. Like I have said above....A Professional Home Stager knows how to add the most BANG for the BUCK! Remember, Home Staging is an investment not a cost. :)
Peter - Good for you! That is great that you have a good eye and can help your clients! Have you ever thought of adding a Professional Home Stager to your team? How about bringing your Professional Home Stager with you on listing appointments? This allows them to talk with your client and see the property. Adding another Professional to your team sets you apart from your competition! :)
Jeanne & Ralph - Thanks! Yes, everyone loves a cleaned declutter home! With more and more Buyer's looking online to view properties first impressions are so important!
Toni - Thank you!
Katherine - Thanks! Yes, vacant home staging does add a BIG impact!
Anna - Exactly! It is so hard for buyer's to visual an empty space. Home staging allows buyer's to imagine themselves living in the space! Oh, did I mention all of my inventory is for sale? Many buyer's love being able to buy furniture and accessories that they know look great in the space. :)
Angela - Atta giirl! I encourage agents with an eye to do their best and if I can help with furniture that would compliment their accesories all the better! I have REA's in my area that add accessories to their listings. Some of them do well....why others....well, let's just say they are not helping but distracting from the space. I will leave that for another blog :)
Jason - Exactly! Thank you! Your client is lucky to have you able to show them exactly how to use the space. Think about all those vacant houses online that don't have you to help them when Buyer's are surfing the internet! That is where we, Professional Home Stagers, can really help Buyers visualize how to use the space! Good luck to you!
Shobha - Hahahaha!! Bring it on! Write a blog! Trust me, it made me cringe writing the title for this blog! But I am so glad I did! Look, it was featured!!
We can never have too many Professional Home Stager's spreading the word about the importance of Home Staging! :)
Kathleen - I agree! Would you believe there are still so many that would disagree! Oh well, you can't win them all! Thanks for stopping by and helping spread the word!
Martha - Thanks Girlfriend! I couldn't agree more!! :)
Morgan - Thanks! Do you have a Professional Home Stager on your team? I would love to see some pictures of your staged listings. :)
Brian - Thank you so much! I am glad to hear your last Stager is not gone gone! :) I would be honored to get your referrals! Lets chat! I would love to sit down with you sometime to discuss how I can help you and your clients! :)
Marcie - Thank you! Toot toot toot toot!!!! There is no stopping me now! :)
There is no question that a home that shows well will be a similar home that doesn't....it's not rocket science:)
Bill - Amen brother! You are smarter then the average bear!! :)