Live Webinar with Melisa Marro – Marketing for Consistent and Explosive Growth
Posted on March 8, 2010
Filed Under Uncategorized | Melissa Marro | Leave a Comment
What separates top performers from those just getting by? Having staged over $120 million dollars in real estate since 2006, Melissa Marro knows how to get an agent’s attention and keep business moving. In this live webinar you will learn the marketing techniques that Melissa Marro & First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign uses to achieve their high volume success.
This session has been presented at several of the Stagers List Expos and here is what audience members had to say about it:
“Hi Melissa. I didn’t get a chance to meet you at the expo in NJ last week but I wanted to send you a quick email and let you know how much I enjoyed hearing you speak. I agree wholeheartedly with your way of doing business and marketing. As a new stager and a start up small business owner I look up to successful entrepreneurs in our industry like yourself and Bevin. Again, thank you for sharing your story and motivating me to work harder. Best of luck ”
Amanda Alligood ,
Sunflower Creations
267.402.7782
www.sunflowercreationsonline.com
‘Creating A Sunny First Impression’
“I’ve had the distinct pleasure of hearing Melissa speak on two separate occasions. She is the consummate professional not only in how well she speaks to an audience, but also in terms of her expertise and preparedness. I can’t wait to have another opportunity to attend another of Melissa’s presentations in the future as I know she will never disappoint.”
Nancy Maurer
Whitehall Interiors
Sparta, NJ
When? Wednesday March 10th at 7pm and Wednesday March 24th at 10am
Cost $35
Here are some of the topics that will be covered:
* Creating a process
* Gathering information & what to do with it
* Marketing techniques
* How to make farming work for you
* Affiliate Programs
* Lunch & Learns
Finally – a program that teaches you exactly what steps you should be taking on a daily basis to increase your business….
CALL 888.STAGING to register for your class today!
Urge to Purge
Posted on March 8, 2010
Filed Under Stager Blogs | Marjorie M. Chisholm | Leave a Comment
You’ve seen it plastered on all the magazine covers, “Tis the Season to De Clutter, (or is it un clutter) “Re organize your closets” Reorganize your space” Storage Solutions” “Get Organized!”
In my youth this was once known as spring-cleaning, but it was actually cleaning then, you know, when you cleaned the windows inside and out, washed walls. But now it takes on a whole new meaning.
While magazines articles do provide inspiration, they can also make you feel perhaps a little inadequate, who has the money to equip their closets with such high-end organizers, let alone have what looks to be an entire room for a closet!
The instant gratification that comes from clutter removal can be had from something as simple as sorting or cleaning out the proverbial junk drawer. If you start there, I guarantee it will become a chain reaction!
I’ll admit it, while I’m no organizational Nazi, I do get a thrill when I open a closet or a set of drawers I’ve purged…(sometimes I just open and look in because it looks so much better and I get the satisfaction of a job well done)
The fascination with TV shows such as Hoarders, or Clean Sweep (now really are those rooms that messy??) Can make any of us wonder, is there an aspect of hoarding in me? Why am I emotionally attached to that 16” B&W TV I got in 1978 that has been stored under my stairs for 20 years!!??
Having moved many times in my life, it’s amazing how much one can accumulate, let alone a family of 4! I have discovered UN packed boxes in my basement that I actually paid to have moved several times. This taught me one thing; is that it is just stuff and if it has been relegated to the basement or attic, chances are its time to lighten the load. There is nothing like a move to help you purge out all the “stuff” you’ve been hanging onto.
A very useful strategy is to have an impartial friend help with the “keep” “toss” or “donate” decision whether it be your closet or your stash of 80’s country wooden paraphernalia (believe me, those wooden hearts will not some day be considered retro) A friend has no emotional attachment to your stuff and can help you rationalize your decisions.
I think there are a couple of fears when it comes to the home purge, and procrastination does come into play.
Fear #1 – What if I need it and I’ve just gotten rid of it?
I have faced this fear and I can tell you, the moment passes, the purge high far out weighs the remorse! Besides, if it turns out you really need to replace the item, chances are there is an improved version you can shop for and it’s probably cheaper.
Fear #2 – I will feel bad if I give away a gift from my now deceased Nana
Now we all have mementos, gifts with special significance, I’m not suggesting you get rid of those, but if space is an issue, do you need to keep 10 Precious Moments figurines? Pare it down to a favorite. Donate or even pass down a gift you think will benefit someone else or another family member, that way it stays in the family, has become useful again and honors the giver.
Fear #3 – There is so much, I can’t do it all myself, I can’t decide, where do I start?
This is where procrastination rears its ugly head, as a some what reformed procrastinator myself, I know that we wait for the right time, we wait until we feel we can do it perfectly, we hold off because we are afraid we won’t be able to get it all done NOW! But start small, take baby steps, start with the junk drawer, or the linen closet, storage you use daily, the aggravation factor will be gone and the urge to purge will surge!
Storage solutions have become mass marketed, there are entire stores and departments dedicated to the organization of the home, visit your nearest one for inspiration. Solutions can be as simple and cheap as sterilite boxes to beautiful woven baskets or pretty cardboard containers. What ever you do, don’t just put any stuff into those newly purchased organizers, be picky about what you are going to store, remember, the whole idea is to purge, not just hide your stuff!!
Another upside to purging the home is the feeling you get when you donate perfectly good stuff to your nearest Good Will or Salvation Army. It is a little strange though to see your old “stuff” sitting on a store shelf with a price sticker on it, be careful here…. don’t be tempted by the bargain price and buy it back!
If you are short on time and have the funds, call a junk service (try not to take the word “junk” personally here), they come in and remove it for you; all you have to do is the final sweep and sign the cheque. I’ve used them a couple of times and they were great! They did all the heavy lifting and stair climbing, they were polite and patient while I hesitated on the odd decision (as they heaved a heavy dishwasher onto the truck) As I walked through my now almost empty garage and basement, I felt a little twinge of sadness, but the purge high made up for it!!
One last thing, as I looked at the piles of stuff I had accumulated, I realized that it was I who brought most of it into the house, and I pledged to myself that from now on, I would ask myself the following questions before buying any more stuff;
1. Do I really need this? Do I have something already that will do the job?
2. Is this going to end up in the basement in 12 months time, never to see daylight again?
3. Is it recyclable?
Resistance is futile, the urge to purge will surge!
When statistics are reality!
Posted on March 4, 2010
Filed Under Uncategorized | Yvonne Laanstra | Leave a Comment
Just yesterday I was preparing a mailing for all my clients to inform them about the latest numbers released bij RESA (Real Estate Staging Association). RESA shared with us that the majority of homesellers are very willing to take care of repairs and upgrades in their house as long as somebody pointed out the importance of it.
Reading statistics is great and alway encouraging but the best thing is when you experience it in person.
This morning I had the privilage to advice my client on how to stage her home for sale. What I first noticed when walking into her home was that the baseboards were taking off the walls, patching, new carpet and new counter tops.
I was very impressed and asked her why she went through all the effort to make her house look amazing for sale. She told me this was all about the sale and getting the most money for their house, so that they can move on in life and move into a new house.
She really thought of it all, doggy daycare, different furniture for the livingroom, temporary storage. It was such a wonderful experience to see that statistics are true and homeowners do invest more than you think to make their property look great for sale.
The homeowner was very aware of the importance of great pictures and was very critical too towards what kind of Realtor she would get to make sure her property got noticed. Often we hear from clients that they cannot tell the difference between Realtors anymore and are not sure what to ask for and look for in a Realtor.
Home Sellers are very savy when it comes to internet use, importance of presentation and marketing in general. It might be that they don’t know how to put together a great looking house so they look for a Home Stager to help them out with that. I truly believe the next generation expects Realtors and Home Stagers to be their source of information and work together when it comes to selling.
If as a Realtor you are not well informed about the power of staging a listing, you might miss out on a large group of clients that are ready to sell in the near future. This group of sellers is demanding, wants the best quality and is willing to pay for the best result.
It is great to learn sellers are picking up on new trends, proven marketing strategies and are adding Home Staging to their list of must haves.
Yvonne Laanstra
My Spectrum Interiors – Staging Calgary!
403-630-0541
www.stagingcalgary.ca
Success is all in your head… What are you saying to yourself?
Posted on March 4, 2010
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs | Melissa Marro | Leave a Comment
One of my favorite motivational speakers, Tony Robbins, seems to whisper in my ear all the time (yeah, ok, it’s just because I have him on so many audio CDS) the same thing… TODAY IS THE DAY TO START. I know that many of us create fabulous new years resolutions which are put away by the end of January (if they last that long). This year I’m reminding you that wishes and resolutions are not the same as goals. This year, make a decision (which in latin means to ‘cut off’… as in there is no other choice) to do those things which matter most to you.
Look at your list of resolutions and decide which are really important to you and which are just fluff or wishes. Create a plan or path to succeed from this list. Chunk your activities down on a daily basis and make sure that they are all activities that will get you to your new goals.
Pay special attention to the language you chose as well. Take 10 minutes to listen to your internal dialogue to learn what you really think about your new goals, yourself and your ability to create this new reality. Make a list of some truths that you believe may be there, when they may really be all in your head…. Here are some examples of ‘truths’ that you may have running about in there…
•Money is the root of all evil
•While the cat’s away the mice will play
•I’ll always have a house and car payment
•I can never remember names
•Rich people are snobs
•I can’t even imagine what it would be like to …..
You may have a completely different list, but notice how these little sayings that we are all familiar with can really alter what we want in life.
If we believe money is the root of all evil and rich people are snobs, then how can we ever attain wealth?
If the mice will play while the cat’s away, then how will we ever trust our team, partner, employees, or any of the people we need to support us to have a successful business? We cannot possibly do it all.
If you believe you will always have a house and car payment, how will you ever be completely financially free? Many wealthy people do not have these.
So, you can never remember names? Is that really true? Do you remember the name of the first boy/girl you ever kissed? Do you remember the name of your childhood teacher? Maybe you can remember names, just they have to be important to you…. make names important – everyone’s name – important to you now!
Do you know that if you can’t imagine what it would be like to….. then you probably will never have it. For example, can you not imagine what it would be like to have enough business that you would have to have a staff of employees taking calls, processing paperwork, etc? Then I guess you’ll never know what that’s like. It is important that you be able to imagine things before they become reality.
Knowing what you are saying to yourself – what’s up there that is holding you back – is one of the primary keys to success. Now, TODAY sit down and find out. Don’t wait, don’t make this something you do later because today is a holiday and you are going to have some fun and not think about work…..
Did you notice that was another little negative signal? If you believed that last sentence then you don’t think work could be fun!
One last thing before I sign off here…. I was watching Chris Rock with my family a week or so ago and he had a little skit that said this one thing I found to be really true (imagine finding business inspiration in a comedy skit!)…. You can always tell who has a job and who has a career. People with a career never have enough time, people with jobs always have too much. If you have a career you will suddenly find it to be 5pm and wishing you had 3 more hours. If you have a job, you will find it to be 11am wishing it was already 5pm. I know I have a career because I love what I do – so much so that I was just given the evil eye for being on the computer instead of watching the parade. Which would you rather have? What will it take for you to have a career instead?
Would you like more showings for your listings?
Posted on March 2, 2010
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Articles, Uncategorized | Melissa Marro | Leave a Comment
I had a call tonight from an agent who was having a little frustration. One of his listings actually received an offer and a ratified contract from a client who he also has a listing for…. (wild, huh?) The seller (who is also the buyer on another of his listings) isn’t sure that staging really works and why he should do it. The agent, who worked with me his first time on the property that the selling/buying client purchased was thrilled with the results and started working with us on all of his new listings – including recommending for this one. In order to help convince his new client, he broke out what he felt was his most powerful ammunition… stats…. He copied me on the email and here is an excerpt of it…
“We first dropped the price to 200K and showings picked up (7 in one month). Then a month later we staged it and showings really began to take off (39 in two months). Staging cost, but it pays in the long run.”
For all of those who doubt…. yes, you can reduce the price to sell the property, but that’s not always enough. Staging, for this client, increased the number of showings significantly – something the price reducation did not.
So, if you want more showings for your listings – STAGE YOUR LISTINGS!!! remember, more showings increase the liklihood that the property will sell….. btw, as a refresher, the listing client he is talking to is the one who bought the staged property – ironic, huh?
Staging is so easy anyone can do it (or teach it)….
Posted on March 2, 2010
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Questions, Staging Training | Melissa Marro | Leave a Comment
This seems to be the philosophy of so many new staging training providers that are popping up in the industry these days. Have you noticed how many there are? Because many businesses are struggling, and of course staging training is a ‘cash cow’, they have decided to throw their hats into the ring – at least that is perception.
In truth, courses that are properly prepared, written and presented are not ‘cash cows’. They have high levels of overhead and expenses. They have industry professionals teaching the course who are taking time out of their busy schedules of running their own successful businesses to teach. What they earn per student per day is typically less than what they make in their actual staging professions.
Before signing with a training provider, there are some basic questions you should be asking:
•how long have you been in business?
•how many staging classes have you taught?
•what is your training background?
•how many pages is your training manual?
•how many hours is your course?
•how many students have been taught?
•do you offer an exam at the end of class, or does everyone pass?
•If you offer an exam, what’s the ratio of students who pass?
•What happens if they don’t pass?
•Do you offer hands on training?
•what is the instructor’s actual staging experience? Do they own their own staging businesses? What is their success like? (how many homes a week/month/year do they/their company stage?) Are they still in business? If not, why did they get out?
•can you give me references of students you have taught who have successful staging businesses?
•do you have a portfolio of some of your class projects?
•Do you have an outline of what I’ll learn & receive in class?
•What kind of after class support do you offer?
•Do you offer any ongoing or continuing education so I can learn as my business progresses?
•What additional business tools do you offer?
•If I take your class are there any trade discounts with industry partners that I’ll be able to use in my business?
These are the basic overall questions you should be asking – at a minimum. Don’t assume that all courses are created equal. Just because they are both similar in number of days, price, etc that they are the same. Also be mindful that courses that are significantly less expensive are that way for a reason! Remember, just like everything else, you typically get what you pay for.
CSP 2010 Staging Business Awards!
Posted on February 27, 2010
Filed Under CSP Press Releases, Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Press Releases, Staging Training | Angela Brooks | Leave a Comment
It is that time of year again!! …The CSP Staging Business Awards!
Do you know a CSP staging company who deserves recognition?
Is your company the best candidate for one of the 10 categories open for nominations?
Nominate a successful professional in your industry…or nominate your own business… Nominations are being accepted today!!
Deadline for submission is March 30th, 2010…
The judges will look for a great business model, initiative, determination and resilience.
Company Nominations & Applications:
- Companies may apply for one or more award categories.
- Nominations may be made by owners, or with permission employees, clients and or service providers.
- Must be a CSP™ Member in Good Standing.
Be succinct in your submission however include:
- A business definition, company structure, competitive, growth and financial strategies and at least two external references. (not family)
- Financial and marketing information is an important and quantifiable indicator of success for our judges, and is required for all award categories. All the information submitted is confidential. Our judges are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement.
The deadline for all submissions is MARCH 30th, 2010
To Download a Nomination form Click Here…
Categories:
1. CSP™ Real Estate Staging Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Year;
Recognizing individual CSP™ entrepreneurs for achievements during the eligibility period recipient will be an individual who has maintained management excellence over a sustained period of time. The business must have been founded more than two years and the founder, must still be active in the management of the business. Recipient earns his/her primary income from the business, is responsible for its day–to–day management, and is a model of entrepreneurship. Show a minimum 30% increase, or higher in sales and profits, for each of the past two years. Recipient will demonstrate clear vision, plan for success, and what they have learned from overcoming obstacles and mistakes.
2. CSP™ Most Promising – Rising Star Award:
Awarded to CSP™ who can support outstanding accomplishments in the past and present and has the vision and plans to lead their company to success in the near future. The recipient has a comprehensive business plan, and is ready for the next–stage of growth.
Criteria: Nominees must be in continued leadership of a registered business for no less than 6 months, with a month over month sales and profit increase.
3. CSP™ Green Bud Business Award of the Year:
The Green Bud Award is intended to recognize a person or business that has made an effort to significantly improve and protect our environment by implementing green practices. The recipient will also demonstrate how it impacts other local businesses to alter their practices to ensure the sustainability of both our environment and economy.
4. CSP™ Mentor of the Year:
Recognizing the individual who provided the best support and guidance to other CSP™s in business during the eligibility period.
5. CSP™ Best Overall Company of the Year:
Recognizing business owner for their accomplishments during the eligibility period. The recipient will have applied practical, innovative and market-oriented approach to his or her business. Then through innovation, strategic thinking and smart execution, built a successful company with a track record of growth and profitability. This pre–eminent entrepreneur is positioned well for the future and can demonstrate
the drive, managerial acumen and leadership traits which have guided the business success. Demonstrates high standards and best practices.
6. CSP™ Trailblazer Company of the Year:
Recognizing business that demonstrated extraordinary growth in sales during the eligibility period from the year. The recipient will have shown exemplary management excellence over a sustained period of time, making him/her a trailblazer.
7. CSP™ Business Turnaround of the Year:
Recognizing business that demonstrated a financial or other operational turnaround during the eligibility period from the year prior. This entrepreneur has successfully overcome obstacles and capitalized on opportunities to deliver 10% or more growth year over year for more than three years. Through expanded management, empowered employees, and demonstrated excellence, she has created a flexible and responsive business that is able to adapt to changing market environments and exploit opportunities for continued growth.
8. CSP™ Community Involvement Program of the Year:
Recognizing best practices in community involvement and corporate social responsibility activities during the eligibility period.
9. CSP™ Marketing Campaign of the Year:
Recognizing excellence in marketing by a CSP™ during the eligibility period.
10. Blog of the Year:
Recognizing excellence in individual or company blogs. There is no eligibility period requirement for this category.
Last years winners….click here
The CSP 2010 Staging Business Awards is sponsored by the CSP International Training Academy. www.cspiacademy.com, To receive a Free Information Package on home staging training in any province of Canada, and any citiy in the United States visit www.csptraining.com or in Australia visit www.acsp.com.au.
Technology changes the way real estate is sold …. Why Home Staging is so important!
Posted on February 26, 2010
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Articles | Melissa Marro | Leave a Comment
The Real Estate Industry has continued to evolve over time. With its evolution have come many new and exciting fields of technology and subsidiary business. Just 10 -15 years ago agents were an essential commodity in the business of buying and selling homes because there was almost no way of finding out what was available in a given community without one. Before online MLS capabilities were available, agents were provided weekly copies of new listings, which were inserted into large three ring binders. Often there were multiple listings per page with, if you were lucky, a single exterior photograph of the home. With so little information to go on, buyers typically were more concerned with finding a home in the right neighborhood, at the right price with their major needs and wants met. The question wasn’t always whether they were ‘in love’ with the house, but could they make it their own? Could they live here? If they could and it met their needs then an offer was made….
Today, most buyers have the entire MLS at their fingertips through broker reciprocity websites. Most buyers, as many as 91% per NAR, will shop online before ever calling a real estate agent. Many, when shopping locally, will drive by the home first – checking it out first to decide if they want to ‘deal with an agent’. What sellers and agent often don’t realize is that if their listings don’t make the cut, they may never even have known that anyone was looking. Being a Real Estate Professional in today’s technology driven market has gotten much more difficult.
It is this changing market that has brought to life so many emerging industries. Professional Real Estate Staging is one of those industries. Its emergence was as a direct result of the changes and increased technology. When buyers became able to see more of homes before going to visit them, the results were that they were able to eliminate more homes without visiting them, increasing the ability to find a home they ‘liked’ better. As technology has increased, the need for Professional Real Estate Staging, often called Home Staging, has increased.
before
after
Today, in this buyers’ market, what the internet depicts will provide a direct correlation on the speed of sale and end sale price. Statistics show that the more photos of the home provided in MLS, the quicker the home sells. In addition, the quality of the photos must also be taken into account. This is where Real Estate Staging begins to become important. Quality staging helps bring to life the best parts of the home, it helps connect potential buyers with a lifestyle feeling and the desire to see more of the home. Homes that are left unstaged, often lack the emotional appeal and highlights to bring buyers to the door. Recently, we received a testimonial from a client who highlighted this effect quiet well. “We first dropped the price to 200K and showings picked up (7 in one month). Then a month later we staged it and showings really began to take off (39 in one month). Staging costs, but it pays in the long run.” Chris Facello, Agent, Carolina One Real Estate.
While many agents have been taught that every home will sell at the right price, and to some degree this is true, what many don’t realize is that price is not the only factor. In today’s market price is just one of many factors. One of the single biggest for buyers is whether the property is ‘move-in ready’. With our on-the-go lifestyles, no longer do buyers want to make a home ‘theirs’. Instead, they want to close on Friday, unpack on Saturday and throw a barbeque on Sunday. They want to move in and begin living. Savvy agents began to capitalize on this understanding of buyer behavior and hired professionals who could assess the needs of the individual home, demographic of buyer and create a comprehensive evaluation and plan. Rather than reducing price, homes are staged to present the home’s best foot forward – to capture the buyer upon first impression. The results are higher sales prices and days on market reduced by more than half in most markets. Best of all costs are typically minimal in comparison the results. HomeGain.com recently reported that staging earned an average return on investment of 586%.
before
after
For Real Estate Professionals these remarkable results typically mean higher commissions that are earned more quickly, reduced marketing expenses and more listings. Additionally, for buyer’s agents, their time is maximized when they bring their clients to staged homes because the homes show better creating the likelihood of a pending sale.
With the evolution of the real estate market, exercising fiduciary responsibility has become a more involved process. Today, Real Estate Staging is one of the best returns of time and money for both home sellers and Real Estate Professionals.
For more information on staging and how you can become a CSP Elite Agent visit www.CSPElite.com.
Melissa C. Marro – SAR, CSP, DCCI
Founder & President, First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign
Instructor, CSP International Business Academy
843.822.2622 – mobile
888.262.4112 – fax
2009 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
Read my blog at www.melissamarro.com
www.stagingandredesign.com
www.WeStageSC.com
www.CSPElite.com
www.StagingTraining.com
My client doesn’t want to sell – How do I get them to stage?
Posted on February 26, 2010
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Articles, Staging Questions | Melissa Marro | Leave a Comment
This weekend I had a situation where I was searching for properties on MLS. My family is moving and as usual we are looking for a dog house in a nice neighborhood to purchase. This way we can benefit for our skill sets and others who don’t understand how important it is to have a home in ‘move in ready’ condition. As I ran through the properties I found a few that I liked and sat down to narrow down a showing list when I noticed that one of the properties was that of an agent who was familiar with our services, has had it highly recommended to her by another top producing agent (co-listing agent) but has yet to use our services. With a little trepedation I shot off an email to her letting her know that her clients really needed our help. Her response back was pretty typical of other agents who just don’t know how staging works, hopefully this will help shed some light…
“I couldn’t agree with you more regarding the look of (insert street address)! But I don’t know how to handle a client that doesn’t really want to move (hence they can’t live without their precious wallpaper in case they never sell) and one that loves every treasure they possess.
It’s a great house and I think the price is pretty good so it’s hard to just not take the listing but when the client doesn’t hear “you need to have someone else love your house and this stuff and look is only good if the next buyer is you”… I’m not sure what to do with them.
Husband is disabled and pretty much sits home on the couch and computer all day so getting him to work is not going to fly.
Have you had luck getting the “i don’t care if I sell” people to take your advise and suddenly sell?”
As a professional home stager I know this is one of those questions that no one ever really asks us, but the problem is across the board. Here is one of the appropriate responses to this burning question…..
“Thanks for the GREAT questions. I find this fairly common and depending on a few factors sometimes we have great success overcoming it and sometimes we don’t and the property ends up sitting either unsold, sold below what it should have sold for, or sold after multiple price reductions.
The first question I have is why are they selling? What is their motivation? You said that they don’t really want to move and yet the house is for sale. Do they have to sell? Do they need to downsize? Are they selling to move into the new Del Webb community or something similar? So long as the reason isn’t that they just thought they would try the market and see how it goes then we usually have something to work with here.
If they need to sell then we need to remind them that if they don’t sell the home then they will….. (whatever will happen if they don’t sell). That this may be difficult but they will still have all of their belongings, they will just be already boxed up and ready to be moved into their new destination. Since they don’t want to move, but have to move, breaking the emotional connection will help them let go of the home. As we change it to a property that is more set up for the buyer than the current owners then it will be easier to let it go and move on to where they need to be.
If they are downsizing, then helping remind them that their home is already full of their belongings but a smaller home probably won’t fit all of them may be helpful. This is when suggesting that things they want to give away to family members begin to happen now. This way they get to enjoy their family enjoying the pieces and it helps make moving easier. Again, because they really don’t want to sell, reminding them that they need to begin breaking the emotional connection to the home is key.
If they are moving into a new adult community then help get them excited about getting there. Get them to detach from this house by getting them excited about that house.
I think it would also probably be helpful to show them either in person (if you can arrange it) or at least the photographs of the homes in that neighborhood that are currently under contract. Of the 6 properties currently under contract in (insert neighborhood), 4 of them are in great condition – no wallpaper and completely updated. They are all selling for close to or over $100 sqft. Two properties remain. One of them is (another address) – which then would right next door – from MLS they look very similar (although your clients does look cleaner and slightly more updated) the other is (another address). Both of these properties are listed for around $55 sqft. Your clients home is listed at $90.56 – which is very close to the value of the fully updated homes, but measures more closely with the lower end homes (based on what I see in MLS). If your clients spent a little money stripping wallpaper, painting and removing the excess furniture, art and accessories, it would probably not only be worth it’s current list price but possibly be worth slightly more based on the other properties currently under contract.
Please understand that I’m not trying to tell you how to price the home, or do your job. I only contacted (co-listing agent) because she typically brings us in on all of these type properties because she knows that they need us. I only ran across this house because we are downsizing and looking for another home – a fixer upper that we can kind of live in and flip and as I looked through the photos this home quickly went on my list. When I saw (agents’ name) name at the bottom I knew this was not a home I wanted to go in offering a lowball figure (which based on the other comps I would have gone in around $60sqft) but rather to recommend getting it staged.
Also, we are always happy to meet with the homeowners when we do the consultation to help them come to terms with what needs to happen. This doesn’t have to be your job. You just need to get us in the door so we can help do ours. (insert co-listing agent’s name) has just always been great about doing all the dirty work for us in most homes so we just had to say what needs to be done, but we can actually be the bad guy telling them what really is going on – except for the pricing thing – we don’t touch that with the sellers. We always defer that to the agent. I only know these numbers because I’m actively looking for a house for us to purchase and fix up.”
You see, it is important to put the whole thing into perspective and show the reality of the situation. What I found out later, from the co-listing agent was that she had already recommended us to this agent for this house three time, once when she became the co-listing agent and the other two times when they took a $5000 price reduction. She advised that staging would have been less than either of those price reductions and they would have made money on the deal.
Now, as an agent consider if you are really doing your best job if you aren’t providing this information to your clients.
Melissa C. Marro – SAR, CSP, DCCI
Founder & President, First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign
Instructor, CSP International Business Academy
843.822.2622 – mobile
888.262.4112 – fax
2009 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
Read my blog at www.melissamarro.com
www.stagingandredesign.com
www.WeStageSC.com
www.CSPElite.com
www.StagingTraining.com
Photo Editing For Home Stagers – a live webinar with Jackson West
Posted on February 26, 2010
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Other Courses Available, Staging Training, Uncategorized | Jackson West | Leave a Comment
Home staging is a visual industry. Savvy stagers realize that appealing portfolio photos are fundamental in generating business. Potential clients want to see exactly what lifestyle image a home stager is capabale of creating for their property.
As more people enter the field of home staging it is crucial that your portfolio photos are professional in appearance and stand out from the competition.
Learn how to improve the quality of images on your website and in your portfolio with simple and effective photo editing techniques. Attend an upcoming photo editing webinar created by Jackson West specifically for home stagers.
- Tips for taking better interior photos.
Why you should avoid using a flash indoors.
- Cropping and resizing photos.
How to straighten and sharpen images.
- Photo temperature and exposure.
Watermarking and framing your photos.
- How to create vignette shots and collages.
“Great webinar! I know you’d touched on some of this is our August CSP class, but I didn’t grasp all of it, so this was very helpful.” – Sally W.
“Thank you very much for teaching these useful techniques. You did great!” - Valerie W.
“Excellent webinar, I will be reworking my portfolio. Thanks for the tips and tricks, talk to you soon!” - Yvonne L.
Jackson West is the owner of Reveal Estate Home Staging and is an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals™
He is also featured on a television series for the W Network. His interior redesign work can be seen in the book “Home Staging For Dummies” as well as multiple editions of the “Staging Standard“ magazine.