Home Staging in Atlanta

Here’s a holiday home staging tip!

HomeStaging — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:23:54 +0000

While selling your home it’s best to enjoy the holidays away from home especially if the holiday is religious in nature. Why? We don’t really know who’s going to purchase your home or their religious preference so keeping the decorations out of sight will help you appeal to everyone. The best part about this tip is you can get away on a short vacation or enjoy your aunt Betty’s apple pie.

A little DRAMA can sometimes go a long way!

HomeStaging — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:11:34 +0000

When I entered this once empty elegant living room I found the fireplace and it’s amazing mantel very imposing. What I mean is….as beautiful as the majestic fireplace was, it was overwhelming the space partly because of it’s size. The best way to downplay a wonderful feature like this without losing it’s importance is to add a little drama.

From the foyer you can see the measurable size of the mantel

In a nearby tree I found the exact amount of drama I was looking for. Why drama you ask? By adding some worthy drama I downplayed the size of this magnificent fireplace but didn’t take away it’s relevance. Now buyers can take in the windows, custom cabinets and molding, hardwoods and last but never least the chandelier too!

A little drama can sometimes go a long way

And now the ‘big picture’…….

The end result was a living room that displayed all of it's beauty!!!

Presto, a buyer can now love it all.

HomeGain’s 2009 Home Sale Maximizer Survey is HERE!

HomeStaging — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:32:51 +0000

HomeGain Survey: Home Staging Top Priority for Sellers

HomeGain recently conducted it’s third Nationwide home improvement and home staging Home Sale Maximizer survey to reveal the top 12 do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvements for people getting their home ready for sale. Nearly 1,000 Realtors responded to the survey.

To read more just go to the link below.

http://tinyurl.com/yeaxzct

GREAT NEWS! Congress Passes Homebuyer Tax Credit

HomeStaging — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:48:54 +0000

Hello Everyone, things are looking up, read for yourself;

After the Senate gave final approval last night without a dissenting vote, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly this afternoon to pass legislation containing an extension and expansion of the homebuyer tax credit, completing Congressional action and sending the tax credit to President Obama for his signature, possibly as early as tomorrow.

The $8,000 homebuyer tax credit for first-time buyers, due to expire in 25 days, will be extended through April 30 of next year and buyers will have an additional two months, until the end of June, to close. First-time buyers who are in process of making a purchase will no longer need to worry about qualifying for the $8,000 credit if they close after the November 30 deadline. The new legislation increases the income limit for couples with income up to $225,000, a nearly $55,000 increase above the level in existing law.

For the first time, the new legislation makes buyers who already own a home eligible for a credit. A $6,500 maximum credit will be available to existing homeowners who have lived in their current residence for five of the prior eight years. The legislation limits eligibility for the existing homeowner credit to homes worth $800,000 or less.

The legislation takes effect December 1 and is not retroactive. Both credits are available only for primary residences, not second homes or investment properties.

In the House debate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took the floor to say the homebuyer tax credit was helping a new generation of Americans live our their dream og homeownership and financial independence. Debate on the homebuyer credit was overwhelmingly positive and the legisltion passed 403 to 12.

However, several leading economists have voiced concern about the $16.7 billion.cost of the credit and the wisdom of spending up to $400,000 per homebuyer to stimulate real estate sales and White House support for extending the credit has been lukewarm at best. However, it is virtually certain that the President will sign the legislative package, which contains an expansion of unemployment benefits as well as the tax changes.

In the Senate, the homebuyer tax credit was amended to a bill expanding unemployment benefits by 20 weeks for those who have exhausted their benefits, a vital issue for Democrats. The latest unemployment numbers are due out tomorrow and Congressional leaders are rushing the unemployment bill to the White House so that he can show compassion by signing on the same day more job losses are announced.

The legislation included provisions added to address complaints of fraud. The Internal Revenue Service is given greater authority to oversee the process to root out fraud, and provisions are added in response to past abuses of false sales or underage buyers. An investigation by the Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration found that more than 580 children, some as young as four years old, had received $627,000 in first-time homebuyer credits. The IRS has identified 167 suspected criminal schemes and opened nearly 107,000 examinations of potential civil violations of the first-time homebuyer tax credit.

A number of economists have voiced concern about the $16.7 billion.cost of the credit and the wisdom of spending up to $400,000 per homebuyer to stimulate real estate sales, however their views had little impact on the outcome. The White House has been lukewarm at best. A survey released yesterday by Campbell Communications/Inside Mortgage Finance found that the credit gives existing homeowners only half as much incentive to buy a home as first-time buyers. Because of the lesser value of the credit and the higher median price of move-up homes, the credit only accounts for two percent of the cost of an average move-up home as opposed to four percent of a first-time buyer’s starter home, according to the study.

The legislation also contains a provision supported by the National Association of Home Builders. It helps larger companies strapped for cash with net operating losses (NOL) this year or in 2008.

Ordinarily these companies can carry back these losses for only two years to qualify for a taxrefund. The provision would make this process extends the carry-back to five years for either 2008 or 2009. The tax break will now apply to losses in either 2008 or 2009, and the income cap will come off.

Both tax breaks — the homebuyer credit and the change to net operating loss — will be offset by tax changes affecting foreign tax credits, chiefly important to large multinational corporations, according to the Senate Finance Committee.

UPI Press Link
http://www.upi.com/Real-Estate/2009/11/05/Congress-Passes-Homebuyer-Tax-Credit/6951257449679/

From Real Estate Economy Watch

Realtors are Scardy Cats!

HomeStaging — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Happy Halloween Everyone! And this is not a Halloween spoof it’s TRUE, some realtors are plenty scared these days. At least from what I hear and see in the field! The other day I met with a broker and what I heard and noticed was well, daunting and interesting to say the least.

Meeting with this broker was my second occasion but quite honestly, he didn’t remember me – Oh well, I’ll have to work on that..ugg! Anyway, what I noticed when I laid eyes on him this time almost made me stutter.

Three years ago he was well put together with a trendy fresh haircut, snazzy cloths, and a sparkle in his eye. I was very impressed by him and his energy screamed ‘leader’. What I saw the other day was more like a man who you know is clearly handsome but, someone had put him in a punching bag and beat him up a number of times. He was visually worn, exhausted and almost frail. It was so sad to see him this way.

During our meeting my goal was to help him. I was asking for an opportunity to speak at one of his realtor sales meetings. I had a FREE home staging service to offer sellers with vacant homes. After all, in this market sellers need all the help they can get and FREE is exactly what they want. What he said to me was nothing short of daunting. Here’s how it went…..

Broker: (not a quote but a summary) Well Lise, although I appreciate the service you offer and know it well, I’ve made a decision to stop all vendors from coming to our meetings until our spring season. You see my realtors are just tired of being sold. (I’m thinking, I’m not selling anything to your realtors, I never do!) I can’t even get them to the meetings these days. This is partly because they’re feeling pressured by vendors who are asking them to ask their clients for money or worse, asking them for money for services and this is turning them off, shutting them down. In fact, the agents in my organization who were once top producers for many years and I mean the ones who have been around this business for a very long time, are not adjusting well. Right now, I’m focused on getting them to transition from traditional selling strategies to more Internet savvy professionals. (Well that made plenty of sense to me, realtors must get on board.) It took me three years in my last office to get the agents to adjust, I just don’t have that kind of time. Next year is right around the corner and I need to work on that. I just can’t risk my realtors feeling sold!

End of meeting pretty much!

I could see clearly by the energy in the room it was pointless for me to continue. The fear was as thick as a foggy night in London and as spooky as a haunted house.

Having said that, I want you to know this broker and his reputation are both very good. I know for a fact, he is a very good leader who’s enjoyed a great deal of success with many awards and achievements. But really, if his realtors aren’t making money then I would think helping them do so would be the first priority when it comes to retention. What is the point of teaching them to adjust to the new world market if they can’t put food on the table in the meantime with services that help them sell their listings? FREE is FREE and quite honestly, I’m not saying FREE just to the realtor (all my services are) this service is FREE to the seller. Here’s what I know about selling a vacant home….

1. A seller with a vacant home is the most vulnerable as buyers especially today, are looking for distressed properties. The assumption all buyers make when viewing a vacant home is ‘This seller must be desperate! He surely has another house to live in and is likely paying two debts.’ 100% of the time a buyer especially now, will low-ball the seller. Never do they offer to pay the true value of a vacant home.

2. In a market such as this I consider it a reatlors fuduciary responsibility to present all marketing options to their clients, particularily those that are cost effective and I believe FREE is. If these are the toughest times any of us have seen in our industry then realtors should gather every bit of information available and make it their job to advise their client. It’s the sellers responsibility to determine what’s right for them. After all, it’s the seller who has the most skin in the game.

3. When times get tough the tough get going. Here’s the thing, I’ve been training and managing sales forces for years and what is always clear is tough times is a good time to let those who really can’t cut the mustard go. The ones who want to change, grow and learn from the adversity and will make the transition. We’ve all read ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’, haven’t we? Shielding sales people as though they are weak will only keep the dead weight around. By the way, there’s nothing worse then unmotivated or uncooperative people in a sales environment. They can effect an entire group – like wildfire!

4. This is not the time to hold back. Getting aggressive now is the only way we’ll get through this mess. Marketing real estate with purpose and getting it sold is the only way for us to recover. Doing all we can like introducing FREE services or anything of value to a seller can only help, never hurt.

5. Realtors should never pitch a home stager’s services. That’s right, and I don’t expect them too. In fact, would a realtor send a mortgage broker into a listing presenting to present the realtors value proposition? I doubt it. The realtor only needs to understand what the FREE home staging service is about. It would be easy for them to refer their seller to the home stager who is the most qualified person to explain the value. So, I wasn’t asking the broker to let me sell the idea to his realtors. I want to sell the service to the seller. By the way, here are the sellers financial advantages with this FREE service.

1. Sellers get a FREE staging service therefore, saving thousands of $$$ in staging fees. NICE!

2. The utilities are paid for through the service offering therefore, helping the seller save that expense. Also, the home will be maintained at a comfortable temperature for buyers to linger in. All too often sellers of vacant homes think they’re doing themselves a favor by saving on utility bills. Read this blog to learn more why that never works. http://www.homestagingatlanta.net/sellers-save-money-turning-down-thermostats-i-say-not/

3. Vacant homes are vulnerable to theft. The insurance industry agrees. When a seller no longer has a vacant home he saves on insurance premiums, not to mention the anguish of a home invasion. Have you ever had anything stolen? It’s absolutely terrible. The loss of property makes you feel violated which is bad enough. The time it takes to replace the items and the expense of deductables and increased insurance premiums make this experience a tragedy.

4. Staged properties sell in half the time according to USA Today. In my experience, even faster. The last mid priced home I staged sold in 60 days. The home before that was in a higher priced neighborhood that had not seen a sold property in more then 18 months, it sold in 4.5 months. How about them apples!!!

5. A staged home allows the buyer’s impression to be elevated. Let’s face it, where is the emotional value in an empty space? There’s none whatsoever. Since a buyers assumptions and impressions are so heavily involved when it comes to an offer to purchase a home, let’s not give them any reason to low-ball a seller. Do the math, what do you think a seller can gain from being offered this FREE staging service?

Clearly, FEAR is the worst emotion for any professional or seller to feel while trying to sell a home. This emotion will get you nowhere fast and worse, it will only prolong the misery. All real estate professionals need to be creative and think outside the box. Whether that means learning more Internet skills to get up to speed with our new global economy (which I strongly recommend) or learning about every possible marketing strategy that will help to make dollars and sense.

Attitude is EVERYTHING if you plan to manifest success!

Final Comments:

Some of you may think I’ve taken this opportunity to vent. That’s not the case. Rather, I saw an opportunity in an adverse situation to share some truth about the times we live in. If I had a dollar for every realtor I know who is not only adjusting to the times but is seeing success in this market, I’d be a very rich woman. These realtors are making it happen and making it happen for my home staging business as well. I only wanted to share this experience to help those who are working in fear. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Change is good, even the changes were faced with now. What you feel about change is what will make the difference. I sincerely hope we all change when needed for the better.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Lise Desormeaux

Founder | RMR Real Estate Marketing Results, Inc.

Which home repairs will cost you a ton of money?

HomeStaging — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:41:40 +0000

Actually NONE!

When the time comes to sell a home that has already been lived in, chances are you’re going to need some home repairs. Before home staging can begin, you need to make sure the basics are covered.

Are there any DIY projects you started and never finished over the years? Are there any repairs that you’ve been putting off until “later”? Well, the time has come to get these things taken care of if you want to have the best chance of success with selling your house.

Home Gain published a guide, the Home Sale Maximizer 2008 that gives home sellers information on how to successfully sell their home and steps they need to take to make the most of their sale.

In this guide, they talk about which home repairs will give the greatest return when you sell your home. This helps home sellers and real estate agents know which things are most important when it comes to getting the home ready to sell.

Cleaning and de-cluttering is the number one thing you can do for a big ROI on your home sale.* Usually this can be done with a minimal investment of only a couple hundred dollars or less, if you do much of the work yourself but this can make the greatest difference on buyers who come to look at the home.

Too much clutter minimizes the space and dirt and clutter can detract from the value of the home. Next on the list is to lighten and brighten*. This reports a 355% ROI and can greatly improve the look and feel of the home.

Next in order of greatest ROI we have:

Home staging
Landscaping
Repair electrical or plumbing
Replace or shampoo carpeting
Paint interior walls a neutral color
Repair damaged flooring
Update kitchen and bathrooms

When you begin examining your home for needed repairs or even updates before you place it on the market, take a look at each of these and remember that each provided more than 100% ROI according to the survey by Home Gain*

You get your money back and then some when you take the time to invest in each of these areas. The result, a home sold faster and for more money!

HomeGain.com | Your Real Estate Connection

* Home Sale Maximizer Guide 2008 from Home Gain

www.homegain.com/download/max_guide.pdf

Dear realtor, sellers aren’t watching your back!

HomeStaging — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:26:37 +0000

In today’s world of ‘free’ information it’s important for realtors to realize that sellers are watching, not their back, but them.

I’m certainly not an advocate of hype and hysteria nor is my intention to promote it. Rather, I think it’s important to help my realtor friends and colleagues with valuable information that can help them along their career path.

Everyone is looking online these days, sellers and buyers.

Sellers are more involved in the process of selling their home in today’s market so they naturally spend more time wondering why their house isn’t selling or just trying to stay on top of this important transaction. They’re searching the Internet to compare their home verses the competition and while there, they’re also noticing how their home appears to a prospective buyer. They want to know if their representation is getting the job done.

For more information about this important survey and other questions asked sellers/buyers go to the 2008 Survey of California Home Sellers (released July 2008) link below. I’m thinking it might be of great interest to my colleagues.

http://www.car.org/meetings/carmeetings/committee-materials-archive/oct2008committees/spf/2008_Home_Seller_Survey_FIN1.pdf

Sellers save money turning down thermostats. I say ‘NOT!!!’

HomeStaging — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:14:21 +0000

How many sellers would love to be a fly on the wall listening to the conversation between a professional realtor and their buyers when walking through a home for sale. That’s a good question, yet I think those who would love to sell their home would desire the opportunity to ‘really’ know what’s going on in that moment. Here’s an conversation a seller should hear and especially those who think they’re saving money by turning down their thermostat while the home is on the market.

Buyer-WOW! It’s cold in here, I can even see my breath!

Realtor-I know, let me turn the thermostat up so when can get some heat.

Buyer-Oh don’t bother with that. We can’t stay long enough to feel it’s effect. In fact, let’s move onto the next house where we can stay warm.

It’s as simple as that. Buyers will never linger in your home long enough to fall in love and purchase it. Think of how expensive the decision to save on your electric or gas bill might be for you. Monthly mortgage, taxes and insurance are almost always higher then your utility bill so keep this in mind. Please keep you home as comfortable as you would for your mother. Mother and buyer are equal when it comes to a comfortable visit.

How to Fold Towels for a Luxury Thick Look !!

HomeStaging — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:18:32 +0000

Have you ever wondered how model homes you visit or spas you love to go to always have those fluffy gigantuous towels that look like you could float in them? Well, wonder no more here’s how they do it.

1. Take two towels and match them up perfectly.

2. Take the longest side and fold one end to the other with both ends lining up exactly together.

3. Fold in the same direction a second time. This time leave about 1/2 inch of the inside fold back from the top of the towel.

4. Now fold the towel from the opposite direction so the edges are even.

Voila, the look of a towel that says, how dreamy is that!!!

To learn more about how to stage your home with my Free Tips just sign up for my newsletter, it’s free too!

http://www.rmrhomestaging.com

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Home Staging reduces Time on Market-True or False

HomeStaging — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:15:26 +0000

In the prestigious Druid Hills neighborhood of Atlanta, GA it’s a fact that a home has not sold in a very long time within the 1.5M-2M price range. As terrible as that sounds there is one piece of goods news I can offer. A home RMR staged in this neighborhood is under contract in less then 4.5 months, the only home in more than a year and a half.

Although it’s always hard to know for certain if home staging played a roll in the sale of this home, it does create an opportunity to ask ’Are the facts and numbers regarding the reduced time on market for staged homes a reality?’

Your guess is as good as mine but as property after property sell that are staged in an otherwise dismal market I’m comfortable reporting the facts and leaving the decision up to you!

Congratulations to Peggy Hibbert with Sotherby’s Fine Homes! She is an excellent Realtor who’s knowledge about this historic neighborhood is that of an expert. She being a resident of this well know area of Atlanta made her the perfect choice for the job of selling this magnificent home. She deserves much more praise then Realtors sometimes receive and I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to work with her.

Take a look a just a few pictures of the staged rooms.