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.

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 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

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.

Think of selling your home like applying for a job.

Usually if your resume looks good enough you’re brought in for your first interview to meet the boss. At this appointment you’re spiffied up in your professional best and your wearing your biggest smile. You’ll present yourself in the best possible light in hopes of getting that all-important follow-up interview. You do this because you are aware the competition may be tough. All the while you’ll go to as many interviews as necessary in order to get the job!

Get the picture?

A home buyer is the boss interviewing your home to see if they will buy it. The only way your home can meet the boss is to have great photos of your home just like a resume’s snap shot of your experience with all of your qualifications or in this case the homes best features on display for the buyer to take notice and only then will a preview of your home occur.

When buyers come back for a second look of your home this is the all important second interview and it is more serious then the first as the buyer has eliminated homes they do not desire and yours shouldn’t be one of them if you staged your home. The idea is to keep them coming back for more previews as they narrow down their selection leaving your home last but certainly not least in their search. It is at this point that you get the job of selling your home to the buyer who for very good reasons ultimately picked your home as the winner.

It’s as simple as that.

If you’ve had difficulty selling a home before, it’s important to look at your approach. Many people are quick to blame the home, the Realtor or the market for their lack of buyers when the real problem lies in their selling technique.

If you seriously intend to sell your home, then your approach will be one of the most important factors that go into whether or not you meet with success.

One of the most proven techniques in real estate today is home staging. We even see realty shows and home makeover shows that talk about the importance of “Home Staging” and making your home look better to potential buyers.

The problem is that most home sellers don’t fully understand the importance home staging or how it should be properly executed. Home staging is different from decorating. In fact, it’s more the opposite.

With home staging, you aim to neutralize the décor and remove the client’s identity in the home. This makes the home appeal to buyers of all tastes and preferences so you are not excluding any potential buyers.

For this to be successful, the seller has to detach from their house and let go of their emotions. They must see this home as a commodity or a business transaction. When you try to sell with your emotions, you will not be as successful, if you’re successful at all.

One of the most common reasons to have home selling downfalls is an over confidence in the property. Because the seller often has an emotional attachment to the home, they may see it in a different light than a potential buyer.

This is the number one reason it is essential to remove your emotions from the scenario and evaluate what needs to be staged to present a ‘product’ that any buyer will desire. Home staging needs to be done at the buyer’s point of view and not that of the seller’s.

Once you learn to do this, it will be the most important move you ever make towards selling your home. You will then offer yourself the best opportunity possible to reach your desired goal of your selling price and the time line in which you wish to sell your home.

Your approach to selling your home will have a huge impact on your results. Will you take an emotional or an objective approach?

Millions of people are feeling the burn from the slumping economy in the United States. Many home sellers fear this will make their task of selling their home even more difficult. For some, selling the home for its total worth is essential to help them with their own financial struggles.

Let’s face the facts; it’s a highly competitive market today. However, when you have the right information to survive the slumping economy, you can actually use this to your advantage as opposed to seeing it as a downfall.

One of the first things you need to know is this: A great home will sell, no matter what the economy is like.

People need homes and there will always be someone to buy. You just need to learn the right way to represent what you are selling. It’s all about your methods of selling and how you go about marketing your property.

Some home sellers mistakenly think that in a slumping economy you need to reduce your prices to make the home more affordable. This isn’t always the best policy. In fact, in some cases, lowering the price too much can hurt sales as potential buyers will be suspicious of why the property is so low.

The next step is to professionally apply home staging to your selling strategy. Poor home staging can be just as bad or worse for your sales as no home staging at all. If you’re going to do it, you need to make sure it’s done right.

If you plan is to do it yourself make sure you purchase your DIY guide from an expert and follow the instructions to the letter. If your not a do it yourselfer hire a professional with great references and years of experience. It’s also important to note that home staging is not just for homes that have been lived in but is also for vacant homes, newly constructed homes, renovations and more.

When surviving the slumping economy, also keep this in mind: there is a buyer for every house. There is someone out there who wants to buy your house. You have to be objective enough to remove your emotions, step back and evaluate the home and then determine the best way to bring in potential buyers and how to make the best first impression on potential buyers when they enter. Your goal is to make an impression connection between your home and a buyer.

Who needs home staging? These days every seller does especially if you consider the return on investment. Recent surveys indicate that even in a poor economy home staging is still providing a 150 to 191 percent return on investment according to HomeGain.com.

I believe there are three basic types of sellers and each one can benefit from home staging in their own way.

3 Types of Sellers:

1. A Home Seller who lives in their property.
   These sellers need help de-cluttering and de-personalizing their home.  Most of us have way too much stuff purchased over the years.   A lot of this information can be found on the web as almost every home stager only deals with this type of seller.
2. A Home Renovator.
   Most renovators do their work based on one of two determinations: what’s in their pocketbook or what ‘they’ think a buyer would like.  In either case they do themselves a great injustice when applying this thought process. Renovators should seek professional advice but almost always don’t because the cost may be out of their budget or they believe the products they will use are good enough.  Renovating with products and finishes buyer trends indicate are desirable will save money in the long run with less time on the market. You also save the cost of ripping something out to replace it with the right materials after buyer views of the home indicate they don’t like what they see.
3. A seller who is transferred out of town or a builder of new construction selling vacant homes.
   These sellers are the most vulnerable as vacant spaces evoke vacant emotions.  Since a home purchase is mostly based on emotion, you can see what a challenge this must be.  Empty spaces do not tell a buyer how to use the space as 90% of buyers can not visual the room.  Beautiful furnishings that describe the functionality of each room will create the emotional appeal necessary to put ink to paper with an offer every seller will be pleased with.

Each of these three types of sellers can benefit from home staging. If you want a higher return on your home investment and you desire your home to sell fast, you need to find a professional home staging service and employ their help for your return on investment.