“I had a ranch home listed in a good neighborhood listed for six months. The property was priced right and was receiving regular traffic but never generated any offers. After running out of marketing options, I tried Pouty Home Staging. Amy and her team staged most of the rooms in the home with furniture, wall and counter top decorations. We held a brokers open with lunch in the home on the first weekend. In just under two weeks we received a nearly full price offer for the home. The home closed escrow in 30 days. The selling agent remarked during the transaction that the staging had sold the home. She said they had looked at other homes that were a better value, but the buyer just kept coming back to the staged home. “
-Bill Hruby
Century 21 Expert Realty
Join the growing number of agents in offering a home staging consultation from Prouty Home Staging as part of your listing service.
- Give yourself a competitive edge over your competition
- Attract more potential buyers to your listings
- Watch your homes sell faster and for more money
- See your marketing costs go down
- Enjoy greater approval ratings
- Receive more referrals as a result
Call us to find out more about our excellent program for Realtors!
Home owners: call us for an updated list of Realtors who offer free home staging as part of their listing service!
Amy Prouty
Prouty Home Staging
www.proutyhomestaging.com
proutyhs@msn.com
(360) 601-6731
We are all so busy with our lives, we often forget our troops.
WASHINGTON / OREGON BRANCH
Give2TheTroops, Inc.
ATTN: Pete Cassell, WA/OR Branch Director
2694 Maplewood Dr.
Longview, WA 98632
Tel. 360.636.1681
E-mail: Pete@Give2thetroops.org
http://give2thetroops.org/
Virtual Tour: http://www.realestateshows.com/show.php?mls=basic&id=288351
Great opportunity to own nice ranch style home on close-in .98 acre. Includes 20′x30′ shop w/concrete floor, 220 wiring & carport. New water heater, dishwasher, kitchen sink & fixtures. Designer colors, beautiful lawn & flower areas with sprinklers. Covered patio, play structure & more. Approximately 1 mile to Home Depot, Walmart, future Penney’s, etc. A must see property!
Listing Agent:
Jan Alberg, Handris Realty Company
www.handrisrealty.com
If you have your home listed with an agent, don’t stick around for the showings! This can be very distracting and uncomfortable for the buyers.
My advise, clean up, open blinds and curtains, turn on all lights and go for a drive.
How many photos of your listing do you post? Here is a great article on reasons to post more photos! Don’t forget, what’s is in your photos makes a huge difference too!
1. Stage your home
2. Take great photos (preferably with a high quality, wide angle lens camera)
3. Post 20 or more photos on your site
http://fsbo.fizber.com/2008/05/01/the-successful-combination-of-photography-and-real-estate/
When selling your home, nothing says cheery and well taken care of like flowers. Plant only as many flowers as you can take care of. In other words, no wilted flowers! Also, freshen bark dust and pressure wash sidewalks. Trim shrubs and bushes away from windows and pull up weeds. Store away hoses and any clutter from the yard. Take a picture of the outside of your home. What do you see? What will the buyers see? It’s called curb appeal - very important!
Today was the last day for the heating and cooling department at Clark Public Utilities. We have come to depend on their service and I, like many of you, requested Todd Hanson, their technician, to work on our heat pump, furnace or air conditioner.
Well, I have good news! Todd has opened a heating & cooling company of his own, Todd’s Heating & Cooling. He is specializing in service and repair of heat pumps, electric furnaces and air conditioners. Todd has 16 years experience in this field and 11 of those years were with Clark Public Utilities in the heating & cooling department. He will be doing all the service calls himself, so when we call for service, Todd will be the one coming out. His number is (360) 624-4881.
Real Estate Professionals, Builders and Contractors! Join the Active Rain Real Estate Network.
Click Here to Join:
By Doug Fritchie ~ Principal Broker with Silver Legacy Properties,Inc.
I HAD A HOME LISTED THAT WAS JUST SITTING. The Sellers were fairly co-operative to doing the little things to make the house more appealing but they did not have any inerest what so ever in paying someone to Stage the house.
SEVERAL HOME STAGERS CONTACTED THE SELLERS but had no luck convincing the Sellers that their services would make a difference in marketing the house.
FINALLY, FACED WITH ANOTHER PRICE REDUCTION,the Sellers decided to move forward with using a Home Stager and as you might have guessed, the house is now Pending.
IN THESE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES we need to encourage our Sellers to not pull back, but rather pull out all the stops and use every marketing tactic available to secure that Buyer.
I was called to stage a home that had country blue carpet. I explained that the carpet dated the home but since it was in perfect condition, they didn’t need to replace it. I told them I was going to make it look like the carpet was supposed to be blue. Since blue is actually a popular accent color when paired with dark brown, I brought in dark brown and blue accessories.
The furniture in the home was also slightly dated. Some new throws, pillows and lamps transformed that. With the new color scheme and up-to-date accessories, the home went from outdated nineties to stylish 2008! Think Pottery Barn. It was another “wow” moment!
Now for the best part! The home sold the first day at full asking price! Then I received this from the seller:
I have to say I love my job!
“When leaving a home empty for an extended period of time, it’s best to keep the furnace at 55 degrees or higher,” says Todd Hanson, owner of Todd’s Heating & Cooling in Battle Ground, Washington. “Be sure the furnace filter is clean. Turn off the water heater and then the main water valve to the house. If you are leaving any appliances in the home, including a washer or dryer, unplug them.”
Todd Hanson worked as a technician in the heating and cooling department at Clark Public Utilities for 11 years. Clark Public Utilities will be shutting down this department in April. Todd has since started his own heating and cooling business, Todd’s Heating & Cooling. Now Clark County will not be without their favorite technician!
Now, back to home staging. For staging, the ideal temperature is 69 degrees. In the winter, we suggest keeping it somewhere between 60 - 69 degrees. In the summer, if you have air conditioning, try to keep the temperature below 76 degrees. We want the buyers to be comfortable as they tour your home!
Years ago, before I had heard of home staging, my husband and I were looking for a home. We looked at many homes and quite a few would have met our needs. BUT for some reason, we just didn’t like some of them. Now, when I look back, the ones we immediately erased off our list of possibilities were the homes that were cluttered, messy or dirty. Some of them had family pictures all over and as I looked at them, it felt like I was just walking through someone else’s home. Sure, that is exactly what I was doing, but I could not imagine it being MY home. It was just too hard to see past their stuff.
I remember one home we looked at that was vacant, but had candles going and some decorations. It was spotless and cozy. I loved it! I couldn’t wait to move in. Needless to say, we made an offer, but someone else had already beaten us to it.
This is why I became a home stager. I experienced first hand that visualization is an important step in the buying process. I believe home staging consultations for occupied homes are just as important as staging vacant homes.
Would you go to a job interview dressed as is, in your most comfortable clothes, with your hair a mess? Do you say to yourself? “The employer knows my credentials. He can see past my appearance.” We all know that is not the case. If you are dressed professionally and look your best, the first impression will be a favorable one. A good first impression will help you immensely.
Everyone knows how important it is to look their best for a job interview. The same should pertain to selling your home. Often times, home sellers will say, “Buyers know my home is 2000 square feet, it has four bedrooms and a large kitchen. Inspections show it structurally sound and everything is in working order (good credentials).” But did the buyer already discount your home because of its appearance or their first impression of it. If the appearance looks un-kept, the decorations are outdated, and the home is cluttered and in disarray, buyers will assume the entire house is in the same condition. Will your home make a good first impression?
If you are living in your home while you are selling it, a home staging consultation is essential. Most often, we can use what you already have in your home. It just takes some re-arranging and de-cluttering. Maybe a few new accessories will do the trick.
Prouty Home Staging has all the tips for showing your home in the best possible way. We are the buyer’s eye and we know what sells a home. Let us walk you through the process. For just $150, we provide a home staging consultation and a detailed written report. If you don’t want to spend a dime after that, no problem. We show you many no-cost ways to spruce up your home.
For just $150 and some work on your part, your home will sell faster and for more money than you expected.
After our home staging consultations, last month, two homes had offers in the first two weeks. This is why some realtors will not list a home unless it is staged!
One important step in home staging is de-cluttering. It sounds like common sense, but many sellers don’t do it. Buyers are not able to visualize themselves living in a home if it is too cluttered. If they can’t visualize themselves living there, they won’t buy it. De-cluttering is also a free way to add space to a home.
As a start, remove all personal items that point to you. This includes family photos, awards and trophies. Leave a few large, neutral accessories for decorating.
Sometimes home owners remove too much stuff, leaving their home bare and uninviting. Most often they remove a few things and call it good. It’s usually not. A professional home stager can walk them through the process, detailing exactly what goes and what stays.
Large corner lot with nice home updated thru-out! New 30 year architectural roof, new appliances, new paint, new hardi-plank siding, new large deck, oversized storage shed, + new carpet & new tile floors. Hardwood floors thru-out main level & vaulted ceilings thru-out. Great location!
2001 sq ft
3 br, 2 bth
Diane Burnette
RE/MAX Equity Group
http://www.equitygroup.com/dianeburnette
Exceptional quality in rustic resort style setting. 8ft knotty pine doors and mill work with vaults and tall tall ceilings. Great room concept w/ fireplace, floor to ceiling windows with classy window treatments. Granite and stainless in kitchen. Gorgeous 2 story slate entry. Jacuzzi/shower in master with cool balcony/closet. Frissee carpet. End unit. Lease purchase terms.
http://www.sherrisellshomes.com/
Linda Tompkins
Remax Equity Group
www.lindatompkins.com
Just 4 mls N. of town this rustic but refined home features gourmet kit with slate floors, wood windows, granite, hrdwd floors, rock fireplace in a serene setting. It’s gated entrance, paved drive, charming and functional shop/green- house complete the perfect place. Add in a sept apt over garage all on 10 ac in 5 ac zoning. WOW! Great Investment.
Our #1 goal is customer satisfaction. We also realize that our pictures are our resume. This means, each home has to be staged to perfection. To keep our business going, we have to look good in our pictures! We don’t accept sub-standard and neither should you.
After a home staging consultation and accent staging by Prouty Home Staging, the home sold in a little over 24 hours at full asking price!
A note from the seller:
3/12/08
“Well, it took a little more than 24 hours from the time we officially listed for us to receive a full price offer on our place…. Good stuff! …We really appreciate the service you supplied and once were confident the deal is done - we will drop you a note so we can arrange a time for you to come by and pick up the staging materials…..”
I have talked to many real estate agents who tell me they have a home on the market that has had a lot of good showings. They say it is priced right and there has been a lot of interest, but no offers. Then they call me and want me to stage it. I’d love to; home staging is what I do.
Before looking at a home, buyers know the size, general location and age of the home. So far, it sounds good to them. But, when they get there, it just doesn’t excite them. They go on looking for their dream home.
There can be different reasons why they don’t want the home, but is the overall appearance one of them? Sounds simple right? Not really. The home could be in good condition, even updated throughout. It could have all the criteria the buyers are looking for. But for some reason, they just don’t like it.
Many homes are cluttered with knickknacks and outdated decorations. The rooms are filled with furniture and the walls are covered with personal photographs. Buyers cannot visualize themselves living in the home. Without realizing it, this is the reason why they just don’t like it. They move on to the next home and you have lost a potential buyer.
NOW is the time to fix up your home, before you lose any more potential buyers. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to stage your home. A good home stager will work with what you already have in your home. They will give you a checklist of items to do. They will tell you what goes and what stays. It will cost a fraction of the amount of a needless price reduction.
The results will be amazing. Your home will feel more spacious and inviting. Buyers will be able to mentally move in during their first walk through. They will be able to visualize themselves relaxing there or entertaining friends. They will be eager to make your house, their home!
Don’t waste any more good showings. Stage your home to sell!
Stage It!
How much will you lower your price? $10,000? $15,000? $20,000? Stop! Stage your home first! Staging can be completed for a fraction of that cost.
