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February 2010
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Vol 5, Issue 2
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Staging Works!
for lowcountry agents
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Dear Bevin,
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It is
hard to believe that we are already halfway through February. The
market has really started picking up and with the first time
buyer credits ending in April, you can be sure that this spring market
will be one of the best in years. Be sure that your listings are
market ready for the best results for you and your sellers.
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Congratulation RESA 2010 Staging Realtor of the Year
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This year
the Real Estate Staging Association picked one of Charleston's Agents
as their 2010
Staging Realtor of theYear.
Michele Reneau, one of
Carolina One's top producing agents, has been using our services for
the past several years.
This year
we are honored to announce that her dedication to customer service and
home preparation during the listing process has earned her this
prestigious award.
Click here to read her nomination submission and
accomplishments....
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Quick Links
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realestatestagingassociation.com
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What agents are saying....
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 "I am thrilled with the service and vision of Bevin
and her team at First Impressions. The furniture and accessories,
beautifully placed, define the spaces and allow the Buyers to visualize
themselves in their future home. The before and after photos and video
are great marketing tools and the feedback, post-staging, has been
extremely positive. Thanks for all your help!"
Beth McCrabb
Daniel
Ravenel Sotheby's International Realty
Come view
this property during it's open house on Thursday, Febuary 18th from 11:30-1pm
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Way Back Wednesday - Real Estate Style
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 In our staging career we often hear the phrase, "I
didn't need to stage my house the last time I sold." I
thought I would take a moment to remind our agents how we got here -
why staging is now so important.
Do you remember the old way of doing real estate? There were thick
binders full of homes that were on the market - this of course was
before MLS. There was a photo of the exterior (if you were lucky)
and nothing else. Agents would do their best to pick a dozen or
so homes that seemed to meet the needs of their clients best of
all. Homeowners would choose from these to see which ones they
could turn into a home. Because of the way real estate worked,
they had fewer options and were willing to overlook more. The
choice really was, "Could this home work for my family?"
Flash forward to today. Buyers, before ever meeting with an
agent, visit the internet and sort through possibly hundreds of
photos. Narrowing their desires and getting a clear indication of
what's available in their price and location. When they contact
an agent, they are sent a printout of all homes currently available
that meet their needs and they then will narrow the search to about a
dozen. Since they have hundreds to choose from now, instead of
only a handful, guess what they use to make this determination?
Ultimately the photos of both the inside and outside of the home
determine if your seller's home makes the cut. This means that
the home has to be near perfect in photos. The photos have to
draw buyers into the home, begging them to see more. Empty rooms,
clutter, no focal point, too much to look at equal a pass by on the
first cut. If you are lucky enough to have your home visited by
buyers then as immortalized by Jerry Maguire, "you had me at Hello"
needs to be your calling card.
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I'll
stage if ---------- doesn't work.....
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 As a real estate
professional, you know that the initial impact of a home can make the
difference in a quick sale or a property that languishes on the
market. While spring is a busy season and it sounds reasonable to
say to your client that with this many buyers in the market this will
be their best chance of receiving an offer so it is OK to wait on
staging. Waiting on staging to save your clients some money might
sound like good sense, but let's check out the reality of it.
Staging
is typically less expensive than your first price reduction.
Additionally, even with vacant homes, the cost is usually less than a
single mortgage payment. Statistics show that professionally
staged properties sell in half the time and for about 3-6% more than
comparable non-staged properties. In a survey of 2000 real estate
professionals, Homegain.com announced that staging provides a return on
investment of 586%. What this really means to your client (and
your commission check) is that staging a home from the beginning can be
their best investment.
Instead
of waiting until the best market of the year has come and gone, THEN
deciding to stage as a last resort, properly prepare and merchandise
the home BEFORE it hits the market and you will find that your home
will most likely beat the market average - landing you with a happier
client, more referrals and a larger, quicker commission check!
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Thank you
again Charleston! We love helping you move your listings.... keep
on the lookout for a newly updated flyer with 2010 statistics!
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Melissa
Marro & Bevin Googer
First
Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign
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