| If you look back at the real estate industry ten years, or even five years ago you’ll see that it was a very different reality than it is today. It’s no secret that the market is slowing down, and has even stalled in many areas. But if you have a home to sell, don’t be discouraged. It is not impossible to sell property in this market. You just have to get creative and have the ideas of a home stager.
When it comes to selling a home in today’s real estate market, you need to set your property apart from all of the other listings. Put some energy into a market strategy that will stand out from the crowd. This is where staging comes in to play. Staging is so much more than making your house clean and pretty; it’s about creating a feeling in the home in order to evoke emotion in the buyer. That is why a home stager training is very important. At Simple Appeal (www.simpleappeal.com) we know what works. We know how to turn a nice house into a home that buyers can picture themselves and their family living in. It is no longer enough to clean your house and put it on the market hoping for a sale. In today’s tough market, more than ever home staging is a necessity to make a sale so you can move on. Whatever reason you have for moving, if your property stands out from the other listings you won’t even notice the slowing real estate market and you’ll be able to sell your home quickly and move on. It’s not Mission Impossible, it’s creative marketing! About the author: By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. To learn more about improving your home staging careers, staging houses, marketing houses and selling houses quickly go to www.OnLineStagingTraining.com for a free 30 day trial and the best home stager school there is. |
Archive for July, 2009
Mission Impossible? Not really
Thursday, July 30th, 2009Picture Perfect Real Estate Success
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009| When most people think of home staging they think that it begins and ends inside the home, and that the primary use of home stagers is for open houses. That couldn’t be further than the truth. Home staging is crucial at the very beginning of the home selling process – when it comes to taking the sales photos of the property.
The power of a properly taken real estate photograph is huge, especially if your property is for sale by owner. A properly presented picture can entice prospective buyers to visit your home to learn more. You may think that anyone with a digital camera can prepare your sales photos, but unless you have an eye for home staging or proper presentation, you may want to leave it to the professionals. Obviously when you take a picture of a room, it should be clean and tidy. Arranging furniture to showcase the room’s highlights is important. Don’t take photos on rainy days or at night because it is best to have as much natural light coming into the rooms as possible, otherwise the house may appear dreary and dark. An excellent tip to flip a property fast is to take a few steps back when you’re taking the photo. Rooms that appear larger in photos will attract buyers much faster than small, crowded rooms. Using a wide angled lens is another easy tip that allows the room to look much larger in a photograph. Properly presented photos are an invaluable sales tool that you can use on your brochures, website, listings and any handouts that you give potential buyers after viewings. All of these you can get if you take a home stager training. For more real estate tips and information on home staging classes check out www.1dollarstagingcoach.com. About the author: By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. To learn more about home stager schools, marketing houses and selling houses quickly, get the best training for your home stager careers and go to www.OnLineStagingTraining.com for a free 30 day trial. |
Smell Your Way To A Sale
Sunday, July 26th, 2009| When it comes to staging a home many people think about the furniture, the decorations, and of course the general appearance of the home. But if you want to flip a property fast, your home staging career needs to include the power of scent.
Too many people underestimate the power of scent, however it is a very powerful sense and should never be forgotten about or you may be missing out on sales, which ultimately means more money in your pocket. The sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive to any of the other four senses which means that the very first thing that people will notice about a property is the way it smells. Of course you are going to want that impression to be a good one. Scent is extremely important when it comes to selling a home because of the way that the brain processes different smells. When your brain registers a smell, it also triggers an emotional response because your olfactory sensors are connected to the limbic system which is the bodily system responsible for emotions and mood. The other crucial thing to understand about scent is that the brain is processing the smell, long before you even realize it. Which means that potential buyers may already be forming an opinion about a home, before they even realize it based on smell alone. If you are a home stager, consider these tips. If you are trying to achieve a romantic impression in a room use: jasmine, rose, sandalwood or gardenia. For a calming and relaxing mood: lavender, bergamot, sandalwood or chamomile, are good choices. And for a refreshing and uplifting setting: mint, pine, eucalyptus and citrus are all good choices. For more real estate tips and information on home staging check out www.1dollarstagingcoach.com. About the author: By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. To learn more about home stager training, marketing and selling houses quickly go to www.5stepselling.com for more info on Karen Schaefer’s effective and proven strategies of the number one home stager school. |
Start Clowning Around and Attract Buyers
Friday, July 24th, 2009| When it comes to selling real estate, most people immediately think of the tried and true MLS system, and the big sign on the front lawn. But when you’re faced with a slowing real estate market, you need to get creative with your real estate marketing, you need to get a home stager training and you need to do it now!
Forget about the tired old tricks and techniques. Sure they might work when it’s a seller’s market, but in today’s slow real estate market, if you want to flip a house you are going to need to attract attention. Before you do anything, you need to figure out your market. Be sure that you know the exact market that you are appealing to and then you can focus your energy and your marketing dollars directly to them. For example, if you are selling a four bedroom family home in a suburban area, you need to attract families. Instead of putting a small classified ad in the main newspaper, place an ad in the local parenting magazine (most centers have one) that speaks directly to potential buyers. When it comes to writing an advertisement for your property, break out of the box. Take a quick glance at a handful of ads and you will see that they mostly sound the same. Instead of an ad that reads, “Great family home on a quiet street.” Attract attention with a headline that reads, “Memories are made here!” Stand out and be a little different, and a buyer will give your ad a closer look. Another great way to attract attention is by offering an incentive to view the home. Arrange to have the local sports mascot to be present at an open house to greet children. Or advertise a mini-family fest and have a face painter or clown on site to entertain children while their parents have an opportunity to view the home. These are just some of the things that home stager schools would most likely to consider when staging houses. Flipping homes and making money in real estate is not impossible in a slow market, in fact if you can stand out from your competition you will be able to flip your properties faster and for the profit you’re looking for. Get your creative juices flowing and soon you’ll have people lining up to view your properties. About the author: By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. To learn more about staging houses, how a home stager should do marketing, home staging careers, and selling houses quickly go to www.5stepselling.com for more info on Karen Schaefer’s “5 Proven Steps to Selling Your Real Estate in 1/2 the Time at Full Market Value” |
