Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Highlands Ranch House for Sale!

Check out another Staged house listed by Monica Bennett of Keller Williams. This house is ready to be shown to Buyers that want a well-priced house in a nice neighborhood!


Friday, April 8, 2011

What do Stagers and Major League Baseball Players Have in Common?



Well it certainly is not our annual multi-million dollar contracts . . . or the papparazzi that follow us around! LOL

But seriously . . . I was out to dinner with my husband and friends and saw a game on TV. We were seated at the bar waiting for our table, and people were shouting and yelling for their preferred team.

I said hello to the man seated next to me - he looked to be in his mid-50's - and as he watched the game he sort of whimsically said, "You know - those guys really have it great. They get to do something they have loved since childhood and make money at it."

Hmmm.

So I turned to him and said, "Well I may not make the multi-million dollar annual contracts of the baseball players, but I get to do something I love and have been passionate about since I was young."

He was intrigued - I told him about Home Staging, and found out he was an engineer (boring - to me anyway) and from the environmental business arena (where I used to work) . . .

Think about it - it's true. As Home Stagers, we get to use our creativity that we've had since we were very young, and make money and have a life because of it.

Most people (including me) were taught to get educated, get a good job, pay bills, and pursue something that helped make enough money to support the lifestyle we want.

When I found Home Staging as a viable business, it opened my eyes and my life to the possibilities of doing something I really enjoy.  I hope to teach my kids that their passions are worth pursuing - and there are ways to make income doing something they love not just doing something for money.

There is a difference, as most of us know. Any of us that have ever worked for someone else doing something we really did not enjoy can attest to this truth.

I think there are many people that are following their passions and doing things they truly enjoy. The true test is to ask ourselves, "Do I see myself doing this for the rest of my life and if so, will I be happy?"

The best part of all is that we CAN earn good money as a Home Stager - it totally depends on how we build our business. We can be successful, we can even have "fans."

Home Run for Home Staging!

- Jennie

Jennie Norris, ASP Master, IAHSP, Owner & Principal Stager, Sensational Home Staging serving the Greater Denver region

•International Staging Expert, Blogger, and Media Personality

•Member of International Assoc of Home Staging Professionals since 2003

•Why Trust Your House or Listing to Anyone Else?

•Over 2,700 Houses Staged and Thousands of Satisfied Realtor and Seller Clients

•303-717-7918 or 888-93-STAGE

If you STAGE it, THEY will come!

How many times have you been asked to do something you were not quite sure of - and you reached a crossroads of decision?  "Do I follow this advice and do what I am being told to do or do I fall back on my safety net just in case they are not right?"

There are two movies (I am sure there others) that I can point to that are relevant for this subject. The first is "Field of Dreams" where I was inspired by Kevin Costner's character, Ray, as he goes out on a limb and despite everyone thinking he is crazy as he follows the mantra he hears, "If you build it they will come."  He goes ahead and follows the plan and takes a risk.

The second movie is "Evan Almighty" where Steve Carrel's character, Evan, is told by God to build an ark because there is going to be a flood. This is an edict given to him during ione of the hottest, dryest spell in Northern Virginia, and to top it off he has all of the DC politicians thinking he is "crazy!" God even changse Evan's appearance to look like Noah - furthering his humiliation until he finally "gets it" and goes for the task with FAITH.  His family doubts him at first and then gets on board. . . hmmm - sounds slightly familiar!

I thought about parallels - and see that it takes FAITH to follow through with Staging. Faith is belief in something not seen. It is trusting that the advice and direction you are being given will lead you to where you want to go.

Fortunately with Staging, we don't have to just go on blind faith as we have PROOF Staging works!  There are statistics being released monthly that demonstrate Staging's power in any market to help bring a Buyer that makes an offer.

Selling a house is not just about having a bunch of people look at your house - it's about getting at least one of them to MAKE AN OFFER you accept!  In order to do that your house has to be THE ONE they want over all the others out there.

Like Evan, you may be asked to change the appearance - of your house.  You may have to paint, remove things, bring things in - all in an effort to help your house appeal to the most buyers!  But unlike Evan and Ray, this does not involve embarassment to you or your family, does not cause you to lose your job - really the RISK is minimal.

So why don't more people embrace the service and business of Staging?  I believe it's an issue of education:  They don't know what Staging really is and how it can help them.
  • Staging is NOT decorating, it is a MARKETING and FINANCIAL tool to help your house sell.
  • Staging can HELP you by getting your house sold FASTER and at a better price than your un-Staged competition, which translates in to EQUITY you get to KEEP. 
  • The longer a house sits un-sold on the market, the more likely it is going to have a price reduction - and you don't want that.
Staging will help your house attract MORE BUYERS! As they look at houses online and see how nice yours is compared to the others - they will then decide to look in person.

IF you STAGE it, THEY (the Buyers) will come!

So be like Evan and Ray - and take a leap of FAITH - and get your house Staged.  You will be thankful you did follow through with the advice that is there to HELP you achieve your goals and dreams.

Lovely Littleton Home ready for move-in!