I have on many occasions stressed here how important it is for Home Stagers and frankly any locally based business to learn how to get on Google Maps.

It’s actually easy, if you know what you are doing.

I am pleased to announce that my newest eBook, How to Get On Google Maps has been accepted for sale as a Kindle eBook by Amazon.

I am thrilled to have Amazon as a marketing partner. In addition to my work being available there for use by Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android devices, PC, and Mac users.

In addition you can buy and download a pdf copy directly from How to Get On Google Maps.

Product Description
Every Business Needs New Customers.

This Kindle book describes the easiest and most effective way to get new customers for main street businesses serving a local area or region. The tools and insights provided are applicable to single establishments and chains with multiple locations.

In this book you will learn how to get your business “Found” by prospective customers by ranking high on the Google Places Pages, which are today’s answer to the now obsolete yellow pages of the last century.

Not only will you learn how to claim and set up your Google Places pages properly, you will gain insights into some of the best online marketing tactics of the day.

You will learn how to do effective keyword search using free tools. Tools that will not only allow you to better understand your own customer demands, but also to spy on your competitors and discover their secrets.

You will understand the three main ways to get of top of the search results on Google.

The specific step by step instructions to make sure your Google Places Information is complete, and what is important and what isn’t so that you show up on the favored 7 pack that Google Displays on its Map.

You will discover why you need to and how to create videos and learn about a free service you can use to create animated videos with special effects that will wow your viewers.

You will discover which other directories in addition to Google Places you want to get listed in, including Bing and Yahoo and nine others.

You will also learn of an inexpensive short cut you can take to minimize the time and effort required to complete these listings and gain valuable “citation” support for your listing.

As importantly, you will learn what not to buy.

You will also learn about a free Google service you can use to monitor your own reputation and to keep an eye on your competitors so you know what they are up to.

And finally, you will get a quick glimpse at the significant change that will render many of your competitors web pages obsolete. This same change will work to your advantage when you apply the lessons of this powerful “how to” book.

Technorati Tags: how to get on google maps, google places page, how to get found online, home staging, mareting home staging businesses, How to attract customers

Technorati Tags: google places page, Home Staging, How to attract customers, how to get found online, how to get on google maps, mareting home staging businesses

Today I have a guest blog post by Douglas Elliman Realty.  He is active in the New York City Condo market, which features a large number of vacant condos.  He uses Virtual Staging to assist in his efforts. Below he discusses the merits of virtual staging.

If you are interested in posting a guest blog post on this site, email me at enetwal@gmail.com and I will try to accommodate you.  If nothing else, you can get some back links to your web site that will help its ranking in the search engines.

 Virtually Staging a Home

Staging a home can be difficult, especially for those properties that are already vacant. Let’s face it; a vacant condo can appear quite atrocious if there’s nobody to maintain it. Similarly, the fact that it’s empty doesn’t help the clientele envision what it could look like, or the possibilities of redesign.

Ultimately, staging a home through a virtual service provider may be the way to go, particularly for large New York City Apartments or Condos, where there’s a ton of space, but nothing but bare walls and floors.

Here are some of the advantages to staging a home online:

• Computer generated furnishings make the home look elegant and filling.

• CGF (Computer generated furnishings) prepare the home flawlessly, leaving no room for mistake or mishap.

• Not only can the interior be redesigned, but the exterior as well.

• 3d panoramic views.

• The process also allows for items to be removed, if the seller wishes to view the home empty.

• Most importantly, everybody likes visuals, especially those that can constantly be revisited.

• In return for staging your home online through a certified professional, you’re able to sell much quicker than those with simple photographs.

It’s quite clear why virtually staging a home online would benefit the buyer/seller, and most real estate companies have already bought into the practice. In fact, the process of staging a home online through a virtual expert has become common practice, predominantly through luxury real estate brokers.

The photos generated through virtual staging can be used for brochures, cards, websites and much more. In the next few years, real estate professionals in the NYC area will probably be the first to jump at this opportunity to really make their properties shine.

Courtesy of Douglas Elliman Realty, New York Condos.

Technorati Tags: Douglas Elliman, Virtual staging, New York Condos, home staging, staging a home

Technorati Tags: Douglass Elliman, Home Staging, New York Condos, staging a home, virtual staging

Home Stagers – Don’t Undervalue Your Services!
By Debra Gould

Home staging is an extremely lucrative career if you know how to properly charge for your services.

It makes me cringe when I hear figures as low as $31.45 per hour being touted as ‘great income’ for a home stager. That is an impossibly low rate for any independent professional to charge, but an expert home stager should actually be making at least double if not four or five times that amount.

Home sellers stand to profit anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 after employing the services of a home stager, so they are willing to pay a premium for that expertise. The cheapest stager in town will only attract clients who don’t really value what a home stager does. After all, if you save a few hundred dollars on staging advice but you don’t get the results you hoped for, what was the point?

The knowledge of an expert home stager is extremely valuable because of the effect it can have on how long a home takes to sell and its final selling price. A two hour home staging consultation should cost anywhere from $250-$800. After the initial consultation, a home stager can make at least $1,000 if the client wants the stager to complete the home staging project for them. This figure can go as high as $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the needs for that property, the home stager’s expertise and where they live. Typically costs will be higher in major urban centers where house prices are also higher. If the home stager has to furnish and/or accessorize the home, that price can creep even higher.

Now back to why I object to anyone advertising $31.45 as a good income for a home stager. It completely devalues what we do and the difference our work makes to a client. Not only that, it misleads aspiring stagers into believing that this is a good income.

Even bumping that pay from $31.45 up to $40 per hour, if you do three two-hour staging consultation each week, that works out to $240 per week or roughly $960 per month. If you also do three “full-blown” staging projects each month which each take you five hours, you can make an additional $600. That’s an unimpressive $1,560 per month or about $18,700 per year.

Depending on where you live, that amount would classify you as part of the “working poor,” and comes out to around what you’d make answering phones or asking “would you like fries with that?”

When you’re self employed, you have lots to do that you don’t get paid for. For example, talking to prospective customers, standing in line at the bank, doing your paperwork, etc. So when you are working on a client’s behalf, you need to make sure you are well paid for it.

If you charge a rate of $300 per two-hour home staging consultation which is still at the lower end of the industry standard, those same three staging consultations a week will give you $900 per week or $3,600 per month. Those three “full-blown” staging projects per month will give you another $2,250 per month. That’s a total of $5,850 per month or $70,200 per year.

That’s $70,200 per year versus the $18,700 you would make earning $40 per hour.

If you want to grow a profitable home staging business rather than dabble in home staging as a hobby, you have to charge a fair rate for your services.

I can’t fathom a home stager charging anything close to $30 or even $40 per hour unless they are working full time for another company who will be reselling their services at the more appropriate rate. Advertising a home staging hourly rate of $31.45 does nothing but de-value the service. As a home stager, you’re operating a business. Can you possibly sustain (let alone grow) a successful business of any kind at such a low hourly rate? When you’re operating a service-based business, time is your product and we are all only given so much of that each day!

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 900+ Graduates worldwide. Debra is the author of two home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell for top dollar.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Gould
http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-Stagers—Dont-Undervalue-Your-Services!&id=1401025

Technorati Tags: Debra Gould, home staging, stager, home stager, Staging diva,

Technorati Tags: Debra Gould, home stager, Home Staging, stager, Staging div

Home Staging to Sell – You Can’t Afford Not To In This Flooded Real Estate Market!

By Pamela Mac

Home Staging is a proven vital tool in today’s flooded real estate market. With well over 90% of all prospective buyers searching the web before touring homes with an agent, and mere seconds to make that first impression, MLS or FSBO photos on-line had better WOW! Having an abundance of homes to choose from has left the buyer’s market very particular and demanding. Builders too, who have been hit by the recession, are slashing prices on new homes. So, the competition is tough!

Although every home should be staged prior to listing, it’s never too late. The Real Estate Staging Association polls 2000 active real estate agents annually for their current home staging statistics. Once again, consistently since 2007, despite the market being down, homes that are staged to sell, do sell faster; saving sellers thousands in monthly expenses. Just one of the impressive statistics in their 2010 report is for Occupied Homes that were listed without staging first. The average DOM (Days on Market) was 233 days–that’s almost 8 months! After those same homes were staged to sell, the average DOM was 53. That’s 78% less time on the market!

Today, home sellers have options. A professional home stager can be brought in to make the needed changes, or for the Do-It-Yourself generation, who’d like to save some money, many staging ideas can be done by the home seller. And for the very design-challenged seller, who has difficulty knowing where to begin, personalized advice and guidance can now be obtained by submitting photos of the home (interior and exterior) to be reviewed by an expert with a critical buyer’s eye. Sellers are then provided with a detailed report, including budget friendly suggestions and recommendation for the home to make it appeal to the maximum number of buyers. This can save a seller lots of time on the market and thousands in price reductions.

Maybe you’re an agent, who has listings that don’t show very well. After sitting on the market for awhile, your client is asking (or badgering) you for why the home hasn’t sold. You know why, but hesitate to be brutally honest about their home. Before suggesting that it may be overpriced and deducting 10, 15 or even $20,000, suggest that a professional home stager determine what’s prohibiting the offers. That fee would be a fraction of the price reduction and is tax deductible upon the sale of the home as an advertising expense; paying for itself!

The Home Staging industry has risen to the needs of sellers today; and while this country’s major cities have embraced the new standard, much of the country needs to be enlightened and realize that what was once their home, is now a product they are marketing. Too often, sellers can’t detach themselves from their home, it’s distinctive style and it’s memories. A professional home stager can guide you on how to let go of personal tastes and appeal to the maximum number of prospective buyers.

Tough times call for creative measures, because the 21st Century demands excellence in real estate presentation. Does your listing draw buyers in or send them right to the competition? If it’s the latter, you can’t afford not to seek the advise of an expert, to get to the root of the problem. Have your photos analyzed and learn how to draw the buyers to your property and get what it’s worth!

Pamela Mac
http://thecyberstager.com/
Email: Pam@TheCyberStager.com
(910) 730-2386

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pamela_Mac
http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-Staging-to-Sell—You-Cant-Afford-Not-To-In-This-Flooded-Real-Estate-Market!&id=6205644

Technorati Tags: home staging, creative real estate marketing

Technorati Tags: creative real estate marketing, Home Staging

1. Professionally staged homes stand out from the crowd.

A professional stager will examine the property with an objective eye and make recommendations to give the home that “wow” factor necessary to entice potential buyers. Did you know that only 10% of people can look past the clutter and unsightly decor in a home and see the potential of a property? First impressions mean everything in the real estate market, having a home professionally staged will ensure that those critical first 10 seconds of a showing are a deal maker, not a deal breaker.

2. Real Estate agents often make suggestions for improvements needed, but they aren’t as detailed as a professional home stager.

Many realtors feel they provide adequate suggestions on repairs and changes needed to get a property sold, but usually these suggestions don’t cover all the elements a home stager would. As a real estate agent you know most homes are purchased based on emotions, professional stagers will advise making all the obvious repairs and improvements needed, but they also help provide the emotional connection points throughout the home that make potential buyers fall in love. Most real estate agents don’t have the design expertise to help their clients carry out a masterful home staging, and most homeowners don’t have the knowledge, objectivity, or time to carry out the changes suggested.

3. Just because you recommend home staging for a listing does not mean you have to pay for it.

Although some real estate agents are opting to provide home staging for their clients as part of their fees and services, it is not the norm for agents to pay for staging. Recommending a professional home stager is just like recommending a home inspector. Your clients don’t expect you to pay for the home inspection services, so why should they expect you to pay for home staging services? In the end, staging doesn’t cost the homeowner a dime either, a 2007 Home Gain Survey of over 200 realtors reported that sellers who spent typically $500 on staging services for their home recovered over 343% of the cost in the sale of their home.

4. Home staging has been proven to help properties sell faster and for more money.

This is a clear win-win situation because turning the property quickly means less hassle for you and your client. Also, a higher sales price brings you more commission and benefits your clients’ pocket book as well. Professionally staged homes sell over 50% faster than non-staged homes and on average for 6-10% more.

5. Your listings will show better if they are professionally staged and this will reflect well on your professionalism.

If you become known for always having properties that show well, other agents are more likely to show your homes, and homeowners will seek to have you as their listing agent. You will gain a reputation for turning homes fast when people notice your name on the lawn signs of all the “sold” homes in their neighborhood.

6. Stagers are experts in tackling sensitive topics in a diplomatic manner.

Stagers can relieve your anxiety of offending your clients by taking over the responsibility of discussing sensitive subjects like odor and unattractive decor. Home stagers will explain to your clients that they aren’t there to put down their design choices or cleanliness; they just want to help their home appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers. While the décor may suit their tastes, properties need to be neutralized before they are put on the market to attract as many buyers as possible. Professional home stagers will explain that the way you live in a home is very different from the way you present a house for sale.

7. Home Stagers free up your time to focus on what you do best.

Professional home stagers will take over the daunting task of preparing your listings for the market. This way you don’t have to waste your time and efforts on something outside of your realm of expertise. Stagers will take your weak listings and turn them into “model homes” so that you can focus your efforts on your real estate skills. Having a property staged can help make the entire selling process easier because homes that are organized and free of clutter are seen as being well taken care of. This makes all aspects of selling a home go more smoothly from showing to inspection.

8. Having a home professionally staged provides you with eye-catching photography for your MLS and marketing materials.

According to the NAR Profile of Home buyers and Sellers 2008, “87% of all home buyers and 94% of buyers aged 25-44 used the internet to search for homes”, this is why you need to have the strongest marketing photos possible. Many home buyers are eliminating properties from their viewing list based solely on the photos they see online. Having a home professionally staged will arm you with valuable marketing photos that will draw in the buyers.

9. Professional Stagers can prepare a home for sale more quickly than an agent or homeowner.

Some real estate agents and homeowners do have an eye for design, but home staging is not their profession. Professional home stagers prepare homes for sale day in and day out. They know the right contacts and have the knowledge and skills needed to achieve the most bang for your buck in the least amount of time.

10. Home staging is becoming the standard in the real estate market.

Home staging is growing more and more prevalent, especially in today’s saturated real estate market. By not informing your clients about the benefits of home staging you are putting them at an immediate disadvantage. Leaving a property in “as is” condition will only help sell the competition, especially when the competition is already using home staging as a marketing tool. With the tough real estate market sellers are facing today, it’s critical that you help your client put their best foot forward by recommending staging. Be sure to inform your sellers about the benefits of home staging, your clients will appreciate your suggestion to utilize one of the most innovative and successful marketing techniques in real estate today!

Krysta Lawver is a professional home stager, licensed interior designer, and the owner of Krysta L Interiors. As a member of the Real Estate Staging Association, she is dedicated to educating real estate agents and homeowners on the benefits of home staging. Krysta L Interiors is a full service staging company in Texas serving Dallas, Fort Worth, Southlake, Colleyville, Keller, North Richland Hills, Grapevine, and surrounding areas. Krysta L Interiors makes it their mission to help relieve the stress of the selling process while using their expertise in staging and passion for design to sell your listings fast and for top dollar! Visit their website today to set up a complimentary staging consultation, http://www.krysta-l-interiors.com

Technorati Tags: home staging, home stagers, real estate, real estate agents, Realtors,

Technorati Tags: home stagers, Home Staging, real estate, real estate agents, Realtors

Home Seller Basics: What is staging?

What is home staging and how do you do it?

Technorati Tags: Home staging, home staging basics, what is home staging, home staging videos

Technorati Tags: Home Staging, home staging basics, home staging videos, what is home staging

In this video professional Home Stager Kym Hough, working with Zip Realty provides a great intro into home staging that they in turn put on YouTube.

Creating such a video is not difficult, and the results can be astounding. While you won’t necessarily be swamped for autographs at the shopping mall, you will be perceived as an expert by most of the people who see the video. this in turn will give you a distinct competitive advantage in your market.

ZipTV Home Staging

Zip TV whats new in real estate, right now In todays market, many homes are taking a longer time to sell than they probably would have a few years ago, or they arent selling at all. ZipTV has the scoop: we tell you the top two ways you can turn your …

Technorati Tags: Kym Hough, Zip TV, Home Staging Video, Home Staging, Home Staging business tips

Technorati Tags: Home Staging, Home Staging business tips, home staging video, Kym Hough, Zip TV

Selling a vacant property is difficult. While the idea that a home would be wide open and totally decluttered would seem like the ideal way to show a property, the reality is that it’s not.

People it seems have less ability to envision and empty room than they do a partially filled on.  The props of existing furniture help them see the possibilities more than a truly empty home.

That is why home stagers are so successful with vacant homes. But a full staging can be expensive due to the need to rent and move furniture in and out.

A compromise solution is to do a virtual job of staging a home.  As you will see in the video below, it can be done with pictures alone for a lot cheaper.  This is a powerful way to stage a home. Particularly since the pictures a buyer sees on the internet are critical for them deciding which homes they will even look at.

A Virtual Staging Solutions Testimonial By Tom Ramos

Virtual Staging Solutions Today’s technology has allowed us to take the photos you send us and warm up the home by putting almost any type of furniture in the photo so that it appears as if the furniture is actually in the home!

This is where a virtual staging plays out to the best advantage. A vacant home can look staged on MLS and Online sites for pennies on the dollar of a formal staging. This will draw more lookers, who will see the home vacant, but already with an image in their minds of how it could look.  When they actually see the home in its vacant state, they will be more able to imagine their own furniture in it having access to pictures you provide from the virtual staging.

To learn more click on the banner below now.

Technorati Tags: virtual staging properties, virtual pictures of homes, home staging props, staging a vacant home, staging vacant homes, homestaging, vacant homes, selling vacant homes, marketing vacant homes, virtual staging, virtual home staging, virtual photo staging, do it yourself staging, DIY Staging, home staging, home stagers, Realtor Virtual Staging, Staging Tips for Realtors

Technorati Tags: DIY Staging, do it yourself staging, home stagers, Home Staging, home staging props, homestaging, marketing vacant homes, Realtor Virtual Staging, selling vacant homes, staging a vacant home, Staging Tips for Realtors, staging vacant homes, vacant homes, virtual home staging, virtual photo staging, virtual pictures of homes, virtual staging, virtual staging properties

The Living Room is typically the first room buyers see when they enter your home. As such it is critical in helping buyers form a positive first impression. Here are some home staging video tips from HGTV for living rooms.

Home Staging: Living Room Staging Tips

Stage your living to attract homebuyers. Living Room’s are often the first space that a homebuyer views when walking through the front door. First impressions are crucial when selling your home. Start with a blank canvas and start removing everything…

Technorati Tags: home staging, home staging tips, Staging living rooms, home staging videos,

Technorati Tags: Home Staging, Home Staging tips, home staging videos, Staging living rooms

My reference to a Yellow Pages display ad is a bit misleading.  I admit that, but the truth is that you can now get something as valuable for free.  Better in fact.

I’ve written and posted a series of YouTube videos on the topic already, but it’s surprising how few people pick up on this exceptional opportunity to gain a near term market advantage by taking action.

Below is my most recent YouTube effort.

Home staging professionals who take the time to get their Google Places Page set up properly will get better exposure than those who do nothing or merely claim their page and let it sit partially completed. Those who go the extra mile and get set up properly with citations will do even better. And please note: You DO NOT need a web site to make this work for you.

Google wants to be the new Yellow pages and if they had their way, each of you would fully fill out you Google places pages with ten photos and five videos, plus all the other relevant information.

To encourage you to do that, they give those who do preferential exposure, ie. a higher listing than those who do not. So now you see why it makes sense to be sure to do a complete job.

Google is also used to scam artists manipulating their systems to get advantage, so they have included in their ranking scheme a thing called citations. These are a little more difficult to scam because Google searches the web as only they can to find verification of your business wherever it may exist on other data bases.

For example they actually prefer to see that you have a Bing and Yahoo places listing, as well as any others they can find.

One of the things I do for my clients is set them up with over 140 such listings. One side benefit from my process is that we often find errors, old addresses, old phone numbers, email addresses and other inconsistent information on some of the listings. With our service we get these corrected so that all your listings are uniform. This citation service is important, and will be more important in 6months to 2 years when all your competitors figure out how to fill out their Google Places listing. Most will never get the word that they also need to do this extra step. Which is why my clients will tend to get higher listings then they will.

If you would like more information on my services to help you to properly set up you Google Places Pages email me at enetwal@gmail.com or leave a comment to this posting.

Technorati Tags: Google, Google places pages, Google places, Google map, Yellow pages, citations, home staging, home stagers,

Technorati Tags: citations, Google, Google map, Google places, Google places pages, home stagers, Home Staging, Yellow pages

Technorati Tags: Article Marketing, article power, home stager, Home Staging, Rhonda Conchola

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josie_Bamber

Technorati Tags: first impressions, home staging, does home staging work, what is home staging,

Technorati Tags: Does home staging work, First Impressions, Home Staging, what is home staging

It’s time to put your home on the market. You’ve hired a real estate agent. You’ve signed all the papers. You’ve been given the typical remarks about keeping your home neat and ready for potential buyers. And now you wait. Or do you?

Instead of waiting the typical 4+ months and then taking a reduced price on your home, why not invest in a home staging professional! Doing so will drastically decrease the amount of time your home spends on the market – up to 20 times faster – as well as increase the amount you get for your home – six percent over listing is typical!

What is Home Staging?

Home staging is simply the art of preparing your home for sale. Basically, there are five steps to home staging:

- Cleaning

- Getting rid of clutter

- Depersonalizing

- Decorating and accessorizing

- Maintaining

In days gone by, home staging consisted of advice by your real estate agent to “clean up” and “de-clutter.” If you had a savvy agent, you may have even been told to add fresh flowers or fresh linens in the bathroom. However, being a real estate professional is not the same thing as being a design professional.

Professional home stagers know exactly what to do to create the right atmosphere. They not only tell you to de-clutter, but know exactly what to do in order to create a clutter free environment. They can walk through your home and know immediately if you need to remove or rearrange furniture. With just a quick visit, they can tell you what will enhance your homes curb appeal.

Why Does Home Staging Matter?

When it comes to sales, first impressions are everything. A potential homebuyer will often decide to enter a home based on the outside appearance. And once inside, they make up their mind about a home within about 10 seconds. This means that you have 10 seconds to create an atmosphere that entices the imagination and creates a longing in the buyer.

Home staging is the way to create that desire and longing. Through home staging, you can put your home’s best foot forward.

Professional or Do-It-Yourself?

Professional home staging services are not free and many people believe that they can save money by doing it themselves. However, there are many pitfalls to the “do-it-yourself” mentality.

1. You obviously like the look of your home or you wouldn’t have created it, right? Making changes can be downright difficult when you love your things and feel that your home is comfortable “as is.” A professional can help you step back and see your home in the same way that a potential buyer will see it. They help you take yourself out of the home so that the homebuyers can see themselves in it!

2. What do you know about color, lighting, and traffic flow? If you are like most people, you know very little about these things. Although the colors or the traffic pattern worked for you and your family, a professional can see issues that will keep your home from having that “instant appeal.” Remember, buyers are not buying “your” house – they are buying “their” house!

3. Can you walk through your home and instantly list 10 inexpensive ways to increase the value of your home? Home stagers can. They know how to make the changes in a timely manner so that you can get your home on the market quickly. They view your home from the buyer’s point of view and can tell you what to store, what to keep, what to move, and what will add that pizzazz that will make your home sell.

Is Home Staging Cost Effective?

One of the most important things you can do to sell your home quickly and for the highest possible price is to “stage” it. The proof is in the pudding:

- According to the National Association of Realtors, for every dollar sellers put into staging, they get $4 back

- The average increase over the listing price is 6.32%. On a $500,000 house, that is nearly $32,000 and will more than pay for your professional real estate agent! Think of home staging as a way to get your real estate agent for free!

A real estate professional has the knowledge, experience, and qualifications to sell your home. A home stager has the knowledge, experience, and qualifications to prepare your home for the sale. Although professional services are not free, the cost of the services more than exceeds the benefits received!

Selling your home can be a trying time. Why wouldn’t you want to decrease the time your home spends on the market while increasing your sales price? Relying on a home stager can make all the difference.

Teri B Clark is a professional writer and published author. Her most recent book, 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought, explains these tips in more detail and offers many, many others. To learn more about Teri’s latest book, visit http://staging-your-home.blogspot.com or sign up for a free newsletter

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Teri_B_Clark

Technorati Tags: home staging, homestaging, home stagers

Technorati Tags: home stagers, Home Staging, homestaging

I like video. People watch videos, which is why its a great idea to produce your own to display on your web site or blog. But also on You Tube. You tube is the world’s second largest search engine and growing fast. When you do create a video make sure you put your URL to your web site or blog as the very first thing in the Description box, and then tell people to click on it in your video or by way of annotations within the video.

That will help you get traffic and backlinks to your site.

Then write an article for the article directories and put a link to both your video and to your site in the resource box for the article. That will help drive traffic to both and increase viewers to your video on YouTube. This second step will help raise the video within YouTube and start you on your way to enhanced results from your YouTube efforts.

This video doesn’t need to be long. The following video is only a little over 2 minutes long and focuses on decluttering. Keep it simple and short and on topic.

Technorati Tags: youtube, video, real estate tips, traffic, backlinks, decluttering, home staging, article directories,

Technorati Tags: article directories, backlinks, decluttering, Home Staging, real estate tips, traffic, Video, youtube

Selecting a Home Stager to help you get a house ready for sale used to be pretty easy since there were so few people in the industry. In the past 6 years we have had a literal boom in this service for preparing homes for sale. There are some that have jumped into this field with no training, no credbility and have not set up their businesses professionally, which could cost the client money. The public needs to know what to ask for when selecting a Home Stager and this top 10 list should help give you some food for thought.

1. What kind of Training Does the Home Stager have?
It is important that the person you invite to help you with readying you house for sale has some training behind them specific to the field of Home Staging. There are courses a home stager can take and earn a designation, certification or accreditation. Of the 3, the accreditation is the highest form of education offered in the home staging industry. You can find accredited home stagers by searching online or by asking for referrals.

All stagers have a natural ability to do their work – that is a given. When a Stager proclaims they don’t need training, what they are saying is they don’t value education, or they don’t want to invest in their education. That is a mistake as Staging is not decorating or design, and handling clients involved in the selling process is very different than a client who is decorating their house. Any person that expects to succeed in business needs knowledge specific to that industry. Home Stagers are no different.

2. Should the Stager have insurance?
YES! Definitely ask to SEE a copy of a current policy that includes liability coverage and coverage for any of the stager’s items they may use to add pizzazz to your house. You don’t want to be held responsible if something is stolen or broken, or if damage is done to the house during the process, you want it paid for under an insurance policy. A professional home stager should carry insurance – both liability and coverage for items provided from their inventory.

3. Is it all about Price?
No. Staging should not just be about price because cheapest does not always mean “best.” You want to interview your Stager and ask for a proposal for services that is reasonable for your house. Most Stagers have a range of fees they charge depending on the service provided. You want to make sure the job that you pay for actually is a good job. When the average price reduction on a house sitting on the market is now between 5-20% (based on National Association of Realtor – July 2008) it’s important to remember: Staging your house is less than a price reduction – in any market and in any price range.

4. Should the Stager be Licensed?
The Stager should have a business license and be set up properly through the proper channels depending on where you live. You can ask to see a business license and also ask if the stager has any additional services or discounts to offer you from vendors they may partner with in your area or nationally.

5. Experience Matters.
Most stagers have been staging their whole life – they just did not realize there was a business they could wrap around their talent. That said, depending on your house, you need to ask for examples of their work and ask how much experience they have. A newer stager can do a fine job on certain houses, but a more complicated Staging job requires the services of an experienced Stager to make sure it is done properly and within budget. As for references and testimonials as an experienced Stager will have those readily available. As Stagers gain more experience, they are able to conduct work more quickly, and have better ideas on how to handle projects.

6. Who Pays?
Staging services are paid by either the homeowner that is selling or the Realtor listing the house. Ultimately it is up to the seller to ensure their house is Staged but some savvy realtors are including Staging as part of their services to list a home – and a way to get a listing over competitors. The dollar amount they are willing to provide for this service is typically $200-$500 and they may require that the seller pay up front and they reimburse at the close of escrow.

7. How much Does it Cost to Stage my Occupied House?
For Occupied Homes a Stager has two types of services. They can provide detailed plan to the seller who then implements the recommendations with a basic follow up on the back end for about $350.00 average. The stager can also bring in inventory to help add “wow factor” which is typically an average of about $200 per house per month. The Stager can provide total hands on staging using the seller’s things – and is paid for their time in the house to transform each room. This average investment for this varies based on size of the house, what needs to be done – and a stager will provide a proposal to the seller.

8. How much Does it Cost to Stage my Vacant House?
For Vacant houses, the staging costs depends on the size of the house and the style, price and location. For smaller condos or townhouses, Staging can start as low as $700 and go up from there with monthly rental involved. For average houses, the fees are on average about $2,000 to Stage. Larger houses have higher fees because there is usually a need for more furniture and decor. The Staging includes the time to install the furnishings and the rental on those furnishings for a designated period of time. The primary rooms of the house are staged, leaving some rooms vacant. With all vacant houses the client pays for rental of furniture and decor that is in line with the price and style of the house. The furnishings help make the house look more inviting for buyers and helps them imagine living in the house. It also helps them envision the scale and size of the rooms using the furniture as a guide. The rental is at minimum 30 days, and can be contracted for a 60 or 90 day period, or longer depending on the market conditions. The house needs to stay staged as it is a key part of getting a buyer to make an offer. The Staging also includes fees for delivery and removal of Staging items.

9. What else should I ask for?
Stagers that are part of larger associations may have the ability to help with some marketing of the house including featuring it on national websites. Stagers can often provide photos of the houses they have staged that may help with the marketing, as well as provide real estate shows that function similar to a virtual tour. You can ask your potential Stager what they offer to help with marketing once the house is Staged. Look for a Stager that belongs to a reputable association that is founded on educational and code of ethics requirements. Associations that include everyone without regard for educational standards of excellence or enforcable code of ethics have no merit. Ask to see membership certificates and find out what else the Stager can offer you as part of a professional association.

10. Rapport and Relationship Matter Most
When it comes down to it – you need to work with someone you trust can do the best job for you. If you find a connection to the Stager’s personality, that helps you to know you are in good hands, and so look for a Stager that is engaging, and not all business. If you are a Realtor, this Stager can become a valuable part of your team, even sending you referrals for future business. As a seller, your Stager is coming into your house and helping you transition to your new home and should be someone that you trust.

These Top 10 suggestions for location a great Home Stager should serve you well when you follow all of them. Ultimately the goal is to get all properties Staged prior to coming on the market so that Buyers get the best first impression of the home. For statistics on Staging you can go to Stagedhomes.com and see current statistics that show a Staged house sells 2-3 times faster than the unstaged competition. Staging also helps a seller keep more money as they are less likely to have to reduce their house either once or multiple times in price than the competition that is not Staged.

Jennie Norris, ASPM, IAHSP is an Accredited Staging Professional Master (ASPM) and Owner of We Stage Sacramento, a full-service Home Staging company serving the greater Sacramento region. She was the first Home Stager to launch a company in that region and has staged thousands of houses. She was privileged to be part of national Home Staging features on ABC’s 20/20 and NBC’s Today Show. A local resource for media and newspapers, Jennie is a recognized expert in the field of Home Staging.

She is the Vice President of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP -http://www.iahsp.com), the President of the local IAHSP Chapter serving Sacramento, and teaches others about Home Staging in her role as a Course Trainer with http://www.Stagedhomes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennie_Norris

Technorati Tags: Jennie Norris, Home staging, home staging costs, home stager, home stager qualifications, home staging criteria,

Technorati Tags: home stager, home stager qualifications, Home Staging, home staging costs, home staging criteria, Jennie Norris

This home staging channel video does a nice job of explaining how to stage a living room.

Stage your living to attract home buyers.  Living Room’s are often the first space that a home buyer views when walking through the front door.  First impressions are crucial when selling your home. Start with a blank canvas and start removing everything from the area.  Position furniture in a way that shows off the living room’s potential. Maximize space by removing un-used furniture and decor.  Add tasteful accessories and artwork that are neutral in color and design.  Wow the buyer with your newly staged living room.

Technorati Tags: John Mangano, home staging, living room, Staging tips, First Impressions, video, home staging channel

Technorati Tags: First Impressions, Home Staging, home staging channel, John Mangano, living room, Staging tips, Video

As the real estate market has cooled and many Real Estate Professionals and home sellers are struggling to sell their properties quickly, many think the best way to survive is to cut their budgets for staging their listings.

“Studies show that pulling back on staging your listings during a recession actually hurts, rather than helps with home sales. Listings that are staged and priced competitively sell in half the time that non-staged properties do.”

That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t find lower cost options to help you prepare your properties for sale.

I decided to create the Do-It-Yourself Home Buyer Attraction System to meet this need for valuable information at a lower cost than traditional staging services. The system provides real estate professionals and home sellers with the knowledge and skills that I have acquired working in the field over the last few years. These tools and strategies are proven to work in a seller’s market and they will work in a buyer’s market to make your property truly stand out in the marketplace and draw buyers to you.

So, over the next few days I’m going to lead you through a short, but information packed series on how you can start transforming your listing or home into a home buyer magnet.

Let’s start with a very important distinction: What is Home Staging and What is it Not?

Home Staging (House Staging, House Fluffing, House Primping, Real Estate Staging, Staging Design) is the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for TOP DOLLAR. It is the most proven way to get top dollar for your home as you prepare it for sale.

What Home Staging is NOT…It’s not just decorating. It needs to be strategic. An important thing for both Real Estate Agents and Home Sellers to remember is that before you start the staging process, you need to identify who is most likely to buy the house, otherwise known as your target home buyer.

Staging is not just about hanging up some art, sticking a tree in the corner and adding pretty pillows to the sofa. This seems to be the misconception many times. By knowing who the target buyer is, you will be able to design a lifestyle to appeal to that specific group of prospective buyers. As a real estate agent, you can then design a marketing plan to attract those same people.

I remember a particular property that I was hired to “stage”. It was for a Realtor client of mine. The interesting thing about this property was it was a job that was going to be a favor to him since the original Stager he hired for that project flaked on him at the last minute. I usually don’t work on properties that I haven’t had a “relationship” with, meaning I haven’t seen the property and the sellers have not gone through my staging consultation process so that they fully understand what needs to be done in preparation and shown how they were going to live in their staged home. Well, to no one’s surprise, when I arrived to do my ‘thing”, the house was NOT READY. It was a small house, but it was a family house with parents and a couple of kids. There were shoes and dirty laundry all over the house, the small kitchen and bath were cluttered and dirty, beds were not made, it was NOT READY! When I spoke with the owner, their comment was “well, can’t you just stage around me?” The answer to that was a resounding “NO!”. I left that property, unstaged. My mistake was agreeing to do the job in the first place. I thought I was doing the agent a favor, but really, I wasn’t doing anyone any favors.

I understand that real estate professionals and home sellers are anxious to start marketing their properties as soon as possible, BUT take a moment to consider what you’re allowing to be marketed. REMEMBER, you only have ONE chance to make a FIRST impression, make it the best one possible!!!

© 2009 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Want To Use This Article In Your E-Zine Or Web Site? You can, but here’s what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staged Home Lifestyle Expert helps Real Estate Professionals and Home Sellers create irresistible, market ready homes that SELL. Alice’s “Do-It-Yourself Home Buyer Attraction System” empowers home sellers to stage their own homes so they STAND OUT from the crowd and make buyers STOP and TAKE NOTICE! For FREE Home Staging tips and to get your free e-course “8 Steps to Creating an Irresistible, Market Ready Home that SELLS”, visit http://www.AliceTChan.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alice_Chan

Technorati Tags: Home Staging, House Fluffing, House Primping, House Staging, real estate staging, Staging Design

Home Staging courses have been popping up online, in chat rooms and classrooms throughout the nation.

The home staging training industry is growing even faster than home staging itself.  The economic downturn has greatly expanded the number of people interested in pursuing staging as a career.  It is after all a low cost, relatively easy entry business, unless you get into buying and warehousing furniture and accessories.

The pay is good, (if you can line up enough clients consistently), and more importantly for many, it is a flexible business that allows you to integrate your business and family life as necessary.  The opportunity to express oneself creatively is certainly another of the aspects that appeal to many.

Whatever your reason, it’s clear that home staging has established itself as a hot new home based business opportunity, that’s open to anyone who wishes to establish themselves and to work at it.

The recession and snail slow recovery have generated a lot of training programs. Some charge hefty fees for courses that aren’t always taught by active stagers who are doing the job day in and day out in the field.

This seems questionable to me.  If I were to seek out training in a new field or continuing education in an existing field I would want to know my instructors were belly to belly with real clients in real situations on a regular basis and not just teaching theory.

This is particularly true in a field like home staging which is at least partly an art rather than a science.

Now I am not in a position to evaluate all the different training programs out there.  But I am convinced of a couple of things.  You do not need to be certified by XYZ or anyone else to be a home stager.

When I first started exploring the field as an outsider, I was sideswiped by a group of women who thought only their high and almighty leader was the legitimate source of accreditation.

While they took some pot shots at me on Active rain and left me Zero Stars on one of my Squidoo pages, their outrage that I would dare comment on the field actually helped generate interest and lead to additional sales of my home staging survey results. (See sidebar – they are still available)

I mention this, because I see some of the various training programs selling their designation more than the quality of their home staging training course.

When you evaluate staging courses, consider the practical experience of the actual instructor who will be leading the class.  Are they experienced? Are they actively staging themselves today?  Not all are.

Will the course cover both home staging topics and business topics, such as how to set up your marketing plan, and run your business?

Will you be one of 30 in an overcrowded environment, or part of a compact personalized class where you have detailed conversations on the “how to” aspects of home staging.

And finally, shop price.  The most expensive courses are not necessarily more expensive because they are good. Often they are more expensive, because they have high marketing costs or profit margins.

In the final analysis, what you really want from your training is access to a highly experienced and knowledgeable instructor who not only knows the topic inside and out, but is able to teach it effectively and who you can relate to.

Ideally, you want to find a person with whom you can develop a long term personal relationship with that will last beyond the last day of your class.

Within the home staging training field there are dozens of such instructors, perhaps hundreds, so take the time to find a good one.

One possible resource I can recommend is Allegra Dioguardi.  I mention her, because I am familiar with her and have taught a segment on internet marketing for her students.  She offers a choice of day and evening courses to accommodate people’s schedules. The only problem is that she severely restricts the number of students she allows into her course at any time.

She is an active home stager in the Hamptons of NY, and has more experience staging and training than virtually anyone else out there.

Her next opening for students is Sept 13 for morning classes and Sept 14 for evening classes. For more information on her home staging courses go to Home Staging Training by Design

The fall is a great time to take a home staging course.

Technorati Tags: staging courses, home staging courses, staging course, home staging training, allegra dioguardi, home staging, home stagers, home staging training by design,

Technorati Tags: Allegra Dioguardi, home stagers, Home Staging, home staging courses, Home Staging Training, home staging training by design, staging course, staging courses

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Gould

Technorati Tags: home staging, home staging business, Debra Gould, home based business, work from home, home staging training, real estate staging, women oriented business, women oriented businesses,

Technorati Tags: Debra Gould, home based business, Home Staging, home staging business, Home Staging Training, real estate staging, women oriented business, women oriented businesses, work from home

Here are some recent Twitter Tweets  related to home staging I noted today. If you use twitter for home staging, please leave a comment about how its going for you in the comment section.

By sunriseled at 06/18/2010 21:56

By usacommunity at 06/18/2010 21:18

By UnitedCarolina at 06/18/2010 20:54

By StagedByGabi at 06/18/2010 20:11

By DeanaStyle at 06/18/2010 19:18

By LivingAirpurifi at 06/18/2010 19:55

By talkshoppetn at 06/18/2010 18:43

By CrazRealEstate at 06/18/2010 16:37

By home_stagingGA at 06/18/2010 15:15

Technorati Tags: Home Staging, home stager, home staging tips, twitter, twitter tweets,

Technorati Tags: home stager, Home Staging, Home Staging tips, Twitter, Twitter Tweets