I was reading a fax by one of my mentors and he asked the question, “Do you have Scotoma?” Well, I should not say that he asked the question, he actually implied it. What he really asked was “How do you hide an elephant on a pool table?” And the answer is to put him in green shoes.

The Point…and yes, I have one…is that most of us have a “blind spot” which is what “Scotoma” means, literally. Figuratively however, it means that we are blind to our true self or our short comings. When it comes to real estate and the business of home staging, I have so many people complain to me about not having what they want or feel as though they deserve yet when I really ask about their business strategies, time management techniques they are using, the focus time they put into their home staging and real estate career, or even how many contacts they made that week…they usually don’t have an answer. The reason for this is “Scotoma.” It means that they have a blind spot or are turning a blind eye toward what really needs to be done.

Have you ever not wanted to look at your bank account because you were afraid of what you might see? I know, I have been there but now I look at it with both eyes wide open because it is the only way I can effectively manage my successful home staging business. I have taken off my blinders, hold myself 100% accountable and face my fears daily in order to avoid any blind spots.

Or, maybe you “refuse to see” which is another common affliction. This is the case with my competitors. They feel comfortable posting nasty things about me because I am a success in the Home Staging Industry because they refuse to see (and do) what it takes to get to where they want to be.

The same might be true for you. There might be a “#1 Home Stager” in your area and you have been vying for that position. Do you really see what that person does to get to the top? Hey, here is the good news, maybe they have not done a great deal and it wouldn’t take too much for you to surpass them…but you will never know unless you look, and I mean really look at what they are doing…and here is the hard part…what you are doing, or not doing as the case may be.

Finally, I think that this topic has to do with trust. I had this conversation with Pete tonight, about trusting ourselves enough to believe in our own success. Can we really do it? Can we open our eyes wide and achieve the success we want? I have my answer, and yes, I am scared to death because we are about to take a BIG RISK…but you have to decide for yourself. Will you choose success with wide open eyes…or something else and claim Scotoma?

I hope, and wish and pray….that you choose 20/20 vision and make a huge success out of your home staging business

I just read a fax from one of my mentor’s and he told an old salesman’s joke…”A salesman approaches the front door and there is a little boy and dog sitting on the stoop. So as not to scare the little boy, the salesman bends down to pet the dog to show that he is a ‘good guy’ and the dog bites him. The salesman says to the little boy, ‘Hey, you didn’t tell me your dog bites…’ and the little boy responds ‘it’s not my dog.’”

Now this will tell you what assumptions can do for you. Because the boy was sitting next to the dog, the salesman assumed that the dog belonged to the boy.

The same is true today with our Home Staging businesses. We assume that everyone knows how great we are, that what we do really makes a difference and that all of our fellow Home Stagers act with honesty, integrity and creativity.

Unfortunately, it is just not the case. Many sellers, agents and investors have not received the stellar service that they expect because they have been watching HGTV and assume that is how all home Staging’s happen…but they want it to happen for $500 when it took $5000 on TV.

Or, they were promised one thing and received another, which is really even worse.

The first has to do with managing your client’s expectations. What can they specifically expect to receive based on your agreement to deliver services.

The second really has to do with operating an honest business. Yes, I could find loads of ways to say that in a overcomplicated convoluted definition, but let’s call a spade a spade and know that you have to give a little more than what you promise, especially in this environment.

Here is the problem. Most Home Stagers, because they only learn to Stage, and don’t take the time to put multiple streams of income in place, nor do they learn to market or run a business (this is why business and marketing has become the focus of my own Home Staging Training Company), are so desperate or grateful for the job that they usually over promise and under deliver because they can’t possibly deliver everything they promised for the amount upon which they agreed.

Hence, they do not manage the expectations of their client (whether this is a Real Estate Agent, Seller or Real Estate Investor) effectively and they don’t act with integrity in the eyes of their client.

Now we could say that there are many issues at play here, and there are, the least of which is that you were not fair to yourself by not charging enough, but that is the topic for another day. Today, it is all about running an honest and ethical business, not assuming anything, and letting your customer know they can trust you and why.

If you over deliver and under promise, this goes a long way toward gaining your client’s trust. If you let your client know that you have also seen shoddy work by other Home Stagers in your area (don’t get petty, don’t name names) and don’t feel as though that is the right way to do business, they will begin to like you. Then, if you prove it, they will hire you and refer you.

Today, the name of the game is trust. Your client has to be able to trust you to not only do an extraordinary Home Staging job but also to help quickly and effectively sell the house or listing. They no longer assume anything (remember the dog?) and neither should you.

You must start to show them in multiple ways that they can trust you. Tell them, and then prove it. You will need to keep proving it but once you do it a few times, it will become your system and will not require more and more effort.

Customer Service, but more appropriately Customer Care is what will win the race as we battle thru this economy. Always be on top of your game, act with honesty, integrity and great care. Then, all you have to do is say it and prove it. You will become the Home Stager of choice in your entire area.

For more information on Karen Schaefer and her Proven Real Estate Marketing and Home Staging Selling Strategies, go to www.APSDmembers.com/ezine

Over the years, people have constantly told me how “Creative or Imaginative” I am. Funny, I never thought of myself as such, but I am a self-professed dreamer, and I love letting my imagination run wild…which can be good, and of course, bad as well! J

But, I think ultimately that you have to have a set foundation in every type of business, no matter what it is. You have to have a solid vision, a way to implement the plan or vision, have a strong team, a goal or intention and of course the marketing, direction and management to make it happen.

Rarely can this happen without a “Creative Department.” Most small businesses don’t have the luxury of an entire department, so it is up to YOU to be the Creative Leader of your Business, so that your Business is presented as a Creative, Productive, and Effective Company to your Client.

As Home Stagers, we all have a natural inclination toward creativity. Most of you explore that creativity each time you do a staging job. I know I do because it is almost a release for me. It is a creative outlet, a way to vent any frustration, and it also allows me to constantly flex my creativity muscle. I am able to in turn get better each time (and most importantly, offer more creative advice every time to my nationwide team of APSD Certified Home Stagers).

But, in business, we can’t simply be creative in what we do; we have to be creative in what we say and how we present ourselves and our services. In other words, your Marketing must be creative if you want to stand out from the crowd and catch the attention of your potential client.

That is why the first thing I always teach all of my clients is:

1) Name: What is the name of your company or Service? Does it say what you do and where you do it?

I know you are thinking, “Karen, to just say ‘Los Angeles Home Staging’ is boring. I want to say ‘A feather in your cap Sales.’”

Now, I would agree that the ‘Feather in your Cap’ is far more creative, but it does not tell me anything. When you come up with a name, people will search under categories, which is why, in this instance something “practical” comes in handy.

Even today, if I were naming my own Home Staging Company again, I would not name it Simple Appeal. I love the name, and it speaks to me, but for people that don’t know me, they are only going to search for Home Staging Services in Colorado—not Simple Appeal.

2) USP- Once you have figured out your name, now is your chance to be creative. A USP is a “Unique Selling Proposition.” Sometimes you can use this as a tag line, like I do, “Anybody can make your Property pretty, we make it Sell” or as a unique way to capture the attention of your customer. In other words, use your creativity, and figure out a way to say something about your service or business that makes you more compelling than any other person in your industry in the eyes of your client.

The best way to approach this, which you many already know if you follow me on Twitter, is to tell your client what they WANT to hear vs. what they NEED to hear. And say it in such a way that makes them think “I HAVE to have it!”

You can have so much fun with this and when you hit the nail on the head, your lead generation will explode. It is the perfect way to combine creativity with business.

3) Position- So, now you have a name that opens up the door for good and easy search criteria. You then have mustered up all of your creative resources and developed an extraordinary USP. So, you have burst open the door on your new lead generation. Now, you have to correctly and effectively position yourself in the market place so that you can convert those leads into sales, thus increasing your business’s bottom line.

My USP, “Anybody can make your House look Pretty, we make it Sell” is not only a great USP, but it also offers me great positioning in my market place. It is good marketing. The reason that I chose this USP is that I wanted to position myself in the market place as the Home Stager that actually knew how to stage a home so it would sell. I did not want to just be about decorating, accessorizing or rearranging…I wanted to be about results.

So, what you have to do… once again is be creative. What do you want to say about your business? And, how do you want them to envision you and your services?

All of these steps require creativity and with that, you will find that new doors will readily open for your business. The key to success is to combine your creativity with your business skills, because although they can each stand alone, the fact of the matter is that you could increase your business 10 fold over night by adding just one effective touch of creativity. And, let’s face the facts; it sure is whole lot more fun to be creative!

Keep in mind that creative marketing and positioning is just good business. So for those of you that immediately assume you are not good at business, by implementing the 3 steps above, you will now be 3 “business” steps ahead of any other Home Stager in your area.

In the future, I will offer a business program, but for now, follow the information above and you will be amazed at the results.

To your greatest joy,

Karen Schaefer

Founder, APSD

Your Worldwide Leader in Home Staging Training

Over the years, people have constantly told me how “Creative or Imaginative” I am. Funny, I never thought of myself as such, but I am a self-professed dreamer, and I love letting my imagination run wild…which can be good, and of course, bad as well! J

But, I think ultimately that you have to have a set foundation in every type of business, no matter what it is. You have to have a solid vision, a way to implement the plan or vision, have a strong team, a goal or intention and of course the marketing, direction and management to make it happen.

Rarely can this happen without a “Creative Department.” Most small businesses don’t have the luxury of an entire department, so it is up to YOU to be the Creative Leader of your Business, so that your Business is presented as a Creative, Productive, and Effective Company to your Client.

As Home Stagers, we all have a natural inclination toward creativity. Most of you explore that creativity each time you do a staging job. I know I do because it is almost a release for me. It is a creative outlet, a way to vent any frustration, and it also allows me to constantly flex my creativity muscle. I am able to in turn get better each time (and most importantly, offer more creative advice every time to my nationwide team of APSD Certified Home Stagers).

But, in business, we can’t simply be creative in what we do; we have to be creative in what we say and how we present ourselves and our services. In other words, your Marketing must be creative if you want to stand out from the crowd and catch the attention of your potential client.

That is why the first thing I always teach all of my clients is:

1) Name: What is the name of your company or Service? Does it say what you do and where you do it?

I know you are thinking, “Karen, to just say ‘Los Angeles Home Staging’ is boring. I want to say ‘A feather in your cap Sales.’”

Now, I would agree that the ‘Feather in your Cap’ is far more creative, but it does not tell me anything. When you come up with a name, people will search under categories, which is why, in this instance something “practical” comes in handy.

Even today, if I were naming my own Home Staging Company again, I would not name it Simple Appeal. I love the name, and it speaks to me, but for people that don’t know me, they are only going to search for Home Staging Services in Colorado—not Simple Appeal.

2) USP- Once you have figured out your name, now is your chance to be creative. A USP is a “Unique Selling Proposition.” Sometimes you can use this as a tag line, like I do, “Anybody can make your Property pretty, we make it Sell” or as a unique way to capture the attention of your customer. In other words, use your creativity, and figure out a way to say something about your service or business that makes you more compelling than any other person in your industry in the eyes of your client.

The best way to approach this, which you many already know if you follow me on Twitter, is to tell your client what they WANT to hear vs. what they NEED to hear. And say it in such a way that makes them think “I HAVE to have it!”

You can have so much fun with this and when you hit the nail on the head, your lead generation will explode. It is the perfect way to combine creativity with business.

3) Position- So, now you have a name that opens up the door for good and easy search criteria. You then have mustered up all of your creative resources and developed an extraordinary USP. So, you have burst open the door on your new lead generation. Now, you have to correctly and effectively position yourself in the market place so that you can convert those leads into sales, thus increasing your business’s bottom line.

My USP, “Anybody can make your House look Pretty, we make it Sell” is not only a great USP, but it also offers me great positioning in my market place. It is good marketing. The reason that I chose this USP is that I wanted to position myself in the market place as the Home Stager that actually knew how to stage a home so it would sell. I did not want to just be about decorating, accessorizing or rearranging…I wanted to be about results.

So, what you have to do… once again is be creative. What do you want to say about your business? And, how do you want them to envision you and your services?

All of these steps require creativity and with that, you will find that new doors will readily open for your business. The key to success is to combine your creativity with your business skills, because although they can each stand alone, the fact of the matter is that you could increase your business 10 fold over night by adding just one effective touch of creativity. And, let’s face the facts; it sure is whole lot more fun to be creative!

Keep in mind that creative marketing and positioning is just good business. So for those of you that immediately assume you are not good at business, by implementing the 3 steps above, you will now be 3 “business” steps ahead of any other Home Stager in your area.

In the future, I will offer a business program, but for now, follow the information above and you will be amazed at the results.

To your greatest joy,

Karen Schaefer

Founder, APSD

Your Worldwide Leader in Home Staging Training

Do you know what freedom fighters like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, Rosa Parks, and so many others have one thing in common? At one point they decided that enough was enough and that they could be invincible by standing on a platform of excellence. That is how they achieved what they went after. When Nelson Mandela said: “Does anybody really think that they didn’t get what they had because they didn’t have the talent, or the strength, or the endurance or the commitment?” he is talking about setting your sites on excellence so you can be the best you can be.

Now, this does not mean that you have to be the next President of Africa, but that you would want to be the best Home Stager in your area. Once you decide to be “invincible” as a Home Stager, you immediately set the course for excellence just like all the people before you that want to be “excellent.” After having studied great world leaders, business leaders and visionaries, following are the steps that it takes to create your path of excellence in your Home Staging Business.

Step #1 – Focus on Specificity — You must decide specifically what your area of expertise is within the Home Staging industry, then who your customer is as well as your message. By telling someone you are just another “Home Stager” you remove your opportunity to tell them you are extraordinary. What makes you extraordinary? That is what you need to say. Usually it should be said in such a way that it solves your client’s problem.

Step #2 – Do what you say you will do. Call when you say you will call, confirm the appointment, show up 5 minutes early, dress professionally, have your paperwork with you and in order as well as the client information.

Step #3 – Perform an amazing home staging service. Start by being very specific as to what your client wants and what they will receive. Then deliver that, plus a little more so you can always “Under Promise and Over Deliver.”

Step #4 – Offer to put together the photos of the property and hand deliver them to your clients office (send a digital copy as well, all of it should include your company name and contact information).

Step #5 – Send a follow up thank you letter with an offer to check on the status of the Home Staging within the next 30 days to “tweek” the set in case it needs to be adjusted at no extra charge.

Step #6 – Keep in touch every 30 days for the rest of your relationship.

By following these 6 steps you will stand out in the sea of other Home Stagers with your unique message positioned directly at the right customer, you will set a new standard of professionalism by doing what you say you will and more, the home staging service you deliver will thrill your client, and your gratitude, level of customer service, and follow up will ensure that this client, is yours for life. Now, just repeat the process for all future clients and you will find that you have easily created your own “Path of Excellence” for your Home Staging Business.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and The Association of Property Scene Designers which is composed of professional Home Stagers who have gained the best Home Stager Training there is. Karen will teach you more about staging, marketing, and selling houses quickly.

“Every cloud has a silver lining.” This is just one of the famous sayings that have different implications to different people. But what does it mean to you and how can you relate it to your present status and career? In essence, this old adage goes to say that it is always possible to get something positive out of a situation, no matter how unpleasant, difficult or even painful it might seem. And as Mary Kay Ash, owner of leading cosmetics says; “Every silver lining has a cloud.”  By this she means that you have to work your way thru the cloud every time to get to the silver lining. The problem is that most of us choose to stay in the cloud.

Another famous saying by the same person states “Every No leads to a Yes.” This entails that every person should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days. A common problem amongst Home Stagers is that they don’t feel as though they can get enough work. Today, there are plenty of home staging opportunities as there are more homes available for sale than since WWII. If you don’t think there’s enough work, houses, and opportunities then just go get more “no’s!”

What is Home Staging

So how can you develop a way for you to get more bookings with your Home Staging Business? The answer is that you have to know the fundamentals of this business and how to go about it effectively. Once you know the necessary skills of the trade then there is no doubt you will be ready to expand your horizons and profits as a home stager. Remember that Home Staging, unlike interior decorating, is about neutralizing decors and taking away a client’s identity from a home in order for it to attract potential buyers. As a home stager you must take note of this since every buyer has different taste and your job is to make sure that what you will be doing suits their preferences.

Why Home Staging is a Hot Business

Home staging remains to be a hot business nowadays. CNN and Career Builders say that Home Staging is the #1 Career Choice today. And according to Entrepreneur magazine, the demand for home stagers continues to grow as more and more homeowners learn about home staging from TV shows such as “Sell This House on A&E” and the other popular show “Designed to Sell on HGTV”. So there is no need to ask why you would love to start your own home staging business.

How to Start Your Own Home Staging Business

When you start your own home staging business, you may choose to be a home staging consultant, giving people ideas to help them stage their home, or you may do hands-on home staging yourself. As long as you have the desire, you can become a home stager, no special education or experience is necessary to break into this career and succeed. Successful home stagers provide insider tips and expert career advice as well as topics of vital importance to anyone who wants to become a home stager and start a home staging business. So what are you waiting for? Get started today, there is no better time for you to work your way thru the cloud to get to the silver lining.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD which is composed of home stagers who have accumulated the best Home Staging Training there is. Learn more on Home Staging Careers. Take advantage of this opportunity right now.

Would you like to have more time, make more money, and work in an industry you love? Do you think all these are possible? The answer is a big YES. Nowadays, more and more people go everyday to jobs that they aren’t really passionate about just to pay the bills and other expenses at home. People forget that life should be about more than just making ends meet. And you can make a difference. You should love what you do day-to-day and have the chance to spend quality time with your family, rather than spending endless hours slaving away.

By setting up your own property design business, you’ll be able to have a career that you are passionate about, putting you in the driver’s seat of your career, and giving yourself the chance to spend more time with your family. Few careers offer so many benefits but Home Staging allows you to give way to your creativity by employing the latest trends in interior design as well as home fashions. A career in home staging will also give you the opportunity to meet interesting people as you set up fabulous spaces in some of the most beautiful and expensive homes located in your area.

As a home stager, you will be able to help real estate agents, home builders, and home owners sell houses faster and at higher rates while at the same time enjoying a job you love. You will be hired to emphasize the best features of a property while improving or downplaying the less appealing features. You also don’t have to spend so much time looking for a home staging career opportunity as there are literally thousands and thousands of homes on the market which means there is plenty of business for home stagers to go about.

Starting a home staging business will let you earn a starting pay of around $35 to $75 per hour or more. Not only that, you will enjoy the freedom of being your own boss as you can work from home. If getting paid to provide home staging services appears to be the career of your dreams then becoming a home stager is right for you. You can start right now while it remains a hot business. Discover how you can become a home stager and start your own successful home staging business.

About The Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD which is composed of professional Home Stagers who have accumulated and gained the best Home Staging Training there is. Karen will teach you more about staging, marketing, and selling houses quickly. You can click on the links for more on home staging careers.

Have you ever imagined having a high-paying career that lets you use your creativity and flair for decorating and home design?   Are you looking for a job that allows you to have more time, make more money and work in an industry you love? Then Home Staging is right for you. While enjoying the job, you will also be able to help people sell their homes quickly and for higher prices. As a home stager, you will help home builders, real estate agents, and home owners sell homes faster.

The Role of Home Stagers

In order to make a home stand out and sell it in this tough market, it has to appeal to a buyer’s emotions. Home Stagers work with real-estate agents and their clients to improve the appearance of their homes and make it more attractive for potential buyers. They are hired to emphasize the best features of a property while improving or downplaying the less attractive features of a property. This way people who are looking to sell their homes quickly for a top dollar will greatly benefit from the home stagers.

Home Staging Business

Starting your own home based business may seem to be full of challenges and setbacks. But come to think of it, the rewards of a home staging business are quite immeasurable. Furthermore, setting up a home staging business is actually simple because it does not require a great deal of overhead or what we call a start up cost. This is also good if you are looking for a flexible time work schedule. In fact, you can run the business out of your own home and during the hours you choose. A career in home staging can also be a fabulous part-time home business. Most people require the services of a home stager in the evenings or on weekends which entails that you can even work part time while you are getting started. With a home staging business you don’t have to give up the security of your full time paycheck for now.

As a home stager, you will have the immense opportunity to help others sell their homes fast and reach their goals while at the same time realizing your own dreams by finally living the life you deserve. And there has never been a better time for you to get involved with it.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD which is composed of home stagers who have accumulated the best Home Staging Training there is. Learn more on Home Staging Careers. Take advantage of this opportunity right now.

Home staging is the process of making a house appealing to potential buyers. Also known as real estate enhancement, home staging is considered as a hot business. But like any other business, there is always the good news and the bad news. The good news is that you have chosen to be a part of the number 1 career and with this venture the opportunities are limitless. The bad news is that about 90 percent of home stagers will be out of business in the next 180 days. This is most likely to happen because some home stagers never mastered marketing.

You heard it right, 90% of Home Stagers go out of business within their first six months just because they never learned how to market their home staging services. Of course, you don’t want to include yourself in this high percentage so all you have to do is to learn to market your home staging business so that you will be in the top 10% with very little competition. But how would you be able to do that? This is possible with the help of the home staging experts. Experts in this field can assist you to generate effective marketing and advertising and there is no doubt that with an effective training you can have more jobs than you can handle.

Learning how to market your home staging business will enable you to expand your horizons and profits as a home stager. It is important for you to learn the different ways to effectively market your home staging services as this will guarantee you stand out from every home stager in your area and attract all the clients you can handle. Leaders in home staging industry do offer free tutorials you can make use of. The training they offer are deemed valuable and will aid every existing home stager, new home stager, professional organizer, real estate agent, stay at home moms who are looking for extra income and anyone ready to take a second career.

A home staging training is perfect for anyone who wants to make more money in the home staging industry. So don’t miss your chance to grab any opportunity that comes your way and think about the importance of learning how to successfully market your home staging business so that you won’t be out of business in the next 180 days just because you never mastered marketing.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers which is composed of professional Home Stagers who have accumulated and gained the best Home Stager Training there is. Karen will teach you more about staging, marketing, and selling houses quickly. Take advantage of this opportunity right now and learn How to Market a Home Staging Business.

That is FAST CASH.  Despite the fact that we are in a down market throughout the better part of the entire country, and we keep preaching “buy and hold, buy and hold” logic never replaces the allure of fast and sexy cash.  Everywhere I go, there are new investors entering the market, not for the common sense marketing strategy of holding properties which will create true long term wealth for  you, but rather, that good old fashioned “GET RICH IN REAL ESTATE TODAY”  why on earth would you wait or want to get rich slow philosophy.

Well, there are a few reasons…First of all, there are a ton of great deals out there right now for those of you willing (and brave enough) to have tenants for a little while.  There is so much inventory on the market that you can really negotiate a sweet deal, then you have the luxury of waiting a few years and can get top dollar when you sell, while your tenant has been paying down your loan.

Another reason that you may want to think about getting rich slowly when you decide to “get rich in real estate today” is that many people who get rich quickly, get poor quickly as well. They usually are buying in a quickly appreciating market and don’t actually know how to invest properly when the market is not appreciating at an insanely high rate.  Hence, they lose faster than they gained, and don’t have the knowledge to go back and work in tougher markets.  There are still appreciating markets out there, Seattle and Mobile, to name a few, but boy are there only a few.

Actually the best thing you can do is know multiple exit strategies in any market environment.  In other words, why not get rich quick…and slow? Make fast and sexy cash while you also build for your future.

You see, we wholesale/assign properties and then do lease options.  These are our 2 most common exit strategies.  That way, when I do Simple Appeal Wholesale Home Staging—I can turn and burn my assignment properties in 24 hours for 25%-50% more than anyone else—get rich quick…er!  Then we also hold multiple properties with tenant buyers (I do a very specific staging and marketing strategy for this as well) for long term wealth since many of them either decide not to exercise their option or they stay for several years before they do.

By using both of these strategies simultaneously, we are able to work successfully no matter what the economy is doing while we get rich quick and slow.

In the meantime, regardless of whether you get rich quick or slow—just make sure you do it…and share it.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer. She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers. She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value. And for helping Home Stagers and Entrepreneurs create seven figure businesses. If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com

Last month I gave you multiple tips on getting your own properties spotless clean as well as those of your clients.  We get used to living in our own filth or we just don’t look at it as a priority.  Regardless of which it is for you or your clients, everyone will notice a dirty house as much as they notice a clean house, no matter their personal standards.

So, this month, as promised, I will finish up the “clean tips.”  Obviously, I could go on and on in regards to cleaning tips, I am after all, my father’s daughter.  The man that ran service stations his whole life that were cleaner than palaces where your baby could crawl on the floor of the garage!  But, in the interest of being able to discuss other helpful tips next month, let’s wrap up the cleaning tips this month.

I want to discuss floors in this issue.  So let’s start with the look, feel, condition and cleanliness of your carpet.

If it smells and you have had it professionally cleaned twice to eliminate the odor, you may need to remove the carpet and replace the pad.   But, let’s try a few old remedies first.  Use air absorbing products such as baking soda and charcoal in abundance for the duration of your rehab and when you are not showing the house.

You can leave multiple open containers of baking soda and tin dishes of charcoal briquettes out in the open, all over the house.  Both of these products absorb order without leaving a cover up odor in their path.  They look terrible, so you have to make sure they are out of view when showing the house, or when people are peaking in the windows.

I also recommend that you use baking soda in all of your appliances and cabinets and the dishes of briquettes in all of the closets.  You should put them all away before showing a house.

If you still can’t get out the smell, there are a variety of other products that people use, choose your favorite as I think they all work about the same.  I would also recommend that you work with a carpet cleaner that specializes in smells.  Yep, there are some that do and some that don’t so get a referral.

Okay, enough of the smells.  Your carpets, when cleaned, will often bring other spots to the surface and force a dark line of gunk to the outside edges near the baseboards.  Be prepared in advance for this and ask the cleaning crew prior to their first cleaning, what sort of guarantees they have for this type of situation, should it arise.  You need a good crew that has the correct tools to lift all the stains while they are there and run next to the baseboards, or at least one that understands the process well enough to offer a free second visit.

Next, be prepared to let these rugs dry.  Don’t rush them or let people walk on them while they are wet.  If this happens, the wet rug will actually attract more dirt than the dry one and all of your efforts will have been in vain.

Finally, once the rugs are completely dry, you will need to vacuum them.  Do this in both directions to really get the fibers to lift.  The slower that you can vacuum, the better the carpet will look when you are finished.  By following this process carefully, your carpets will look refreshed, soft and clean.  Just what the new buyer ordered.

Obviously, linoleum can be cleaned with soap and water, but with hard wood floors, I prefer Murphy’s.  There are many hardwood floor cleaners, but this one continually makes the floor look clean without leaving streaks.

Make sure you are using warm water, not hot and that you add the solution to the water. I also prefer a soft head mop instead of a sponge mop as you are able to clean in circles versus a straight line, eliminating the chances of missing a strip or leaving a streak.

Once again, leave plenty of time for the floor to dry before you allow anyone to walk on it so you don’t have “foot prints” across your nice clean floor.

The cleaner each aspect of your home, the faster and more profitable your sale.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer. She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers. She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value. And for helping Home Stagers and Entrepreneurs create seven figure businesses. If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com

I am sitting at my computer right now in a hotel room staring out at one of the biggest shopping mall parking lots I have ever seen with “Macy’s” in lights. Sounds a bit like the Vegas version of Macy’s, I know. But, what Vegas doesn’t have, is the ocean and palm trees on the other side of the parking lot in plain view of my hotel room balcony. Because of this, I am willing to overlook the mall parking lot.

You guessed it; I am in Hawaii, having just spoken at the 1st annual Hawaii Real Estate Convention. Before I came here, I did some research on the market since I never like to show up unprepared and every single market has its own special needs and trends. I feel as though it is also my job, to show up informed and am surprised when others don’t.

When I looked at the market here, I found that the main island (most of the statistics are on Maui and Oahu) was down in sales from last month to this month by 30.6% and down 10.2% for the year. They still experienced mild appreciation of 1-2%, but that is mild compared to the 85% appreciation they have had over the last 5 years. Yep, you read that right, 85% appreciation!!!

As these numbers came up, most of the people in the audience, all from Hawaii, were surprised. They knew their market was not doing as well as it had been, but they were not prepared for the reality. You see, many of these investors were used to buying on appreciation as were those in California, Las Vegas and Arizona. The Hawaii market just didn’t “crash” like the others mostly due to better lending practices, but still, the appreciation they have come to rely upon, virtually came to a standstill. Unfortunately, if you don’t know when to get in and when to get out, buying on appreciation hardly ever works. I know dozens of real estate investors that got rich quick, and lost it all even faster because of two factors:

1. They did not track their market and watch the numbers and trends
2. They bought on appreciation.

I think you all know that if you were lucky enough to buy on appreciation and make a bunch of money and keep it—you were just that—lucky. Your better and safer bet is to buy on cash flow, which is now the name of the game.

Watch all the real estate investor guru’s advertising. Instead of the “Get Rich Quick in Real Estate” advertising that they have been doing for the past several years, now they are telling you about “Safe, Long Term Wealth Building.” Mark my words, I can see the trend coming…because I am tracking it and you should be too.

So, other than bragging about the fact that I am in Hawaii, my point is that you are the only one responsible for your business and you need to keep an eye on it. Despite what all the experts are saying, the market is volatile and you should be watching it.

Make sure you have plenty of margin in each deal, not “just enough.” If you are planning on making $15,000 or less on the deal, unless it is an assignment or a wholesale deal, that is not enough margin to protect you if things take a serious dip unexpectedly.

You may still make $15,000 which is good, but you need to plan on making $25,000.

A great way to track trends in your area is simply by doing a Google search on “Your Area Real Estate Statistics” you will find dozens of sites that are local and specific to your investing farm area. If you are looking for demographic info, go to www.city-data.com .

The other thing you need to keep an eye on in the next several months in addition to the market, is of course the elections. I will save my comments on that little nugget for next month, but yes, it will affect your business, so get prepared for the long run. Buy low and sell FAST.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer. She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers. She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value. And for helping Home Stagers and Entrepreneurs create seven figure businesses. If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com

Furniture seems to be the bane of existence for many people trying to unload their houses. How much do I need? Do I need it at all? If so, where do I get it? Do I have to buy it? The questions go on and on. It never fails on each and every Wednesday morning tele-coaching call to my VIP students, someone asks me about furniture.

So today, I want to address the infatuation, or lack thereof with furniture in regards to staging.

I rarely use furniture in staging, not because I don’t like it, but I think more often than not, it is unnecessary. The reason that most staging companies use a lot of furniture is because they don’t understand who their customer is and the difference between selling vs. decorating. Yes, I realize that comment may make some of you angry, but my job is to help you sell your properties and continually learn more about the real estate industry on the whole, so there you go. I can tell you that most stagings we do as well as nearly all of our Property Designers yield fantastic results with very little furniture.

Let’s first discuss when you need to use furniture. Generally in very large rooms or very large homes, you will need some furniture. Or if you are trying to make an odd space work, you might also need to use furniture. Finally, furniture can also give people directions in the house. In other words, you can use furniture in such a way that it creates flow and helps to guide the potential buyer thru the home in the way that you wish them to view it.

In large rooms or even in large homes, sometimes you will need furniture since you need to fill a larger space. What I see people try to get away with are really small accessories in a large room making the room look bigger which is not a bad thing, but the downside is that the staging items look puny—which is never good. In an over large living space, some good and easy furniture items are chaise lounges placed in the middle of a room at a diagonal on a rug with the appropriate décor or a couple of arm chairs with a great coffee table works too. The arm chairs and coffee table depend on the home, but of course, many variations of this will work. You can do anything from Wicker chairs and wicker trunk to leather arms chairs with a tufted oversized leather ottoman.

The other clever pieces of furniture that I like to use are sofa tables. These are great tables when you need a dining room table but don’t want to bother with an enormous dining room set. Basically, you can take this long sofa table, place it in the center of a rug that should be centered under the dining room light fixture, put a great table runner on it (this can be an easy Pocket of Emotion, by the way, so pay attention to your table runners) and then adorn it with multi-colored wine glasses, interesting place settings or a unique center piece. You have an excellent opportunity to fill the space, add something unexpected, and not break your back or your budget by trying to move in a huge dining room set. Just a little tip—even a homemade table with a floor length table cloth will work and then just do the same thing we mentioned above.

The last few pieces of furniture that I do like are oversized bean bag chairs for kid’s rooms as well as basements and small tables that have a multi purpose. They can be used to collect keys at a front door, for art or plants, or to hold a Pocket of Emotion. You can also use them to suggest a desk or a table in a breakfast nook, so I always keep an eye out for pieces like this.

Okay, so if you need furniture, where do you get it? Well, you can go to all the logical places, like your own home, good will, the discount stores and the rental stores. If you buy it, no problem, just make sure you know what to do with it when the house sells. If you rent it that is fine because usually they will absorb the liability if it is damaged or you will at least know the terms if it gets stolen or damaged, all of which is very unlikely. The third option you have is to negotiate a deal with a furniture or décor store. You will use their item at no charge but they get to advertise at no charge. It is a win win situation except for pick up and returns—and damages. These things can put you in a tough spot so make sure you go into this arrangement with your eyes wide open.

And of course, many of you already know my trick to create instant beds with blow up mattresses, milk crates and plenty of comforters. You will also need a roll of duct tape to shorten the length of the bed skirt, from the center. Make sure you have a full sheet set, at least 3 decorative pillows and at least 4 regular pillows. You will also need 2 comforters or duvets and inserts to give it a rich and lush appearance.

So, as you can see, furniture is not hard to come by, but generally speaking you don’t need it or don’t need a great deal. There are always exceptions to the rule and for those, I recommend that you give us a call.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer. She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers. She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value. And for helping Home Stagers and Entrepreneurs create seven figure businesses. If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com

Have you ever seen a MR. Clean commercial?  Isn’t he clean?  Don’t you wish he would just come over and take care of all of your properties for you?  Some big shaven headed one earring wearing really clean guy all in white—you got to love it. There has to be a song in there somewhere.

My topic today though, is cleanliness—you know who it is next to!

Sellers, Agents and Investors will do one of two things.

1. Not realize their property is dirty because they have been living in it for so long that they just don’t see it.

OR

2. They will have it cleaned once in the very beginning, but not ever again.

When people walk into your property, they can feel the dirt.  Yep, you can feel it, not to mention seeing it, which most of the time you can do as well.  Even though we joke about investors looking for really dirty properties, the truth is, unless you are a conditioned wholesale buyer, the dirt will turn you off completely.  So, just to be on the safe side, let’s always deliver a “Mr. Clean” property.

Most people think clean can be subjective, but it really is not.  Below, I have listed multiple steps that you need to take in order to keep your property spotless clean while it is on the market, which incidentally, will be a far shorter time than if you are showing a dirty house.

Last month I discussed Curb Appeal in this column, so please refer back to it in order to know what to do on the exterior of your home.  Suffice it to say, your shrubs should be trimmed, papers picked up, grass mowed, driveway shoveled and all debris or garbage removed from the lawn.

Interior Cleanliness

1. The main entry should be spotless. When you stand on the door step and get ready to go inside, make sure that the entire area is free from grass trimmings, spider webs, and dirt—this is the impression they will take inside.

2. Once inside, look up.  Are all of your ceiling fans clean?  I am talking about the blades, bulbs and globes.  Look at all light fixtures in the same way.  Bring a ladder and feather duster, prepare to remove the globes if necessary and wash them.

3. Change out your light bulbs.  Bulbs often lose their intensity anyway, so it is best to change them out.  If you decide against this, only clean bulbs when they are very cool to the touch otherwise they will explode.  Do not use any harsh ingredients (I prefer cool water and dish liquid or water and lemons). Otherwise, when you turn the light on, it will burn the cleanser and put off a harsh smell.

4. Look at all the window coverings in the house.  They need to be cleaned or even replaced if they are not easily dusted.  Often you will find window coverings that have been damaged by smoking, long term dust build up or cooking splatters in the kitchen.   Your customer is always drawn to the window, so make sure they enjoy the view.

5. This brings me to the window itself.  Remove the screens as they never look clean and put them in the garage.  Clean the windows inside and out, and not while the sun is shining on them or they will streak.  I prefer to use Binswanger for windows which is normally used on automotive replacement windows.  It is the very best I have found, but you must wipe it completely dry.

6. Don’t forget the window sills while you are there.  How many dead bugs can you count on a window sill is not a fun game to play when you are looking for your dream home.

7. Walls and floorboards are overlooked time and time again.  These areas are so easy to clean once you have done it right the first time.  All you have to do is to pull out your feather duster and zip over all of them.  If they are really dirty to begin with, my favorite cleaning tool for these areas is the Mr. Clean pad.  It not only washes off grime, grease, smoke and dust, but they even get rid of crayon and other marks.

8. Do I really need to discuss bathrooms and kitchens?  It is so important that you hit all the major components in these rooms.  Lets first talk about the bathroom.  Clean and scrub the toilet, top to bottom and close the lid. You need to scrub it at least once a week, same with the tub and sink.  The tub may have dead bugs, so keep an eye on it.  Don’t forget to wipe down the vanity and floor and take a peak inside the medicine cabinet for old vitamins, hair, and other not so appealing “left overs.”  If your tub is stained, the best solution is warm water and witch hazel.  Then I cut up a few lemons, let them soak in the solution and use them as my scrub brushes.  It turns out beautifully white and you get a fresh lemony scent instead of a harsh chemical one.  Finally, make sure your bathroom is smudge free on the knobs, mirrors and water fixtures.

9. The kitchens are treasure chests for hidden bundles of dirt.  Obviously, the things we have already mentioned apply, but have you really cleaned your appliances.  Run your dishwasher while it is empty and use a jet dry tab to really get it clean.  Remove the shelves and drawers from the refrigerator when you clean it so you can really get all the gunk out.  The outside of the fridge needs attention too—obviously the front, but down below by the grill too.  Replace the drip trays on the stove and cut the grease!  Don’t forget the fan as it is always dirty inside and out.  Finally the sink.  Get the edges and the drains.  These are areas that are always missed and yet very visible. 

Finally, give the water faucet a great shine and make sure it is clean all the way around.

Next month, I will finish all the cleaning tips on houses, that nearly everyone misses yet will hinder the sale of your home if you fail to do them.

I would recommend that you do what we do and have a maintenance crew, or just use ours or one of the crews from our Property Designers. They will maintain the yard, shovel snow, pick up papers, adjust the staging and clean as appropriate.  That way, you don’t have to worry as it is picture perfect every time.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer.  She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers.  She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value. And for helping Home Stagers and Entrepreneurs create seven figure businesses. If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/home-staging-tips-how-to-properly-clean-and-stage-your-home-for-sale/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/staging-your-home-how-to-sell-fast/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/staging-your-home-how-to-sell-fast/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:46:42 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=110 ]]>

It seems as though it does not matter where I am, people are saying the same thing.  “How do I sell my houses?’  I was just in St. Louis last week and as I was giving a one day seminar, the biggest concern was the increasing days on market, currently up to 180!

Nearly every investor in the room was sitting on properties and you could almost feel the pain in the room.

Last week I had an investor from New England call about 2 investment properties in Florida and he was upside down by $40,000-$60,000 on both!

My heart bleeds for these people.  Not just the investors, but everyone that bought too late and is trying or needing to sell too early.  Real estate is not for the faint of heart and you should definitely make sure that you can lose before you begin.

I think so many people see others out there making large profits on real estate investing.  What they don’t see are the times they experienced large losses.  I have only lost twice, one time it was just a few thousand, which did not hurt too badly, but the second time, it was nearly $100,000 which I could definitely feel in my pocket book.  That one is a long story but, you can be sure that I made multiple mistakes, trusted all the wrong people, and eventually, when I decided to get out, felt as though it was the best $100,000 I ever lost.  Don’t get me started.  The money did not hurt nearly as bad as the loss of the relationships involved.

My point that I am trying to make is that real estate is not a sure thing and many people are losing right now.  You should not be buying above 70% LTV period.  Real estate is going down, not up and it is not even staying flat.   As a matter of fact, it went down 8.5% last quarter which averages out to be $19,600 per house!  So, each day you hold on to your house, you are losing money.  On average that amounts to $91.65 a day.  If this does not frighten you, it should.  Days can add up fast and if you are in the national average of DOM that means you will sit on your house for 163.7 days.  That totals to just under $15,400 in holding costs alone!  Are you willing to lose that much?  Plus, while you are holding, your house is going down again.

The chances of you selling at full market value right now are very slim because no one can really define what that is.  With a market that is dropping on a daily basis, you must make sure you are accounting for the right price in the beginning or you will hold in the end.

The sexiness of the big payoff with a fast sale is, at least for awhile, gone.  Now, you have to really pay attention to your numbers.  As I said, I would look at a maximum purchase price as an investor of 70% LTV and then I still want to make sure it can be made unforgettable so I can sell it fast.

So when you are out there now, getting ready to list, sell or even buy, make sure you run the numbers.  You must buy low enough to hold for at least six months if needed.  Make sure you account for the prices dropping on the property and that you are solid in having multiple exit strategies in case it just does not sell or rent.

One of the biggest mistakes made by most investors is the lack of multiple exit strategies.  One of the biggest mistakes made by brokers and agents is over pricing in the beginning.

Both of these mistakes can be deadly in the final sale of the home for the investor, agent and seller.

One of the only few appreciating markets left is Seattle and of course small pockets in various other locations throughout the country.  For the most part, the market has stopped or is declining.

So what is the solution?  Buy right and learn to sell.  All the best paperwork in the world does not help you if you can’t get someone to fall in love with the property.

Remember, according to nearly every financial expert, the markets will decline steadily for the next 2 years.  So, if you decide to hold, get the best possible tenant buyer or renter by giving them a property they love…hopefully they will keep it that way. If you decide to sell, buy low and make each property unforgettable.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer.  She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers.  She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value.  If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/staging-your-home-how-to-sell-fast/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/home-staging-why-are-rugs-so-great/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/home-staging-why-are-rugs-so-great/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:36:43 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=108 ]]>

This month in the Staging Report I want to talk about something so exciting, you will hardly be able to sit and read this at the same time.  No, you will jump for joy, scream at the top of your lungs and no doubt, run naked thru the tulips.  What could possibly be so exciting?  Rugs.  I know what you are all thinking, that I definitely need to get out more, and yes, I do realize that, but please, hear me out on this one.

Rugs are probably the single best staging item you can get.  That is why I generally will pay more for a better one, so I can use it time and time again.  Why are rugs so great?

Well, you can use them to add color to any room.  If possible, I even drape them from a wall or over one wall into the next room.  They also carry, color throughout a house.  Your rugs don’t all have to match, but if you can match a color or two in each rug from one room to the next, now they have the appearance of all going together.  The best general color choices are to start with a neutral pallet and then have color or pattern added from there.  Try to look at rugs with either a neutral border or a neutral center, and then you will always have the option to coordinate with the opposite pattern.  One thing that I find continually is that people want to add heavy design in small houses.  Although you can and should have design on your rugs, unless the house is huge, it should be kept to a minimal.  If you can see a rug from a rug, in other words, the rooms are open to one another; you must make sure the rugs coordinate.   This not only makes it more aesthetically appealing but when you go to use those rugs again, they already match, so you are one step ahead of the game.

Rugs also allows for a sense of flow from room to room.  You are literally directing people to go from one room to another with the simple usage of rugs.  They look for a direction to follow and are rarely given one.  But, the use of rugs literally shows them where to go next.  Watch people next time they go in and out of your property, they will almost always go toward the area rug, then walk on the runner to get to the next area rug.

The next benefit of rugs is that they help you with theme and continuity.  You can decide on a theme for a home, such as rustic, mountain, trendy, or even fresh or traditional.  Your rugs, by choice of color, pattern and texture can help you to maintain that feel.  Since I live in Colorado, a common theme here, obviously, is mountain home.  Now I am not a big fan of going overboard with this but by simply using a few good rugs with a neutral border, rich colors and a simple southwest mountain look, now I can add a sheep skin rug in the master and I have coordinated the entire theme, while still adding lots of texture, color and uniqueness.  Now, I don’t need to add tons of accessories that accent my theme.

Obviously, a rug can fill a room which is great, but the best use of them is to help define a space.  A properly placed rug can define 2 spaces in one room such as a living room and dining room or even in an unfinished basement; you can show someone how they could finish it by separating multiple areas with different rugs, such as a home office from a play room for the kids.

Finally, rugs allow other people to get a better sense of the size of the room, and they can mentally begin to place their own furniture and items around the rug.  It truly gives them a sense of the room, which is vital for them to “move themselves in.”

So, in a nutshell, why do I love area rugs?

1. They create color, continuity, theme and flow throughout a home
2. Rugs can fill a space and make it seem warm and inviting
3. When you use good area rugs effectively, they will define spaces giving your customer a sense of the size of the room and space available
4. Now your buyer will mentally start to place their own items in each room on and around the rug.  They will purchase the property faster and you can go to your next house faster.

Rugs are a beautiful thing!

Now you can see why I am such a huge fan of rugs.  I tend to carry about 200 at one time in my staging warehouse.

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer.  She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers.  She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value.  If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com

Well, this is the perfect time of year for investors.  As the temperatures go down, so do prices.  For all of us it is great…oh, except that nothing is selling right now!  Okay, so if you buy, you must know how to transact—and in order to transact, you have to get people into your property.  So, when it is 10 degrees outside and there are 20 inches of snow…what do you do to still get traffic in the door?  You are going to want to keep this list in a safe place because you will refer to it year after year.

1. Make everything about your Cold Weather open house seem Warm, Cozy and Inviting.

2. Send out invitations for a “Fireside” open house—and if you don’t have one—go buy an electric one, plug it in and stage it perfectly!  You are going to want to have loads of fluffy soft pillows, lots of rolled cozy blankets, even a big furry rug.  You can set some snow boots with gloves and mittens (and a pair of huge or really tiny socks—for fun) next to the fireplace as though they are drying out.  Have a great magazine rack or book selection so the overall theme would be that they can curl up by the fire and stay warm. I also, conveniently place my paperwork nearby with pens shaped like logs and little packs of cocoa fixed to the paperwork.

3. Have a coffee and/or cocoa tasting bar with yummy warm accessories like peppermint, butterscotch and cinnamon sticks for stirring.  Obviously you would want tasting stations throughout the house so that you can keep everyone moving and not just monopolize their time in one room.  Each room should have paperwork.  When you invite people to this open house, create “lumpy mail” by sending little sacs of miniature marshmallows.  You can even tell them to bring their marshmallows to receive a free gift.

4. Send out invitations with hand and foot warmers.  You can tell them that they will never be cold in their new warm home—tie it in with a great give away for ski-passes, UGGS, etc.

These are a few compelling ideas on ways to successfully hold an open house in the cold weather.  Yes, I know, it is a little extra work, but, this is what I do—when we need to do a little extra work, we do it.  After all, I did not get into this business to sit on empty properties…did you?

As always, whenever you do an open house, capture everyone’s information for the future.  Be gracious, respectful and excited to be showing someone the home of their dreams (if you believe it, so will they).  Nothing is worse than a bored person showing an open house.  Let everyone feel the love…and the warmth!

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer.  She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers.  She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value.  If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com.

In the past month, I have been traveling extensively and it seems to me as though that is not going to stop any time in the near future.  The reason, very simply, is the lousy state of real estate.  What is interesting is that my Simple Appeal method is quickly gaining nationwide recognition, because, at the risk of sound arrogant, it works.  The truth is that effective staging works and should be used every time.  In a sellers market, it will serve to transact the property at a much higher price than other comparable properties.  In a buyers market, it serves to transact the property faster.  After all, time is money and there is no greater example of this than when you are still paying for a mortgage that you thought would have been gone months before.

As my system, services and speaking become more and more in demand, it tells me that people become more and more aware of what it takes to still run successful real estate businesses no matter the market condition.  How many times have you looked back in life over something that seemed very tragic and ultimately you were grateful for the lesson (sometimes this takes awhile…I know!)?  That is what is happening right now.  We are being taught many lessons, and if we pay attention, we will continue to thrive today, but even better, we will explode our businesses on the next market transition.

Most of you know that I am a very active real estate investor. As a matter of fact, that is how  got my start as a Professional Home Stager.  Okay, I digres… As we watched our market come to a screeching slow down (in other words, the real estate brakes were slammed on)—I had to focus on reworking my staging system and then repositioning it as well.  It is what forced me to come up with the “5 Steps to Selling Real Estate in 30 Days or Less.”  As a result of that, I recently sold nearly $80,000 in 75 minutes to investors that knew that my system would help them to transact their properties faster—and they are right.  The difference between my system and that of everyone else in the staging and design industry is that I know real estate and I know what it takes to sell a property.  I did not get in this just to make a property pretty, I did this to sell.

This is not meant to be a sales pitch, just an observation.  It takes more now to sell a property, take a look at the steps that I gave you in this months “tips” articles.  The point though, is that if you are willing to go the extra step, not only will you sell faster, you will make far more money by not holding a property one day longer than necessary.

Now go out there and sell those houses!

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer.  She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers.  She is known nationwide as the Expert on selling properties in ½ the time at full market value.  If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com

Recently I have been speaking in the warmer areas of the country, twice this past month in Florida, February, I am in Hawaii, March, Houston, Atlanta and The Bahamas…you get the idea. What is so interesting is that it forces me to understand everyone’s definition of “cold.” It does not really seem to matter where you live, once we hit November and the temperature dips, it is still cold to the person that lives there. The advantage of the warmer climates in the colder times of the year is, of course, more options for curb appeal. Curb Appeal still seems to be the greatest mystery of all. I am amazed at how people continue to ignore the second most important component in staging and selling. But, if Curb Appeal is the second most important component in staging and selling, what is the first? Marketing. This month though, with that big “marketing” teaser out there, I want to talk about pure, solid, much needed, curb appeal.

Here are the TOP 15 most powerful steps in creating great curb appeal:

1. Cut the grass
2. Plant grass seed if needed and keep it watered
3. Trim along the sidewalk and driveway
4. Trim and form hedges and shrubs
5. Paint or replace your mailbox

6. Give me one great, amazing, in your face pocket of emotion they can see from the curb-this can be a wonderful bench, birdbath, wall accessory, door hanging…obviously this depends upon the property and the look and feel of the neighborhood.
7. Easy to see house numbers (here is a hint, these can be very impactful if painted the same color as the front door or can even hold their own as a POC if you did it right)
8. Add Great lighting if it is dark outside or even at the entry with a heavy overhang. It should also go with the property theme and look, be clean and free of bugs and webs.
9. Everyone needs a good welcome mat too. It should not be over the top, no matter the type of property. If you are dying to do something super cute (like puppies or bears), then it needs to go at the back door.
10. Paint color on the house is so important. Make sure it works with the rest of the neighborhood and the paint itself is in good condition. Remember, sometimes you don’t need to paint the entire house, but rather just the front or the trim…or even the garage and front door. You must decide based on the condition of the home. But there is no need to waste money if it does not need it. The best paint colors fit in nicely with the surroundings. Such as warm beiges, pale butters, whites and variations on whites, and cool grays.

11. Don’t stop with just a good looking and well painted front door, you must also have an appropriate front door handle as well. This does not mean the front door handle has to be brand new, but rather, it must be interesting and work with the house. Some homes have wonderful front door handles—better than front doors, but again, you must make a judgment call.
12. We talked about paint, but don’t forget about trim. Often, a house needs to have the trim power washed and painted vs. having to paint the entire house. The trim should always work with the paint color. If you are not sure, don’t choose a crazy color. Generally speaking, on bread and butter homes, white is appropriate, on higher end homes, I would suggest that you request one of our professional color consultations from Simple Appeal or one of our Certified Property Designers.
13. Make certain that the look on the inside, from the outside, is appealing, balanced and makes sense (in other words, are there consistent window coverings, are they all pulled to the same length, what is on the sills, what can they see inside the windows from the outside)
14. Bookend the front door, driveway, and walkway (if needed) when appropriate. What I mean by “bookend” is that you should have the same or similar things on each side to accent the entry and give the home some dimension. For example, red geranium planters on either side of the garage, smaller versions lining the walkway and 2 miniature evergreens at the front door or even topiary’s depending upon the neighborhood.
15. Last but not least, always accent a view. If you have not taken the time to do something like this, you are missing out. People will often look for a property based on a view alone, so if you have one, even the potential of one, make the most of it. Give them someplace to sit and enjoy the view, highlight it in your marketing and advertising and create a clean line of sight if needed.

Obviously, some of these details depend upon the property, neighborhood and climate. As I said, the warmer climates have greater opportunity for curb appeal, but it often means more upkeep as well. For my money—give me warmth! I will talk more about curb appeal over the next several series since it is such a vital aspect in successfully transacting your properties.

Source: Staging Report by Karen Schaefer, Founder, Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD (The Association of Property Scene Designers)

About the Author

Karen Schaefer is an Investor, Writer, Speaker and Property Designer. She is the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc., the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company as well as APSD, The Association of Property Scene Designers.  She is known nationwide as the Expert on Selling Properties in ½ the time at full market value. If you would like to learn more about Home Staging, Curb Appeal, Real Estate Marketing and Selling, go to www.APSDmembers.com.

How to Do Home Staging Effectively

“In a buyers market, sellers have to utilize every powerful tool they can to sell their home as fast as possible and for the best price,” says Karen Schaefer, national real estate sales expert. “Unfortunately, sellers are subject to antiquated direction that immediately tips off the potential buyers that they are being “sold” which often stops the sale on the spot.”

You may have noticed that selling a home nowadays doesn’t seem to be easy since there are a lot of competitions in the real estate market. But it is not impossible to sell a property if you are equipped with the right tools and if you have learned the proper methods on how to make a sale fast and easy. So how would you be able to do that and stand out from the crowd?

How to Make a Sale

Having a clean house is extremely important if you want to make a sale but is it everything? The answer is no. There is much more involved in getting your home ready for a successful sale than simply cleaning it. That’s where home staging comes in. In order to make your home stand out from the rest and look appealing to potential buyers, you will need to create what we call as Pockets of Emotion. These are the little moments when the potential buyers are hit with a strong emotion as they walk through and inspect the house. Instead of checking and evaluating the closet space and the layout, they feel the house and become emotionally connected. And properly trained home stagers can do this job for you.

What Home Stagers Do

Home stagers take time to properly stage a property for sale. Home stagers will take your house from nice to sensational by using simple staging techniques that appeal to a buyer on an emotional level. Remember that appealing to a buyer on an emotional level, so that they can picture themselves in your home living their life – is what will sell your home. The basic rule of thumb is to ask yourself two questions: can I make more money if I do this? And can it help to sell my property faster? And the answers to these two questions are within the reach of an expert home stager.

About The Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers which is composed of professional Home Stagers who have accumulated and gained the best Home Staging Training there is. Karen will teach you more about staging, marketing, and selling houses quickly. You can click on the links for more on home staging careers.
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/home-stager-how-to-effectively-stage-a-home-and-make-a-sale/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/home-stager-training-what-you-will-learn-in-home-staging-training/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/home-stager-training-what-you-will-learn-in-home-staging-training/#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:44:15 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=83 ]]> Home staging seems to be the fastest growing new career opportunity in real estate nowadays. But what is home staging and why would you want to start a home staging business right now?

What is Home Staging?

Home staging is preparing the homes for sale and make them appeal to prospective buyers and generate the highest price. This is not just about decorating, redesigning, or fluffing the home; it could mean more than that. It is actually about decluttering, depersonalizing, detailing and preparing homes for sale to give it an appealing appearance or what they would call as a model home appearance. This is done so in order for the potential buyers to picture themselves living in that house. And you need to do it professionally.

What Will You Learn

In order to make a home stand out and sell it in this tough market, it has to appeal to a buyer’s emotions. A staging training teaches you how to create Pockets of Emotions that will surely sell your clients’ homes. As a Property Designer, you will have the opportunity to help other people sell their homes and reach their goals while realizing your own dreams by finally living the life that you deserve. A home staging training will give you a straightforward, more comprehensive, and easy to follow step by step programs about the business side of home staging which includes marketing, networking with homeowners and real estate agents, setting fees, coordinating projects, and handling the clients. You will find out that this is a challenging and creative career as you will deal with different clients with different taste, preferences, and styles.

Is Home Stager Training Necessary?

In order to be successful in this career, you need talent and skill in design and home decor and all the necessary information and you can get these through proper training. Home staging training is needed in for sale by owner homes as well as professionally listed homes and if you have a flair for decorating, or a creative bone that needs to be tapped then you are the perfect person to take advantage of this opportunity.

How to Get Started

You can grab this unique opportunity and get a home stager training so that you can get started on your new career as a professional home stager. Starting your own home staging business has never been easier. You can be on your way to the hottest new career in real estate with the help of the experts.

About The Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers which is composed of professional Home Stagers who have accumulated and gained the best Home Stager Training there is. Karen will teach you more about staging, marketing, and selling houses quickly. You can click on the links for more on home staging careers.

]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/home-stager-training-what-you-will-learn-in-home-staging-training/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/home-staging-careers-fastest-growing-new-career-opportunity-in-real-estate/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/home-staging-careers-fastest-growing-new-career-opportunity-in-real-estate/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:29:13 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=78 ]]>

Home staging career is recently rated by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the best businesses to get involved with at present and for the years to come. With the real estate market downturn, people need to sell homes quickly and this is where a home stager comes into the picture. These are professionals who are often utilized by both agents and homeowners since they make properties appeal to buyers. Let’s find out more.

Why Would You Want a Home Staging Career?

With the current imbalance between cost of living and pay rate, ordinary jobs are not sufficient to cover the monthly expenditures. It would be extremely difficult if you rely on it and a change of career can do wonders to solve this problem. So why not consider starting a career that could provide you a substantial increase in income? A home staging career is just one and could be the best option for you. All you need is an artistic talent, creativity, ability in home decor and designs. The best part is that you are not required to plunge into the business right away. You can still have your present job while you prepare for it.

Is It Right For You?

Home staging careers are becoming popular these days since the real estate industry grows fast. Home stagers are needed particularly for properties that are up for sale. Basically, a property needs to stand out to potential buyers in order to sell it fast and for the highest profit and this is only possible if you have the talent and the right skill to be effective in home staging. Nowadays, marketing is considered as a piece of cake since your potential customers are already aware how much they need of the service you can offer and given the current situation – abundance of house flipping shows, design shows and even television shows that are dedicated to property staging. On the other hand home staging is way cheaper and practical compared to the services of a traditional professional interior designer.

Starting Your Own Home Staging Business

Choosing to start on this career has a lot of advantages, you can get paid in the range of $70 up to $200 per hour, you can set your own schedule, start up costs are lower, you can work from home, and most of all you will be able to do something that you will love. You need to prepare though if you want to make home staging as your main career and this you can learn from the experts. It’s significant to learn from individuals who have been where you are right now since they can give the necessary information you need to start and to be successful in your home staging career. Take advantage of this great opportunity and don’t miss the chance to be your own boss!

About The Author

Karen Schaefer is the Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers which is composed of home stagers who have accumulated the best House Stager Training there is. Learn more about staging, marketing, selling houses quickly, and more on Home Staging Careers. Take advantage of this opportunity right now.

The first thing is to choose a database program or supplier that suits your needs. There are a wide variety of programs available on the market, ranging in price and sophistication. Balance your needs with your budget and be careful not to choose a program that doesn’t offer you enough. And likewise, be careful that you don’t pick a database that offers far more than you need or you’ll be wasting your money and overwhelming yourself.

Once you have the program, you need to start assembling the data. You may actually surprise yourself and realize that you have much of the data you need to get started. Look back through invoices and sales orders. You can start with the basics: customers name, address, services purchased, and any other information you may have collected.

In your database, you will likely want information such as the customers service history – what you have done for them, any specific things that they requested, didn’t like, did like etc. Their account history – did they pay on time, promptly, any issues with their account etc. And if you have it, it’s good to know how customers heard about you and your services.  Did they respond to an ad you placed, find you in the phone book, on the internet or hear about you from a friend?

When it comes to developing your database, don’t forget to include the information of potential customers. This contact information is crucial when it comes to marketing and future sales. Just because a contact is not a customer right now, does not mean that they won’t be a customer in the future. Collect all the information you can to use later in future marketing efforts.

Building your database will take some initial time and effort but once it’s up and running the maintenance that is required is minimal and the dividends that result from a well developed system are immense. This you will learn in your home staging training.
About the Author:

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. Through Karen, and her home stager school, you can learn more about staging, marketing, selling houses quickly and make property buyers swoon over your home staging career.

Many people, particularly those that are new at flipping properties, or home staging career down play the importance of curb appeal because they don’t want to spend money on the outside of the home. Do not make this mistake. Creating a beautiful looking exterior does not have to cost a fortune. In fact, with a few simple changes you will have buyers tripping over themselves to get in the front door to see what else your property has to offer.

The first thing that you need to do may be obvious, but clean up and do general maintenance. Make sure there are no garbage cans sitting by the front door, or loose patio stones. Everything should be in good repair, and be clean. If necessary, rent a pressure washer and get all the dirt and grime off the siding to give the property some sparkle and shine.

A fresh coat of paint for trim or shutters is not expensive and will go a long way to making a property pop. Choose colors that are fresh and draw the eye towards features such as windows and the front door. If it’s really needed, painting the entire house may cost a bit more but will be a worthwhile investment in the long run.

The least expensive and most impressive way to add curb appeal is with landscaping, and you can often do these simple jobs yourself. Prune any overgrown shrubs and trees, making them look neat and tidy. Remove any weeds from the garden and plant a few bright flowers along a walk way or by the front door in order to make the home look welcome and inviting.

In order to flip property quickly, investing a small amount into increasing the curb appeal will pay off in the end when your property sells faster and for the dollar amount you are asking. You can learn these and more in a reputable home stager school.

About the author:

Karen Schaeferis the founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers which is composed of home stagers who have accumulated the best home staging training there is. Through Karen, you can learn more about staging, marketing and selling houses quickly.
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/add-curb-appeal-without-breaking-the-bank/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/make-them-cry-make-them-laugh-%e2%80%93-make-the-sale/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/make-them-cry-make-them-laugh-%e2%80%93-make-the-sale/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:28:29 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=65 ]]> In today’s real estate market, if you’re selling a home you are up against a lot of competition. That doesn’t make it impossible to flip a property; however you are going to know the secret behind home staging training in order to make your property stand out from the crowd.

If you are like most people, you have heard about what home stagers do before. You will know all about smell of baking bread, and scented candles. Now I want you to forget all of that. I’m sure that some of it works, but in order to make your home stand out to potential buyers, you need to create Pockets of Emotion.

Pockets of Emotion are little moments in a home when as the potential buyer walks through they are hit with a strong emotion. These moments make them stop and feel. Instead of simply browsing through a home evaluating the closet space and the layout, they are feeling the house and become emotionally connected.

An example of creating a pocket of emotion in a condo aimed towards an upscale young urban couple would be to set up the dining area for a romantic dinner for two. Carry the theme over to the kitchen with a bouquet of roses with a hand written note. Take it into the bedroom with a bottle of champagne on the bed side table and rose petals floating in the bath. This scene sets a stage for a romantic evening, one that a potential buying couple can relate to.

When you create Pockets of Emotion throughout a home, potential buyers will remember your property as the one that made them cry or laugh as they imagined their own lives playing out in the home. Taking the time to properly stage your property to make it memorable and not just another house that smelt of fresh bread will help you flip your property faster and with more success.

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. To learn more about staging, marketing and selling houses quickly go to http://apsdmembers.com/homestager/directoffer.html for a free 30 day trial.

About the author:

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. Through Karen, and her home stager school, you can learn more about staging, marketing, selling houses quickly and make property buyers swoon over your home staging career.
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/make-them-cry-make-them-laugh-%e2%80%93-make-the-sale/feed/ 1 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/stage-your-success-with-one-of-the-hottest-opportunities/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/stage-your-success-with-one-of-the-hottest-opportunities/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:07:54 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=60 ]]> Entrepreneur Magazine recently rated the home staging career as one of the best businesses to get involved with for coming years. And with good reason. This market is hot right now! With the recent down turn of the real estate market, people need to sell their homes – and fast. And that’s where a stager comes in.

The need for a home staging training is needed in for sale by owner homes as well as professionally listed homes and if you have a flair for decorating, or just a creative bone that needs to be tapped you are the perfect person to take advantage of this opportunity.

Setting up a home staging business is quite simple because you do not require a great deal of overhead, or start up costs. In fact, you can run the business out of your own home and during the hours you choose. Most people require the services of a home stager in the evenings or on weekends which means that you can even work part time while you’re getting started and you don’t have to give up the security of your full time pay cheque for now.

Marketing is a piece of cake right now because with the abundance of design shows, house flipping shows and even shows dedicated to property staging on television right now, your potential customers are already aware that they need your services. And they do. In order to sell a property fast and for the highest profit in a slow real estate market, their property needs to stand out to potential buyers which it can if you use your talents and skills to stage it properly.

Take advantage of this hot time to get your home staging business up and running. You don’t want to miss a great opportunity to be your own boss, work from home and do something that you will love and that will excited you every day!

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. To learn more about staging, marketing and selling houses quickly go to http://apsdmembers.com/homestager/directoffer.html for a free 30 day trial.

About the author:

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. Through Karen, with her best home staging training strategies, you can learn more about staging, marketing, selling houses quickly and make property buyers swoon over your home stager training.

“In a buyers market, sellers have to utilize every powerful tool they can to sell their home as fast as possible and for the best price,” says Karen Schaefer, national real estate sales expert. “Unfortunately, sellers are subject to antiquated direction that immediately tips off the potential buyers that they are being “sold” which often stops the sale on the spot.”

Karen Schaefer will tell your audience:

1)      The 3 worst things you can do when trying to sell your home-that nearly every realtor recommends doing!

2)      How to get everyone that looks at your house to fall in love with it on the spot and forget about the other 25 they looked at that day.

3)      Making a room by room checklist to guarantee your home shows perfectly every time.

4)      Give it a name!  Giving your buyer a reason to name your house so they start to remember it immediately

5)      Letting your buyer laugh until they cry with delight as they pull back a shower curtain, open a vanity drawer and peek into the linen closet—with a surprise that makes your home unforgettable.

Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. the Premier Nationwide Staging and Design Company and author of The 5 Proven Steps to Selling Your Houses in any Real Estate Market (even a lousy one) has helped thousands of investors, builders, sellers and agents sell their houses immediately.  Karen speaks nationwide, consults in multiple markets and instructs other investors and designers on the key concepts to selling properties fast.

Karen Schaefer is an entertaining and informative interviewee. To interview her call 719-244-3420

About the author:

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. To learn more about home staging, marketing houses and selling houses quickly go to www.OnLineStagingTraining.com for a free 30 day trial.
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/how-baking-chocolate-chip-cookies-actually-kills-the-sale-of-your-home/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/beyond-the-gleam/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/beyond-the-gleam/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:56:48 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=30 ]]> Everyone who has ever walked through an open house knows that having a clean house is extremely important if you want to make the sale. But is it everything? The simple answer is no. There is much more involved in getting your home ready for a successful sale, than simply cleaning it. The unfortunate fact is that far too many home sellers fail to realize this right away.

I don’t want to understate the importance of a clean and shiny house, because obviously a dirty house with cob webs in the corners and toothpaste residue in the sinks is not going to appeal to buyers. However, cleaning your house should be the bare minimum that you do to get it ready for sale.

Once you are finished scrubbing and polishing, it’s time to go beyond the gleam. A shiny clean space – while it looks nice – is not enough to sell your property. That’s where home staging comes in. At Simple Appeal (www.simpleappeal.com) we take your house from nice to sensational by using simple staging techniques that appeal to a buyer on an emotional level. A clean and shiny house will appeal to a buyer on a logical level. They may think, “Wow this is a really nicely kept house.” But you want more than that. With a little strategic home staging, you will have buyers envisioning their child’s next birthday party in the kitchen, Christmas dinner in the dining room and a family barbeque in the back yard.

Appealing to a buyer on an emotional level, so that they can picture themselves in your home, living their life – is what will sell your home. At Simple Appeal, we help you go beyond the surface by creating Pockets of Emotion that keep a buyer thinking of your home long after they leave it. Instead of thinking of your home as one of the dozens of clean homes they saw that day, they will remember it as the house that they could picture themselves living in.

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, marketing 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”
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/beyond-the-gleam/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/a-woman%e2%80%99s-touch/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/a-woman%e2%80%99s-touch/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:51:44 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=28 ]]> Starting a home based business can be full of challenges and setbacks, but the rewards are immeasurable. In today’s economy, more and more women go everyday to jobs that they aren’t passionate about just to pay the bills, and pay for the daycare that they would rather do without. Life should be about more than just making ends meet. You should love what you do every day and have the opportunity to spend quality time with your family, instead of endless hours slaving away.

What if I told you that you could have it all? You might not believe me! Because as women, we are taught that we must sacrifice something. Well don’t believe it! By setting up your own property design business, you can have a career that you are passionate about, putting you in the driver’s seat of your career, and giving yourself the opportunity to spend more time with your family.

Home staging is an industry that is on the verge of exploding because of the slowing real estate industry. And there has never been a better time for women to get involved with it. In order to make a home stand out and sell it in this tough market, it has to appeal to a buyer’s emotions. And this is where a professional stager comes in. At APSD (www.APSDMembers.com) our program for Property Designers teaches you how to create Pockets of Emotion™ that will sell your clients homes.

Naturally women have an eye for what looks good and what will appeal to buyers on an emotional level. As a Property Designer, you will have the opportunity to help other people sell their homes and reach their goals while realizing your own dreams by finally living the life that you deserve.

About the author:

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. With Karen, you can learn more about home staging, home marketing and selling houses quickly. www.OnLineStagingTraining.com shows you just how to do home selling to people buying properties.
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/a-woman%e2%80%99s-touch/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/beyond-sight-and-sound/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/beyond-sight-and-sound/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:50:06 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=18 ]]> In the 2005 best seller Brand Sense, author Martin Lindstrom says that as much as 83% of all marketing communication is limited to sight and sound. In the real estate business most of the marketing communication is done by sight. Ads placed in local newspapers, the MLS, and post cards announcing open houses etc

However, the most important marketing communication happens when prospective buyer crosses the threshold of a house.

This is very similar to the experience a shopper has when entering a store for the first time. It is at that point, that first impression, where you must use emotions as the media for your message.

The more senses you appeal to, the more dramatic the emotional response will be. I am not talking here of the old trick of baking cookies to get that smell throughout the house. Everyone likes it, but they know the trick so now, it appeals to their logic versus their emotion. But what if you had a fresh basket of lavender at the front door just as they came in? For some reason, which they can’t even articulate, they feel welcome. It might give them a cozy feeling of when they were a child going to their grandmothers home (because we all remember the lavender sachets grandma had in her drawer). It feels right and it completely appeals to their senses, not their logic.

When staging a home for a retail sale, it is vital to appeal to as many senses as possible. For that reason I use a variety of what I refer to as “Pockets of Emotion” throughout the house. These are those moments in a home that surprise you and make you laugh, give you pause while enjoying a fond memory, or appeal to your senses on such a high level that often times, you can’t even describe why it feels so good-it just does. I strategically place these “Pockets of Emotion” to suggest that “yes this is a perfect child’s room, because my child is playing right now” or “this is a great kitchen for our family holiday baking projects”. These Pockets of Emotion are designed to truly engage all the senses, not just the sense of sight.

In addition I use the sense of hearing when ever possible. If the home is in a high traffic zone, I may have light music playing in the background to take the focus away from the outside noise. Another great sense of sound is a fountain bubbling and birds chirping (and yes, I know how to make that happen at just the right moment!).

When I stage a house, you will find that I use not merely the senses of sight, smell, and hearing but of touch as well. I love having people touch something as the feeling stays in their fingers then entire time they enjoy the home. It is also a great reason to have them remove their shoes, if you have really wonderful carpet, so they can feel it on their toes. I also use interesting and textured fabrics to draw people into a room. It is so interesting to watch people as they are drawn into a room and encouraged to reach out and touch a window treatment or pick up a pillow. It helps them to fall in love with the property and feel as though they are home.

As for the sense of taste, I have found it is always a good idea to put a tasty surprise where prospective buyers are sure to find it. I often will put a bowl of big beautiful apples in the refrigerator, so it’s a surprise when they open it-with a sign that says “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away-enjoy!” or even seasonal cookies or candy inside an intriguing container that it is so attractive you can’t help but take the lid off.

Remember the more senses you engage, the more emotional the response will be and because of that response the more memorable the experience. Your ability to reach a buyer with a truly memorable experience can be summed up in one word: “Unforgettable”

Often in the blink of an eye, a prospective buyer will a sense whether the environment they have just entered is authentic or not. They will be able to get “feel” if the property is right or wrong. It is my job to make sure that it always feels right and to give them the opportunity to fall in love with their new home, on the spot. When they fall in love-we know the house is sold.

At Simple Appeal we always say “Anyone can make your house pretty. We make your house SELL.” Our system consistently creates environments that appeal to all the senses and gives a genuine and authentic feeling that the buyer is really home.

About the author:

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. With Karen, you can learn more about staging, marketing and selling houses quickly. www.OnLineStagingTraining.com shows you just how to do home selling to people buying properties.
]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/beyond-sight-and-sound/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/high-class-venues-to-attract-high-end-buyers/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/high-class-venues-to-attract-high-end-buyers/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:38:30 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=15 ]]> When it comes to marketing high end homes, you are dealing with an entirely different market then when you are flipping the average home. In order to attract the type of potential buyer that is in the market for a high end home, you need to get creative and start creating unique venues and events to peak their interest.

Instead of hosting a regular open house, host an event where people can come and mingle in the house while they are viewing the property. Not only will they be able to see the home and base an opinion on it, they will also be able to see the house in action. This is the ultimate in home staging because you are actually staging and running an entire event, instead of simply setting the stage.

The type of event you host in the home will depend largely on the home and the market. In high end homes that feature gourmet kitchens, invite a guest chef to come and showcase their talents. The chef can show off their cooking abilities in the gourmet and functional kitchen, while guests experience a free tasting of the culinary delights while they view the home.

High end homes with extensive gardens, or outstanding landscaping could play host to a benefit fashion show, a private concert of a popular musician or even a garden tour. If the home boasts a wine cellar and large sitting rooms, a wine tasting event would be the perfect way to attract potential buyers.

The high end home buyer market is much smaller than the average market and potential buyers want to see a home for everything that it is and can be. It’s also a time for crucial networking. Perhaps people in attendance are not interested in the home, but no someone who might be. Create an interesting and unique venue to attract potential buyers to a high end home and you will appeal to the right customers.

About the author:

By Karen Schaefer, Founder of Simple Appeal, Inc. and APSD – The Association of Property Scene Designers. With Karen, you can learn more about staging houses, marketing houses and selling houses quickly. www.OnLineStagingTraining.com shows you just how to do home selling to people buying properties.

]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/high-class-venues-to-attract-high-end-buyers/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/how-much-you-earn-in-property-investment/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/how-much-you-earn-in-property-investment/#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:30:52 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=13 ]]> That is the question that you should always ask yourself if you are working on your home or investment property.  I am continually amazed at how people will over fix and blow their budget on a home or investment property.  Then, they expect to get that amount and more out of their house.  The basic rule of thumb is to ask yourself two questions and the answers to these two questions are within the reaches of an expert home stager.

1. Will I make more money if I do this?
2. Will it help to sell my property faster?

The latter obviously, then results in more money due to less holding time.

These are just some of the things that you need to know for your home staging careers:

More often than not, in bread and butter homes, (your blue collar, working class neighborhood, of 3 beds, 2 baths and a garage), I will rarely change windows, carpet, counter tops, cabinets, appliances or bathroom vanities.  Rather, I will stage it and give the staging items as a gift to the new owner or tenant.  This always results in a greater quality tenant that treats my house with respect, stays longer, and thankfully, pays their rent on time.  With a buyer, they become emotionally tied to the property because they like the “stuff.”  They will play by all of your rules, including put down extra earnest money, get their financing quickly and close on time.  All of this with effective staging.

Most people believe that staging involves heavy furniture, monthly rental costs and a high up front fee.  Most people are correct.  The Simple Appeal staging system however is enormously different.  On average, a home staged by the Simple Appeal system will transact in less than 30 days in a market of average DOM of 122!  There is hardly ever a sofa or a dining room set and as a matter of fact, I can’t ever even remember a time that a sofa actually sold a home.  There is strength in simplicity.  This is a phrase that I find myself saying over and over again when people ask me “where is the couch?”  Of course they quickly forget that question when their property sells at lighting speed for about a fourth of the normal staging cost.

What is the niche?  Really it is simplicity.  A home is sold on emotional.  Once you understand your customer, you can appeal to their emotion, and transact the property.  That’s it really, just the psychology behind human nature.  Of course those humans are quirky, so I would advise you to really know what is important to your customer versus thinking that you know.  In other words, don’t rehab and stage the property as though you are going to live there or stay there.  Rehab and stage it for your end user.  Understanding the psychology behind staging property will save you thousands dollars and months of time.

To find out more about the psychology of buyers, visit www.SimpleAppeal.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 houses 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” and the best home stager school there is.

]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/how-much-you-earn-in-property-investment/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/mission-impossible-not-really/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/mission-impossible-not-really/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:23:51 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=11 ]]> 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.

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.

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.

]]> http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/smell-your-way-to-a-sale/feed/ 0 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/start-clowning-around-and-attract-buyers/ http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/start-clowning-around-and-attract-buyers/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:45 +0000 stagingtraining http://stagingtraining.wordpress.com/?p=3 ]]> 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”
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