Home Staging TNT

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.

Once we step back into fall the serious networking begins again! Networking is one of your 3 ‘Must Do’ marketing strategies if you really want to grow your business quickly.

The way to make the most of attending a networking event is to come well prepared. Most networking events expect at the least, that you will introduce yourself through your ‘elevator speech’ (aka your ‘infomercial or commercial’) and give others your business card. If you are a member of a networking group you may also be able to create a table display which gives you more visibility.

Before I go to any networking event I always like to set my intention so I know what results I expect to ‘get and give’ at a particular event. Networking does take work and it takes time. You need to attend often and follow up with people you meet. People need to KNOW YOU, LIKE YOU & TRUST YOU before they will buy from you. And they can’t do this from just one quick introduction!

To make the most of your time, it is best to have your website up and running even if it is not 100% completed. Most networkers will go directly to your website to learn more about you. Just like home staging you only get 1 chance to make a great first impression – so make the most of it!

CREATE A LONGER AND SHORTER VERSION OF YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH

Typically you have anywhere from a few seconds to give your elevator speech to several minutes. You might use it quite literally when you are in an elevator and someone asks you what you do. In some more structured groups like BNIs (Business Networking International) you have 60 seconds to talk about yourself and let the other members know what type of ideal client/referral you are looking for.

If you are new to the world of networking and nervous, there is nothing that says you can’t type it up and have it on a piece of paper to read from. Or try writing just your few key points on index cards or in your blackberry to refer to if you need to. Most experienced networkers realize that we all started just like you! Go with a friend if you are really nervous or join a Toastmaster’s group to gain your confidence.

If you follow this simple proven 7 Steps to Creating Your FANTASTIC Elevator Speech Formula you can adjust it like an accordion. Write up 2 versions so that you have your ‘short version’ and your ‘expanded version’.

I’ll share mine with you here as if I was introducing myself as a Home Staging Instructor to a networking group. Script it so it is fairly conversational.

A. Longer Version Elevator Speech

1. Your NAME & Your BUSINESS NAME -Hello my name is Dana Smithers. I am a Home Staging Expert, founder and instructor of the PRES Staging School.

2. Who your IDEAL CLIENTS are -I teach aspiring home stagers how to become successful and confident business owners.

3. What your ideal clients STRUGGLE with -Many students are new entrepreneurs and have no idea even where to start to build their business. They struggle with lack of confidence to do the physical staging and to charge what they are really worth.

For most solopreneur home stagers NETWORKING is one of your key marketing strategies because you do not have a ‘company’ working on your behalf. You now are responsible for finding ways to attract new potential clients to work with you.

Are you joining networking groups where the members are your ideal target market, or who can give you referrals? This is an important question to ask yourself because there are only so many hours in the day that you have to spend on your marketing.

When I am teaching or conducting workshops on networking, I always recommend that you focus on ‘Quality’ and not ‘Quantity’. It’s not about how many cards can you get; it is about ‘how many relationships over time can you build’. In earlier ezines I talk about people needing to ‘Know You, Like You and Trust You’ before they will buy from you. We need to have our marketing pieces whether in person or electronically seen by them between 7 and 12 times. So it makes sense that just because you meet someone for the first time that they may not necessarily want to ‘buy from you’.

Follow up is critical after your networking event. When following up from a networking event it is considered very old school and unprofessional to follow up and try and sell something to someone you just met. You want to focus on ‘pull’ marketing rather than ‘push’ marketing so people self-select and want to buy from you. Find out how you can help them.

TOP 10 Networking TIPS – Creating A Networking System That Works You:

This is a system that I have used for years and 85 – 95% of my business has come from people I met at networking events. The business may not have come directly from the person I met but from what is called ‘Word of Mouth’ referrals – meaning someone who met or knows me, referred someone else to me whom I had not yet met.

This is what you need to do:

1. Determine which networking group is a good fit for you.

2. Attend as a guest a few times before you decide to join.

3. If you are shy and don’t consider yourself outgoing go with a friend but don’t stay together for the whole event.

4. The focus in networking is on the person you are meeting not on you – Ask Questions to get to know them: “How long have you been doing what you do?”, “What do you find most challenging in your business?”, “How did you get started?”, – you are there to learn about the other person not to tell them everything about yourself first; wait your turn.

5. Wear your name badge on your right hand side of your top – that way when shaking hands you can easily see each other’s name.

6. After you have chatted and exchanged business cards make a little note on the card about something to remind you of that person – sometimes a personal note on the card can be a great way to reconnect.

7. You have heard the expression ‘The Fortune Is In The Follow Up’ it’s true! When you follow up send everyone you met an email within the week. Always ask if there is anything you can help them with in your follow up email.

8. If there is someone you do want to meet with privately, ask them for a coffee meeting.

9. If you are on Facebook or LinkedIn see if they are too and connect with them.

10. Make sure they get into your database!!! With most database systems you can enter the contact name and they will then receive an email asking if they would like to sign up for your ezines/newsletters. If they are really interested in what you have to say or offer, they will ‘accept’. You can always send people directly to your site to sign up for future mailings, reports, courses, announcements, etc. but just in case…

PRES Staging Resource Centre founder, Dana J. Smithers, (founder and president of Sun On My Back Redesigns), has enjoyed a prestigious and successful career in Interior Decorating, Home Staging and Interior Redesign. Dana is passionate about this industry and has prepared over 700 students for successful Interior Decorating and Home Staging & Redesign careers of their own.

What is Property Options?
An Option is a legal instrument by which a choice is granted to acquire a given property.
Simply meaning, an Option is a document that gives me the choice to buy, on my conditions, or not to buy at all. If I choose to purchase, the Seller is absolutely committed at the original strike price.

Short Options
The greatest advantage you have with Short Options is the ability to create cash in a very Short window of time. Short Options are typically somewhere between the day of signing, through to 6 months. The remarkable thing about doing a Short Option is the fact that it no longer requires the process of doing a full Development Approval. It involves locating sites with development potential and on selling them to a developer.

The success of short options lies in identifying potential, but you will need to be very specific with information, research, comparables, building costs and all the other intricate parts of assembling deals. In fact, if you are able to identify intrinsic value, it allows you to be able to assemble a Short Option.

They are a lucrative part of Options and offer the kind of cash flow that most people seek in the shortest possible timeframe.

Long Options
As the name states, Long Options work on a longer time frame. They necessitate us engaging consultants and seeing the Developmental Approval process through to completion. We then on sell our Option to a developer or builder; we are giving them a turn-key solution very attractive. Of course our greater effort is rewarded with greater profit. There lies the advantage of the Long Option.

Mark Rolton Australia’s Number 1 expert has made millions of dollars using Property Options. To get the best real estate buying advice and to find out more about and how to make massive profits from Long and Short Options, join Mark in his 12-Month Property Options Coaching Program.

12-Month Property Options Coaching Program.

The Complete Property Options A-Z System.
You get Mark’s complete system in home-study format so you can start immediately implementing all the property option strategies that will accelerate and fast-track you to financial freedom fast.

The Critical Legally Binding Option Documentation.
Normally you would have to spend thousands of dollars to get this options contract; however as part of my course, I will give you the exact document I use to secure multi-million dollar deals.

The Paint-By-Numbers Options Feasibility Software.
Figuring out if a deal is red-hot or not, you’ll get the exact software I use that tells me instantly how much I stand to make from the property I’m currently researching.

3-Day LIVE Advanced Property Options Bootcamp (This is 3 seminars in 1)
Ill take you to the next level and show you all of the creative ways you can use options to either make a quick $100,000 or a multi-million dollar deal. This advanced bootcamp is broken up into 3 sections; Money Maker, Portfolio Builder and Property Options Peak-Performer.

2-Months Support and Coaching.
My hand-picked team will help you and guide you through your early steps of investing using my system. They will be available to you via phone and email.

Special Bonus: Let me be your Joint-Venture partner.
If the deal is too big for you to fund, and youve followed my system then I’m more than happy to put up 100% of the money that you require to get the deal over the line. You can literally make hundreds of thousands without outlaying much cash, using me as your joint-venture partner.

EXTRA Special Bonus.
Pay in full today, and you can bring your spouse or partner to the 3-Day Advanced Property Options Bootcamp for free.

Mark Rolton is a brilliant real estate mind and visionary in the property industry. Mark has used his skills to make millions of dollars in real estate and would love to teach you these lucrative strategies at his Real Estate University 3 Day Live Events, in the hope that you will do the same. Join other passionate property investors in an atmosphere of fun and cutting edge learning that will blow your mind. No one else in Australia knows as much as Mark about creating cash flow using Real Estate.

Creating innovative solutions within your property development portfolio will reap profitable rewards securing your financial future within an achievable time frame.

St Louis MO foreclosure homes

To Stage or not to Stage

Reasons Why Sellers Should Consider Home Staging

To stage or not to stage? This is often a question many sellers have when it is time to put their home on the market. Many people find that they need to move out of state or simply move on, yet have not sold their home yet-leaving the home vacant. Most agents would agree that staging is an important component to selling the home. A home must feel “homey”, inviting, and cozy. You will not illicit this feeling from a buyer if there are no items in the home. Therefore staging to help define the space and create that cozy impression is highly recommended. It is important that the style of the staging items that are used are a good fit with the general dcor of the house. You would not want to use super modern looking furniture and accents in a home that would be described as “cottage” style home. It is important to have the staging items be neutral, and not anything that would distract the buyer. Again the key is to highlight the property and create a sense of “home”.

It is also recommended that sellers who do still live in their home
while it is on the market, consult with their agent about the appearance of the home and whether or not it should be staged. A stager does not necessarily have to come in with new items. Ideally the seller can use current furniture/accent items in the home. Sometimes it helps to do some rearranging of items and eliminate some furniture
to create more space.

It is very important to get rid of clutter. Less is more when it comes time for buyer to view your home. And just when you think you have de-cluttered enough…you probably haven’t. You want the spaces in your home to look big and open, clutter works against that impression and it distracts the buyers. It is very helpful to have someone (your agent, a professional stager) take a look at your current furnishings/dcor and determine if there are any changes that can be made to enhance and improve the look of the home. You only get a moment to make that first impression when the buyer walks in the door so it is vital that it is a positive impression.

In addition, if you have outdoor spaces you will want to make sure these spaces are staged to look inviting. The front door, porch, area around the front door is very important-it should be clean, neat and leave a positive impression. Sometimes a tasteful wreath and/or planters are needed to dress up the area that is the first impression of the home. You want buyers to walk around the entire property and imagine themselves enjoying both indoor and outdoor spaces.

There is a lot of competition so your home has to stand out. The way that you live in your home day to day is not going to necessarily be the presentation that will attract the buyers. If your home is sparsely decorated you will want to add accents-neutral pictures, plants, books on a shelf…to add some personality and warmth. Again if you have too many of these items you will want to put a big portion of them in storage.
When it is time to sell your home, consult with your agent about your specific staging needs. Happy Staging!