For Immediate Release

Contact: Jan Whitlow, Lifetime ASPM®, IAHSP® – Selling Edge Home Staging

Phone: 727-639-0458

Date: Date January 5, 2011

Jan Whitlow Appointed to International Director of Meetings of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals® (IAHSP®)

Jan Whitlow, Lifetime ASPM®, IAHSP® has been appointed to the International Director of Meetings of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals® (IAHSP®) for 2011. In this position, Jan Whitlow will serve international members of IAHSP®, working directly with the IAHSP® International Board of Directors and IAHSP® Chairwoman and Founder, Barb Schwarz, ASPM®, IAHSP®, The Creator of Home Staging® and CEO of Stagedhomes.com to continue to set quality standards for the Home Staging industry, and to serve the public.

IAHSP® International was founded in 1999 to serve the Home Staging industry. IAHSP® is the only international association of its kind dedicated strictly to Home Stagers. IAHSP® has a foundation built in education. Excellence is the benchmark for membership. The ASP®, Accredited Staging Professional® Designation is required for membership in IAHSP®. ASP® members must adhere to educational standards and a code of ethics in order to qualify for membership. IAHSP® members number in the thousands and are located in every state in the United States, and in several provinces of Canada. IAHSP® has regional chapters established throughout North America, which provide local support for members in order to help educate the public about Home Staging, and provide a professional forum for networking and business support. IAHSP® has a non-profit Foundation that raises money for the Worldwide Staging Service Week®, WWSSW®, held annually where IAHSP® chapter members donate time and resources to a local organization or individual in need.

Jan Whitlow is Florida’s only Lifetime Accredited Staging Professional Master®, and has been an IAHSP® member since 2006. Jan Whitlow has also served IAHSP® in the local Pinellas IAHSP® chapter serving as Founding President in 2007, Membership Chairman in 2008 & 2009, WWSSW® Ambassador in 2010 as well as International Director of Vendors & Sponsors, 2009 & 2010. Jan Whitlow graduated from the ASPM® Course Developed by Barb Schwarz, The Creator of Home Staging® and CEO of Stagedhomes.com, to earn their accreditation as a requirement for joining IAHSP®. Jan Whitlow is the owner of Selling Edge Home Staging, a full service, Professional Home Staging company serving Tampa Bay since 2006. Selling Edge helps sellers & Realtors move residential real estate faster, averaging 42 days on market (in 2010) before they are SOLD.

Photo: © Polka Dot Images/Thinkstock

Selling your home sounds easy enough. Just hammer a “For Sale” sign into the front lawn and start bringing in the buyers, right? Not so fast. If you want to get the highest possible sale price, you need to woo potential buyers. That’s where professional home stagers come in: Like a Hollywood set, your home can be turned into a scene that buyers will want to latch on to. If you’re serious about selling, you might want to consider hiring a professional home stager to transform your house into every buyer’s dream—or just borrow these tips from the pros to get it in ready-to-sell condition.

1. Clear Out Clutter
Whittle huge photo displays down to a few frames. Pack up collections and knickknacks that are cluttering your bookshelves, desktop, dresser and end tables. “Show potential buyers your home, not your stuff!” urges professional home stager Jan Whitlow.

2. Let Light In
Pull up the shades and draw back the curtains! “Light creates a positive, cheerful environment,” says professional home stager Trish Kim. During showings, turn on every light in every room. And leave some of the lights on in the rooms that face the street until you go to bed. “If potential buyers drive by after-hours, the welcoming light in the window is very seductive,” says Kim.

3. Make the Background Neutral
If the walls are in neutral shades, the space will feel bigger, says Barb Schwarz, CEO ofStagedHomes.com. You don’t want potential buyers’ initial thought to be, “Well, I’d have to repaint the purple bedroom and the brick-red dining room, to start,” so consider repainting bright-hued walls before you start showing. Even with a neutral backdrop, you can still add “movable color” to the rooms with artwork, bedspreads or area rugs. All add visual interest, but the buyer knows you’ll take them with you.

4. Create a Lifestyle
If you think your home might appeal to someone who entertains, set the dining room for a formal dinner party, suggests Kim. Or turn your master bedroom into a quiet spa-like haven if the whirlpool tub in the master bathroom is a selling point. “Buyers are looking for an upgraded lifestyle,” says Kim. It’s up to you to help them imagine it.

5. Play Music
Have music playing softly in the background. “I call it ‘buying music,’” says Schwarz. Choose something mellow and play it just loud enough so it’s discernable. The idea is to mask the echoey sound of shoes clap-clap-clapping through an empty house—not to start a dance party. Schwarz recommends light jazz without a lot of vocals: something similar to elevator or department store music.

6. Neutralize Odors
Contrary to popular belief, no odor is the way to go. The smell of bread or cookies in the oven might appeal to you—but potential buyers may not agree, says Kim. Open the windows and let fresh air flow through your home. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of trash cans and place a box of it in the fridge to absorb unpleasant smells. “You can’t sell it if you can smell it,” seconds Schwarz.

7. Clean, Clean, Clean
If you’re selling your home, you can’t stash clutter in the closets or have a fridge full of messy takeout containers. Potential buyers will be inspecting every square foot—and that means you should, too. Store clutter in neatly stacked boxes in the basement—or better yet, in a storage unit. Then white-glove clean any and all surfaces, says Schwarz.

8. Rethink Your Furniture
If taking out a few pieces of furniture would make a room feel more spacious, then do it, urges Schwarz. Put pieces that are rarely used (like extra dining room chairs) in storage, then rearrange what’s left to maximize each room’s space. One thing to hold on to: items that double as storage, like an ottoman with a lid, where you can stow clutter at the last minute.

9. “Stage” Every Room
A dining room in top form won’t do you any good if your kids’ rooms look like a tornado just tore through them. “The whole house has to be staged,” says Schwarz. If your children have a hard time getting a handle on their stuff, buy underbed storage boxes and insist they toss their toys in them at the end of every day. Once a week, have them sort through the storage boxes before they’re allowed to watch TV or have a friend over, to keep the clutter under control.

10. Don’t Forget the Outside
“All of the property has to be staged,” says Schwarz. Your house number should be big, shiny and easy to read. Landscaping should be pristine—and give the impression it’s easy to maintain, so opt for simple over fancy pruning designs. Finally, the garage and shed should be in reasonable order, too.

I have Staged® Homes all my life, starting in childhood, constantly rearranging my room. I sold by owner, in under 30 days, for years & years (No more - use a Realtor®) preparing those homes as “Staged®” before I knew the term. I have been doing it professionally & full time in the Real Estate Industry since 2006. Pure Staging® is “helping” Realtors® and sellers prepare & sell property not “actively” sell it. A Pure Staging® Professional knows his or her boundaries concerning price, contracts, inspections & all the rest - that IS handled by the Realtor®. We don’t go there!!! We make ‘em beautiful, Realtor® sells ‘em! We package properties, making the Realtor® look good, the house(s) look amazing, marketing better & reducing time on the market. Pure Staging Professionals save everyone money!

Real Estate is a different industry, in 2010. In all my professional endeavors I have never seen so much skepticism amongst professional people. There you have it! What is wrong? Professional Home Stagers® have trouble getting to sellers as Realtors® live in fear of what we will do, say or that that we will steal a client. NOTE - that’s unethical. Sure it may happen but not all Home Stagers® have their real estate license, I don’t. If you are afraid to use a Stager as you may loose a listing find a Steger that is not a Realtor®! We are out there!! Whether a Pure Stager® or a Realtor®/Stager®. Realtors® have a fudeciry responsibility to bring in Professional Stager® on every listing! Realtors, find a Professional Stager® that you can trust!!

I am speaking up after a recent comment that I saw on Facebook. A Realtor® (I do not know where) by way of a Stager® made a wild statement about Home Stagers®. A seller was interviewing agents before placing their home up for sale; Home Staging came up with one Realtor®. The Realtor® actually said, “Home Stagers® just pose as Realtors® selling houses illegally. Don’t use one.” WHAT? I believe this agent must have run across some less than Professional Home Stagers®, perhaps some with no formal training in our field. A Professional Home Stager® (not the ones I know) would never pose as anything more than someone there to help the seller prepare their home with potential buyers in mind. We are vital part of the Real Estate team, working under the direction of the Realtor® & the seller.

The comment proves some Realtors® are misinformed about the Home Staging® field and need to research it for themselves & find the right Stager®. As Professional Home Stagers® we owe it to our industry to teach what Staging® is and what it isn’t. I’ll tell you a few things Staging® is not:

• • I can watch those shows and do the Staging® myself. As a rule we are all too attached to our stuff to know what to keep & what to pack to prepare for selling properly.
  • Play music, set the table, some flowers and I’m good - savvy buyers see right past all this!
  • My neighbor or relative needs something to do, “loves” this sort of stuff, they can do it. There are right & wrong choices to properly Stage® a home and practices Professional Stagers know to get the job done right.
  • I’ll bring in my decorator to do it. Staging® is just the opposite of decorating - it is de-personalizing where decorating is personalizing.

I love my industry! Let me go on record as saying Pure Home Staging® Professionals are a vital part of the Real Estate team and we are making a difference. It is never the job if a Realtor® to sell my services/me to the seller. That is my job. I understand the hesitation to let us meet with the sellers ourselves but think about this. Your sister’s neighbor (that you do not know) is looking for a Realtor®, your sister asks for your listing presentation packet to pass on to the neighbor, she will talk to them on your behalf. Would you do that? I think not. Just as you would not let your sister sell your real estate services I advise against selling Staging Services for a Professional Stager.

Please share your thoughts!!

My Staged Homes are selling so my warehouse is bursting with furniture & accessories. Average time on the market before going in contract 42 days - that's right - my Staged homes are selling!!!

Tampa Bay Realtors - its time to vamp up those vacant homes and Stage them. Call me 727-639-0458

In this economy more & more, as professional Home Stagers we must put the financial needs of the sellers first. Yes, we look good when we turn an ugly duckling into a beauty contest winner - SOLD! We achieve this by practicing Home Staging in the truest sense:

Home Staging is preparing a home for sale so it sells faster and for more money, all the while keeping the sellers time frame & budget in mind. Barb Schwarz, The Creator of Home Staging

Most of my recent projects have been somewhere in between vacant & occupied Staging. Let me explain. Two have been retired people moving into assisted living leaving items behind that would not fit in the smaller quarters; today's Staging was of a second, beach condo used by the local owners on the weekend.

Each home had its challenges as we had certain furnishings we had to work around and small budgets. Here lies the truth in Staging ... creativity. How creative is your Stager? What can he/she do with outdated; less than the latest looking furnishings to bring attention from potential buyers in MLS PICS as well as in person. After making every effort to more items to storage; other family members or a charity of seller's choice - Staging is really always the same; a Professional, Creative Stager can do something on any budget and with what is left!

• Get the seller to CLEAN the unit!
• Do as much painting, updating & repair as the seller can handle
• POP with color enough to keep buyer interest; not too much to draw attention away from the property
• Demonstrate lifestyle; when staging beach properties I always make sure the attention is on the beach
• Always be cognoscente of flow in & around the home