Melinda Peterson Broker Realtor® Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate

Craig Schiller offered some excellent staging advice in his post Picture What You Preach. I thought it was worthy of a re-post Practice What You Preach - With Great Pictures! I think we Realtors could learn a few things too! Thanks Craig!

Because the end result of a staged home can be a great visual impression, home staging is seen as an image industry. Image companies in the fields of advertising, interior design, and landscaping have for long known that to sell and grow their own businesses; they must present a good visual image of themselves. As image businesses they know and rely on their logos, business cards and websites to communicating their knowledge and creative skill to apply basic design principals in their respective fields.

If home stagers are going to sell to home owners the need and importance of investing money to beautify their homes, which is the product they are selling, then the stager needs to invest money in to do the same for what they sell... which is their staging services To be competitive, a home stager needs to invest in their business image. A stager's image, communicated through a business card, brochure, website and portfolio, must demonstrate knowledge of and skill to apply basic design principals. Doing anything less is hypocritical.

Home stagers also need to practice what they preach to Realtors. If stagers are going profess and advise the importance of using good photography to capture and present a home for sale on-line, then again, a stager needs to do the same for photography they show of the their work on-line. A stager's on-line portfolio is a key, yet often overlooked, tool communicate quality, skill and ability.

Stagers can maximize their on-line credibility is by addressing the following 3 points with their portfolio.

• Show Versatility & Proficiency - Every market is different and a stager's work should represent the types of homes being sold in the markets they serve. However the more depth and diversity a stager can show the better. The most compelling portfolios will show staging work that was done in both big and small homes, vacant and occupied homes, low to high end homes, and the ability in to work with a variety of design styles.
• Use the Same View Point - Proof of a stager's skill and ability is often shown in Before & After photographs. But quite often the Before photo is taken from a totally different position in a room, from the After photo. The best sales testament and visually dramatic impact Before & After photography will have is when the Before & After photo is taken from the EXACT same angle.
• Take Quality Photos - While it may not be possible to take perfect and compelling Befores, the After image needs to be well photographed. Over flashed, under flashed, and blurry photos will hurt even the best staged After transformation. Stagers that invest the time and money to take quality photos visually communicate their commitment to their profession.

Practice What You Preach - With Great Pictures!

Stage It Forward...

Southern Oregon - A Beautiful Place to Visit and Live!

Medford, Oregon is the center of the Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon's largest and most diverse City where you can shop tax-free and experience nature at its best! Start your day off golfing, fishing, rafting the Rogue River, hiking the Table Rocks, exploring the Oregon Caves and Crater Lake, or enjoying a scenic wine or agricultural tour. In the evening, take in a premier live performance at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater, sit under the stars and enjoy the Britt Music Festival, and feast on a culinary delight from one of Medford's fine dining establishments.

Southern Oregon - A Beautiful Place to Visit and Live!

Here are the latest Grants Pass, Southern Oregon Real Estate Statistics for October 2009.

1021 - Active Residential Listings

87 - Homes Sold

46 - Listings Pending

116 - Average Days on Market

$214,236. - Average Sold Price

Statistics provided courtesy of Real Estate Cafe. Source of information is Southern Oregon MLS - Monthly NAR Statistical Report. Information herein has not been verified and is not guaranteed.

Click Here for more information regarding Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate

Breaking News: President Signs Tax Credit Extension & Expansion

President Obama signed into law legislation that extends and expands the first-time homebuyer tax credit this morning. This enacts the legislation into law making the extension and expansion effective immediately after today. To learn more about the jobless benefit extension and the extension of the homebuyer tax credit visit: Obama signs jobless benefit extension.

Who Qualifies for the Extended Credit?

• First-time homebuyers who purchase after today and before April 30, 2010, are eligible for the extended tax credit.
• Current homeowners purchasing a new principal residence after today and before April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight.
• So long as a written binding contract to purchase is in effect on April 30, 2010, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close.

Thank you for your efforts to make this success a reality! In Oregon, more than 2,500 REALTORS® joined the National Association of REALTORS® in this political endeavor.

National Association of REALTORS® Resources: The Basics: Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit 2009-10

Some days, I just wanna scream! Today, I learned another business owner closed his doors in Grants Pass, Oregon. The River's Edge Restaurant and Miranda Mae Cafe were two of my favorite restaurants in Grants Pass, both of which have closed their doors in the last thirty days.

It is difficult to watch how this economy has negatively impacted some of my dearest friends and colleagues. A bad economy is simply not a respecter of persons, it affects everyone. Unfortunately, it appears there will be more casualties along the way before we reach the road to recovery.

My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a business, a home, a job, and maybe even your dignity and self respect. May there be comfort in knowing this too shall pass. In the meantime, let's find meaning in the midst of loss, and a rainbow after the rain.