Margaret Oscilia-Home Stager, Salem Oregon

Quick - what's the first impression you have from these photos?

- mauve?

- dated?

- ho hum?

- needs a face-lift?

Unfortunately, that's what many home buyers think when viewing a home that has tile or features that are not currently in style or that they can imagine in a contemporary decorating scheme. The small candlesticks aren't adding to a contemporary look as well. When showing a home for sale, its so important to create a desirable image for each space - an image that buyers will fall in love with and remember after viewing other homes.

This bathroom is actually in fantastic condition, spacious and in a beautiful high-end home. Unfortunately the "mauve" colors were discouraging to buyers and the owners did not want to make updates. Buyers couldn't see this space as a real selling feature, even though the sellers had "staged" and it was spotlessly clean.

The challenge for Creative Concepts and Contracting was to affordably present this space as contemporary and inviting, placing a focus on the positive (spacious, great views, high quality) and one that new owners could enjoy without doing a major update. What will buyers remember? The mauve - or that it looked marvelous?

Lime green is a hot color this spring and by bringing in lime and black, the room now appears contemporary and desirable. Decor in proportion to the space and updated art contributed to the overall appeal.

The feedback is no longer about the mauve . . . it's about how marvelous this room is! People who had viewed the room previously and found it unattractive were now impressed and convinced they would enjoy this space - without a remodel!

The master bedroom also features lime/black/pink and the whole look is contemporary and stylish!

Creative Concepts and Contracting specializes in maximizing potential in vacant and occupied homes! Let us help you create a home to "fall in love with"! Contact us for the statistics of staged homes selling this summer in Oregon - the statistics are impressive!

How does a small business start marketing when many people who may need services probably don't know your occupation exists, what it is called, or how it can benefit them? Newspaper ads? Yellow Pages? Target Mailings? How do we get visible on the internet? When we googled for our company name - it didn't even appear on page one. And if you googled for "home stager Salem Oregon" we weren't there either. If I couldn't find our business - I was convinced no one else would!

This was our company's situation a year and a half ago, and these are questions most small businesses face as they attempt to market effectively to their target market without "breaking the bank". It was a year ago today that I joined active rain and entered into the world of "blogging". I had no idea of what "utilizing blogging as a marketing strategy" could mean to our business, but was convinced that we had to find a way to market online so clients could find us!

Would anyone read my blogs? I am not a marketer or writer - was this a waste of time and efforts? These posts took time and energy that I wanted to direct elsewhere. But - I blogged on. I won't claim to be an expert blogger or social media expert - but lets fast forward one year of consistent blogging.

When I goggle for our business name our company shows as nine out of ten listings on page one. When I google or yahoo search for "home stager or home staging in Salem Oregon" we are shown four times out of the first ten listings.

Success? Yes - our clients can find us if they are looking for us! It isn't enough to set up a website and think traffic will find it. When we analyze our website traffic, much of it comes as a result of searches, or as a direct response to blogs we have posted on active rain and other sites. This traffic has resulted in new clients and jobs that would have passed us by if we had not found a way to obtain an internet presence.

Our blog has brought us many opportunities -- from radio show interviews to model homes jobs in other cities. Additionally, it has helped us present our work, ideas and portfolio to home sellers and real estate agents in the comfort of their home! Real estate agents got to "know" us before hiring us - and felt comfortable recommending us to their associates and clients. We now work regularly with so many of the local agents that first learned of us from our blog.

While it's been a turbulent real estate market during the past year, our business has thrived and grown - and we think we owe much of our success because we took the time to utilize blogging as one of our marketing strategies!

Creative Concepts and Contracting provides professional home staging and redesign services for Salem Oregon and surrounding areas. While we love learning about social media and blogging - our expertise is helping home sellers prepare their homes for the quickest and best possible sale. Contact us at 503-881-0886 for ideas on obtaining the competitive advantage in any market!

Last week I took a few much needed days off -- business has been extremely busy and it felt good to vacation. Actually read a magazine and got to thinking that it would be great to have a few days to catch up at home, go pick some strawberries and maybe make a strawberry pie. Maybe I should take a day and go to the beach, or Silver Creek Falls -- I love those places!!

Well -- while I was vacationing my evil real estate associates (I thought some of them were my friends) have been foiling my plans.

First day back home - had to destage a property that sold. Was on the market --F-O-R-E-V-E-R--, was staged and sold within a couple of months. Hooray -- I really am happy for these great sellers and the agent too!

But then I got an email - the model home we prepared has sold - can we move it soon?

Then another - the house that was so difficult to sell has gotten an offer - will close in a couple of weeks.

And then today - the straw that broke my back -- two other staged homes sold this week end!

This doesn't count the redesign we worked on that now has a great offer too . . . only have to move some accessories from that sold home.

Go ahead - tell me it's a slow market (if you were moving this much furniture you would not think the market was slow either). Just when I was ready to sit in the lawn chair and sip a long tall one and work on my tan, these agents go and spoil all my fun! Don't you think they should take a break and quit working so hard too -- remember -- it's a SLOW market (somewhere).

The next time I'm going on vacation I'm going to be taking my real estate agent friends with me I guess -- they make way to much work for me while I'm gone selling these properties!

Meanwhile, I guess I'll just be looking at the pictures of these falls as we pack up our furniture/decor and move it on to the next "slow" selling home! Anyone want to pick some strawberries for me?

Creative Concepts and Contracting is a professional home staging and contracting business in Salem Oregon. Specializing in home staging and redesign -- and we really DO love having homes sell quickly! Contact us at 503-881-0886 or check out our website - staging works!

Many home sellers are on the fence - is now the right time to sell? With so much competition, does my house have a chance in achieving a quick sale? Personally, we've seen things picking up in our area. Many of the homes we have been working with received offers in the past few weeks. Some have sold within three weeks! Are the good old days returning? Can we just put a sign in the yard and get a great offer quickly? No.

Smart Money has some great ideas here on helping home sellers get off to a great start. Home sellers are smart to take the time to do some research and make sure they heed this advice. You wouldn't go to a job interview without preparing a good resume, thinking of what skills you have, or making sure your clothing was perfect to make a great first impression. Selling your home is no different!

Here's a summary of a couple of my favorite points from this article.

Get a great agent - just because they are your friends or relative, doesn't mean they are a good marketer or negotiator. We work with dozens of agents and have learned there is a huge range of skills and qualities. Will they keep you updated, give solid advice, advertise well on the internet. Look at their listings - are the descriptions, marketing materials and photos top notch?

Set a Reasonable Price - Price it well - not expecting to lower the price later. Testing the market causes you to lose valuable time. Your agent and some research should help you determine the correct price.

Don't skimp on listing photos - My pet peeve! According to the National Association of Realtors over 85% of home buyers look first on the internet. These photos need to be phenomenal - not only showing well staged rooms that are clutter free and well arranged, but also good quality photography too. Light, bright and spacious that's the image buyers want to see!

Don't wait to fix up the place - Statistics show that buyers are willing to pay more for move in ready and always overestimate what repairs will cost. While that new carpet may only cost $2,000, buyers are going to want a $5,000 price reduction if the work isn't already done. What type of buyers do you want to attract? Buyers looking for a fixer uppers or buyers looking for their "home sweet home"? Don't underestimate the emotional appeal of your home. Gary Keller (Keller Williams) said in his book Shift that price attracts buyers, but staging brings in offers. Your home must appeal to the emotions of buyers to get a great offer in this market!

Check out this full article and take the ideas to heart if you are considering selling your home!

Buying and selling real estate can be emotional situations. Creative Concepts and Contracting works with home sellers helping them appeal to the broadest possible audience in the best light. Staging, home repairs, remodeling and stunning transformations! Check out our website for ideas or call 503-881-0886 to learn about how a consultation can help you sell your home quicker and for a better price!

Have a beautiful but dirty chandelier? Light fixtures can be a focal point and beautiful feature for a dining room, but when dusty and spotted, they are a eyesore not a selling feature! Cleaning a chandelier can be a chore if each crystal is removed, cleaned and replaced. We've used this cleaning product in homes with great success and recommend it!

Cover the area below the chandelier. Using a duster, remove cobwebs and excessive dust. Turn off the lights before spraying and be sure bulbs are cool. Spray well with the cleaner -- allowing it to drip on the towels beneath the fixture.

Leaves chandeliers amazingly clean and sparkling! Its a great product and time saver!

Creative Concepts and Contracting provides quality home staging and contracting services for Salem Oregon and surrounding areas. By knowing the HOW to get things done easier, our clients prepare to sell quickly and effectively! Contact us for information on preparing your home for a quicker sale at 503-881-0886!