Janine Gregor, MSM

This article is from a real estate column I am running in my June 2010 newsletter, “Wizard’z Wordz”.
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An Interview with Elayne Wooding of Showhomes, St. Petersburg

Considering that many of the readers of “Wizard’z Wordz” are real estate professionals, I thought to dedicate this month’s feature interview column to a real estate professional.

If you are not in the real estate industry, perhaps you are selling or buying a home or know someone who is…you may find this interview still rather interesting. Most small business owners are typically interested in learning about how others ‘think outside the box’.

This would be one such story.

Earlier this year, I came across an interesting article in Realtor.org entitled, “Consider Live-In Stagers for Vacant Homes” and was intrigued by the live-in concept. The article featured a company called Showhomes; a Nashville, Tenn.-based company, which has eight offices located in the state of Florida, (where I am located). Showhomes provides live-in stagers for vacant homes that are for sale.

I probed further and discovered a Showhomes office located in St. Petersburg which is managed by franchise owner Elayne Wooding.

Thank you, Elayne for so generously donating your time to answer a few interview questions for our readers.

Q – Please explain how you got into the staging industry and why you opened Showhomes St. Petersburg.

EW – I decided to become a home staging entrepreneur after working my way up the ladder in the real estate and finance fields. We’ve had so much negativity when it comes to real estate. I’m thrilled to be a part of a solution that helps everyone – the homeowners, Realtors, builders and top notch home managers that we find to live in the homes while they are on the market. It’s extremely rewarding to help people in distressed situations and homeowners who feel overwhelmed by all they are up against because of the market for high-end homes.

Q – Who is your ideal customer?

EW – The sagging real estate market has created ideal market conditions for Showhomes’ services, which help local realtors sell properties by transforming high-end vacant entities into valuable, staged homes.

Q – Why would a seller wish to use your services?

EW – If you present a vacant house, buyers are often unable to visualize the empty space as a home. Even if the empty house sells, it is often for a price far below the list price. Because the home is vacant, buyers expect a bargain – hoping to take advantage of an owner they think is desperate to sell. If you present a Showhome, buyers are able to visualize the fully furnished and decorated space as their home. This personal connection leads to a premium sale price. Buyers make higher offers because they have already bought a home in their mind – they can see it as theirs, and will offer a premium price to make sure it becomes theirs.

Q – If I were a seller, explain the steps involved in contracting with Showhomes.

EW – Contact us directly www.showhomesstpetersburg.com for a no obligation proposal.

Q – What is the cost of your services?

EW – Nominal Set-Up fee when Home Manager occupies the property, No monthly fees. Staging fees are paid at closing when the home sells.

Q – What types of homes do you accept into the Showhomes St. Petersburg program?

EW – Vacant homes generally starting from 300K to 8,000,000k.

Q – What are the benefits of staging a home using the services of Showhomes St. Petersburg?

EW – Transforming vacant houses into valuable, cared-for homes that buyers respond to.

Q – Do you have any statistics to back-up the benefits of your services? [Does a home sell faster? Receive more offers? Gain more traffic?]

EW - According to a survey from National Association of Realtors Showhomes sell 10%-20% faster and an average of 93% of list price.

Q – Besides staging a home, what role does the Home Manager play in the sale of a home?
EW – Keeping each home in show-to-sell condition seven days a week.

Q – With the Home Manager living at my home, do I have any guarantee that nothing will happen to the property?
EW – Showhomes contractually indemnifies the homeowner and backs this with property damage insurance on every home, plus $2,000,000 general commercial liability insurance. We also require each Home Manager to carry a minimum of $500,000 personal liability insurance.

Q – Are Home Managers’ backgrounds screened?
EW – All Home Managers undergo detailed credit and strict background checks.

Q – Can a Showhomes staged home be viewed 7 days a week?
EW – Homes will be accessible for showings seven days a week. Our Home Managers will open blinds and curtains and turn on lights to ensure that your home is in perfect condition when a buyer arrives. Buyers will see a perfectly maintained, tidy and clutter-free home.

Q – Where does the staging furniture and accessories come from? How is the staging-style determined, i.e., modern, eclectic, country, Florida-style, etc.?
EW – Home Managers who have contracted to keep your property looking like a model home. Furnishings and accessories that are appropriate for the property are owned and provided by the Home Manager and Showhomes supplements these as needed to make the property look its best.

Q – What happens if I do not like the way my home is staged?
EW – We inspect and arrange every detail to ensure that your home is shown at its best.

Q – Is there a ‘best’ time of the year to stage a home?
EW – Every time a home is on the market is the best time to state a home.

Q – Do you stage a home for holidays if requested by the seller? Do your stagers take requests for specific styles/designs if the homeowner requests this?
EW – We will use furniture and accessories that appeal to the demographic group most likely to be searching for a home in this area. We will create a warm and inviting environment.

Q – Are you specifically a staging company or do you have realtors on-site/staff selling my home in addition to staging it? Or do I use my own realtor?
EW – We are specifically a staging company. Many of our staff are licensed agents, but we work with agents as an extension of their marketing efforts and not competition.

Q – Showhomes is a franchise. Please tell us about the St. Petersburg franchise. Is your seller unique to other areas where Showhomes franchises are located? If so, explain why.
EW – Showhomes – known as America’s largest home staging company – began its operations in 1986 and started franchising in 1994. It currently has 67 franchises in 24 states. Showhomes has helped realtors and homeowners sell more than 25,000 homes worth more than $8 billion across the United States by transforming high-end vacant houses into valuable, staged homes.

Q – Is there anything else you would like people to know about your company?
EW - When your home sells, we prefer a 30-day notice to give us time to relocate our Home Manager; a minimum of 21 days notice is required. We will have your home cleaned and returned to you in the same or better condition than when we received it. We will work with you to make sure your closing goes off quickly and smoothly.

Thank you, Elayne.

Contact Elayne Wooding:
Elayne S. Wooding CMP, MIRM
Franchise Owner
Showhomes St. Petersburg
111 2nd Ave. N.E. Suite 919
St. Petersburg, Fl. 33701
ewooding@showhomes.com
866-797-7426 ext. 706
www.showhomes.com
www.showhomesstpetersburg.com

I read an article in Realtor.org magazine entitled, "10 Home Features Buyers Want" as listed here:

1. Large kitchens with islands
2. Energy efficiency, including energy-efficient appliances, super insulation, and high-efficiency windows.
3. Home offices
4. Main-floor master suite
5. Outdoor living space
6. Ceiling fans
7. Soaking tub in the master suite and/or an oversize shower with a seating area
8. Stone and brick exteriors rather than stucco or vinyl
9. Community walking paths and playgrounds
10. Two-car garages, but three-car garages are even more desirable

Recently, I toured several new home communities in my area. I found that some builders 'force' these features into a new home just for the sake of bringing in potential buyers.

One new home kitchen I toured had an island but there was about a 1/2 inch clearance when I opened the dishwasher. The appliance door was 'butt-up" to the island itself in the open position. To me, the island was a last minute addition to the kitchen. There just was not enough room to accommodate this feature.

Another home I viewed had an oversized shower but the seating area was just a stump of a seat that would most likely be suitable as a shelf for bottles of shampoo and conditioners.

Another new home community I viewed boasted, "Over 50% of the community is devoted to nature preserves, lakes and trails." Although, collectively, this statement is true, the trail that is referenced in the description is just a sidewalk around the back of the common ground which anyone could briskly cover in under 3 minutes. A trail denotes something that is continuous whereas this 'trail' ended abruptly at the public sidewalk.

This same community boasts a 'sport court'. In my mind, a sport court is a basketball or tennis court. Well, this area is just a paved space suitable for really nothing at all. It does not have a basketball hoop or a tennis net. [Further, I suspect that the HOA members must pay for its upkeep even though the area itself is not even useable space.]

I just do not appreciate vague advertising. If builders want to sell homes, sell them with clear, thoughtful and correct descriptions.

Last evening I was watching an HGTV homebuyer’s show and I noticed that the agent was using what I term as ‘dubious’ language to show the home.

In search of new real estate, the buyers desired a large master bedroom and the option to build a swimming pool. During a tour of one particular home, the buyer turned into the hallway between the bedrooms and poked her head into a random room. She said to the agent, “This must be the office” and the agent said, “This is only the master bedroom.”

This struck me as strange because using the word ‘only’ denoted something ‘unimportant’. Of course when the buyer walked into that bedroom, she was predestined to be disappointed. I believe the agent set the stage for that disappointment. The agent might have said, “This is the master bedroom" and then proceeded to bring up the positive points about the room.

As they walked to the back of the home and looked outside in the wide but short-lengthened yard, the buyer said, “Where can I install a pool?” The agent replied, “Oh, you can stick one over there” as she pointed to a far corner of the yard away from the sliding back doors where many people prefer to situate a pool.

I could not get the word ‘stick’ out of my mind. I just do not think that ‘stick’ was the right word to use. Again, it created a doubtful visual in the buyer's mind and set the stage for lowering expectations.

Another time, [different program], an agent was showing bedrooms and said to the buyer, “This is just a small bedroom.” Again, the word ‘just’ shot out at me because it pigeonholed the minute value of the space. I believe it would have been better to simply state,“This bedroom can be used for an office or a nursery.” Using positive descriptions gives the buyer a better vision of what the space could be and not that it was ‘just’ a small room.

Words like ‘just’, ‘only’ and ‘stick’ can create a negative visual for a buyer. They create upfront doubt. When showing a home, I believe it better to eliminate these words all together.

One of the services I offer as a real estate virtual assistant is blogging and article marketing. It is a valuable resource that is in great demand in our virtual industry as more clients understand the potential for good SEO. As article marketing increases online presence it also helps to classify the agent as an industry expert. Additionally, articles can reap a ‘better bang for the buck' as they can be repurposed into blog entries, newsletters and press releases. Strategically placed, and slightly edited, one article can have many lives.

I recently had a very intuitive consultation call with a potential real estate investment client who was interested in blogging and article marketing. The agent asked an interesting question, "How do you create topics for articles [when the virtual assistant is not familiar with the client's industry and market]?"

I have been asked this question on previous occasions by other virtual assistants as well, so I created a client questionnaire for VAs, which is available for download on my website. (It is also a great tool for agents who choose to write their own articles.) [Click on the star icon.]

Ideally, a virtual assistant partners with a client on an ongoing basis to develop a relationship where communication between the parties is maintained regularly. If the opportunity for a good partnership develops, the best way to write good articles for a client is to be privy to their business happenings. This occurs only through good, two-way communication. It is not unusual for a client to ask a question or share a piece of information with me, which can easily be turned into an article. Consequently, I'll often reply with, "This can become a good blogging topic". So good topics can be realized from everyday email communication. Stay alert for those tidbits of information. They can be easily overlooked.

Another means to develop good article topics is to ask the client to check his Sent Box. What kind of questions is the client answering to his own buyers and sellers? Whatever information the client's customers are asking certainly makes for great article topics. Give the readers what they want to know... they are asking for answers so give them more of what they are actually asking.

If you should contract with a VA, send him/her the urls to online newsletters which are relative to your business. I often subscribe to the same blogs, newsletters and ezines my clients read. This is another means to find great ideas for articles and blogs. One long-term real estate client regularly sends me Realtor.org articles from which I have been able to construct good pieces. Keep them in a folder in your favorites entitled, ‘Blogging Topics'.

I often find subject matter on other people's blogs which I send to my clients requesting that he respond with a brief reply. Sometimes the answers to these topics are a few lines which I can expand upon, while others are complete responses which I can post in varying blogs or article marketing sites with little or no editing.

A long forgotten source for good article topics is the local public library. I will often visit the library and sit down with several magazines and publications related to my client's businesses. I jot down the publication name and look it up online when I return to my office. Ask the librarian for other sources such as newsletters and flyers which are not available online. There are many regional real estate publications I can pick up at the library which contain articles relative to real estate in other areas of the country. The librarian is another valuable tool for good research...and, the librarian's services are free! I never met a librarian not willing to go out of their way for any request I might have.

If a virtual assistant is not familiar with a client's industry, demographics and market, there are other numerous means to learn about your business. Asking good questions, creating Google Alerts with keyword relative to the client's business and keeping abreast of the agent's services are other important options to good article marketing as a virtual assistant. Download the Questionnaire for Virtual Assistants to Ask Their Clients Regarding Article Writing and Blog Ideas for more options.

Janine Gregor
Real Estate Virtual Assistant
www.YourVirtualWizard.com

Here's another great safety tip article for agents as featured from this article in Realtor Magazine, September 18, 2009.

When you're showing an empty property, you can take these simple steps to empower yourself against attack or theft.

• Be sure to use the lockbox property-key procedure that has been established to improve real estate agent safety. A reliable, secure lockbox system ensures that keys don't fall into the wrong hands.
  
• Preview the property and don't go into a neighborhood that you perceive as unsafe. Be familiar with the area so you know the location of the nearest police station. Drive there immediately if you feel you are in danger.
  
• Try and call the office once an hour to let people know where you are.
  
• At the beginning of the showing, mention to the client that you have another appointment to show the house within a short time.
  
• Prepare a scenario so that you can leave, or encourage someone who makes you uncomfortable to leave. Examples: Your cell phone or beeper went off and you have to call your office, you left some important information in your car, or another agent with buyers is on his way.
  
• In showing a property, always leave the front door unlocked for a quick exit while you and the client are inside. As you enter each room, stand near the door.
  
• It is better to not display purses while at a property. Lock your purse in the car trunk before you arrive. Carry only non-valuable business items (except for your cell phone), and do not wear expensive jewelry or watches, or appear to be carrying large sums of money.
  
• Park at the curb in front of the property rather than in the driveway. You will attract much more attention running and screaming to the curb area. It is much easier to escape in your vehicle if you don't have to back out of a driveway. Besides, parked in a driveway, another vehicle could purposefully or accidentally trap you.

(Sources: Louisiana REALTORS^® Association; Washington Real Estate
Safety Council; City of Albuquerque, N.M.; Nevada County Association of REALTORS^®; City of Mesa, Ariz.)