A vacant house does not sell as well as a staged property. By now we think everyone knows this concept right? Nope. I still get calls all the time asking if I REALLY think its necessary to stage a vacant home. I always tell them 'go to my website and take a look at some before and afters - now which one would you rather buy?"
If the property is priced right. If it has been properly staged (improvements, repairs etc.) and has been enhanced staged by a professional staging company it will sell! Even in this market.
Which one would you rather buy?
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LIVING ROOM BEFORE STAGED TO SELL
LIVING ROOM AFTER STAGED TO SELL
Hire professional stagers. Don't gamble with your equity or if you are a Realtor, your client's equity.
Kym Hough's Staged to Sell serving the entire San Franicsco Bay Area. For more information go to www.Staged-to-Sell.com. To visit our virtual consigment shop visit www.StagersLIST.com. For information on Green Staging or Green Training go to www.GreenTrainingCSP.com
I am not usually home in the morning. I am usually running out the door to a staging, meeting, or on of a variety of work related events on my average day. This week, I had the opportunity to be home for an hour on Monday morning and catch the beginning of the Today Show's green week coverage.
In one word it's fabulous.
- Matt's in Belize
- Ann is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa
- Al is in Iceland
- Meredith is in Australia
Each day for the entire three hours the camera hop back and forth from each location with an eye to green.
Things that are covered:
How the environment has changed
How we are running out of water
How the coral reef is dying due to bleaching from water temperature increase
How even these far away places are affecting us all!
It's a great series that I am now taping. I will be showing bits of it in my Green Training class coming up on December 10 in Danville. It's worth taping and watching with your kids - over time of course!
Did you know if you cut your shower down by one minute you will save 7 gallons of water! Oh My!
www.GreenTrainingCSP.com For more on bringing green into your business.
If you are a Stager or Realtor looking to increase your marketing value with your clients this is the program for you!
Green techniques are the trend. Look around you. Week long specials on morning TV, local radio promotions, consumer products all targeted at GREEN LIVING!
Do you know what green features your clients have in their homes? Why does it matter? Because green sells. While you are increasing your marketing value you are improving the environment too. A small investment which brings large returns.
The next two classes in the San Francisco Bay area are December 10 and January 21. Be the first in your area to bring this fabulous marketing technique to your business. Don't be left behind the curve get on board and stand out from the competition. For more information go to www.GreenTrainingCSP.com
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Come take part of the Live Green, Live Smart Institute Green Build Science training designed for Real Estate Agents and Stagers on November 12, 2008 in Danville, CA.
There are still two spots available in the local class given by Kym Hough, Certified Trainer in the Green Build Sciences.
I have been using these green feature techniques in my business for the past three months and their affect is amazing. Sellers want to be educated about the features that well help sell their home faster, especially in this market. Buyers are thrilled to have agent who are educated in the green science to help them identify green features in the homes currently on the market.
Being green helps save money, energy and the environment. It's a win for all.
For more information go to www.GreenTrainingCSP.com or contact Kym Hough at 925-212-1833,'
There are 12 months in a year. I find as I travel around the country at our StagersLIST.com Expos that the more I talk to the individual stagers the more I am amazed how our industry seems to accept the fact that business is only busy 5 - 7 months a year. That it is an acceptable fact and that its OK for that to be the case.
I have to ask - do the bills stop cominig the remaining months of the year? Does you overhead go away and the light bill not need to get paid?
If the answer is no, then keep marketing, keep working, diversify those income streams and work all year long.
Don't accept the fact the your core business slows down this time a year, make plans all year long and start marketing in July about your November, December, January and February services. So when those months come along your phone continues to ring and your business continues to thrive.
Sure its nice when our lives are not jam packed every minute of every day and our weekends fill up with work. This time a year might be just the right time to take a breath, but don't forget to keep breathing new life into your business.
Tweak your business model. The time is now to develop your marketing plans for the new year while keeping the phone ringing because of your marketing plans that you implemented from this past summer.
We have spoken to over 500 stagers around the country, in person, face to face, listening to their needs and local issues. The number one thing that comes up time and time again is marketing. I don't know how to keep the phone ringing, I don't know how to get new business, I don't know how to get a Realtor to refer me for every house.
Market, Market, Market. All year long and your phone will keep ringing!
Kym Hough, www.StagersLISTExpo.com, www.Staged-to-Sell.com, www.GreenTrainingCSP.com, www.StagersLIST.com
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Kym Hough is owner of Staged To Sell, a Green Staging Co serving SF East Bay. We have over 25 staging styles in our 4,000 sq. ft warehouse. Visit our Virtual Consigment shop at www.StagersLIST.com
Kym Hough's Staged to Sell located in Danville and San Leandro in the East Bay of San Francisco, CA is a Green Professional Home Staging company serving Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We love what we do and have been staging successful for over 6 years.
When Kym started her business her goal was creating the best Professional Staging Company in the area. In this short time she has achieved prestigious industry awards, appeared on the ABC News Program 20/20, has been interviewed in several local and national articles and has come to be a leader in the industry. Kym is a sought after speaker in the Staging Industry to both her Staging peers and consumers.
Kym firmly believes that the key to being a successful Professional Stager is to continually innovate and fine tune the process. "At Staged to Sell we never settle for second best. We continue to strive to improve our designs and introduce new and innovative staging techniques to the industry. We travel as far away as New York City to attend Table Top Show each year to aquire new vendors and keep up on the latest table top trends." Our vendor supply list has grown from 2 local vendors to well over 100 nationwide and include the some of the finest accessory and furniture manufacturers in the country.
Kym Hough and all members of the Staged to Sell team are Certified Staging Professionals. We are trained in the art and science of staging our clients properties to sell.
Kym is also co-owner of www.StagersLIST.com the marketing platform for Stagers and Homeowners on the world wide web. It enhances Kym's service to her clients because this site provides Kym with her very own Virtual Consigment Shop. Part of Staged to Sell's service is to help their homeowner client sell their non-needed items online. www.StagersLIST.comalso provides new and used home furnishings to their clients at amazing prices. It's the one place that stagers and homeowners alike are finding great furnishings for their homes at prices that hey can afford, and they know they are the right items for their homes because they have a professional staging team to help select them. Check out Staged to Sell's Virtual consigment shop at http://www.stagerslist.com/storecatalog.asp?userid=5 .
Staged to Sell has gone GREEN! We are now a certified Green Staging company as part of the Live Green, Live Smart Institute. Even more exciting Kym is one of just a handful of trained instructors in the Live Green, Live Smart Institute teaching Real Estate Professionals, Professional Home Stagers and Business Owners in the Green Sciences certification program. It's an amazing opportunity to give back to the community while increasing the marketabilty of their businesses. www.GreenTrainingCSP.com
Kym is also a professional speaker. She travels the country with her company www.StagersLISTExpo.comspeaking to new and seasoned stagers about the nuances of running a successful staging business. Currently, on the calendar are 15 events held throughout North America. Kym's presentation's include "Running Profitable Staging Business" and "Marketing Your Staging Business Daily." Kym is also the National Event Coordinator for the StagersLIST Expo company assuring that each event is the high quality, educational resource that the Professional Stages are looking for when attending the Expo.
Kym Hough lives in Danville, California with her husband Graham, daughter Alix and dogs Buster, Petey Mackenzie, Tootsie Rose and their newest family member, Homer Thadeus.
In a very short notice, Kym transformed our empty and undefined house to a beautiful, serene family retreat. Her staging enabled prospective buyers see and feel what it really is like to live in our house. She was also very professional; arriving before an appointment time, and doing the beautiful staging as promised. Our house went into an escrow within a month, in this tough time with bad economy. It was truly "Staged to Sell"! Mikaboo, El Cerrito, CA
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Kym did an excellent job staging our home. She had great ideas and reasonable prices. She brought in pieces that matched our home and enhanced the presentation dramatically. I would recommend her highly!! Eric S, Piedmont, CA
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A belated email to you about the work you did on 2294 Lomand Lane. It should come as no surprise that the appearance and your staging were received enthusiastically by open house attendees last Sunday and by agents at the Broker Tour. What a great job...the house looks terrific...love your staging. Photos are also great too. Thanks so much. Heidi Sl., Coldwell Banker
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"Staged to Sell is an A+ Staging Company. In preparing to put our home on the market we went out in our area to research Realtors and Staging professionals. What we saw was a C- except for Staged to Sell! They were an A+ every time! Their furniture is wood, upholstered and glass. They use upscale custom silk florals and beautiful beddings! Nothing but quality. Many of the staged properties we saw had slipped covered furniture and Ikea like furniture. It cheapened the property in our eyes. We were so happy to have Staged to Sell on our team when preparing our home for market. We gave out their cards to everyone we knew and will use them again and again!
- Kathleen and Michael Young, Homeowners, Monterey Avenue,
Richmond, CA
"Staged to Sell are amazing. What a difference. My property was on the market for 60 days prior to staging. When my friends told me about staging and high recommended Kym Hough's Staged to Sell I figured I would give them a try. I am so glad I did! My vacant house looked incredible and it SOLD! I loved the free Virtual Tour and Custom Website. The photos were gorgeous and really increased the exposure of the property. I would recommend Staged to Sell to anyone interesting in selling their property and making it look its best!"
- Rose Micleli, Homeowner, Danville Oaks, CA
Staged to Sell is Fantastic to work with...
- Liz Fitch, Realtor, Walnut Creek, CA,
What I love about Staged to Sell and Kym Hough is that they take all of the worry off my shoulders when preparing our client's property for market! When I call Kym and her team I know that I will never be disappointed and the property will also look amazing. Realtor's have enough to do! I love letting the professionals at Staged To Sell do the work to make it the best property on the market!
- Gaby Diskin, Green Key Realtors, Richmond, CA
Hi Kym
Just wanted to let you know the SUPER job you did for me a staging the house at 654 37th st. It was really an incredible showpiece!! The seller was very happy and especially the fact that she received about $25000 more than we were asking, and this is in a down market. If we did not stage that house it would probably still be sitting on the market like all the others. I was happy too because I was able to double end it from someone who just came to the open house and fell in love with it. The buyer said "it was the most beautiful house she had ever seen"!! Everyone came out a winner!! I will be listing another property in a few weeks and would like you to stage it for me again, believe me it is money well spent. Thank you again and let me know if you need any recommendations for your services they are the best.
- Mike Hughey, ReMax Real Estate
We agreed to use Kym's services for the sale of my Dad's house.
What a dazzling transformation. From just a "nice house" to something
the really looked good. The end result was that we sold the house for
$60k over asking price, which I don't think we would have gotten
without her services.
So when we sold our own house it was a no brainer to hire her again.
She worked her magic a second time which resulted in the house selling
for $15k over asking price, on a much higher priced house, in a tougher market.
Our thoughts on all this? Get your house staged and get Kym to do it.
Otherwise you'll be kicking yourself when your neighbor, who WAS smart
enough to hire her) sells his house for a lot more than yours.
- Greg Mee, Homeowner, Richmond, CA, 2006
I have known Kym for about 3.5 years as a stager and business owner. We belong to a local Chapter of Staging Professionals where she and I have held offices on the Board as well as worked together on various staging projects for charity as well as in my personal real estate business.
I value her opinioin and regard her as a top professional in the staging community. She is highly respected as an "expert" by her peers who often go to her for mentoring and advice. In addition, I feel she is honest and hard working. I believe she personally has staged more homes than any stager in the Bay Area. She is creative, a good time manager and has her vision clear when counseling clients and Realtors on the staging job at hand.
Kym has the ability to bring a fresh insight to what she envisions when viewing a home. She can bring it from ordinary to extra-ordinary with her creative and innovative approach. She is clear on the concept of staging and has the ability to speak with homeowners and Realtors in such a way that encourages them to see it too and spur them to action. All this with their result as her primary focus, the mark of a true professional in my opinion.
Kym consistently helps her clients earn more equity when selling and in a shorter period on the market. I personally have used her in a staging capacity and would only hesitate to recommend her because then she may get to busy for me...Just kidding. The admiration and loyalty of her clients and Realtor clients is proof of her track record and results. You can't go wrong using Kym for your staging.
- Terrylynn Fisher, Broker, Diablo Realty
29+ years in Real Estate in Contra Costa County
ASPM Accredited Staging Professional Master
CRS Certified Residential Specialist
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