Today I finished staging a great property in Mt Pleasant's Grassy Creek community. I've staged two other properties in this community and both sold quickly. It's no wonder given the great ammenities it has to offer with a pavillion, crabbing dock and play parks. The homes themselves are also very beautiful and well priced - this home is no exception.
Be sure to check out the additional photos at the end of the show to see the beautiful pavilion and crabbing dock!
For more information on this listing, contact the listing agent, Lynn Carmody with Carolina One Real Estate 843.224.0053 or lcarmody@carolinaone.com
I love the program, www.realestateshows.com and have had a lot of fun with it, creating both personal and work related shows. This week I was trying to create something to show off some of our changes in our occupied homes. Because I didn't want to just send a bunch of before and after photos to my prospect, I thought a real estate show was in order......
I thought both of these worked out really well and show off different elements of what we provide in occupied homes.... Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words - SHOW your clients that what you can do provides real value and helps to show the best parts of the home....
This post is a tribute to Michele Reneau with Carolina One Real Estate. Tonight through Twitter and Facebook updates I learned that she won for most closed sales in 2008 with Carolina One, the biggest real estate company in the Greater Charleston area. Apparently it was a whopping 48 units. With so many agents frustrated about the lack of sales, lack of leads and lack of closings, what's her secret?
I would like to say that it is the amazing stager on her team..... but really I can't. Sure, the fact that she chooses to use a stager and we've had a lot of success is part of it, but it's certainly not the entire story. Michele works harder than just about any other agent I know. She dedicates to working herself full time in this industry. She networks like crazy, always has a positive attitude and uses all the tools and technology at her disposal. If you are wondering why she won this, I would like to take a moment to share her 2009 RESA Staging Agent of the Year Award nominations piece....
So, are you impressed? I know I am... and have been since I started working with her! Michele, simply speaking, YOU ROCK!
* This morning I changed the number of closed units from 41 to 48... apparently my facebook source advised me incorrectly... even better!
I was doing a little prospecting today when I realized something amazing... so amazing that I needed to immediately convert it into a brochure to showcase the difference that staging makes! We show general statistics all the time, but isn't it amazing when you can show real life numbers and the comperables with other similar properties in the same neighborhood....
The numbers are staggering, aren't they? Why is it so difficult for agents and sellers to understand then? As we continue to show proof with verifiable numbers maybe we can continue to convert them.....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know you just get a warm fuzzy when you get that call or email from one of your agents letting you know that a property you staged went under contract. This one made me feel particularly good, especially after pulling the stats from MLS.
This home was originally listed on 5/19/08 for $1,298,000 in the exclusive Kiawah Island resort area. The views are stunning, but it's 1980s interior left potential buyers feeling as if they would need to do too much work on the inside to make it work for them.
With some wallpaper removing, a lot of paint and a truckload of furniture, art and accessories my team transformed this home to the spectacular residence it should be....
originally these cabinets were oak trimmed laminates. Painting the oak strips helped to keep the kitchen softer and feel more modern. We also removed the wallpaper and painted a softer neutral color.
The family room had been painted pink with pink trimwork (I really wish I could locate the before photos of this home!). Painting the trimwork a bright white, adding a neutral taupe wallcolor, and hanging sheers accentuated the fantastic architectural elements.
More painting was needed. The large room required a king size bed to show off it's size. Adding chocolate brown sheers brings your eye directly to the view out the back.
Because this is a beachhouse, everything was chosen to reflect that lifestyle. This home will probably not be a full time residence, but rather be a vacation home. I kept the soft pinks because we couldn't get rid of them - they were in tiles and carpeting which the homeowner was unwilling to change. Instead, playing them up, making them features rather than negatives, we were pleased with the final product.
Buyers agreed and this home sold in only 91 days - it was also the only home in Kiawah Island to go under contract since July 2008. That's the power of staging done right!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
|
|
First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign is dedicated to helping sellers get top dollar for their properties in the shortest amount of time. We also offer also top notch staging training.
Melissa Marro, a Home Staging and Interior Redesign Specialist from Charleston, SC has always had an obsession with decorating and redesign. "Even as a teenager I had a strange obsession with it. I would take my graph paper, measure all my furniture and my room and start making scale cutouts of everything trying to see which way it would fit best. When that didn't work, I would just move everything until I liked it!"
Marrying young and having three children while her husband was in the Navy she had to learn how to decorate on a budget. Moving 12 times in 14 years, quickly finding the correct placement for things and more importantly using what you already owned became very important to her. "There just wasn't money to spend on new things every time we moved. I wanted the house to look nice, but didn't really have a budget for much more than paint."
Moving also meant buying and selling homes, lots of them! Always on a budget and looking out for the bottom line, the homes the Marro family bought were usually the plain or neglected house that could be bought for below market value but had good bones and potential. The homes were then given great paint jobs, cleaned and staged to sell when the time came. Every home she put on the market sold quickly and at top dollar. She realized she had a knack for the job.
Moving to Charleston in 2004 and working for a real estate company her passion for redesign and staging took off and she decided to make it her life's work. Now owning her own company called First Impressions, Home Staging & Interior ReDesign, she does what she loves. "It's very gratifying at the end of the day. People's lives are changed. Home is more about comfort and security. When there is peace there, people can relax and unwind."
I specialize in Vacant property staging, however I do offer staging services for owner occupied residences as well. I also offer comprehensive certification courses for both agents and those wishing to become full time Interior Redesigners or Home Stagers. Please visit my website for further information.
Classes Offered:
Dewey Color Coordinator Class
Dewey Color Consultant Class
AWARDS -
2009 RESA Professional Stager of the Year Award
2007 RESA Professional Stager of the Year nominee
2007 RESA Staging Innovator of the Year nominee
Positions in the Industry -
SC Stage it forward Roundtable Moderator (2007, 2008)
RESA Regional Vice President Region 8 (Southeast) May 2007 - April 2008
List date 06/18/2006 $819,900 List date 04/11/2006 $234,900
Staged 09/06/2007 Staged 10/24/2007
Under contract 10/23/2007 Under contract 11/08/2007
List date 12/14/2006 $345,000 List date 07/02/2006 $374,733
Staged date 08/08/2007 Staged date 07/25/2007
Closed 09/20/2007 Under contract 09/26/2007
To view a sample of our currently staged properties, click here.
"I just want to take a moment and compliment your staging services. As a Realtor with nearly a decade of experience in the business and hundreds of satisfied past clients who refer business to me, I know something about providing exemplary service. Your service definitely lives up to that standard. Your staging flair, responsiveness, and attention to detail has turned a last minute pre-Tour of New Homes distress call into one of the best service experiences I have had in this business. I look forward to developing a long-term working relationship with you."
Dave Sansom, Agent, Prudential Carolina Real Estate
"Thank you for the staging of our model home in Brickhope Greens. It was a pleasure working with you from the initial appointment until the completion of the staging. The furniture that you picked out works perfectly and has allowed home buyers to visualize how nice their new home can look with the right touch. You can really tell a difference when selling new homes how buyers take note of the potential when comparing complete rooms to an empty one. Thanks again and I'll call you on our next project."
Chisolm Walker, Agent, The Cassina Group
This is a team of true professionals that are focused on customer satisfaction and exceeding your expectations with delivery of services. With little notice and under pressure to stage three listings, they worked 24/7 to meet the deadlines. Staging with First Impressions is a savvy investment tool for realtors and sellers in this market. Presentation in marketing of your product and in showings to potential buyers is EVERYTHING. "You only get one chance to make a good impression, so leave a mark and not a stain" Ann Coggiola, Agent, Prudential Carolina Real Estate
"Melissa was great. She came to our appointment prepared and having already researched the market. She had good suggestions and we were very pleased with the selections she made"
Michelle Scarafile, Broker Associate, Prudential Carolina Real; Estate.
"Melissa goes above and beyond! She can turn what may appear to be impossible clutter and chaos into organized reality and charm. Her rooms welcome you the instant you walk in with a clean, crisp, warm feel. Thank you, Melissa for your services."
Pamela Cox, Realtor, Agent Owned Premiere Group
"Melissa is amazing...she was not only professional and artistic, she was able to help my clients re-design their home for very little money and make it look like a show place! Both times I used her, the homes I had listed sold for the highest prices in their neighborhoods per square foot! I can't say enough about her and how much my clients enjoyed working with her!"
Lisa Roettger O'Keefe, Realtor Prudential Carolina Real Estate
"It was a true pleasure working with Melissa. She is very bright, energetic and creative. She was always a lot of fun and had toms of great ideas. She's a true "winner."
Laverna Smith, Broker Associate, Prudential Carolina Real Estate
"Melissa, I went by the unit yesterday and it looks smashing! You've created a "Pottery Barn" feel for the condominium that will help me sell these units. I honestly feel that your staging will help me sell these condominiums mush quicker and for a higher price. Truly magical work and the best thing is I didn't have to worry about a thing. Thanks Melissa."
Tommy Loeber , Agent, Kit Thrash Properties
"Melissa is truly an artist making my vacant new construction listing into a real show piece! The difference was amazing, even to my builder client who was so impressed with the magical transformation. She totally captured the vision the builder had for each space and made it come alive. Thanks for your hard work!"
Michele Reneau, Agent, Prudential Carolina Real Estate
"Using First Impression Home Staging and Interior Redesign was the best decision I made in regard to selling a newly constructed townhome in Charleston National. They took empty rooms and turned them into a showplace with a "welcome home" appeal. They did a wonderful and timely job. I will definitely use them again when the opportunity arises. I know this will help to sell this property quicker than if the townhome was left empty. Thanks again, First Impressions, for performing your image."
Marlene Beauston, Agent, Weichert Realtors
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
