As my stager, Melissa Marro always says, "Selling your house and living in your house are two separate things." Unfortunately not all buyers can visualize how a floorplan will work for them. When there is an awkward arrangement, buyers may automatically rule a house out. Take this example of a 2 year old home in Goose Creek, SC. There are a couple of issues. This room is a rectangle and the couch and loveseat were positioned at an angle to view the television. This blocked the natural walkway in this room. Second, it's hard to ingore the floral furniture, clutter of toys and books, etc. Third, this room is about as 'vanilla' as it gets with white walls.
This room needed some help. The owner was particularly opposed to the staging process but eventually came to love the new arrangement. First Impressions was professional about dealing with a discontent owner and handled it well. The owner did not want to paint but she used soft window treatments to warm the room. This new furniture arrangement allowed a clear pathway from the door to the dining area. The slipcovers were an inexpensive fix to neutralize the floral print. Decluttering this room made this space much more pleasing to the buyer's critical eye. It's hard for a buyer to look beyond an owner's stuff. It can be distracting and make a room feel smaller. This simple change instantly made this space more useful to a broader group of buyers. In fact, it sold 44 days after the transformation! Furniture rearrangement and decluttering is one of the least expensive things you can do to improve your home's appeal. See the difference! Are you ready to do what it takes to get your home sold?
Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.
Contact Michele Reneau, Real Estate Agent, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase real estate in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. Featured on HGTV's House Hunters. Publisher/Author for Charleston Real Estate Update including featured listings and sold properties, and monthly statistics on Charleston Real Estate Market. RESA 2009 Staging Realtor of the Year Nominee. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area houses for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area. I will help you get your home sold and/or help you buy your Charleston home or land.
A well written article in The Economist was published on Dec 30, 2008 about Charleston's maturity since 
the closure of the Navy Base in the mid 90s. Click here to view the article. It's true that the closure of this base was eminent doom for the military based economy of little ol' Charleston.
In my humble opinion, three key Charleston's visionary leaders, North Charleston Mayor, Keith Summey, Charleston Mayor, Joe Riley and Mt Pleasant Mayor, Harry Hallman, worked hard to diversify the local economy making a quite recovery. The article states, "Job growth for the Charleston region was 16.5% between 2000 and 2007; nationally, it was less than half that. Charleston's growth in GDP, wages and bank deposits all outpace national averages. Household income has increased by 30% since 2000. In July Inc, a magazine for entrepreneurs, described it as among the best cities for doing business." Charleston's Digital Corridor has intentioinly worked to increased tech jobs and many of the security companies have attracted highly skilled workers.
The charm, beauty and low cost of living added to the diverse economy has contributed to a 10% increase in Charleston population just over 600,000. The Economist article pointed out that is forecasted to increase another 20,000 by 2010. National Geographic recently ranked Charleston as being among the 50 best places to live.
The Economist continued that "for the most part Charleston is weathering the economic downturn well." While the military is still the largest employer 12 years later after the base closure, I wouldn't described the town any more as a military town. At least not compared to town I remember in the 90s. Charleston, SC has 3 bases: Charleston Air Force Base, Naval Nuclear Power Command and Charleston Coast Guard base. Charleston has so much to offer, not to mention a low cost of living compared to other similiar cities. We have rich history, gorgeous architechture, plenty of recreation between the beaches and golf and many events and festivals to celebrate our local culture. Come and visit and you'll want to make Charleston your home.
Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.
Contact Michele Reneau, Real Estate Agent, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase real estate in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area Homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area. I will help you get your home sold and/or help you buy your Charleston home or land.
I'm amazed when someone asks me, "What is staging?" I know that I should not expect everyone to know, but even more surprising is the number of agents that don't understand it's importance. After going through some old before and after pictures, I'll post a few since the pictures speak for themselves.
This was an adorable home. It was actually on the market for 7 months with another company before I took over the listing with few showings. When I took over the listing, we got higher showing activity due to additional marketing, however no offers. This home was competing with a lot of homes, including new construction.
My staging partner, First Impressions, came to the rescue and rearranged this living room. Once the MLS photos were updated, even more showing activity resulted and more importantly an offer! This home sold in 44 days after this mini makeover. See the difference. The after photo makes this living room a warmer space and the coffee table and rug anchor this room. Removing the piano and adding these chairs helped this room come together.
Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.
Contact Michele Reneau, Real Estate Agent, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase real estate in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area Homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area. I will help you get your home sold and/or help you buy your Charleston home or land.
P.S. I'll provide you with "Questions you should ask ANY agent before hiring" You can also view my newsletter by clicking here with the latest market stats updated on the 5th of each month.
The Real Estate Staging AssociationTM (RESA) announces the 2009 Real Estate Staging Industry Award Nominees.
The Nominees for RESA Staging Realtor® of the Year are: Matt Poole with Charleston Pier Partners in Charleston SC, Michele Reneau with Carolina One Real Estate in Mt. Pleasant, SC, Susan Peters with RE/MAX Mutual Realty in Seattle, WA, and Tim Thompson with MKB, Realtors in Roanoke, VA.
"RESA congratulates and recognizes each person for their contributions to our industry. Our Industry Awards are a wonderful way to give back to the Staging Industry as a whole and to recognize some amazing people" said, Shell Brodnax, President/CEO of RESA.
The Nominees will be reviewed by a panel of Industry Professionals and the winners will be announced at the end of January, 2009.
For more information regarding Real Estate Staging, please visit www.RESA-HQ.org or call 888-201-8687.
For more information on Michele Reneau, please visit the Charleston SC Relocation Expert website at www.CharlestonRelocationExperts.com
If you are falling behind on your mortgage or facing the possibility of foreclosure, there is help! Four clinics are being offered so you can meet with a HUD counselor who will help you discuss options to foreclosure. Please click on the link to view a flyer about the documentation you should bring with you.
The ONE DAY ONLY clinic will be held on January 10, 2009 at the following times:
9am, 11am, 1 pm and 3pm
Where: First Federal Corporate Center
2440 Mall Drive in North Charleston
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Charleston SC Top Relocation Team of Realtors serving military familes at Charleston AFB, Naval Weapons Station (NNPTC) & Coast Guard. Call or email to get started on your American Dream!
Michele is a CSP Elite instructor who focuses on helping sellers and realtors understand the importance of home staging in today's market. Michele teaches "Protecting Your Clients Equity through Home Staging." Realtors can earn their CSP Elite designation and learn how to sell listings faster and for more money through the use of this marketing tool. Call or email to schedule your office's class to increase the bottom line for both you and the seller.
Experience counts! In this tough market, you'll want to work with an agent that has experience. In the last 4 years, Michele Reneau and the CRE Team has helped over over 190 families achieve their American Dream. You want this kind of experience working for YOU!!! The CRE team does not view themselves as a salespersons, but as Real Estate Advisors. "Our job as a seller's agent is to help find a marketing solution to get your home sold by bringing you the most buyers. As a buyer's agent, our job is find a home that suit your needs." Even though it is a buyer's market, this may not always be easy to do. Michele Reneau is a Certified Residential Specialist. She ranks in the TOP 4% of the nation's top real estate agents and in the top 1% of her local market based on her experience. Her extensive knowledge of the field is your advantage. All CRE team members are Accredited Buyer's Representatives. We work with buyers to identify needs and can help you avoid the pitfalls of buying and even with new construction. Our knowledge and experience is coupled with a savvy investor's nose. Michele and Laura are have been part of military families and proudly supports the local service men and women and their families. Visit www.CharlestonRelocationExperts.com to start searching for your home.
The CRE team specialize in residential real estate in the Greater Charleston area, military relocations, and corporate relocations. This includes Charleston County, Dorchester County, and Berkeley County. We work with buyers and sellers to help them achieve their homeownership goals. The CRE Team specializes in working with military buyers and sellers transferring in and out of the Charleston Air Force Base, Charleston Naval Weapons Station and Coast Guard base.
"We love to work with first time home buyers, move up buyers, retirement homes and investors." Michele Reneau bought her first home at the age of 24. She remembers the highs and lows of being a first time homebuyer and loves making this dream come true for others. In less than 10 years, since her first home, Michele now owns 5 investment properties including single family homes and a multi family dwelling. She has a knack for seeing value in older homes or homes that need a little TLC. Since Michele has lived in the area for over 25 years, she knows the area very well. Buyers unfamiliar with the area simply share what is most imporant (interstate access, shopping, things to do) and she can put you in the right direction.
The Charleston Relocation Experts TEAM not only specializes in helping buyers, but Michele also has a unique marketing plan that helps sellers. Michele's average list to sale ratio is 98.7% with an average days on market of 70 days. Sellers that take the CRE Team's suggestions to prepare their property and price it right have enormous success even in the changing market. Call Michele to get started on your real estate dream.
CRE Team's Accomplishments
Designations
Other info
Michele,
I want to personally thank you for your stellar professionalism and never ending work ethic. From the first moment that we sat down at our dining room table to discuss the sale of our home, Bill and I knew that we were in the BEST hands with you. If our home was to sell in this tough market, we were confident that you would be the one that could make that happen. We were very eager to get the house sold and move on to our next chapter. We had an agent prior to hiring you and the differences are astounding to say the least. Unlike our first agent, you did everything imaginable to prepare for our meeting and the sale, you were armed with amazing facts, figures and statistics. We had everything possible that we would need to make educated decisions and come up with strategic plans that would make our home stand out to all the potential buyers and realtors. You were always there with updates, advice, feedback, ideas and the list could go on and on. We slept very well at night knowing that everything that could be done was being done. We truly think of you as a "God-send". We will be forever grateful. Our future is so BRIGHT and you have played a HUGE role in that. I wished everyone would be as blessed as us in finding you.
Best to you always,
Shara and Bill Pisowicz
Indigo on the Ashley
July 2008
Michele was the best real estate agent ever! I would recommend her to anyone I know. Thank you Michele for all of your hard work and dedication. It's very obvious that you love your work!!
Laura, US Coast Guard, Goose Creek, SC
Michele did a terrific job! She sold our property in what I'm sure is record time for that rural area and she did it all via phone/fax. I will strongly recommend her to any of my friends and family in the Charleston area.
Art, Ohio
Thank you Michelle for the work you did so very well to sell my parent's home in Summerville, SC. We couldn't have found anyone better for this job!!
You handled everything so excellently and did such a great job taking care of things locally with my parents while working with me out of state.
We are so happy that the home was sold in such a relatively short time for this market and at a price and terms that was a win-win for everyone.
You stayed on top of everything for us and gave THE BEST customer service. Your knowledge, experience, organization and flare for getting everything
to come together made this effortless and painless for us....just what we needed!! Thanks!
Ellen T
Apex, NC
June 2008
Michele was God sent. We had been looking for a house for so long and had dealth with so many agencies and no one would help us and within a month's time, Michele had found my family a home and we love it!
Chris & Monica, Hanahan, SC
We would like to say Thank You for all of your help with our homebuying process. You made things simple and not as stressful as we believe it could have been. You were a great help! Once again, Thank you very much.
Kim and Richard, Ladson, SC
"Michele Reneau made my first home buying experience much smoother than I expected. I couldn't believe how helpful she was."
Jimmy, US Navy, Charleston
Michele Reneau was outstanding! When I came to Charleston, I interviewed several agents and I instantly knew that Michele was knowledgeable, professional, and detailed. This was important because I knew I was going to be out of state in military training for 8 weeks. From the time we found the perfect house, Michele took care of all the issues that came up while I was out of the state in training, including handling the home inspection and repairs that were necessary. She made it easy and stress free. She really works for you and I will definitely use her again.
Justin, US Coast Guard, Goose Creek
"Michele Reneau is excellent! She did a great job of keeping us informed, and providing leads for additional properties. She's top-notch and I'll continue to seek her advice and representation on real estate transactions."
Charles, Real Estate Investor, Charlotte, NC
"We couldn't have asked for a better agent than Michele Reneau. She was great! She kept us updated with email messages and phone calls and was patient in helping us find the perfect home. Closing was a breeze!"
Nancy and Tom, Goose Creek
We have to admit that we didn't have a great experience with our first real estate agent. This was going to be our first home and we really needed someone to be patient with us and explain all the details. Michele Reneau was wonderful. From the beginning, she explained everything in detail and we always knew what to expect. She really cared about what we wanted and needed and gave great, trustworthy service. We couldn't have done it without her and are so grateful to have met her.
Nathan & Liz , North Charleston, SC
We were given Michele Reneau's name by a friend that raved about her. We knew we were interested in buying a new construction home. We thought, what's the big deal and why do we need an agent to buy a brand new home. Well, this was out first home purchase and our friend recommended we have a buyer's agent. We visited several new home neighborhoods and when we finally settled on one, we had no idea what we were in for. We had decided on buying new construction not knowing all of the unnecessary hassles that can come with it. Michele informed us every step on the way on what to expect. She explained the importance of an inspection even on new homes. She was right! While the builder corrected the items, we might now have found out about them until it was too late. We are so thankful we had her on OUR team!
Kevin and Grace, Summerville, SC
When my wife and I put our house up for sale, never would we have imagined it to be stress free. Michele Reneau and her staff were the best we ever dealt with (this being our 3rd move.) She was more professional and personable than any other realtor we ever met. Anything we needed she provided. Moving can be a lot of stress, and in our case, two children under the age of 3 and a puppy isn't expected to be the pleasant experience that it was. When you can rely on a person as much as we relied on her it makes selling (and I assume buying) a pleasure. My wife and I moved to Charlotte and if we could have used her to purchase our home there we would have. If you need a realtor, and you want the best, someone you don't have to second guess, call Michele Reneau.
Barry & Clarisse, Goose Creek, SC
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