Did you know that eggplants can be a powerful marketing tool ? About a year ago, I stopped by a supermarket to pick up some items for dinner. While I was standing in the register line, I felt a poke on my back. When I turned around, I saw this elderly lady with completely white hair, red lipstick, and a peacock blue coat; tapping me with her cane. She almost looked like Queen Elizabeth II.
She asked, "excuse me, what are you planning to cook with those eggplants?" I described the ingredients. She got excited and wanted the complete recipe. The dish was a Persian one and a bit complicated to make; and, I knew that it would’ve taken more explaining than what I had time for. She looked so charming and I was also pleased about her interest. So I took out one of my business cards and asked her to call me so I could explain the recipe in detail over the phone. She thanked me and said, "then expect a call from Charlotte.” I smiled and waved good-bye.
A few days later she called. I'm still not sure how it all happened, but the next day, I was in her kitchen peeling the eggplants. She invited a few of her bridge buddies over for dinner too. Her curiosity was impressive. She took notes, participated, and asked many questions. That night, I was among four 75+ year old ladies, having dinner and a great conversation. All of the ladies were so intrigued with my home staging business and this dominated the dinner conversation. Some of ladies were already familiar with home staging concept because of HGTV. It was a wonderful and fun evening. It seemed as though I’d known these ladies forever.
Several months later, I got another call from Charlotte. She was in the process of moving into senior housing and wanted me to redesign her home and get it ready for the market. Again, I was impressed with her being so proactive. Her agent worked with his own stager, but Charlotte had a connection with me and wanted for me to do the job. I was honored and touched. Her cozy staged cottage was sold quickly, which made us both very happy.
Remember Charlotte's bridge buddies? Well they were all in the same boat as her, so one by one, they called me to stage their homes too. I've lost the count of how many homes I staged and redesigned through my connection with Charlotte. The key word here is connection.
No matter how much we do online to increase the traffic to our website and get that SEO going to create more leads, the most important element to our business remains offline. We should connect and interact with people in our communities and have a presence. This way, others will have the chance to get to know us as people first, then as a home stager, realtor, or a lender. This approach has made all the difference in my own business. Do you have similar experiences that you would like to share?
Here is the link to the various Persian recipes if you love eggplants too. www.persianrecipes.net
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After living in Seattle for ten years, the views of Mt Rainier and Puget Sound still take my breath away. They're simply majestic.
Last Saturday, I staged a 1925 home in Queen Anne, one of the most beautiful and prestigious neighborhoods in Seattle. One is lucky by just living in Queen Anne. Even luckier, if his/her home has the views of the Sound and Mt. Rainier. However, the luckiest person lives in a home that has the views of the Space Needle and downtown skyline in addition.
The big windows of this Queen Anne home showcased these views from every room and the garden. It reminded me over and over, what a beautiful city Seattle really is. I could see that the look of the Bay and Puget Sound would change as the day passed by. I didn't want the sun to set, but I'm glad that it did. Otherwise, I would've missed the beautiful sunset from the master bedroom. Just when I thought that it wouldn’t get better than this, I realized the best was kept for last. The evening view of Seattle skyline with the Space Needle right in the middle of it was just electrifying. Imaging starting and ending every day like this.
For one day, my crew and I were among the luckiest ones and maybe this is why, it took much longer to stage this home. None of us wanted to leave!
http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=2099289
I transform homes for the market. I want my staged homes look vibrant & cozy, by giving them a soul of their own. I love to make my clients to shine, this is how I measure my success!
LET THE FIRST IMPRESSION SELL YOUR HOME!
For this reason, I like to team up and work with the realtors and home sellers, from the beginning steps to the end, to get that SOLD sign up for every listing, by giving the needed cutting edge staging.
As an, Accredited Staging Professional, ASP and IAHSP, I approach the process of staging differently with the objective of creating a pleasant emotional experience for the buyers.
First, I have a list of independent contractors, whom I have worked with for a long time. All of my clients have come to appreciate the quality of their work and their reasonable prices.
With every staging project, if any task was identified during the initial assessment, I work with my contractors or yours, to assist you, to make sure all the tasks, like painting, repairs, and cleaning are being done properly and in a timely manner, so you don't have to. This is part of my teamwork contribution for all of my staging projects, big and small.
Secondly, having owned an interior design business in London, I bring in a different perspective to my staging techniques. I want my staged home to look vibrant, cozy, and alive and not “too stagey” and sterile. I give all of my staged homes, a soul of their own and this approach creates a buying environment.
Moving and selling are tough on individuals and families. I know from my own personnel experiences, having moved over a dozens of times and most of them transatlantic, how emotional and haunting these experiences can be. This has given me an insight, of how to work with homeowners to reduce their stress, while I am gently guiding them through the process. I want my clients, the realtors to shine, and this is how I do it and this is how I measure my success!
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STAGING SERVICES:
Seattle Staged To Sell offers four different levels of services to accommodate everyone with their different staging needs and budget.
1. CONSULT/REPORT:
SSTS reviews the seller's entire home including the front and back gardens to assess and to instruct what needs to be done before the actual staging. A detailed written report will provided upon request for all those DIY people, who want to save money by doing the work themselves.
2. REDESIGN:
For this service, SSTS works and transforms the property by working only with the homeowners existing furniture, vignettes, and wall art. This service addresses the needs of each room as well as both, front and back gardens. At the end of this service, each room has been redesigned, edited, and de-cluttered.
3. ENHANCE:
This is the same service as redesign with the addition of providing vignettes and/or furniture to complete and bring about the final desired cohesive look.
4. VACANT HOMES:
SSTS provides complete furnishing and vignettes for all the vacant homes.
"The house is STUNNING. Andy and I were on the phone together when the slideshow email came through and all we could say was "ohmygawd" ... about 100 times. Thank you so much for bringing creativity, warmth and unique touches to our home. I actually get quite emotional looking at the photos.Staging the house, with such care and flair, was clearly the right thing to do and we're so much more confident about coming back on the market now.You do beautiful work and we're so grateful we found Ron and Ricklie and their team of superstars. THANK YOU so much for your vision, effort and special touches!" - Cara
"Shirin rearranged, simplified and accessorized our home until it was transformed. She was able to create a cohesive whole out of a jumble of styles and clutter. Our master bedroom and loft became an elegant retreat with a penthouse-like sitting room emphasizing the property’s best feature—a salmon spawning creek and woods. No one who saw it wanted to leave. We are convinced that her artistic vision sold our home in this difficult market. We can’t thank her enough or recommend her more highly." - Ellen and David
"We are confident that Shirin's staging was a big part of why we were able to sell our home, even in these turbulent economic times. The pieces were tasteful, classy, and perfectly fit our home. She is extremely pleasant to work with and super reponsive to our needs and wishes. We would highly recommend her to anyone thinking about selling their home, especially now in a buyer's market! " - Stephanie
I have worked with Shirin on several occasions when I have had listings that needed to be staged. She is a delight to work with, and she provides outstanding value for the price she charges. She has great taste in her furnishings,and always makes the homes much more emotionally appealing. She will either stage a completely vacant home, or work with the sellers furnishings to make them work to their best advantage." - Michael, Realtor
"I’ve been working with Shirin for the last three years and can’t imagine taking a listing without her help and guidance. She has the unique talent of looking at a home through a buyer’s eyes then stages it to show all its possibilities. Whether the home is vacant or has the seller living in it, Shirin works her magic. She has a budget for everyone’s needs and is flexible with her proposals. I don’t know of a stager more generous or more gifted."
- Ron, Realtor
"I have known Shirin for many years. She has amazing talents and is a wonderful person. She has an outstanding family and is able to work a family first tradition along with her dedication to her work and you would never know that she has so much on her plate at all times. She has an eye for detail as well as color, design and furniture placement. I highly reccommend her for all your staging needs. A home staged by Shirin will sell!! I was her first Realtor connection and continue to praise her work." - Cecil , Realtor
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