Occupied to Sell in Houston
Andy Wilson and Teresa Cwick of Showhomes - Houston staged this $595k inner loop townhome staged with a Home Manager this week and emailed photos. I really liked the upscale staging in these photos; this home looks more like a tasteful owner lives here than a staged home and I find it very inviting. The Realtor on this great listing thought the staging looked a bit masculine and wanted it to look more feminie. We'd like to get some feedback from you. What do you think of the staging? What would you change in these rooms?
Take a look:
Thomas Scott
UPDATE:
The local stagers in Houston took another pass at the home and came up with this edited down version:
Same space and much of the same furniture, just less.
It's often hard to pull a photo of a room out of context; you have to understand the local market, the local housing segment the home in is and most importantly, who the target buyer is.
In this case, this home is targeted for empty nesters in an affluent and very traditional part on central Houston. It would be tempting to make this space look very crate and barrel - that look sells to the mass market but it might not appeal to the target buyer of this home. Here at Showhomes, we try very hard to make our homes look 'unstaged' - that is, we don't want them to look like staged homes because we want the home to sell itself and so much of the staging in our industry looks the same.
Do you think they improved it?
As jobs go, this one doesn't require heavy lifting.
Just go live in a house. And don't be a pig.
Here's the deal.
Linda Saavedra is opening the Tampa franchise of Showhomes.
She's looking for "home managers" to move into some of Tampa's houses until they sell, reports the Tampa Tribune.
You must be compulsively neat, have a home's worth of upscale furniture and don't mind moving every few months.
Still interested?
You don't get paid, just the chance to live like you've got gobs of money when you don't.
(Pardon our skepticism, but isn't that what got us in the mess we're in today?)
You'd take care of the lawn, paying utilities and keeping the home in "show-ready" condition at all times.
Some are worth as much as $5 million or as little as $250,000.
You get to pay for the privilege, too. For example, a home manager would pay $1,000 a month to live in a South Tampa home listed for $670,000.
Sorry, no smoking or pets. And your furniture has to pass muster.
You, with the bean bag chairs and ratty futon.
You're not going anywhere.
For more information, visit www.showhomes.com and click on the locations page.
To contact Linda Saavedra: lsaavedra@showhomes.com
Trying to sell a house? Try house staging to help sell it faster
Christina Leavenworth Charissa Cowart
Photojournalist: Kevin Sullivan
Thursday, 20 Nov 2008, 9:13 PM CST
- There's so many homes on the market and many of them simply aren't selling. What if there's a way your home could sell in half the time it takes others and you could get more money for it? Statistics show there's a way you can do that. It's called house staging.
FOX10 News spoke with people who's homes were listed but never sold. "With so many homes on the market, what more can sellers do?" Sherri Nichols specializes in what's called house staging. Nichols told FOX10 News, "The homeowners need to realize staging is a vital part of selling in your home in a market like this."
House staging means you stage your home with furniture and other accessories. Nichols says homes that are staged sell faster and usually for more money. One home was on the market for 500 days without being sold. After being staged, Realtor Judy Ryan said, "It sold in a month and a half. We put forth a lot of effort trying to sell it vacant and empty, but once we had it staged it made a world of difference."
The thing is, you can do this yourself. The number one thing home stagers do is organize. "Declutter, declutter, declutter," added Nichols.
Another tip is to bring in some greenery. Paint the walls a warm color. Also arrange the furniture so it's open and makes the best use of the room. If you don't have furniture, simply place a few pictures on the wall, and throw a few plants in there, and it automatically adds life to the home.
Nichols says the seller might spend a little time, but gain a whole lot. "If they have blank walls, choose a warm color, arrangement of furniture, de-clutter is huge, you want it to be minimal but warm at the same time," she said.
It's a lot of work but realtors say it's worth it in the end. "It gives it a wow factor, warmth and life back into home," said Nichols. The goal is the next person who walks in will never want to leave.
Showhomes, America's largest home staging company, was featured by Chicago public TV as it presented at the Midwest Franchise Expo last weekend in Chicago. Showhomes has been receiving a lot of publicity for being a reccesion resistant business. In a time when real estate is slumping and many home stagers are having a difficult time producing a profit, Showhomes and its franchise owners are posting record gains by helping homeowners and their Realtors sell vacant homes faster and for a higher price through staging with live-in Home Manaagers.
Thomas Scott, Showhome's VP of Operations during a TV interview
The Midwest franchise expo was a success. We were happy to meet and talk with lots of people interested in home staging, interested in starting a business or already in the industry looking to grow their staging talent into a sustainable staging business.
Showhomes Minneapolis franchise owner Cindy Montgomery at the Showhomes booth
Matt Kelton, Cindy Montgomery and Thomas Scott from Showhomes
If you would like to learn more about Showhomes, or are interested in starting a Home Staging business, sign up for our weekly webinar on what we do. Email Matt Kelton at mkelton@showhomes.com or call at 863-398-4010.
Just Staged in Nashville
Courtney Edwards emailed photos of another high end condo they staged with a live in Home Manager in Nashville on historic Music Row. This $500k condo has been on the market for a long time and now looks great.
Nashville, like a lot of cities, has had rampant condo development downtown. During the boom, these were selling to buyers and investors at a rapid clip. Today they are stagnant and not moving well. Adding a Home Manager and staging each room gives life to the unit and life to the complex. Buyers need to see that other people LIVE in the complex, not just the furniture and a Home Manager makes a huge difference.
Here are her photos:
What do you think?
Thomas Scott
Showhomes is America's Largest Home Staging Company and the only nationally franchised brand in Home Staging and staging with Home Managers. As seen on HGTV, Oprah and the Wall St Journal
Showhomes: America’s Largest Home Staging Business - No Industry Experience is Necessary
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There’s a reason the Travel Channel calls Showhomes ‘The Best Kept Secret in Real Estate.” Showhomes is a niche business – unless you are a Realtor who lists high end vacant homes, are a homeowner struggling to sell a high end vacant home in a market with a Showhomes office or you’ve looked for luxury single family home rentals, you’ve likely never encountered us. Since 1986, Showhomes has helped over 25,000 homeowners sell vacant homes valued at well over $8 Billion.
Amazing Press….
Showhomes has been so successful in its 23 year history that it has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, The Travel Channel, HGTV, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Houston Chronicle, Budget Living Magazine, ABC, FOX, CBS, CNN and many, many other publications. These media outlets have figured out why we are worth talking about!
A winning business…
Showhomes franchisees in business for the past four years increased their revenues to over 250% of 2004 levels. Showhomes franchisees in continuous operations over the last 3 years have average revenues of over $220,000 per year! Showhomes is a real, scalable and potentially profitable franchise offering. Best of all, we grow by helping the most important people, our customers! By providing real value to them, we thrive. Don’t take our word for it, though – our franchise owners are our best sales people.
Staging: A fractured Industry
Ever watch HGTV? If you have, you know that home staging has become the norm for selling homes and required to sell a vacant home. HGTV is filled with shows about home staging and ask any Realtor and they know the value of staging. Showhomes is the only nationally franchised Home Staging business and in addition to being the first, we are by far the largest. Our franchisees easily compete against unorganized mom and pop staging companies because they have the backing and resources of a true national company behind them.
Have fun, provide a valuable service—and own your own business!
Showhomes does well in any real estate market condition and now that the housing market is slowing, there is more demand for staging services than ever before. <!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_i1027" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:169.5pt;height:109.5pt'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\THOMSC~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image004.jpg" o:title="for02zz"/> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->
If you love real estate, like sales, want to be your own boss and want to own a business that can help you meet your goals, fill out the contact form below. No design or real estate experience is necessary!
"Showhomes Home Managers bring life to a home that otherwise isn’t there. And it’s much easier to get buyers into a Showhome for showings, because the homes are always in great shape and ready to show, inside and out- whenever we call."
"When a house is vacant, buyers make lowball offers, hoping to take advantage of an owner they think is desperate to sell. Furnished, decorated homes strike an emotional chord, and buyers make premium offers. "
"The feedback I got on this house from other Realtors—before and after Showhomes—was like night and day. After Showhomes transformed the home, no one could believe it had been on the market for three years. It sold quickly for 96% of list price, in a cash deal."
"Showhomes doesn't just bring furniture—they bring an environment….When a property is staged by Showhomes, buyers spend three times as long looking at it—and imagining it as their own home."
"Our showings have doubled since Showhomes took over our vacant listings."
"Within a week after the home manager moved in, we had three offers on an $835,000 home that had previously been shown more than 250 times."
"We had a listing that sat and sat. Once we got a home manager in there, it sold in three weeks-at a premium price."
"I've seen Showhomes magically turn cold, empty rooms into a warm, inviting home-in a single weekend!"
"Vacant homes convey a sterile feeling that gives potential buyers the impression the house needs work."
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