Mona Lisa Harrison

If my phone calls are any measure, I think Greenville agents are finally getting wise to the great investment that home staging is. I guess all those folks who thought they could just put up a sign, price it ok, make up the bed and take a few photos and SELL their house last spring are realizing that maybe that's not enough.

It's really a shame that more agents don't INSIST on a home being properly positioned with staging (improving condition and adding emotional appeal) and great photos. I've decided to make it even easier for agents. TWEAK now offers photography service by a professional photographer who I work as a stylist.

As a real estate agent, you are a marketer. Your products are houses. Your listings need to be the most appealing ones on the shelf. "The Shelf" is REALTOR.com and other sites.

I applaud those agents who "GET IT" and are doing whatever it takes to properly position their listings. They are being rewarded with faster commissions and happier clients.

Yes you can. I just destaged a 1200 SF house and put everything in my Camry Solara and actually had some room left over. It just shows that effective staging doesn't require a lot of STUFF, just well placed appropriate stuff. This was a flip house that I also advised on the design issues.The house had been on the market 125 days before improvements. They increased the price to cover most of the work and it sold about 30 days after staging.

Intersting challenges:

Floors - Hardwood in terrible condition. Fix - We painted instead of refinishing (less time, lots less money and less mess) GReat new floor paint products out there now.

No laundry area(washer plumbing was in the doorway between the kitchen and dining!) Fix - we moved the plumbing and electrical to kitchen wall and made a countertop and installed it with hinge. The washer and dryer can fit underneath and you pick up all that extra countertop. See second picture.

Very small baths Fix - replace the wall hung sink with a Euro style vanity and sink. Provides needed storage and hides the plumbing.

The only Furniture was a small bistro for the dining area. It's important that buyers have a place to sit and invest a bit of time comfortably in the house. They may want to fill out a contract right there!

So, without a lot of STUFF, this homeseller got expert guidance on his improvements, oversight of his contractor (seller was out of town so this was very important), a house with emotional appeal and all at a very affordable price. And he got it SOLD!

This flip house is a good example of how a small investment in staging can really transform a house. With 2 visits, some cleaning, light staging and new pictures really helps this house stand out to buyers without great expense to the owner. Better than a price reduction.

The budget didn't allow to change the living room fan. The fan worked and was ok, just brass and a bit worn. I painted the brass white, turned the blades from the dark side to the white and we basically had a "new" fan. Great improvement for the room - minimal cost.

This house off Laurens road in Greenville was in terrible shape, but had wonderful traits. I consulted with owner/investor and contractor to bring this unique house back on the market.

It's the coolest house. Has a creek UNDER it, INSIDE atrium with planting beds and spiral staircase to loft, rock accents and very open floor plan with tons of natural light. We made changes to add even more light. To see more pics, it's MLS # 1181009 in Greenville SC.

As an active home stager and marketing consultant, I am often asked when is the best time to stage or prep a home for sale. I am also asked "Do I really need to go to that much trouble?" I do find that many more homesellers are understanding the importance of careful staging. And the best time to do it is way before you list. Normal scenario is "Homeowner decides to sell. Gets agent. Agent recommends they change a few things or get a staging consultation. Agent is anxious to list. Seller is anxious to sell. Time to prep house is shortened and everyone feels time constraints."

This scenario creates stress for everyone and ususally makes things more expensive and perhaps not done as carefully as they should be.

I would recommend a professioanl staging consultation as soon as you even think you may be going to market. Or if you are thinking of making some changes to your home and you want to know how they will impact selling down the road, a good stager can give you an idea of Return on Investment for different projects as well as design ideas and strategies.

Studies repeatedly show that staging helps homes sell faster and for more money. And in today's market that is critical. My company, TWEAK, offers customized staging consultations based on your goals, budget, skills, and timeline. The best part of my job is helping a homeowner make changes to her home that results in a quick sale so she can move on with her life.

Here's a great example. Mr. F needed to sell his home to relocate for his wife's job. They listed with an agent and didn't change a thing. Six months went by with no offers during the prime selling season. They decided to use a different agent. Fortunately, this agent understood the importance of presentation. He called me in immediately, lined up help with some of the bigger projects and even helped himself. The owner left town to be with his wife and said "Do what you need to do to sell". After 4 days, new pictures went up on the MLS. The former agent showed it to clients who had viewed it before. They loved the new and improved version and bought it. It was under contract about 2 weeks after listing. When you consider the cost of owning that home for six months, it becomes amazingly clear what a bargain home staging can be.

Mr.F, agent, buyer and stager were all very happy.

If you are even thinking of selling your property in the near future, I would stongly advise a professional staging consultation. Real Estage agents can be very helpful in suggesting changes, however, not all of them can. And they seldom provide a detailed written and illustrated report that includes estimates and a priority list. I can.