About Roanoke's Raleigh Court

As of late, I've been running into altercations with real estate agents who have a conflict with having a home staging sign posted in the yard along with their for sale sign. What is interesting is that they all have varied reasons why they don't want the sign out front....and in all honesty, their reasons just don't make sense. The latest reason was this: "I want people to focus on the home itself, not give a false impression that the home always looks like this." What??

Home Staging is designed to help the buyer see the entire home at its best. I spend time with my clients helping them understand that touching up paint here, cleaning areas there, and removing signs of build up, spider webs, pets and odors are simple things they can do that are extremely advantageous for them. THEN I address "packaging" the home to look fantastic. They understand the reasons and are so in awe when it is all complete. So why is it an REA compliments how beautiful the transformation is, raises the price to reflect such an awesome transformation, then questions why I want to post flyers/cards in the house and a sign in the yard? I don't believe somone who walks into a home questions if it always looked like it does during an open house.

I would really appreciate hearing from other home stagers to see how common this is for them, their feelings, and how they solved the conflicts. I do have signage covered very specifically in my contract and I'm sticking to my guns, but I do wish I didn't have to continuously explain that home staging can help them sell the home faster, not hinder the sale. At the same time, I'd like to hear from real estate agents as to their reasonings behind their reluctance to have buyers know a home has been staged. Even if someone wants to view the home just because it's been staged, it is advantageous....they will spread the word to others and the result could be a great sale.

Thank you in advance for expressing your thoughts on such a diverse and convoluted subject.

Cathy

www.Final-TouchDesigns.com

Hello there! This has been a pretty good week for Roanoke Real Estate! We have seen a lot of activity over the last week or so. Housing prices are remainging stable throughout the region. Many Roanoke residents are using the $8000 tax credit to their advantage.

Housing prices in Raleigh Court seems to be up a little this year while South West County and North County have settled just a little. The Williamson Road area, NW and SE have seen a slight adjustment to the market. This is a great time for 1st time buyers to go ahead and make the plunge into the market. The Tax Credit runs out November 30th and I would expect a slight buyer frenzy in late September and October so I would not put things off too long.

If you or anyone you know is looking to buy and does not have money for a down payment, there are two different loan programs out there that would benefit them. There is a USDA loan program and a VHDA loan program that will enable a qualified buyer to buy with no money down. Even if you don't think you can qualify you should get the facts before you count yourself out. It will not cost you anything to find out and you might be surprised at what you can do!