Don't Apologize for Offering Staging! I have been so fortunate to hear from Realtors all around the country that they whole heartedly believe in the value of Staging.  The sticking point is how to bring up that conversation.  I have offered a few blogs about how to do just that, but at  a certain point, we have to truly acknowledge that we are offering Staging because we want to help our clients.  If we operate from that standpoint, we may have more success.  If you struggle, here are some ways that you can think about it to reframe it for yourself when a client has these objections: Cost:  Staging will actually save your client money.  The Real Estate Staging Association has a Staging Calculator  app that allows you to plug in mortgage, carrying costs + Staging fee for that property.  ... 09/14/2011

 Sellers:  7 Mistakes That Can Keep You From Selling Your House   Not many showings?  Little interest in your property?  Control what you can control + make sure that you aren't doing any of these: Forgetting that your property is now a product:  As soon as you decide to sell, your house is now a product.  Divorce yourself from what you know + feel about your house and get in the mindset of buyers.  They want to buy an immaculate, spacious, updated + well maintained home.  If you can't say this about your house, roll up your sleeves + get working.  If not, buyers will not even come and look at your house because.... You haven't prepared your property for real estate photos:  94% of home buyers aged 25-44 start their home search online.  You can't afford to turn them off when they see yo... 09/14/2011

  So Who Should Pay the Stager? Based on all of the great feedback (thank you!) to my last blog post, Realtors Set Yourself Apart: Don't Offer Staging, Offer These 3 Things, it is clear that we are definitely still in new territory when it comes to real estate staging.  The average seller doesn't truly understand the benefit the way that Realtors + Stagers do.  They like their house the way it is.  They are blind to the property's shortcomings.  They think they can do it themselves (many can, but not all).  We are obviously still in education mode + need to think out of the box a bit.  This also means that you have a huge opportunity!  You have the chance to be extraordinary and do something different for your clients.  Provide a higher level of service.  Make their lives easier.  Give ... 08/19/2011

A New Approach For Recommending Home Staging I have recently had many conversations with Realtors who tell me that they have a difficult time bringing up the topic of Home Staging with their clients.  When they do, they find that clients can be resistant because it seems insulting to suggest that their property might need design help.  It sounds like there may be a disconnect between the perception of what a Home Stager offers + what we actually do.  It seems that we need to re-examine our approach... When introducing the concept of Home Staging, clients are most likely thinking of the HGTV shows in which a critical Realtor or Designer walks through the home making fun of critiquing it.  Would you want to think that someone is doing that at your property?  I'm guessing not!  Not only th... 07/14/2011

8 Things that Make Fort Washington, PA Great   A transplanted New Englander, I have really come to love living in the Philadelphia Suburbs and especially in Fort Washington, PA.  If you are considering moving to Philadelphia, here are 10 things that make Fort Washington, PA great: 1. Our Schools:  Our schools are consistently among the best performers in the state.  Our elementary school Fort Washington Elementary ranks 5th in the state and out brand new, state of the art high school, with a 99% graduation rate, consistently ranks in the top 100 of Pennsylvania's High Schools.  2. Convenience:  Located right off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Interstate 309, and minutes from Route 476 and the Schuylkill Expressway, Fort Washington is a 30 minute trip to Philadelphia, Philadelphia's Inter... 06/06/2011

Real Estate Investor Meeting near Philadelphia   Are you a seasoned real estate investor looking for new partnerships or ideas? Are you just starting out and itching to find out more?  Or perhaps you are a landlord looking for education on how to better maintain your rentals and grow?   If so, you'll want to attend the next Real Estate Investor Meeting with DIG!   DIG stands for Diversified Real Estate Investors Group and they are a non-profit education group that meets regularly for networking amongst real estate professionals!  The big, general Real Estate Investor meetings are the last Thursday of every month. The speaker this month, 3/31/11, is Marc Halpern on "Self Image Tune-Up."  He'll be presenting on a simple & practical approach to overcome psychological barriers to buying you... 03/18/2011

PROA Real Estate Conference & Expo - March 11-13, 2011 For all of you investors and landlords out there, be sure to attend this weekend's PROA Real Estate Conference & Expo starting Friday, March 11, 2011 and ending on Sunday, March 13th. The theme this year is "Building a Foundation of Wealth Today" and they will have several speakers teaching you how to make some great money in real estate!        I was planning to go with my wife to this much anticipated event.  I'm a Home Inspector with ARTI Home Inspections LLC, but I have been a real estate investor since 1997.  No matter how long you've been in this industry, there is always something new to learn!     PROA is hosting this event.  If you've never heard of PROA, it's the Pennsylvania Residential Owners Association.  You can find o... 03/07/2011

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