Home Staging Education - Home Staging - What is in it for you?

April 7, 2008

Twice a month at the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, we conduct these home staging education sessions at both RAGFL West Auditorium and RAGFL East Auditorium locations.

How often have you heard your seller say “My home is fine the way it is”? Do you know better, but are unable to convey the need to better prepare the home for sale to the seller?

Does your listing have the lived-in look? Are there improvements that need to be done, but your seller is unwilling to address them before you put the property in the market?

In this buyer’s market, the ability to market your listing and make it stand out from the competition is the difference between SOLD or EXPIRED.

Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale regardless of price or location. ASP Akanke Cadden, OpenDoorStaging.com, will teach you how to best communicate the need for home staging to your sellers and what home staging can do for your business.

Click on the link for dates and times. Register Online (RAGFL West Auditorium) Register Online (RAGFL East Auditorium)

Cost: Members FREE.

You will also learn how:

Home Staging is Marketing, not Decorating.
Home staging can re-energize an expired or stale listing.
Home staging will help sell your listings faster at no cost to you.
To best communicate the need for home staging to your sellers.
Increase buyer visits by making your online photographs stand out.
Incorporate home staging into your listing presentation

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Bad listing photographs - April 2008

April 6, 2008

A listing flyer just arrived in my email box, forwarded on from a friend. There is nothing I can add to this one - the ~~photographs~~ snaps say it all.

With all the information availble on the need to market listings in todays market, one wonders why we continue to see listings advertized like this?

While the seller or agent may not wish to stage the property for sale, even though it is generally accepted that vacant properties take longer to sell, the snaps could have looked better

turn the lights on
remove the random debris around the home before taking the snaps
do these snaps really convey the best features of the property?

Let us know if you have others that you think we should add to this post.

Posted by admin | Filed Under Bad for sale 'snaps' | 1 Comment

7 Ways to Get Rid of Pet Odors

April 1, 2008

When a house you’re trying to sell smells like a pet, there are some tactics that can improve the odor situation. Don Aslett, owner of Varsity Contractors, one of the country’s largest cleaning companies, offers up these tips for identifying the source of the smell and then eliminating it:

Use a fluorescent black light (pet-supply stores sell them), to expose odor-producing spots on the carpet, couch, floorboards and even on drapes.

Remove all solids and blot up as much liquid as possible with a clean towel. Apply an appropriate odor neutralizer or cleaner according to directions.

Never use ammonia, which takes on the smell of what it’s supposed to be cleaning, can trigger more accidents.

Choose the best product to remove the problem. On water-safe surfaces, try Simple Solution stain and odor remover. The problem area must be thoroughly soaked and left to dry.

Bramton’s Oxy Solution Pet Stain and Odor Destroyer can remove odors and stains from surfaces that won’t withstand soaking, but test first in an out-of-the way place.

The most effective and safest disinfectant for use around pets is Chlorhexidine, which is sold under such names as Nolvasan, Chlorasan and Chlorhex by veterinarians and medical-supply outlets. Use these for problems that demand deep cleaning.