Interview with Acadiana Realtor,
Penny McGehee of Van Eaton & Romero
A:
What prompted you to use the services of a stager?
P:
I wanted to remove myself from the task of making recommendations to clients
about what wasn't working in their homes.
A: What
do you see as the benefit of staging?
P: Staging
turns a cold space into a warm environment. Staging provided by Amie has
changed the complexities of my listings.
By using staging services, I feel I am given more credibility as an agent.
I offer to pay for the initial consultation. Once the homeowner decides
to use staging services, the fee for the initial consultation is waived.
The goal of creating a more saleable listing is then achieved.
A: What
do you think the mindset of realtors in Acadiana is toward staging?
P:
Most agents are afraid to confront clients about spending money to put
their listing in the best condition possible. Because of the perception
created by HGTV, more and more agents are telling their clients about
home staging.
A:
What has been your experience with the services of Home Staging by Amie?
P:
Amie has the verbal and staging skills to facilitate a smooth, comfortable
way for clients to make the necessary changes to their homes to make them
more presentable. Amie does not encourage people to spend money unnecessarily,
but to first work with what they have.
Staging Creates
a Win/Win Situation for All
The
start of a new year is the perfect time to try new ideas and adopt new
ways of doing things. Let’s be specialists in creating win/win situations
for both the agent and client.
Part
of the magic of staging involves creating excitement or buzz around the
listing. What we want is positive comments about the listing. The intent
of most potential buyers is to look for flaws as a method to justify the
lower bid they will offer. Staging can help decrease the opportunity to
bid lower than asking price. This is best done before the home goes on
the market.
A
National Association of Realtors
survey found that the longer a home stays on the market, the further below
list price it drops.
- Homes
that sold in the first 4 weeks averaged 1 percent more than the list
price;
- 4
to 12 weeks on the market, the sales price averaged 5 percent less than
the list price;
- 13
to 24 weeks on the market the sales price averaged 6.4 percent less
than the list price and
- 24
weeks on the market the sales price averaged more than 10 percent less
than the list price.
Make
Home Staging by Amie
part of your team and together we can make everything great in
2008!
