So I'm better off than Elvis, but not quite on par with Tiger (no pun intended).  What's a Stager (or Realtor) to do?

I went to an evangelism conference at my church Monday night.  The keynote speaker, trying to encourage the pastors, told us a great story regarding Van Cliburn, the world renowned pianist.  In case your are not familiar with Van Cliburn, here are the basics:

• he was a child prodigy
• first performed at the age of 4
• played a performance of Tchaikovsky with the Houston Symphony Orchestra at age 13
• at age 14, performed at Carnegie Hall
• graduated from Juilliard with top honors
• won numerous competitions and played major concert halls
• has played for royalty, heads of state, and every president of the US since Harry Truman
• etc., etc., etc.

Where am I going with this?  In his home he has a grand piano in every room.  Every night he puts on full concert dress, sits down at one of those grand pianos, and plays the scales!  Yes, this man who was a child prodigy, an honored graduate of Juilliard and has played for presidents and kings still plays the scales every night!

So what's the point?  In this economy, or any economy; whether you're at the top of your game, or just starting out; if you're young or old, you must NEVER STOP doing the rudimentary, elementary, everyday things that lead to success.  If Van Cliburn at age 74, with all of his accolades, is still playing the scales every night, then I'm going to get back to doing all the little things that add up to a lifetime of success. 

Yes, Elvis is dead, Tiger is back, and I'm sitting down to play scales again.  Care to join me?

I am both an accredited home stager and a licensed agent, but not selling.  (I was thrown under the bridge one too many times early in my illustrious RE career and decided I didn't have the stomach for it, but I digress.)  The point is, I know the business from both sides.  As a home stager, may I be so bold as to remind you of something I share with other agents when I give home staging presentations in RE offices?  They always seem to appreciate hearing this.  Here it is.

The online photographs of your listed properties are MUCH more important than your virtual tours.  Do you know why?  Because the photographs pop up instantly on the page, whereas the VTs take time to load.  If those shopping on the internet for a home are unimpressed with the pictures, they are not going to waste time by waiting for the VTs to come up.  They have clicked on to the next listing.

Forgive me if I've insulted you by mentioning the obvious, but many agents I come across don't seem to have thought through that one.  I want you ALL to know how much I admire you by being steadfast agents in a very tough market.  I wimped out, but landed where I am happy and feel I can do the most good.

I'm leaving you with a couple of recent before & after shots.  Please partner with your local home staging professional to help you get your next listing sold!  Thanks for listening.

Agents, are you (unknowingly) preventing your clients from staging their homes, even though you understand the value of staging?  Please allow me to explain.  

Last week I received a cry for help from an agent.  She had just taken over a listing of a vacant property that has been sitting for over a year.  She said, "I know the home needs staging to add warmth to give it that 'homey' feel to potential buyers, but the homeowner will never go for it.  She simply will not spend the money for staging.  What can I do?"  I proposed having her send before and after photos to the seller to SHOW (not "tell") her the difference staging can make.  I further explained that through vignette staging,  spending a small amount of money can make a HUGE difference in the way the property is presented.  I gave her a price for minimal staging of key rooms, sat back and waited.  

Guess what?  The seller was all for it!  Not only did she fork over the money for vignette staging, but she ended up agreeing to a HIGHER furniture rental tab than the one I initially proposed!   

Believe it or not, I have run across this situation many times since I've been staging.  Even though the agent realizes the value of having the home professionally staged, he/she simply doesn't think the homeowner will bite.  In essence, the agent is preventing the seller from staging.  Please don't be one of those agents!  

I'm sure you all have a staging story that's just plain fun to circulate.  I'd love to hear yours!  Here's mine...

Last fall I performed a staging consultation for an owner/agent on his beautiful metro Atlanta country estate.  While the home was staged to near perfection to begin with, I did make a few minor suggestions.  To say that I "staged the home" is a drastic overstatement, but I was involved to a small degree.

A couple of months later I called the owner to inquire about activity on the property.  Was I surprised to hear his story??!!!! 

It seems that Demi Moore was coming to the Atlanta area to film and had been shopping on Craig's List for a place to lease.  His property caught her eye.  After having "her people" contact "his people", the arrangements were made and Demi settled into his lovely property for 5 weeks!  The homeowner told me, "She was extremely nice to us and very down-to-earth... and they took excellent care of the house.  We couldn't have asked for better tenants!!  She fell in love with our cat (Tom) while she was here and took care of him the whole time.  She spoiled him, as he was a little snooty with us when we first came back home.  I guess it was our lack of caviar that upset him!  Ashton wasn't here the whole time, but did come with the rest of their family to celebrate her (Demi's) 46th birthday."  

Here is the web address for proof of my story:  www.831ChristopherRobin.com     

So there you have it.  I am now billing myself as "Stager to the Stars."  If you would like for an "A list" Hollywood actor/actress to lease or purchase your property, please give me a call.  I'm always here for you.  

Okay, that's my best story to date.  What's yours?