Months ago I had received a phone call from an agent by the name of Kirsten Conover with Prudential Georgia. She had just acquired the listing she mentions below, which as she states, was on the market for 2 years. Kirsten wanted to have me see the home first-hand to gain insight on what changes the homeowner could make to assist the buyers. With the bid accepted, we forged ahead with the staging and had the house under contract in two weeks!
So, without further delay, here's the quick interview:
1) How long have you been a Realtor? Going into my third full-time year
2) How often have you used a professional staging company to stage one of your listings? Not often enough--I'm now using one whenever I have a vacant house and/or when a non-vacant house requires it.
3) In your selection of a staging professional, what criteria did you use? A good recommendation came first of course, and Kathy Nielsen came highly recommended by several agents in my office. After that, once I start working with someone, communication and a quick response to emails and/or phone calls (within reason, of course) is key, and I know I'll have that with Kathy.
4) How best would you describe the impact home staging can have on a vacant property? I think the feedback I got on one of my vacant new home listings says it best. The buyer's agent has shown the buyer several new homes that day, and she had said: another new home with lots of rooms, nice features, beige walls...they're all starting to run together in my head". I think staging gives the home a warmth and personality impossible in a vacant home, makes it appear more high-end than it actually may be, and helps the buyers imagine themselves in the home. We all know that vacant homes sell for 8-10% less than furnished homes, and the case in point was my listing that had been on sale for two years with another agent--once we staged it, we had an offer the first day it went onto FMLS and it was under contract 2 weeks later.
5) After staging, did the feedback you received on the showings differ? If so, how? Like night and day...just like a show on HGTV, people who've seen the home before staging feel like it's a different house once it's staged.
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Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC, offers affordable 
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Home Staging Atlanta - Kathy Nielsen - 678 522 8392
RESA Professional Stager of the Year - Southern Region 2011
Whether your home is vacant or occupied, this Atlanta Georgia Home Stager, Kathy Nielsen, understands what it takes to sell a home quickly. Her homes have graced the pages of several publications, appeared in TV commercials as well as on HGTV's hit program Sleep On it.
With years of experience and a massive inventory - Kathy makes the perfect choice.
Home Staging Website: Home Staging Atlanta
Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:
Email: Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com
Blog: Atlanta Home Staging
- Kitchen Transformations
- Short on Space? Keep it Simple
- Tips on Selling Your Home From a Professional Stager
- Curtains. Should they stay or go?
- How to dress up your coffee table and end tables when selling
- Quick tips for table settings
- How will buyers remember your home?
- Atlanta Home Staging Consultations - Check out what the homeowner did
- Atlanta Loft Gets Home Staged
- How to ensure your home appeals to a broad base of prospective buyers
I beleive strongly in staging, and the slower the market, the more important it is! It is so important to set your property above the rest in a crowded market.
One other question I like to ask a stager is "How is staging different than decorating?" Many people don't feel like they are that different, when in fact they are polar opposites. Decorating is personalizing and staging is de-personalizing! It opens up the pool of potential buyers by creating an atmosphere where they can begin to picture themselves in the home without either the distractions of the seller's treasures or in the case of a vacant home, wondering what this room is for and how much will it hold.
Chris Knight, REALTOR (and my ASP Stager is Melody at Simply Stunning)
Hi Kathy,
Great post and thank you for sharing.....Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!