Showhomes St. Petersburg

This article is from a real estate column I am running in my June 2010 newsletter, “Wizard’z Wordz”.
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An Interview with Elayne Wooding of Showhomes, St. Petersburg

Considering that many of the readers of “Wizard’z Wordz” are real estate professionals, I thought to dedicate this month’s feature interview column to a real estate professional.

If you are not in the real estate industry, perhaps you are selling or buying a home or know someone who is…you may find this interview still rather interesting. Most small business owners are typically interested in learning about how others ‘think outside the box’.

This would be one such story.

Earlier this year, I came across an interesting article in Realtor.org entitled, “Consider Live-In Stagers for Vacant Homes” and was intrigued by the live-in concept. The article featured a company called Showhomes; a Nashville, Tenn.-based company, which has eight offices located in the state of Florida, (where I am located). Showhomes provides live-in stagers for vacant homes that are for sale.

I probed further and discovered a Showhomes office located in St. Petersburg which is managed by franchise owner Elayne Wooding.

Thank you, Elayne for so generously donating your time to answer a few interview questions for our readers.

Q – Please explain how you got into the staging industry and why you opened Showhomes St. Petersburg.

EW – I decided to become a home staging entrepreneur after working my way up the ladder in the real estate and finance fields. We’ve had so much negativity when it comes to real estate. I’m thrilled to be a part of a solution that helps everyone – the homeowners, Realtors, builders and top notch home managers that we find to live in the homes while they are on the market. It’s extremely rewarding to help people in distressed situations and homeowners who feel overwhelmed by all they are up against because of the market for high-end homes.

 

Q – Who is your ideal customer?

EW – The sagging real estate market has created ideal market conditions for Showhomes’ services, which help local realtors sell properties by transforming high-end vacant entities into valuable, staged homes.

 

Q – Why would a seller wish to use your services?

EW – If you present a vacant house, buyers are often unable to visualize the empty space as a home. Even if the empty house sells, it is often for a price far below the list price. Because the home is vacant, buyers expect a bargain – hoping to take advantage of an owner they think is desperate to sell. If you present a Showhome, buyers are able to visualize the fully furnished and decorated space as their home. This personal connection leads to a premium sale price. Buyers make higher offers because they have already bought a home in their mind – they can see it as theirs, and will offer a premium price to make sure it becomes theirs.

 

Q – If I were a seller, explain the steps involved in contracting with Showhomes.

EW – Contact us directly www.showhomesstpetersburg.com for a no obligation proposal.

 

Q – What is the cost of your services?

EW – Nominal Set-Up fee when Home Manager occupies the property, No monthly fees. Staging fees are paid at closing when the home sells.

 

Q – What types of homes do you accept into the Showhomes St. Petersburg program?

EW – Vacant homes generally starting from 300K to 8,000,000k.

 

Q – What are the benefits of staging a home using the services of Showhomes St. Petersburg?

EW – Transforming vacant houses into valuable, cared-for homes that buyers respond to.

 

Q – Do you have any statistics to back-up the benefits of your services? [Does a home sell faster? Receive more offers? Gain more traffic?]

EW - According to a survey from National Association of Realtors Showhomes sell 10%-20% faster and an average of 93% of list price.

Q – Besides staging a home, what role does the Home Manager play in the sale of a home?
EW – Keeping each home in show-to-sell condition seven days a week.

Q – With the Home Manager living at my home, do I have any guarantee that nothing will happen to the property?
EW – Showhomes contractually indemnifies the homeowner and backs this with property damage insurance on every home, plus $2,000,000 general commercial liability insurance. We also require each Home Manager to carry a minimum of $500,000 personal liability insurance.

Q – Are Home Managers’ backgrounds screened?
EW – All Home Managers undergo detailed credit and strict background checks.

Q – Can a Showhomes staged home be viewed 7 days a week?
EW – Homes will be accessible for showings seven days a week. Our Home Managers will open blinds and curtains and turn on lights to ensure that your home is in perfect condition when a buyer arrives. Buyers will see a perfectly maintained, tidy and clutter-free home.

Q – Where does the staging furniture and accessories come from? How is the staging-style determined, i.e., modern, eclectic, country, Florida-style, etc.?
EW – Home Managers who have contracted to keep your property looking like a model home. Furnishings and accessories that are appropriate for the property are owned and provided by the Home Manager and Showhomes supplements these as needed to make the property look its best.

Q – What happens if I do not like the way my home is staged?
EW – We inspect and arrange every detail to ensure that your home is shown at its best.

Q – Is there a ‘best’ time of the year to stage a home?
EW – Every time a home is on the market is the best time to state a home.

Q – Do you stage a home for holidays if requested by the seller? Do your stagers take requests for specific styles/designs if the homeowner requests this?
EW – We will use furniture and accessories that appeal to the demographic group most likely to be searching for a home in this area. We will create a warm and inviting environment.

Q – Are you specifically a staging company or do you have realtors on-site/staff selling my home in addition to staging it? Or do I use my own realtor?
EW – We are specifically a staging company. Many of our staff are licensed agents, but we work with agents as an extension of their marketing efforts and not competition.

Q – Showhomes is a franchise. Please tell us about the St. Petersburg franchise. Is your seller unique to other areas where Showhomes franchises are located? If so, explain why.
EW – Showhomes – known as America’s largest home staging company – began its operations in 1986 and started franchising in 1994. It currently has 67 franchises in 24 states. Showhomes has helped realtors and homeowners sell more than 25,000 homes worth more than $8 billion across the United States by transforming high-end vacant houses into valuable, staged homes.

Q – Is there anything else you would like people to know about your company?
EW - When your home sells, we prefer a 30-day notice to give us time to relocate our Home Manager; a minimum of 21 days notice is required. We will have your home cleaned and returned to you in the same or better condition than when we received it. We will work with you to make sure your closing goes off quickly and smoothly.

 

 

Thank you, Elayne.

Contact Elayne Wooding:
Elayne S. Wooding CMP, MIRM
Franchise Owner
Showhomes St. Petersburg
111 2nd Ave. N.E. Suite 919
St. Petersburg, Fl. 33701
ewooding@showhomes.com
866-797-7426 ext. 706
www.showhomes.com
www.showhomesstpetersburg.com

A colleague and I had a listing in Zephyrhills, Florida that was a rental home. When we first took the listing it had some deadbeat tenants in it and it was a mess. We entered it on day one, and when we came out we were covered with fleas! After a fumigation and a complete emptying of the home (a lot done by us), a total cleaning was conducted, a lockbox placed on the door, and the home was "on the market".

Unfortunately, in our current market this type of home draws more buyers who want to use FHA financing, something that is hard to work out with this home due to its age, wiring, etc. The seller would have had to spend a lot of money and do a lot of work to bring it up to HUD standards, and he was not able do that. But the home was shown a number of times, and we had hopes that an investor using cash or conventional financing might come forward to purchase it. That. we thought, would be the most likely outcome.

However, several months later, the owner said he could not afford to have it vacant any longer so he rented it to some tenants who promised him that there "would be no problem when the home needed to be shown". As often happens, what is promised is not what is done. And it does not seem to matter if the rental property is a basic house or a $500,000 home.

On many occasions I called to arrange showing appointments, but with no cooperation from the occupants. One time they did agree to a time, but when the agent and buyers arrived the tenants would not open the door. The agent could hear them inside, but they refused to answer the door. After that, they stopped answering their phones and did not return voice messages that we left. So for all practical purposes, this home was off the market since it could not be shown to any buyers.

When the listing period ended we did not renew it since it made no sense to continue to spend time and money on a property that we had no chance of selling. No one is going to buy a "pig in a poke". The seller, who went through a divorce and needed to sell the home, was up the creek. However, there is nothing we could do. He had effectively tied our hands.

Sellers of rental properties need to:

1. Make sure that they and their tenants clearly understand each others rights when it comes to showing the homes to potential buyers.

2. Landlord sellers need to know federal, state and local laws that regulate when and how a property can be shown. These can vary greatly from area-to-area. Your lease with the tenant should clearly state what both parties' rights are under the law. You as the owner need to make sure that the tenants comply so that your agents can do their jobs. Agents cannot initiate a legal action since they are not parties to the agreement between the landlord and the tenants.

3. Landlords also need to clearly inform their real estate agents about any special restrictions that may apply due to contractual agreements between the tenants and the owners. For example, state law may mandate a 24 hour notice before a showing, but an owner may have been more lenient and given a promise of 48 hours. Your REALTOR® needs to know this.

4. Be aware that a vacant property is MUCH easier to show, and therefore, may sell much more quickly than one that is occupied. Easy and immediate access is a big plus. Delays and hassles are NOT! So if a property is already vacant, you may want to think long and hard about putting a tenant in it.

5. Often new tenants will convince you that they will cooperate completely when you need to show the home. But once they are in, you will be amazed at the excuses that some of them will come up with and the roadblocks they will put up to prevent entry. You need to be clear from the onset that problems of this type will not be put up with and that if necessary, appropriate and swift legal action will be taken. You might also remind them that when they do eventually move, you want to be able to give them good references. Remember, you are only asking them to obey the law and your lease, just as you have done. Of course, if you are not a very good landlord and have not adhered to the law or lease, then you will have a problem convincing your tenants that they should. So be a good landlord.

6. Tell tenants, if the law allows, that the property will need to be shown whether or not they are at home or not. Otherwise, trying to coordinate showings with all of their schedules will be nearly impossible. Trust me.

7. If you allow tenants with unfriendly dogs to rent the property, keep in mind that even if the tenant will let your agent and buyers to enter the house or apartment, they may hesitate to do so due to the danger or perceived danger that exists. If the renters have indoor cats, you will likely have odor issues that could cause a buyer to reject your property.

8. Do not blame your agent if your home languishes on the market due to uncooperative tenants. Your agent has a contract with YOU, not the tenants. The occupants' contract is with you, and it is your responsibility to make sure they comply with contractual obligations in regard to access for real estate agents and prospective purchasers.

Both landlords and tenants have rights AND responsibilities. The better both parties clearly understand these, the more likely it is that the landlord will be better able to market his property.

If you have any questions or need more information about this topic, or real estate in general, please feel free to call me at: 813-783-4444 or e-mail me at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com

I also invite you to visit my website where I think you will find a lot of useful information. To get there just click on the following link: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com

Showhomes held its first annual Home Staging Certification class this past Thursday at a $1 million dollar Brentwood, TN mansion that has been on the market for some time. 35 Showhomes home stagers from markets all over the country descended for an intense Home Staging class taught by the Decorating and Staging Academy, Showhomes' advanced staging trainers.

The builder of this home graciously agreed to open the home for our group of talented stagers to transform and the results speak for themselves:

Dining room before (above) Master Bedroom before (Below)

Staging class prior to the hands-on

Sandra Racz, staging intructor from the Decorating and Staging Academy talks with over 30 Showhomes franchise owners and stagers. Talk about some strong opinions in one room! I learned a ton myself listening to so much talent.

Dining Room after (Above) and Living Room after (below)

Master Bedroom above and below - Showhomes stagers Carla Chiefetz from Princeton, NJ and Sandra Wicks from LA

This is an actual home for sale and all training aside, we staged this home in an unbelivable 3 hours (having 30 expereinced people helps.) Just in time - a Realtor showed up for a surprise showing as we put the finishing touches on the home followed by the listing agent and the builder and his wife.

The buyer spent over an hour in the home and at least 30 minutes in the master - it was calm and serene. This was their second showing and it made a real impact; we bet it sells!

This event was both educational for our group and clearly beneficial for the builder and Realtor - we're planning to make this an annual event in Nashville so stay tuned!

 

What do you think?

Thomas Scott

Showhomes

www.showhomes.com

We're recruiting: www.showhomesfranchise.com

 

 

 

 

 

Home Staging may not be the first thought to many agents or sellers, which is unfortunate because so often it can be the best investment they make in the sale of their home.  The home that I staged last Friday was one of those homes that languished on the market waiting for the 'right buyer' or the 'right price'. 

Some of the details of the home were easily overlooked in MLS prior to staging.  Most of the rooms looked too small for the average family as the scale was off without anything to compare it to.  There were minor imperfections that nearly every home has - a small stain in the carpeting, nail pops or even a scuff mark here or there.  Unfortunately with nothing else to cast your eye to, they were glaring imperfections rather than a minor defect. 

Proper home staging helps control the buyer's eye to the features and benefits of the individual spaces, it minimizes any imperfections and shows how the space could be used.  (note:  while imperfections may be minimized they are never hidden)

 

Over the course of the last year, we've seen many of these homes - homes that just aren't selling - have staged with multiple offers at typically close at 98% to list price or better.  Unfortunately these sellers have missed months of possible offers and have paid thousands in carrying costs that could have been avoided. 

For all of the sellers that are sitting on the market wondering when/if an offer may happen.  For all of the agents who have clients who are frustrated that their home hasn't sold yet.... isn't it time to try something new?  Why not do what the nations top producers do... STAGE IT! 

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocate and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry.  In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance.  With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities.  She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com.  Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

May 4-6  Covington, KY

May 18-20 Columbia, SC

June 26-28 Marietta, GA

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12  Charleston, SC

August 2-4 Washington DC

August 24-26 Chicago, IL

 

 

Showhomes is a national franchise and we train new Home Stagers often. One of my favorite parts of training is a field exercize that clearly demonstrates the difference in a vacant home for sale and a home that is both occupied and fully staged. Our company's success is based on the premise that vacant homes are much harder to sell, take much longer to sell and sell for far less money.

For this exercise, we used two homes for sale in a suburb north of Nashville. Both homes are in the same neighborhood, are priced the same and have been on the market for the same amount of time. We carried a group of people through both houses and recorded their feedback from both homes:

House #1: vacant house:

Here is the positive and negative feedback from 5 people who visited this home:

Negative Feedback	Positive Feedback
weeds in planter	Lot of space
dark – lighting	Master bath big
temp cold, uncomfortable	Well maintained
No color	Tray ceilings nice
Inconsistent shine of wood floor	Bonus room nice and private
Sink dirty	Like high finish in garage
no fridge	like recessed stair lights
portable chairs	Good windows and lighting fixtures
empty mantle	Solid house
Tub dirty	Good looking house
shower missing enclosure	high ceilings nice
house seemed not finished	wood floor nice
Misc parts on counters
Carpet dirty. Dusty
windows have dead bugs
dirty windows
Toilets not clean
Large empty loft room
No place to sit
No window coverings – no privacy
Too close to neighbors
Front yard not kept
Lot of leaves
no curtains – feels colder
To big – get lost
Unfinished room at top of stairs
Hard to visualize space
smells like paint
Paint peeling on back door jamb
spiderwebs creepy
scrap of carpet for welcome mat
Storage by fridge left over
Cold and dark
Echo on floor
Echo on marble made subfloor seem hollow or poorly built
Granite didn’t match house – colors don’t match
dead leaves in front
dust bunnies on floor
low outlets framed awkward – looked like substandard building
dead grass
wood floor to marble floor uneven
House empty
Master tub too small
shower odd
scratched wood floor in study
lights out
living room and kitchen eating area small
Pink tint odd

Here is the home staged by Showhomes with a live-in Home Stager:

Here is the positive and negative feedback from the same people:

Negative Feedback	Positive Feedback
too many personal photos	wel lit
	clean
	homey feel – warm
	comfortable
	very nice colors – eye catchy
	great furniture
	felt luxirous
	upstairs bedroom nice as master
	big house – good space
	felt more usable, easier to live in
	music and fans
	full of life
	really liked it – cozy
	very welcoming
	music makes great impression
	sitting area in master great
	very funstional house
	great floorplan
	keeping room – great space
	extra family room – bonuns room huge
	nice playroom
	smells nice
	closets really nice
	garage not cluttered
	food in fridge
	nice and clean home
	curb appeal great
	wreath on door
	seems like a model
	felt like a perfect model home
	linens like a spa
	patio nice
	staging really great
	master bedroom awesome
	music really helpful
	clean garage
	warm and very clean
	woman’s touch
	holiday decorations tasteful
	feels like a great family house
	live plants look great

Look at them side by side and it’s obvious which home is going to sell faster!

In a pricing survey, all 5 said they preferred the staged home and if they were to put in an offer would start at 5-10% below list price and would all go up to list price to get the home. Several stated they would ‘be embarrassed to low-ball the owner since the home was so well cared for.”

The vacant home, on the other hand, did poorly on the pricing survey. Even though the homes were comparable in most ways, the viewers said they would submit a low-ball offer starting at 70% of the list price and would only go up to 75%.

What do you think?

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com