Press Kit

Stale Listings Selling Fast After New Staging Partners Work Their Magic

 
The vacant 3 bedroom home in Leduc, Alberta languished on the market for about a year with no serious offers. Then, Connie Williamson of Serenity Redesign - Edmonton's leading home staging company - was called in for a consultation.

Edmonton, July 09, 2008 - Williamson evaluated the home and developed a plan to revitalize the property. The staging included: some interior painting, new tile for the fireplace, a good cleaning and fully furnishing the home with quality rental furniture and acceShera & Co. offer home staging services, light handymade fix-ups and professional interior painting services.

With a private stock of high-end furniture and a delivery vehicle, Williamson offers a pretty comprehensive package of services. The painting and repairs were contracted out to Shera and Company of St. Albert. In 3 days the project was completed. The home sold for the $3k plus asking price within 6 hours.

Sheryol Shera owned and operated a successful massage therapy practice in St Albert. Together with husband Kari, the two developed a profitable sideline when they purchased, renovated and flipped a number of homes in the city. They met Williamson when they hired her to stage one of the properties; they were so pleased with the results, Sheryol signed up to
take the Serenity Redesign Home Staging Training Course. 

Shera and Co. added home staging services to their renovation business.
?During the past year we've worked together on several properties,? says Williamson, ?We'd connect when Sheryol needed furnishings for a property. When I needed painting or small renovations done, I contracted it out to Shera and Co. By using Shera and Co. as my home renovation go-to company I'm able to get client projects completed sooner.?

It soon became obvious that working together was expanding both businesses, enabling each one to serve more clients and stage properties faster. 

?We are both very busy. After a year of trying to coordinate all our various individual clients and property stagings, and fit in working some jobs together, we decided to make this a full time venture,? explains Shera. ?This new team concept is a win-win for both companies.?

But the real winners are the property owners and Realtors who've had properties staged by the two. Kerri Lyn Holland, of Edmonton's Remax River City decided to change her marketing strategy after conferring with Williamson. Instead of spending more money on ads that weren't
getting results, Holland invested part of her marketing budget to have her listings staged.

?Last month I worked on three properties with Connie, and two out of the three received an offer the first day of being listed. That is just simply unheard of in today's market!? says Holland, ?I now have an exclusive relationship with Serenity Redesign and Shera & Co. to stage my listings.
Connie does a great job staging; she also offers valuable extras and ideas for marketing that I've not seen elsewhere. And now with Shera and Co. on board, I don't have to look for handyman services and painters. It's a great total package.?

?A big part of our job as home stagers is to keep up with the latest in real estate trends, knowing what buyers like to see and giving it to them. We keep right on top of the latest wants and needs of the market so we can better educate our clients. Realtors work with buyers every day, and know firsthand what buyers will pay top dollar for in a property. Realtors who
are forming partnerships with home stagers are seeing faster sales and an increase in property listings,? Williamson explains.

It is no secret that the Edmonton real estate market has slowed drastically over the past year. The ?sellers market? had multiple bidding wars and homes seemed to be flying off the shelf.

Today, in this ?buyers market?, homes are taking longer to sell and expired listings turn into new listing a couple times over. With all these properties on the market, buyers take their time, picking every little detail of the home apart. The smallest of details that home sellers are oblivious to are the ones a professional home stager hones in on. Stagers know what to do to
maximize the features of the home and how to minimize the picky detail problems. So, what are Edmonton home buyers looking for? Holland would define it as a ?finished product, a clean home, tastefully decorated and well maintained both inside and out.

?Home builders may have to look closely at the curb appeal of their spec homes,? explains Williamson. ?Buyers are not overly excited when they have to walk through a construction zone to look at what most assumed to be a finished product. And, they refuse to write up an offer on a promise that the builder will return to do the landscaping at a later date.?

?Buyers will hold out until the product is finished, or simply continue shopping,? remarks Holland

With services such as rental furniture, painting, general handyman services and the new launch of the landscaping division being offered by
Serenity Redesign. Edmonton home owners, builders and property investors are sure to benefit.

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For additional information on staging your property, contact Connie at 780-818-6792 or visit www.serenityredesign.com . Or, contact Sheryol at www.stalberthomestaging.com.

Kerri Lyn Holland, Edmonton's Remax River City www.kerrilynholland.com