September has always been a time of new beginnings for me, but this year I feel like I want to begin a nice hibernation!  Oh, except I can't!  Have to vote in November!

Patricia- A friend of mine told me he hated this time of year because everything dies. I guess I feel like you do...it's a change, a chance for things to be different. Which, of course, ties in quite well with the election! ;)

I usually look forward to the business slowdown after busting my butt all summer. :)  I'll admit that I have no real motivation for showings in the snow! I like the slow pace to catch up on all my other projects and pay attention to my house and kids.  It's like being a teacher, in reverse, schedule-wise. 

I also have the irony of the holidays and less pay days, to add insult to injury - all of our dues are due in December, two weeks before Christmas!!!

Sheree- That is bad timing! My dues are up in the beginning of the summer.  I believe in neglecting my house and family year-round. ;)

Elaine, here in MN it was summer one day and (like a switch) fall the next.  I am looking forward to the change of seasons... the real estate market has been very slow in MN (with the staged exceptions) and hopefully with the Parade of Homes starting it will jump start fall buyers.

Elaine - How I miss fall.  Now I am reminiscing about when I lived in Chicago and could open a window and feel a cool breeze :(   Living in AZ - it's still 105 here. 

Fall here is great - people come out to play again.  The 3 digit temperatures disappear until May or June.  Many snowbirds begin migrating back to the desert.  We tend to get busy in September, October and November.  As a rule, December is usually slow.  That is until I plan an event, invite company over or want to finish up my Christmas shopping.  It never fails that is when the phone rings....but I'll take it when I can get it.

Kristina- I think I can tolerate this quick cool-down, because I know we still have lots of warm days left. When I lived in Wisconsin, fall meant the last chance to see the sun until April.

I sure hope things pick up for you.

Debbie- I've always enjoyed Arizona, but don't think I could live there year round. I enjoy the extremes, I guess. Or maybe, it's just the changing I like.

I've noticed that there are other stagers here on AR who talk about business picking up in the months that ours slows down. Here, it seems to be connected to the weather and the school year. I know what you mean about planning something and then getting busy. The last trip I took, I had so much business waiting for me when I got back. Maybe, that's the answer!

Summer has been a little slow here, so I expect I'll have to keep up the hard work through the end of the year.

Yes the fall and winter mean slower times.  We just have to work harder to make our business grow

I'd love to take a vacation till spring. What is that? I do love fall, but I hate to see business slow down. I'm working on ways to keep money flowing in.

Fall is such a beautiful time of year, I cannot imaging anyone not looking forward to if! It is a great time to get caught up on everything you neglected all summer when you were busy working and playing.

Oldtimers know that the holidays are all about very motivated buyers and sellers!  I love fall too.

Summer was summer here in CT - no calls, no responses to MY calls...and now my phone is ringing!  It's September, and the market is starting to heat up just a little.  How's it going in the rest of New England???  Thank goodness, thank AR!  Happy Staging - Julie

Yes there has been a definite drop of 10 degrees at night in the last few days, fall is in the air. The leaves will be turning in the mountains in the next couple of weeks closely followed by new snow in the mountains.

Elaine  I like your positive attitude!  We all have our 'slow periods' in different parts of the country, but there will always be people who need to buy a house and others who need to sell and move away.  Maybe you just need to expand your services during the 'off' months or, at the very least, work on marketing.

So, put that book away!  There's still plenty for a Stager to do!

Lois- Sounds like no rest for you! I hope it pays off, as I'm sure it will!

Russ- Perhaps it's our sticking it out that will make clients see how serious we are about our business!

Lizette- It always helps to diversify! If money isn't coming in from one thing, try another!

Terrie- I always hope I can take some time to do what I want, but if I can bring in some income now, there isn't so much pressure in January.

Diane- That's what I used to tell my sellers when they wanted to take their homes off the market. If someone is willing to look at houses in the middle of December in a snowstorm, they must be pretty darn serious!

Julie- I would love to see a change in the typical pattern! I am standing by my phone, right now!

Elaine:  I have had some of my best business in the early fall (before Thanksgiving)...  I am praying for the same this year!

Fall is a chance to slow down a bit and make plans for the new business year.  I use it to get to take classes, update business plans and get out the bike and ride, ride, ride!

The fourth quarter has often been our best quarter...and this year it would be hard to top what we have had the good fortune to do to date...we have often had to carefully shedule closings on New Year's Eve so we can get to them all....looking forward to fall colors, crunchy leaves...warm cider...seeing your breath....and scooping up wonderful 4th quarter transactions !

Elaine, I love the fall, it does always make me feel like slowing down and catching up in my personal life. But this being my first year staging... well I'm hoping all the marketing and networking I have been doing the last few months will payoff soon. I know this time of year the RE market does usually slow down.  But it's a great time to stay of top of our business and maybe rethink or rework things that don't seem to be working.

Alan- Yup, it all starts over again!

Val- The only book I plan on reading is a book on marketing! I agree that the slower months can still be put to good use, but my main focus is to get people to stage, even over the holidays!

Steve- That's wonderful to hear! Hope you can repeat it!

Cindy- Good for you!

S & D- That is great to hear!!! I have had my best year yet, and wish to keep that energy going, too!

Donna- That's a good productive way to use your down-time!

I think the last two weeks of December are absolutely brutal for real estate, but you are correct that there is no reason the other winter months need to be so tired!  Buyers and sellers at that time of year are SERIOUS about their goals and deserve our help just as much then as they do in the Spring and Summer.

So what does a girl have to do in this joint to get featured as much as you <EG>?

Brrrrrrrr, it's a bitter 91 degrees with a low of 74 here in Houston, yesterday, today, tomorrow, the day after.........   I love the fall in Houston, it arrives promptly on Christmas Eve.  It's pleasant to see the fall colors mixing with the pretty holiday lights!

P.S. I just checked on housing prices in Haddonfield.........geesh, a million bucks???

Keep on staging!

Elaine,

Fall in the air here. Business still pretty strong but, usually, it starts tapering off soon.

ELAINE - You're right about the type of buyers that are out there now.  There may be less buyers as the holidays approach, but those that are looking are usually more serious.

A recent realtor's blog from california mentioned she could do business year round in her area due to there only being one season. With that said if perhaps you have dreams of moving to a tropical paradise you could cash in by being able to work year round.  This way others can shop for you instead. Real estate in colder climates (northeast) is not easy but it has it's perks as it's easier to selll a house with a swimming pool.  All kidding aside, i hope it all works out for you and that tough times pass.

Oh I wish it were time for Fall here in North TX, although there is a slight chill this AM from the day of wind and rain yesterday - I LOVE this time of year for a variety of reasons. I'm glad you started writing about it Elaine!

One thing I tell people is that some of the most SERIOUS BUYERS are out there during the fall and winter (holiday months) from relocations to other pressing situations buyers who shop during these next few months are seriously in the market to buy a house in most cases. Why would they be doing it if there are so many other obilgations to be met during this busy time of year? School started, we're looking at the holiday season fast approaching etc.

I am living proof that there are buyers out there and SELLERS NEED TO BE PREPARED especially in this market. We purchased our home the week before Thanksgiving in 2001 and close the first week of December. Not the ideal time but we had relocated, been living out of a corporate apartment and needed to get our kids enrolled in the school district of our choice - without a contract on a house, that couldn't happen and I was homeschooling them (ha!) for a month prior to our purchase - it was a very stressful time.

Home stagers are needed more than ever and it's part of our job to continue to put the word out there and educate our clients, Realtors, sellers and others in the home selling game that they need us!

Love the post Elaine! Congrats on the well deserved feature!

Noooooooo.  Here in New England we seem to get the weather you get first.  Some mornings have been feeling like fall here also I am just not ready yet.  August was somewhat of a disappointment but my philosophy is 90 or better at least in the Summer. Love the skiing in Colorado pretty great scenery also.

Hi Elaine, As a Michigan transplant I miss the fall more than anything else.  The crisp air, fresh apple cider, amazing fall foliage, etc.

The effort on my part never stops, but that doesn't mean the market won't slow down anyway. Like The Little Engine That Could, I just keep chugging away. The buyers and sellers that remain in the market this time of year are serious...but buyers in general are still few and far between because nobody wants to move when it's cold and snowy outside!

Elaine, Thanks for the kick in the rear to get busy and positive and that "GO get 'em" attitude.. I need that.. God bless,

Tori Lynn- When I was with my ex, every corporate move was in terrible weather! I lost an entire house full of plants because the movers propped all the doors open and it was 20 degrees out! Saved me from having to load them all in my car!

Tom- I haven't figured out the whole feature thing, but when I do, I'll let you know!

So, you get fall on Christmas Eve, and we get winter on Halloween! Interesting.

A million dollars in Haddonfield? I'll have to give my sister a call to see what else is going on in the real estate market there! My dad is 86, and someday he's going to have to sell the family homestead!

Steve- Yeah, it's the tapering off that bothers me. I'd be fine with no business at all in December, as long as Oct and Nov were good!

Adam- That's right...so those homes need to be in pristine condition and staged to sell!

Castellum- Thanks, but I think I'd rather put up with the cyclical business than lose my lovely four seasons! I will persevere somehow!

Karen- Thanks! As I'm sitting here writing this, there is a definite chill in my office! LOVE it!!! Sounds like you have had the same experience as me. On our house hunting trip to Colorado, they broke the temp record for the week we were here (Feb 1993) and our car wouldn't start in the hotel parking lot!

Lisa- Here in CO we broke the record this summer for consecutive days in the 90's. Staging a closed up vacant home in hot weather is SO much fun, especially when you have to iron bedding while you are there! I am ALWAYS ready for the next season to begin!

Bill- Having grown up back east, I miss all the reds and oranges of fall. The aspens here are gorgeous, but there's not much color other than yellow. But, I have come to appreciate what fall has to offer here.

Kelly- Good for you...I bet your efforts pay off in the end!

Cheryl- You are so welcome! I might be needing a kick in the rear from you sometime!

Sorry, can't relate.  We are still in the 90's here in Texas.

Mary- Well, I'm just glad you weren't all blown away!

Jean- That's great to hear!

Big Sis......fall has historically been a busy time for me.  Since I've had a really steady summer, I'm anticipating good things for the next couple of months.  December?  Hit or miss.

Bill......I'll send you some apples from my tree!

Lil Sis- That's great to hear! Sometimes I think we create our own luck, and I intend to test that theory. I know when I get back from a staging conference in October, I will be all pumped up!

  Now girls & guys.....September compares to that day/night this summer that you just moved that dial down a little too low.  Remember, it really isn't bad yet and a great time to leave the windows open.  Just grab extra quilts and nestle down and sleep in an extra 10.

I agree that we do have that slow time and certainly with the economic change of recent, you give me hope that we need to stay optimistic.  WAY TO GO..........DONNA

That's right, there is a buyer for every house and it's finding that person.  The truth is that in the winter so many homes come off the market that the buyers don't have alot of good choices and the homes that are staged and on the market often sell faster with less compeition (they are all waiting for the first of the year).  SO, sell, while you have less compeition and get on with your lives and buying while you have less competition competing with you too.

Donna- Even though I love ALL the seasons, I can't ever remember thinking "Oh, summer is coming to soon" But, looking at your photo, I definitely have said that about winter. Summers seem to fly in Colorado! BUT, I think the ebb and flow in business CAN be controlled by an attitude adjustment!

Terrylynn- I just wrote a proposal on a home which will be very challenging to sell, even staged. My first reaction was to treat this one differently because of the timimg, but NOT THIS YEAR! So, I am suggesting they go full steam ahead, because, like you said, "there is a buyer for every house", and like I said, "it only takes one showing!"

Elaine I am with you!  In the throws of insanity that our business goes through during the warm months I always think "I can't wait until the cold months so I can take a day off" but I have noticed every year those cold months are shorter and shorter for me. The reason is because I keep marketing my staging business and I have diversified and have multiple revenue streams that carry me through all year long. We are in business and business is run every day. I love your phrase and will use it. It only takes one showing! Love it! Kym

Elaine,

Even if Fall and Winter generally bring the slower months, there are always other ways to keep busy!  This is the time of year that I use to evaluate my inventory, weed out the old and have a Fall Sale!  This way you can organize you business for the coming year when it picks up again!  There is always the Holiday Staging, this usually can keep you pretty busy through the year end months.  Otherwise, curling up with a warm blanket by the fire, with a hot cup of tea and a good novel doesn't sound so bad! :)

Kym and Michelle, I totally agree. DIVERSIFY AND RENEW! Thanks, I will do both!

My favorite time of year is Fall.  I love the crisp air and the colors and the pumpkins, the cider and the apples.  Fall in New England is wonderful and I wouldn't miss it for anything.  We were supposed to go to a corn maze today, 25 of us.  It has been raining since Friday, we were rained out.  We are hoping to make it next weekend. 

Business has slowed down for me, but it gives me time to work on marketing and paperwork and networking.  There is always some aspect of the business to keep me busy.