This year's Real Estate Staging Convention was held in Las Vegas and it was my first time and hope to go again next year!            The speakers were incredible, the best of the best in staging information.  I am so glad I went. If you are a fan of HGTV, you would have been in speaker heaven, because the host of "The Stagers" Matthew Finlason is such a personality, dynamite speaker and home stager!    Barbara Corcoran of the "Shark Tank"  gave her "rags to riches" story, which is simply compelling. Motivational speaker Terry Watson had a "light your fire" delivery and  used nonstop humor throughout his presentation. My favorite speaker for staging content is a Nashville stager, Kristie Barnett, who talked about furniture arrangement.  I know, could sound dull, but I have said it before... 02/04/2014

1.  Define your focal point in each room.  A fireplace is a natural focal point in a living space.         2.  Float furniture away from walls when possible.       3.  Use an odd number of decor items in arrangements such as 1, 3, or 5 objects.     4. When arranging decor items, arrange heights into high, medium, and low.        5.  Add pizzazz with a pop of color or pattern when accessorizing.     6.  Use vignettes to create purpose, style, and create emotional appeal to buyers.       7.  Add light to rooms by opening drapes or adding lamps.     8.  Balance hard edges with softer items such as fabric pillows, tapestry, and rugs.   9.  Fill in floor gaps with plants and wall gaps with art.      10.  Stage the photo shoot.     If you are not sure how to stage your home, or are simply too... 12/04/2013

Another staging Realtor, Rhonda Lisle, asked me to help her stage a house in Haskell, Tx and although challenging, as always staging works!  I think it turned out great.  The sectional is rented from Aarons and everything else belongs to home stagers.  Here are the before and after for the main living area:   Before Living Room:     AFTER LIVING ROOM PROFESSIONALLY STAGED     Master Bedroom BEFORE     MASTER BEDROOM AFTER PROFESSIONALLY STAGED!     SECOND LIVING BEFORE   SECOND LIVING AFTER PROFESSIONAL STAGING     Four Bedroom Home is fully staged and also can be viewed on www.stagedhomes.com.    Enjoy!       11/24/2013

There is a Special Government Rehab Program-Abilene TX FHA 203K Home Loans. There is a special government loan program that is part of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)- a department within HUD. A home buyer or existing home owner can remodel or update their home without having a higher cost second lien thanks to this special FHA loan program. "Luxury items" such as a hot tub or a swimming pool are not allowed with this FHA loan program. You can repaint, remodel cabinetry in kitchens and bathrooms, replace appliances and flooring, add wallpaper, or even add a room to an existing structure (which will increase the value of your home because of more square footage). The biggest advantage with this government loan program is that instead of having two higher interest loans, you can ... 11/19/2013

BIG OR SMALL I STAGE THEM ALL!   WHY STAGE IT?   FOR $$$ and the S A L E!, THAT'S WHY. Staging is all about results.  Sure the houses show great and there is immense satisfaction in tastefully showcasing the fantastic features of a home, but the goal is the S O L D sign. Some want to take a shortcut to staging and just do a little bit.   However taking shortcuts in staging shortchanges a return on equity in the home. Just staging a bit will take a bite off the sales price versus fully staging.  The way to maximum return of a home's equity is to showcase the entire property by staging it. Some decide to stage only the living room or only part of the house and the rest of the house is vacant.  This is akin to getting dressed and deciding to forgo your pants.  There is a huge contrast betw... 10/31/2013

NEED A HOME STAGER?  LIST WITH CARLSON PROPETIES AND STAGE FOR FREE!   FOR BEST RESULTS, CALL BEVERLY CARLSON AT 325-721-2429.    TO VIEW ABILENE'S STAGED HOMES, GO TO WWW.STAGEDHOMES.COM AND SEARCH FOR "ABILENE"       The following are three Abilene staged homes that have been staged and sold recently.   All the charm of yesteryear and Staged and Sold in ONE DAY!           BEDROOM OF ANOTHER HOME THAT WAS STAGED AND SOLD IN TWO DAYS!             Another Home Living Room Fireplace Staged and under contract in 3 days!    When it is results you want, call Beverly Carlson.  Listing and Staging and Selling Faster!    09/22/2013

  It rained last night and what a delight.     Here in West Texas, you learn to appreciate every drop!   I am reminded of a phrase from the song, "I Believe."   I believe that "for every drop of rain a flower grows"        So here is my little  ode to the  rain:   Blogging about the rain   On Active rain   To me is so plain And in Abilene rain falling is supreme the grass stands tall when the rain does fall. The birds are singing and the bright sun is bringing joyful hearts this morning all because of the rain and this blog on Active Rain!   06/15/2013

STAGED HOMES SELL FASTER!  HOW FAST IS FASTER?  ONE MONTH?  ONE WEEK?     HOW ABOUT ONE DAY?      HOME WAS OPEN FOR AN OPEN HOUSE THE FIRST DAY OF LISTING AND BUYER CAME AND MADE OFFER THAT SELLER ACCEPTED!   WHAT IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS?  STAGE IT OF COURSE AND EVERY DETAIL IS COMPLETE PRIOR TO BEING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.   Of course stagers have a way of making everything look easy.  That is the hallmark of a professional stager!  If it really was that simple, wouldn't everyone sell their home their home quickly?   When you need staging and listing assistance, call Beverly at Carlson Properties as she is a staging REALTOR.   PHOTOS TELL THE STAGING STORY.   BEFORE - MASTER BEDROOM       MASTER BEDROOM - STAGED!           LIVING ROOM BEFORE       LIVING ROOM AFTER STAGING IS COMPLETE!     ... 06/11/2013

Sow in the Spring and Summer to reap in the Fall and Winter.     There is a real estate cycle that doesn't change from year to year.  Things pick up in the Spring and slow down in the Fall. Use  your time in the slow times to get ready for the busy times. Prospects are needed to sell real estate.  Talk about real estate in the slow times to sow the seed for sales in the spring and summer months.  Prepare for the harvest of home sales with the same precision the farmer prepares the soil for planning the new crop.  Save some of your real estate earnings from the fat months for the lean months.  The ebb and flow of earnings is the nature of the real estate cycle.  Remember to save for the unexpected and plan ahead for Christmas.      Take all the training provided by your local board and i... 04/29/2013

The "Property Brother's" can't be wrong!   One of the property brother's said on HGTV"S  Income Properties show tonight,  the owners have not staged to sell, so they are inviting lower offers, lowball offers, and a buyer can come in under the asking price. The income property was well lived in with lots of furniture and the prospective buyers said they thought the place was too small.  Again, the property brother said he sees these houses all the time and it is just the clutter making it look smaller. The buyers do not pick this house picking another house not any bigger but I did notice, was easier to see. Then after the remodel of the income property, the show always shows the new place fully staged complete with living, dining, and bedroom room staging all the way through to placemat... 04/02/2013

Staging a home before it is clean!  This is tantamount to applying lipstick to a pig.  It just doesn't work.  The pig is still ugly!    Staging around outdated furniture.  If there is a disconnect between the age of the furniture and the age of the house, then rent more up-to-date furnishings. The goal of staging is to appeal to buyers. Buyers want trendy not trendless.   Rationalizing leaving outdated wallpaper in the house.   It just doesn't work. It is a waste of good money on staging decor if the wall paper is out of date.     Two many patterns or too many colors in the house.  There should be a unifying theme of color and pattern that creates appealing flow from room to room.   Too Staged, too much decor.  A house can be too staged when there is too much decor or decor is oversized... 04/01/2013

Home staging is preparing your home to sell in the shortest amount of time and for the most money. Staging involves the entire property from curb to curb, from front to back. Staging includes all the preparatory steps of: Cleaning Repairing Remodeling Editing Furnishings & Personal Decor A key skill of the stager is in the selection and arrangement of interior decor. Home staging involves: Selecting furniture Art Decor Plants & Lighting     When a seller lives in a home, the seller is used to the way things are, but a buyer will be looking for fresh, updated, and move-in ready. The main advantage of getting a staging consultation with a professional stager is a stager understands the buyer's perspective and has knowledge of current buyer trends. Staging works because buyers can then env... 03/31/2013

What is the real estate market like in Abilene?   In one word:  "Good."   To explain what that means - in real estate good usually means that the value of the home is sustained or increasing.   The average sales price over the past 10 years in Abilene when graphed has a nice pleasing upward incline.   In 2003, the average sales price of a home in Abilene was $83,421.   In 2012, the average sales price of a home in Abilene was $139,652.    That is a 70 percent increase in average sales price or an average annual increase of 7 percent.   Yes,  "Good"  seems to be about the right word for Abilene real estate.  03/30/2013

Should I Buy a House in Abilene, TX?   Calico, the cat says, go ahead and buy a house and just make sure there's a comfy couch for your cat to lie on.        Three Reasons to buy a house in Abilene:   stable market. comparatively affordable house prices.   low interest rates.   The market may get hotter depending on the oil and gas industry develops into the Abilene area.  The low interest rates coupled with affordable house prices makes buying a house very attractive for anyone going to be here 3-4 years.    03/29/2013

Before and After Photos tell a compelling story without saying a word. More than once now, I have forgotten to take a before photo of rooms that once staged were drop dead gorgeous! It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of getting it staged quickly that the before photos never happened.   Before photos don't have to be taken with a good camera after all they are BEFORE photos!   However, sometimes the stars just conspire against you.   I have forgotten the camera and pressed on with staging.   The camera doesn't work and can't waste time to go get one that does. The furniture that was in the room before has already been moved around or out of the room by the owner. Now this is not me complaining, but really a before photo should happen before anything GOOD happens!!!       My... 03/28/2013

  When you want your house to be incognito, then post this vacant room on your selling website.   One would think I would be able to find a photo of an empty room. But I searched for let's just say quite some time through a computer file of some 3000 photos, just don't ask me why!   I am almost certain that this is the correct before photo for this after bedroom shot.  The angle of the after photo is turned somewhat, but it is the same window.  Vacant room shots are easily lost, because they all look pretty much the same  - blah!           Here is the same room AFTER BEING S T A G E D ! !!       When you are ready to sell it, stage it first!  For all your staging questions, call Beverly at 325-2429.  03/27/2013

FULL MOON TONIGHT COMPETING FOR ATTENTION FROM THE STREETLIGHTS OF ABILENE TEXAS    You never know what will happen on a night with a full moon.     When I was little, I would look for the "man" in the moon.  Tonight, the "man" in the moon seems to be missing.  The dagger shape descending from the moon is the workings of my camera.  Interesting how a view through a camera shot can be so different than what the eye sees .     03/26/2013

QUESTION:  HOW WILL YOU MARKET MY HOME?   WHEN I MARKET YOUR HOME, I WILL DISCUSS THE TWO IMPORTANT AREAS THAT A SELLER HAS CONTROL OVER AND THOSE AREAS ARE:       CONDITION    AND    $$$  PRICE  $$$        ALL THE OTHER AREAS THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED BUT CAN NOT BE CHANGED ARE:   LOCATION CONDITION OF THE NEIGHBORS HOUSE STREETS & ZONING & TERRAIN  TAXES THE HOME SELLING MARKET         FIRST CONDITION MUST BE CONSIDERED, BECAUSE OF THE BEARING ON MARKET PRICE. WHAT ARE THE SELLER'S GOALS?   WHAT ARE THE REASON'S FOR THE SALE? IS THERE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE THAT NEEDS ADDRESSING? WHAT IS THE SELLER'S TIMEFRAME TO BE SOLD? IS THERE A REMODELING BUDGET?   NEXT MARKET PRICE MUST BE CONSIDERED,   WHAT ARE COMPARABLE HOUSES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SELLING FOR?  WILL THE MARKET PRICE MEET THE SELLE... 03/25/2013

Home Staging Your Home For Better Photos.            Prospective home buyers make their buying decisions within a few seconds of walking into a house.  Often a home buyer will have pored over many internet photos and made a list and then crossed houses off the list soley based on online photos. When online photos do not enhance the appeal of the home, this means that fewer buyers will bother to look at the home.   A solution to buyer appeal and great online photos is home staging.   Home Staging is a a secret weapon of Realtors and their savvy clients. Staging your home ramps up the buyer appeal and results in more showings, which in turn leads to more offers. When more buyers are interested in a home this sets the stage for a possible bidding war. Home Staging is preparing your home fo... 03/24/2013

OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS TO SELLER STAGING!   One objection to staging is that the market is good and there is no need to stage.     Well, perhaps, if your home has been professionally cleaned, carpets steam cleaned, windows washed inside and out, siding powerwashed. neutral paint colors, updated lighting fixtures,  1/3 of furnishings already removed no oversized stuffed furniture fresh flowers are on the dining room table no King beds, no 4 poster beds, no bunk beds. no pet odors, no smoking odor, no old house odor.     Another objection is that my home is professionally decorated.   Well, perhaps, if your home     see above list, was decorated in the last 2 years,   there is no navy, no burgandy, no wallpaper, no dusty silk flowers.     Another objection is that I have no staging budget.... 03/23/2013