Staging homes for sale now includes real people

Instead of just decorating vacant homes or condos with furniture and art, some real estate agents are allowing renters to move in ? as long as they keep the house spotless and can disappear on short notice when potential buyers come by.

Nashville-based Showhomes, a home staging company with 75 franchises in 24 states, thinks the formula is a win-win because the lived-in homes seem more appealing than vacant ones and tidy renters get a great place to live at a fraction of the cost.

?There is an increased acceptance that staging is hugely critical in order to get the best sale price for your house, and so people are more receptive for it than they might have been in the past,? says Bert Lyles, Showhomes? CEO. ?It was just a growing trend for a long time, but it?s much more the norm now. And a service like ours can really add to ? and change ? that landscape.?

According to the Nashville Ledger, Showhomes works with banks, real estate agents and owners to find tenants for empty properties and they are tasked with keeping the property spotless and filled with high-quality furnishings. But they also have to leave on a moment?s notice if a potential buyer is coming.

?If you walk into a house and see furniture in one room, or maybe two, you know it?s vacant,? he says. ?If you walk into a home that looks well cared for, with food in the fridge and clothes in the closets, then you can see how effectively you could utilize that space.?

Not every real estate agent thinks renting out vacant properties will lead to sales, but it shows that a tough environment leads to creative thinking.

?Listing agents want homes off the market as quickly as possible, and if the owner is willing to cooperate with something like this, and everyone?s working as a team, there?s nothing wrong with trying something different to stage a home,? said Kenneth Bargers, a Realtor with Pilkerton Realtors? Brentwood office.

?I think with a service like this you?re talking about larger-square-foot homes, but this would be something to do just like working with clients to look at the lighting, the windows, all the features that might need some attention to help make the sale happen more quickly,? Bargers said.

Lyles said his staging service is also priced lower because of the rental income it generates.
Source: The Associated Press; information from The Nashville Ledger.

Source: http://www.trulia.com/blog/jose_e_humaran/2011/06/staging_homes_for_sale_now_includes_real_people

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