Custom builder Jerry Smith of Fairhope staged a few rooms in an empty, high-end house to make it more homey, then liked it so much he staged most of the house.

Kate Mercer/Press-RegisterAngela Blankenship and Tammy Boothe of Show Homes stage the dining room in home in Fairhope’s Rock Creek.

“A lot of times people will walk into an empty home and it feels kind of cold,” he said. “They can’t envision how to decorate it. Staging has made a big difference.”

Staging is all about making a house look attractive to buyers, and using that technique to help homes move off the market more quickly is becoming the norm rather than the exception, especially in the current economic slowdown, according to Realtors, staging professionals and area builders.

Smith hired Showhomes Mobile/Baldwin to stage his house in Fairhope’s Rock Creek, a home listed in the $900,000 range by Ashurst & Niemeyer.

Custom builder Brad Lewis in Mobile has a staged house in Newcastle Estates off Johnson Road and says it shows nicely. In fact, he said, “I use it to meet clients — the last two contracts I’ve gotten are because of that house. I take them out there and it serves as an office.”

“You can’t stage every room, but you stage the rooms that are most important,” for viewing, Darnell said, who reported selling three high-end staged homes for builders. “They love it. You have a better chance selling staged than you do vacant.”

Showhomes  offers a home manager service, said owner Angela Blankinchip. For a fee, typically 1 percent of the listing price at closing, a home manager will live in the furnished home and keep the house and yard in showing condition seven days a week, according to Blankinchip.

Given the number of $500,000 to $800,000 homes on the market, “people are doing everything they can to make it more attractive, and staging adds value,” Blankinchip said. And, she said when potential buyers look at homes on the Web, “they want to see pictures of something beautiful.”

When a house is vacant, the flaws and limitations jump out, said Jane Ann Lance of Enhanced by Lance Home Staging Services in Mobile. “People who buy the higher end homes are looking for the ‘wow’ factor,” she said.

Builders and Realtors often hear buyers say they don’t know how their furniture will fit in the house, Lance said. “A lot of the higher-end homes have tricky floor plans and bigger houses tend to be more open. Staging allows you to see how it would be to live in this home.”

In the upper-end homes, most owners have the furniture, but they need the big accessories such as lamps, large paintings and beautiful entrances, Lance said.

“People tend to overcrowd or clutter a room,” said Tammy Boothe of Showhomes.

“But we don’t want to hide the builders work,” such as crown molding, custom fireplaces and other details, she said.

Showhomes Park City says there’s no reason to leave a house vacant

by Andrew Kirk, Park City Record
http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_14665400

Clockwise from left: Drew Cain, Ryan Sapp, Angie Sapp and Katja Cain. Together they own and operate Showhomes Park City

Ryan Sapp is a developer and Realtor. His wife Angie is an interior designer. They’re painfully aware of how long some homes take to sell in the current market and how dangerous it is for a house to remain vacant during that time.

That’s why they and friends Drew and Katja Cain started Showhomes Park City. Showhomes is a national franchise that allows families with beautiful furnishings to live in vacant homes for sale. Statistically, the homes sell faster and for more because they’re furnished and feel full of life. They’re also safer while occupied and the family pays Showhomes a small monthly fee that offsets the home owners’ monthly cost to stage a home.

Showhomes makes money, homeowners and occupants save money and the house is much better for it.

“How many businesses can truly say that everyone wins?” said Drew Cain, who handles the marketing of the properties.

Home staging is nothing new. Many companies offer to make a house look more desirable for Realtor walk-throughs and open houses. But with Showhomes, it isn’t staged, it’s authentic and homey.

“Otherwise buyers don’t picture it as a home, but something they’re trying to get for as cheap as possible,” Drew said.

The people who live in the homes are “hired” as staging managers. They must have high-end furniture and décor, pass thorough background checks, be willing to have a house ready for viewing within 30 minutes and be ready to move out as soon as the home sells (although six months is average), explained Angie who uses her design skills to place the furnishings in the home.

“They’re trained to live in the home very gently,” added Katja, who oversees operations. “They’re paying 70 to 75 percent less it’s advantageous for someone looking for a place temporarily.”

It’s also ideal for someone thinking of buying a second home in Park City so they can give the community a try, she said.

Homeowners pay a set-up fee and then one-half of one percent of the sale price after closing. All together, the owner pays several thousand dollars, but the savings to them are so significant they’re actually making money in the deal, Drew explained.

Other staging companies charge for time; Showhomes charges the same whether the home sells in two months or two years. Drew’s photography and Internet marketing for the property are a $1,000 value alone, he said. Then there’s the security from break-ins and vandalism. The staging managers cover utilities, so owners aren’t paying for heating and air in an empty building. Also, homeowners insurance usually goes up often significantly when a house is vacant. There’s no need to contract with cleaning companies to ready the house for walk-throughs. A vacant home’s tax rate can go up as well, Drew explained.

In the 25 years the company has been in business, it has found homes sell for 10- to 20-percent more and 60 to 90 days faster.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer when they wrap their brain around it,” he added.

The Sapps and Cains are the only franchise-holders in Utah and can service homeowners in Wasatch, Summit and even some in Salt Lake County (east of I-15).

They’re a Realtor’s best friend, Angie said.

Here’s some of their recent work:

www.showhomesfranchise.com