Staging Diva Graduate, Kay Keeton, operates a home staging business in Dallas called Star Stager and she’s helping her clients sell fast and for higher than average prices even in a slow real estate market.
Kay’s recent home staging project was a property that had been rented and needed quite a few cosmetic touches to sell.
After hiring a team of cleaners to freshen up the interior, the home was painted and a landscaper was called in to take care of the yard.
Since bathrooms are so critical to the selling price of a home, Kay Keeton ensured these got special attention. In the main bathroom, the bathtub was repaired, new stainless faucets, towel racks and lighting fixtures were installed. A dated sliding shower door was replaced with a new curved curtain rod and new bath mats and towels were added for contemporary appeal.
Kay arranged for rental furniture for the entire house, hung art, added window treatments and bought all new bedding for all bedrooms.
When the agent looked at the house for the first time he was in awe. Kay says, “The home listed $35,000 higher than two real estate agents estimated the house would sell for prior to staging. Even though it was priced higher than other properties in the neighborhood, the first showing was scheduled two hours after the home went on MLS. The buyers agent who showed it said it was the best staging job she’d seen in 26 years of selling real estate.”
Home staging reduces number of days on market
After four showings, the owner had two offers. The house sold in just 41 days in an area where the average home in the area spends 205 days on the market.
This is even more impressive when you keep in mind that this was Kay’s first home staging job.
“I could not have done this without the step-by-step training that I learned from the five Staging Diva courses,” Kay said. She also commented on the Staging Diva Room-by-Room Client Planning Forms saying, “The worksheets for each room are priceless. It made everything so much easier as I went from room to room doing what Debra taught me.”
Kay also recently wrote to tell me that less than 24 hours after listing her business in the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers, she received her first call! Kay gets how to market her company and that’s going to put her light years ahead of her competition especially now that she has some great before and after photos and statistics to add to her home staging portfolio!
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Home Staging
Debra Gould developed the Staging Diva Training Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging businesses. There are currently over 7000 Staging Diva students around the world.
The Kay Keeton “Star Stager” report is inspiring. It confirms Debra’s points in her article entitled “Home staging not meant to cover real flaws,” since Ms. Keeton contracted landscaping, cleaning and repair professionals to lay the foundation for her brilliant staging to succeed. The photo of the bathroom shows a curved towel bar that I don’t recall seeing before. Would Debra consider writing on how to stay current with new products on the market? Reading shelter magazines and browsing home goods stores obviously isn’t enough! Congratulations to Ms. Keeton on her staging achievement!
Danica,
Thanks for your lovely compliments on my staging!
You may be surprised to learn that towel bar was purchased for only $24.95 from Walmart on line, Curved, chrome towel bar w/ shelf. Neu Home style #1747. It is good quality, and not available in stores. I used their site to store program where they ship it to the store that you select for free and you pick it up. I needed storage for a small area over the commode that would not make the room look smaller. It really dressed up that tiny bathroom. I fell in love with the chrome towel rack at a 5 star resort I stayed at, and that came to mind when I needed towel storage.
Kay, thank you for your generosity of spirit in sharing information about the towel bar. I am certain that you will continue to be a “Star Stager,” as well as a success at life in general, for your graciousness will serve you well. Gratefully, Danica