Karen Otto - All Comments

re: Thank you energizedseller for your sponsorship at the DFW Stage it Forward Roundtable!

Dan Eason — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:39:41 GMT

We were happy to support the round tables occurring throughout the country. I hope they were a huge success and that ideas were discussed that RESA and staging professionals can use to move the staging industry forward. As you know, we are big supporters of staging and would like to see it grow in popularity and stature.

re: A real life "Selling and home staging with kids" blog you have to read

Laurie Calhoun — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:54:01 GMT

The first home we staged was well endowed with stuff that the owners very co-operatively packed away. (They loaded up a 26' truck and still had plenty of furnishings left to stage with.) When we were done, the owner said, "You know, I love my things, but I like it this way, too." They ended up not putting the home on the market, so they have been living in this comparatively spartan place for several months. I think they miss the stuff now, especially the winter clothes...

re: A real life "Selling and home staging with kids" blog you have to read

creativespaces — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:11:17 GMT

I love this- It is so true! I'm glad the author followed through and didn't give up, it was definitely worth it. I recently worked with a client who is basically a "hoarder" and after we cleaned out her living room, and I staged it, she was horrified that it was so bare (trust me, it wasn't bare, but you COULD actually see her fireplace!)

Thanks for the heads up on AR about ES, it looks like a fun site!

re: "What if I don't like it?"

Karen Otto,ASP,RESA,ASHSR, Home Star Staging — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:32:03 GMT

Hi John, thanks for your comment. I try never to "totally screw it up" ;-) I'd have been out of business a long time ago if I did. As a matter of fact, the client ended up being very pleased with it and asked if I could assist with her current new property (a re-design or "stage to dwell" job).

re: "What if I don't like it?"

John Lawrence — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:01:15 GMT

I have to give your client some credit for being brave and honest enough to ask the question. Don't we all think that for big projects we are hiring someone to do? Your answer and the way you handled it was great. The reality is that no matter if your client likes it or not, it will be better than not having done it - assuming you don't totally screw it up - which I doubt you'll do. If you do, however, what will your client do? JJ :)

re: Sellers, I feel your pain

JohnJ — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:54:02 GMT

This reminds me of when we moved out of our house a couple of years ago. We did all of these improvements in order to sell our house for what we wanted and then thought "wow, why didn't we do this sooner?" After we sold the house and bought another one, my wife reminded me about our frustration of not improving our house sooner. So, before we moved into our new house we made some improvements with this in mind. However, after living in our current home now for a couple of years, we find ourselves thinking about all the things we'd do if we put the home on the market. My attitude, again, is "I just don't want to deal with it now - or spend the money." It's amazing how fast we fall into that mindset. Actually, I should say "I fall into that mindset." My wife hasn't changed her attitude at all. For me, procrastination sure seems a lot easier, and cheaper, though.

re: Got Pets? Selling a house? One sniff could snuff a sale

DallasLoanGuy — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:04:42 GMT

When I bought my home, I previewed several homes with pets. Most of the time I never got past 5 feet inside the house. I turned right around and walked to the realtor's car.

Huge turn off for me.

re: Selling a house? Use this FREE valuable resource to help with the successful sale

Kathleen Lordbock — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:13:07 GMT

I so agree with Karen Otto, a professional home stager can save you time and money - can't beat that.

re: Recipe For A Home Sale

Karen Otto,ASP,RESA,ASHSR, Home Star Staging — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:22:47 GMT

Eseller1 you're right and precious time is wasted when this happens which then translates into lost dollars and afterall, isn't the objective to sell quickly for the most profit?

Thank you for your comment.

re: Recipe For A Home Sale

eseller1 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:03:28 GMT

Good points. So many times people know what they need to do in order to sell their home. For some reason, though, they don't do it, sit on the house longer than they want, and then end up doing what needs to be done after they're frustrated the house hasn't sold.