Mae Graves Real Estate

A typical day might be meeting with a seller, showing them how we can create value by showcasing the features in their home, sometimes by adding or removing furniture or art pieces to show the home in the best light. If a picture is worth a thousand words, making our listing photos perfect is invaluable. Sometimes I completely stage the home, sometimes I “reimagine” what is already there. Sometimes we decide leaving it empty is best and focus on the property instead. We also do a “curb appeal refresh”: pruning hedges, adding mulch, a new door mat, whatever it needs. Think of staging a home as a home edit, interior and exterior. Sometimes, clients just need a little help and sometimes a lot. We take care of it all, from coordinating movers to cleaning, staging, and marketing. 93% of buyers start their search online so photos and marketing are important. Listing a home should be about presenting the home in a way that compels buyers to want to live there. The truth is many agents just want to pound a sign in the ground and pray it sells. As markets change staging is even more important. In 2020 The International Association of Home Staging Professionals surveyed home stagers and studied 100,000 properties. They reported staged homes sell up to 30% faster and sell for up to 20% more. Who you hire matters? Marketing matters. Experience matters. Talking through the process and creating a timeline for success is step one. My entire life, design was all around me. My dad was an artist and contractor. He spotted an abandoned turn-of-the-century Colonial Center Hall in a cornfield in Nebraska and bought it. It was a huge, white home with black shutters. It was quite grand through the eyes of a 6-year-old, but it needed a major renovation. After completion, the formal dining room had six panel double pocket doors and the living room adorn with a floral, wool carpet that looked like needlepoint. My parents let me design my bedroom at 6 years old. Of course, I chose pastel pink walls. They then skip troweled the ceiling to look like white lace, leaving the pink paint behind, coupled with lush pink shag carpet. Yes, it was the 70’s! I have not stopped creating and designing since! In my late 20’s I opened Premier Party, a local event decorating and rental business. In 2006 I transitioned to interior design, helping builders select finishes and helping homeowners with their renovation projects. After eight years in design, in 2014 I was licensed and hired as a real esta