Home buyers are snapping up an increasing number of Novato properties. In fact, almost half of all homes for sale are now in escrow.* What's more? In the hottest segment of all (single family homes under $500,000), 73% of homes are now in escrow. That's a 27% jump from just last month, and no segment has reached this level since October 2006. It's interesting to see the shift that has taken place over the past two or three years. Let's look at the week of October 11, 2006. At that time, there were only three homes for sale below $500,000. Today, there are 60.  We haven't seen that amount of (so-called) 'affordable' inventory in Novato since late 2001.   WEEK of APR 22 WEEK of JUNE 3   CATEGORY % In Escrow % In Escrow change All single-family and condos       39.5       48 +22% Single-fa... 06/07/2009

I am sure that there are a lot of Home Stagers that Stage the outside of homes when they Stage such as  Patios and Decks. Well this was a first for us, we recently went on a bid where we were asked to Only Stage the Outside of the House.  They wanted these areas Staged: 1.) Front Porch  (Possibly two Chairs and a table) 2.) The whole  area around the Pool (Possibly a table with four chairs, 2 lounge chairs, and maybe a swing) 3.) Two areas around the back part of the house (Possibly a table to eat at with four chairs. and a seating group) It's the first time we have been asked to do only the outside of the house and not any of the inside of the house.  Has this ever happen to anyone else.  We are glad to work on this project but we just felt it's not our typical Staging. Let me know wha... 06/06/2009

As of June 3, 2009 an encouraging 45% of available listings in Novato are in escrow. For the month of May 2009 58 homes sold in Novato for an average final selling price of $502,330. The average original asking price of these homes was $574,384. The range of final selling prices was from a low of $212,000 to a high of $1,425,000. Of the 58 homes that sold 4 sold at the original asking price and 3 sold over.  All others sold for less. It took these homes an aveage of 140 days to sell. To see everything that is currently available for sale through out MLS click here. To learn more about this area visit my website or contact me directly. To see some of the fun things to do around here click here. 06/03/2009

Our latest Staging Project was on Friday, May 8th, 2009.  We Staged a 3400 sq ft home in the beautiful hills of Bennett Valley in Santa Rosa, CA.  We got a call from the Realtor on Wednesday, May 13th letting us know that the property sold that day.  It was a full price offer 1.2 million and the buyers paid cash with a two week escrow. We de-Staged Tuesday, May 19th and we were thrilled that the property sold so quickly.  The sellers are happy and the Realtor told us we did a great job.  It's nice for everyone that the house sold in only 5 days!!! We really enjoyed Staging this Home as you will see from the pictures.  It was already a Masterpiece Home even without furniture and accessories  we were just allowed to frame this beautiful work of Art!!! So here are the pictures.   Grand Ent... 06/02/2009

We're thrilled to announce the launch of www.BestHomesNovato.com - a first-of-its kind Novato real estate website. BestHomesNovato.com breaks down the Novato real estate market how you want it: by neighborhood, by luxury homes, by new construction and by condos. When you find a neighborhood you like, it tells you what schools correspond to that area. There are also maps, Google Street Views, home listings and more. Of course, the site offers all the "regular" functions, such as up-to-the-minute MLS searches. You can also view all Novato foreclosures, updated on our blog. BestHomesNovato.com is a sister site to BestHomesMarin.com, your complete source for Marin County real estate. Get to know Novato neighborhoods from the people who know Novato! Call us today for your Novato and Marin re... 06/02/2009

While the pipeline of new properties and overall inventory levels increases dramatically throughout most of Marin County, CA (this is the prime selling season, after all), Novato's inventory level has remained very steady over the past 3 months. Just 151 single family homes are currently for sale. There were 152 homes for sale in April 2009 and 142 in March 2009. Novato's absorption rate (e.g., the number of months of inventory currently available in Novato) again dipped dramatically. In March, Novato had 7.9 months of inventory, in April there was 6 months inventory, and today there just 4.97 months of inventory. Absorption rates and the days on market averages provide a telling insight into the overall state of the market. Today's shrinking inventory evidences pent up demand and refle... 05/15/2009

 Millworks Novato (going strong with a lot of interest -check with Sylvia to see) Novato Real Estate Market started to pick up after the gloomy winter - Yes! (by the way, is there such a thing as gloomy winter in Marin?  - we are so spoiled, when there are more than a drizzle and a little bit of wind, we complaint about the weather and then secretly congratulate ourselves for being in such a wonderful place - there is a premium there :-)) Thanks to the press, both prnt and online and yes, the Obama Stimulus plan, the buzz out there is this is a great time to BUY in Marin county.  Finally, we have affordable prices (o.k. affordable is a relative term), but more affordable houses here in Marin. The condo/townhome cotinue to pick up pace, as well as the below $500K single family homes.  T... 05/07/2009

Google phone book is a great and Free to advertise in. Plus, if you go in and create a profile the Google phone book will put you higher on the listings page.  For example, if you go to Google and type in Home Stager, Novato CA our company will be the first name to come up. Even though our company name begins with a "W". (With Divine Style) In order to create an account: Google your Business Name and City, State Select the link below your listing that says "hours, location, ect." On the top left hand side of the page under "get directions" click "add or edit your business". Then click "Sign Up Now" on the top right hand box. Once you are done creating the account you can upload pictures and even create a coupon. In the end Google will call you at the business number to verify it is your... 05/06/2009

So our company decided to start attending local Realtor meetings, but the process can be rather intimidating. The groups of Realtors are 100 + and they all seem to be tightly knit almost like family.They have a time for affiliates to get up and speak and they have raffles at the end. They will also allow us to hand out business cards and fliers.What would you do to fit in? 05/06/2009

So we recently landed a Staging in a beautiful Million Dollar Home! In this home there is a Formal Living Room; Family Room; Kitchen and Dinning Area and then a room off of the Dinning Area. Naturally, we would make the room off of the dinning area a Formal Dinning area since it has a Formal Living Room but the home owners want to make that area another Family Room. What would you do? 05/06/2009

The following is a copy of my intake form that I use for Staging. I generally keep this information in a clients folder on the left hand side. I also notate all communication between the client and on on the bottom of this form. Anyone is welcome to use it.   It is good to have an intake form because it keeps the client talking. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to post.   ~Linda     Initial Contact Person_____________________________________________________ Phone #__________________ Ext.______  Email ______________________________   Home Owners/Seller____________________________________________________ Realtor_______________________________________________________________ Trust_________________________________________________________________ Bank____________... 05/05/2009

Yesterday I went on a Bid Proposal which was very challenging. A Realtor had us come in for a bid proposal with two of our competitors all at the same time. It was rather awkward because I had never actually known who I was bidding against. All of the Stagers he brought in where ASP certified. I think that made the bid even more difficult because we were all ASP family. We spent hours analyzing what we would need to charge to get the whole house done by Friday and still turn a profit without undercutting the industry. One of the Stagers we bid against was a dear friend and more like a sister.  So now we are on pins and needles waiting for a response. I wish the other two Stagers the best and I am certain it will turn out fine, it just felt a little strange at the time. Has this ever hap... 05/05/2009

In our area we have an association of Realtors that meet every morning to participate in Brokers Tours. If you are a featured Sponser you can directly market to the Realtors.   But Sponsorship has different levels and each level is expensive.   Has anyone had expeirence with direct marketing at these types of meetings and is it worth the investment? 05/05/2009

    So I recently had a home owner who hired us to Stage her Semi Custom Single Level Home home but would not allow us to hang anything.   To compensate we brought in tall plants.         We also brought in tall furnishings.       We where able to hang curtains.     What would you do?   05/01/2009

So our company has spent the past two months focusing a great deal of time revamping our marketing. We are now finishing the final stages of putting together our website, logo, tag lines, brochures, portfolio's, and other marketing material. The question now is how do we get this information to Realtors and home owners who are ready to sell? We are already in the phone book and have made a presence online. We have considered mailing flyers to major Real Estate Offices but that gets costly. We have also tried cold calling Realtors and meeting with them for presentations, but that gets really costly. Our company is fairly new on the staging circut and not well known. Especially since we just changed our company name and image. We make it a point to stay in tough with the Realtors wo have... 05/01/2009

With Divine Style was founded in 2005 by Linda D. Pufford. Linda started her business as a Professional Organizer and Interior Designer in 1988. Growing up Linda was surrounded by interior designers so she took naturally to interior design but it wasn’t until the passing of a family friend in 2002 that Linda discovered the art of Home Staging. Not knowing anything about Home Staging, Linda turned to books and shows on HDTV to guide the way. Once the home was staged it sold in just 2 weeks! Thus began her career in home Staging.Since then Linda has gone on to become an Accredited Staging Professional Master and in 2008 she was nominated for the Barb Swartz Home Staging Excellence Award.  Certifications and Associations:•    Affiliate Member of NORBAR and Women’s Council of Realtors Marin... 04/30/2009

The last service we provide is Event planning. If anyone has time to comment your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Weather you are planning a Baby Shower, Bar Mitzva, Company Party, Wedding, or Wake, events ‘With Divine Style’ is here to serve you through all transitions of life! Services We Offer:Event Planning•    Leave all of the worry to us. In our free 1 hour consultation we will accesses what your needs and provide you with an estimate of services. We will provide you with interactive progress reports along the way to ensure the event is being planned to your specifications. Event Design and Implementation•    Not only can we help plan the event but we can design and arrange the decorations as well. From linins, and center pieces, to floral arrangements, using our services c... 04/30/2009

I am in the process of preparing my website and one of the services I provide is Professional Organizing. So if anybody has time to make some comments or suggestions it would be appreciated:Professional Organizing is the art of developing systems that are custom tailored to your personality and natural organization style. The goal of professional organizing is to provide long term results. How the process works: Step 1. We perform an over the phone intake to help assess your needs for services. Step 2. For a set fee we come to your home or office and help you develop a plan to get organized. Step 3. Then for an additional set fee we come into your home and implement the plan. All work is preformed with you the client and is implemented in 4 hour intervals. In order to make the results o... 04/30/2009

This is a special home with immutable qualities not found in other South Gate at Hamilton Field offerings. Most signifricantly, this gorgeous home is on the levee and has no immediate neighbor to the south - very rare. Unique opportunity to live in Hamilton Field's coveted South Gate neighborhood in the most sought after location - on the levee. Few South Gate homes on the levee have come to market in the past 3 years. The last one that did sold within a couple of weeks. This is your chance! Great Room configuration. Kitchen with granite tile counters, dual-zone wine refrigerator, upgraded appliances, breakfast bar, and work station. Four spacious bedrooms (all upstairs) and 2.5 Baths. Dining Room, Living Room, Laundry Room, and more. Luxurious Master Suite with views across the Bayside... 04/27/2009

A controversial project due to the sheer size, the location and what it is and what it is not (a bit vague?  Ask me!), Millworks Novato had it's grand opening today (April 25th).  What a pleasant surprise the development is! As a Novato resident and a Realtor; although I missed the design, approval phases of the project; I, as many Novatans,  have watched with great interest and concerns in the progress of the building.   Today, I got to tour Millworks with my friend, Barbara.  We came away quite impressed! Millworks - According to the developer, Millworks Novato is "Nestled among the North Bay's rolling hills landscape, charming Old Town Novato is the home to Millworks, and environmentally sustainable and pedestrian-friendly new home community".  Millworks Novato The building, sits ato... 04/26/2009