NASHVILLE, Tenn. - (Business Wire) As foreclosures continue to spike and the number of vacant homes on the market for sale spirals higher, homeowners are increasingly vulnerable to companies that peddle questionable services or outright scams. Thomas Scott, vice president of operations for Showhomes, the country’s largest home staging company, says conditions are ripe in the foreclosure and high-end housing market for exploitation, where such a high percentage of vacant homes are lingering on the market for a year, two years or more. He encourages consumers to be on the alert.
“These are really scary times for owners of vacant homes,” Scott says. “Almost daily, we read in the paper about vandalism, theft, parties in vacant homes, expensive repairs and plummeting property values that come from leaving homes vacant and for sale. In some cases we’re seeing fly-by-night companies moving home squatters into vacant properties in the hopes of wrestling possession of the home from the owner. It’s unbelievable.”
“Letting a home sit empty is a recipe for disaster,” Scott says. “Home sellers need reputable managed staging and live-in stagers more than ever these days.”
“The prospect of selling a home for 20-30 percent below its real value, and in many cases waiting years for it to sell, is hard enough,” Scott adds. “Now you have to worry about sneaky scam artists trying to take advantage of distressed homeowners.”
Showhomes, which currently has 56 franchises in 23 states, is having dramatic success in today's tough real estate market with its innovative blend of impeccable home staging and method of employing qualified people as live-in caretakers to keep homes in show condition. It’s all above board – no squatting, taking possession or scamming involved.
And, it’s and remarkably effective.
In a recent case study, homes in Chicago staged by Showhomes with live-in home managers sold for 93 percent of the original list price when using home managers to stage. Comparable homes left vacant for sale sold for 75-85 percent of the original list price. Homes staged with home managers sold in 4-5 months and vacant homes took well over a year to sell, if they sold at all.
About Showhomes
Showhomes - known as America's largest home staging company - began its operations in 1986 and started franchising in 1994. It currently has 56 franchises in 23 states. Showhomes has helped realtors and homeowners sell more than 25,000 homes worth more than $8 billion across the United States by transforming high-end vacant houses into valuable, staged homes. For franchise opportunities and more information, please visit www.showhomes.com.
Showhomes Franchise Corporation
Thomas Scott, 615-483-4923
VP Operations
tscott@showhomes.com
