Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary O Grady.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mary. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When my children were still small I went back to school to get my Interior Design degree. At that time I was not sure what I would do with my education, I just loved design. In 2006 I started my Co with the idea of helping home owners get their properties ready for sale. I had not heard of home staging yet. After trying to spread the word with Realtors about what I was doing, I heard about a class from “Staged Homes” out of California. I took the 3 day class and the rest is history.
Unlike today where everyone has heard of home staging, when I started it was hard to convince Realtors that they needed this service. Thanks to many TV shows it is now a house hold name. There were many NO’s along the way and people did not believe in the concept or see the need. Today I have homeowners that call me even before the have a Realtor come and see their home. Besides location and price, Realtors list the home on what they see and if a home looks great it will get more money.
There are many challenges with owning and operating your own business but the rewards are amazing. I love working with clients and see their delight in the finished product.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning your own business is not for everyone, you have to think of everything. The fun part of my job is going to a property and seeing the potential, getting to execute my design and seeing the results.
But in between there is the picking out the items I want to use, style always changing so you are always shopping to keep up with the latest trends. Then packing the job the day before, unloading and making sure everything works. When the property sells you get to do it all again in reverse.
The paperwork seems endless some days and there is always something that needs tended too. Keeping current on social media is a job in its self. Then there is the headache of Health Insurance. As a sole proprietor it is hard to find a Co that will cover you and then because of the limited choices it is very expensive.
Even though homes are always for sale there is a distinct ebb and flow to the market. March through July is very busy as is the end of August through October. At these times it is hard to keep up with everything that needs to be done.
Meeting clients can be the best part of my job as I love to meet new people, but there are the clients/Realtors that just want things a certain way and you just go home exhausted, feeling that you are not working at your best.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Stage To Sell by Mary – what should we know?
My Company is Stage to Sell by Mary, I do home staging in the Metro west area.
I am most proud of the results my clients get when I have done my job well. Whether they get the price they wanted, over asking or a quick sale, the results stand for themselves. 90% of the homes I stage get offers after the first open house.
What I believe makes my Co stand out from the rest is that I will do what it takes to make the job work for the client, even If that means starting at 6am or working at 10pm.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The characteristics that are most important to doing my job successfully are an ability to make the job seem a little less daunting. I try to have a solution to whatever challenge the client may have whether it’s finding extra space they did not think they had or helping them make decision about what to keep or what should go. Reminding them that they will be paying to move everything to their new property, so it will really work in that new space.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.stagetosellbymary.com
- Phone: 617-407-3961
- Email: stagetosellbymary@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StageToSellByMary/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/intent/follow?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stagetosellbymary.com%2F&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw®ion=follow_link&screen_name=MaryOGradyStage&tw_p=followbutton
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stage-to-sell-by-mary-newtonville-3
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stagetosellorg/
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