October 2020 Preferred Partner Spotlight | Kim Odom of Show Homes

By Jill Clair Gentry

Photos By Sam Whitt Photography

Every real estate agent knows staging can make a world of difference when it comes to selling houses. The advent of television shows that revolve around real estate, remodeling and interior design have made buyers increasingly interested in a home’s aesthetic, and professional staging shows a home’s potential like nothing else can.

According to Forbes, 95 percent of staged homes go under contract in 11 days or less—at a 17 percent higher price than non-staged homes.

Kim Odom, owner of the Mobile and Baldwin franchise of ShowHomes, a 34-year-old home nationwide staging company, says the real estate market in the Southeast has been a bit slower in implementing staging, but it’s becoming more and more of a necessity.

“Here lately, REALTORS® who have been doing this for 15-20 years are calling me and saying ‘We’ve never had this issue before—this home just isn’t selling,’” Odom says. “It just goes to show you, people are more selective when shopping for homes now. When they walk in, we want the home to draw their attention and want them to visualize themselves living in the house.”

Filling a Need

Before moving to South Alabama, Odom lived in Birmingham, where she worked in interior design. Seven years ago, Odom and her family moved to Fairhope.

“While we were in the process of looking at homes, we noticed we were seeing a ton of empty homes on the market,” Odom says. “At that time, home staging was something you saw on HGTV, but it wasn’t being implemented in the real world. I saw a big need for home staging in this area. I decided to buy the ShowHomes franchise five years ago, and it’s been growing ever since.”

Odom says buyers expect move-in ready homes, and staging helps them see a home’s full potential. For empty houses, Odom can fully stage every room, and for occupied homes, she advises clients what to change about their existing furnishings, art and design and can bring in supplemental items.

Every home staged by ShowHomes receives professional photographs as well. “Photos are usually the buyer’s first impression of your home, so they are very important,” she says. “We want the home to stand out among everyone else’s.”

A Different Kind of Design

Home staging is different from interior design, Odom says.

“It’s not designing for one person’s specific taste,” she says. “We want to appeal to a large group of people. We try to get owners to neutralize the home—for example, we need to remove football stuff or any kind of personalization. You’d be surprised how much of a turnoff that can be for a buyer.” To ensure a neutral, polished look, Odom has a warehouse full of furniture, art, rugs and more she uses to stage homes.

“We work in all homes, from lower price points all the way up to multi-million dollar homes,” she says. “Our furnishings match the price point at which the home is listed, so it is a very realistic, seamless look.”

She also consults with clients about paint colors and other upgrades they might make to help their home sell quickly.

“Whenever I walk into a home, I’m looking at it from a buyer’s perspective,” she says. “I don’t want for you to come back and say the home is getting feedback that buyers don’t like the paint colors or the flooring—we cover all of that. With the pandemic, a lot of people are working from home, and they don’t want to have to worry about having painters come in while they’re in their home. So it’s always best if you can paint and do any type of updates before the home is on the market.”

Many clients are so pleased with Odom’s work on their old home that they hire her to help set up their new one. All furnishings are for sale if clients want to purchase them for their new home, which helps keep Odom’s inventory fresh.

“We also do a lot of design work for our clients,” Odom says. “We can come into their new home and help them select furniture, update light fixtures, and choose paint colors and flooring.”

Results That Speak for Themselves

Many times, Odom says home staging is either the first option or the last resort.

“We get a lot of calls from clients whose home has been sitting on the market for two years,” she says. “Most of the time, we come in and stage, and it’s under contract in a week. It’s really amazing.”

Odom says she wishes all customers would make staging their first option.

“Think of it like this: your first price drop is generally $10,000 to $15,000,” she says. “Our staging services are cheaper than that price drop. So in reality, staging saves you money because it makes it much more likely you’ll sell the home for more money, more quickly. When we get those messages telling us the house under contract, I still get excited to hear that every time. I love what I do, and I love helping people.”