Website Aims to Turn Vacant Houses into Model Homes.(Managing REO)(Website overview)

Boca Raton, FL-A concerned citizen, Valerie Szymaniak, who has worked in real estate for more than 20 years, recently launched a new website (www.myvacanthouse.com) to help reduce the adverse impact that vacant homes for sale have on surrounding neighborhoods.

Myvacanthouse.com addresses the nationwide epidemic of vacant houses on a grand scale, but applies its unique solution one house and one neighborhood at a time. The site serves as an interactive one-stop destination that links individuals who own vacant homes or the banks that own foreclosed homes with on-site home managers.

These live-in property managers stage the vacant house while it's for sale, agree to maintain it in model condition, pay the utility bills and pay a fee that could partly offset the carrying costs. The site even allows the homeowner to see photos of the prospective manager's furniture and read about them to help choose the right home manager for the house.

In exchange for their services the home managers enjoy the benefit of reduced-price houses for rent at a time when millions are looking for ways to reduce monthly expenses.

The concept is not new, says Ms. Szymaniak. For decades so-called home managers or live-in home stagers have been used to help sell vacant houses. Most real estate professionals agree that an occupied home has greater emotional appeal and charm than an empty one, and usually sells more quickly and commands a higher price."I developed an interest in vacant home staging about five years ago while I was looking for a house to buy," recalls Ms. Syzmaniak.

"I realized thatmany homesdidn't show well, especially vacant houses. If potential buyers like the way a house is decorated and the ambiance that's created, they spend much more time in the house. They can imagine themselves living there." Model homes are designed to ignite that feeling and emotion, she describes. "When a house is empty, it has no personality or atmosphere and people tend to focus on theflaws, because that's where the eye settles, i.e.dark tile, bad paint, and old counter tops. When a house has ...