Live-in stagers could push sales

Abandoned properties are eyesores, but Valerie Szymaniak of Boca Raton has a sales-minded solution. She’s created a nationwide corporation of about 25 live-in stagers — temporary residents who bring their own furniture and do basic maintenance and lawn care in exchange for deeply discounted rents of as much as 25 percent to 40 percent off. She said South Florida lenders have been slow to respond to the opportunity, but she still sees potential. [Sun Sentinel]