HOME STAGING, Rants & Ravings

$1,000 Staging. Done Right or Done Wrong?

2009-03-20T09:00:00.003-05:00

When a home stager is hired one of their primary responsibilities is to stage the property in a manner that best solves problems or perceived issues sellers may have with it. Unfortunately this may not always happen.

CASE IN POINT: Recently I received an Email from Adam in Chicago asking for advice over a dispute he was having with his stager regarding the worked she had preformed. Adam wrote…

Hello Craig,

My name is Adam and I am having a disagreement with a stager I hired.

I am trying to sell a 2-bedroom condo in Chicago and recently hired a professional to stage the empty condo. The property is unique in that the living room is very long and narrow, which is why my realtor and I thought it was important to stage it to show its potential. This is the only living area of the property so it has to look like a living room.

We've since (the staging) had ten showings without an offer.

I had two friends over… both of them said is "this room looks like a hallway". They also said that the way it's staged does not show the potential of the living room.

I called the stager… and she maintains that the room is properly staged and that I need to respect her professional opinion. She discounts these opinions because she says she's the professional.

Do you have any tips on how I could deal with my stager?

Thank you very much,
Adam

So that you have a complete picture of all that was done and how Adam's $1,000 was used to stage his property, I have created this short video show.

So... now that you have a more complete picture, I have a few final questions for you to consider.

Given the budget, Adam’s instruction, and the style of the home, did the stager stage the home correctly?
Did the stager provide a good solution for the problematic living room?
If Adam feels the solution provided does not solve the living rooms problem, what should he do?
What actions do you suggest the stager take to solve the problem?

Whether you are a seller, stager or realtor... I am curious to know what you think.

Craig

Getting “PUNCHY” about Great Real Estate Reads

2008-08-11T10:13:00.014-05:00

While many people think that a home stager’s job is just to be glorified interior decorators... we actually do much more. So while making a home look good is important, a stager’s job typically begins with a much less glamorous task of putting together a Punch List of repair and maintenance tasks sellers need to complete prior to going to market.

So whether you are a home seller or a real estate blog reader, a Punch Lists can be of great value. These lists simplify, guide and direct us as to where we should focus and invest tour time and efforts. That is why I am calling my top 5 choices the “Punch List of Real Estate Do Reads” submitted for this week’s Carnival of Real Estate.

Making my top 5 list (in no special order) for this week are:

DO READ: “3 Bogus Real Estate Statistics - Know Them or Be Burned By Them” by Joe Manausa at Really Better Real Estate. I gotta admit I enjoyed Joe’s discussion on why he feels the 80/20 Rule, 153 Days is the average market time, and Average Selling Price is 97.3% of List Price are all bunk.

DO READ: “Every House’s Value is Dropping Except Mine!” by Amy Bohutinsky at the Zillow Blog. Amy, I can only say “from your blog to seller’s ears!” Nice job.

DO READ: “When Do Schools Start In St. Louis” by Karen Goodman at St. Louis Real Estate Insights. While I don’t live in St. Louis, I gotta admit I found Karen’s post to be quite interesting, and would venture to bet that what Karen notes as a trend in St. Louie takes place all over the country.

DO READ: “Fannie Mae Adds New Risk-Based Pricing and ‘Adverse Market’ Fees for All Conforming Mortgage Applicants” by Dan Green at The Mortgage Reports. If you have read any of his past posts you know that Dan is as prolific as the title to this post of his is long. In this post he shares great insight as to why he expects that loan-level pricing adjustments will continue to increase for a 5th and 6th time before 2009.

DO READ: “How to Sell My House” by Surfer Sam at Surfer Sam Online. With each new day a new seller comes to market. Because this is so, the advice Sam offers never is old. In this post Sam does a nice job breaking get a home sold down to the basics.

I hope find my list of 5 my “to do” list of real estate blogs for this week informative. However, I gotta admit reading through all the posts submitted to the 103rd Edition of the Carnival of Real Estate left me a bit punchy. But I am glad to be a host... cause each week the Carnival points to something that expands my knowledge and understanding to the ever changing, complex and multifaceted world of real estate.

Blog on!
Me

Selling Your Vanilla Box

2008-07-22T09:22:00.020-05:00

We all know that the real estate market is in a major slump. Nothing seems to make that grim point more real then when one takes a short drive through any neighborhood. For it is there we see, dotting the front yards of so many homes, a multitude of For Sale signs. But while looking at a sign in a front yard makes a tangible point of reference for what is happening with the sales of single family homes, what is taking place with regard to the condo market is sometimes harder to see. Because often there is no sign, it is easy to overlook the fact that there are many many condominiums for sale too.

In some ways selling a condo is harder then selling a single family home. First, it is not uncommon, especially in larger developments, for one condo in a building to be selling against another condo configured with the exact same floor plan, features and finishes. And, except for slight differences in the exterior façades, it is also not unusual to find one building full of condos to be pretty much the same as another building full of condos in the same neighborhood.

Sellers need to understand that with so many condos to choose from, they all start looking the same to the buyer. In the buyer’s eye, without much distinguishing one from another, they become just another Vanilla Box.

While there are many configurations of the Vanilla Box, the typical Vanilla Box of today has the door in the rear, sliding patio doors to a balcony in the front, and a kitchen in the middle with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and an island that separates the kitchen space from the open dining/living room area. All are pretty much the same…floor to floor, building to building, neighborhood to neighborhood.

With so many condos being relatively the same, the chance for a sale is quite competitive. Plus, if you are a home seller that is currently living in a Vanilla Box, in a neighborhood that offers similarly priced NEWLY constructed Vanilla Boxes… keep in mind that a shiny new Box is much more appealing to a buyer, than a scuffed, scratched, and worn used Box.

Good news is that the hope for a sale of your Vanilla Box is not a lost cause… for either the independent owner trying to sell their unit, or for the builder trying to sell one or more units. Both, for different reasons, can benefit from hiring an EXPIRIENCED home stager.

Stagers will help individual seller trying to sell their unit in a number of ways. First, they will point out the problem areas that make a used home look used, and then offer low cost ideas and solutions that make the condo feel new. Next, while it is a fact that a furnished property is easier to sell then vacant; sellers need to understand that due to size constraints of the home (typically condos are more compact) furnishings in the condo needs to be set in a way that they actually help the condo show and flow for touring… and a stager can help here too. Good staging is a balance between adding the right amount of visual appeal, without having the interior décor distract the seller’s eye from the property they are considering buying.

For the builder, a Stager can also be of great service. Who hasn’t been a bit surprised to experience a builder’s empty vanilla white unit after touring their lush and lovely model? For this reason large builders have for years had model properties for buyers to first tour. Today, the opportunity and benefit of having a model unit need not be a selling advantage reserved only for the larger builder. Smaller builders can hire a Stager who can provide low cost, yet beautifully designed staged-model solutions. PLUS, if the builder is selling multiple units in one building, should the staged unit sell, the staged model can be moved from one unit and re-set in the next. The added flexibility of a “rolling” model offers yet more flavor and appeal to the Vanilla Box.

So yes, without a doubt this is a tough market, especially for condo owners. But properties are selling. Fortunately, builders and owners of Vanilla Boxes can change the flavor of their offering from FOR SALE to SOLD… with the help of a Home Stager.

Flavor It Forward...

Stagers Should Picture What They Preach

2008-06-26T09:17:00.015-05:00

Without a doubt the end result of a home’s staging should be a great visual impression. Because this is so, home staging has come to be viewed as an “image” industry. But as a relatively new industry, home stagers have much to learn from their counterparts in other more established image industries such as advertising, interior design, and landscaping. Professionals in these fields know that to sell and grow their own businesses; they must first present a good visual image of themselves. This impression starts with the logos, business cards, and websites they use to market their products and services.

Be leary of staging hypocrits. If home stagers are going to pitch the need and importance of investing money to ready properties (which is a home seller's "product") for market, then the stager needs to invest money to do the same for what they sell... their staging services. To be fair and judged credible, a home stager needs to invest in their business image. But more than just spending money. A stager's image, communicated through business cards, brochures, and websites, must demonstrate knowledge of and skill to apply basic design principals. Why? Well, basic design principals are universal and govern all visual creativity, including the skill and ability to properly stage a home.

Picture what they preach. Another area, where real estate stagers need to practice what they preach, is in the portfolios they use to sell their ability. First and foremost, the work they show MUST ONLY be theirs... and it better look good. If stagers are going advise sellers and Realtors as to the importance of using good photography to capture and present a home, then again, a stager needs to do the same with photography they show of the their work. A stager's portfolio is a key, yet often overlooked tool that communicates quality, skill and ability.

Seller’s looking to hire a stager can use a stager’s online portfolio to pre-screen and judge a stager's talent and ability. The best portfolios address the following 3 points.

Versatility & Proficiency - Every market is different and examples of the work a stager shows should represent the types of homes being sold in the markets they serve. However the more depth and diversity a stager can show the better. The most compelling portfolios will show staging work that was done in both big and small homes, vacant and occupied homes, low to high end homes, and the ability in to work with a variety of design styles.
Same View Point - Proof of a stager's skill and ability is often shown in Before & After photographs. But quite often the Before photo is taken from a totally different position in a room, from the After photo. The best sales testament that shows a stager’s ability and talent come from having Before & After photographs taken from the EXACT same angle.
Quality Photos - While it may not be possible to take the perfect Before, the After image needs to be well photographed. Stagers that invest the time and money to take quality photos visually communicate their commitment to their profession.

Just as a home that is for sale is being judged by how it looks, sellers can use the business images a stagers shows of themselves to judge skill and ability. The best home stagers will picture what they preach.

Stage It Forward...
Me

See Why & How Seller Used Staging... and ends up selling in 10 Days!

2008-06-18T18:12:00.007-05:00

When Wallpaper Attacks, It Can Kill the Sale

2008-06-10T20:34:00.016-05:00

In today’s real estate market more and more home sellers are relying on home staging tips and advice to guide them in ways to best prepare their homes for selling. So last week, when I was hired to tour a seller’s property to give them my “Buyer’s Eye” advice, a monster of a problem reared its ugly head. The wallpaper in my client’s home was so extremely ugly I told them I just had to write a blog about it and use it as an example on how monsters like this will negatively affect a home’s sale.

So for the fun of it, and to drive home my point, I present to you (below) what I saw. So hideous was this wallpaper, I have to admit it almost looks like a cliché. However be wise, while not all wallpaper is as ugly this, it still is a problematic issue that sellers need to pay attention to. Fortunately, my clients were motivated and open to advice and willing to take it down. They know they had to present the most competitively appealing property as possible to sell in today’s market. But when it comes to wallpaper, not all sellers are as accepting of staging advice. I have found that the topic of wallpaper usually results in eye rolling, harrumphing, justification and/or avoidance with sellers. So if you are serious about selling your wallpapered home, you need to look it from a sellers view. Keep in mind, regardless of how “fantastic” you think your home’s wallpaper is, it is a HIGHLY personal expression of taste, so chances are potential buyers will NOT like it. Second, buyers want to buy their dream home ready for today, not yesterday. Wallpaper is trendy and needlessly ages a home.

But most importantly, what sellers need to know is this…. when buyers see wallpaper they don’t like, they see dollar signs. When it comes to spending their hard earned money to buy their dream, buyers will scrutinize and negatively react to your wallpapered home as, hopefully, you reacted to my extreme examples above.

So you need to know that any and all the resistance you have about removing wallpaper will be the EXACT same resistance a buyer will have about it too. Buyers know removing wallpaper is an arduous task that can be costly. Because this is the reality of buying a home with wallpaper, buyers know in this market they can and will move on to the next home that does not have that monster to battle.

Stage It Forward...
Me

5 Simple Factors That Keep Your Home From Selling

2008-05-31T08:14:00.022-05:00

Believe it or not, even though the market is “bad” homes are still selling. Of course they are not selling at the rate they used to… but they are selling. So if you are trying to sell your house and find yourself asking the question “Why isn’t my home selling?” you may be surprised to know that the answer to that question is quite simple, but a bit multifaceted. The sale of a home in today’s market is dependant on a five factors that if not seriously considered and advantageously applied will keep your home from selling.

The first factor you must look at is PRICE. The asking price of a home today can not be dependant on what the price would/could have been in the “good old days”. The price of your home must be appropriate for today’s market… AND, because there are so many other homes in the market, it also needs to be aggressively competitive. Home buyers want and will spend the least to buy the most they can. Holding out for more, will only result in MORE time on market… so be wise.

The next factor is CONDITION. The better condition your home is in, the more attractive it is. Buyers do not want to spend their money repairing and making simple updates once they take possession. A home that is “move-in ready” is going to be snatched up long before a similar home that needs attention. Investing in a home inspection and addressing any major issues earlier on may cost you some money, but it will never cost you the sale. However, problematic issues, discovered by the buyer’s inspector, will still cost you money and also may be just enough to kill the sale. Besides hiring a home inspector, who focuses more on structural and mechanical conditional issues, you might want to also work with a home stager who will focus on the numerous smaller maintenance details and repair concerns that influence a buyer’s perception of condition.

PRESENTATION, both on-line and in person, is third factor that needs to be taken into account. The on-line presentation of your property needs to be captured and shown in first rate photography. Gone are the days when a Realtor could take poor quality digital snapshots and loaded them into an MLS system. Today’s buyer, who lives are busy and hectic as yours, depends on the Internet to help them prescreen properties. Better photos capture and tell a better sales story. In addition to having quality photos taken of your home, it still must look great when being toured by a buyer. An experienced home stager will guide and direct you to set and present your home so it can be easily toured and distinguished from your possessions in it.

Hiring the right listing AGENT is the fourth key factor essential in getting your property sold. Selecting a Realtor, solely because they recommended the highest listing price, may be the biggest reason why your home will not sell. Picking a savvy and strategic Agent who has skillful with a variety of marketing tactics and who is adept in working through a myriad of sales issues that can stop a sale once a buyer makes an offer is crucial. An experienced Realtor, who has a proven track record that demonstrates they have mastered both the marketing side and the sales side of real estate, will earn every penny they are paid for selling your home.

The fifth and final factor has to do with your INVOLVEMENT. Sellers need to fully share concerns, needs and objectives with the selected Agent right from the start and continue until the property is sold. But while candid honesty is key, it must also be two way street. Your Realtor must not only listen to you, but you must listen to them. So stay informed, watch the market conditions, and objectively listen to the feedback after showings. Then consider and act on key information you gather as if you were the buyer. Ultimately your home’s sale is controlled by you… NOT your Realtor.

So that’s it… the secrets are finally revealed on how to sell your home in a tough buyer’s market. How you choose to work with and apply these five simple factors will make, stall or totally keep your home from selling. In closing, if you think that just because you have a few of the factors under control your home will sell, you are wrong. It really takes all five working in together.

Sell It Forward...
Me

Use FLOWER POWER to Sell Your Home

2008-05-25T14:52:00.004-05:00

Before you put your home up for sale in the market, do yourself a favor and take a short walk and a quick drive.

First walk across the street and take a good hard discerning look at your property and then, after your walk, take a drive around your neighborhood and look at how your home measures up to the rest of the homes… whether they are for sale or not. The better you home looks, compared to your neighbors and the neighboring competition, the better chance you have to sell.

Buyers assume the better a home looks outside the better it will look on the inside. So while there may be specific repair maintenance issues that can and should be attended to with your home’s physical structure… don’t overlook the fact that you can fuel your home’s sale with a little FLOWER POWER.

How can you tap into the power of the flower to sell your home? Well consider the following:

Garden beds should be cleaned out, weeded and planted with plants that are appropriate for the time of year and/or region you live in. No need to be exotic… old standard annual flowering plants, like marigolds, geraniums, petunias and impatiens, are typically very hardy and will add color and appeal buyers like. Turn over the dirt or add fresh mulch. Add dirt or mulch to bare areas under large shade trees. Deadhead (remove) blooms on flowering plants once they dye.

Trees, shrubs and vines should be pruned and trimmed. If a bush or tree is dead or dying, remove it and replace it with a similar size and type of plant if at all possible. Cut out any dead wood and cut out or back tree limbs touching the home and/or roof. Overtime small shrubs can grow so large that they become large bushes that need be trimmed back or removed entirely. Remember, people buy homes that are light and bright, so any plant that keep sunlight from entering the in and block the view out should be tended to.

Lawns need to be green, mowed, weeded and trimmed. Reseed bare patches in the lawn. Make sure the edges of all flower beds are clearly defined. Trim grass along sidewalks and the driveway. Pull any weeds or sprouts of grass growing out of cracks in the drive or walkways. Weeds tend to be hardier then grass in draught conditions and therefore stand out in lawns in an unbecoming way. So if you live in an area under water restrictions, be sure to weed the lawn. Oh… and don’t forget to clean up Fido’s lawn contributions.

Decks and patios are common to most homes. But a deck or patio that is actually set with furniture and flowering planters can instantly be seen as a bonus living area. Buyers will most likely tour the inside of the home before the outside. Since the buyer will first see the deck or patio as they are inside looking out. So when setting the deck or patio, strategically consider the first visual impression from the inside looking out onto these outdoor spaces.

Finally, and most importantly, make sure the front door’s stoop/porch is blooming beautiful. As the realtor fumbles for keys, trying to figure out how to open the door, buyers are standing behind looking around with anxious, yet critical, eyes. Yes, this space should be neat and swept clean, but colorful flower filled beds and planters will add welcoming interest and visual appeal like nothing else.

Blooming gardens and well maintained lawns will never scare off a buyer. So in this time when fuel prices are at a record high and the real estate market is at a record low… remember you can always rely on flower power to sell your home.

Bloom It Sold...

The A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s of Home Staging

2008-05-05T08:42:00.005-05:00

I often now receive inquires about home staging, from home sellers all over the country, that typically start by asking a question such as, “Can you give me a little information on how staging works and what staging a home costs?” Since so many start their inquiry with the same question, I thought it would be helpful to answer with what I call the “A-B-C’s of Home Staging.”

A is for ABOUT home staging in general. Actually, if you are going to stage your property you need to know that it is ABOUT a 2 step process. The first step is the “prepping of the property. Prepping the house basically attends to the conditional issues that need to be repaired, cleaned and/or updated. The second step is ABOUT the “pretty visual” that people think of when they think of home staging. This step has to do with the physical setting/arranging of the furnishings and/or accessories within a house. The combined goal of the 2 steps is to create a house that shows it best and ultimately will draw the interest of the widest buying demographic possible.

B is for BASIC types of staging services. While there are 6 Basic types of staging services, it is important to note that all stagers offer all six. The services a stager offers the better it is for you. Since you actually won’t know what you will need until the stager visits for the first time, a stager that provides more service types is better equipped to guide you based on your needs and not cut short the impact of staging because of their own limitations.

The 6 BASIC staging service types are:

Consult Staging: This type of staging solely taps into a Stager’s knowledge. First focusing on the condition of a home, a Stager visits a property to meticulously instruct on all that must be done to best prep and then set the property for market.

Re-Arrange Staging: This type of services relies on both the Stager’s knowledge and their physical labor. Once a home’s conditional needs are met, a Stager arranges the property by physically setting it using only the seller's existing furniture and decorative accessories.

Enhance Staging: Again, once conditional issues are addressed, the Stager will then set the interior space. But not only are the existing furniture and accessories used, but the Stager will bring and blend in decorative accessories and/or furniture from their inventory. These “props” are loaned or rented to the seller while the home is for sale.

Reseller Vacant Staging: When a "preowned" house is vacant, there is not much else to look at, conditional issues and concerns are amplified and ultimately fixated on by buyers. So while it is important that conditional needs be addressed, a Stager is hired to then maximize the home’s visual appeal by fully setting it with the appropriate furnishings and accessorizes.

Rehab Vacant Staging: When conditional issues throughout a older property are repaired and updated to today's trends, a Stager is hired to then maximize the home’s visual appeal by fully setting it with the appropriate furnishings and accessorizes.

Model Vacant Staging: While conditional in new construction is not an issue, “life-styling” is. Models typically rely more on projecting a “life-styled” visual appeal then a preowned vacant. A good Stager understands and designs within a specific life-style marketing concept when furnishing, accessorizing and setting a vacant spec / model property.

C is for COST to hire a home stager. What hiring costs actually are depends on how much Talent (knowledge), Time (physical labor) and Treasure (props) a stager provides. If a seller has a limited amount to spend, then the best value a stager can provide is the Consult. For as little as $100 (in some markets) a Stager can be hired to scrutinize a property and provide professional staging advice and guidance. From there it is realistic to expect to pay anywhere from $35 to $75 per hour for a stager’s services. As for props, the fees for renting these items will vary based on just what is being rented and the length of time the items are being rented for.

Sellers are not only realizing the cost of staging will pay off, but actually ARE benefiting from making the investment. Let’s face it; if “time is money” then reduced market time is a great return on investment. So regardless of staging solution proposed, a good stager will do all they can to maximize the return on a seller’s staging budget so that the house sells… 1-2-3.

So there you have it, today’s blog lesson on the A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s of home staging.

Staging It Forward...
Me

Not All Staging Bananas Are Ripe & Ready

2008-04-30T21:17:00.026-05:00

So my home selling pets, would you like to pick a house stager but are not sure which in the bunch to hire? Plus does the fact that when you think about it, it seems like there are more and more people becoming Home Stagers almost overnight?

Well, you are right; it can be a tough to know which stager you should work with, especially since staging is still relatively new in most parts of the USA. You are also right if you noticed that there are many new bananas rapidly joining the staging bunch.

To make a wise and informed pick, you need to understand that unfortunately a “professional stager” may just be an average green Jane or Joe who just fell out of a training tree. Many are transformed into “professionals” because they sat through a one, two or three day foundation training workshop. That's it, as little as one day, and WA LA a new staging banana with a title tacked on.

So be wise, home staging credentials that hype “trained,” “certified” or “accredited” can be a bit deceiving… especially considering that it can take as little as one day to be trained and graduated from foundation training programs. This is not to say that there are well qualified real estate stagers who have been professional trained. But remember, above everything, the ripeness of EXPERIENCE trumps all else... even “credentials."

Unfortunately, the home staging industry is an unregulated wild bunch. Because this so... sellers are at risk, especially in this tough selling market. Actually, picking a green stager could cost you some green. So while staging looks mighty tasty, to those of you who are looking for some hope and help, don’t blindly accept the fact that a stager, with a horde of initials after their name, is experienced and fully yet knows what to do to maximize your homes staged appeal.

So how can you pick out a ripe experienced stager? Well, it is not the difficult, if you keep in mind that home staging is an “image” industry.

Considering it is a stager’s job is to create a good first visual impression of home seller’s property, then a good stager needs to do the same for themselves. A good stager knows the importance of and how to present a good visual first impression of their company and their work.

To start to weed out amateurs from the experienced, first consider looking closely at the stager's portfolio for examples of their work. Also, make sure that you ask the stager if they ACTUALLY staged the properties they show in their portfolio... believe it or not there are some foundation training programs that give green stagers a set of “starter” portfolio photos. Finally if you have any doubts, you can always ask the stager for testimonials from past clients and/or references.

So that’s it, considering its a jungle out there, this is pretty easy. That is all you need to know and do to be a good home selling monkey and pick the ripe stager.

Staging It Forward...
Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thank you to Rich at the "The Official Active Rain Blog" for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The Top 10 Rides" in the 89th Carnival of Real Estate.

You Can Stage It... Even if THEY Still Don't Get It

2008-04-12T01:14:00.018-05:00

In the 4 years I have been staging, I now notice a new trend taking place... the number of calls we get directly from home sellers, prior to their hiring of a Realtor, is on a sharp rise. But the odd thing is that while staging has been out there now for a number of years, it still AMAZES me how snubbed, ignored, and misunderstood the staging message has been by the Realtor community in general. For what ever reason, many Realtors seem to have shut down any possibility to understand any opportunity staging offers.

Why aren't Realtors getting it? Well, I have a feeling that what many Realtors think staging is... actually is not all that it is.

If a seller goes on line and finds a list of "10 Things You Can Do To Ready Your Home for Selling" and does as it advises... THAT IS home staging.

If seller’s Realtor then comes to look at the home and directs them to do 10 more things, that better readies their property for selling, and they do those things... THAT IS home staging.

If a Stager is hired and they find and additional 10 MORE things for the seller to attend to and the seller and/or the Stager do them... THAT IS home staging.

Just as selling a house does NOT always require a Realtor, staging a house does NOT always require a Stager. However, home sellers who have worked with a good and reputable Stager have learned that we do see more issues that work against the homes sale and offer more creative ideas and solutions to ready/package/market a home for selling in ways they never considered.

First, and most often, the service a Stager does is give advice. We guide, direct and counsel home sellers as to what they can do to BEST to prepare their property for selling. A Stager can also coach sellers on how to quickly, easily and inexpensively accomplish and address that which can be done to help make the home more appealing. Consulting services from good Stagers are, in some markets, less then $100. If needed, Stagers can come in and help do some of the things that need to be done to prepare the home for selling… including “setting” the interior space.

Information is power. The more you and your Realtor knows and understands what home staging does and does NOT do and when to use our services , the more empowered you both are.

So don't let the words "staging" or "Stager" trip you up. While these words are relatively new, what we advise has been given as advice in real estate sales for year. All that has really changed is that there is an entire INDUSTRY now committed to understanding the intricacies of how a home can be best merchandised and marketed as a product so that it entices them to buy.

Staging It Forward...

Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thanks you REACHED.COM for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The 8 Top Picks" in the 87th Carnival of Real Estate.

Chipping Away the "PRICE IS KING" Myth in Home Selling

2008-04-04T07:00:00.011-05:00

The way many Realtors and home sellers rely on pricing as a marketing strategy for home selling is not entirely all it is cracked up to be. Believe it or not there is a simple yet profound parallel lesson both Realtor and seller can gain from the way Lay's potato chips are packaged, priced, marketed and sold and how real estate is packaged, priced, marketed and sold.

First, lets me be clear... when it comes to selling anything, be it real estate or potato chips, price IS king. It is a fact that the selling market will only get the price the buying market is willing to pay... this is what makes price "KING". However, I think that too many agents and sellers collapse the concept of "KING" down to mean it is the ONLY thing that matters when it comes to selling real estate. They don't understand the total ramifications of HOW pricing is but one factor managed and integrated into the overall marketing and selling process of real estate.

With that in mind, let's crunch on the pricing lesson of the potato chip...

Recently I saw a persuasive news segment on CBS Sunday Morning. In the piece the correspondent reported on the dynamic and well-regulated world of food labels. Interviewed for the segment was the Product Manager at FritoLay that was responsible for marketing their "natural" potato chip product. FritoLay knows that while Classic Lay's Potato Chips (Bet'cha can't eat just one!) have been a snack "staple" in America for years, consumer tastes change. Because markets and tastes change, FritoLay knows they must ongoingly develop products… including potato chip products.

Surprisingly on camera, the FritoLay's marketing manger shared a company "secret" about one of their newer products... the Natural Potato Chip. She revealed that Lay's Natural Chips are for the most part exactly same product as Lay’s Classic Chips. BOTH are nutritionally the same product and are made using the same type of potato and are cooked in the same way. The only real difference, between the two, is that "natural" chips are salted with sea salt, a salt PERCEIVED to be more natural, are cut thicker and are put in bag that looks more earthy in color and has a matte (paper bag like) finish. Classic Chips go into a shiny red and yellow bag.

Ok, so what! Both bags of chips are the same. What's does that have to do with price?

Well, there is one other BIG difference between Lay’s Natural and Classic chips. FritoLay admitted that they put LESS chips in the Natural chip bag AND the then charge MORE for them. That's right, less product for MORE money. So if price really is KING, how could they get away with this? Well, FritoLay's knows that buyers buy what they want...some potato chip consumers want "natural" chips. Buyers do not perceive Classic Chips as natural... even though they really are. If FritoLay wants to sell chips to the "natural" buyer, they have to sell a product that is viewed as "natural" they know he packaging then becomes essential in driving home the "natural" point.

So even though these chips are basically the same, because the potato chips are packaged in a way that buyers can easily and visually relate to them... they buy them. FritoLay knows that buyers buy products, as simple as potato chips, when they connect to it.

Or said another way... even though homes are often the similar, when homes are packaged (staged) in a way buyers can easily and visually relate to them... they buy them. Stagers know that buyers buy products, as COMPLEX as a home, when they can connect to it. A real estate stager's job is to package a house in a way that the buyer will relate to. In a chip, THAT is what staging is all about.

So, while it is important for a home/listing be priced right, don’t be misguided into solely believing the "Price is King” myth… if you do then your home/listing may just end up sitting there on the market as a Real Estate Couch Potato.

Chip It Forward...
Me

It Ain't All Pretty... But it is Darn Good Marketing!

2008-03-27T12:22:00.019-05:00

Even though America is a consumer society, it's an odd fact that the typical home seller does not view their property as a product for sale in a marketplace. Because this is so, many home's sales end up languishing. But this need not be the case.

Basic old fashioned marketing principals teaches that how a product is perceived and received within the market can be positively altered and impacted… and this is where home staging can help. More then just being decorators or designers, good home stagers are focused in applying a full array of strategic property marketing principles and practices which positively influence the consumer about a product (your home) in a market.

So even though a staged home might look attractive, it is important to note that staging is NOT solely about making a home just look "pretty." In fact there are homes that CAN look visually attractive and STILL not be staged.

Any Realtor, home seller, or builder who thinks that all staging is is making a home look "pretty" is grossly ignorant to the reality of what a good stager does and therefore probably not using a stager and benefiting from what we do.

The "Why" and "How" a home is prepped and set for its showing and ultimate selling is what a staged home is all about. Be it Macy’s, Best Buy, Safeway, Walgreens etc., what we do is much like what happens every day in these retail stores across America.

Real estate staging is actually more about the process of strategically setting up (merchandising) a property in a manner that makes it not only easy for buyers to tour, but also creates a way for their eyes and hearts to connect to it with a powerfully effective first impression that lingers and stays with them.

Today I am not surprised to find there are many pretty homes that still are not selling. But a staged home, that is priced right, will sell quickly, even during ugly markets.

Stage It Forward...
Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thanks you HotPads.com for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The Fools Edition" in the 84th Carnival of Real Estate.

When Realtors Commit this Crime… Sellers Do the Time!

2008-03-13T22:19:00.034-05:00

Earlier this week I received a phone call from a desperate a home seller looking to home staging as marketing solution that would help finally sell his $499,000 town home... that had been on the market for over 1½ half years. Right from the start, the caller was frank and wanted to make sure I knew that when compared to similar sized units for sale in the development, his townhouse was the most expensive. He also wanted to make sure I understand the price difference was due to the fact that his property had been totally gutted and extensively remodeled… including the kitchen and baths. So while they all were same size on the inside and looked the same on the outside… his was NOT exactly the same as the neighboring “competition”.

Intrigued to know what we would be working with, I hoped to take a little "sneak peak" and pop over to the listing Realtor’s site. I asked the seller for the name of his Realtor and the name of the firm he sold for. Hmmm… I never heard of THAT company. So I did a quick Google search to find the Realtors site. To my surprise NOTHING came up. WOW… the listing real estate company, nor the Realtor, had a website to market themselves OR their listings. OK, that is a bit odd, but it was a small real estate company… after all there are other online property marketing options available to Realtors for their listings.

Luckily the seller happened to know his MLS#. So with no other place to go and see view the property on line, I did what I have done before... I went over to a popular online-listing site here in Chicago that give buyers the power to preview and pre-screen properties ahead of time. At that site I punched in the MLS#. WA-LA! The listing popped up with an exterior shot of the caller’s property! (Shown Above)

But to my surprise and dismay that was the only picture available on line for anyone to look at. The Realtor was relying on just ONE picture on one publicly accessible site to capture and sell all that this totally updated and rehabbed property had to offer. Why wasn’t the remodeled interior of this town home being marketed? If you ask me there is no excuse for this level of service and is nothing less then a marketing crime. Why a crime? Well, if it is estimated that 80 to 85% of homes buyers now FIRST pre-shop properties via the Internet... what would you say about a Realtor relying on one exterior shot for the buying public to preview is? But the story gets worse.

After we hung up, I was now even more curious. Something told me to take a look at this seller’s competition. So I dug a bit deeper. I then found 2 comparable properties within the exact same development. (SEE clipped ads shown in the larger graphic along with larger original ad) One property listed for $84,000 less then the property the caller owned and the other listed for $89,000 less. Now I know there could be a lot of discussion, pro and con, about the effect listing price has on property sale’s probability, this is NOT the point of this post.

The point I am making has to do with marketing. While I know there are many marketing options and tools (like real estate staging) available. Each Realtor, of these 2 cheaper properties, invested the time and money to tap into one of the most basic yet most effective marketing tools available today. Each used MULTIPLE photos posted on easily an accessible listing site to help build and reinforce potential buyer’s interest. Considering the seller, who I was talking to, had a property that costs more AND offered more, would it not be helpful to capture and display those differences to potential buyers? Plus, what does NOT showing the interior communicate to potential buyers?

Finally just let me say that most likly it is not just the lack of pictures that are keeping this property from selling. The point is that Realtors in today’s industry MUST realize that digital photography, which is cheap and easy, coupled with easily accessible on-line listing sites now give buyers the power to preview and pre-screen properties. (Watch my CURB APPEAL SHOW) Any Realtor that chooses to ignore this basic yet very important fact is committing a crime, that ultimately can cause his client's to have to do some time while they wait for their homes to seller.

Market It Forward…
Me

WOW... REUTERS picked up on this post! (Click Here to see)

Absolute BEST 13 Home Staging Tips

2008-03-08T13:00:00.020-06:00

Are you having a hard time determining where to start your own home staging and just what exactly are the best home staging tips? Well... I feel your pain and totally understand.

When I Googled the phrase “home staging tips" today my search I ended up with 29,300 results. WOW, if you even ask this home stager, going through THAT result list is a daunting task and would be far too much research for ANY home seller.

So to help home sellers narrow down their options, I did my own research... and found what I think is a great list of basic tips on HGTV’s website. HGTV lists a comprehensive list that applies to both dwelling & selling. So to help focus the message only on staging, I rewrote them and condensed them down.

So while there is a lot being said out there, this "best of" real estate staging tip list is a great starting place for advice that will surly help any home seller begin their own real estate staging project.

So lets get started...

WORK ON YOUR ENTRANCE – Whether you are on a job interview, going on a first date or selling your home… first impressions matter. What buyers see on the outside starts to inform them on what to expect on the inside. So clean it up, touch up the paint, add plants and flowers… in general, make the buyer feel welcome.
CLEAR OUT CLUTTER - We think counter tops, cabinets, closets, garages, basements, and attics as storage spaces, but often they become clutter keepers. Purging out the old is not only therapeutic but allows a path for the new. Remember too much clutter distracts and obstructs buyers from seeing what you are selling. So clear it out.
LESS FURNITURE = MORE HOUSE - A room full of furniture can feel as cluttered as an accountants desk top during tax season. Removing all but what makes sense and is necessary will make the room fell bigger… plus it may free up a piece better used elsewhere.
FLOAT YOUR FURNITURE – Typical furniture arrangement makes me think of young boys at their first junior high dance… wallflowers! When you “float” furniture, bringing it off the walls in into the centerof the room, you'll end up with rooms that result in three positive benefits. The rooms will feel open, interesting and appealing… all working to the seller’s advantage.
CROSS POLLINATE – Sellers get so used to seeing their furnishings, art and accessories used one way and never then see it any other way. Moving pieces that have always been used in Room “X” into Room “Y” can give new life and meaning to an old rooms. But don’t stop with furniture… color, texture and style elements that dominate one room can be moved into and amongst others to visually link the home and create flow and continuity.
GIVE OLD ROOMS NEW PURPOSE - As time moves on, the way people live and use their homes changes. Extra bedrooms become TV Dens which then become Home Offices. Basements go from being storage areas, to Rec Rooms to Media rooms. Setting up an old room with a new purpose helps buyers see more potential in a contemporary way.
LET THE LIGHT SHINE IN – Letting natural sunlight in always helps buyers SEE the home and its features. Draperies that are not open, or even when they are open still cover up a large portion of the window. Either way they can make a room feel closed-in and smaller. However, equally important is the fact that sellers may need to redirect a buyer’s attention from the view out the window. If that is the case, there are plenty of options today that downplay the outside but lets the light inside.
LAMP & LIGHT DONE RIGHT – Lighting in a home that is too dim, too harsh, or too cold can work against the sale of it. Warm and balanced lighting is what it is all about. Using a combination of as many of the different lighting types (overhead, accent lamps, and task) in each room will give a home the overall appealing glow buyers like. Oh, and don’t forget to light up the exterior… especially the entrance.
COLOR WITHIN THE LINES – Wallpaper is out and color (paint) is in… especially when selling a home. Wallpaper is typically a very personal design expression that overtime looks dated. While the popularity of color does trend, updating with paint it is an easy and inexpensive way to freshen up a home that is for sale. Don’t limit yourself to thinking of white as the only neutral color. Some shades of white can be the worst color to use to “neutralize”. There is a wide variety of beiges, tans, taupes, soft gold and greens that are not only “on trend” in a buyer’s eyes, but will also work well with your furnishings while you are selling.
BLACK IS THE NEW BLACK - Every year we hear how “Black is the new _______”. (Fill in the color of your choice.) The NEW _______ is typically a fleeting trend color. But black never goes out of style and most likely already in your home (maybe more then you ever noticed) in its finishes, fixtures and finishes. So use it to your advantage. Link the look of your home together with a variety of black accents, accessories and furnishings throughout that will ultimately create a home with visual appeal that buyers buy.
HANG ART ARTFULLY – A general rule of thumb… hang art so it easy to look INTO it and not up or down at it. Considering the average American’s height is 5’8” tall, hang art for that person’s eye level, so that they look slightly above center of the piece, works best. But, besides height, placement is also important. If a seller takes into consideration how a home buyer walks through and tours the home and what walls a buyer actually looks it, will help determine where to put art and where is it’s not as important.
COUNT TO 3 WITH ACCESSORIES - When it comes to balance don’t make the mistake and assume it is only created with equal symmetry. Balance can also be achieved using an odd number of items… typically 3. To help you accessorizing a table top, mantle or shelf start by selecting 3 items. One item should be lower/smaller, one medium sized and one taller/larger. Group them. If one, in relationship to any other, seems to big, or small, wide or skinny then swap it out for another.
OUTDOORS COMES IN – Bringing flowers and plants into a home is great advice. Adding them does 2 things to a home... they soften it and add life. So while bringing the outdoors in is a great tip, sometimes live plants are not available or practical. Don’t be afraid to invest in QUALITY silk plants and dried flowers, but remember a dusty silk or old faded dried arrangement can look as DEAD as any living plant that died. Finally, avoid seasonal plants and flowers… go for the green basics.

SORRY... If It's Ugly on the Outside Buyers Ain't Going Inside

2008-03-06T17:26:00.011-06:00

CURB APPEAL... well I am sure every home seller has heard about how important it is. But the truth is there just is not as much information out there that helps a seller understand what to do to stage the outside of a home as there is to stage the inside. Which is unfortunate because in some ways staging the outside of a home is even MORE important then the inside. WHY? Well let's face it, if the outside of a home looks bad a seller is probably NOT going to get a potential buyer to look at the inside... they will literally drive on.

So it was good to see that the Chicago Tribune published an article that took new look the “staging story” in its Special Curb Appeal Addition. In today’s Tribune, Carol Monaghan does a great job reporting not only WHY staging outside a home is important, as well as sharing some great home staging tips on just what a seller can do to make the outside of their homes be as appealing as possible.

Carol quotes a certain Chicagoland home stager who gives this simple advice... "Sellers should consider a home's ‘Web appeal’ too, says Craig Schiller, a home stager and principal of Real Estaging in Park Ridge. Because many buyers begin by prescreening houses on the Internet to determine which houses to visit, finding ways to make one stand out can give it an advantage over its competition."

This certain stager goes on to say… "People always say buying a house is the biggest purchase of your life. The reverse is also true: Selling a home is the biggest sale of your life. You want to do all you can to make buyers excited about your house." (Boy I love that quote! I wonder where I’ve heard that before?)

But seriously, while Carol's article offered some great curb appeal staging tips I think the most interesting tidbit she dug up and reported was a fact that every home seller should know… "A recent Real Estate Agent Community Trends survey, sponsored by Jeld-Wen Inc., found 82 percent of real estate agents had buyers refuse to look inside a house based on its exterior appearance."

WOW! 82% of the buyers won't walk into an "ugly on the outside" house! I gotta admit... even this certain stager didn't know that!

Me

OOPS Goes the Staging!

2008-03-03T18:10:00.001-06:00

From when we were just little kids we were taught there is a difference between what is right & wrong and what is good & bad. While these initial lessons of life had to do with basic relationship skills and behaviors, as we got older, we expanded in our awareness of good & bad, right & wrong rules that applied to other parts of our lives. Rules, we grew to understand, helped to guide us in subjects we study, the hobbies we undertake, the sports we play, and the work we do. In short, we gained insight and knowledge that there are proper ways things are to be done if you are going to do them well.

So while learned knowledge is a good thing, we also have discovered that correctly applying that knowledge can prove to be a quite a challenge…which also holds true to home staging. Even though there are those who are knowledgeable and appreciative of staging, some have come to realize it takes skill and ability to properly apply that knowledge. This is one of reasons why the staging industry is on the rise.

BUT, if you are young in your understanding of what staging is, there is something ELSE you need to know about it and the people who present themselves as stagers. Be advised… not everyone that says they know staging or claims they are stagers really can do it. There are far too many people now jumping in to an unregulated industry claiming they KNOW how to stage. Their final staging results unfortunately demonstrate their gross lack of understanding and break basic staging rules. AND I have to admit this really ticks me off!

To make my point, let me give you an example of a problematic staging in the form of a short video called "OOPS Goes the Staging!" (Oh… be sure your speakers are on.)

For the sake of fair disclosure, I want to let you know we here at Real Estaging are VERY familiar with the property featured and critiqued in my video… we actually lost the bid to stage it to whoever did the work in the video. So while some might think I am upset because we lost the job that person... that is just not the case. (Anyone that has been in sales for any length of time knows that is the way it is in sales... "You win some and you loose some.")

Anyway, the reason I am so ticked-off is because good and proper staging DOES follow certain rules, practices and procedures that when done well and done right will help the property sell. It is upsetting to know that this Chicago developer finally got the message that “staging helps to sell homes” and they were willing to invest hard earned money, only to get a final "staging" that actually works AGAINST their property's sale. Plus what makes this staging a sadder story is the fact that this was to be the model for a multi-unit property.

Unfortunately, Realtors, home sellers and small builders really don't know exactly what good home staging is and what it is not. Why? Well, for one reason home staging is still a relatively new marketing tool and has yet to be fully embraced as a viable option for selling homes. So if you are wondering, "What is GOOD and what is BAD staging?” or “What exactly makes a staging RIGHT from what makes it WRONG?" Well, to help you let's start with 4 Basic Staging Rules most of you have likely heard of. These basics are...

De-clutter and organize the home to minimize visual distractions.
Neutralize the home's look so that it appeals to the largest buying audience as possible.
Arrange furnishings and accessories to best show the home's space and features.
Add what's missing to finalize the home's appeal.

So as you watch the "OOPS goes the Staging!" video keep these very basic real estate staging rules in mind. By the time you are finished with it, you will begin to see and understand a little of what bad staging is and where this staging pooped out. And… in closing, if you remember nothing else I hope your remember this... filling a property chock full of pretty furnishings and accessories is NOT staging!

But when staging is done well and done right... it sells homes! PERIOD!

PS: If you would like MORE detailed explanation of the 12 BIGGEST STAGING OOPS in this property...be sure to click on the "DETAIL" button located along the bottom of the embedded video.

BUILDERS... FINISH PAINTING THE PICTURE TO SELL YOUR MASTERPIECES

2008-02-28T15:50:00.008-06:00

When the real estate market was hot, the practice of tearing down small outdated houses to build modern new homes was a popular practice taking place all over the USA. In some communities the resulting homes, that grew on the land where a small and ordinary once sat, were grand masterpiece properties. Builders learned that if they bought small tear-downs and built large luxury homes they could make more on the deal. But like anything else, once the good idea got out… it didn’t take long for other builders to follow. So to remain competitive, even when the market was good, builders added more luxury features, finishes and amenities to these new grand properties.

But remember what I said about a good idea? It didn’t take long for competing builders to add similar features and elements to the homes they built nearby. The result was a rash of new upscale properties that were more alike then different… at least to the eye of the buyer. When the market was good, this wasn’t much of a problem, for even the grandest of homes were selling. But now the market has taken its down turn, and builders need to find new ways get a buyer interested in these luxury properties they are still trying to sell.

(Click HERE if the embedded video show does not appear above.)

So what can builders do to differentiate their homes from the other competing properties in the area? Well, they can start by watching the video show above. Then they can do basically what has been done by larger developers for years. Developers learned long ago that selling a home was not only about the quality of construction and the physical “brick and mortar”. Selling is also about how easily and deeply the vision of living in the home connected with the buyer. The model home painted a picture of what life could be like living in the new home.

For developers, who build multiple versions of the same home, it’s easy to justify the investment it takes to create a lush-n-lovely well appointed model life. But what about the small independent builder? How can they paint a similar picture that emotionally connects with their potential buyers? Well, until recently the independent builders had no options, they just waited for buyers with “vision” who could see and feel their lives lived in the home.

However, today real estate staging changes all that. Staging brings the benefits of model merchandising to the smaller independent builder at an extremely affordable rate. Model home staging, when done well and done right, enhances the beauty and grandeur the builder built into the home and adds just enough "life"so that a buyer can feel and emotionally connect (fall in love) with it on a deeper level.

Just another reason why and how home staging works…

Me

A Tale of Two Stages

2008-02-18T15:52:00.009-06:00

Does this sound familiar? For home sellers it is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of wise choices, it is the age of foolish decisions, it is the age of sales success and the age of missed opportunities.

In short, it is an age where home sellers are beginning to realize that how their own "sales tale" plays out is more in their control then ever before. More and more know that if they want to sell their home they need to assume responsibility and take a proactive role in the sale. How? Well, besides just hiring a realtor, home sellers are beginning to understand that they must do all they can to make their homes look and be as appealing as possible.
In fact this blog tale is about two couple who did just this… they hired experienced professional that knew how to create the right appeal required to get buyers interested in their properties. What makes this tale more interesting is the fact that it took place during the worst real estate market in years and at the slowest time of the year... a cold and snowy Chicago December 2007.

Late last December, we here at Real Estaging received a call from two different Lincoln Park couples. Both wanted to hire a real estate stager to advise them as to what they could do to best prepare/merchandise the homes they were selling, yet still living in.

Each seller had different reasons why they wanted to hire a stager. The first couple (Home #1 -above) had not yet listed their home and they wanted to get it in tip top shape before they formally put it up for sale in the market. The second couple (Home #2 - below) unfortunately had had their home on the market over 6 months and were not getting ANY offers. This couple was tired and weary and really just wanted to get on with their lives.

So we here at Real Estaging stopped by and did what most real estate stagers do. We toured the property and gave the typical and predictable advice and suggestions (i.e. de-clutter, depersonalize, make repairs, clean up, thin out and rearrange the furniture). But while staging consulting advice as this is good and necessary, both homes still need more. It is "MORE" that makes this staging tale a bit different and helped make 2 prospective buyers respond in the favorable ways they did.

You see both these homes needed just a bit MORE in the way of furnishings and accessories (props). While bringing additional props into occupied homes is not a typical service offered by most home stagers, we here at Real Estaging have found that by adding a few key accessories a home can be given the final FINISHED look that influences buyers to make offers. We often find that adding the right props helps to: 1) Add visual appeal, 2) Tie the home together so that it has flow and continuity, and 3) Solves perplexing space issues. The red dots in both sets of pictures above marks the props we add in some of the rooms.

The first set of pictures (Home #1) is from a Lincoln Park real estate staging that got an offer just a few short hours after it had been toured by the very FIRST person to look at it after staging. For this property we loaned the sellers 45 props (furniture and accessories) to give the homes a finished and polished look. In particular we needed to replace a massive coffee table with a smaller one, bring in a kitchen table and 4 chairs (they did not own one) and replace "controversial" wall art with more understated art.

For the second home (Home #2) we added a little bit more. For this home we brought in about 50 items. One problem with the property was the fact that the fireplace had no visual appeal. It needed some accessories to add some visual interest to it. Also the wall, directly to the right of the fireplace had NO art on it. The massive 12 foot high wall was a big, blank and boring! We are proud to say, that after being on the market for 6 months, the sellers of this property finally received an offer just 1 week after we staged it.

So that is our tale of 2 stagings that ends happily for two Lincoln Park couples selling their homes. Both took a long hard look at the real estate age we are in and then did what was necessary to help them market their homes successfully. Each may now be saying... "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better opportunity to move on now that I have staged than I have ever known." (Schmaltzy ending... but you get the point.)

Staging It Forward...

A SPECIAL THANK-YOU GOES OUT TO THE REAL ESTATE TOMATO... for giving this post the coveted "Bon Jovi" award in the 80th Carnival of Real Estate.

Story of a Staged Silk Purse & a Sow's Ear

2008-01-10T06:00:00.001-06:00

(Scroll down for Video Show) While home staging CAN turn a "sow's ear" of a home into a beautiful and easily sellable "silk purse", there still is only so much staging can do to improve a home's appeal to potential buyers. Sometimes a house that is for sale, even if it is priced right, has quality construction, or uses the most expensive and luxurious finishes... just can't be helped with staging.

CASE IN POINT: Above is an exterior shot of an absolutely beautiful 3/4 of a million dollar Chicago area home that was built well over 1 1/2 years ago... and has not sold. In fact, 17 months after it had NOT sold, the builder hired one of the finest and MOST savvy Realtors I know. The new Realtor called in Real Estaging with the hopes that if we created a beautiful view on the inside it would help counter the house's "problem" that was keeping the house from being sold.

Actually, except for the fact that this spec home was vacant, it really had no other problems of its own. However, was keeping it from being sold WAS quite obvious when we first visited this listing. Even before we ever entered the property, we knew exactly WHY the house wasn't selling. The problem was the neighbor's house and the fact that the yard looked like a pig sty. It didn't help that the home was filled with windows that overlooked the neighboring property.

Both the Realtor and I tried to advise the builder, BEFORE staging the interior, that it would be best to put up a privacy fence to help block the view of the neighboring property. While advice like might risk our chance of getting a staging job, I knew this would be the BEST option... the views out the living room, office and great room windows were/are that bad.

How bad is the actual view out the windows of the neighbors property? Well, below is a quick 30 second video tour of the home and the neighboring property it looks out on.

(Click HERE to view the Video Show if the show does not appear above.)

When I first spoke with the builder he was well aware of the problem (in fact he had installed cellular shades on that side of the house) with the neighboring view. To him the fence option was financially or legistacally not feasible at the time. To install a new privacy fence meant that the newly poured driveway, that sat RIGHT on the lot line, would have to be totally removed. The expense to remove the existing driveway, install a new fence and then reinstall a new driveway would total well over $10,000. The builder hoped investing in real estate staging would do the trick. So we staged the property... it looked fantastic and the builder was quite pleased.

Well, this past week we de-staged it and unfortunately it still had not sold. So I guess this puts a new slant on an old saying... "you can't sell a silk purse when it SITS next to a sow's ear."

Me

Home Staging Gets a Red Eye in Chicago

2007-12-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

"You can rent movies. You can rent an apartment. If you live or work in a street-parking desert, you can even rent a space for your ride. So why not add luxury to that list?" This is what Kyra Kyles wrote the introduction to her cover story in last weeks Red Eye Newspaper. (For those of you that don't know what a "Red Eye" is... well it is the hip urban free daily newspaper published by the Tribune Corporation here in Chicago.)

The article, entitled "Rent An Image" looked at some of the interesting luxury items that are available to rent in Chicago-land. Well, I have to admit I never considered the props we have available as ubber LUXURY items, like the Austin Martin automobiles and the Prada handbags the article spoke of. But Kyra who interviewed Real Estaging for a side bar story entitled "Go ahead and rent that furniture", (Click on image on lwft to enlarge) pointed out the fact that props can be rented to help you sell your home for more money (Click on image at left to read it). Besides making homes look more appealing, staging has helped sellers make more money when they RAISED the asking price. as well as help to sell homes faster... and considering "time is money" staging a home should be a considered in this current market.

Most home seller's think that staging props are rented for use ONLY in and for vacant property sales. Seller's don't know that some home stager's can also rent just the right piece or pieces to finish off the look and appeal of their property as they live there while it on the market. The main advantage of renting is the fact that the seller need not spend the time to shop for decorative items or spend full retail prices to buy those items. The other VERY important advantage of using a stager's props is the fact that a stager knows to use pieces that are UNDERSTATED. When selling your home, your house needs to be the star, not the stuff in it. Experienced stagers know how to create a "put together look" with out our stuff ending up being a beautiful distraction.

So thanks Red Eye... your unique story angle helps to make another fine point about home staging.

Me

PS: If you would like to see an entire PDF sample of Chicago's Red Eye Newspaper... CLICK HERE.

WOW! THANKS... this Home Staging Blog is a "MUST READ"

2007-12-02T22:07:00.000-06:00

The authors over at Future of Real Estate and Loans recently posted a list of blogs they feel are "MUST READS".

They write "there’s a ton of excellent mortgage and real estate blogs out there – way too many to list, in fact. But for a unique spin on the market as well as perspective that makes sense to anyone interested in real estate anywhere, there are some blogs that really are masters of their niche."

Home Staging Rants & Ravings is definitely in good company. To see the entire list, click here to read 11 Must Read Daily Real Estate Blogs.

THANKS GUYS! The recognition is appreciated.

Industry VP Connected the Dot... Now I'm Gonna Paint the Picture

2007-11-29T19:43:00.001-06:00

Recently I read an interesting post by Jennie Norris, a Vice President at stagedhomes.com. In her blog Jennie “connected” with what I see as one of the important yet troublesome industry "dots" that other stagers in others markets have experienced.

Jennie wrote an expose' on what she felt were wrongful pricing strategies taking place. Her (members only) post on Stage It Forward, entitled, “Get off your back and on your feet - and walk out of the red-light district!” describes her frustrations with the low ball fees other stagers are charging for their services. Jennie writes "When are we going to stop giving it away - and realize the VALUE of what we bring to the table? And if you are out there undercharging because you think it's the only way you can get business - for shame! Take another look at what your market will bear - and don't leave money on the table!"

While low ball pricing may be a new issue for Jennie in Sacramento, it is NOT new to other stagers in other markets across the country... including me. AND you might be surprised to know that I believe that while lowball pricing is occurring, it is NOT the biggest issue facing us. WHY lowball pricing is occurring is a bigger issue that I want to address here in this post.

So the BIGGER picture and facts as I see them are…

FACT: It is very EASY and FAST for someone to become a home stager. NO formal training is required. (I happen to be this type of stager.)
FACT: Because foundation training programs have made it SO easy and fast (from 1 day to 1 month) to become a trained certified/accredited stager, there is NOW and continues to be a glut of graduates empowered as a "professional" stagers entering the market place. In some markets there are more then it can bare. Of course the larger the market the greater the probability a stager WILL compete with a fellow graduate from the same foundation course they took, as well as a graduate some other training courses.
FACT: The home seller/consumer has NO idea what good staging is or is NOT. Our industry has created NO way do differentiate/compare common types of service or FEES for those services we provide. (Even the auto industry has common TYPES of cars: Compact, Economy, Midsize, SUV etc...)
FACT: When starting a new staging business there are those who are hungry for business and WILL undercut the "going" rates in order to get some work under their belts. A new stager's "pay" could be the opportunity to capture amazing after photos for their portfolio. (Heck, I did this when I started.)
FACT: The home seller/consumer market has NO idea what staging costs. What a home seller believes staging costs is often based on a unrealistic understanding... that comes directly from TV shows like Designed to Sell. Shows like this NEVER take into account the LABOR fees to pay the host, Lisa LaPorte. or her team of staging laborers.
FACT: The real estate market is extremely slow... and in some markets totally stalled. Because it is so slow, sellers are VERY cautious about spending their hard earned money on staging as for MANY, staging is an unproven risky venture. So for them the cheaper the better.

So, where this industry is at is the result of MANY players and circumstances working in tandem and unfolding over time. Companies, organizations and individuals must step up and work together and do their parts to create solutions… instead of trying to undo and undermine any attempt at building this industry. BUT, while some are not doing all they can, we still are making progress… one fine example of a company working to improve the home staging industry is Brook Furniture Rental. Brook's sponsorship of 2 of 27 national Stage It Forward RoundTables and their formation of a Home Staging Advisory Panel is a HUGE step and huge commitment to all in this industry.

Getting back to what can be done... First, all members of the home staging industry must realize this industry is no longer made up of 1,2 or 3 players... it is made up of 1000's... stagers, vendors, and trainers. The Stage It Forward (SIF) Group on AR and now SIF RoundTables are a START in the breaking down of the barriers between those individuals and companies that for whatever reason try/wanted to operate in a protectionist bubble.

RESA has been trying, (with limited success) to get foundation training programs to work together. The public needs a way to KNOW what a TRAINED STAGER is and how the consumer can differentiate a formally trained stager from a "yesterday I aren’t one today I is one" stager.

The 27 Stage It Forward RoundTables taking place across North America are tackling bigger issues that touch all stagers regardless of where they were trained, what market they are in, who there competition is, or how big/little old/new their staging company is. Those that try to ban, thwart or scare people away from the possibilities the meetings hold only help to keeps us all stuck.

The SIF Quartley Qwick Staging Stats (QSTAT's) WILL help to begin to address some of the issues above. Stagers who get jobs will know what average rate for staging is for a DEFINED type of staging in that market. Currently, how a stager ultimately chooses to PRICE their services is totally up to them. BUT with QSTAT's bench mark price ranges could be communicated. The competing stager's who presented THEIR solutions would have NATIONAL, STATE and LOCAL data that can be presented to the consumer to EDUCATE them to make an informed decision. You might say the staging playing field would be level.

There is so much more I can write about that will help begin to paint the masterpiece of a industry so many of us see and believe in. But for now... this seems to be enough.

Sorry this was so lengthy...
Me

ROCK & ROLL: "Where It's At" for the Home Staging Industry

2007-11-27T11:09:00.001-06:00

During a cold winter's drive over this past holiday weekend I had a chance to reflect on all that I see going on (or NOT going on) in the home staging industry. As I look at WHO we are and WHERE we are... the more I am sure the real estate staging industry is not quite YET ready to handle the BIGGER vision of unity so many in this industry say they want. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a BAD thing; this is just an "IS" thing.

I recently commented in another stager's blog that I thought home stagers could learn from the Realtor community who benefit from working together and learning together as a unified group in the association known as the National Association of Realtors.

Having as an END GOAL within industry to have own NAR like organization/association is an AWESOME goal... which I embrace 100%. But, with the “results” and lack of response we are getting to the idea so far, I wonder if maybe we are trying to hard to make this end goal happen. If this IS the case, what can we do? Well, without loosing site of the END GOAL, maybe what is more important is that we define smaller goals and take smaller steps that start moving us to that big "associated" END GOAL.

Right now there are many thoughts, ideas, concepts and strategies being discussed by a VERY vocal minority. But are the stagers that comprise the industry actions REALLY equal to what the vocal minority are shouting for as the BIG picture? I am not sure sure it is. But, if you think it is, then why does it feel like we are still stuck?

Why isn't there this vast tidal force of stagers joining together as a unified association?

Well, I believe part of the reason we are a bit “stuck” is the fact that our industry is riddled with misunderstanding, distrust, conflicting philosophies, and big egos. Plus, it doesn't help that real estate market is the worst it has been in decades. But even though we are obviously not experiencing ideal conditions, this should NOT stop those of us who are committed to creating something more for ALL in this industry.

So as a "loose" industry what can we do to get ourselves tightened up and unstuck? Well, maybe, without realizing it we are getting ourselves out of this rut by starting with a rock and roll motion... kind of like what one does to get a car unstuck out of a snow bank. I have come to notice an interesting phenomena that happens when someone tries to “rock” this industry forward with an idea or concept. Immediately following a rock forward there tends to be a counter “roll” back by someone else.

Case in point... the group of stagers organized under the banner called Stage It Forward (SIF) currently have scheduled over 25 industry RoundTable discussion meetings planned for all over the USA and Canada. Even though SIF has "rocked" forward there are some who feels it is necessary to roll with their own independent roundtable gatherings. This is the rock & roll I am talking about that takes place daily in this industry. So while different interpretations of a similar thing will happen, what is more important is who we are as individuals and how we respond to these differences... respectful professionalism is essential!
For those on the outside looking in the "rock" a with a "roll" response can seem a little negative. But like the motion necessary to get a car unstuck out of a snowbank, I am beginning to see how this forward and back (counter) motion is necessary to create the momentum that will get us unstuck so that we can trust in and fully embrace bigger united goals... like creating an NAR for home staging.

So while I have hoped we would already be traveling along in unity... I’ve come to see that the rock & and roll motion is not all that bad. What is most important is that the home staging industry is in motion and soon to be more unstuck.

Just my thoughts as I rock and roll...
Me

Will Home Stager's Statistics Bust Your NUTS?

2007-11-12T16:24:00.001-06:00

By now you have all read the glowing stories and/or watched the captivating HGTV shows that triumphantly boast: "SOLD in one day after home staging!" "Multiple offerings after home staging!" "SOLD at first open house right after staging!" Yet even after all these great staging experiences have been reported in mainstream media, there still is apprehension by Home Sellers and the Realtor community to tap in to and use staging solutions that help sell homes… especially in this slower market.

Now don't get me wrong, there are those of you who have been "early adaptors" of home staging services. But in general, Stagers still experience quite a bit of resistance and reluctance by both Realtors and Sellers alike. Stagers have learned that their nut of concern, which needs be busted into, is the fact that there are no national, independent and verifiable statistics that back up claims of staging effectiveness.

While some individual stagers do keep their own personal statistic, there are NO comprehensive and consistently tracked national data to back stagers up. So, unfortunately. all we end up having too offer, are the tales of all the wonderful experience our clients have had… but this never seems to be enough. Our clients are asking for and need more data.

Up until now, the primary reason there are no NATIONAL real estate staging statistics is due to the fact that within the home staging industry there has been no autonomous body independent of the competitive foundation training organizations to capture statistical data . But this is all going to change... thanks in part to a group of stagers of Stage It Forward and their new Quarterly Qwik Staging Stats program.

Stage It Forward (SIF), an independent group of over 1200 stagers, are now going to regularly track staging stats. Once gathered and tabulated, the home staging industry will finally and continually collect the data needed to convince home sellers and Realtors that staging is an effective marketing strategy on both the national and state levels.

Besides finally having statistics, there is another benefit to SIF stagers joining together… that benefit is it starts industry standardization! Just as there are different types of automobiles (sub-compact, economy, intermediate etc...), most Realtors and Home Sellers do not realize that there are actually 5 different “types” of home staging. Being able to track statistical effectiveness about each staging type will help Realtors and sellers understand and choose from the best staging solution.

Additional benefits from standardizing staging industry data include:

Real estate market fluctuations as they relate to staging will be captured and reported.
State and national statistics will be compiled.
Standard fee ranges for standardized service types will be reported.
SIF’s Data gathering process will create an audit trail.

SIF realize there is MORE that needs to be done, but this definitely is a good start. SIF has stated over and over that it is best that our industry CRAWLS before it walks applying slow and steady pressure will surly help the industry bust open the statistic nut.

Staging It Forward...
Me

HAPPY NEUTRAL DAY… Home Sellers are your Decorations Up?

2007-10-26T07:57:00.000-05:00

With the 2nd most decorated holiday right around the corner, I thought it would be a great time for me to discuss a home staging issue that comes up each year… Should a home seller put up holiday decorations?

Typically, I advise sellers to use VERY little or NO decorations for ANY holiday. WHY? Well, for the simple reason I have said time and time again... when selling a property the house is to be the "star” not the stuff.

It is a fact that a house holds the greatest appeal when it is neutral. Neutrally makes it easier for a buyer to map their lives into a house that is for sale. If a holiday is not a part of the buyer’s life, then the decorations are no longer neutral and they then become a distraction.

But even if you suspect that most likely the buyers looking at your home do celebrate the holiday you want to decorate for… the decorations can be a distraction. Holiday decorations, by design, are made to stand out from the ordinariness of our lives and to be looked at. The time a buyer allots to look at a home is short and precious… having it used up looking at decorations is not the best use of it when in reality the house is what they have come to SEE and are considering BUYING.

So, if a home seller insists on putting up decorations for upcoming holidays, I strongly recommend that those decorations then be taken down immediately (and I do mean immediately) after the holiday.

Remember... the most important day to decorate for is Neutral Day.

Stage It Forward…
Me
(Craig @ Real Estaging)

Post Script: I have to thank Ines Garcia of Miamism. She wrote to me asking me to re-write on this topic. She remembered a post of mine from over a year ago she thought shared an important message about using Halloween Decorations in homes that are for sale. That post can be found here: Halloween Decorations or DISTRACTIONS?

Bitch-N-Moan, Bitch-N-Moan… FINALLY I Am Not Alone

2007-10-16T18:15:00.002-05:00

For over a year now I have been venting the personal frustrations I have with the fact that I see more and more POORLY qualified people entering the field of staging. For the sake time and space, I don’t think it is important that I regurgitate what I have already written of, but if you are interested reading what I had to say, check out these past posts…

Anyway, I find am no longer alone. Lately more and more expirienced stagers all across the US have begun to email me and/or called me to voice similar concerns and frustrations.
In fact, quite recently, I received a set of photos (above) of a Bad Staging sent to be by an experienced stager (CF) that says they “…have had it with crappy staging!”

CF recently lost a job to a new “professional” whose work is pictured. CF found the After Photo and sent it to me with the Before Photos they took. CF also shared with me quite a few details about what was wrong with the overall staging. But since I do have pictures of the entire project I am only going to concentrate my critique on the one set of images show here.

I have to admit that at first I was a little reluctant to post these images. But then I got to thinking… what besides Bitch-N-Moaning could i do that would be postive? How could I turn BAD STAGING into something that would ultimatly help a seller sell and help this industry grow? I then realizewd that if I can turn examples of BAD staging into something positive… then mediocre stagers, home sellers and realtors can begin to undertand and appreciate what makes good real estate staging good.

So getting back to the BAD Staging pictured above... what is wrong with the makeover pictured above?

Well first off, CF told me that the “picture” above the fireplace in this family room is not actually a picture; rather, it is in fact a fake flat screen TV. Because it is a family room the way the furniture has been arranged is not conducive to watching TV… as it SHOULD. CF says that having the sofa face the TV was a viable and correct solution.

I immediately noticed and had problems with the 3 pictures on the wall behind the sofa. Why are they stepping up to the right? Why are they off center? And why are they so small? While scale and proportion (size) is important. I would be more understanding if the sofa would be centered under them and they ran side by side, equally spaced and at the same height. As they are now it makes the room feel out of balance.

Next, by simply sliding the lamp on the end table from the left to the right (closer to the sofa) would establish the lamp & table as and end anchor point. The lamp slid to the right would also frame the sofa and when lit brighten up the dark and heavy element in the room… the sofa.

Finally, CF wondered why the bar stool was set between the sofa and the fireplace. To be honest I don’t know either.

So there you have first example of Bad Staging that was sent to me. If you have examples that you would like to share with me, feel free to send them. I will try to post one example of “Bad Staging” per week… by doing so I hope stagers all learn and the consuming public will know and demand more of all in this industry who present themselves as “professional”.

Stage It Forward…
Me

Get Your Thoughts OUT of the GUTTER!

2007-10-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

Until recently, it was always true that what a home buyer saw the instant they first drove up upon a property could make or break its sale. If the home was appealing, from the gutter, it was said to have "Curb Appeal".

But times have changed, and while "Curb Appeal" still matters... today it matters in a different place and way. Watch this 30 second Curb Appeal Quiz Show to find learn just where Curb Appeal ACTUALLY now begins... the final conclusion might challenge your way of thinking.

CURB APPEAL QUIZ SHOW 30 Seconds Long

(If you can not see the show above... Click Here.)

Home sellers need to know that with the vast amount of inventory in the market today, home buyers are now first prescreening homes online to help them decide just what they want to tour in person.

Because online prescreening (or should I say pre-shopping) is now so prevelent, it is my opinion that with today's easy to use digital technology, Realtors have the obligation to capture and present the absolute best images and comprehensive visual experience of a property for buyers to shop and consider.

So if your home is languising in the market you might want to work with an expirienced home stager who can not only help you re-examine but also update your property's "Web Appeal"... because if you don't, your home's sale could remain in the gutter.

Stage It Forward...
Me

PS: This post was inspired by a ongoing series of post by one of my favorite real estate bloggers, Athol Kay. On his blog (ReAgent in Connecticut) page he is constantly posting examples of BAD real estate photograpy... as well as giving tips on how to FIX pictures. For a shock and a chuckle I suggest you check out his series Bad MLS Photo of the Day.

Hmmm, Now that I think of it I think Athol may be on to something... maybe I should have people start scouring the web for BAD STAGING photos and start sending them to me?

Home Stage & Blogging... Reflecting Opportunities in Real Estate Marketing

2007-10-02T17:50:00.000-05:00

For a little over a year now I have been writing about home staging here in this blog. I have to admit I have been fortunate in raising my staging voice up in an ever expanding world of real estate blogging. I believe part of the reason for my blogging success is due to the fact that the approach I take to blogging reflects the approach I take to staging.

When it comes to staging and selling a home it is no secret that good curb appeal is desirable. If a buyer doesn't like what they see, there is a good chance they will just move on. Well the same goes for a blog. I consider a blog’s headline its initial curb appeal. Headlines should be interesting and captivating so that your reader wants to stop in and read on.

When touring a home, which is for sale, a second critical moment takes place the instant the buyer opens the door and sees the interior of a home for the first time. What a buyer sees in this moment better be a visually appealing. For just as it is important that a stager creates an attractive first visual impression within the homes interior, the same can be said for using a picture in a blog. A strong visual impression positively reinforces what the buyer/reader are about to see/read.

Moving on (literally) is the next key element to both staging and blogging. A home that is staged well has certain connected "flow" that entices the buyer to move from room to room. As you develop your blog it should have transition/flow as your reader travels from paragraph to paragraph.

Recently we here at Real Estaging have seen more and more amature stagers’s relying on contrived tricks and gimmicks (i.e. champagne glasses on the edge of tubs) that make the house look “too staged” and ultimately distract a buyer away from seeing the home and it’s “personality”. So whether one is staging a home or writing blogging it is important that the unique personality of the home, or you the writer, comes through. Staging and blogging is about making connections… the buyer needs to “connect” to a home they are going to buy. In order to gain long term readership, readers need to connect to you. And remember… always be original, never plagiarize another's work, it will come back to haunt you.

The final parallel that I see between staging and blogging has to do with clutter. It is a well know fact that stagers remove all unnecessary distractions and get down to the homes most basic elements. Well the same goes for blogging. Keep in mind that reader often will skim your blog, so give it a lot of white space to make that process easier. Also you might want to consider highlighting key phrases in each paragraph that if only they are read… the basic gist of the blog is communicated.

So there you have it… my staged blog on home staging and blogging. Respectively, each can create a good reflection of home seller's home or a real estate professional's words.

Stage It Forward…
Me

POST SCRIPT 1: "They" must like what this blog has to say... cause once again it gets picked up fed to the masses, click each link to see it at: NBC - NY and USA TODAY's online news sources.

POST SCRIPT 2: I have had the idea for this blog bouncing around my head for a while.. but I gotta admit I am glad I held off from writing it until now. Tomorrow I am to be and industry expert panelist on home stager and real estate blogging at Coldwell Banker's Emagine Expo 2007 here in Chicago. With over 1,200 attendees coming to this event, it creates perfect reason to finally write this blended blog.

Ranting & Raving... I Guess it WILL get you Top Blogging Awards!

2007-09-28T18:18:00.000-05:00

Well... September was a good month for Home Staging Rants & Ravings.

We are very pleased and honored to announce that this site was ranked in the TOP 100 Real Estate Blog Sites by International Listings.

International Listings is "the premier listing service for luxury homes world wide." WOW ! We are honored to be recognized by such a noted real estate site.

With the thousands of real estate blogs out there I know it took International Listings quite a while to scoure the web to find the best of the best. They then group the blogs in one of the following categories for their TOP 100 BLOGS: Appraisals, Entertainment, Green Ideas, Home buyers, Home Improvement, Doom & Boom, Investing, Marketing, Mortgage Brokers, News, Niche Markets, Technology and the Title Industry. (This blog can was categorized in the Niche Marketing catigory.)

So thank you for the TOP 100 AWARD!

The honor is insprirational... so keep watching. We plan on writing more compelling blogs and being a powerful voice for home staging and the home staging industry in the future.

Stage It Forward...

Me

Clearing Churned Up Waters

2007-09-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

Recently I posted two similar blogs entitled: "Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging". One, which was shorter edited version, was posted on Active Rain while a more complete and comprehensive version was posted here on this site. The post created quite a ruckus with a foundation training company whose website I quoted directly from and linked to, to prove that I was not making an unsubstantiated point. Agitated with what I said, they contacted me with Cease & Desist email and comment. I honored their request and removed all references to them in my posts and all links I had placed on both my blogs to their site.

Obviously, I now know they view my words as direct attack on their program, which was not the point. This staging foundation training organization is/was NOT doing anything that most other training organizations within the staging industry are doing or have done. Heck, for all I know this training organization my offer one of the most compressive and in-expensive training programs available in the industry today.

It is no secret that foundation training programs are a big part of the home staging industry. The point I was making had to do with the industry's foundation training programs as a whole. Being that I am one of the LEAST formally trained stagers in home staging industry (I happen to be self trained) I am in a unique position that allows me to be neutral about training. Staying neutral, yet believing in the benefits of training, I tried to be a trusted resource to those that seek out my advice on foundation training program. To make it easy for those who are interested in home staging training, I have compiled a FREE reference list (in alphabetical order) of 33 different training programs I currently know of here for all to access. (This list is being used. How do I know? Well, for one thing Goggle Analytics lets me know.)

But I digress… the point I was making in the original "Inconvenient Truths" blog was that I see the staging INDUSTRY being partially responsible for the bashing the staging industry got in the report on staging by the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (NAEBA). While I felt much of what the NAEBA said was wrong and a bit sensationalized, I still don't believe it was all wrong. The report got me thinking about the Home Staging Industry... and the collective "who and how" we have been and how there was some truth to what the NAEBA reported.

So with the home staging industry in my sites, I started to re-examine and write what I refereed to as a "Frankenstein" of a problem in our industry... Credentials. I have found at least 34 different foundation staging training programs in North America. I have no idea how good or bad any of these courses are. I can tell you that I have spoken to MANY stagers from all over the USA & Canada... some have raved about their training others were not impressed. I’ve heard all opinions. But, in general I believe people are pretty happy that they received formal training... even if only for the fact that training was a springboard for them in the industry.

However, with no industry "board of staging education" overseeing what is actually being taught... there is no way of knowing how truly good or bad the training these organizations are offering is, or how compressive and complete it is.

Currently how the industry is set up, to be a staging trainer all one needs to do is open their doors.... and say they are a staging training school. Plus, on top of that the fact anyone can easily open up a training school, many of these organizations then offer quick "Accredited Certifications" for their graduates to add to their names in the hopes to legitimize their graduates as "stagers" to the eyes of the consumer, I believe this further compromises the whole industry. Who decides what is good? Who decides what is bad? Who decides what is right? Who decides what is wrong? Who knows!

For the most part the consuming public has no understanding of all this backstory. Historically the consuming public views and relies on credentials as proof of ability. The consuming pubic believes the person who has been "Accredited/Certified" by an organization has gone through a process were they have been trained, tested and PASSED thru a testing process. Even baby sitters can now be certified, but only after being tested. TESTING is TYPICAL and expected in an ACCREDITATION PROCESS. As the staging industry stands today, what it takes to be a stager is more about credentials and less about the combination of talent, experience, & education. So much emphasis is being placed on Accrediting Credentials.

I am not the first to broach this topic, for it has been in the industry's conversation and has been a point contention for awhile.

I believe the industry's allowance of and reliance on unregulated certification and accreditation can exposes the consumer to less then good and qualified staging. I believe it can and will ultimately dilute what staging can make available. With no regulation on training, training schools, curriculum, testing, or certification this will a problem that will continue to get bigger. Having no standards will ultimately mean there will be consumers that use stagers that do substandard work and give organizations ammunition to continue to write negative reports on staging as the NAEBA did.

In my opinion, because of the way the home staging industry is, the consumer is currently becoming more and more venerable and exposed to substandard staging... and because this is so our industry will ultimately loose face and legitimacy.

THIS IS ONE OF MY TRUTHS in Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging.

Stage It Forward...
Me

Staging is Simple Arithmetic... Sort Of

2007-09-04T06:50:00.001-05:00

If you spend any time researching real estate staging you will quickly read some of the most fundamental advice commonly given by home stagers is to REMOVE the CLUTTER and THIN-OUT any excess "stuff" in a home that is going to be for sale. Stagers seem to effectively communicate the message that SUBTRACTION is part of Staging 101.

However, we here at Real Estaging have come to learn that sometimes what it takes to properly stage an occupied home is NOT just what needs to be taken out... but what needs to be put in. ADDITION, or adding items to the home, is the other half have to the staging equation that is often overlooked by MANY stagers.

It is easy for a stager, that does not have inventory, to say nothing needs to be added to improve a homes appeal. Which may be 100% correct. But what if just by adding a few items your home goes from ordinary to extremely memorable and wonderfully appealing? Having access to props could be to your selling benifit.

When looking for a stager, consider the fact that stagers who have invested in prop inventories have made a strong commitment to not only their profession, but ultimately the sale of your home.

So what props do we typically see a home needing? Well, most often we bring in wall art, plants and lamps. Time and time again we find that home sellers do not have enough of these basics decorative items that really add to a property's overall appeal.

Finally, even if a stager has props, when it comes to adding them... scale, proportion, style, color, selection and then placement matter GREATLY. This I can not stress enough. As you watch the above show (or if you need to click this link) notice how our props blend seamlessly with the home owner's existing accessories and furnishings. If you have a hard time determining which props are our props... then we have done our job.

We know our Staging Arithmetic.

Stage It Forward...
Me

Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging

2007-09-01T14:55:00.000-05:00

Negativity about good things always seems to attract attention. So it is not surprise that in a recent report published by the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (NAEBA) entitled: “How to not get tricked by staging and potentially save $5,645 when you buy your home” has attracted main stream media attention.

While some of the NAEBA report on staging was positive and accurate, most of it was a negative spin they were trying to put on staging in a sensationalized attempt to champion their position that buyer’s agents are better agents then traditional Realtors that work with both buyers and sellers. The basic premise of the NAEBA report claimed that buyer agents were more able to sniff out staging “tricks” used to disguise problems and deceitfully lure a potential buyer to emotionally be attracted to a problematic home. It’s as if the NAEBA actually believed that home stagers did not know that all homes are eventually professionally inspected and that hiding problems and issues works against the seller’s best interests.

In the report, the NAEBA warned buyers that “staging effects can make a home seem more appealing to the eye”. How scandalous! How conniving! How shady of the seller to put their home’s best face forward to make it as appealing as possible. I guess the same could be said for anyone applying for a job who decides to wear their best suit, get a haircut and shine their shoes in a shady attempt to emotionally lure a potential employer to hire them.

While the NAEBA report was inaccurate in much of what is said, that does not take the Home Staging industry off the hook for what I see as a rapidly growing problem in this industry. I am going to go out on a limb to say that the Home Staging Industry is a bit responsible for attracting the negative report the NAEBA has published.

Right now home sellers are desperate for a magical solution to help them sell a property languishing in an extremely slow market. Unfortunately, desperate times will bring out both dreamers and dubious characters. It is no surprise that with all the great PR home staging has been getting, more and more people (be they honest or dishonest) are attracted to making money as home stagers.

A multitude of foundation training programs in home staging have sprung up that will “certify,” “accredit” and graduate home staging “professionals” and “experts” in as little as ONE DAY.In fact, just last week I learned of a foundation training program that advertises that for only $249.95, a person interested in becoming a home stager need only buy a training CD that was designed to get budding stagers started in their own business. Two of the benefits they advertise is that their program has low start up costs and low overhead. No previous experience is required. They even include their Certificate of Achievement at no extra costs right with the CD to prove that you were professionally trained. WOW, how generous to send a Certificate of Achievement right with it!

This “overnight certification in a box” points to a Frankenstein that this industry created. The industry’s fixation on quick accredited certifications makes a hypocrisy out of education. This is NOT to say education and training are neither valuable nor helpful. In fact, some of the nation’s finest home stagers started their careers by first taking foundation training programs.

Unfortunately, home sellers looking to hire a stager in today’s market often do not realize that stagers that tout the fact that they are accredited, certified or professional experts may have just yesterday received their certificate in a box or just finished a 3 day workshop in Home Staging. While education is important, the home seller needs to know that in this market where a flood of baby stager’s are just entering it, EXPERIENCE trumps all else and in fact is quintessential. For with experience comes an education and wisdom about home staging that can not be burned on to a CD or taught in a 1, 2 or 3 day work shop.

Much like what the NAEBA report spoke of, some inexperienced stagers will resort to contrived tricks thinking that making a home look and feel staged is the right thing to do. But the experienced stager knows a home should never look or feel staged. If a buyer’s eye is attracted to look at the staging and not the home, then the stager has not done their work. An experienced home stager knows the home should always be the star… not the stuff in it.

The above picture is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Kate Hart of Hart & Associates, an experienced home stager in Philadelphia, just happened to send me this picture of really bad staging. Kate snapped the "staged treasure" in the bathroom of a vacant home she was recently called in to re-stage. The "props" placed in a box speaks volumes as to how much is not known about staging by the stager that initially had been hired to stage it. The rest of the property was as bad... and because it was staged so poorly, the owners actually stopped showing it. Kate was called in to save the day.

All this puts experienced stagers, who believe we can be a strong and respected industry within real estate and want it to succeed, in a precarious position. We have seen time and time again the joy in a seller’s eye when their property has been sold with the help of staging. We also know the passion and exuberance new stagers have for this profession and we know that for the industry to grow it will need more stagers. But most importantly we know we are now being watched and scrutinized. Nothing less than the finest understanding of staging and implementation of it will help us all grow, anything else will not only degrade the industry, but also what staging makes available to the home seller.

Stage It Forward...
Me

NOTE: At the request of the foundation training company that I originally referenced in this blog, I have removed their name and the link to their site.

I have also removed the foundation training company from the hugley popular informational reference list : "33 Home Staging Training Programs to Consider" on the right hand column of this blog.

Seeing RED... Will Capture the Buyer's Eye

2007-08-19T19:09:00.000-05:00

Stagers know that the time spent touring a home by a buyer is relatively short. An experienced home stager relies on techniques and practices that HELP maximize what a buyer sees and experiences in a property in the relatively short time they take to tour it. The strategic use of color AND prop placement is key to getting the most out of staging.

When it comes to color, what home stagers typically talk about is what the best paint and carpet colors to use when preparing your home for its sale. Which is sound advice, but.... it really is OLD NEWS. In fact I actually wrote my post on the subject last October entitled: If Switzerland was a Color what Color it would be?

But what about accent colors? What accent colors can effectively be used to give you an advantage when it comes to staging and selling a home?

I have to admit that red is one of our favorite staging colors for props that we use here at Real Estaging. In fact, it seems as though we never have enough red props in our prop library. We have come to learn that the color red sells homes and therefore we end up placing a lot of red props in the homes that we stage.

Please understand that while red is not used (typically) as the dominant room color when selling a home; the color red, when used strategically in props and accessories, in a staged/model home as "punctuated moments" can capture and then move the buyer's eye across and around a room so that they see all that the property is and has.

The above video was created specifically to make a visually compelling marketing point. To instantly understand the power and effectiveness of the color of red for home staging, watch the very short show we call "RED" (with speakers ON). As you watch the show, featuring actual homes we have staged, notice where and how your eye moves in and around each picture. THIS is the same thing that happens when a buyer tours a staged home that is "punctuated" with red accents.

I will be curious to know if "RED" captures your attention or not.

All in all... as experienced home stagers we have learned that the color red adds just the right snap of life, energy, warmth and excitement to even the most mundane spaces and therefore is a great color to use for home selling and home staging.

Stage It forward...
Me

If you can not see the show above CLICK HERE to find a link that will allow you to share the short "RED" show.

Initially Vacant... NOW Staged & Stunning

2007-08-15T08:28:00.000-05:00

In my last post I wrote why vacant properties in general are more difficult to sell than furnished homes.

Well here is a little more to consider and something to see...

For years Home Developers have invested in and created model homes for their buyers to EXPERIENCE as they were shopping for new homes. WHY? Well, the answer is pretty much for many of the same reason I wrote of in Part 1 of my series on why vacant homes are difficult to sell. Those reasons include:

Model homes are spatially easy to understand
Model homes give off a good feeling of “home”
Model homes are well lit making them bright, warm and inviting

So while words are a great way to communicate a message... I think SEEING actual examples of homes that we here at Real Estaging have staged and transformed is yet another way to make my point.

The cool thing about staging is it levels the playing field and makes available to EVERY home seller the "secret" tool that for years only had been used by larger Home Developers.

Now knowing more of what staging makes available to you, I hope you enjoy the show...

Me

Part 2 of 3: Tips for Selling Vacant Homes.

I would like to thank Design Talk for first proposing that I write on this subject. Part 1, initially written for and posted on their site, really has been received well in the cyber real estate community.

Are Vacant Homes Black Holes That Suck the Life Out of their Own Sales?

2007-08-09T21:17:00.001-05:00

Recently I was asked by Design Talk to write a column on a question they are frequenly asked. The question comes from sellers concerned abut selling their vacant houses and wondering if thier property would have a better chance of selling if it had furnishings in it.

Well I replied saying... the fact that most Realtors dread handling a listing that is vacant says a lot, for they know that an empty house is typically a harder sell to make than one that is fully furnished. But why are vacant houses more difficult to sell then furnished homes? Let’s take look at a few reasons…

First, an empty room will always feel smaller than a furnished room. When a potential buyers tour a property, they are trying to “map” their lives into the home’s space. Buyers are evaluating the house to SEE that it will work for them. To help them understand how a house will work or not, buyers will relate the size and fit of the seller’s furnishing to their own. Vacant homes make this basic part of the buying process more difficult.
Next, for many buyers a big part of knowing a house will be the “right” is the emotional connection/vibe they get from it. Houses that are vacant often give off a hollow desperate loneliness. Because it is harder to get the welcome feeling of “home” from a vacant property, the emptiness will actually make it more difficult for buyers to emotionally attach to it.

You may have noticed that Realtors, about to show a furnished home, first turn on EVERY light and lamp in it before the buyer gets there to tour it. (And when I say “every light,” I mean EVERY light.) They turn on the lights because they know that a well lit home sparkles, shines, and adds a warmth and glow that buyers find appealing. Unfortunately, a vacant house will quite often lack or have no lights at all in some rooms. This bad lighting makes it harder for the buyer to see what they are buying, and ends up making the house show as dreary, dark and dull. A big reason why vacant houses are harder to sell is that there naturally is not much to look at, so what there is to see gets scrutinized. While a buyer does want to spend their hard earned money to BUY a home, they are not too interested in spending money on making repairs and fixing the problems the seller chose to leave behind. Having nothing in a house makes it very easy for the buyer to focus their attention on even the smallest of flaws and then negatively fixate on having to spend money to make repairs. Think about it… a wood, tile and linoleum floor will show more dirt, scratches and mars; the smallest carpet stains will clearly be visible; and naked walls will noticeably reveal all the holes, nicks and scuffs that are present. Because the home is unoccupied, the exterior maintenance will often go undone. In the summer, lawns will either overgrow or burn out and weeds will take over gardens. In northern markets, walks and drives will be hidden if not shoveled after a winter snow fall. In general an unkempt exterior will kill any curb appeal and immediately start to diminish the buyer’s hopes as to what to expect on the interior.

For all these reasons, a vacant house will be more difficult to sell then a furnished home. A buyers market will only make it even more difficult for a seller to sell for there are more than enough homes to choose from. Therefore, it is easy to understand how a buyer will be attracted to a home that they spatially understand; get a good feeling of “home” from; is bright, warm and inviting; and shows no glaring signs for maintenance or repair.

Oh… and just because a home is furnished does not make it an automatically and perfectly appealing home to buy… for even a furnished home still should be light, bright, CLEAN, maintained and uncluttered.

Stage It Forward…
Me

Part 1 of 3: Tips for Selling Vacant Homes.

Click HERE for Part 2.

WOW! USA TODAY featured this post on Vacant Homes to its on-line readers!

FEED ME SEYMOUR! It takes a lot for Home Stagers to grow Prop Inventories

2007-08-01T22:26:00.001-05:00

Many home stager's have been taught ONLY to stage using what home sellers personally have in the way of furnishings and decorative accessories (props). This approach to staging is all well and good and at times the right solution, but also at other times extremely limiting to what would and could best serve the home seller. Why limiting? Well what if what the property that needs to be staged is a totally vacant property? Or what if the property, that needs to be staged, is occupied but still lacking in pizazz and is basically an empty home? What does the prop-less stager do if a house needs more "bling" to bring some life and appeal to it?
Houses that need life and be "propped up" to add to their sales appeal happen more than I thought they would. Realizing this, Real Estaging made a commitment 3 years ago to build a prop library… we quickly learned it would ultimately best serve our home selling clients regardless of what their staging needs were.

Currently we have just about 5000 items available in our "PROP LIBRARY"... which might at first seem like a lot. But what do we do if all of our props are out and placed in homes and a new staging job comes in that needs to be propped up? Well, we do what we have been doing for 3+ years… we go out and buy more! AND... the quality and appropriateness of what we buy is VERY important. We just can't buy shlocky junk and put it in a house and say it is “staged.” Bad props will distract a buyer’s attention from looking at the property. We know that if a stager wants to build a reputation for quality staging... they have to own and place in the home quality props.

And as important as it is to give a client the options to have the BEST that staging can offer, I have to admit owning a Prop Library sometimes feels like that voracious plant in the play The Little Shop of Horrors that screams "FEED ME SEYMOUR!"

July for us has been a CRAZY BUSY time here at Real Estaging (hence, I have had no time to write anything for my blog). And being so busy, fortunately (or unfortunately) we found that much of what we own in our inventory had already been "PLACED" out in client properties.... and we needed more!

So what did we do? We went shopping... and rung up a whopping $6,448.21 for new props for the month of July! (Brook supplies the rental furniture for our clients.) THAT was a lot of Ka-Ching for BLING! But, if we wanted the business, it is money we had to invest without immediate return. Placed props do NOT pay for themselves the first time they are placed... it takes a few flips!

Why do we invest in props when so many other stagers don't? We know having the resources that provide options and a variety level of services WILL help differentiate your staging business from other stagers in the market place. Being a one stop staging shop has helped build our reputation. But I gotta admit owning a Prop Library has at times turned our one stop staging shop into a Shop of Horrors.

Stage It Forward…
Me

Home Stagers... Isn't it Time You Became a B.A.S.T.R.D. ARSE Like Me?

2007-06-27T19:15:00.001-05:00

To my fellow home stagers... I did not want to make too big of a stink about this, but I am delighted to announce yet another staging training & certification course than is now becoming available to you.
While I know many of you all already are well trained staging professionals and have worked hard at applying the foundational basics in the art and business of home staging, I also know many of you still feel a bit inadequate and under-trained.

You’ve shared with me your tales of how your competition, at times, rubs your nose in the fact that they believe they are better educated then you... ESPECIALLY when it comes to the skillful use and application of Raffia.

Well, guess what? Your worries are over...

I am happy to announce I have been recently sought out by the British Academy of Staging Training & Raffia Design (B.A.S.T.R.D.) to be educated, certified and then bring back to you their renowned ARSE approach to staging.

Last weekend, I am happy to reveal, the B.A.S.T.R.D.s flew me over to cheery old England for an exhaustive training program to learn ZILLIONS of ways the professional home stager can use Raffia cheaply, yet beautifully, transform their client's properties. GOLLY! There was so much I had to learn in this grueling three day wonder workshop. WOW! I would never have thought one could create so much out of a shriveled stinky dead weed?

But even now, though I am so pooped out, I am just too excited and want to share with you that I am now a Master B.A.S.T.R.D ARSE. That's right I got my MBA! I'm a real live educated ARSE too. I can no longer say I “stage naked” as the renowned stager Kate Hart says. Oh, and more importantly… I am trained and authorized to now teach you the B.A.S.T.R.D. methodology so that you too can generate beautiful Raffia staging transformations. Just LOOK at all the stunning, yet clever, ways Raffia was used in the room pictured above. LOVELY, simply lovely.

You see one thing I learned was… NOTHING SELLS a home faster than a home staged with RAFFIA! And while I know many of you might think you know why it works so well, I know you believe it is because it looks cute and adorable. But it is not the way it LOOKS that helps it make a house sell. Actually it is the way that it SMELLS that SELLS! But I have to admit while it does look pretty too. WOW, there is so much to teach you. Did you know the ARSE tag line is, "Don’t be a stinker... swell smells sell!"

Well I just know the home staging industry will soon be revolutionized as more and more stagers use this misunderstood and underutilized tool. So I invite all home stagers to come learn the secrets of Raffia! I am now taking reservations for next month's inaugural class. Space is limited... so sign up now. And know, I look forward to teaching you how to be a total ARSE… just like me.

Smile It Forward...
Me

Post Script: I believe it is important that we can laugh at ourselves and not take ourselves too serious. A smile before the holiday is a good thing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it... Happy 4th.

Since Home Stagers Aren't Popeye, Home Sellers Don't You Be Wimpy!

2007-06-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

When I was a little kid I used to watch the animated cartoon Popeye on Television. One of the cartoon's secondary characters was a sweet harmless lovable oaf named Wimpy. But Wimpy had a major "issue"... he was addicted to hamburgers.

Hamburgers! Hamburgers! Hamburgers!

Wimpy craved them and could not get enough of them. He would do ANYTHING for one. Even if he didn't have the money to buy one he would try to mooch money from the other characters in the cartoon so he could buy one. Wimpy is now known for his famous line, "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

So what does Wimpy have to do with Home Staging? Well, in the 3-plus years Real Estaging has been merchandising properties in Chicago and its burbs we have brought a LOT of spinach into many homes' saleability. However, being that home staging is still relatively new and misunderstood, we sometimes get asked if we would accept payment for our staging services at closing. I gotta admit EVERY time we are asked that I can't help but think of poor old Wimpy.

Why shouldn't a home stager expect to wait for payment for the services they provided until the closing? Well, it might help you to understand when to pay a stager if you look at what we do from these perspectives.

FIRST, staging services are like any other services provided by an independent contractor hired to help ready a home for its eventual sale. Would you ask or expect a painter who had painted a house, in order to get it ready for sale, to accept payment once the house is sold? Or would you ask a landscaper who trims the bushes, edges the lawn, and plants flowers to accept payment for their services once the house is sold? No! So why should a home stager expected to be paid at closing?

SECOND (and MORE importantly) is the fact that while the whole purpose of staging is to prepare a home that is for sale and IMPROVE its attraction for potential buyers... home staging does NOT guarantee the sale.

Remember, a home stager's responsibility is to prepare a house for its sale in the market... NOT SELL IT. It is the Realtor's job is to sell the property. When a stager has completed their work... the Realtor takes over to make the sale happen. As a property merchandiser, once we set a home and leave the premises, the home stager has NO control over multiple dynamics that can and WILL impact the home's sale. Dynamics such as:

PRICE - A property that is priced too high will never sell, no matter how much staging you do.
MARKETING PLAN - A property can be staged all nice and pretty, but if a realtor is not getting the word out on it, then staging will not help.
INSPECTION FINDINGS - A home might look great on the surface... but lurking below a pretty surface may be an issue that ONLY an inspector will find.
SELLER MOTIVATION - If a seller has underlying "issues" that thwarts a sale... then a sale just might not happen.
SELLING SKILLS - Some deals are just harder to close than others and require more sales acumen. Again while the home might look great, if the Realtor is can not close deals, staging will not help.
BUYER'S FINANCING - Stagers have not control on a buyer's eligibility or ability to secure financing for a staged home they want to buy. (So did we NOT do the job?)
MAINTENANCE - If a home seller reverts to their pre-staged untidy cluttered ways the stagers work will be compromised. Also if a home is not kept clean... that also will undermine the positive impact a staged home can have.

So if you compelled to ask that Wimpy question... know that this Real Estaging Bluto and others will most likely reply "NO...but we do take Master Card, Visa and American Express."

And remember there is plenty of staging spinach here… to help you learn more to sell your home.

Judging for Real Estate Blogging Award Ain't Just Easy as Black & White

2007-06-11T04:15:00.000-05:00

Real Estate gives bloggers a variety of colorful subjects to write on. In fact, as a guest judge for this week's Carnival Of Real Estate, I had so many GOOD posts (about 30) to choose from, I have to admit, it was tough to narrow it down to just one overall winner. Since working with color is a basic tool that a stager relies on, I choose it to be the award's theme... so, that allowed me to narrow the field down to six R-O-Y-G-B-V Finalists, from which one would reign as the Most Colorful and winner for the 46th Carnival of Real Estate.

The six R-O-Y-G-B-V Color Finalists for this week's Carnival of Real Estate (in no particular order) are:

The RED FINALIST AWARD goes to Michael Simonsen. Red is the color for danger, power, passion and desire. It also it the color of energy. The fascinating pricing "heat maps" Michael presents in Bay Area Price Reductions Heat Map posted at Altos Research Real Estate Insights are FULL of red energy.

The ORANGE FINALIST AWARD goes to Brian Brady. Orange is the color that represents creativity, determination and success. Brian is writes a post with "character" as he offers his fresh and "memorable" advice in Realtors Should Stop Selling Houses... posted at BloodhoundBlog.

The YELLOW FINALIST AWARD goes to Oliver Muoto. Yellow is associated with joy and happiness but also can be a cautionary color. Oliver warns Realtors of the primary importance of using good quality pictures when advertising listing in A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words posted at vFlyer Blog.

The GREEN FINALIST AWARD goes to Michael Price. Green symbolizes growth, harmony and, as we all know, money. Michael reminds us that growth can come from looking at new business models. People that think differently will enjoy his Book Report: Be Unreasonable posted at Mike's Corner - Web 2.0 For Real Estate Pros.

The BLUE FINALIST AWARD goes to Dr. John Yacenda. Blue embodies trust, loyalty, wisdom and intelligence. While John definitely demonstrates all those traits in his tale, the same can not be said for his clients. ?Pro Pro Per Pla? ? A Cautious Buyer?s Motto, and It?s not Latin! is a fun read posted at RenoRealEstateVoice.

The VIOLET FINALIST AWARD goes to Karen Rhodes. Violet (purple) is often associated with wealth, extravagance, dignity and independence. However, sadly these noble traits were mischievously played with and convoluted by so many parties involved with the loans. Karen writes of the Subprime troubles in The Party is Over posted at Chattanooga Real Estate Blog.

But when it comes down to it, the #1 post for this week that should be read, is all about RED. The heat maps posted on Michael Simonson's blog entitled Bay Area Price Reductions Heat Map captivated my interest... it was new, fresh, interesting and different. Because I am a home stager, I have seen time and again how it helps to sell people by helping them see. Micheal shares a tool Realtors could use in any market to help visually explain and then create effective pricing strategies with their client home sellers. CONGRATULATIONS MICHAEL this was the Most Colorful post and this week's winning post!

So... those are the colorful award winners for the 46th Carnival of Real Estate here on Home, Staging Rants & Ravings... I hope you enjoy reading them and learning from them as much as I did. I have to say I am truly honored to be the FIRST HOME STAGER ever in the nation to be selected to host and judge this forum that represents the best voices within the Real Estate Industry. Zillow recognizing stagers helps the home staging industry Stage It Forward. The next carnival will be held on Monday, June 18 at RE Agent in CT. Please submit your best post by Sunday, June 17, to be considered.

Color It Forward...

PS: In the future, if you are interested in offering your thoughts and ideas you write of in your own blog (YES HOME STAGERS... YOU TOO should be submitting posts!) to the Carnival, all you need to do is submit your blog article to a weekly edition of the Carnival of Real Estate using their carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

DING DONG, Stage It Forward Calling... with a FREE Member Button for YOU!

2007-06-04T20:41:00.000-05:00

As a member of both Active Rain and Stage It Forward, I LOVE the fact that it is open to all… And because it is so, many home stagers have joined over the past year to shared tales of their experiences and their wisdom. But, I am most proud of the fact that since joining Active Rain its group Stage It Forward... has become one of the most active and THRIVING sub-communities on this HUGLY popular real estate industry networking site.

WOW do Home Stagers have a lot to say and WOW do they ever say it.

Home Stagers and the Home Staging Industry are lucky that Active Rain came along when it did.

Since November 2006 over 600 members have joined and have posted over 2,400 articles about home staging in the group. Because of this fact the group has rapidly become a nation-wide noted resource for home staging information. What makes it so special the fact that collectively the group created itself… which is something each member should take pride in. The collective home staging voice is being spoken hear AND is being heard.

A few months back a special "staged" doorway into the group was created. And while it was GREAT to have the doorway... getting to the "door" became an issue. You see, you still need a "door bell button" that “rings” into this amazing industry resource and community.

So here you go... I have been asked for a link that a stager can use to display their involvement. Here is a button of a working "doorbell" that can be FREELY added to websites or blogsites. All you need to do is copy and paste the HTML CODE that I can email to you. (Image shown below is an actual working sample.)

Clicking on the button will take people visiting your site on to the Stage It Forward Gateway site. At the Gateway they will read a quick overview of the group you are a part of and committed to. Then they can move on into Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group.

So if you would like to show your affiliation to the group... just click on the link. The HTML code that you can insert on your website and/or your blogsite that will create this linking button can be found on the Stage It Forward Gateway.

I, like many of the home stagers that visit this blog, know that home staging works. But I also know that getting the general public and real estate community to understand and believe in what we do has been a bit of a challenge at times. However now, because of Stage It Forward, our voice speaking as one helps tell our story... that's for sure. This membership button is just another subtle "less is more" way to SHOW people we do have a collective voice as an industry.

More good Stage It Forward things are to come... I promise.
Me

Success in Home Staging Business is NOT Just "Pretty" Hocus Pocus Magic!

2007-06-02T14:17:00.000-05:00

A few blogs back I wrote of the upcoming publication of a book by Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com called: "Building a Successful Home Staging Business."

Well, it has been published and I have read it and here is my promised "Book Review".

First, while I don’t agree with everything Barb and her co-author Mary Goodbody wrote of... I have to admit, overall I was pleasantly surprised. I found this book to be MUCH better than I expected!

Yes, this book is a little schmaltzy. Yes, Barb repeatedly states throughout the book that she “invented” home staging to the point that it feels annoyingly boastful at times. But Barb does masterfully "walk the line" I spoke of back in my original post. I think readers of this book will find it to be better written and NOT the "self serving big ego dump" and not a "fluffy disguised piece of advertising" for StagedHome.com seminars... which were some of the complaints she received for her last book entitled: "Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell Your House for More Money."

However, unlike what the back cover claims… this book is still not so much a "How To" operate a home staging business as it is a "How About" the business. So, while it is a nice overview for anyone interested in getting into the business, if you have owned and operated a home staging business, you will find much of what Barb reveals is no great new news.

But, for the budding stager this book is a nice summary of the tribulations, trials and necessities involved with the start up of a home staging business. The authors make it clear this business requires NOT just having the creative talent to "redecorating a room". I totally agree with this key point, as I think many people are first attracted into this business because they hope it is a way to utilize, tap into and apply their creative skills and desire to decorate.

Unfortunately, dealing with the cold hard reality of STARTING, OPERATING, and MAINTAINING a business is often the after-thought for people who get into a home staging (or any) business. From this book, readers will surely see that a "glamorous staging career" is REALLY about being an entrepreneur that has to work hard at growing their staging business.

So while I was glad Barb writes and says it takes work to own and operate a home staging business, I have to say the book still is a little too simplistic and idealizes what it actually does take to run a staging business. Some of what Barb wrote of is incomplete advice and a little glossed over (ie Chapter 3 "Your Business Plan" - only 8 pages long) and some of what she shares would be GREAT guidance if we operated in a perfect world and a perfect marketplace where there was NO competition. But in spite of her somtimes over simplistic view, I was glad to see that Barb was clear about the fact that starting and running a home staging business is not hocus pocus magic. Ultimately she communicates to the reader that what it takes is a combination of talent, a lot of hard work, positive perseverance and a little bit of luck.

So in closing I have to say… Barb Schwarz's new book is a nice OVERVIEW for those considering opening a home staging businesses, but for those of you already in the industry just know that this book is NOT the promised “practical guide that will show you exactly how to” do “what it takes to make it in the Home Staging Industry”. There is so much more that can, needs and will be said to move your businesses and this industry to higher levels. Luckily, much of what needs to be shared and said can be found over in Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group.

Me

Staged Home Raises Funds to Benefit Art Center

2007-05-25T17:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I gotta admit it really is odd to see the house empty again… but just one weekend later that's how this house sits.

However, LAST weekend, this newly constructed luxury home in Park Ridge, Illinois was staged and GLORIOUSLY TRANSFORMED (as these photos show) into the premier site on the Artistic Living Tour of Homes.

Last weekend was the culmination of over year of preparation for a unique fund raising event. The weekend's festivities were no small undertaking, as it took an army of volunteers, who graciously donated their time, talent and treasure, to totally transform this site into a beautiful staged show-house... all for the benefit of Brickton Art Center.

I am happy and proud to report that the Artistic Living Tour of Homes, a show-house plus 5 tour residential tour homes, was a wonderful success. With over 300 people touring the sites… everyone is already buzzing about next year. The volunteers are excited and full of ideas and anticipation on how to make next year’s tour even better. One resident even already offered their home as a tour site!

This “staged” fund raising event was for Brickton Art Center. Brickton does amazing things with and for the arts and is one of the “crown jewels” of our community. It is one of those unique resources within Park Ridge that makes this city such a desirable community to live in.

Brickton, is a small art center tucked away in a corner of the downtown area, currently fulfills the cultural and creative needs of over 6,000 Park Ridge and Northwest Chicago community members each year. It offers over 200 fine arts classes and has hosted nearly 100 gallery exhibits featuring established, emerging and developing Illinois artists. PLUS, and most importantly, Brickton creates beautiful changes in the lives of at-risk populations through it’s out-reach and art therapy based programs.

However, like any not-for-profit, raising funds to continue Brickton’s mission is critical.

At Real Estaging, where one of our core values is to support not-for-profit organizations that are making a difference in the world, it made total sense to offer our help and support such a wonderful organization. We've known how staging can be used as an AWESOME marketing tool for selling... so it made perfect sense to adapt it for this event and create an entirely new version of Brickton’s Artistic Living event.

This event was no small undertaking… besides creating a fresh adaptation of the event and then coordinating all the creative talent of the Gallery Home, whose rooms were each separately "staged" by 9 different designers and/or retailers, we also worked with 5 residents in Park Ridge who graciously opened up their homes as sites on the first ever Park Ridge Tour of Homes. We received accolades for having the “perfect mixture” of big homes, small homes, contemporary homes, traditional homes, new homes, and old homes. The homes we selected were a perfect cross section of all that Park Ridge has to offer.

Having a great idea is one thing, but a weekend long city-wide event of this magnitude takes hundreds of helping hands, including individuals, business organizations, artists, designers, home stagers, elected officials, corporations, residents, neighbors, and families. It took a community working together to make this event the success that it was.

So, needless to say Brickton staff and the army of volunteers were THRILLED that after all their hard work the Grand Opening ceremony was recognized by state Senator Dan Kotowski. Senator Kotowski came and cut the ribbon kicking off the tour and opening the Gallery Home last Friday night at the Gallery 1033 Cocktail Party. More pictures of the gallery home and the cocktail party can be seen here.

So, all I can say is a heartfelt “thank-you” to the many of you that helped stage this successful event.

Finally, to my fellow home stagers, I share this idea with you… for while this one event showcased how we transform spaces, more importantly it shows that we can Staged It Forward... by giving it back.

Keep Staging It Forward...
Me

PS: Oh... Real Estaging staged the Red Living Room & Dining in the pictures above and in the link.

THANKS NBC CHICAGO... for featuring this story on your web site.

Good Photography Helped National Media Tell our Staging Story

2007-05-17T21:27:00.000-05:00

I know that at times I sound like a broken record. But this is a story that is worth repeating. In the past I have blogged about how important good photography is to tell your own staging story… but now I have proof how important is it and can do more and help you tell a BIGGER story.
National print media uses the web to search out and find good photos to use in conjunction with the feature stories they are publishing on the home staging and interior re-design.

A Few months back, Home Magazine found our the our Real Estaging website gallery and contacted us, asking if they could use photos of our home staging work for an upcoming feature story they were going to be publishing (June 2007 issue). Of course we were more than happy to help them out.

Well I gotta admit Real Estaging has come a long way. To have a ½ page photo spread as the main work featured in a national magazine for an an article on Home Staging that also quotes Donna Freeman of HGTV’s Secrets that Sell and Barb Schwarz, president of StagedHomes.com (and lets face it the grand-dame’ of home staging)… well this is quite an honor. We surely must be doing something right.

But more importantly the point I really want to make is... we shoot ALL of our home staging jobs. Right from the start, we made a commitment to INVEST in the time to completely and thoroughly photograph each and every one of our home staging project.

Over the years, with each home staging we completed and photographed, we got better and better at capturing the essence of our work. Yes, it took us awhile to learn how to use our 3 different cameras... but we have gotten pretty good at it. And we are proud to say we are ALL self taught. (Yes we read manuals!)

IN the future, there may be a time when we will have to hire a professional photographer to take our photos to the next level... but we happy to report that investing in the time to learn and do the best we can has paid off now.

Thank you Home Magazine... all of us at Real Estaging we are thrilled and honored!

This article really helps to Stage It Forward...
Me

PS: REALTORS, if you have not replied to the Real Estaging Poll on home staging, we would appreciate if you would go to our blog an do so. Just quickly select a button on the right colomn on our blog and then hit "VOTE" >>>>>.

Will Barb Schwarz's Home Staging Biz Book, Soon to Hit the Shelves, Hit the Target?

2007-05-13T16:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I even if I wanted to I couldn’t have planned this better. Considering my last post spoke of the difficulties of owning and operating a home staging business, the fact that this week Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com is to release a new book entitled "Building a Successful Home Staging Business" is timed perfectly. Just what will Barb Schwarz reveal in her business book? Well, I do not know… but I will SURELY read it and share my thoughts about it here in a future book review.

However, a quote taken from the inside front cover (quote taken from Amazon) shares this insight of what the book is to offer the home staging industry: "Whether you are thinking about starting a Home Staging business or want to improve upon an existing one, this timely guide can help you master the essential elements of a successful Home Staging business." So, considering and understanding what start up business owners in the home staging industry are hungering for... the promise sounds mighty good.

But I have to admit, Barb's book puts her and the company she started, StagedHomes.com, in an odd quandary.

If her book should reveal too much it could jeopardize future students from enrolling and buying into her expensive classes in home staging… for they might think they now only need to "buy the book".

On the other side, if Barb's book reveals too little it can STILL jeopardize her home staging training seminars. For if people who are interested in a career in home staging buy her book, believing in its promises to provide "various strategies and techniques needed to achieve unparalleled success in this field" (inside cover quote) but end up thinking it is "useless fluf and hype," then the book might backfire with potential students… thinking that her training seminars too might also be “fluffy” and not worth it.

Further complicating the issue is the fact that if Barb reveals too much in the book she might end up alienating past graduates who already paid thousands of dollars to be trained as ASP’s in her home staging training seminars. Buying a book for a mere $16.47 (today's price on Amazon) might be seen by past graduates as now selling off the ASP secrets. PLUS, if the book is good, then other non-ASP stagers will surely benefit from the ASP leader's wisdom, but this may be seen as directly helping the “competition". Barb’s “sharing” could back fire and leave those who for years have helped her build up and are committed to StagedHomes.com and the ASP network feeling betrayed.

(OY! I gotta admit as I write this I see what a pickled predicament this one book puts Barb in!)

So that leaves me with just one more scenario to examine. How will not revealing enough, in a book so desperately needed by her graduates and other home stagers, be looked upon? Well, as for graduates of her ASP seminars, Barb has built up a following amongst them and they tend to be her biggest fans. I would not be surprised if they are content and cheer the new book along as they did with her previous one.

On the other hand, those stagers outside StagedHomes.com, who make up the fastest growing segment of the home staging industry, if after they buy and read Barb’s book think it is just a "puffed up fluffy infomercial," they will then rip it to shreds. She will be seen as shrewd, but as an opportunist. (This has happened before so don’t be surprised to see it again.)

Just in writing this article I now have come to a conclusion as to just how much good information on how to run a truly successful home staging business I think Barb Schwartz will reveal (or not) in this book. I look forward to reading it, and when done I will surely let you know in my review if it hit or misses the target. In the mean time, if you do read it let me know what YOU think.

Stage It Forward...
Me

5/23/07 Post Script: The release of this book must have been delayed. Amazon HAD been pre-selling and stated it would be available on May 18. Amazon now says its availability is anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks out. It is Amazons policy to tag books that ARE in-stock as "In Stock".

THANKS! ABC 2 Atlanta for picking up this Post on Barb's Schwarz'z book on running a Home Staging businness.

Stone Cold Reality: Dying Dreams and Limited Opportunities

2007-05-10T06:11:00.000-05:00

With each passing week I seem to receive more and more emails with questions from budding stagers asking me how to approach and solve a myriad of challenges and issues facing staging business. Some of what I am asked are QUITE complex concerns and take MORE than just a quick email response. Unfortunately, as I work on growing my own business, I simply do not have the time to reply. I've tried to help as many of you as I can, but I literally could have a career JUST answering the questions and solving the problems that new stagers are asking.

Dealing with all that I have been in my own business and looking at the types of questions other stagers look to me for advice on, got me to thinking that it is a stone cold reality that starting, owning and operating a successful home staging business is tough.

I have concluded that in order for individual home staging businesses to succeed, the home staging industry needs to look at itself and examine itself and correct that which it is doing wrong if it is to grow to its fullest and experience its greatest possibility.

This post (the first of a series) takes a tough look at one of the realities and dynamics many people who are entering into this industry do not take into consideration. These realities and dynamics compromise the possibility of owning and operating a successful staging business.

First, let me say I am NOT anti-education. However, as a whole, since the home staging education industry is not regulated in any manner, it makes it extremely easy for anyone to open their doors and start a home staging training program… and MANY have. With home staging training classes fetching anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000 per student for ONLY one week’s worth of training, it is not surprising to see why trainers and courses in home staging are popping up all over. The home staging training industry is a gold mine.

To keep the gold coming in, the home staging foundation training company’s have a vested interest and are quite successful at advertising to and enticing people to take their courses. Just go to any company’s website (Refer to featured list on the right hand column of this blog) and you will see courses on home staging being offered all over the USA and Canada. Plus to make it even easier some companies are offering training in the comfort of the student’s home… via the web.

Starry eyed students are buying into the dream that you can take a class in one week… and be a “professional” stager the next. The home staging training industry is a resounding success.

Unfortunately, while home staging education companies have done a GREAT job at selling the dream being a stager, they have not done an equally effective job educating the real estate community and the home seller so that they want to invest in the services of their graduates... and they have the gold to do it.

There is a huge disconnect in the market… the consumer market is not educated enough to absorb the glutton of stagers that graduate weekly from the multitude of home staging foundation courses offered nationwide.

People who invested their time, money and hearts into these courses to learn how to be a home stager are finding themselves spending a considerable amount of time and money trying to convince and educate Realtors and home sellers on the virtues of home staging. While home staging does work and is a GREAT service to offer and provide... it is NOT an easy sell.

This is not to say all hope is lost, but this is a reality. There are those who will train for a home staging career will go on to be quite successful. But, it is important for people interested in becoming home stagers to know the realities and dynamics they face. It would be great if the market for staging services was accepted and growing as fast as the market for training. However, these markets are mutually exclusive of the other. So please, do not make the mistake in believing they are one in the same.

Stage It Forward,
Me

THANKS! ABC Orlando News 9 for picking up this important post on the Home Staging Industry.

Don't Be Seen as a Shifty Seller that Stages to Bamboozle Potential Home Buyers

2007-05-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

Home sellers, if you choose to use a home stager's service, here is a question to ponder...

Once staged, should your occupied property be ADVERTISED as such?

I bring this question up as I feel an educated Seller is an empowered Seller.

First, keep in mind, Home Staging is NOT just decorating. Staging IS a complex marketing tool, that relies a variety of skills, talents and knowledge. So while a basic undertaking of a Stager is to visually prepare a home so that it appeals to a buyer, it is also a Stager's responsibility is to teach home seller and Realtor how to best utilize the “tool” so that it has NO opportunity to work against the sale of the home.

So, getting back to the question at hand… Should your staged property be ADVERTISED as such? Well consider this, while we could benefit from such advertising exposure, those of us here in Chicago at Real Estaging believe that the home seller and the listing Realtor need to discuss the possible implications and then responsibly decide If, When, Where and How to reveal the fact that your home has been staged. In your discussion with your Realtor consider these 3 points:

With more and more people understanding what staging is and how it can actually INCREASE the asking price of a home (*See Post Script below for explanation), some buyers, may use that fact that they know a home has been staged AGAINST the seller and try to negotiate a lower price they "feel" is more appropriate.

Some buyers who learn a home has been staged might feel as though just the surface has been "touched-up" and they are being bamboozled into buying a house that is less than what they are seeing.

With staging still a relatively new service, buyers might find their attention drawn at the staging and NOT at to house and its features. As I have said time and time again… the home should be the star, not the stuff.

Now I doubt every buyer would turn their knowledge about your home’s staging against you. However, why risk it? So, my advice is… it's OK that a Realtor advertises the fact that a home has been staged within the industry and to fellow Realtors (such as within the MLS, or at a brokers open house). Advertising in this manner allows the BUYER'S Realtor, who has a much better read on their client's "sensitivity and quirks," decide if they want to reveal the staging fact to THEIR clients.

Finally, if you have not yet hired a Stager, before you do ask them a simple question: "Should your property, once staged, be advertised as such?" Then… wait for their reply. If they are quick to answer "YES" or say "It really doesn't matter." then I fear that if they don't fully understand a key basic subtlety to staging. And if they don't get this point, then what else about the "Staging Tool" might they not fully comprehend or incorrectly apply that will ultimately give you a LESS than the marketing result you were hoping for?

Stage It Forward...
Me

*POST SCRIPT: A home's listing price is based on 3 key elements: 1.) Location 2.) Market and 3.) Condition. The combination of these 3 Key elements... determines a home's possible price range (Low to High). Stagers go to work on CONDITION... improving the CONDITION of a home can raise the price to a higher price point. The better the condition... the more one can ask. This is a BASIC to ANY real estate transaction.

THANKS Pittsburgh WPIX -TV 11. I am glad you like this blog on home staging. Check out my featured link here.

Home Stager's Controversy is Activated in the Rain

2007-04-18T06:23:00.000-05:00

While it was NOT the intent to create controversy with my initial blog post on Active Rain entitled "Was Barb Schwarz the 'INVENTOR' of Home Staging", somehow it did cause issues to swirl to the surface. And in all this there lies a lesson for ANYONE who writes a blog.

First let me be clear as to MY PERSONAL REASON for writing what I did.

I use Active Rain as a place for me to write a "first draft" and see what "works" with what I write. Member’s comments give me a clue as to how well I conveyed my message and if I need to tweak or alter it before putting it up on here my "Pretty" Home Staging blog. In this case, it’s an ironic fact, I KNOW that the words I selected in the initial Active Rain post missed some of the mark and I needed to go back and do some editing.

That post was to be about CHOOSING WORDS, USING WORDS, and ASSIGNING WORDS to the ideas, thoughts, plans, theories, programs, methodologies, wishes, concepts, etc... we write of in life. I don't care if you are writing a note to you kid's teacher at school or a book that eventually makes the New York Times Best-Seller's List. Words Matter!

WORDS have power to convey (or wrongfully convey) a message. We need to CHOOSE them carefully. Ironically in my own post I saw that the words I chose did not fully convey the message I INTENDED to communicate. So when I rewrote it and posted it here on my "Pretty Blog" I added this entire line:

"Anyway... getting back to words, the use of the words ‘invent’ and ‘staging’ demonstrate how the use of the one right word can help to effectively communicate a message. So while Barb's word ‘staging’ is masterfully on target, on the flip side, the word ‘invent’ falls short."

Did I "TARGET" Barb Schwarz?

While I have been accused of that I must respond by saying... "Absolutely NOT!" I chose to use BARB SCHWARZ as a subject to write about because she is a recognized personality within the Home Staging Industry. Whether you personally have good, bad or indifferent feelings for Barb, it is a fact she plays a role in the industry that I write about. Every writer knows that it helps to develop a point and convey messages if your audience can RELATE to that which you write.

As more and more people become my audience and read my words... it sets me up to be a target for scrutiny. I know it, I expect it, I don't LIKE it... but that is the way that it is. PERIOD. So my words need to be CAREFULLY selected. As do Barb Schwarz’s words or ANYONE ELSE who writes PUBLICLY! PERIOD. Whether you write about the Home Staging Industry, Real Estate Industry or any other industry. PERIOD. As a writer you put your words out there to BE dissected. PERIOD. If you don't like the fact that people MAY just challenge what you say, then DON'T write blogs, DON'T write articles, DON'T give interviews, DON'T do videos, DON'T write books, DON'T teach seminars. Just LIVE in a friggin bubble!

But more importantly PLEASE reader, viewer, listener know that JUST because it is printed, televised, spoken that DOESN'T make it God's Truth. Please, don't be that ignorant or naive. However if you choose to be THAT naive, then here… Craig Schiller created the World. Now wait two days and print this post. Then you’ll have the printed PROOF that it is so. For you read it here and it is now in print! Really, what ever happened to the saying... "Question Authority”?

As for all the controversy, that surfaced in the comment section of my Active Rain post, that surrounds Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com…

I am truly sorry it is so. But there is obviously something VERY REAL between Barb and the the people upset with her. Likewise, there is something VERY REAL between Barb and those people that like her.

It is a well know fact that people LOVE bad news MORE then good news. Unfortunately, the BAD will TRUMP the good. The BAD will grow and spread FASTER than the good, and the bad will be harder to clean up.

Once the BAD is out there it will stick to the hearts of those who feel it and they will judge, condemn and criticize Barb no matter what she does. Even if Barb Schwarz would now create a "scout troop for orphans that walks old ladies and puppies across street corners..." and she will be a target. The hurt these people feel, to me, seems way too real and goes way too deep. Who am I, or who are you to say it is not so for those that are hurting?

Stage It Forward…
Me

See this post on NBC - LOS ANGELES website.

Did Barb Schwarz "INVENT" Home Staging?

2007-04-15T11:27:00.000-05:00

Any writer will tell you that it's inevitable that as a writer you WILL come to a point where you search for that one "right word" that clearly conveys exactly what you are trying to say. Finding right words is critical to communicating an accurate message... and ultimately establishing one's credibility. Your words are a reflection of you.

So recently, as I was surfing the web, I noticed that some home staging blogs and websites cite Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com as the "inventor" of home staging. The more I read this the more I have to admit I thought that it was a mighty bold statement to claim that Barb "invented" the idea of a home seller proactively preparing their home to help maximize its appeal to potential buyers. This infers that prior to Barb’s 1972 "invention" no Realtor EVER had advised nor did any home seller EVER do anything to prepare or improve their home's appeal that would influence a potential home buyer's interest in a home that would cause them to then buy it.

Since I work in the Home Staging Industry and since I love words, I constantly seek out the right ones to accurately communicate what I want to write about in this industry. Seeing how this word was being applied, this got me to thinking. To help in my own understanding, I first looked up the word “invent”... wondering, what actually does it really mean? The American Heritage Dictionary's definition for "invent" is: "To produce or contrive (something previously unknown) by the use of ingenuity or imagination."

When you consider the dictionary's description of the word “invent” it makes it easy to see why it is said that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone... because before Bell's invention, there was NO such thing as a phone. Likewise, it is easy to say that Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb... because before Edison's light bulb, there was NO such thing.

Speaking of electric...what about it? Did anyone really invent electricity? Well actually… NO. Ben Franklin is recognized for discovering electricity, but he did not invent it… for electricity had been in existence forever, just not harnessed by man.

Which brings me back to staging… did Barb Schwarz "invent" home staging? Well, if I apply the definition, I guess I would have to say NO. But if Barb did not “invent” staging… what did she do? Well, I believe she "coined" a term. She gave a name to a process. Barb brilliantly assigned the “right word” to a process that savvy home-sellers had already been doing all along. "Staging" is the perfect word that clearly described the process. Barb found the the one 'right word' that easily captured and communicated a message.

Ever since Barb had her bright idea to call the process "staging", she has been a tireless champion for it... developing one of the many staging methodologies and sharing the message of the benefits of what can be gained when home-sellers proactively take steps to ready their home for it's sale. Barb is now joined by so many others stagers through out the world who continue to perfect the staging process and contribute what they know in the hope that sellers benefit and the home staging industry grows and improves.

Anyway… getting back to words, the use of the words “invent” and “staging” demonstrate how the use of the one right word can help to effectively communicate a message. So while Barb's word "staging" is masterfully on target, on the flip side, the word "invent" falls short.

Think about it… if Barb Schwarz had not come up the term "staging" who knows, I might not be doing what I do and blogging on what I blog on. Which then makes me wonder... who came up with the word "blog"?

Part 2: Click HERE for the follow up post on the controversy this post created.

Word It Forward...
Me

See this post on NBC - NEW YORK's website.

Are Model Homes Dying Design Dinosaurs?

2007-04-11T22:34:00.000-05:00

(For a clearer larger version, click on the image above)

Every year large builder/developers all across the country invest millions of dollars to construct, design and install lovely & lush model homes. Why? It is pretty simple… models sell homes. As one would expect, a model is a great tool to help a potential buyer figure out just how to arrange and fit furniture within a prospective home. However, and more importantly, builders know a beautiful model does something else, it connects emotionally with the buyer... inviting them to a new possible "lifestyle" the might enjoyed if they bought the home.

Until recently, only larger builder/developers could justify, afford and benefit from investing significant sums of money required to create a model. But now, because of the unique approach to design that home staging offers, more and more smaller "boutique" builders have learned that experienced Home Stagers can inexpensively design and quickly install beautifully staged models that rival the über-expensive models of their larger counter parts.

However, a good thing will only stay a secret for so long, it was only a matter of time before a savvy larger builder would discover the cost effective model resource smaller builders were using... and that builder is one of the nation's largest builders, Toll Brothers. Recently we here at Real Estaging were contracted to stage a quick delivery spec home within Toll Brother’s upscale community Hawthorn Woods Country Club, located in Chicago’s far northwest suburbs.

What makes this staging story even more extraordinary is the fact that Toll Brothers ALREADY HAD a lovely & lush model for the same home we staged. Pictured above are interior photographs, taken from much the same reference point, of the both the original lovely & lush model and the staged model we designed and installed. (I am not going to tell you which is which quite yet.) While I don't know how much time it took to plan and install or how many thousands and thousands of dollars were spent on the lovely & lush model... I do know we, planned, designed and installed our staged model in ONLY 3 ½ days and all for less than $5,000. (Which also happens to include the rental fee for furniture provided by Brook Furniture Rental.)

Developers need to know that traditional designers often struggle with the staging approach, for they get caught up in trying to make too much of a design statement. The ability to create and deliver a beautiful model in a short amount of time is one of skills that makes a stager different than traditional model designers. How do we know this? We have seen it first hand observing the desingers in our sister design company (Craig Interior Design) attempt to stage. And as we all know... design time is money.

So, how will the use of home staging as an alternative to models play out in the long run? Will developers explore and take advantage of this new approach and allow their lovely & lush models go the way of the dinosaur? Well, that is yet to be determined. However, I applaud both the sales manager, Julie Tarsio, and property manager, Dan Miekina of Toll Brothers for having the foresight and innovative thinking to look at new possibilities and try new approaches, when it comes to using design as marketing tool. In the future, one wonders that if because of creative thinking like this, the vast amount of moneys builders had spent on models will be redirected into staging multiple spec homes that dot their communities, and in doing so give more homes within a development their own unique yet enticing model lifestyle image.

Stage It Forward... with ideas and information
Me

PS: Click on the image above to see a clearer larger version of the images… oh and the image in the lower left is the real-estaged model.

Transforming the Doorway into the nation's only FREE Home Staging Information Resource Site

2007-04-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

Ask any Realtor and they’ll tell you… first impressions matter. But besides home sales there are other times where first impressions count. So to demonstrate the importance and result of home staging, I thought I would do some staging in one of those “other places.” Considering that the home page of a website is like its “front door”… those of us at Real Estaging thought we would apply the same creative magic we use to stage a home and do a little cyber staging. For this staging our “client” is going to be Active Rain, the hugely popular on-line real estate network. Why them? Well, from the time I joined Active Rain, something has bugged me about it. Let’s face it Active Rain's front door is Boring.

Yes, Yes I know what they have right now is fully "functional" door, and Yes, I know that search engines have no problem finding it. But let's face it... its just plain old BORING. It has NO PIZZAZ, NO WOW! NO… DANG, I gotta go in and check this site out. You might say it suffers from the lack of cyber curb appeal.

So off to work we went… to see the result of our work just click here and you will see what Michelle Tsioles, an AMAZINGLY creative designer (interior and graphic) on staff here at Real Estaging, created. This gateway site is fully functional and is up and running and ready to be linked to. So for my peers in the Home Staging Industry, who have been working together as a group to share our story, you now have a more attractive and less confusing way to gain access to all the great free information being shared about home staging in Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is NOT going to replace the MAIN door into Active Rain. However, the Chief Community Builder of Active Rain, Caleb Mardini was quite pleased with the result saying "I have to say YOU'VE GOT IT! Craig this is great. This really helps. Thank you for putting this together." Since that note, the developers of Active Rain have revealed some images of a newly “staged” home page that they have planned for the future... which does look MUCH better. But with Active Rain getting so big… it still be nice for home stagers and other’s interested in home staging to have a simple access directly to all the great information and dialogue taking place on the internets largest and most comprehensive FREE informational resource… Stage It Forward.

Me

Home Sellers, THE TAXMAN COMETH... but NOT if a Home Stager Can Help It!

2007-03-31T22:07:00.001-05:00

Home Stagers have seen first hand just how home sellers have come to enjoy numerous unexpected benefits of staging. The 2 primary reasons sellers initially still choose to hire a stager is they hope to sell their property faster and/or for more money. However, there is yet another positive reason, how a home sellers can benefit from staging, that is often overlooked. Fees for staging services can be considered an advertising fee (See IRS Publication 523) and influence a home seller's capitol gain (or loss) on their property that has been sold. Of course there are rules and restrictions, so here our a short explanation of how a home seller's capitol gain (or loss) is impacted.

What is IRS Publication 523 and what does it say? IRS Publication 523 explains all tax rules that apply when a home seller sells their main home, including advertising expenses and how they influence the seller's capital gain or loss on the property. It does not cover the sale of a rental property, second home or vacation home.

What does IRS Publication 523 consider seller's MAIN home? The term "main home" usually refers to the home the seller lives in most of the time. A main home can be a house, houseboat, mobile home, cooperative apartment, or condominium.

How is capital gain or loss figured on the sale of a seller's main home? In order for a home seller to calculate the capital gain or loss realized on the sale of their main home, they must know the selling price, the amount realized and the adjusted basis.

What is the selling price? The selling price is the total amount a seller receives for the sale of their home, including money, all notes, mortgages, or other debts assumed by the buyer as part of the sale and the fair market value of any other property or services they receive.

What is the amount realized? The amount realized is the selling price minus selling expenses. Selling expenses include commissions, advertising fees*, legal fees and loan charges paid by the seller.

What is the adjusted basis? During the duration of ownership of a main home, increases or decreases (adjustments) may have been made to the basis (base cost, either bought or built, of home). This adjusted basis must be determined before capital gain or loss can be figured on the sale of the home. There are many rules when computing the adjusted basis. Consult a Tax Adviser to accurately determine the adjusted basis.

To quickly estimate capital gain or loss, apply the following formulas:

First Calculate: AMOUNT REALIZED = Selling Price - Selling Expenses
Next Calculate: CAPITOL GAIN/LOSS = Amount Realized - Adjusted Basis

*Staging a home for re-sale can be considered an Advertising fee. There are no time limits on the Advertising Fees related to the sale for the IRS. However, it is important to note that if a property does not sell and is taken off the market, expenses for that transaction are NOT deductible in the future.

IMPORTANT: EVERY HOME SALES TRANSACTION IS DIFFERENT. To know how this Tax Rule affects you particular home sale in your state, PLEASE check with a Tax Adviser or Tax Consultant regarding IRS Publication 523 and how it may impact your individual tax situation.The complete explanation of IRS Publication 523 can be found on-line at: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p523/index.html

FAKING Your Home's Staging is Fine, Just Don't be CONTRIVED

2007-03-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

While home staging does entail some visual creativity, in actuality it also requires a bit of merchandising and a few marketing "tricks" to get the job done. Unlike the practices of interior decorating, re-design, or even traditional interior design, much of what home staging is that it is the creation of an illusion of a possible lifestyle within a particular house so that it appeals to the largest home buying segment possible.

But it is important to note that in order to create REAL appeal, a home stager might have to resort to some "fakeness". One basic known industry practice (like decluttering or depersonalizing) every good stager relies on is to bring the outside in.

However, while some in our industry suggests that bringing the outside in is as a simple stroll out to one’s garden to cut something fresh and green, in reality this option just might be realistic. While, for some, this might SOUND like great advice to bring the outside in, for others the facts that either it’s freaking freezing and everything is dead in the garden or, oh ya you don't HAVE a garden, you live in a high-rise condo quite often IS reality.

So what can one do to bring the outside in? Well, this is where fake plants can help. Today's silk plants are so "perfect" and so widely accepted that they just blend into the background and, even MORE IMPORTANLY, do not draw the attention of a buyer's eye. Fake fruit works well too.

Also, using fake FOOD as props is a BIG No-No! For some reason, fake food captivates people’s attention… for they love to go up to and look and touch fake food to see just how "real" it looks. A good stager knows, and will advise their client, that anything that distracts a buyers so that they are looking at something other than the house steals precious selling attention.

For homes that are vacant, it is quite acceptable to use fake TV's. Because TV watching is a big part of our culture fake flat screens help a buyer understand how a room can be configured.

That with all that being said, I want to stress the importance that while sometimes "Fake" is fine... it is NEVER OK to resort to contrived trickery. Contrived and “cutesy” staging (Upper Picture ) is staging that just tries to hard. Resorting to gimmicks such as laying out silk gloves, with a single red rose (fake); setting a tray on a bed with a tea cup, a book of sonnets and the word "Love" configured with sticks from your garden; or setting out two champagne glasses wrapped with cute raffia bows on a tub’s edge is just NOT real and not the way most people live.

Because this is typically NOT the way people live, it becomes a contrived distraction to home buyers touring the house. So always remember, the best staging allows the HOUSE to be the star, not the stuff in it. The best and most talented stagers know and easily master the principal that "less is more" and their work is always tastefully understated.

The picture (Right >) of a staged property (staged and photographed this week by Marci Toliver of Fresh Eye Designs) is a perfect and pure example of how to apply an understated "less is more" approach to staging. As you can see, it is a beautifully appealing breakfast nook that is not contrived.

Oh ya, and one more thing, Marci just happened to make that floral arrangement herself…. using fake tulips.

Stage It Forward...
Me

PS: THANKS MARCI... for allowing me to feature this picture of your beautiful work. This is STUNNING staging!

PSS: My company, Real Estaging, happens to use proptronics.com as our supplier for these props. I recently spoke with Darlene, the owner of Proptronics… she graciously offered to give a discount to any stager who mentions this post. Please just ask for Darlene or Michael. HOW COOL IS THAT?

Growing Membership of Stage It Forward... Creates a United Voice for the Staging Industry

2007-03-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

Just what kind of power and impact Active Rain, the online real estate network, is capable of is definitely been proven. Almost daily, one can log on and read great posts crediting it in countless ways for helping create success in so many ways for some many professional that are employed in the Real Estate Industry. But what really is mind boggling is Active Rain is ONLY in its infancy (less than 1year old), so it is hard to comprehend all that is possible in its future.

So while the "big" Active Rain has been so revolutionary, when it comes to the Home Staging Industry, I can personally attest to just what impact Active Rain has had to legitimize and catapult that industry forward. It so happens that the day Active Rain added the "Group" functionality to its site... the Stage It Forward group was born. This past Saturday, that small group hit its own small milestone... the 300th member joined the group. And while that might not seem like that big of a deal to most... for the Home Staging Industry it is quite an achievement.

Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group is one of the Top 10 (out of over 600 groups) most lively and active groups on the site. It has become a gateway resource for GREAT staging information. Members respectfully and FREELY pass along knowledge to both Home Stagers and Realtors alike. Each day anyone can go and read well articulated stories written by Home Stagers from all across the USA and Canada.

Realtors, if you never considered using a Stager, go on in. You will be bombarded with visually stunning examples of what we do… you will find that the Stagers are relentless to make sure you and your sellers understand the power of our craft. This group is quick to share stories that speak of success, after success, after success.

But what is most amazing, and what I am most proud to be a part of, is to see how Stagers enthusiastically help and contribute to the success of their colleagues.

Unfortunately, I have been in the Home Staging Industry long enough to know that there was an underlying negativity that was keeping our industry small. Margaret Ann Innis, a stager that studied at BOTH stagedhomes.com and the Interior Redesign Industry Specialists, described the industry perfectly when she recently commented, “…our industry was fragmented by personalities, training schools, etc. Now there is a level playing field for all the voices of Stagers to be heard. We all bring many talents to this passion."

When Active Rain created the Group functionality... an opportunity to mimic what was already taking place in the "bigger" Active Rain became possible. Stage It Forward created the ONLY free and accessible forum where any and ALL Home Stagers, regardless of where they received foundation training, can go and ongoingly learn and discuss the “ins and outs” of staging.

This just goes to show the power that sincere sharing and respect for diversity can do… for it is moving the entire Home Staging Industry forward into the future.

Stage It Forward...
Me

3 years Ago TODAY, We First Appeared on "STAGE"

2007-03-19T16:45:00.000-05:00

Today, is the third anniversary of my first home I ever staged. So, I thought I would reveal the back-story behind my own first home staging experience and how it proved to ME that home staging really works.

Back in March of 2004, after I had completed my studies in interior design at Harrington College of Design, I was asked by a Realtor to "stage" a high rise condo in Chicago, which actually had a lot working against its potential sale. I can remember thinking... "Staging? What the heck is that?" You see at that time, I really knew NOTHING about home staging. So I researched what I could on the web. However, unfortunately at that time, there was not as much information available as there is today on sits such as in Active Rain's Stage It Forward group. But there was enough that I was able to get the "basics" of what staging is all about… which was to de-clutter and let the HOUSE be the STAR not the STUFF in it.So with this new found LIMITED information I did the next best thing I could do... I blended this new understanding with: 1.) My own life experiences of multiple moves (where my father, an account executive for United Air Lines, always had us get the house "ready for selling" each time we were transferred) 2.) My newly educated creative passion (interior design) and 3.) My professional career experiences spanning the past 20 years (sales, marketing and most importantly and helpful... advertising).

I can recall going out and buying nearly $700 worth of props for this 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo and thinking "what would I do with all these nic-nacs & fake plants when the condo sold?" But, I didn't worry too much... as I figured I could always use the after photos as part of my interior design portfolio. (Odd thing is I DON'T use these photos in either our interior design portfolio OR our staging portfolio.)

Well, anyway, the home staging not only worked... and worked FANTASTICALLY!

The property sold in 10 days, had 3 offers and sold over its original list price! While selling over list is not unheard of, what makes this QUITE unique is the fact that NOTHING had been selling it the ENTIRE high-rise for months as any new owner was going to be hit with a special assessment for new windows. In the case of this particular corner unit the special assessment was going to be an astounding $20,000!

Plus what was also working against the sale was its original kitchen (ugly dated metal cabinets) and there were OTHER units in the same tier of the high-rise with fully renovated kitchens. So you can see why I say much was working against the sale of this condo.

It is no surprise, and rightfully so, that the Listing Realtor still takes great pride in the fact that for over 2 years after it sold this unit held the selling price record for a non-renovated 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit in this condominium high-rise.

This whole experience was AMAZING to me… I learned FIRST HAND just how awesome of a marketing tool home staging can be when it comes to selling real estate.

Needless to say, I was SOLD ON STAGING in Chicago… and on that day I became a home stager and Real Estaging was born.

Stage It Forward...
Me

I confess... We Use the UGLY "R" Word!

2007-03-17T08:43:00.000-05:00

(This is Part 4 of a 4 Part Series on Home Staging Transformations. Links to posts 1-3 are below.)

I happen to know among clients, builders & developers, home selling professionals, and even stagers that there are polarizing opinions on a controversial topic in our industry. When asked… everybody is quick to chime in and share their thoughts about one side or the other, some even surprisingly have very strong opinions against the subject. However, these negative opinions, I feel, are quite prejudiced. I believe these people are misinformed and it is their ignorance that keeps the myth and controversy that surrounds the "R" word alive.

Quite recently, we here at Real Estaging lost a client because we began using the ugly "R" word. NOW… this really got my blood boiling. So I am on a campaign to... stamp out the ignorance and prejudice! This crusade will end, once and for all, what is been wrongfully labeled as "BORING" and "UGLY"... and what the “R” word is is Rental Furniture!

To finally end to the Rental furniture myth I have posted a few photos (NOT slick studio production shots) from ACTUAL staged homes we did for sellers all over the metro Chicago region. In each we used rental furniture and then added beautiful BLING from our own extensive prop library. We started our company, having our own furniture in our prop library helped us get started and differentiated us from others in the market. But, as we looked at what we had invested in the furniture and the return on the investment we were attaining from THAT portion of our prop inventory... and we made a strategic decision. If we can not carry it (physically) we won't carry it (in our prop inventory)... instead we would rent it and roll that expense into the fee we charge the client.

For us this strategy is the right decision for 2 reasons: 1.) It was getting WAY to expensive to first PURCHASE and then continuously transport to, move in, move out, clean, repair, store and insure the hundreds and hundreds of furniture pieces we now are placing in staged homes. 2.) We found that Brook Furniture Rental, based here in Chicago with locations in CA, GA NV, TX, and DC, had diverse and MULTIPLE furniture lines, and a strong willingness to work with us.

So, a few months ago, we began working with Brook Furniture Rental and using their furniture in our stagings. I have to admit I have been delighted, for MANY reasons, but the first and foremost reason is they share with us a common commitment to provide the best level of staging creativity and service to our shared clients.

So the next time we have a client that says anything anti-rental furniture... we here at Real Estaging will hold our heads high with RENTAL PRIDE!

Stage It Forward...
Me

POST SCRIPT: This is the 4th and Final blog in a series were rental furniture was "secretly" used. The other 3 blogs featuring rental furniture can reached by clicking on the links below.

Wanting to Share the "GREEN"... I'm Gonna Recycle a Full-Circle Moment in My Own Life

2007-03-14T19:06:00.001-05:00

This past November I took a business trip to China. I traveled there because the professional designer side of "me" was required; however to my surprise the personal side of "me" was profoundly impacted.

It just so happens that when I was in China, I visited both Hong Kong and a city called on the mainland called Shenzhen (which is 45 minutes away from Hong Kong via water taxi). During this trip something became quite apparent to me… Hong Kong was all about consuming, and Shenzhen was all about manufacturing. Shimmering and sparkling, yet stuffed and cluttered in EVERY nook and cranny of the streets of Hong Kong, were stores, shops and boutiques offering for sale every conceivable thing we stuff into our lives.

Oddly, in contrast, was Shenzhen, a city where pollution constantly spewed out of the thousands and thousands of factories located there. The pollution was so bad that I could literally and easily look directly into the sun in the middle of the day. Sadly, at one point we drove over a river that was so polluted it was thick and black as tar. (I am NOT exaggerating.) It is also important to note that Shenzhen is just one of the multitude of manufacturing/industrial cites throughout the world that makes the material goods we think we "need" in our consumer society.

Upon returning to the states, I started to reflect on all I had experienced and thinking about how it affects my job as a home stager… and I came to a “full circle moment” in my life.
I came to realize that in this age of consumption, it’s kind of odd that my job as a stager is to "transition" a home back to simpler view. Basic to what we do is de-cluttering the mass amount of consumer "stuff" that has built up in a seller’s house. In fact, if a stager’s work is done properly, completely and timed right, the seller can actually PROFIT from the sale of their home. It is scary to think that these “profits” then COULD then be used to go out and buy more "stuff".

But now, because of this trip to 2 cities in China… if I have it my way, people that use our home staging services will begin to look at their lives and their desire for stuff in a new way. I hope and want to show people, whose homes we transform, that a beautiful home NEVER needs to be STUFFED full of useless consumer crap. I hope to share with all our clients the fundamental lesson EVERY interior designer is thought early on in their design education... the fact that "Less is More."

For now, because of my trip to 2 cities in China, I come to realize our planet's life truly depends on less being MORE.

Green It Forward...
Me

STAGE IT FORWARD... means giving IT back

2007-03-11T07:57:00.000-05:00

The willingness and importance to give back is basic to what the group of Home Stagers in Active Rain’s Stage it Forward group are all about. Giving back is so basic, that in the group's short description on Active Rain, the words "sharing" or "share" is used in three separate places.
However for me personally, Stage It Forward is more than just helping fellow home stagers grow their businesses... for me, Stage It Forward means using my time, talent and treasure to benefit community where I live. So at Real Estaging, our company’s current Stage It Forward effort centers around the creation of a marvelous community wide fund raising event for Brickton Art Center... which happens to be a WONDERFUL not-for profit organization (committed to outreach) in Park Ridge Illinois.

Starting last summer, we helped invigorate and re-invent Brickton's Artistic Living event by refining it and adding an entire Tour of Homes. With a goal to raise $20,000, here is what we have been working on and organizing…

The Artistic Living Tour of Homes event revolves around what is being called the Gallery House were art is featured within each room of a newly constructed home (donated for the weekend of May 18th - 20th by Tim Metropolis of TMM Development Corporation and listed with Gretchen Gullo of Coldwell Banker) in Park Ridge. This beautiful constructed Arts & Crafts style home will be where its interior spaces will be transformed and feature the creative works of both artist and designer. This house will also host the: Gallery 1033 Cocktail Party - a unique themed grand opening cocktail party and event night, and Silent Auction Room - featuring a variety of donated artistic objects, gifts and other items from local businesses.

In addition to the primary Gallery House, this tour event will also feature several other beautiful homes of Park Ridge. Residents are opening the doors to the interiors of their home to be locations on the tour. Craig Interior Design (our sister design studio) is even offering to help stylize & stage these homes with FREE design advice and help prior to the event.

The final fun new twist is that Brickton is commissioning a special gallery exhibit entitled The Doors of Park Ridge. This show will feature and exhibit the artistic interpretations of doors of homes, shops, schools, or churches etc. throughout Park Ridge, as seen through the eyes of and created by local kids.

The whole event is designed so that whether donating "BIG" or donating "SMALL" of one's time, talent and treasure, we have created many ways for others to experience the joy of giving and share in this wonderful event. All are invited and encouraged to tour the homes and see the power of what is possible when you… Stage It Forward.

WOW! This Town-House in Chicago's Bucktown is SOLD just 2 days after Home Staging

2007-03-09T20:54:00.000-06:00

(This is Part 3 of a 4 Part Series on Home Staging Transformations. Links to posts 1, 2 & 4 are below.)

The Bucktown area of Chicago has risen up to be a renaissance neighborhood. A little over 10 years ago this area wasn't very much to look at. But because of its close proximity to downtown, builders came in tore down and rehabbed much of the old and built new. NOW Bucktown area is one of Chicago's vibrant and trendiest neighborhoods.

Because builders saw such possibility and opportunity... more came and built (and are still building actually). Eventually the levels of inventory rose,,, and continues to rise today. Unfortunately, that creates a challenge for home sellers in the neighborhood. How does a seller, who bought new homes a few years back, differentiate their home from all the rest that are for sale?

THIS is where this staging story happens to start.

At the beginning of this year, one of Chicago's "coolest' and most progressive real estate companies, @Properties (even their name is cool), started a advertising campaign geared around HOME STAGING. They sent out email “blasts” and glossy postcards teaching consumers about the value of Home Staging and how their agents are in step with it.

At about this time, PJ Duffy, a Realtor with @Properties, who back in August 2006 had first listed a great contemporary town-home in Bucktown was faced with a new dilemma. The owners of an unsold listing of his now HAD to move on with their lives and were moving out... and they were going to be taking their furnishings with them. So now while it was a great property... he knew there were MANY other properties as interesting in the Bucktown area and NOW this listing was going to be vacant. PJ saw this as an opportunity to jumpstart a stalled listing.

So PJ contacted Jeannie, one of our three sales Services Specialist here at Real Estaging. Jeannie (who also has a knack for staging) along with Kirstin and Norma, staged the vacant property. Kirstin, who happens to be an artist, even contributed an original painting she painted that would work with the contemporary nature of the property and the staging style we were creating. (That painting hangs in the Dining Room… see pixes below.)

After our team finished the staging, PJ started showing the NEWLY staged and transformed property. AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW? THIS BUCKTOWN TOWN-HOUSE SOLD... IN JUST 2 DAYS! WOW... now that IS fast.

This is definitely another happy ending for ALL... buyer, seller, both realtors and stager.
So on behalf of all of us at Real Estaging I would like to personally acknowledge and thank @Properties and PJ Duffy for taking a strong committed stand for Home Staging. They saw early on that staging SELLS homes... and it is for reasons like this that @Properties has risen up to be one of the best Real Estate Agencies in the Chicago Market.

POST SCRIPT: This is the 3rd blog in a series. The other 3 blogs can reached by clicking on the links below.

Part 1: Stunning $1.8 Million Home staged in Winnetka Illinois
Part 2: Staging it Wright in the Architecturally Historic Oak Park / River Forest Areas of Illinois
Part 4: I confess... We Use the UGLY "R" Word!

One Stage NOW shines its Spotlight on the entire Home Staging Industry

2007-03-08T18:08:00.000-06:00

The geniuses that created Active Rain might not realize it (and I KNOW they did NOT intend it) but they have created something amazing.

They have created a stage for the voices of an entire industry, which was still a relative infant and struggling to be heard, could finally be heard. That industry is the Home Staging Industry.

Today is going to be a VERY special day for all home stagers that utilize Active Rain and its Stage It Forward group as a resource for fresh and helpful industry information. Today, the stagers on Active Rain will be welcoming their 500th stager. Considering Active Rain is TOTALLY FREE and non-aligned with any home staging foundation training program THAT is a HUGE milestone for home staging!

If you are NOT a stager, I don’t think one can fully appreciate how significant this milestone is and what Active Rain is doing for a very young and rapidly growing industry.

You see prior to Active Rain there was no one place that any and all stagers could freely go to and share information with their colleagues. Many of the company's that provide foundation training in home staging have turned their backs to and would not acknowledge any of their fellows who did not have the same training as they provided... and definitely would not share ideas... or even a kind compliment!

Active Rain has shattered all that, and has allowed the voices of ALL STAGERS to be heard and RESPECTED. On Active Rain and in the Stage It Forward group ALL stagers are welcome! I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful place.

SO MY HAT IS OFF... to Active Rain and all the home stagers who proudly SHARE ONE VOICE on this ONE STAGE. YOU ARE ALL in your own way SINGULARLY SENSATIONAL.

Stage It Forward...
Me

PS: The smiling dancer is the stager Marci Toliver, the person I call "The Smile of Home Staging". Marci embodies professionalism. She lives and IS what more of the leaders of this industry could be... kind, respectful and welcoming to ALL who have and will choose in the future to make home staging their career... regardless of where the stager first received their foundation training.

THINK CRUSTY THOUGHTS...when taking pictures of homes for sale

2007-03-06T19:07:00.001-06:00

While I happen to be a home stager, you may have noticed a number of my postings here on my blog have been about improving photos used in advertising homes that are for sale. This is because I KNOW from experience that what a home buyer SEES influences the desire to purchase a home... or NOT. But what a home buyer SEES often begins BEFORE they drive up to the property or walk through its front door.

Realtors and home sellers MUST understand that with each passing day the Internet becomes more of a resource for buyers to PRESCREEN your properties. Buyers looking at the photos realtors have posted in the online ads the produce. With digital photography being so easy and inexpensive... there is now excuse for Realtors NOT to have photos that PERFECTLY capture the images of their listings.

WOW... the "perfect" label is a mighty demanding standard to expect! But isn't marketing and selling a home what realtors have been hired to do? Isn't capturing and then displaying homes on the market the job of the realtor... and in the best interest of both the seller AND the Realtor?

It is no surprise that many Realtors now use professional photographers/videographers to shot properties to help market and sell them. It is this reason more and more professional Homes Stagers are photographing the homes they stage and offering these quality images, which best show off the home, to the Realtors to use in their marketing campaigns.

So when it comes to taking pictures of properties here is a simple CRUSTY PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION technique that will help a property look its best.

But before I share this technique… I need to make a point. Many of us, through years of taking pictures of PEOPLE, have wrongfully (especially when it comes to interior shots) take pictures of homes that are for sale.

Quite often realtors approach taking pictures of properties like taking pictures of PEOPLE… they just point the viewfinder in the middle (where the people usually are) and CLICK. But if one just takes a moment to LOOK, not only in the direct center, but also LOOK to see and take into consideration what is happening around the 4 outside edges (think bread CRUST) pictures used to sell homes will be composed and FRAMED much better.

It's really that easy.

Oh, by the way, the home encrusted in the picture above is of a totally vacant home we recently staged.

Stage it Forward...
Me

Selling Your Home is as Easy as Riding a Tricycle

2007-03-04T19:18:00.000-06:00

Home sellers, when you put your home up for sale… you might say it is like you are like a little kid about to go on a tricycle ride. But for this particular “sales trike trek” 4 basic elements impact how smoothly your ride will go. These 4 important elements in your home’s sales trek are: Market, Location, Condition, and Price.

During your ride, consider the MARKET as the sidewalk that your tricycle maneuvers on. Sometimes the market is bumpy, sometimes smooth. Regardless, what the market’s surface conditions are, you must just keep rolling along for there is little you can do to impact the market path.However, to get the tricycle ready for its travels, you must consider the 3 wheels that keep your home's sale rolling along.

First, PRICE is the big front wheel where the knowledge and expertise of a Realtor helps you steer and direct your sales ride for the best possible result.

But in order for your front wheel to maneuver properly... the two back wheels must also be looked at and operate smoothly and in conjunction with your front wheel.

One of your trike's back wheels is LOCATION. The LOCATION wheel is a fixed hard rubber wheel that will NEVER go flat... it is what it is.

Your other rear wheel is CONDITION. By the time you, as a home seller, are ready to jump on your trike’s seat and go for a sales ride many of you don't always want to look at the rear wheels... especially the CONDITION wheel. Unfortunately, much of the time your CONDITION wheel's treads have worn down, the rim is rusty, it has leaked some air and maybe even gone flat.

Home stagers go to work on your flat worn-out rear tricycle wheel. We pump up, shine and make suggestions that will improve the rear CONDITION wheel, so that your home’s sale doesn't end up being a rickety ride.

So when you sell your home, preferably before you list it, find and use a home stager in your area to see just how smoothly your own tricycles can roll along to the closing.

Stage It Forward...

PS: I spelled "peddling" the way I meant it.

Home Stager's Websites are the Display Windows of their Skill & Talent

2007-03-03T18:15:00.000-06:00

I believe that the home staging industry is in the business creating amazing first impressions; therefore, I often search the Net for websites of home stagers to check out what kind of first impression they ARE or ARE NOT creating for the consuming public.

I first started doing this 3 1/2 years ago when I was opening my own staging business and researching the staging industry. At that time, two home staging company's websites caught my attention and left me with an amazing and favorable first impression. Those two staging companies were: Nest Home Design in San Francisco and Dekora in Vancouver BC. (They still are shining examples of professionalism.)

A little while back, I happened to stumble upon and then was blown away by the website of Turton Interiors. Then, just yesterday, I found yet another great website… Bella Casa Staging. It happens, by coincidence, that both of these stagers received their initial foundation training from the same training resource (stagedhomes.com), however each has gone on to find their own unique way to express their creativity, staging styles, and business acumen within their individual websites. It is also important that I note that both of these stagers have chosen to further differentiate themselves within their respective markets by NOT having a web presence provided exclusively through the company that provided their initial foundation training.

In my opinion these 4 staging company websites embody the essence of GOOD home staging. Just like a well staged home, these sites are fresh, clean, uncluttered and easy to maneuver in and around. All are stylish and creative, simple... not flashy. They are well thought out, and beautifully display both creative skill and talent. When a consumer visits these sites they can SEE that these professional stagers know what they are doing.

Now, as more stagers graduate from the multitude of staging training companies and enter the home staging industry and as home staging continues to gain in popularity... it only makes sense that more and more of the consuming public will first "shop" the internet and use a stager’s website to "pre-screen" them. It is only natural that prospective clients be attracted to stager’s sites that are beautiful, simple to navigate and demonstrate an understanding of scale, proportion, color, and balance.

As a professional stager, “who you are” and “what you can do” must be displayed on your site. With the accessibility and ease of digital photography, Before & After Galleries/Portfolios are essential to a home stager in there website. By investing no more than $500 in a decent digital camera and then taking the time to READ the operation manual and learn how it works will pay off.

If you are serious about growing your business and differentiating yourself from other home stagers, I suggest you invest in and create your own website that is a beautiful "Display Window" of your talent. To help, I list and link (in the right hand column) many of the best sites that I have stumbled upon, so that those of you who are committed to improving and growing your own staging business can easily access examples of some of the best DISPLAY WINDOWS with the Home Staging industry.

Stage It Forward...
Me

Staging it Wright in the Architecturally Historic Oak Park / River Forest Areas of Illinois

2007-03-02T10:59:00.000-06:00

(This is Part 2 of a 4 Part Series on Home Staging Transformations. Links to posts 1, 3 & 4 are below.)

When one of the most architecturally significant areas in the world is right here in Illinois… in the Oak Park / River Forest area! For it is there that Frank Lloyd Wright had his first "studio" and created his famous and easily recognizable architecture design known as the Prairie Style. When touring the area it is easy to spot amongst the gorgeous mansions and tree lined streets the historic Architectural masterpieces, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

However, due to this area’s close proximity to Chicago, builders find it profitable to tear down less pleasing older homes and replace them with new homes featuring all the amenities today’s homebuyer expect and enjoy. And it is at this point that my staging story begins.

Real Estaging was recently contacted by a builder who last fall completed building a totally new home in River Forest. But this home was no “ordinary” home. From inside to out… the builder built with accurate attention and detail his own Frank Lloyd Wright style masterpiece. Built-in handmade cabinets, inlaid woods, barreled ceilings, etched glass hutches where just of the few prairie style elements that were designed into this new home. In fact, the home even has a cozy inglenook fireplace. (How COOL is that?) This home of “yesterday” that was built “today” is a magnificent feast for the eyes. Unfortunately it wasn’t selling.
Real Estaging know that a home on the market MUST appeal to the LARGEST buying audience as possible. Working against this beautiful Prairie Style home’s sale was the fact that it was TOO Prairie Style. For while potential buyers liked the home… they could not understand or envision how their lives (and their stuff) could fit into a home with such a strict architectural style.

In fact our Services Specialist in the Oak Park / River Forest area, Susan Hamaj, had to explain to the builder that it was NOT in his best selling interest to stage the vacant home with Prairie and/or Mission style furniture. WHY not? It is because the average consumer does NOT typically own that type of furniture... and might just feel a home in that manner would be too hard (expensive) to appropriately furnish.

So we at Real Estaging went to work, staging this vacant home to help SELL it. I have to admit this was a bit more of a challenge than I thought it would be. However, here are the results of our staging efforts... to which the builder was quite pleased. It is important to note that while we created a look that HONORED the style of the home... we were far from being Prairie Style purists. Our ultimate staging goal was to create an appealing home the AVERAGE home buyer could see living in.

Now we can say when it comes to Prairie Style homes... Real Estaging stages it Wright!

POST SCRIPT: This is the 2nd blog in a series. The other 3 blogs can reached by clicking on the links below.

Part 1: Stunning $1.8 Million Home staged in Winnetka Illinois
Part 3: WOW! This Town-House in Chicago's Bucktown is SOLD just 2 days after Home Staging
Part 4: I confess... We Use the UGLY "R" Word!

Stunning $1.8 Million Home staged in Winnetka IL

2007-03-01T11:33:00.000-06:00

(This is Part 1 of a 4 Part Series on Home Staging Transformations. Links to posts 2,3 & 4 are below.)

Since I started blogging about staging I know I have shared and yapped a lot. Unfortunetly, lately I have been very quiet... but for good reason. WE HAVE BEEN BUSY! (Thanks to all who have sent emails asking me if all was OK.)

Anyway, I thought I might share some of what our crew here at Real Estaging has been working on that has kept us ALL so busy.
Here are a variety of pictures from the second staging project we completed for a "boutique" builder I first blogged about last summer entitled: UPSTAGING the Competition. The first property we staged for the builder had been on the market for nearly 10 months when he finally agreed to have us come in and stage it. But once did stage it, it sold in about 45 days. Needless to say the builder was SOLD ON STAGING.
So when their next property was ready for market, instead of waiting to see if the HOUSE would sell, the builder had us come and stage it the INSTANT it was ready.

The builder, Sandstone Bluff Properties is METICULOUS in their renovation efforts and the result is a stunning $1,850,000 home... this time in Winnetka Illinois. (This builder really creates renovation miracles!)

Needless to say Real Estaging is proud to be the staging company associated and used by this quality builder on Chicago's North Shore.

Above is a sample of Sandstone Bluff Properties L.L.C. and Real Estaging's work... if you would like to see more go here: http://www.1353tower.com/ (Be sure to click on the Panorama Tab.)

POST SCRIPT: This is the 1st blog in a series. The other 3 blogs can reached by clicking on the links below.

Part 2: Staging it Wright in the Architecturally Historic Oak Park / River Forest Areas of Illinois
Part 3: WOW! This Town-House in Chicago's Bucktown is SOLD just 2 days after Home Staging
Part 4: I confess... We Use the UGLY "R" Word!

MY ADVICE: Don't drink the Kool-Aid, but keep your Staging Training Pride!

2007-02-10T13:42:00.000-06:00

Last July, when I was invited to join Active Rain, the real estate social network, I knew it was going to be a very special site. Right from the start I was amazed to see how Realtors from "competing" companies reached out to their colleagues to freely share information that helps and betters their "rivals". So it is no surprise then that because of all of the shared generosity, Active Rain has been a successful and rewarding venture for ALL who participate.

When I started on Active Rain, there were only a small number of Home Stagers on the site. Slowly, at first, Stagers found and began contributing. Amazingly, Stagers from across North America (YEAH CANADA!) started sharing ideas, challenges, frustrations, tips, successes and techniques to staging homes and running home staging businesses.

When Active Rain created the "group" feature, Stage It Forward was born. Stage It Forward now provides Home Stagers with ONE easy forum and resource where, regardless of where one’s foundation training was received, all can gather and learn MORE and become BETTER Home Stagers. Any Home Stager who has spent any time on Active Rain in Stage It Forward knows the benefit from diverse and free flow of ideas and dialogue that takes place each and EVERY DAY.

So as more and more home Stagers find Stage It Forward… just know that when you come gushing in with "foundation training pride” know at times it looks like you "drank too much of the Kool-Aid" from the company that provided your base training in home staging.

Just know that Active Rain and Stage It Forward are places where Stagers and the Home Staging Industry has and will continue to grow to greater heights through the simple acts of kindness and sharing.

Stage It Forward...
Me

Raise Your Standards by Setting Your Sites Lower

2007-01-15T19:09:00.000-06:00

As a professional home stager I know what home buyers look at (regardless of where, when or how they see it) matters greatly. In fact, I believe in "SEEING" so much that I am ongoingly investing in and building an entire company devoted exclusively to improving what home buyers see and visually experience when they shop for real estate.

So to keep my eye on what is happening with technology and in the marketplace I often go out to realtor sites to research and SEE just what has been featured by realtors for buyers to look at and evaluate on the web. And I have to admit it surprises me to see so much sloppy photography that realtors use to market their client's properties.

One of the MOST common problem I repeatedly see is with photo composition. So often I see the interior room photos featuring far to much of the ceiling in the photo... and I don't know why. Seriously... when was the last time you had a client ask you to show you a house with the biggest ceiling? If you ask me, with digital photography being easy, quick and cheap, there is NO EXCUSE for this to occur in room shots. To me... in the not too distant future, bad photography this is going to be the sign of a lazy agent.

Now, there are times when ceiling beams, light fixtures, skylights, or some other feature or element on a ceiling should be featured in the photograph... but let's face it, this is typically NOT the case for the majority of the homes that are being photographed. Below are 12 of nearly 50 images I found last week when for about 1¼ hours I sat down to do some on-line industry research. I’ve posted these examples because I know SEEING what I saw will help SEE what buyers are SEEING.

TIP: Showing more of the floor is typically better then more ceiling. So the good news is it does not take expensive photo editing software or classes in photo composition to correct this common error. All it requires is that the realtor take an extra moment and look at what is in their camera's view finder and lower it if too much ceiling is being included in the shot.

I write about this VERY basic point about real estate photography because as more and more consumers rely on internet sites to prescreen and preview properties, the knowledge and application of BASIC photographic skills is going to be a simple yet critical competence that WILL distinguish the amateur from the professional realtor.

So remember, simply lower your sites and you will quickly raise your own standards and gain the marketing advantage shooting and posting good room photos will make in creating that favorable first impression of you are looking to gain for both you and the properties you are selling.

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)
NOTE: While some of these photographs have other quality issues... for the purpose of this posting they were selected for how they featured ceilings.

Home Staging is Sweat Equity ON STEROIDS!

2007-01-09T23:42:00.000-06:00

Agents, with the spring real estate selling season just around the corner I think now is the time to FLEX YOUR MINDS to make a strategic point about pricing point! While real estate staging will not raise the appraised value of a property, STAGING A HOME CAN STILL CAN BE A VERY PROFITABLE ENDEAVOR for the home seller!

Consider this... As every real estate professional knows, a property that goes up for sale on in the market has a possible low/high listing price range. This low/high price is primarily based on features, condition and finishes and of course location.

But did you know that if staging is done properly, and timed right, the asking price can be raised toward the high side of the listing price range? This raise in price can be considerably higher in some cases!

So, if one regards staging as "sweat equity on steroids!" and if you are able to convey that fact and your sellers stage BEFORE they list (in fact the "sweat equity on steroids!" analogy is a good way to explain to sellers what staging is) then staging can bring HUGE returns to them... and a faster sale to you.

Here at Real Estaging our best "sweat equity on steroids" success story was for a young couple who last spring ended up raising the LIST price of their house for $20,000.00 MORE from what the realtor originally was going to list it for, had we not done to work of staging!

YES, it is possible to stage a house after it has been for sale in the market for awhile... but proper timing does matter. If everyone (seller, agent and stager) wins bigger and better from by staging that occurs prior to listing the property... then why not stage from the start?

The listing agent and seller both need to understand that staging BEFORE a house before it goes to market is key to tapping into the financial rewards possible from staging. That is why Real Estaging coined a simple phrase... "stage it, list it, show it, sell it." It is THAT ORDER that ultimately works the BEST!

So realtors its time to FLEX YOUR MINDS and bring this strong and profitable venture to your sellers.

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)

DO YOUR HOMEWORK... before you sign up for home staging courses

2007-01-07T22:46:00.002-06:00

With more and more people positively experiencing the rewards of all that real estate staging brings to both the home seller and real estate professional, Home staging has begun to bloom in interest and knowledge of it continues to grow.

So, with so much positive feedback and real estate industry "buzz" about what a professional stager does... people are looking at home staging as a career option and are researching home staging training resources for professional classes and courses.

Each week more and more people are asking me for my opinion home staging classes. So to make it easier I thought I would take a pro-active step to help those interested in home staging training. This past weekend, I when I was working on updating the look of this blog, I decide to create one comprehensive listing where many (if not all) the resources that offer kind home staging educational training courses in North America could be easily referenced. WOW was I very surprised to find 30 (large and small) companies across North America that offer classes in home staging training courses.

So if you are personally interested in formal classroom training in real estate staging, let me give you a VERY IMPORTANT Tip #1… OPEN YOUR EYES and LOOK at the companies offering foundation training. Their websites are windows into their ability and professionalism.

As you click on each you will start to SEE for yourself who leaders are and who are not. Tip#2 look for copy write dates. If the site has not taken the time to update a small little copy write, what makes you think they have update the details of their curriculum?

Finally the biggest TIP of all is 3#. Its really quite simple, when researching these companies and their informational web sites, keep in mind that the career you are undertaking is Home Staging. This is the business of creating AMAZING first impressions. So if a company is going to TEACH it... they should BE it. EVERY element of their site should be clean, clear, beautifully display and convey just what they are about. They SHOULD be and LOOK like leaders in the industry!

To date, the industry has evolved enough to have trained and produced a number of individuals who now have gone out and applied and perfected their skills and are now offering their own courses. So another KEY POINT to remember is that while the “biggest” may not be the best for the small “mom and pop” shop just offer a less expensive and more comprehensive training package. This is where you must LOOK to do your homework.

I believe there are NO coincidences in the world… so oddly, as I was researching and composing this post, I stumbled upon 2 other separate and unrelated post on Active Rain, that shed new light on the subject of home staging training.

The first was a comment by (literally) "the staging diva" Debra Gould on one of my older blogs that to this day gets quite a bit of traffic... ASP? HSE? What's-a-stager-SUPPOSED-to-be? Debra who teaches foundation training offers her wise insight to anyone considering training. I encourage you to check out what she said by clicking the link above.

The second was very revealing (if not scandalous) blog about training posted by a Shell Brodnax also on Active Rain. Shell worked for 4 years for one of the largest professional staging training organization in the country that expounds upon the fact that they “certify/accredit” people who take their course.

The blog Shell wrote sheds some interesting light on the subject of training from home stagers. For in this blog she explains that while students had enjoyed the initial training experience, they soon became disillusioned after getting out in the real world and having to deal with what was NOT trained or covered in the EXPENSIVE course they took.

Shell's lists of 35 questions she often had to dance around, when asked by graduates after training. Shell speaks to the complexity of what it REALLY takes to stage a home, and run a staging business. She shares with us all some of the basics that NEEDS to be taught by organizations claiming to offer professional staging training.

Bottom Line... Home Staging is NOT just fluffing a nick knack, it is a BUSINESS! So if you are going to invest in your time and money for a future career, look for companies that not only trains staging... but focus on teaching the ins and outs of owning and operating a home staging business.

So I guess it comes down to… let the buyer LOOK and be aware.

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)

Post Script: I happen to know that this is one of my most visited posts... if you are looking into a career and training in home staging I STRONGLY encourage you to read this: Home Staging 101: Day in the life of a stager- this ain't for the faint of heart! This post by Kate Hart is a bit tongue-in-cheek... but it REALLY is what this "glamorous" industry is all about.

Stagers, why spend money? List your business for FREE on a national Home Staging directory.

2006-12-31T17:02:00.001-06:00

I know that I have shared my thoughts about the real estate social network called Active Rain before. So now that it has grown in membership I once again eel compelled to share with you once again what a great site this is. Active Rain simply amazes and inspires me. For while Active Rain is wonderful marketing, educational, networking and showcasing resource for all professionals in the real estate industry... this one site provides more possibility and opportunity for the home stager and the growing Home Staging Industry then any other I know of.

December 31st marked the closing of Active Rain’s inaugural year (actually they launched themselves in June 2006)... and what a year it was for all the members who have joined and shared in this incredible cyber community.

In a year where the real estate industry was spinning with change and challenge and as we saw large companies jockeying for position on the web... Active Rain appeared as if out of nowhere.

An important lesson for home stagers and leaders in the real estate staging industry can be learn from the simple fact that the creators of Active Rain believed that individuals, not corporations, ARE the heart of the real estate and the industry segments that make it up. It is for this reason they created a means to give dedicated real estate professionals a way to share their ideas, insights and concerns about all aspects of real estate.

Using Active Rain blogging, industry professionals found a totally FREE way to share their voices and highly effect means of educating both colleagues and consumers as to the realities of a dynamic and ever changing industry.

Generosity has worked in Active Rains favor. Since its start, membership has exploded! As of today (December 31) Active Rain proudly has over nearly 12,500 members. With all those members and the fact that countless non-members visit to read and take advantage of the daily feed of fresh information, this site a force to notice among ALL segments of the real estate industry. Pure possibility ripples out as more and more real estate professionals join, find their blogging voices, and share their insights.

Just when one thought it couldn’t get any better, the developers of Active Rain looked to make the services they offer even better. While Active Rain is predominately a social net work of information to, for and within the real estate professional community, Active Rain created another site called “Localism”. Localism is going to give professionals a voice that will be seen DIRECTLY by the consumer into the markets served by the real estate professional.

So while you will find many professionals representing different segments of the real estate industry, I know Active Rain and its sister site, Localism, holds the greatest possibility to create amazing marketing impact for the staging industry, as well as for individual stagers. Their national listing of stagers is truly a Home Staging Web Directory. It has blossomed to nearly 300 Home Stagers. Innovative, fresh, and unique... Active Rain provides real estate stagers with a means to freely gain differing perspectives, share ideas, showcase their businesses, ongoingly grow in knowledge (in both real estate and home staging) and market services.

Where else on the internet can any home stager (regardless of where they were trained) go to join a FREE national staging directory that openly and willing offers and shares so much? More than any other any website on the net, this one totally FREE directory site provides more current information for the Home Stager working to grow and showcase their business on a daily level than any other.

So in 2007, as Home Staging Industry continues to struggle for continuity and awareness, look to Active Rain's National Directory of Stagers and it's FREE Stage It Forward group to provide a forum for Home Staging professionals to turn small ripples into waves of opportunity and move our industry ever forward.

Wishing you, "all the best" on and in the New Year.

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)

Joy to the (Active) Rain

2006-12-20T06:54:00.000-06:00

For those professionals in fields of real estate, mortgages, real estate staging I just want to make sure you know that there is an AMAZING site full of information about real estate and pretty much every aspect of the industry. It is called Active Rain.

Active Rain,now with over 11,000 members, is a social network (like MySpace)... but with out the controversy.

Anyway, in an effort to visually demonstrate the generosty, unity, diversity and professionalism that occurs daily on Active Rain, I created the wreaths below.

If you are a professional in ANY aspect of the real estate industry I strongly encourge you to join Active Rain. Oh and to be a member is totally, 100%, no hitches FREE!

If you are a professional in ANY aspect of the real estate industry I strongly encourge you to join Active Rain. Oh and to be a member is totally, 100%, no hitches FREE!

Happy Holidays and Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)