Real Estate Staging / Home Staging Blog

One of the things that attracted me to Active Rain is the way ideas flow freely back and forth.

There is room and need for a variety of opinions on MANY subjects here. Disagreement is the fertile ground for growth. Let's face it, if we all just "Lemming-ed" our way through life, we would all without question go over that big cliff.

Quite often people hold on to their opinions as if they are GOLD. But here on Active Rain I believe that the real GOLD is the open dialogue and understanding gained from it. The real Gold can be found as each of us as individuals chooses to apply, adapt, tweak, use, alter, integrate, or reject what they have learned from what has been shared here in the rain.

Disagrement with an idea/concept/approach/individual need not be disrespectful. The end result may be that you just agree to disagree.

These 12 expressions of 1 Golden Rule reminds us that we all can have varying approaches to our faith, our professions, our lives, and our opinions... but when it comes to relating to each other, one concept rises above all others. Following this 1 Golden Rule is the one place being a Lemming actually makes sense.

PS: I created these (using Active Rain Colors) for the free use of all.

The brilliance of Active Rain and Localism is that they can work together to everyone's benefit. As Active Rain provides a forum to share ideas and information amongst peers, Localism provides a place to apply this knowledge and better reach clients... immediately. Here is an example to make my point...

As a home stager I believe what a home buyer sees, regardless of where, when or how they see it, matters greatly. (I believe in the importance of this so much that I am ongoingly investing in and building an entire company devoted exclusively to improve what buyers see and visually exprience.)

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

The MOST common photo composition error that I see over and over again are interior room shots that feature way to much of the ceiling in the photo. WHY... I do not know. 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 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.

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

The good news is this does not take expensive photo editing software or classes in photo composition to correct this 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. TIP: More floor is typically better then more ceiling.

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

Variety of images were taken from random properties advertised in the market where I grew up (NOT Chicago-land). I scanned interior images across 5 zip codes of properties for sale in one evening on January 9th, 2007 and found MANY more equally as bad.

Realtors, with the spring selling season just around the corner I think now is the time to FLEX YOUR MINDS to make a very GOOD point! While home staging does not raise the appraised value of a property, IT STILL CAN BE A VERY PROFITABLE VENTURE!

Here's why... As every realtor knows, a home that goes to market has a possible low/high list price point range.  This low/high price is primarily based on location, condition, features, and finishes.

But you might not know is that if staging is done correctly, and at the right time, the asking price can be raised toward the high side of the range... considerably in some cases!

So, look at staging as "sweat equity on steroids!"  And if you are able to convey that fact to sellers BEFORE it is listed (in fact that is a good way to explain to sellers staging is) then staging can bring HUGE returns to the seller... and a faster sale to you.

Our (Real Estaging's) best "sweat equity on steroids" success story was for couple who last spring ended up LISTING their home for $20,000 MORE from what the agent originally was going to list it for, HAD WE NOT STAGED IT! 

YES, you can stage a house after it has been on the market... but timing matters. If everyone (seller, agent and stager) wins bigger from by staging prior to listing the property... then why not do it?

Realtor and seller both need to understand that staging BEFORE a property goes to market is key to tapping into the financial rewards possible from staging. That is why we at Real Estaging have coined a simple phrase... "stage it, list it, show it, sell it."  THAT ORDER WORKS THE BEST! 

So FLEX YOUR MINDS... and bring new sweaty and profitable ventures to your sellers.

Home staging is beginning to blossom as interest and awareness grows and more and more people positively experience the rewards of that home staging brings to both the home seller and realtor.

And... with so much positive possibility and "buzz" about what we do... more and more people are trusting in home staging as a career and are researching home staging training resources for professional education. Many are discovering

With all this swirling around my head... I thought I could take a positive step to help those interested in home staging.

So this weekend I happened to be working on updating my 'pretty blog" and decide to create one listing of all the entities that offer sort home staging educational training courses in North America. WOW was I surprised. I counted 22 larger companies and countless small independent stagers that offer classes in staging training.

So if you are going to receive any formal training in home staging... let me give you a tip. OPEN YOUR EYES and LOOK at the companies. Their websites are windows into their ability and professionalism.

To make it easier (this is in now way an endorsement of ANY one... although I do have a few favorites), here are links to the 22 larger entities that offer some sort of training for home staging.)

Click EACH and start seeing for yourself...

(POST SCRIPT: SINCE writing this posting I have found and continue to learn of MANY other resources that offer foundation training in home staging... for the MOST COMPREHENSIVE LIST go to my "Pretty" Blog where they are ALL GROUPED for easy access and review.)

• Center Stage Home
• Certified Staging Professionals
• Decorate-Redecorate
• Design Psychology
• First Impressions Training
• Home Staging Center
• Home Staging Resource
• I.R.I.S.
• MW School of Interior Redesign
• National Redesign Institute
• One Day Decorating & Staging
• Peggy's Corner
• Property Staging Consultants
• QC Design School
• Realty Enhancements Intl.
• Redesigning Interiors
• School of Interior Redesign
• Staged Homes
• Sun On My Back Redesigns
• The Home Stagers Guild
• Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program
• United Staging Association

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 which, 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 and beautifully display & convey just what they are about.

The industry has trained and produced a number of people who now have gone out applying and perfect their skills and are now offering their own courses. Remember, while the "biggest" may not be the best... the small "mom and pop" shop may not offer the most comprehensive training either.

If you know me you will know that I believe there are NO coincidences in the world. As I was researching and composing this post for, 2 other separate and unrelated post appeared here in the 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 blogs that to this day gets quite a bit of traffic... ASP? HSE? What's-a-stager-SUPPOSED-to-be? Debra who teaches training offers her wise insight to anyone considering training. I encourage you to check out what she said by clicking the previous link.

The second was a revealing blog about training posted here by a Shell Brodnax. Shell worked for 4 years with one of the largest professional staging training organization in the country that boast they "certify/accredit" people who take their course. While people enjoyed the initial training experience... they soon became disillusioned having to deal with what was NOT trained or covered in the EXPENSIVE course they took. Her lists of 35 questions she had to dance around, when asked by graduates after training speaks to the complexity of what it REALLY takes to stage a home and what NEEDS to be taught by organizations claiming to offer professional staging training.

Bottom Line, Home Staging is NOT just fluffing a nick nack, it is a BUSINESS.

So I guess it comes down to... let the buyer beware.

Stage it forward...

Me

Post Script #1: I happen to know that this is one of my most visited posts... if you are looking into a career and trainging in home staging I STRONLY 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.

Post Script #2: If there are any training resources that should be included in the list here... please let me know.

POST SCRIPT #3: SINCE writing this posting I have found and continue to learn of MANY other resources that offer foundation training in home staging... for the MOST COMPREHENSIVE LIST go to my "Pretty" Blog where they are ALL GROUPED for easy access and review.

Yesterday it was announced that of the 27,229 blog entries* posted on Active Rain since its début on June 25, 2006 my "very personal" post entitled "The Gift of Tears" was voted the Most Memorable post for the year. First, I have to say WOW and huge thank you to all who voted!

And while I am flattered and grateful, it got me to thinking... Why? Why THAT post? Did that post REALLY have anything to do with Real Estate?

As a professional in the Real Estate industry I know that working with people is at the core of what I do. It is not as if I am working with a thing like a machine, tool or instrument. I predominately work with and for people... the people moving in and out of my community... Chicago.

When I joined this site I did not know that what I was doing was becoming a member of a cyber community. As I observed and participated I began to realize that Active Rain, whose borders are far reaching and a bit non-conventional, is a microcosm of the communities in which we live, work and play. If you spend anytime here, you see the dimensions of life and relationships occurring in the words that we share.

And while it is good that this amazing cyber community was born and quickly built... the Active Rain gods saw there was not enough connection back to the people (consumers) we work with and relate to in the brick & mortar communities of our professional lives.  So to bridge that gap, they are in the process of creating and perfecting Localism. It will be a site for us to share and market our knowledge, our skills, our expertise, our abilities and our professionalism right to people who will be our clients.  

So if you think Active Rain grew fast... just wait! Localism is going to be a rocket, as more and more of your neighboring Real Estate colleagues discover it and find it a means to market their services to the local consumer market using the tool of community.

Initially, the best of us will find ways to connect to consumers making use of Localism for community oriented information. Statistics, demographics, well articulated ideas and information about the brick & mortar communities will (and always will) be key to the success of the site and its members.

But I have a question. Over time, as more and more educated and articulate professionals join and share similar content, what will differentiate you from any other? How will you stand out on Localism? How will you connect to the consumers of your community?

I believe my "very personal" post on Active Rain reveals much as to how members can ultimately tap into what is possible on Localism.  Once professional acumen is shown, the best way to connect to the consumer community is by sharing a bit what makes you uniquely you. Establishing and creating relatedness will require you to be a little more open, a little more revealing, and a little more accessible via what you say and do on Localism.

Always remember, who you are is as important as what you do. Both sides of you is what you bring to the brick & mortar communities you market your services in. So writing and sharing content that reveals a bit more of the real you will help make Localism feel more... local. And for each of us, how we go about doing this and just how much "sharing" we do will be different. There is no right way or amount.

NO ONE can copy what makes you uniquely and personally you. So if what you say is sincere and authentic... mark my words, people will be attracted to your "memorable message" and ultimately to you.

Rain it forward... locally!

Me

*Based on 2,723 Blogs-No Ad pages with 10 blogs per page.

A POST SCRIPT of sincere Gratituted and personal Thanks to Maureen Francis, William Collins and TLW can be found in the first comment below.