Real Estate Staging / Home Staging Blog

Last Friday, I happened to be contacted by the Chicago Tribune to discuss something that coincidentally had been on my mind for quite a few days.

For days now I could not stop thinking about the 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." But now it seemed that what had been on my mind had also attracted the attention of main stream media.

I had come to the conclusion that while I had thought some of the NAEBA report on staging was positive and accurate, most of it was a negative spin about staging and a sensationalized attempt to champion their position. In the report, the NAEBA warned buyers that "staging effects can make a home seem more appealing to the eye." How scandalous!

But upon further reflection I thought that while the NAEBA report was inaccurate, it does not take the Home Staging industry off the hook for some of the bad publicity.  I think there is a another rapidly growing problem in our industry... and this is what I also shared with the Tribune reporter.

I talked of how market conditions will bring out people (be they honest or dishonest) who are attracted to making money as home stagers. I voiced my concerns that today 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 benifits they see 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!

I went on to say that I believe that the HOME STAGING INDUSTRY had created the Frankenstein of "overnight & certifications in a box" we are seeing in foundation training programs

And ultimately I wanted the Tribune to know that not all home stagers know the home should always be the star... not the stuff in it. NOT understanding and practicing this WILL and does result in BAD home staging... and there are more and more stagers that DON'T get this... which only gives power to the nay-sayers who want to find ways to negate what is made available when staging is done right.

Now that the interview is done, I know the home staging industry is 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.

Since I try to keep my Active Rain posts short and sweet... this is all I am going to write of here. If however you are intrested an MORE INFORMATION,  my lengthy and detailed discussion of these inconvenient truths can be found on my most recent post on my "pretty blog". Click Here to link to the story.

And even if you may not agree what I say, I still welcome your insight.

Stage It Forward...
Me

NOTE: At the request of the company that I originally referenced in this blog, I have removed their name and the link to their site. However my FINAL word on the subject can be found here.

Home Stagers understand that the time spent a home buyer spends touring a home is relatively short. Experienced stagers rely on techniques and practices that will HELP maximize what a buyer sees and experiences in a property in that relatively short time taken to tour it. The best home stagers know that strategic use of color AND prop placement is key to getting the most out of staging.

Pretty much up until now, when it comes to the topic of color, what stagers typically talks about or writes about is what the best paint and carpet colors to use when preparing your home for its sale. The use of neutral colors is sound advice, but.... it really is OLD NEWS.

But what about accents placed in a home and their colors? What accent colors can effectively be used to give the seller an advantage when it comes selling a home?

I have to admit that red has evolved to be one of our favorite staging colors for props that we use here at Real Estaging . In fact, it seems we never have quite enough red props in our prop library. We have come to learn that the color red helps sell 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 typically to be used as the dominant room color; 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 around and across a room so that they see all that the property is and has.

We created the above video to specifically help make our visually compelling marketing point. The show demonstrates the power and effectiveness the color of red in home staging. As you watch this very short show (your speakers should be ON) 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. Red... it's a good thing.


Stage It forward ...
Me

Being that I work in an industry that CREATES first impressions, I am a stickler for how end results look. This coupled with the fact that I worked in graphic arts, print media and advertising for years... I am passionate about how an advertising "message" is crafted AND presented. Whether the "message" is an ad of self promotion or an ad for a property that is for sale, what ever medium is used it is vital that it presents a clear, professional and well crafted message.

Today, part of real estate advertising is done through the means of virtual tours. And while there seems to be many virtual tour solutions... some of them, I have to admit, confuse me and make me literally nauseous. URP...all that distorted swirling and twirling.

Anyway, this past week I finally started playing with the virtual tour application by Real Estate Shows. Boy, was I amazed at how easy it was to use and how professional the end results were. As I was working on one show I started thinking of yet another way to apply this amazing yet simple technology. Because I was SO captivated and intrigued with what I could easily create (I actually went to bed at 3AM Saturday), I quickly made 5 more shows each with a different advertising purpose and focus.

Here the 6 different ways I ended up applying Real Estate Show's virtual tour application to help craft some compelling and differentiated advertising messages...

1.) First I know we all have what we feel is the "best of the best" in our lives. Wanting to have a simple way to feature some of ours, I made the show I called: Initially Vacant: Now Staged and Stunning which I then used in a post on my other blog site.

2.) The second show Staged Transformations Featuring Brook Furniture was sort of a thank-you gift to Brook Furniture Rental. It was a joy to do, not just because Real Estate Shows is so easy to use, but because Brook Furniture Rental is just a great partnering company to work with. But I digress...

3.) The third show is a "story telling show" called One Simple Staging. The purpose of this show was to capture the essence of home staging. And because we at Real Estaging know part of the success with our advertising messaging has been due to the fact  that we shoot all our Before and After pictures from the exact same position and angle, Real Estate Shows made it easy to further capitalize on this. In the show the Before picture magically MELTS right into a staged AFTER... creating a truly POWERFUL visual message.

4.) My next show was meant to be an educational show. At Real Estaging we know that sometimes what it takes to properly stage a home is NOT just what needs to be taken out of a property but what it needs to be put in. It is for this reason I created the show called: The Art of Using Staging Props.

5.) While working on the educational show, I began thinking about just was our "style" here at Real Estaging. I got the idea to do a show just on the color red and the way we use it when we stage.  So while it was supposed to be educational, this show ended up being artistic too. I simply called the show RED. I gotta admit it was the MOST fun to make. To see RED you'll have to go read my most recent post at Home Staging, Rants & Ravings. (PS: Put your speakers ON.) 

6.) Then I got the idea that if I made a show on a particular home we staged... I  could then send it out to the Realtors who in turn could use it in their marketing and advertising efforts. Even if they already HAD a virtual tour or photos, having different photos taken from different angles would NEVER hurt. Here is Welcome Home... to Lake Barrington Shores.

My final reason I like to use Real Estate Shows is that it ONLY costs a mere $125 a year to use! THAT price is unbelievable considering I can go on to create any number of shows that feature: examples of our work, extend future thanks, tell staging stories, educate others, and help Realtors with their marketing efforts. Because Real Estate Shows is easy to use, creates a beatuful presentation and is so inexpensive, I can heartily recommend to any Realtor or Home Stager looking for an effective virtual tour solution without the nausea.

Oh, and the fact that the President of Real Estate Shows is Jeff Turner, one of most prolific and respected bloggers here on Active Rain, it makes this recommendation that much nicer.

Show It Forward...

Me 

PS: You will note that I have not linked in all my new shows here. That's because sometimes I need ideas for future blogs and these will help communicate the message I am trying to make in a blog in a more compelling way.

Just a quick update...

This past August 4th the Stage It Forward (SIF) widget was created & released.

Since then, I am happy to report, it has been doing well and is attracting a nice amount of attention in the way of clicks. 2,176 clicks to be exact!

Considering it is just the first 10 days this is NO shabby start. This means we are averaging 217 hits a day coming in from all the SIF widgets placed out there.

You may wonder WHY to install the SIF widget to your website or blog site?

Well, as you know, (because sometimes in life you are one too) if a consumer is interested in something they typically want to research it. Consumers hunger for current information... so finding Stage It Forward on Active Rain is like hitting a MOTHER LOAD.

But besides that reason... for your personal marketing concerns, your association with the Stage It Forward group demonstrates that you are part of a united nationwide INDUSTRY and a community willing to grow and educate itself and others via the vast amount of information we develop and we freely share. 

As a whole we are establishing ourselves as a well articulate and educated industry... which is super important when it comes to creating credibility in the consumer market and the Realtor market.

Anyway, I just thought you all might like an update.

Widget It Forward...

Me

PS: If you are interested, here is a link to the original posting... Another new "TOY" for Stage It Forward Members

Who says blogging on Real Estate industry topics does NOT get you noticed?

This is a tale that stresses the importance of and reason for finding your own blog voice and sharing your own voice.

Recently, I was approached by Design Talk, an amazingly popular on-line consumer oriented design site, with an idea they had for me to guest write a blog on why vacant homes are harder to sell then furnished homes.

Well, after doing a bit of research and learning that Design Talk gets approximately 7000 hits a day, I decided it would be a VERY good idea to write the post. My only stipulation was that I could also put the same article up on my own "pretty" blog site... better known as Home Staging Rants & Ravings. Well, the editors agreed and I did post the article on my site last Thursday.

ONLY then, after posting it on my other blog site did I discover it had been picked up by USA TODAY and posted on their on-line site. Click Here to see it there.

THEN I entered the post into this weeks 54th edition of the Carnival of Real Estate which was hosted by Realty Thoughts! THERE... it was voted to be one of the 6 top post for the week by Erik Hersman. THANKS ERIK!

WOW! Who would have thought a story about emptiness/vacancy/nothingness would be thought to be filled with so much information.

Anyway... Yudda Yudda Yudda, Blah Blah Blah! Enough about the popularity of this topic and this post.

So, what DID I actually have to say about the salibility of vacant properties? Well to surmise, I said that a vacant properties will be more difficult to sell than a furnished home. 

BUT... To get the nitty gritty details you will have to click here: Vacant Homes: How They Suck Away Sales Potential and read for yourself.

Stage It Forward...

Me

PS: The article is the first of a multi-part series.

With Stage It Forward on the Go and on the Grow... I thought it might be good to have yet another new FREE "toy" for members to use to show their affiliation to one of the busiest groups on Active Rain.

This new "toy" is a custom widget... which is a little tool that you can add to any blog or website.

The Stage It Forward widget will continuously and automatically update and display the most current posts written and published in Stage It Forward... including yours!

The default widget color, dark blue, can be seen under my profile on the right side of this post. (This is a live working example.) But if you don't like dark blue or the shape doesn't fit your site, the great thing about this Stage It Forward widget is that it can be customized.

How do you get this free widget? Just go here: Get the Stage It Forward Widget and play around a bit until you make the widget you like best. Then follow the instructions on how to add a SIF widget to your site.

So what are the other "toys" in the Stage It Forward toy box?

     - Stage It Forward Gateway site... was the first "toy" that makes it easy for colleagues and clients to directly find the SIF group, without trying to maneuver through what can be a confusing "front page" of Active Rain.

     - The second "toy" was a SIF Member Button that members can add to a blog page or website. It and easy way to show your affiliation and involvement to the the largest independent network of professional Home Stagers in the USA and Canada.

Have fun playing and remember to...

Move It Forward.

Me

This week I sought out the words of another to help put into context the fact that someone felt slighted by my actions... or rather the lack of. 

I've come to know that we all are learning, and adapting and growing beings.

Sometimes it takes time for our actions to catch up to our learning.

And, unfortunately you can not go back and add new knowledge to past actions.

But oh how I wish we could.

Grow It Forward...

Me

For more "Good Words" Click Here to see others that make up this series.

One of the things that makes Stage It Forward such a thriving and active group here in the Rain is the fact that the Moderator position is passed to someone new each month. Each month what is featured in the group as the "best to be read" for the day is selected by a different person with a different perspective. While a particular moderator might not pick what other's feel is "best" for the day, the fact that differing insights are welcome keeps the group vital and active.

In return for taking taking the time and making the commitment to the group, the moderator gets a short biography posted about them. TYPICALLY this bio has appeared at the beginning of the month, but not this past month. Last month (July) the group has had a stealth moderator.

So who was the mystery moderator? Well first let me tell you a bit about her...

Right from the start this person has been an active and has taken a balanced view on much of what has gone on in Stage It Forward... and if you have spent ANY time in this group you know the conversation can get a bit heated.

I know she has 3 basic Passions which are 1) Family, 2) Travel and 3) Architecture. She plans on combining all three passions in a trip she is going to take to Ireland with her family next year.

She has been a paralegal for a few years, (maybe that is why she so evenly balanced) and a Realtor for many years. And... she has been a stagedhomes.com ASP course trainer in the New England market.

As so many Realtors who now stage... she was doing it "back then" with her own listings way before it even had a name. 

As a pioneer in home staging, she got her staging business up and going when no one in New England knew a thing about it. Now with more and more stagers entering her market she still gives it a positive upbeat spins saying: "We have Active Rain and Stagers everywhere! And that is fabulous! because the more of us spreading the word the more people will Stage!"

WOW... and has this moderator HIT the books. She is well trained and hold designations as: Floyd Wickman, epro, ABR, CBR, IRIS, CIR, CISS, ASPM, and Dewey Color, too! She tells me that she even has more! 

A quote to sum her up... "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving!"

So who do we have to extend a huge THANK YOU to for being Stage It Forward's Mystery Moderator for July?

Well, you are going to have to open up the first comment to find out.

Stage It Forward...

Me

With more and more stagers entering the industry... I think it is important that they get a real understanding as to just what it takes to run a staging business.

Many stager's have been coached to stage with what the seller already has in the way of furnishings and decorative accessories (props). Which is all well and good, but what if what the property that needs to be staged is a vacant property? Or what if the property that needs to be staged is occupied but basically an empty home?  What does the stager do if a house needs more "bling" to bring some life and appeal to it?

Here at Real Estaging we made a commitment 3 years ago to build a prop library to best serve our clients and all different types of staging for home selling needs.

Currently we have nearly 5000 items available in our "PROP LIBRARY"...  which sounds like a lot. But what do you do if all of our props are out and placed in homes and a new staging job comes in? Well, you're going to need to buy more!  AND... you just can't put shlocky junk in a house and call it staged. (Well you can, and I have seen "stagers" that have.) But if you want to build a reputation for quality staging... you gotta get and have quality props.

However I have to admit owning a Prop Library sometimes feels like that voracious plant in the play The Little Shop of Horrors that constantly screams, "FEED ME SEYMOUR!"

July for us has been a CRAZY BUSY month here at Real Estaging (hence, I have had NO TIME for Active Rain).  Fortunately (or unfortunately) much of what we own in our inventory was already out "PLACED" in client properties.... and we needed more!

So shopping for nic-nacs we went... and racked up a whopping $6,448.21 for our prop tab for the month of July! (We us Brook rental furniture as our supplier for furniture.) THAT is a lot of money we had to spend... and remember it does NOT pay for itself the first time it is placed... it takes a few flips!

Oh and then there are the hidden costs to creating and maintaining a prop inventory. Costs such as...

• Pay to the employee for the time the spend sourcing and shopping for props.
• Mileage and travel time to various suppliers
• Inventory Management... tracking who has what and where.
• Packing and shipping items to and from client sites.
• Cleaning, repair and damage of props.
• And of course Storage.

Having options and a variety of service levels... WILL help differentiate your staging business from other stagers in the market place. Being a one stop staging shop... will help build your reputation. But be forewarned, if your not careful owning a Prop Library can turn that one stop shop into a Shop of Horrors.

Stage It Forward...

Me