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

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

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)

Housing Slump!!It seems that Rochester has caught up with the rest of the country and that is not good news. According to the Rochester Associations of Realtors, home sales in the Rochester region fell 5.6 percent in November, as compared to November 2005. The actual figures are 1,047 homes sold this November, down from 1,109 last November. Furthermore, this is the second month in a row that

Show Thanks & Share Your Message... in a Bubbly Way

I know I write a lot on real estate staging. But my REAL passion is marketing and advertising. I LOVE finding new ways to break through the typical "advertising noise" and connect with people in the market. (Staging happens to be an amazing tool that cuts through the noise of other ordinary properties in the market... that is why I am so committed to it.)

Anyway, a few years ago we decide to divert some of our advertising dollars out of our print media budget and find ways to connect to our clients and potential clients in more creative and rewarding way. So what did we do? We threw a small party!

Well, actually we always had a personal holiday party... we just decided to give it over to our company.

We gave the party a name "Tween the Holidays" so that ALL (regardless of religious beliefs) knew they were welcome. (We don't specify which holidays it is ‘tween... heck, we could be talking about Halloween and Valentines Day.) THEN we gave it a theme twist... we made it a Champagne Party!

The best date to have this party we found is the night right BEFORE the last work day before the New Year's holiday break. Why on this day? Because no one typically plans a party for that night, hence no conflicts. And since no one really WANTS to work the next day... our party is well attended! Last year we had over 125 people.

Providing Champagne for this many party goers could be costly venture. So to spread the expense around we ask those we invite to bring one bottle of (QUALITY) champagne. We then of course provide more drink and the food. Typically we can cover the night's food and drink for under $800... which is really not the expensive when you look at the cost of ONE 1/4 page ad in a local newspaper.

To make the party a bit more intriguing there is another fun gimmick tied to the party night. Well, we also ask that people bring and donate one champagne flute. To date we have nearly 100 different glasses in the party's collection. THIS is a great ice breaker... and a unique conversation starter.

Finally, we invite EVERYONE! Friends, clients, family, colleagues, network contacts, neighbors, potential clients... you name all are welcome! All who are invited are welcome to invite who ever they like too.

The party is starting to generate and ride on its own "BUZZ!" So to make it even better we are "giving" the party over to a local not-for-profit. Of course our name is "on" it... but someone else now can benefit too.

I share this with you all because it doesn't take much time, its effective and its fun. I hope you spin my idea in your own way to help you and your business

Stage it forward...

Craig (Me)

PS: Consider yourself invited, if you are interested in attending. Again ALL are welcome. If interested please RSVP. (I will send you the location details.)

POST SCRIPT & UPDATE:

All of us, at Real Estaging, were delighted and thrilled when Chicago Agent Magazine, Chicago's premier news & trade publication reporting on Chicago's real estate industry, choose to cover our event. I have to say that Chicago Agent Magazine has consistently been a champion for Real Estaging's success... so I don't know how to thank them enough. But I will find a way...

Anyway, here is a reprint of the photo spread that Chicago Agent published on our event in there February 12th issue.

THANK YOU so very much Jennifer Morrell, Editor. In this age where ONLY the "big dogs" seem to get all the attention, Jennifer choose to include us... a small dog of the real estate industry here in Chicago.

Plus, we would like to extend an EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU to Jodi Schallman, Events Photographer for the magazine. Next year, Jodi you need to come as a GUEST and let some one else shoot us... you are TOO much fun.

Me (Again)

TRIX TO FIX YOUR PIX

For both the stager and realtor, GOOD quality photography taken of a property that is a necessity. For the listing agent, the photos you take of your client’s property show the “product” you are marketing and trying to sell. For the home stager, photos of your work capture and depict your staging talent.

Therefore it is to the advantage of BOTH the realtor and stager to take and display the ABSOLUTE BEST PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES you can. This is especially important NOW as more and more people use the internet as a means to prescreen a home or a stager they are interested in.

Knowing this… the other night I went online and looked at listings on Realtor.com for properties currently for sale in the metro-Chicago market area. While there are those realtors that are doing a good job, I have to admit much of the photography I that agents use to market a listing concerns me.

Below are a few common mistakes I saw occurring repeatedly. (Please note, while I did the best I could to repair the photos of properties on Realtor.com, I did NOT have access to the original digital image file. So "clean-ups" are of the images are NOT as good as they could be. All "original" images are shown to the left.)

BIG SKY: When taking interior photos, be aware of how much ceiling you "capture". Unless the ceiling has an interesting architectural feature or finish... there is no need to place so much emphasis on it? In the right hand picture I cropped the image and warmed its tones up. TOTAL edit time: 3 MINUTES!

TWIST & SLIP: Kitchens have many "clean" vertical & horizontal lines, so when they are photographed, especially when using wide angle lenses, they tend to look all-skewed-up. Note how crooked the refrigerator and stove look in the picture on the left... which were straightened up in the picture on the right. TOTAL edit time: 2 MINUTES!

BRIGHT LIGHTS: Sometimes when taking pictures towards the sun, the resulting pictures can have a "hot spot" that blinds the viewer. One way to clean up the image is simply crop the picture. Notice how when I did this I ended up with a BETTER view of what the property being featured. I also punched up the contrast. TOTAL edit time: 2 MINUTES!

ICY COLD: I saw this particular "problem" occurring on both INTERIOR and EXTERIOR photos of homes. An easy edit that only required I add more red and yellow to the picture to help warm it up. TOTAL edit time: 2 MINUTES!

DATE STAMPED: This goof REALLY surprised me! WHY would a realtor want to let potential buyers know how long a property has been on the market? The stamp will NSTANTLY create doubt with shopper if the property been on the market long for a long period of time. In my edited picture the date stamp was removed. Then... I cropped it and fixed it by straightening it out creating TRUE vertical lines. TOTAL edit time: 4 MINUTES!

DAY NIGHT: This is one of the easiest photo edits one can make. Just by punching up the brightness, I took a "dusky" dark home into what now looks like daylight. Ultimately, more of the house was revealed. TOTAL edit time: 1 MINUTE!

SLIP SLIDING AWAY: Doesn't the realtor's original photo look like the house is about to slide into a big hole in the backyard? While this is a MORE COMPLEX adjustment... once learned it is easy to do over and over again. TOTAL edit time: 3 MINUTES!

.

DARK SHADOWS: WOW... would you have thought that adjusting the brightness and contrast that such a GREAT picture of a room would come shining through? The ORIGINAL photo was a total disservice to the seller. I also cropped the pix so not as much of the ceiling was not being featured... really who cares about THIS ceiling? TOTAL edit time: 2 MINUTES!

GREASY SLIDER: Here again I fixed up the "slide" and punched up the brightness just a bit! I corrected all vertical lines so they are truly straight up and down takes a bit more time... but once understood it's easy! TOTAL edit time: 4 MINUTES!

ON FIRE: Occurring mostly on interior shots, this error is just the opposite problem of ICY COLD. This photo is way too HOT. My edits required the addition of more blue and touch of green to cool it down. Again, I cropped the image so that the ceiling was not being featured. TOTAL edit time: 4 MINUTES!

BLEACHED OUT: Simply by increasing the contrast and decreasing the brightness... LOOK at how easy it is to add LIFE to a washed out photo. I cropped the image tighter to show MORE of the house and less of the sidewalk. TOTAL edit time: 3 MINUTES!

TOWER GIANT: THIS is one of the most common problems I see with exterior photos of large condos. Look how odd the building looks on the left... kind of like a pyramid. TIP: Vertical lines MUST always be STRAIGHT up and down... many CAMERAS skew these lines all up. Correcting back to reality is easy. TOTAL edit time: 2 MINUTES!

X

SOOOOO... the TOTAL amount of time I invested in editing these 12pictures was a quick 31 minutes... which means I averaged 2 1/2 minutes to fix each picture.

X

I share all this information because I believe that listing agents have an OBLIGATION to the sellers to show their properties in the BEST possible manner visually. AND stagers, you will benefit too when your clients can clearly see the magic of your work.

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)

PS: I personally use PhotoShop to edit photos. However, in my previous post entitled "Photos Lie" others share what they use as a photo editing tool. For more information and opinions on editing tools, I encourage you to go back and review that post.

First time Home-buyers....Mr & Mrs GonzalezAs a real estate agent, it is easy to get caught up in making quotas, reaching goals and winning awards and forgetting what the business is really about.....Helping people! Yesterday I attended a closing that reminded me what I really like about the business...Becoming an important part of a family's life while they make some of the most crucial

Is it really a buyer's market? That's what the media keeps saying and I was a believer. I sold three homes the first week in November 2006 (a nice little rush before the holiday season) and then my phone stopped ringing. I've been feeling like a 16 year old hoping for a Saturday night date. Suddenly, in the last 24 hours, I have three new buyers! You would think that listing agents would

When it Comes to Holiday Decorating Should Sellers GRINch or BARE it?

Last fall I blogged about whether or not it was wise for a home seller to put up decorations for Halloween... and while at that time many people gave varied opinions, I stated that I thought it best not to.

SO... what about decorations for Christmas? Should a home sellers decorate their houses? My answer is a definite and resounding... YES, BUT with conditions.

Decorating a house for sale at Christmas is a bit different then decorating for Halloween. First the Christmas selling market is MUCH slower; and second, Christmas decorations are not as scary, creepy or offensive looking as Halloween decorations.

That being said, keep in mind that any decorations still can be distractions. So if a property is for sale in the market and if a seller chooses to decorate (out side and/or inside) during Christmas, my advice is to tastefully tone-it-down... way down in some cases. Remember in December home sellers are still "selling" a house first... not Christmas.

So my advice is that for one selling season leave the elaborately beautiful displays of Christmas for the neighbors to create and in the windows of department stores.

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)

Did OPRAH'S SHOW Send a Mixed Message to Home Sellers?

It's no secret how much I admire and respect Oprah. So this week when I finally watched Oprah’s show on preparing a home for its sale I have to say I was let down.

I applaud the shows hope to help home sellers who currently find themselves financially and emotionally burdened with a house that won't sell... after watching this segment I felt the show sent a confusing and false message about what it takes to ready a house for its sale… especially in a TOUGH “buyer's market”. In this episode, the efforts of Oprah's design guru Nate Berkus were chronicled as he helped a financially strapped couple, Zigi & Yosef Edmonds, repair and visually prepare their townhouse before being put up for sale. The home located in Redondo Beach, has 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath and eventually listed for $609,999.

The show made it quite clear that in a buyers market the buyer can be fussy. Following Nate's Top 10 tips to ready a house for its sale, is sound "staging" advice. Implementing these tips would surly prove to be beneficial to struggling home sellers.

Unfortunately, my first let down with the show has to do with fact that the staging budget for the Edmond's property was a whopping $10,000. This $10k covered furniture, fixtures and finishes. Unfortunately this "Hollywood" budget is totally unrealistic and fear it will end up discouraging the most home sellers who would and could benefit from less costly home staging solutions. So while home looked FANTASTIC... the show NEVER made it clear just WHO was paying the $10k for all the merchandise that was bought in. I do know that in the introductory bio piece produced on the Edmonds the show said they were financially strapped. The bio went on to say the Edmonds had to sell their home because of grave financial problems.

So my first point I want to make to home sellers interested in staging is that real estate staging typically DOES NOT cost what was spent by Nate on this segment of the Oprah Show.

Now with that being said, it is also important to understand just that real estate staging is breaks down to 3 key areas...TIME, TALENT & TREASURE. And while we know the Edmond's staging budget included $10k worth of "treasure"... I believe it is unfair and misleading not to point out the fact that staging also takes TIME and TALENT to achieve an overall merchandising solution. Therefore, with regards to TIME & TALENT required for Edmund's staging, I have 2 questions:

1. Who paid for the TIME to perform the physical labor of painting, planting, installing, building, removing old carpet & flooring, installing new carpet & flooring, and removing the out dated appliances? (Note: Zigi and Yosef were part of the labor force... but NOT the entire force.)
2. Who paid for the creative TALENT (staging know-how) of both Nate (Interior Decor) and Jamie Durie (Deckscaping)?

So my second major let down with the show is the fact that it was NOT made clear that implementing effective and successful staging requires the seller to know what to do, how to do it, and have skill and physical ability to do it. If the seller does not have knowledge, skill and ability... those who do need to be hired and paid for what they provide.

I am happy to say that while the show may have ended up sending a bit of an over simplified message regarding real estate staging... it still exceeded my expectations in a way that only Oprah does so well. (So, NO I am NOT throwing an “Oprah baby” out with its bath water.)

In typical Oprah fashion she found a wonderful family that NEEDED a home staging jumpstart (a prime "Stage it Forward..." cause for sure). Life for the Edmonds has been a very sad course of events. Yosef, who quit his job in hopes to pursue dreams of freedom and success through self employment, has not triumphed. So to help keep his family of 4 financially alive they MUST sell their home and since January 2006 they have been trying. On top of all the financial problems plaguing the Edmonds, Zigi is a also suffering from a brain tumor. So all in all, they see selling their home as a much needed opportunity to escape some their problems.

The good news is as of last Saturday... a sale is pending for the Zigi and Yosef’s home. I pray this is a sign that the Edmonds are finally turning a corner.

Stage it forward...

Craig (Me)

Canned Cranberry Sauce… a Jiggly Symbol of the Home Staging Industry?

This Thanksgiving every real rstate agent and home seller should be thankful and contemplate Canned Cranberry Sauce. As it sit on your plates, know that it symbolizes all that real estate staging has to offer.

Here is my scholarly list or reasons why...

7 ways Canned Cranberry Sauce embodies all that Home Staging has to offer!

1. Canned Cranberry Sauce like home staging does not cost much, but can have tasty results.

2. Canned Cranberry Sauce like home staging is visually appealing to everyone.

3. Canned Cranberry Sauce like home staging takes the right tools and skill to to prepare it properly.

4. Canned Cranberry Sauce like home staging is memorable without overpowering the rest that is around it.

5. Canned Cranberry Sauce like home staging isn't cluttered with complexity.

6. Canned Cranberry Sauce like home staging is best served at the beginning.

7. Canned Cranberry Sauce like home staging is not appreciated until it is tried.

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

PS: But seriously, this Thanksgiving I am MOST thankful for those of our land, not on our soil, defending our country.

Flexibility is Required.... when Working with Seniors

Well it finally happened… I had my opportunity to talk about home staging to the group of seniors selling their homes. Everyone was surprised to see that the auditorium PACKED with an overflow audience... in fact there were those that had to be turned away. To be honest was surprised as I honestly did NOT expect so many people to attend.

Anyway, anxiety and upset was thick in the room. You could feel that the folks attending were searching for any answers that would help them sell their properties. I glad I prepared my story and "staging" case. The practice of staging a house to help ready it for a faster sale is still for new concept for most. And... It has been my experience that the SENIOR market is a little less accepting of new ideas. THAT, coupled with the facts that they have strong emotional ties to the homes they are selling, make seniors a tough "sell" for a stager.

So to get those attending to appreciate the benefits of staging, I knew I had to FIRST get them to understand that their homes can no longer be THEIR "homes". I had to get them to understand the basic HOUSE vs. HOME theory. To do this I started my talk from a place THEY understood and moved them to a place they may never have thought about. You might say I flexed their minds. I began the workshop talking about common everyday phrases like:

* House sweet House.
* Be it ever so humble, there's no place like house.
* House is were the heart is.
* Welcome house.

A few hearty chuckles later, I followed this up with a discussion about how “love” created the emotional bond they had with THEIR house… ultimately making it THIER home. The audience began to see what I was saying.

So then to make a statement "YEARS AGO, you bought a HOUSE and turned it into your HOME" and then flip it and say "TODAY, to sell your HOME you must return it to being a HOUSE" was a concept they could get AND be open to.

With new distinction of House and Home… I then went on to share with them into my 7 Basic Principles of Staging and 7 Tips I associate with each principal. The 7 Tips are:

1. Buyers infer a clean house has been kept in good repair.
2. Buyers are looking to buy a house that fits THEIR needs, lifestyle and personality... don't distract them with yours.
3. Store it, Sell it, or Trash it.
4. Bring a home inspector in PRIOR to listing, and fix problems before a buyer's inspector finds them.
5. Neutralize it... think beige thoughts.
6. Remove beautiful distractions.
7. The front doorway MUST be clean and welcoming.

Now it was easy for the crowd to accept my closing statement: "Staging creates a blanker canvas for a buyer to start painting the picture of their own lives and make your HOUSE their HOME."

So while it took some flexing and bending... in 25 minutes I got this group of seniors to wrap their minds around the new concept of staging and how it CAN help them sell their HOUSES.

I share this with other stagers so that you can, "stage it forward..."
Craig (Me)

PS: This seminar went so well, I've been invited back in January 2007 for another mind bender.

House vs. Home

Years ago, you bought a HOUSE and turned it into a your home.

Today, to sell your HOME you must return it to being a HOUSE.

JUMBO sized CHALLENGES are the CRAPPY Part of a Staging Business

So you are or want to be a home stager? Well, it is a rewarding and fun business... but I would not be telling the truth if I said it was not without its JUMBO challenges.

Since I have been writing about staging I have "connected" with stagers from all over North America! I have communicated with amazing, talented, fun, and creative people who are committed to and love to their professions.

Oddly, these talks have been both INSIPIRING and SAD. So I bet you are wondering “Why sad?” Basically it is because, while these folks are good at providing staging services... now, after being out in the real world and applying what the learned, they find they are deeper into their profession in ways they NEVER thought about.

Unfortunately, while they have gained a new appreciation and respect for staging, they feel a bit lost when it comes to the day-to-day reality of BUSINESS OWNERSHIP... especially the staging business. I understand their dilemma... 2 years ago, when I presented the initial draft of our company's contract for staging services to our attorneys for legal review, they were surprised and dumb-founded! Their replay was... "Craig, you have a VERY complex business model."

I see stagers attracted to the "glamour" and fun creativity necessary to staging. But then reality sets in... in order to maintain and grow a successful staging business many do not think of ALL THE WORK in the other areas that MUST be given attention to and MASTERED.

These "jumbo challenge' areas include: Services Delivery, Sales, Marketing / Advertising, Inventory: Growth & management, Human Resources, Systems & Software, Strategic Partners, Office Space & Storage, Accounts Receivable/Payable and Outreach.

If one is serious about owning and growing their real estate staging business.... each of the areas listed above must be examined, defined and developed. WHY? Because if you don't actively value and TEND TO each of these areas within your own staging company... your competition will in theirs and you will ultimately loose out to them.

I hope to share with you all I can to help you with jumbo-sized challenges facing you in your own staging business... and know that I continue to work in my own real estate staging business to find solutions to make those challenges less crappy.

Stage it Forward...
Craig (Me)

CHICAGO REALTORS... tune into this opportunity NOW!

So I've been talking to Kim Segal a researcher working for HGTV.

Kim has shared with me a BIG OPPROTUNITY for realtors in Chicago-land... it is the fact that HGTV's #1 Real Estate Show wants to feature realtors in Chicago! (Kim is also looking for realtors in Denver, Raleigh, Vancouver, and Montreal!)

"BUY ME" is HGTV's reality-based TV series that chronicles the real-life drama of selling a home. From "For Sale" to "SOLD", each episode features a new story with a different entertaining twist.

"BUY ME" will tell your story by taking their viewers behind-the-scenes to meet your sellers, buyers, contractors, stagers and home inspectors. Televised across Canada and the United States, "Buy Me" gives participating agents TV exposure on a massive scale. As an added incentive, Homeowners receive a cash bonus.

Debbie Travis - famous for her decorating flair and hit series' The Painted House and Facelift, is the show's executive producer.

GOOD NEWS for Real Estate Agents in DENVER, RALEIGH, VANCOUVER, CALGARY and MONTREAL they are looking agents there too!

Kim's Criteria: Extroverted homeowners and agents, single family homes, more then 1 person occupying the home, new listings preferred.

INTERESTED in being on the show? Well you can contact Kim Segal (a major sweetheart!) via phone at: (514) 846-1940 ext. 242 or email Kim directly at kim@buymetv.com.

This is an AWESOME OPPORTUNITY and is just what "stage it forward..." is all about... professionals helping each other succeed.

PS: THANK YOU Kim!

stage it forward...

This Clown gets to host a Carnival by being Active in the Rain

I gotta admit one of the GREAT things I can say about being a member and starting my blogging on ActiveRain is when I joined I DIDN'T know what the heck a blog was, but I soon would... in a very short time.

Once you have an ActiveRain Blog (which are totally FREE), if you got kids... you might even be able to stand proud, puff out your chest and say... "I GOTTA BLOG". (Unfortunately, your kids won't be THAT impressed... so you'll feel somewhat like Charlie Brown on his Halloween special when he says... "I gotta rock.")

But I digress...

But, after awhile you get your ActiveRain blog groove going and you will be all happy and content and you start reading other's real estate industry blogs and you love it, for you will be learning and sharing and commenting and associating. And you'll then realize that REALLY you are part of a real estate social network. So if you got kids (who most likely use My Space) you will be able to stand proud, puff out your chest and say... "I'm on a Social Network too!" (And your even more proud of the fact that THIS social network doesn't have Lechers... but we do have Lychees (inside joke) so that's gotta count for something!)

But I digress...

So, you'll continue to you read and read and read. And you'll stumble on Mary McKnight's blogs on blogging. TRUST ME... YOU'LL BE STOPPED COLD IN YOUR TRACKS. WHAT THE HELL IS SHE TALKING ABOUT? THERE'S MORE TO BLOGGING? THERE CAN'T BEEEEE MORE!!! RSS FEEDS? FEED what? So you'll do like most others and consider it best just to IGNORE her figuring she is WAAAAAY too pretty to be intelligent. (You are just happy and content in your simple conclusion that RSS FEED must be the delicious little candies E.T. ate.)

But I digress...

So you'll read on. Comment on. Blog on. And you will find that life is good in the Rain. But in your readings you'll hear that a Blog Carnival is coming. Members like Maureen Francis and Christine Forgione like to talk about these Carnivals! And you'll think... I love Carnivals! Can I go? A CARNIVAL for adults.... sounds like fun. Now you FEEL like your kid... only when they were about 5 years old.

And in your discovery about Blog Carnivals you hear that Broker Bryant, another ActiveRain Blogger, has WON a Carnival. WIN!!!!????? There are games at the Carnival? Are there rides too? And you mumble and grumble a bit because Broker Bryant you'll by then know that Broker Bryant is King of the ActiveRain bloggers. He seems to be able to win gold stars for farting in the Rain, and on top of that he has a Lovely Wife! Is there anything HE can't do well?

But I digress...

So the whole point of this blog is to announce that I am hosting a The Carnival of Real Estate on June 11, 2007 RIGHT HERE on my "pretty blog". I couldn't be more thrilled and honored. The cool part of all this is is it will be the FIRST TIME EVER that a stager has hosted a Real Estate Blog Carnival... which will surely help the staging industry get its message out.

I have to thank Mary, Maureen, Christine, Bryant, TLW, and Matt Heaton (creator of ActiveRain) these ActiveRain bloggers have tought me and coached me about blogging and all that it can be. In my mind you are some of the best drips that have ever dropped (inside joke). You have helped us and our efforts to "stage it forward..."

But I digress...

Me

PS: WHAT IS A BLOG CARNIVAL.... just click and read. It is easy to take part in and share your thoughts.

Property Pricing advice can be hard for sellers to swallow

Being a stager can put us in a "funny spot" with sellers. After working in a seller's homes and transforming them in ways they never consider... sellers REALLY starts to TRUST us.

Stagers need to be very careful. While you may be asked... a stager should NEVER suggest what a property should be listed for or sold for.

Determining pricing is the Realtors job.

So, while it is not our job to advise a client on pricing of their homes... this information is good to know and understand. Basacilly, if asked, I ALWAYS advise a seller to listen to and trust in the professional advise of a Realtor.

Here are some tips I just came across...
TIPS FOR DETERMINING PROPERTY VALUES

A Sellers Property Market Value is NOT based on:

-What is invested in the property

-What they need to get out of the property

-What it is appraised for

-What the neighbor's property sold for

-What the tax office says its worth

-What it is insured for

-Personal memories and treasures

-The prices of homes the seller is moving to

TRUE Property Market Values ARE based on:

TODAY'S PRICE which is what the buyer is willing to pay. And... TODAY'S PRICE is based on these 7 points:

1. Today's real estate market
2. Today's market competition
3. Today's financing options
4. Today's economic conditions
5. A buyer's perception of the property's condition
6. Location Location Locaction of the property
7. Normal marketing time

Sellers CAN control the following:

-The price of the property that they ask for

-The condition of the property (stage it!)

-Access to the property

Sellers CAN NOT Control the following:

-Market conditions

-The motivation of their competition

-The overall value (as described above)

NOTE: This information was shared with me and I share it with you in the hopes you all could use it. I think it could make a GREAT pro-active marketing piece... I totally believe in "planting seeds".

REALTORS... I'd like to NEEDLE you to make a marketing POINT

I am a stickler for words. (Pardon the pun.) But something has been bothering me since I first started my own home staging company. It has to do with referring to ourselves as "Home Stagers."

Is that the best way to describe ourselves? Is being a "Home" Stager actually what we are? Does that term help or hurt the realtor who believes in us and wants to bring us to a client?

The problem and marketing disconnect lies with the word "HOME." If you buy a property, condo, real estate or build a house... how and when does it become a home? I believe it becomes a home when we personalize it with our belongings, life experiences and create memories within and around it.

To capture the emotional connection we have with our homes society has even coined endearing phrases like:

• - Home is where the heart is.
• - Home sweet home.
• - Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
• - Welcome Home!

Staging 101 teaches staging professionals to advise sellers to de-personalize.... remove those items that make your house your home. Hence bring it back to being just a house.

Even authors on the subject of staging agree. Barb Schwartz in her book entitled Home Staging starts by telling her readers... "You must begin to think of your home as your house, and your house as a product." In their book Dress Your House for Success Martha Webb & Sarah Parsons Zackheim advise sellers to "Start referring to your home as a 'house'. The word house carries much less of an emotional tie."

So I wonder about what we are communicating to realtor and sellers when we call ourselves HOME Stagers?

Recently I had a realtor call us and wanted us to talk to her seller about staging. But the realtor was afraid that she would be insulting her seller by bringing in a home stager.
In her head this is how the realtor thought the conversation with her seller would transpire...

Realtor: I think it might be beneficial if we bring in a home stager.
Seller: What are you saying my home is ugly?

Can changing the languaging of the message, communicate a better message?

For example...

Realtor: I think it might be beneficial if we bring in a Real Estate Stager. OR I think it might be beneficial if we bring in a Property Merchandiser?
Seller: ____________________________________ (Really, what can the say?) Actually a lot of things... but it is not insulting the personal taste or home decor choices the seller has made.

So is it best to refer ourselves as Home Stagers? Remember good and effective marketing is subtle and crafts the message the market will easily relate to.

When working with sellers, trying to convience them about using staging services, might that term "Home" just create another sub-conscience marketing obstacle we then must overcome? Would terms like: Stager, Real Estate Stager, Real Estate Merchandiser, Property Stager or Property Merchandiser be a better way to describe the professionals that are building this Real Estate Staging Industry?

Visting the Edge of 2 Worlds

So I have been back for a week from my trip to China...and what a trip it was. While I went there because the professional merchandising/design advice side of "me" was needed, the personal "me" was impacted.

Since returning I have been asked questions like: "How was it?" "Did you have a nice time?" "What did you think of China?' And each time I am asked, I am stumped for an answer.

Why stumped? Well the above pictures are 2 views of China I had out my hotel room windows. As I was taking them... I never realized they visually would capture the essence of my travel experience. They are "night and day images" in more ways then one.

The Picture on the Left... Shenzhen China. The Picture on the Right... Hong Kong China. Hong Kong was a glittery, fast and exciting. Shenzhen was dirty, slow and exciting. Shenzhen was about manufacturing. Hong Kong was about consuming.

It truly was a push pull experience. I left NOT knowing what to think or how to feel about my journey... but there was something that touched the core of my being.

So last Sunday I looked forward to going to church to reflect on the whole experience. That day the sermon was about childhood and adulthood... and that point in life when we crossover, loosing innocence and gaining wisdom. The edge of transition.

Shenzhen is that edge. In thousands and thousands of factories their innocent hands literally build for US the material goods we "need" in a mature consumer society. They build "stuff" they have no understanding of or need for... at least not for now.

Our world consumes what their world builds… and as they build they learn of consuming. Moving closer and closer to our world. A world I understand, appreciate, work and live in. But I have to admit sometimes I look back over the edge and wish I was a kid again.

POST SCRIPT: So what does this blog have to do with staging? Well, in my opinion quite a bit. In this age of consumption, a stagers job is to "transition" a home back to simpler view. Basic to staging is having the stager de-clutter the "stuff" that has built up in a house. Odd part of it is... if staging is done well and timed right, the seller can make more money... and then go out and buy more "stuff". hmmmm.

STAGE IT FORWARD

I get a LOT of stagers asking for my advice, my help, my thoughts and I am honored and humbled... and a bit frustrated.

I am “frustrated” because I see a huge need and want to help. There is so much that can and needs to be done, but right now our "industry" has been less then united or responsive to each other.

Yes... there are stagers who have acknowledged other stager’s skills and education differing from their own. But there are many who have seemed to have "drunk the cool-aid and joined the cult" and at times are outright rude, condescending and mean spirited. (Yudda Yudda Yudda… "petty bickering bunch." I am sure you are as tired of hearing it, as I am tired of writing it.) But this drives me NUTS... because I see greater possibility.

Lori Matzke, a staging industry leader and pioneer, shared her own thoughts, despair and frustrations regarding our industry when she once commented on one of my blogs saying...

"Though I think idealizing a more structured industry is a wonderful dream to have, well...so is world peace. Talking the talk until you're blue in the face and waving your fists in the air certainly brings the issue to surface. But...then what? You've made your point and raised the questions - now how about working on some answers? ...talk turns into nothing but lip service. And God knows, we already have enough of that going on in this industry!! ...why not pose the question, put your heads together, and come up with something constructive? I would love to see some positive results spawned by this debate. Maybe you and yours can help piece it together and get the ball rolling, or at the very least, heading in the right direction." - Lori Matzke

So I went to work "working on some answers" and began creatively being “constructive” as Lori challenged me to do. I began offering help/knowledge to any stager I could, sharing what I know.

And each time after I reach out to help a fellow stager, I get the same response. "I hope sometime I can return the favor." Then this morning it hit me! Here is how you can…

STAGE IT FORWARD!

The words and the action is not just a way to thank. “STAGE IT FORWARD” embodies what I see needs to happen to finally get this industry united and growing.

• Staging-it-forward means sharing with others… COMMUNITY.


• Staging-it-forward takes our message out … MARKETING.


• Staging-it-forward encourages ongoing learning… EDUCATION.


• Staging-it-forward requires reaching out to others… UNITY.


• Staging-it-forward necessitates respect… STANDARDS.

Well, it may have taken me awhile… but I think I am on to something here. I hope my fellow stagers join me and…

STAGE IT FORWARD!

WOW does this stager have "IT" or what?

Recently I stumbled upon Jessica Hughes of Ambiance Staging a new stager that I believe has “it”... in every sense of word. I believe she has a GREAT start, a GREAT attitude, GREAT talent, GREAT acumen and most importantly… tenacity.

A little while back I shared a “secret” on how to easily evaluate a stager. In that blog I said… “USE YOUR EYES and see the good AR stagers and use them as a litmus test to which you compare the stager you are considering in your market. Go to their websites... look at their galleries/portfolios. You WILL SEE fantastic work... and just plan garbage. LOOK at the website...is it attractive? Folks, stagers are in the MERCHANDISING BUSINESS, they SHOULD be able to merchandise themselves.”

Well I did this at Jessica’s web site: Ambiance Staging …and I was BLOWN away.

Her website is NOT and needs not to be the most, slick, fancy, hip, chic etc… But, like a good staging, her website (which she designed herself) is clean, stylish, un-cluttered, easy to understand, maneuver through and best of all it was inexpensive. For a self designed beginner it is one of the best I have ever seen!

While she doesn’t have hundreds of pictures in her portfolio… she has enough to give you a sense of her abilities.

The little link tab that says (About Us) is a subtle example of “faking it till you make it”. It makes her sound bigger than an “About Me” tab would. And it is the truth… when one is starting up a new business a partner/spouse IS part of the team in one way or another.

On top of being creative she is smart and witty. I encourage you to read 2 of her posts on Active Rain. The cleverly relate and feed of each other. The first one entitled 6 ½ Reasons to Stage is informative… the second one entitled 6 ½ Reasons NOT to Stage is hilarious.

Jessica is an AWESOME addition to the staging industry. In my opinion she is "IT".

PS: Jessica received her training to be a stager at HSR (Home Staging Resource). HSR is owned and operated by Audra Slinkey. Audra's voice can often be heard here Among the Rain Drops... as she is also a member of Active Rain.

DRIVE-BY comment hits one of my blog posts

Well my "other" blog on Active Rain has been “hit” with a annonymous comment which is QUITE RARE on Active Rain. The hit occured last night on a blog I posted way back on August 10th entitled Stepping on "accredited/certified” stager’s toes (Click link to view blog and scroll down to read actual comment).

And while I could let just the anonymous comment sit there quietly and go unnoticed, I think it points at and speaks to the need for respecting and understanding within the staging industry and amongst staging piers.

While for the most part the Anonymous Commment was insightful from their perspective it did take a bit of a “pot shot”… regarding "those without formal training and a resource for ongoing education” they question training, abilities, success and ethics. They went on to make sure I understood who Barb Schwartz was and what Stagedhomes.com is and offers.

It is obvious that the commenter is passionate about home staging and their affilation with Barb and Stagedhomes.com and wanted to make it clear why they were so… which I TOTALLY respect.

I agree 100% with what they say about EDUCATION it can help and is WONDERFUL! I have said this over and over and over. But there is more then one place to gain knowledge and an education.

Lessons learned in a class can be applied in our life/field. But what is often forgotten is that the lessons learned in life/field are brought back to the class and IS what IS thought.

The commenter goes on to speak of Barb Schwartz and the role she has plays in the industry. I agree, since Barb coined the term “staging” she has worked tirelessly to bring it life, perfect it and create credibility for it within the Real Estate Industry. EVERY stager (good or bad) needs to acknowledge and respect that fact.

However, while the concept may not have had a name, the idea of preparing a home so that it looked it absolute best when it went up for sale, has long been in existence. To deny this fact is an insult to realtors who have done so for years.

My own training in “staging” started years ago… with every move my family made. Prior to each move, my father, a sales executive, exhaustively prepared lists of projects we had to accomplish and maintain each time we were about to sell our house. (He took the same approach to selling our used cars… we “detailed” our cars long before it was the term used to describe the process.)

So while Barb definitely “graduated” way ahead of me, I and MANY others could say we went to the same school… that school being the School of Hard Knocks for Stagers. We have learned by doing.

Again I think it bears repeating… Lessons learned in a class can be applied in our life/field. But what is often forgotten is that the lessons learned in life/field are brought back to the class and IS what IS thought.

Under the name Barb first gave it… an entire industry is rising. Now there ARE many entities offering training. One of the concerns I have is that people WILL be duped and taken by less then credible stagers and training “schools”.

Also and unfortunately, as the industry rises, there seems to be a network of feudal staging war lords who have developed their own staging kingdoms… and are right now battling it out. At times the “industry” is more focused on discrediting each other and has reduced itself into being petty bickering bunch.

I could easily take any number of course on staging… but I choose to stay non-aligned with any staging “kingdom”. I have become a LOUD voice for unity within the staging community and have found an audience among stagers who share my thoughts and hopes for an industry built out of competitive kindness. I know a healthy industry will not only benefit and protect the consumer but also those people who chose to make staging a career.

I believe that if there is to be accreditation /certification the INDUSTRY and it’s members should govern the process. It is easy for a company to say they do, it is easy for a school to say it does… but I believe an INDUSTRY (NOT JUST ONE PERSON, ONE COMPANY OR ONE SCHOOL) should dictate what ultimately constitutes accredited professionalism amongst those who call themselves “Stager”.

Some final thoughts... after reading what "Anonymous" wrote, I do not understand their need to hide. What they said was a genuinely fair assessment from their perspective.

As for my persepective, I stand with my name behind my words… even if at times that means I stand corrected.

PS: A benifit of a "drive by comment"... it sure can inspire dialogue!

Stagers... are we red headed step children that get no respect?

Lately I have been getting a lot of email from stagers that are frustrated with the response they have been getting from the real estate community. Basically they are surprised that realtors are not flocking to them with open welcoming arms and lavishing them with clients. Compared to mortgage brokers or home inspectors we are "red headed step children that get no respect".

The best advice I can give you is to "persevere".

Staging is new and in many parts of the country untested. So it is up to us as a united industry to get the word out about staging and the benefits it provides. When you are marketing yourself to realtors keep in mind the following and remember ultimately you need to craft your message to them and their issues/needs/concerns.

1.) Staging has become a leading-edge marketing tool for realtors that demonstrates they are savvy and leading edge.

2.) Staging fee is typically the seller’s expense, not the realtors! (Many realtors think the fee has to come out of their pocket.)

3.) Real estate staging is NOT just renting furniture… it is much more. It is up to you to explain the depth at which you go to prepare a house for market.

4.) The best time to stage is BEFORE a property is listed. Our work can move the listing price to the top end of the property’s possible price range thus covering our fees and making the seller MORE money.

5.) Let us discuss our services and fees directly with the home seller… this keeps the home seller from feeling as if additional fees are being tacked on by the realtor.

6.) INSTEAD of a price reduction… consider using us. Staging can be less costly and have more of an impact.

7.) Do not market yourself as a designer/ or decorator... rather market yourself as a "real estate/property "merchandiser". Why? Because bringing in a "designer/decorator" may be construed as an insult to a seller's tastes. Hiring a property merchandiser sounds like a wise marketing move.

In today's age, where it seems like it is all about hard core marketing, sometimes what is forgotten is that marketing ourselves and our services is ultimately about building authentic relationships. Finding ways to be of help to the realtor and EARN their respect will surely end the "little orphan Rodney syndrome" we all experience in this new industry.

Staging Realtors... how big are your guns?

When should a realtor, who considers themselves to be a stager, bring in a professional real estate stager?

In my opinion it really comes down to 3 key elements: TIME, TALENT, & TREASURE. A keen and rich knowledge of these basic 3 elements and a system for implementing and administering them is what truly makes a stager an effective resource. I have found if stager does not have access to all 3, they undermine the true benifits of staging and what is available to the seller. (Please note, the key word here is “access” and does not mean EVERY property needs all 3 elements.)

So realtors, if you are thinking about becoming a “Staging Realtor” but are not sure you want to, I ask you to consider the following basic questions regarding these 3 key elements.

TIME: How much time is preparing properties for market going to take you? Taking into account that staging can take a considerable of time to perform physical and/or project management tasks, is this the best use of your time?

TALENT: Do you already know and are you willing to continue to learn all you need to know, about landscaping, cleaning, de-cluttering, room & furnishing arrangement, home repair & maintenance to best prepare these properties for sale?

TREASURE (Props): Considering staging is real estate merchandising and that scale, proportion, color and style do make a difference… Do you have access to the RIGHT furnishings and decorative accessories that can be added to your properties that subtly blend in, yet enhance their overall appeal?

If as a realtor you are willing to fully and ongoingly commit to these basic elements of staging, as you commit to the basic growth and development of your realtor skills... I say GO FOR IT. But I think it is far to warn you... to do staging RIGHT it often takes more then one thinks. It might be best at times to call in the BIG GUNS of a professional stager.

Because sometimes it’s not what you know… it’s what you don’t know that you don’t know, that can best help your client sell their house.

I'm on the merchandising Road to Hong Kong

Well actually I am IN Hong Kong! Sitting at a desk over looking the Hong Kong Harbor. AWESOME. There is a US Naval Ship anchored here too.

WOW... this all happened in less than a 24 hour period. When I woke up last Thursday I did not expect to be flying to Hong Kong on Saturday. But I did... and here I am.

I have been here about 2 hours and I have already seen a Century 21 Real Estate sign.

Why am I here? Well, I work with an electronics company in California doing product design. They asked I come and pick colors, textures and finishes for new product release.

So what does product design have to do with staging? Well actually it is pretty simple. Whether I am staging a house or designing a product... I am considering the market and selecting and fashioning the product so what will attract the largest buying demographic.

When you come to think about it… until now the concept of product merchandising has been applied to just about EVERYTHING we buy... except for houses. Kinda odd for sure, considering buying real estate is typically the LARGEST purchase we make.

I will share more of my tales from the road when I return.

"CHEERS" to new marketing opportunities for stagers!

So if you have not figured it out yet... I have a BIG mouth.

I would rather share what I know and NEW THINGS I have learned about staging then hold it as a trade secret. WHY? Because the staging industry is young and the faster we all share what we learn the better realtors are helped, seller's benifit and the quicker the enitire industry grows.

Anyway, today I visited a Retirement Community to set up a time to come in (open my big mouth) and talk to "residents in waiting". What I mean is that the Retirment Community has new residents who are wanting to move in and enjoy their golden years... if only they could sell their existing homes.

The Retirement Community wants me to come in and share my ideas, insights, thoughts and benifits of staging with these folks. The management is being both savvy and proactive... as they want to educate and help future residents sell their current homes. HOW cool and clever is that?
Considering the audience, this will take a bit of targeted message crafting for sure... but it is an opportunity I welcome.

Oh and where did the Retirement Community find me and my big mouth? Right here... because of my blogging.

CHEERS TO BLOGGING... it is making a difference!

Staged Property does NOT sell... BUT WHY?

Here is a set of Before & After pictures of a TOTALLY VACANT property we staged back in mid June and un-staged yesterday.

IT DID NOT SELL. WHY? Was it because staging really does not help?

SOME nay-sayers might (and will) jump to that conclusion. I happen to have experienced far too many POSTIVE results because of our work to agree with that deduction.
Could it be because of the slow / poor market? Yes, that is a strong possibility. Actually the owner WAS able to rent it in the end.

OR COULD IT BE IT WAS PRICED WAY TO HIGH? YES, DEFINETLY in this case that WAS the reason! How would I come to that conclusion? Well my first clue was the day we were unloading our deliver truck and a “curious” neighbor popped over to greet and meet what she hoped was the new neighbor. When I told her we were the stagers she curtly replied… “Well, I hope it works… this house is WAY over priced.”

THEN the listing agent confided in one of our Services Specialists that he felt the property was OVERPRICED by whopping $40,000!

This is why when a potential client asks me “Does staging REALLY work?” I reply with confidence… “YES! If it is priced right. You HAVE to LISTEN to your Realtor and take their pricing advice!”

BOTTOM LINE: Staging will NOT work if the property is priced wrong!

Paint your HOME'S SALE into a corner... by not making repairs!

While many stagers talk a lot about cleaning, depersonalizing, decluttering and rearranging a home, which ARE important aspects of what we do, there is another area a GOOD stager will focus attention on and find solutions for... home repairs.

Much like a buyer, the moment a real estate stager steps into a house they are looking for problems. We have trained our eyes to look for those items and areas in a house that need tending and mending. Why? Because quite often a seller no longer sees the issues we see... the owner/seller has become so accustomed to and accepting of the property the way it has been they no longer can see all that needs fixing.

Sellers need to understand that buyers are looking for reasons NOT to buy a house as much as they look for reasons to buy a house.

Repairs mean money... and if the potential buyer can already SEE repairs on the surface it is only logical to wonder what repairs lurks below. If basic repairs, that seem so apparent to them as they walk thru a house are not being made, potential buyers wonder what MAJOR repair issues need tending to... which again means more money.

I love it when a seller says that they will leave a repair issue to the new buyer. "Oh good... I get to spend MY time and money fixing someone else’s mess!"

Yes there are those handy buyers (like my father) who always bought diamonds-in-the-rough and fix them up. But that is a smaller group... and in today's market the responsibility is on the seller to merchandise the house so appeals to the LARGEST market as possible.

Home repairs are an area that a GOOD stager can either attend to themselves, or we have the resources and connections to contractors and repair people who can quickly assist a seller tend and mend the property so it looks its absolute best while it is in the market.

The Power of Blogging about Staging

Much has been asked about the power of blogging. People want to know if it is "worth" it? They want to know if blogging generates more staging business... will it make them more money?

Well in order to make money your blog first be seen… and it looks like my rants & ravings about staging are being seen by others.

One of those “others” noticing and mentioning this blog is a cool site that until yesterday I never even heard of called Grow-A-Brain. In my opinion, now that I have seen it, Grow-A-Brain is on of the finest examples of how blogging by someone in the real estate industry can be done. As you read it… you are charmed, challenged, intrigued and taught.

AND did I mention it is written by a realtor… all I can say is if I was looking for real estate in Riverside California, I would definitely be giving Hanan Levin a call. "HE" comes thru his blog. THIS is the first lesson of my blog today.

The second lesson is much more personal and has a bigger payoff.

Upon my return from a weekend get-a-way tp Galena Illinois, I found an email in my box from a person whose name I did not recognize. The email started out,

“How weird is it, me finding your blog! I was on the 'Grow A Brain' site and your blog was linked there! How are you? I see you are still in Chicago, I am in Northern California, Gilroy to be specific…”

Here after nearly 20 years and lives that have taken us to different parts of the country a friend of mine from my high school years found me… thanks to blogging.

To say I was blown away… would be an understatement as I have tried to find this friend of mine numerous times, Goggling her name and finding nothing.

So, if you blog you may make money… and sometimes if you are lucky much much more.

HI GAIL!

Who wrote the book on Real Estate Staging?

Well from the looks of if... 5 different people so far. So there is NOT a lot written about the subject as of yet. I happen to own and have read 4 of the 5 books listed here. And I gotta admit... not all staging books are the same.

I am actually surprised to say that the ONE BOOK I thought would and SHOULD be the best of the bunch... is a bit of a let down on a number of levels.

While this industry is still on the grow, so I am sure there will be more an more written about staging in years to come.

With that in mind, I will say that the one book that I thought was one of the best for people (both sellers & realtors) wanting to LEARN basic and practical staging tips was Lori Matzke's book. Lori’s book was chock full of beautiful color example photos... and it is a lot easer to SHOW staging techniques than talk about it in just boring black and white text.

So here is the list of Staging Books I know of/have:

• - Designed to Sell by HGTV


• - Dress Your House for Success: 5 Fast, Easy Steps to Selling Your House, Apartment, or Condo for the Highest Possible Price! by Martha Webb and Sarah Parsons Zackheim


• - Home Staging: Creating Buyer-Friendly Rooms to Sell Your House by Lori Matzke


• - Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell Your House for More Money by Barb Schwarz


• - Peggy's Corner: Stage Your Home for Profit by Peggy Selinger-Eaton & Gayla Moghannam

These books all can be found on Amazon… if your are interested in learning more I strongly suggest you check out them out before you buy. I will say you need NOT buy all.

If anyone knows of any other books... please let me know.

ASP? HSE? What's-a-stager-SUPPOSED-to-be?

My answer is... EITHER. NEITHER. BOTH.

Cindy Lin, a new stager in the San Fransisco area commented on one of my previous blogs.

Cindy summed up her desire for training and her training experience well when she said, "granted the talent of staging is not teachable, but business models and skills are. i went through the asp course myself, and recently iris. what it gave me was support, business model, skills, knowledge about the industry and testing my waters as a stager. moreover, you learn tricks of the trades which may take many more trials of errors for me to personally go through."

So if you are interested in learning staging...There are a number of entities that now teach staging skills(To date I have found about 20 different training entities on the net).
There are 2 industry leaders who I communicate from time to time with and both offer Stager Training. Debra Gould (The Staging Diva) and Audra Slinkey (Home Staging Resource) . Is one better than the other... I really don't know.

I do know that I have checked out some of the work featured by their students who have LINKED their personal sites back to Debra's and Audra's main site and training-entity linking maps like Debra's and Audra's. SOME of their graduates work is AWESOME! While others, well... not so good. But this is NOT a reflection on Debra, Audra or any other trainer... this is where the INDIVIDUAL STAGER’S TALENT comes in.

BUT(notice it is a big "but" too) I will say this and I will say it until I am blue in the face... with so many entities now training staging... the ALPHABET SOUP OF CREDENTIALING means NOTHING. It does NOT designate skill... it JUST means the person sat in a class.

If Realtor or seller's KNEW to view these credentials as basically an acronym for the SCHOOL they attended I would be thrilled. But THAT is not what is happening... and that is NOT the message going out to the public. And it is the reason for much "bickering & bitchiness" that is happening within the staging industry.

ANYONE can go to school and study Accounting.... but the credentials of “CPA” that an account EARNS is acquired ONLY WHEN the accountant is tested and passes STANDARDS developed and maintained by an individual independent body.

MOST IMPORTANTLY... all this Alphabet Credentialing dilutes and convolutes what constitutes a TRULY good stager from another… REGARDLESS of where they received their training. It puts too much responsibility back on the Realtor or seller to figure out if one is truly better than the other. When in reality… they just might be equal.

THANK YOU CINDY for the inspiration for this blog!

NOTE: I do happen to personally know that Debra Gould agrees with my thoughts on the accrediting issue, therefore she trains stagers... she does NOT certify!

ANNOUNCING: My new book on Real Estate Staging

While there are a few books out there that talk about real estate staging. I still feel there is room for a more comprehensive discussion.

I have been working on my own staging book and am PROUD to début the cover.

For marketing purposes (so that I am better able to connect with my intended audience) I have written this book using my pen-name... Reala Stager.

But shhhhhhh.... that is a secret! My publisher does not want that information released to the general public.

Wadda ya think?

Not bad looking considering I designed it this morning in MS WORD!

If Switzerland was a color, what would it be?

Ok… so this is NOT a blog on behalf of the Swiss Visitor & Convention Bureau.

It is a blog with another basic staging tip about color of and in a house

Q: What is the RIGHT color to use in a home that is on the market… most notably for paint and carpet?

A: NEUTRAL COLORS trump all others. WHY? Because they are non-offensive and are... well neutral. And just because it is a neutral color does NOT equate to it being BORING.

If you have an owner that is reluctant to paint back to a neutral… You might want to make these points.

1. Most landlords who EVEN ALLOW a tenant to re-paint a rental then REQUIRES the rented property be painted BACK to a neutral (usually white) upon leaving… or forgo the security deposit. WHY do landlords do this? Well they KNOW the unit will be easier to rent AGAIN.

2. Spec homes are full of neutral elements. Wall colors, wall and floor tile, carpeting, and plumbing fixtures. WHY? Because builders and developers know they can SELL properties easier that incorporate these colors.

3. What are the color's used in most Spa's? Neautrals. Why? Because they have appeal and attraction... without offending.

I could go on… but those are three examples that might help you make your point.

Over Done vs. Done Right

Above are Before and After pictures of the livingroom of property we just completed Monday.

Which version of the same room do you think more people will relate to as "their new home"? This happens to be a property on the markete in an ultra HOT gentrifying area on Chicago's north side.

The room on the left has a unique style that will only appeal to a smaller niche population (OK I am really trying to be PC when I pick adjectives to discribe this space), while the room on the right looks put together and appealing with nothing screaming to be noticed.

MORE IMPORTANLY.... a feature of the home, it's beautiful woodwork, can now be seen and appreciated. Also, the living room area rug we used has all the same colors in it that are found in the entry area's slate flooring, thus creating "flow" right from the front door and on into the home.

What professional stagers do is create a more universally accepted look and appeal. Having a prop library allows a stager the flexbility and depth they need to complete a look with out being fussy or over designed.

NO SALE! for Good Morning America

If you didn't catch the conclusion of GMA's "Sell Your House In a Week Challenge"... well it was NOT a happy ending. Real estate expert Barbara Corcoran gave it her all to prepare and market the NJ house and get it sold in 1 week. And while they had 80 people tour with 3 serious buyers at yesterday's open house, they just could not seal the deal.

WHAT LEASONS DID BARBARA LEARN and want to share about selling in the current market?

#1 MOST IMPORTANT THING: "STAGING is not optional it is ESSENTIAL!"
#2 Price is King
#3 There are no "Hollywood Endings" in a buyer's market.

This does NOT mean the home will still not sell quickly. It just didn't sell in 1 week. Which would have made for GREAT TV.

But considering that one property had MORE exposure than any other in the market... this more than proves this is a buyer's market.

Sellers must do everything they can to make the house appealing... because if they don't, the buyer can and WILL easily just go to the next MORE appealing house and buy it.