Not All Staging Bananas Are Ripe & Ready

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Staging It Forward...
Me


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sorry this was so lengthy...
Me

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

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

• Under Qualified "stagers" Flood the Market
• Another FEISTY BLOG about "Professional" Staging!
• ASP? HSE? What's-a-stager-SUPPOSED-to-be?
• Stone Cold Reality: Dying Dreams & Limited Opportunities
• Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage It Forward…
Me

Clearing Churned Up Waters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage It Forward...
Me

Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage It Forward...
Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage It Forward...
Me

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

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

Stone Cold Reality: Dying Dreams and Limited Opportunities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage It Forward,
Me


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage It Forward...
Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)

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

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.

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!

UPStaging the Competition

Real Estaging was hired to re-stage this newly renovated home in Wilmette Illinios. Our goal was to bring excitement and life into the dull property, first "staged" by a furniture rental company.

Below are 2 Before & After views of our work.

Post Script: This property HAD sat on the market for over 9 months "staged" as shown in the BEFORE pictures. After we at Real Estaging came in and re-staged it.... it sold in 45 days!

STAGING SELLS HOMES!