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.

Dual Sides of the Real Estate Transaction

It is often said that buying a home is the biggest PURCHASE one will ever make in their lives.

But there are 2 sides to every story.

Does it NOT stand to reason that putting one's home on the market would then be a person's biggest SALE in their life?

I think sometimes that is forgotten... and that is where stagers go to work.

Plain and Simple... Stager's help maxmize the BIGGEST SALE in one's life.