Home Staging is Not Decorating

If Home Staging is not Decorating or Design Why are So Many Trying to Make it Fit the Decorating Mold?

It struck me today as I was writing an article that there seems to be an evolution of sorts in the Home Staging realm. Unfortunately, the evolution is not one of progress, but one of conformity - conformity to a standard that is the antithesis of the true essence of Home Staging. We need to be aware of this and remember what Staging is really about.

By one definition Staging is the process of preparing a house for sale so that it sells in the fastest time and at the best price. Staging is the opposite of decorating – which is all about personalizing a space. When was the last time you picked up a decorating magazine and found it full of ways to clear out the space and make it universally appealing to everyone? I don’t see articles like that in decorating or home interior magazines. What I see are ideas on personalizing colors, fabric choices, and furniture styles – all with the intent of making a space personal to the owner and pitching the latest trends in the decorating industry.

Let’s face it – there are a lot of Stagers in business, and I do believe we do the industry proud as a group. But, I am concerned about what I see as a push towards elements of decorating that really have no place in Staging. This is not a criticism of decorators or designers, and yet many from those fields promote themselves as Stagers, and have blended the lines, so to speak, between what Staging is and what it is not. And we are letting it happen.

As an example, when the windows of a house have a hard line at the top, Home Stagers often swag a simple drape of fabric over the top to soften the lines, and possibly to frame the window. It is cleverly done, a quick step in the Staging process and it works. Stagers that are focused on the decorating or design side of things would say “Tsk, Tsk! The fabric is not at the right length or no hardware was used.” I say, “Who cares if the fabric does not go all the way to the floor? Do you really think a buyer is going to notice much less care?” To me, the fact that the window is framed is enough – and it is just for an effect, it is not for “living” and certainly is not there to win a style award. And yet it IS tasteful and does the trick. And how about mixing woods? I can hear the collective groan from decorators and designers all over America dismayed by the use of more than one wood color or grain in a house – and yet is the buyer purchasing the furniture? No – they are purchasing the HOUSE! So – mix away, Stagers. By the way, the eclectic look is IN so free yourselves from the “matchy-matchy” mental attitude.

I know there are cross over elements in Staging that are common with Decorating and Design, but what I see more and more are “Stagers” that are putting these “D” hats – trying to compete with that “look,” which in true form misses the boat of Staging completely. Yes we have to follow current color trends and styles with Staging, but not to the point where we over-do a Staging job, or get so wrapped up into the need for a particular style or look for our Staging, that we blow a budget, take too much time on a job, or forget that the average buyer is going to be in the house for a short period of time. Our job is to highlight the best features of the house, minimize the distractions, and give a buyer a reason to purchase the house, not our stuff.

Now I can already hear some of you shaking your heads at my commentary – but take a look at some of the Staging that is out there and you tell me you don’t think it has crossed into decorating. It might look very nice – I am not saying it doesn’t – but is it overdone? And ask yourselves, “Is this what we want?” Do we want the public thinking Staging is like decorating – and therefore you need to pour more than is needed into a house for sale or not bother because they feel their stuff does not measure up?

The television shows that are supposedly “about home staging” are really about remodeling, redesigning and decorating a house for sale. Tell me I am wrong. I watch them just like you do. These shows deliver the wrong message to the public and I yearn for a show on Real Staging – where purging, packing, and creativity are the focus. Not one of these supposed shows on Staging is really about Staging. That is a tragedy in my book. When will we wake up and begin to demand that the reflection of what we do is accurate? We were so happy to have “some” coverage that we never stopped to consider “who is delivering the message?” For me, I don’t want the designer on the “Designed to Sell” (you see – even the NAME is wrong!) representing what I do as a Home Stager. How about you? Are you proud of how we are represented on these shows as the caustic critics or devoted designers?

What I am concerned about is Stagers forgetting the true roots of Staging – and stepping into Decorating or Design shoes and walking a path away from the true goal of Staging. Paths that end up making the staging more costly and time consuming than it needs to be. I also wonder why some Staging classes feel the need to include information on feng shui, color analysis, spatial planning and the like? Is this because there is the fear that if we don’t “know it all” we cannot serve our client or are they too conforming to the misguided perception of what Staging is really about? If a Stager wants to delve into redesign, that’s great, and I think it’s wise to carve out multiple niches for business, but if I want information on those things, I can read a book. When I was trained, it was to learn to be successful as a Stager, I already knew how to decorate.

My advice is to stick to the true roots of Staging and remember what the goal is – get the house sold – not make it look pretty. In the process of Staging, a house does end up looking wonderful, but the original goal of selling the space and the house cannot be forgotten because of baubles and bling. Trying to apply the “rules” of decorating and design to Staging is like trying to fit a square block in a round hole. It doesn’t work and the focus becomes on the fit and not the finished product – the house. Break free from the design or decorating mold, and express yourself freely with “simply Staging.”

Clutter - do we HAVE to live with it? It's our Destiny.

As a professional Home Stager, my job is to help de-clutter spaces and help sellers part with personal things for selling their house. It's rewarding to see houses de-stressed by my plans and efforts and it's easy when it's "someone else's stuff."

But what about my own house? And yours? Could you put your house on the market "as is" or would you have to have a major "come to Jesus" meeting with your spouse or significant other, the kids, and yourself? I would.

I just get so frustrated sometimes - I think "Am I the only person in my household of 6 that puts anything away, or throws anything away?" I find the potato chip bag rolled up with a rubber band - and inside are the crumbs no one wants! Throw it away! Do you really think someone wants chip crumbs? I purge out the refrigerator because no one else does - and I find all sorts of science experiments in the works - leftovers no one ate while I was gone, and expired food. Ick. Throw it away!

I find collections of the oddest things in my kid's rooms - rocks, bottle caps, dirt clods (we have 3 boys and 1 girl). And lately the boys have been venturing to the fields where they are finding shot gun shells and bullet casings. First of all, I don't live in the country so WHY is someone shooting off a shotgun or gun in this field near our house?

They proudly show me their treasures, and all I praise them - but inside am thinking, "Great, more stuff to have to store." I know it's a right of passage for kids - they need their treasures and things. Can I just admit to you here how HARD it is for me to leave their stuff alone? I will "arrange" things better so that they have SOME space on their desk in their room that was put there for them to do homework or draw - but is so laden down with trading cards, rocks, metal things, and who knows what else, that they end up doing homework in the kitchen!

One of my sons is already prepared for Fourth of July (and has been ready since about January) and has rigged up one of his plastic trucks with little firecrackers (from my husband) - and it sits, all taped together waiting for that one special day of the year when blowing things up is OK.

My daughter - she is a little better, but a collector none-the-less. She has at LEAST 45 stuffed animals and dolls lining shelves, cubbies and her bed. Her dolls are carefully put to "bed" with blankets or a piece of her clothing on them (she is almost 14 now) - and yet she loves her things. She has little mementos stored all over her room on the surfaces. At least she makes her bed in the morning. Most days.

The other day, I was actually doing the bed making rounds for the house and found an entire box full of food in her room! It was like she was camping out or ready for a "situation" with all the goodies she had stashed up in her room! When I asked her about it - she said, "Oh yeah! I brought that up when (her friend) came over to spend the night and we were studying. We wanted snack food." OK.

Anyway, I sit in my office and seem to move one pile to another - taking stuff off one surface and putting it on another, figuring out what I can throw away and what still needs my attention. I have "future projects" that I willl get to when I have more time. My office is also our bonus room - with books and videos galore because I gave up my "office" for one of our sons so he could have his own room like the rest of the kids.

Don't even get me started about my husband's "office" out front in our free standing Casita. There is so much paperwork and stuff out there - he now is at the dining room table. He says it's so he can "monitor" the kids while working. Um - the kids are in school all day - nice try. :-) I love him, but he does not know where to begin to clean up his office, and if I do it, I'll kill him before it's done. If I had free reign in the place, fine, but I can't take the reasons WHY he wants to hang on to stuff, and we end up arguing rather than sorting, purging, and organizing.

The other day, he was griping to me about his "lost" drill charger. I said, "The one that is in the garage in your work bench" He said it was not there. After a day of hearing him complain that, "You must have moved it and now it's lost." I got up. I walked to our garage. I opened up the top drawer of his workbench area where his tools are stored - and what do you know! There it was! Amazing! They can't put anything away, and they also can't find anything that is in the logical place!

Outside of the sentimental factor, I have come to the conclusion that some of this "need for stuff" or inability to organize is definitely genetic. And I "blame" my husband! (smile). I am the purger and he is the collector or "don't throw it away yet - I might need it." His Mom is a collector extraodinaire. (Although My Dad could give his Mom a run for her money!) She is the hardest breed of all because the stuff she finds and collects is actually worth something! Antiques, and fabulous semi-precious stones, and cool artifacts, and salvaged architectural pieces from old Chicago houses, etc. She has the other stuff too - a collection of heart shaped rocks - they are pretty neat, but after 50 years of "finding" them you can imagine they are all over the house.

And I am not totally innocent either. I have boxes of my children's school papers. Why am I saving them? I have some of their more significant things from the years in school, but I am thinking that years from now they will have the "best time going through all their old papers!" I want them to see writing samples of what their handwriting was at 7 or 8 years old, and be able to look back on old school projects.

Am I INSANE!? I have 4 children and already have stuffed one large file cabinet of their work, plus 2 bankers boxes in the rafters. At this rate (our kids are 8-13 years old and we have 10 more years of school to go - these memories will crowd us out of the garage! Do I put them in storage or will my kids really care? I don't have anything from my childhood - except a few class photos, some certificates, and awards. All our "treasures" were boxed up and stored in my grandparent's cottage by the ocean - in a shed - that was not airtight. Rain, mold and time ate up whatever was in the boxes.

So I think I have "over-compensation syndrome." I did not have much to look back on (and I am not "scarred" by it - I just think it would have been cool to show our kids some of my work) so I am ensuring my children will - but how much is too much? In addition to their schoolwork - they have scrapbooks from their early years, photo albums and journals I have kept about their lives. Yes, I stopped being as diligent about writing about 2 years ago - but I do hit them once in a while and update who they are and some of their milestone accomplishments. I can see the need to scale back, or this will get out of control.

So - why bother having cupboards and storage areas - when it all ends up out on the floor or on the counters anyway? Why don't we all just live with everything in reach and in view? It is the constant battle between de-stressing our house (and our lives) by putting thing away or getting rid of things, and the "practical" side of life.

I do think organization is a learned skill - so my job is to help teach my kids to organize and purge - within reason because I have Staged enough houses to know that when a space is decluttered, the people living there can feel and sense the difference and are less stressed themselves.

I get stressed out with too much stuff around and see the value in professional organizers because just like it's hard to Stage your own house objectively, getting a 3rd party in to help purge is a great service! I can organize too - but I have to deal with the "I can't believe you threw away my prized hacky-sack" and a husband that goes dumpster diving to see what else I got rid of. Sigh.

I do have a solution for that one - load up your car with the hefty bags of items no longer needed (according to you - the expert :))- and drive to a remote dumpster far, far away! Yes - I HAVE done that. You know what? No one asked where the items were. That is the TRUE test of clutter. If you don't miss it once it's gone - it wasn't needed in the first place!

Home Staging - Will We Survive the Market?

I have had the opportunity to travel across the country in the past few months (in my role as a Trainer with Stagedhomes.com) - meeting with existing Stagers and teaching those new entrepreneurs that are excited about launching a business. The question on everyone's mind is "will Staging survive the market?"

I am also a Stager that has a large business in the Sacramento area - and this question has crossed our minds as well. The answer in a nutshell is, "YES" - we will survive but we have to have a survival kit! The crux of the survival kit is Marketing - and finding new clients and new market niches to carve out if the resale market is suffering. Those that do not stay out there marketing - the answer is "NO" - but it is not because of lack of opportunity - it is because of lack of effort and belief. We cannot escape face time - and the networking one-on-one that is the key to developing relationships for our business.

Other things besides Marketing to include in the Survival kit:

• 1 bag of Belief
• 1 case of Positive Attitude
• 1 jug of Perserverance
• Tons of Networking - go to all available opportunities
• 3-4 New Niches - develop specialities for business or other market segments
  
  We have some great press that has come out recently including HGTV's article on "The Top 25 Mistakes Sellers Make" - with #1 being NOT staging! That is wonderful press for what we do and stresses the importance of having an independent assessment of a house for sale. Here is the link to the article HERE and read it if you have not done so already!
  
  We have other press that has come out recently from CBS News - and there is an article coming out in Entrepreneur Magazine July 2008 issue on businesses tied to the real estate market - that will toot the horn of Staging.
  
  So why are so many Stagers living in FEAR of the market? With so much negative press, it is sometimes hard to focus on the positive. There are also those that got into this business as a hobby - and have not put the focus needed to survive the tough times. But when we have the attitude that we are in this for the long haul, then we have to learn to adjust to various markets - and create the demand for our services.
  
  In a slow market, Home Staging is needed more than ever! It is a necessary part of selling a house for a homeowner that truly wants the best offer in the shortest amount of time. We just Staged an average house that was priced a bit higher than market comps - and it sold in 1 day with multiple offers! The sellers are thrilled and so is the Realtor. The power of presentation is the key! There are buyers out there - and all it takes is ONE that falls in love with a house - and makes that emotional connection.
  
  When you have a house that needs Staging - give us a call. We work on Vacant and Occupied houses for sale in all price categories and areas of the Sacramento region. We also provide Staging to Live for homeowners that are not moving but want to refresh their houses.
  
  1-888-WE-STAGE - http://www.westagesacramento.com/
  

House Sells in 1 Day at Over List Price!

Who says the market is dead? Yes, there are a glut of foreclosures on the market and this means that pricing a house right is key to getting a sale - but so is presentation! Sellers that overlook presentation as the KEY factor to getting a buyer to make an offer are missing a huge opportunity.

The last house I staged was listed for sale and within 24 hours had an over-asking price offer! No - it was not priced below the competition - in fact, when the house closes, it will be the highest price per square foot selling house in the neighborhood! This will help elevate house values in the region ensuring that the listing agent will get more business! Success attracts more success! The Realtor has all his listings Staged so that they look their best before coming on the market. His dedication to his sellers pays off - and will lead to future business and bragging rights when the house closes and he has a great success story to tell.

What was our secret? First, I came up with a Staging Plan - telling the sellers exactly what to do in order to decluttter and depersonalize the house. The listing agent told me that there was not much to do and the house was originally planned to be listed within 2 days of my initial consultation and report. Once I got in the house, I informed the listing agent that a lot of work had to be done and the listing agent had to reset the target date so that the sellers had time to implement all the suggestions. It took an extra week to get the house ready, but it was worth it. I helped them save money on storage containers and boxes for packing using vendor partners that I get special discounts with because of my background and training.

Once the sellers packed up, removed or put away the items suggested in the report, my team and I moved to Phase 2 where we provided hands-on Staging in support of the listing so that the house shows its best to buyers. We brought in some accessories, decor, greenery, trees and artwork, area rugs and bedding. The sellers came home after our Staging was complete and could not believe it was the same house The changes were minor but enough of an impact that the house looked totally different to them . . . and the sellers fell in love with their house all over again, which is a good thing! In fact they remarked "This is the most beautiful house we've seen!" which made me smile because they've been living in it for years, but just had forgotten what they loved about it when they purchased. This is typical for most homeowners - as we lose our house under clutter and personal items, and the features of the house get lost.

Today's market is still tough - we are not seeing houses flying off the market with multiple offers or over asking price offers for the average house. Investment properties aside, the average homeowner faces a tough market full of foreclosures that drive the prices down. But a house that is presented well and is ready to move in - that gives a buyer comfort and confidence they are making a good purchase - is attractive when compared to a house that has been trashed or is "as is" with who knows what hidden issues lurking in the walls.

This Staging story ends with a very happy ending! The house is in a solid escrow - and will close in record time! The sellers are thrilled and the buyers are very excited.

For help getting your house on the market, call the experts at We Stage Sacramento. We know what to do in order to best showcase your house for buyers. Call 888-WE-STAGE

HGTV Supports Home Staging as the TOP Action Item for Sellers!

I found it very validating when HGTV devoted a show to the Top 25 Mistakes Sellers Make - and at the top of the list was not Staging. This tells me that after 36 years of building the industry, we are finally at the place where the media "gets it."

Interestingly, the 25th mistake Sellers make was putting too much stuff in their house - and overdecorating. That goes right along with what I have been taught by my mentor, Barb Schwarz, the Creator of Home Staging. She wast the first to point out that Staging is depersonalizing and Decorating is personalizing. The goals of each service are totally different.

When I am helping decorate a house, I am considering the likes and tastes of the home owner. I will use things they like, whether or not I personally think they are tasteful or along current trends.

When I am Staging for Sale - I consider the BUYER only. My job is to help sell the house - and so I have to consider what a buyer would want and expect to see in a house - and since we don't know anything about a buyer's background (race, religion, age, kids or not, etc.) the house has to appeal to a very broad spectrum of people. This means it has to be broadly appealing, with colors that are neutral and along current trends, and depersonalized of any of the sellers' items that would make a buyer possibly feel uncomfortable.

So - I say "Great Job!" to HGTV! Finally - what I do for a living for the past 6 years is getting the recognition and understanding that it deserves. What I know is that a Staged House is a Sold House - in any market! It's the one the buyers connect with emotionally - and it is the one that is prepared for the buyer to move right in.

For more information on how you can properly have your house Staged for sale, contact the experts at We Stage Sacramento and let us come up with a detailed Staging Plan for you!

Can We Achieve The Focus of A Dog?

What is it about a Dog and his ball ?

Our dog, Copper, showed me something last night that made me really think about the word FOCUS.

At about 9 PM last night, my children began to panic as Copper was no where to be found. "When was the last time you saw him?" I asked - as I had been dutifully working upstairs. "I saw him run out in the backyard," my son Steven told me, "and he never came back."

I called his name out in the darkness - no response. Normally he will come running or at least let me know where he is. Nothing. No sounds. No response. My mind immediately went to the "dark side" of fear thinking, "Oh my gosh - he has been eaten by a wild animal." Yes - a wild animal that could scale our iron fence and make off with my 22 pound cockapoo. A wild anumal that lives in the midst of suburbia (although we do back to an open space with a creek, trees, and well - it could happen).

Well - anyway, the mind was leading me astray and I got a flashlight and headed to the back corner. I was sure I would find his little body - either passed out or injured, too weak to get up or respond to my calls.

No - a totally unexpected sight greeted me. There was my dog at the edge of our pool. He was frozen in one position. He was focused. He was not moving. He was not barking. He would not even turn his head. What was he looking at? His tennis ball that had somehow fallen in the water.

The ball had somehow ended up in the water and he would not leave without it (nevermind that he had 5 others inside - he wanted THIS one). I noticed then that the area around the pool was wet with his paw prints - and I deduced that he had actually been trying for some time to get his ball OUT of the water. But lacking long limbs and a tool to scoop the ball up - he was not successful. But he had tried - he had made the effort, and when that did not work, he did the only thing he could think of - stay focused and get someone to help him.

It made me pause. It made me laugh. It made me think. He remained fixated on his ball until I got my husband to get the pool scooper thing (don't ask me what the technical name is) and get the ball. Copper finally came to the house - wet paws and all - and happy because he got what he wanted. He stayed until he achieved his goal with the help of another - but the goal was achieved.

What if we had that type of single-minded focus of a dog in our work? That we would stick to it until we achieved what we wanted - worked for - and expected? I think too many times we get distracted or disbelief creeps in and we give up.

When we can channel our focus to a goal - and stick to it - that is when we succeed. Whether we eventually have to enlist the support of other people or other tools - staying focused until the goal is achieved is the key.

What is your tennis ball? Focus on it - and wait to achieve it.

What Hat Are You Wearing?

With all the shows and media coverage on Staging, it is natural for people to believe that "anyone" can stage. The fact is, that is not true. Anyone can learn to copy basic tips and maybe some ideas, but for true Staging to happen, a trained Stager needs to be involved.

When less than 10% of the population has the ability to picture a room in a different way, it is not possible for "every" homeowner or realtor (or friend) to manifest that ability. Staging is not just about putting table cloths out (which actually is a no-no) and adding some greenery. It is about strategic placement that occurs after a house has been depersonalized.

I want to make sure that anyone that is looking to prepare a house for sale actually uses someone that is trained to know what that means. We have had friends, neighbors, even appraisers poke their noses into what we do best and what we've been trained to do - and I am amazed at some of the "advice" our clients hear.

Case in point - a family I know just put their house on the market using a Realtor that is not an area specialist. House is not "professionally" Staged - and I can tell because they have a narrow front window by their door where jumbles of jackets hang, greeting a buyer with a messy display of home familiarity - familiarity that should be removed, packed or put away. The photos of the house show cleaned surfaces and pleasant arrangements, so someone put on their "Stager hat" to get rooms ready for buyers, but I still see too many personal items, and odd arrangements of furniture.

When I teach classes I have Realtors and Stagers in the classroom. I make sure the Realtors that like to "dabble" in Staging know that their job is really to sell a house - and if they really enjoy the Staging side, they need to ask themselves if taking all that time to Stage a house is really what pays them money, or is it getting a new buyer or listing? The analogy I gave is that their "staging" would be like me getting my real estate license and listing houses at .5% because it's "fun." How would that honor my relationships with my Realtors, nor allow me to actually serve my "clients" - because my true joy is in Staging.

So - what hat are you wearing?

• If you are a seller, let an expert give you objective advice on the sale of your house.


• If you are a Realtor, your income comes from listing and selling houses, not Staging.
  
• As a Stager, bring me in to help you both achieve your goals.