home staging industry: Wall Steet Journal Blogger is Clueless about Home Staging - 04/09/08 07:32 PM
Boy this is timely... considering all I have been flapping about here in the Rain.
I just came across this article on the Wall Street Journal's website.
"The Allure of the Fruit Bowl: Home Staging ‘Twiddles' With a Buyer's Mind"
It reinforces the fact that Realtors don't understand what we do. They don't get that it is the "The PREP before the PRETTY." And the PREP is what PAYS OFF!
I encourage you to read this so you understand more clearly how Realtors and Home Sellers are misinformed and then misconstrue the message they share about home staging.
As an industry we have a long way to go... … (19 comments)
|
home staging industry: Is Your Ignorance Bliss or a Missed Opportunity? - 04/08/08 09:39 AM
I have been writing here on Active Rain for nearly 2 years now and have seen the presence of home stagers explode here. Even though we share much of ourselves to this great community, in general it AMAZES me how ignored, snubbed and misunderstood our message has been by the overall Realtor community here on AR... and, to be honest, out there in markets we serve. So many Realtors seem to have shut down ANY possibility to understand ANY opportunity staging offers. There has to be a message that will finally alter the perception the general Realtor community has of who we are and what … (47 comments)
|
home staging industry: The Stage It Forward Banner Unfolds and Rises... - 12/01/07 10:51 AM
Jackie Peraza recently wrote a good post entitled Banner's, Bloggers and Staging that I encourage you to read. In is she asks an important question about Stage It Forward and what is happeing under its "banner". I've learned that if one person is thinking thoughts like this... others are too. Question like this need to be asked and should be asked.... so thank you Jackie. I am so pleasee you asked this question. I know you and I share a similar hopes for this industry. Sometimes the reply is better heard, just because the question HAS been asked.
So, in her recent post, Jackie questions what SIF is, in a legitmate statement … (14 comments)
|
home staging industry: Jennie Connected the Dot... Now I am Gonna Paint the Picture! - 11/29/07 11:10 AM
While I have learned much from fellow members here on Active Rain and in Stage It Forward... I have to admit there are some member's posts I follow more regularly. What they have to say about Home Staging and the Home Staging Industry time and again captures my attention. So recently when Jennie Norris, a Vice President at stagedhomes.com, connected one of the critical and troublesome industry "dots" that other home stagers in others markets have experienced... I was intrigued.
Jennie wrote a bit of an expose' on home staging and what she felt were wrongful pricing strategies in her post entitled Get off your back and on … (24 comments)
|
home staging industry: Is ROCK & ROLL "Where Its At" for Home Staging? - 11/26/07 07:50 AM
A winter's drive over the holiday weekend gave me a chance to reflect on all that I see going on in our industry. As I stand back and look WHO we are and WHERE we are... the more I am sure this industry is not quite YET ready to handle the BIG vision so many of us want. I see our collectivey industry action speaking louder then our words. This is not a BAD thing, this is just an "IS" thing. Early last week I made a comment in a post regarding how home stagers could learn from the Realtor community who annually benifit from coming together and learning together as our own unified … (25 comments)
|
home staging industry: A Thankful Message for all our "Colors" - 11/21/07 07:02 AM
Oddly, of all weeks, I stumbled on a old song... we all have heard before.
But sometimes an "old" song can sound new.
In light of recent Home Staging Industry issues and dialogue... this song holds a hope-filled message that seems to fit our needs, wishes and dreams.
The song simply reminds us to think bigger, see more, be open and be respectful.
Its message is one all in our colorful industry can benefit from... in a new context and way.
"For if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you will learn things you never knew … (23 comments)
|
home staging industry: It's CLEAR... 21 SIF RoundTables Across North America Are Going to REFRESH Our Industry! - 11/17/07 04:16 PM
Yesterday both Chicago and Manhattan successfully held their respective Stage It Forward (SIF) ROUNDTABLE discussions.
Earlier today I spoke with Val Allocco who was the facilitator for in Manhattan. Val said that their group had about 15 attendees at the luncheon sponsored by American Furniture Rental. (THANK YOU AFR) Val will share her own sparkling account of the 3 hour Round Tabletable discussion they had here: TRI-STATE ROUND TABLE MEETUP - NOV. 16TH, 2007 I guess the fact that Manhattan is read for their NEXT round table... tells us that SIF is on to something here.
On to the Chicago RoundTable...
IT ROCKED! In Chicago the event was graciously hosted by Brook Furniture with … (26 comments)
|
home staging industry: REALTORS... Will Staging Stats Crack Your Nuts? - 11/06/07 10:17 AM
You have all read the stories and/or watched the HGTV shows triumphantly boasting... "SOLD in one day after home staging!" "Multiple offerings after home staging!" "SOLD at first open house after staging!" But even after all these great staging experiences have been reported in various medias, there still seems to be some apprehension by the Realtor community to present home staging solutions to sellers who COULD benefit from more comprehensive levels of staging.
Now don't get me wrong, there are those of you who have been "early adaptors" of the home staging concept. But in general when talking to Realtors, Stagers still … (35 comments)
|
home staging industry: Stagers: We are Talking in AZ to Carry the Staging Message Forward. - 10/22/07 10:55 AM
Well in less than one hour the first Stage It Forward Roundtable Discussion will be taking place in Scottsdale.
Many of you emailed asking that I send you the questions we gathered from stagers all over North America... so here they are.
I thought that posting the questions we will be discussing will give those of you interested in participating a chance to be heard too.
I really gotta run but I wanted to get this posted.... we will be sharing more later.
Me
PS: I know many of you would like a Round Table in your area... we are working on that too.
AFTER EVENT POST SCRIPT: All I am … (25 comments)
|
home staging industry: Clearing Up Churned Waters - 09/07/07 05:33 AM
Recently I wrote and posted 2 similar blogs entitled: Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging. A shorter edited down version was posted here on Active Rain while a more complete and comprehensive version was then posted here on what I call my "pretty blog."
The post created quite a ruckus with a foundation training company whose website, at one point, I quoted directly from and linked to to prove that I was not making an unsubstantiated point. They, however felt attacked and prestented me with Cease & Desist email and comments. I have since removed all of my direct references to them in my posts and all links I had placed in … (31 comments)
|
home staging industry: Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging - 08/27/07 12:40 PM
Last Friday, I happened to be contacted by the Chicago Tribune to discuss something that coincidentally had been on my mind for quite a few days.
For days now I could not stop thinking about the recent report published by the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (NAEBA) entitled: "How to not get tricked by staging and potentially save $5,645 when you buy your home." But now it seemed that what had been on my mind had also attracted the attention of main stream media.
I had come to the conclusion that while I had thought some of the NAEBA report on … (47 comments)
|
home staging industry: People Like Touching Our SIF Stuff - 08/14/07 05:51 PM
Just a quick update...
This past August 4th the Stage It Forward (SIF) widget was created & released.
Since then, I am happy to report, it has been doing well and is attracting a nice amount of attention in the way of clicks. 2,176 clicks to be exact!
Considering it is just the first 10 days this is NO shabby start. This means we are averaging 217 hits a day coming in from all the SIF widgets placed out there.
You may wonder WHY to install the SIF widget to your website or blog site?
Well, as you know, (because sometimes in life you are one too) if a consumer is interested in something they … (9 comments)
|
home staging industry: Who was Stage It Forward's MYSTERY MODERATOR? - 08/02/07 04:40 PM
One of the things that makes Stage It Forward such a thriving and active group here in the Rain is the fact that the Moderator position is passed to someone new each month. Each month what is featured in the group as the "best to be read" for the day is selected by a different person with a different perspective. While a particular moderator might not pick what other's feel is "best" for the day, the fact that differing insights are welcome keeps the group vital and active.
In return for taking taking the time and making the commitment to the group, the moderator gets a … (24 comments)
|
home staging industry: Stagers... if NOT Here, Then Where? - 06/14/07 02:19 PM
I woke up this morning and that headline was in my head. I guess it was there because I went to bed thinking about all the controversy that has swirled around and in Stage It Forward... for the last couple days.
If you feel like an outsider that missed all the action... here is a link to all the post that had something to say or share. It was a HEARTY and HEART FELT discussion for sure.
WARNING TO THE KOOLAID DRINKERS-Now it is getting personal... does this seem like an injustice to you?
Dear "Anonymous" #2 on Kate Hart's "Kool-Aid" … (34 comments)
|
home staging industry: 100,000 DING DONG's, Stage It Forward Calling... with a Member Button for YOU! - 06/04/07 02:35 PM
With this post I have gone over the 100k Point. How befitting to reach this milestone with this post. While I did not time it as such, (I actually thought it would be this Friday with a Good Word Series post.) this post really does make this special for me ... because this post is about the Stage It Forward group created just last November here on Active Rain. This group, because of its many wonderful members, really has become a mini-Active Rain for the Home Staging Industry.
I LOVE the fact that being a member to both Active Rain and Stage It Forward is … (56 comments)
|
home staging industry: Barb's Schwarz's New Book Reveals Home Staging Business is NOT "Pretty" Hocus Pocus! - 06/02/07 11:50 AM
A few weeks back I posted an announcement of the soon to be released book by Barb Schwarz (grand dame' of home staging) entitled: "Building a Successful Home Staging Business."
So I now have read Barb's new book and here is my promised "Book Review".
First, while I did not agree with everything she writes of... I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. I found this book to be MUCH better than I expected!
I think Barb masterfully walked the "line" I spoke of in my original post. Readers of this book will find it well written and NOT a "big ego dump" and "fluffy piece of advertising" for her workshops... which were some … (23 comments)
|
home staging industry: Dear ASP/ASPM's... I do Believe ONENESS is NOT One Sided - 05/15/07 07:11 AM
I have learned that mentioning Barb Schwarz's name in a blog is like taking a match to gasoline.
This is my reply to one of the last comments posted in my last blog post entitled: Will Staging Biz Book Hitting Shelves (this week) Hit the Target? I think my own comment bares repeating here to a bigger audience.
Barb Schwarz IS going to be written about... this is part of her "legacy" which she writes of in her email to you and others that was posted anomalously as a comment in my last blog. Some of the things written about ANY captain of ANY industry will … (14 comments)
|
home staging industry: Will Staging Biz Book Hitting Shelves (this week) Hit the Target? - 05/13/07 07:29 AM
Well, I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. But considering my last post, about the difficulties of owning a home staging business, the fact that Barb Schwarz is releasing a new book this week entitled "Building a Successful Home Staging Business" is timed perfectly.
Just what will this book reveal? I do not know. But I will SURELY read it and share my thoughts about it in a future book review here.
However, the inside front cover (quote taken from Amazon) says this: "Whether you are thinking about starting a Home Staging business or want to improve upon an existing one, this … (70 comments)
|
home staging industry: Was Barb Schwarz the "INVENTOR" of Home Staging? - 04/17/07 09:29 AM
Once you have written a blog, for any amount of time, it's inevitable that you come to a point where you search for that one "right word" that clearly conveys exactly what you are trying to say. Finding the right words is critical to communicating a message... and ultimately establishing one's credibility. Your words are a reflection of you.
Recently I was reading a post here on Active Rain, in it Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com was cited as being the "inventor" of home staging. As I read it a few bells and whistles went off in my head. I thought that it was a mighty audacious statement to claim that Barb "invented" the process … (84 comments)
|
home staging industry: My Personal COMMENT on a STAGER'S STORM in the Rain - 04/17/07 09:29 AM
While it was NOT the intent of my initial post entitled "Was Barb Schwarz the 'INVENTOR' of Home Staging"... somehow this post did cause issues to swirl to the surface. And in all this there lies a lesson for ANYONE who writes a blog.
So first let's talk about MY PERSONAL PURPOSE for writing that post.
The great thing about Active Rain is it a place for me to write my "first draft" and see what "works" with what I wrote. Comments then give me a clue to how well I communicated my message and if I need to alter/tweak before putting it up on my "Pretty" blog. … (25 comments)
|
;)
;)
;)
