home staging: ASP? HSE? What's-a-stager-SUPPOSED-to-be? - 10/08/06 01:24 AM
My answer is... EITHER. NEITHER. BOTH. 
Cindy Lin, a new stager here on AR 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." … (32 comments)

home staging: ANNOUNCING: My new book on Real Estate Staging - 10/07/06 05:17 AM
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 HERE on ACTIVE RAIN. 
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.  
So here it is... wadda ya think?  
                          
… (29 comments)

home staging: If Switzerland was a color, what color would it be? - 10/05/06 11:52 AM

 
 
 
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 … (6 comments)

home staging: Over Done vs. Done Right - 10/03/06 09:05 AM
 
Here is a picture of the livingroom of property we just completed yesterday. 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, … (14 comments)

home staging: NO SALE! for Good Morning America - 10/02/06 10:12 AM
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" … (15 comments)

home staging: BUDDING STAGERS... here are 7 tips to OPEN DOORS to business. - 09/28/06 12:09 PM
One of the delights of being on Active Rain is receiving emails like this...
"Hi craig, Im in the process of getting my staging business off the ground but so far no one seems interested! I live in a area that staging is very new. My business is the first of its kind within 100 miles! How do I convince homeowners about staging?                   Help in Southern Indiana!"
 
So here is SOME of MY ADVICE that might help new stagers get going.
To get to the seller... look to the realtor. Make connections with a realtor first. THEY are your initial gateways.Study study study about ... websites, … (7 comments)

home staging: USE YOUR EYES! - 09/27/06 12:13 PM

I know there are those realtors out there that have never heard of staging... even here on AR. So I blog on.. for YOU are the gateway for recommendation of our staging services.
If you are interested in considering using a stager... USE YOUR EYES and look at stagers here on AR as a cross section of what the Professional Staging Industry has to offer.
If you USE YOUR EYES you will see the level of quality and skill is "all over the place".  JUST because someone attaches the word professional to their name... does NOT make them so.
USE YOUR EYES... there are some AMAZING … (7 comments)

home staging: Your Royal Highness: The CLEAN of Staging - 09/24/06 01:29 AM
When we speak of staging, we talk of a lot of things. Like thinning, de-cluttering, organizing, rearranging, repairing, trimming, mowing, painting, etc… but Cleaning reigns over all.  The house on market should be cleaned as if Royalty was coming to visit… and remember royals wear gloves.
In today’s age, with all the cleaning products and resources out there, there is no reason to show a dirty house.   Buyers notice and comment on dirt. Not only does a dirty home show bad, it distracts the buyer’s attention off the house and on to the dirt… they start thinking about what they would have … (9 comments)

home staging: Staging Web Sites - 09/22/06 02:31 PM
Since I have been a member of Active Rain I have be in contact with so many people "intrigued" with staging and the possibility of staging.
I am honored to "field" the questions of stagers or wanna be stagers ( by "wanna be" I mean people intrigued in the opportunity staging offers). So many have asked for my advice about staging and marketing staging services, to which I ALWAYS answer...
STAGERS are in the business of AMAZING first impressions. EVERYTHING we do has to convey a understanding and knowledge of a good first impression.
But lately I have found stagers (even here in AR links) … (8 comments)

home staging: Back-story... what we wish people REALLY knew about us. - 09/19/06 12:56 PM
Marketing typically crafts and packages "our messages" in perfected snippets we HOPE connect with our clients.
How often do we just wish that our clients REALLY knew us for who we were? 
We wished they "got" our love for what we do… our commitment to being HONEST… our wanting to be 100% fair to all parties involved. We wish they knew what I call our "Back-story"... the reality of who we are as people not just someone trying to sell something for the sake of a sale.
As I participate more and more on Active Rain, I see the back-story of others … (3 comments)

home staging: I CONFESS... I watch OPRAH and enjoy it! - 09/18/06 11:14 AM
   So today opens the new season of Oprah. I am sooooo in need of a fresh Oprah "fix".
I recently was shopping for props for our prop library at IKEA here in Chicago and there was a woman that looked so much like Oprah... I had to ask. She just smiled and said that people always tell her she looks like Oprah.  
Like Oprah, generosity beamed thru her reply.
It was in mid August and I need a good Oprah fix... it did hold me over.
WHY do I watch Oprah... because she puts herself out there.
Is Oprah right all the time? NO, … (17 comments)

home staging: Staging should BLEND with the house and the target buyer - 09/10/06 01:51 AM
Debra Gould blogged on this topic yesterday and as I was posting my comments on her blog there was more I thought I could add.  
Debra said it perfectly whe she said staging should NOT "...look contrived and artificial, it needs to fit the mood of the house. You shouldn't be able to walk into a home and know who staged it because they always do the same "look". Nor should you walk into a home and know immediately that it was staged at all!"
In fact I advise Realtors not to tell the buyers that a property has been "staged" as … (12 comments)

home staging: God really knows how to be a kill joy! - 09/09/06 12:11 AM
(Alternate blog title: "Church Blocks view and ends sale.")
So all week long I have been "ranting and raving" about the high rise luxury condo we just had completed staging and how the priced was raised and how a person who had first scene it at the lower price was now considering it at the higher price after touring it 2 more times (for a total of three tours). Well this staging story does not have a happy ending. 
The buyer opted NOT to buy this beauty, out of fears that the new Episcopal Diocesan Office building which is scheduled to be built in … (3 comments)

home staging: Tips for Stagers: regarding Before & After Pictures - 09/07/06 12:27 AM
Photograph EVERY project. Pictures are SOOOO important... they tell our story in an instant.  THAT is why I have so many posted on my website.  You can write and write and write... but people will ALWAYS look at the pictures. 
AND I keep updating them too, because you have 2 clients... the seller and the realtor. A seller might only look at your site a few times when they are thinking of hiring you.  A realtor goes back and back and back just to keep "tabs" on you. If they always see new fresh images they know you are a … (11 comments)

home staging: This Staging Story keeps GETTING BETTER... offer is coming in. - 09/05/06 02:12 PM
I told all my fellow Rain Drops that I would keep you posted...
So today the listing agent called to tell me she had a 3rd showing to the same client of the property we JUST finished staging on Friday.
You may all recall that this is the property where the priced was RAISED $50,000 and I just blogged about it on Saturday. Asking Price RAISED $55k after Real Estaging
While I know the deal is not done yet... it sure seems to be moving in the right direction for sure.  I'll continue to keep you posted. But if this goes it will be a "staged … (4 comments)

home staging: You might need a kleenix for this Labor Day blog - 09/03/06 10:57 AM
So this past week has been a week from staging HELL. That is right... I used the whole word. I didn't pussy foot around and use symbols like %$##. I called it like it was.
So to RELAX I rented an AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING movie: "Akeelah and the Bee" At one point I just turned into a puddle as the most beautiful and inspiring quote was read. 
The more I read about "perfected marketing packaged personalities" I realize our laboring life at times can seem unbearable... but on this day remember it is what gives us purpose.
While these are not my words... they are … (16 comments)

home staging: Asking Price RAISED $55,000 after Real Estaging! - 09/02/06 04:47 AM
I know I keep ranting and raving about how staging can impact the asking price of real estate. So I am just THRILLED to share this story of a property we JUST finished staging yesterday morning (September 1). We fully staged the Foyer, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Hallway, Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom of this luxuary condo with VIEWS TO DIE FOR!
The realtor, who has used Real Estaging services before knew the quality of our work... when she recently got a listing she convinced the seller that if he had it us staged it  he could ask for more... $55,000 MORE! Our fees are well covered … (20 comments)

home staging: Curb Appeal Dilemma - 09/02/06 02:56 AM
Seller's know that curb appeal matters. Unfortunately, many seller's have limited budgets to spend when they are preparing their property for its sale.
So we at Real Estaging have come up with a novel solution for the seller who not only needs to repaint the exterior of their home, but also need some landscape. We call it PaintScaping.  Now sellers with small budgets can benefit from a fresh coat of paint AND a well manicured yard. Another advantage for seller's in northern states is that the home will be in full bloom EVEN IN THE DEAD OF WINTER.
PaintScaping... another QUALITY service of Real … (21 comments)

home staging: Staging is hard PHYSICAL WORK! - 08/14/06 10:11 PM
I don't think people realize just what it takes to stage a property.  Let me PERSONALLY tell you it is NOT for the meek and mild. 
My associates and I  have been on the RUN trying to get various properties unstaged and then new properties staged!
To do this right, you need to be a bit of Mack the Mover, Hazel the Cleaning Lady, Dolly the Decorator... all wrapped in one. Then on top of it all... you have to do it like Speedy Gonzoles. (So why am I so fat? LOL)
Anyway, we just created a new position, one person just to handle coordinating … (14 comments)

home staging: AUTHENTIC & UNIVERSAL Credentialing for Stagers - 08/13/06 04:40 AM
THIS is why I love ActiveRain.... actually JoAnn Guida came up with the perfect parallel to help explain my concerns and wishes for AUTHENTIC and UNIVERSAL credentialing of stagers.   (Now why didn't I think of this? LOL) 
Anyway, JoAnn made the GOOD POINT that ... "Once upon a time Interior Designers weren`t licensed either today they have to be a member of the ASID." She went on to ask,  "Do you believe the same will hold true for staging?I believe this is exactly where this is heading."
So actually ASID is an impartial society that requires members meet a few acceptance standards: … (6 comments)

 
These are the creative writings of Craig Schiller, a home staging professional, passionate real estate marketing professional and founder of the Real Estaging, one of the nation's leading home staging companies.


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog