staging: 100,000 DING DONG's, Stage It Forward Calling... with a Member Button for YOU! - 06/04/07 07:35 AM
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 … (55 comments)

staging: ENTER THE RAIN... from a New, Beautiful & Different Perspective - 04/05/07 02:37 PM
Every Realtor knows that first impressions matter. So can I be honest here? (And this has bugged me about Active Rain from the start.) Active Rain's front door is UGLY.
Yup UGLY! Yes, Yes I know it is fully "functional" door... but let's face it... its ugly. It has NO SNAP, NO WOW! NO... DANG I gotta go in and take a TOUR of this site.
And as all my staging colleagues (and Realtors too) know... first impressions matter... so it better be good!
Sooooo...  I did a little cyber Staging, and made a new fully functional doorway into Active Rain for my … (63 comments)

staging: Recycling a Full Circle Moment - 03/16/07 03:31 AM
Last November I took a business trip to China. I went there because the professional designer "me" was needed, however to my surprise the personal "me" was profoundly impacted.
While I was in China, I visited both Hong Kong and a city called Shenzhen (45 minutes from Hong Kong via water taxi)  on the mainland. During this trip it became quite apparent that Hong Kong was all about consuming, and Shenzhen was all about manufacturing.
Shimmering and sparkling, yet cluttered in EVERY nook and cranny of the streets of Hong Kong, were shops, stores and boutiques selling every conceivable thing we stuff into our lives.
In contrast … (62 comments)

staging: I Confess... I've used the UGLY "R" WORD on the streets of metro Chicago - 03/16/07 12:07 AM
I happen to know among clients, home selling professionals, developers and stagers that there is controversy swirling around this very hot topic.  It seems like everyone is chiming in on one side or the other, having a very strong and opinion on the subject. However, some of these negative opinions I feel are quite prejudiced. I feel all these people are misinformed and it is their ignorance that propels the myth and controversy that surrounds the "R" word.
Quite recently, we lost a client because we decided to start using the ugly "R" word. THIS got my blood boiling. NOW I am on a crusade to... Stamp out the … (33 comments)

staging: Town-home sits UNSOLD for 7 months... THEN SELLS JUST 2 DAYS AFTER STAGING - 03/09/07 01:22 AM
Here in Chicago, the Bucktown area has risen up to be a beautiful renaissance neighborhood. Just about 10 years ago it wasn't much to look at. However due to its close proximity to to downtown, builders came in tore out or rehabbed much of the old and built new. NOW Bucktown is one of Chicago's trendiest and vibrant neighborhoods.
Because builders saw such opportunity and possibility... more and more came and built and built (and are still building actually) so the levels of inventory rose and rose and continues to rise. Unfortunately that creates a challenge. How does a seller, who originally bought new construction a few years back, differentiate their home … (23 comments)

staging: Active Rain created One Stage for an entirely new industry - 03/07/07 04:41 PM
                                                                                                                                                       The guys that created Active Rain might not realize it (and I KNOW they definitely did not intend it) but they have created something wonderful.
They have created a stage so that the voices of an entire industry, only in its infancy and struggling to be heard, could be heard. That industry is the Home Staging Industry. And today is going to be a VERY special day for all home stagers that utilize Active Rain as a resource for fresh and helpful industry information. We stagers here on Active Rain are welcoming our 500th stager... and THAT is a HUGE milestone for home staging! And … (32 comments)

staging: THINK CRUSTY THOUGHTS... When Taking Listing Photos - 03/06/07 01:38 AM

Realtors you'll notice that while I am a home stager, a number of my blog postings have to do with taking better photos of listings.  This is because I KNOW that what a home buyers SEES influences their desire to purchase... or NOT. But what a buyer SEES often starts BEFORE they drive up to your listing or walk through its front door.
With each passing day the Internet becomes more and more of a resource for buyers to PRESCREEN your listings by looking at the photos YOU have provided. So with digital photography being so easy and inexpensive... Realtors you have the responsibility to feature PERFECT images … (55 comments)

staging: REALTORS... Selling a home is as easy as riding a Tricycle - 03/04/07 07:24 AM

When a home seller puts their home up for sale, they are much like kids about to go on a tricycle ride. But for this selling ride there are 4 basic elements impacting how smoothly the ride will go: Market, Location, Condition, and Price.
The Market is the sidewalk that the seller's tricycle maneuvers on. Sometimes the market is bumpy, sometimes smooth. Regardless, what the markets surface conditions are, the seller must just roll along for there is little they can do to impact the market path.
However, to get the tricycle ready for its travels, the seller must consider the 3 wheels … (55 comments)

staging: Home Stagers... Your Website is the Display Window of Your Talent & Skills - 03/03/07 08:35 AM
Knowing that the home staging industry is in the business of creating great first impressions, I often search the Internet looking at the websites of home stagers to see what kind of first impression they are or are NOT creating for the consuming public.
I first started checking out home staging websites 3 1/2 years ago when I was opening my own home staging business and researching our industry. At that time, 2 home staging company's websites caught my eye and left me with an great impression of who they are and what the do. Those 2 staging companies were: Dekora in Vancouver and Nest Home Designin San … (19 comments)

staging: Staged it Wright in Oak Park / River Forest IL - 03/02/07 01:23 AM
When it comes to Architecture, the Oak Park / River Forest area of Illinois is one of the most historically significant areas in the world!  For it is here that Frank Lloyd Wright had his first "studio" and created the now famous and easily recognizable form of architecture known as the Prairie Style.
Dotted among the large stately mansions and tree lined streets of this area are Architectural masterpieces, created by Frank Lloyd Wright.  And due to this areas close proximity to Chicago, builders have found it profitable to tear down less desirable older homes and replace them with new homes featuring all the … (15 comments)

staging: Classic Georgian beautifully staged in Winnetka Illinois - 02/28/07 11:11 AM
Since the start of Active Rain I know I have been a bit of a yapper. But lately I have been very quiet... but for good reason. WE HAVE BEEN BUSY!
I thought you all might like to see some of what our crew here at Real Estaging has been working on that has kept us ALL so busy.
Below is a FOLLOW UP staging project for a "boutique" builder I first blogged about in my UPSTAGING blog last summer. The first house we staged for the builder had been on the market for nearly 10 months when we staged it. But once … (26 comments)

staging: Set Your Sites Low... to Raise Your Standards - 01/15/07 04:49 AM

The brilliance of Active Rain and Localism is that they can work together to everyone's benefit. As Active Rain provides a forum to share ideas and information amongst peers, Localism provides a place to apply this knowledge and better reach clients... immediately. Here is an example to make my point...
As a home stager I believe what a home buyer sees, regardless of where, when or how they see it, matters greatly. (I believe in the importance of this so much that I am ongoingly investing in and building an entire company devoted exclusively to improve what buyers see and visually exprience.)
So to keep … (42 comments)

staging: For Crying Out Loud... it's CHRISTMAS! - 12/22/06 01:32 AM

 
 
Well I thought this picture really captured the essence of the last few post I created. 
In light of my recent post on Tears, and then all the boo-hooing and belly aching I was doing this past week... this seemed the perfect transition into Christmas.
Oh and NO... they are NOT my children! In case you are wondering! (They actually are the children of one of my associate's friends here at Real Estaging.)
Happy Holidays to all!
Cry it forward...
Me
PS: Check out Santa's expression!
 
 
(34 comments)

staging: Joy to the Rain - 12/16/06 05:35 PM
  
To all my friends in the rain...
I would just like to take a moment to wish you the very best and hope you have a joyous time with family and friends during the Holiday Season.
It truly has been a gift to meet, learn and share with you here in the rain.
Stage it forward...
Me
PS: This is my cyber gift to my cyber friends. Take it use it, post it, print it. Do what ever you like, where ever you like. And if you want a different format or a less blurry version of this wreath... just let me know.
(68 comments)

staging: I can’t hold it any longer… this old Blog-Dog is gonna hit his 100th Post. - 12/08/06 01:25 AM

Well I am about to a hit a personal milestone here in the rain. My next post will be #100!
And while that may not seem like a lot for some bloggers here in the rain... it is for me. You see prior to joining Active Rain I barely knew what a blog was... let alone write one. (Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?)
Anyway, now that I have been a part of all this am I am grateful for all I have learned AND the fun I have had. Yes... FUN! Fun has been for me part of my personal Return-On-Investment … (33 comments)

staging: TRIX FIX 12 PIX - 12/01/06 12:22 PM
For both the realtor and a stager... GOOD photography of the property for sale is a necessity. For the realtor, the photos you take of your listing show the product you are trying to sell. For the stager the photos of your work capture and chronicle your staging skills.
Therefore it is to BOTH the realtors and stager's advantages to take and display the ABSOLUTE BEST PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES you can... especially NOW that more and more people use the internet as a means to determine evaluate a home or the abilities of a stager.
With that in mind... last night I went on line and looked at … (38 comments)

staging: Welcome Stagers! I have a "pumped up" idea... - 11/28/06 09:21 AM

FIRST!!! WOW....  You gotta love them AR guys. Those "drips" know how to "drop" in nice features.
To prime our new STAGE IT FORWARD GROUP pump... please go back to your blog postings about staging and re-assign its group under the new Stage It Forward catigory.  That way, your best and most informative blogs will appear in here/there in our group.
AND!!! When new stagers join AR... they can see and read all that we have written and discussed... even before this group formally existed.
Finally, that little arrow logo in our group is temporary... until we come up with something MUCH better. ANY IDEAS?
 
RE-GROUPING INSTRUCTIONS: To RE-Group a previsous … (9 comments)

staging: DID OPRAH'S SHOW HELP HOME SELLERS....or was the message mixed and confusing? - 11/25/06 10:27 AM
It's no secret how much I admire and am inspired by Oprah. So when I finally watched last week's show on preparing a home for its sale I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. 
While I applaud the shows desire to help home sellers who currently find themselves emotionally and financially burdened with a house that just won't sell... after watching it I felt the show sent a confusing and incomplete message to home seller's about what it takes to ready a house for its sale in a TOUGH buyer's market. The show chronicled the efforts of Oprah's design guru Nate Berkus … (37 comments)

staging: Working with Seniors... requires some flexibility! - 11/19/06 10:49 PM
Well I finally had my opportunity to talk about real estate staging to the group of seniors selling their homes. The auditorium was PACKED with an overflow crowd... to a point that there were those that needed to be turned away. To be honest I did NOT expect so many.
Upset and anxiety filled the room. You could feel that the folks attending were searching for help and answers. ANY answers on how to sell their homes. Boy was I glad I prapared my "staging" case.
The idea of staging a houses for its sale is still for most people a new concept. And... it has been my expirience that the SENIOR market is … (48 comments)

staging: The CRAPPY part of a staging business is JUMBO sized CHALLENGES! - 11/18/06 10:29 AM
So you are or want to be a real estate stager? Well, it is a fun and rewarding business... but I would be lying if I said it was not with out it JUMBO challenges.
Since I have been blogging about staging I have "connected" with stagers from all over the United States AND Canada! I have spoken with amazing, fun, talented, creative people who love and are committed to their professions.
These conversations have been INSIPIRING and SAD. SAD? Yup... SAD! WHY SAD?
Because, while these folks are good at providing the on-property staging services... and now, after being out in the … (39 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.


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