The idea behind Staging is simple. Merchandise the property so it appeals to the most amount of people using what you already have. A great Stager can recycle an old lamp or sofa and make it look spectacular, just by changing its surrounding or adding just a few finishing touches to give it a whole new look.
I decided to use those same principles for my IDEAS for Holiday Staging. Instead of having you buy exotic things and grabbing the old chainsaw - don't worry, I won’t be pulling a Martha Stewart on you, I am going to suggest a few things you can do using what you already have to have a beautiful tablescape that doesn’t take too much effort.
Bring out all your neglected vases. Fill them up and put them at different heights. I love having lots of vases, they are very inexpensive and very versatile.
Fill them with ornaments, candles, and even food. I love fresh cranberries - they are cheap and have a beautiful red color. To me, they evoke the mood of the holidays. Cut some holly from your or your neighbor’s yard (I’d ask first). Water filled with floating magnolia’s are stunning. You get the idea, sky’s the limit.
For uniformity, I like using same shaped vases in sets of 3. You can find these inexpensive ones anywhere from local craft shops to Walmart. I like having these handy and like having them in different sizes for many uses. I put a vase on a cake stand, and a candle holder to give them all different heights. Adding live greenery adds to any window, door frame, or table setting, and it will look stunning.
My latest fave and findings are the little battery operated light garlands. You can find them in craft shops but I’d get them early as these are not a well-stocked item. You can add them in the vase as I’ve done with netting to soften the glow. You can tuck them in between garlands, or put them under tuille for your centerpiece, they give you so much flexibility in what you want to do because it doesn’t require a plug.
When entertaining a large party, reuse the vases, only this time to give your dishes some height and dimensions. Turn it upside down, cut some under-rug mats (you know the rubbery thing that goes under your area rugs?) between the vase and the dish so you don't have to worry about things slipping and sliding. You can really add drama by adding the battery operated garland lighting inside as well. Have fun and get creative.
Isn’t that beautifully staged? It doesn’t matter whether you are Staging to Sell, Staging to Live (redesign), Staging for the Holidays, it’s all around you. Life’s a Stage...Stage it Right! Have a wonderful holiday!
Marcyne Touchton is the Founder & Principal Stager for Domaine Staging. She is one of only 140 Accredited Staging Professional Masters (ASPM®) in North America. Marcyne is known as an avid proponent of aggressive marketing, which is evident in her success - 75% of her Stagings result in home sales in 15 days or less.
As a home staging expert, Marcyne is a featured speaker before many business and industry organizations, real estate offices, and community groups. Check out the resources & tips on their website at www.domainestaging.com.
The Real Skinny of Virtual Home Staging In today’s housing market, new ways of selling homes are popping up everywhere: open house parties, give-aways, auctions, and in recent weeks there have been some online articles discussing what’s being referred to as “Virtual Staging”. Virtual Staging is a service where photos of a home are digitally manipulated to show various improvements—walls painted, furniture added, even stains on carpet removed! While the technology is interesting the service has Home Stagers concerned.
“I believe that is risky business and this is a real challenge in possible misrepresentation at best,” says Barb Schwarz, inventor of the Home Staging Concept.
87% of buyers go to the internet first to find a home, and many decisions are made based on the pictures posted. Is it fair that these pictures do not truly represent what the home looks like? Home Staging has become a popular and proven effective way to sell a home. Statistics show that 94.8% of ASP Staged Homes sell on average in 37 days or less and this is true in every price range.†The same cannot be said for Virtual Staging.
“One of my concerns with Virtual Staging is the fact that if the manipulated images are shown to home buyers they’ll be sorely disappointed if and when they visit the home. While the enhanced images are apparently done in hopes that they would help entice buyers to visit, the buyers will then find a home they will not recognize from the images they saw if they actually do go to the house and probably then they will just walk away. This is exactly what will happen if indeed the house has not been actually Staged for real. This is why I invented Home Staging in the first place to set the scene in the actual house,” Says Barb Schwarz. “The scenario of Virtual Staging certainly doesn’t benefit the seller or the buyer nor does it help the REALTORÆ working to sell the home.†REALTORSÆ might even be in violation of our Code of Ethics if they in fact use altered images, without the physical changes being made in homes they represent, in their marketing materials.† I certainly want to caution REALTORSÆ from using what is being called Virtual Staging, and advise them that what needs to be done is true Home Staging IN the house, not have pictures altered which can mislead the buyer and be ineffective for the sellers.”
CHARLOTTE, NC - We have all heard that home staging works. And sure, for the starter home it makes sense to have the owner take care of the minor repairs they have been meaning to do, spruce up the entryway with a seasonal wreath and declutter…even consult with a Home Stager, so that they don’t have to take a price reduction. But what about for that million dollar home? Will Professional Home Staging work when a house is already beautiful and well cared for?
In today’s economy, things are slowly picking up—and Charlotte is seeing home sales increasing in all price ranges. The home sales for the under $200k price sells in 103 days compared to those in the higher brackets. The average time a million dollar home sits on the market is roughly 6 months to 1 year!
According to the national statistics by Stagedhomes.com, a non-staged home sits on average for 182 days vs. 37 days of an ASP® Staged home. That is 80% less days on the market. Recently, a lakefront home in Sherrils Ford, which was professionally staged by a Charlotte, NC company beat all the odds and statistics and sold in just 7 days after listing, BEFORE their first open house. The open house was scheduled for August 13th, For Sale by Owner, and it sold a week before the event.
“You could tell the custom home was beautifully built with extra detailing, but because of all their furnishings and belongings, you couldn’t really see the detailing,” said Marcyne Touchton, ASPM®, Charlotte Home Staging Expert™ and Principal of Domaine Staging™.
There is a huge amount of inventory of homes for sale in the market and you need to stand apart from the competition. An estimated, 90% of people look online to preview homes for sale and if it doesn’t look attractive, it is not going to make it on their “must see” list. For homes in the higher price ranges, because you have a smaller pool of prospective buyers, it is harder to get an offer. The first impressions really count and must be powerful. Even though the house may have more lavish amenities, and much to offer, buyers can be distracted by the owner’s decorating sense, collections or volume of furnishings.
A professional Home Stager will come into the house, and assist the owners in staging the home so that it appeals to a broad base of potential buyers. This could include storing some belongings, re-arranging furniture in a room to show the best traffic flow, or replacing some artwork and décor pieces. A Home Stager can find just that right balance to show style, but leave room for a buyer’s individual vision and imagination to take hold—and get the most from those offers!
Although the misconception is that Staging is expensive, it really is “less than your first price reduction.” according to Barb Schwarz, the Creator of Home Staging®. For most homeowners, their home is their biggest investment. For a million dollar price tag, when the near-inevitable price reduction occurs of 5% (today’s average), that is $50,000 off the price-tag! Not to mention if the owners had to move out, the loss in having to pay the mortgage on the house PLUS the rent in their new home is costly. If priced right, and Staged, that is a huge savings. Cost varies by independent companies, but the ASP Staging national average for a 2,500 square ft home is anywhere from $2,400-$4,000.
Staging works, even in this economy, and even in the million dollar price range.
I am so honored to have been chosen by Barb Schwarz, the creator of home staging and President of Stagedhomes.com. I will serve the members of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals and work directly with Barb, the IAHSP Chairwomen and CEO, to continue to set quality standards for the Home Staging industry and to serve the public.
If anyone is in the home staging industry and would like to know how to go about joining this dynamic, wonderful group of professionals, please feel free to contact me anytime.
For me, this has been a wonderful professional association that I hold dear, as I have had the privilege of learning and growing with other talented, top notch, professional group of men (yes and they are growing in numbers in our group) and women who are in the spirit of sharing and giving.
Must ask questions to find out whose for "real" and not for "real"...
This is my list of top 10 questions to ask a home staging professional.
•1) How do you work? (there is no right or wrong, just listen to how they answer the question and that will give you an idea of their knowledge and experience)
•2) Is there a charge for bids? (before the gas price hike, charges for bids were unheard of, although I do see a lot more charging...)
•3) How long have you been in business? Don't let the one or two years scare you...this is a relatively NEW industry. Actually, it is 30 years old with Barb Schwarz who paved the road for us with this incredible industry, but the oldest ASP (accredited staging professional ) has been in business "only" 5 years. Home Staging took off in California & Washington, and only really swept into the East Coast in the last couple years riding the popularity of HGTV, and now with shows like The Stagers (I hate the way they portray stagers) it is officially "here."
•4) Can we see your portfolio of before and afters? Ask if they are pictures that they have staged or if they are pictures downloaded from someone/somewhere else.
•5) What is the aggregate value of properties successfully staged? An increasingly common statistic. A newer stager may well do great work, but it can be reassuring to know that a prospective stager has experience with say helping to move over 10 million in value. (If they specialize in larger multi-million properties, obviously more than this!)
•6) What are your statistics? What are the average days on market after staging the property before it sells? (Professionals should be able to recite them to you in their sleep, they keep numbers and safeguard their statistics)
•7) What accreditation or certification do you have? Beware of people saying they are certified - it really is not regulated and you should check online to see what kind of training it is. Some are fly-by night, 2 hour tutorial online and voila, you are now "certified." You can check out Accredited Staging Professionals by checking online, www.stagedhomes.com, and click under "find an asp." Individual skills vary but this can help protect you against unscrupulous persons.
•8) Would you give me at least 3 clients or realtors who have used you and their phone number as references?
•9) How much does it costs? (trick question, a professional never quotes their rates over the phone as it is impossible to do so...just as it would be hard for you to give a homeowner a LIST PRICE of their home over the phone just based on neighborhood, square footage and their description of their home.)
•10) What is your specialty as far as staging goes? (It could be that they do more consultations than home stagings, some do only occupied home stagings, and others have a whole warehouse full of furniture who only opt to do vacant home stagings.)
I hope this helps as a guideline when you are interview home stagers in your local area. I'd appreciate any feedback you have as to whether or not this has helped you. I suggest you interview and find 2 or 3 home stagers you feet comfortable with, and put a star by the one you are going to use as your "primary" stager. There comes a time, when stagers may not be able to fit you into their schedule, especially as a lot of the calls I receive are "last minute, needed it yesterday" stagings.
Marcyne Touchton, ASP, ASPM, IAHSP, is the founder and principal stager for Domaine Staging LLC. Domaine Staging is a world class home staging service provider. She is located in Charlotte, NC, and has expanded her services to the DC metro area.
To date, Domaine has assisted 60+ Charlotte and Washington, DC area home sellers and agents, with over $20 m worth of property. 75% of all Domaine's properties have sold in 23 days or less.
Things were going too well apparently and time for a come down. I got a call the other day from an investor ‘Are you sitting down?'...A lightening strike had hit one of my staged properties and burned the top floor and much of the lower floor. The smoke and water damage (storm water and from firemen) made it a complete mess.
Our insurance company, Travelers, has been great so far but needs receipts for everything. HELLO?? I don't even have time to grab a quick mug of Joe sometimes, ..."YOU NEED WHAT?" Makes sense but as a stager, do you have every single furniture and accessory catalogued at each particular site? Sure we know the big pieces, and some accessories but not every single item. And receipts? Ugh.
Question for bloggers-
What is your method for organizing receipts?
We use a chronological order but are now looking to sort by type of furniture...I can think of some ways if receipt was stored electrnoically you could keep a ‘date purchased', ‘type of furniture' with a picture and be able to sort. I'm thinking though insurance won't settle for that and would want original copies..
Help- what do folks do? Has anyone else had this problem and how do folks go about recording every piece of accessories at every stagings?
Lesson learned:
I am so glad I have great insurance and have really researched and done my homework in terms of what I needed and the types of coverage. Make sure you let them know about your specific industry related concerns and issues so they can tailor your insurance.
Keep your receipts and take photos not just for mls but photos to document every piece of item. I took nice shots for MLS (or had my professional photographer take them) but it is a staged photo and serves a different purpose. Now I go to each room, taking photos to document everything on every shelf, wall, dresser, etc.
I am looking into different inventory systems. I am waiting for one to be finished-they announced at the IAHSP Convention this year that they would be coming out w/an inventory tracking system later this fall. Can't wait to see what it can do. Hopefully this inventory system will have a ‘in use at address x,y,z)If we don't find a good one soon, we'll create our own. That said, even with one, I don't see how you can barcode the myriad smaller accessories which represent a sizable investment when taken together.
Earlier this year we bought a 22' box truck - a 2006 Ford LCF (low-cab front) with 47k miles...it looked/looks beautiful and has come in handy...but here is what went wrong...
I've heard of some folks getting a sweet deal sharing a truck, or being able to rent from where they lease space for as little as $20 a day, but we didn't have such options and so went with rental. Didn't think uhaul looked too professional so went with the white trucks of Enterprise. Although advertised rates are low low low, after adding the myriad taxes, fees, required insurance etc etc ends up closer to around $200 a day. If you're fairly busy and committed to the business, it's a no brainer financially to buy a truck..although yes it's a commitment.
The math for doing it wasn't hard to do...factor in monthly payment and allocate say 200 a month to save up for repairs..normal oil changes vs cost of renting a truck and it should represent a savings with just a few jobs a month.
Got the idea in the first place after driving by a Uhaul and seeing they sold trucks for say $5,000 for a 26 footer, less for a 17footer and claimed in great shape looking at an onscreen status on the truck. I later found that the descriptions are the same for virtually all the trucks. Many folks said ‘never' go with those as they take a lot of abuse and recommended Penske trucks which as a fleet rental get regular maintenance and reportedly much better care with less wear & tear.
Looked all over the web, even e-bay, and found a number of possibilities for used trucks.
It appeared you could get a 17' for less than 10k, but once you got to the 20+ footer, the size of the truck itself jumped up as did the cost (but also the rated longevity.) Gas vs diesel...so many factors. Could go on and on. Realized to be careful w/trucks in New Orleans (flood damaged and ‘reconditioned'), trucks up north and cold climates tend to have more body damage from rust, etc etc
I didn't want to drop $7,500-10,000 on a truck with a lot of miles feeling if it dropped dead I was out all that money. I also knew we were going to invest in a nice ‘wrap' with design and logo and seemed crazy to spend a large percentage of the truck cost on the design when truck wouldn't last.
There wasn't a lot of in-between...most trucks were really old or had a ton of miles...or new...but not a lot of in-between. The reason is mainly companies use them until the maintenance costs rise to the point where it makes sense for them to buy new. Smaller diesel trucks will last to 300k, larger (say 26ft+) closer to 500k. (the ratings are even higher)
So we ended up with a 2 year old truck with relatively low miles - 47k. It cost a pretty penny, but still far less than new. The beauty of it, we felt, was in buying from a "reputable" dealer, and given its relative newness, we'd get the balance of full 3 year unlimited mile warranty and overall have much better luck with lower maintenance. I'd wanted to bring in a mechanic and sales guy was ‘sure, but its almost new..we checked it out, we're a Ford dealer, serviced it, and if ANYTHING goes wrong you still have 6 mos left on the full factory warranty.' They advertise on the web their trucks as having unlimited mile 3 year warranties. Basically they just lie about what it actually covers. I'd blame it on salesguy but given the advertisements, it's a gimmick the dealer users.
When we sat down to do contract, he wrote the year of the truck..saying warranty was from time it went in service. The contract says "as is" and he said yes, from us ‘as-is, but that's because the warranty is from the factory.
2 weeks later the truck dies. Turns out both batteries dead and the alternator gone - in the middle of a staging project!!!! We get it towed to local dealer and find out "no, you're not under warranty anymore - it expires after 2 years or 36k miles, whichever is first." I call back the salesman who says "there are so many warranties I may have made a mistake." Now this is from a Ford salesman of 10 years it turns out - kind of hard to plead ignorance. Later, when his boss got involved he denied saying anything. When I reminded him of when I wanted to bring mechanic how ‘no need, anything covered' and what he said he says "well its not like you wouldn't have bought the truck if there wasn't the warranty". No I don't have on tape..wish I did. Now he won't pick up the phone.
The bosses at this place told me I was SOL, that they wouldn't help with the repairs or honor the ‘full warranty'. I filed with Better Business Bureau..but that doesn't help. The dealer responded to with a 1 liner letter ‘truck was sold ‘as is' and has balance of 3 year warranty'. Turns out there is a 3 year warranty, but that is only on the truck is for the drive train only. Extremely rude - the owner said ‘I"ve known Mike for 10 years...he'd never lie like that". Mike was the kindly old salesperson. A week later, tail light burns out (dealer wanted $129 for replacement tail light but I found for $13 at NAPA), radio dies, and cigarette lighter doesn't supply power. (we use that for GPS system.) I have to run all over town to get it checked out and we find a bunch of ill-conceive wiring and a tracking device hidden in the dash. A leak in door that rusted out the speakers. The mechanic said it could have caused the original problem with the failed batteries. So now we're out a couple hundred more.
So, I guess two learnings-
1)Stay away from any dealership who tells you things too good to be true. Ours was top of the notch slimey, because we've been warned about the types of them, but you would never have guessed it from our salesman, as he was an older gentleman who played w/my daughter while we were checking everything out. We even have a picture w/him in it b/c I was sooo excited about having my first and very own boxtruck. It doesn't matter if they are a large "reputable" company as Griffin Ford-Mecury & Griffin Trucks out of Loisberg, NC, was.
2)Ask for a copy of this warranty, (even if they swore on a bible) get it in writing. I'd go so far as to call whatever 800# and ask ‘if x breaks..would that be covered',if y breaks is it covered...
I was thinking that if things slow down, I can take them to court - probably won't win but maybe it'd be worth it just make the old sales guy sweat and have to lie under oath (then again, maybe he wouldn't have a problem with that - I wouldn't be surprised), but I do believe in Karma and I don't like to be in company of negative energy.
I don't know about you but staging occupied properties are too far and few between. Mostly my stagings are vacants, but every now and then, I have the sheer delight in transforming a space and being at the mercy of the homeowner's furnishings.
I had so much fun - this was great as it challenged me and made me use more than the typical creativity of doing a vacant staging.
The walls were painted and the carpeting (I'm not sure if you can tell, the original was a rose color) was changed as well.
The Family Room Before - rose colored rug After - new paint and carpet
The Dining Room Before - used as a gym After - reappointed back to a formal DR
People have been so inundated with the buzz words - home staging. People really don't know what it entails of, but they do know it benefits in selling homes, usually faster and for more money.
It is disturbing to me how people are so blase about it. Many people want to "wait" to see how they do in this marketplace, then are shocked that they haven't had traffic or it hasn't sold in 3...6..9 months. It is based on the premise of perception matters! Anyone who ever had an interview knows just how important the freshly ironed slacks, or the "interview suit" that was purchased just for that purpose knows ...YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION. The rumpled shirt can mean the cost of their livelihood to someone ELSE who may not be as qualified, but the hiree did look the part.
So it is shocking that when it comes to the bottom line and investment (typically, homes are people's MAJOR investment) that people dismiss Home Staging as a new phenomenon, that it is only is available to the wealthy or people take risks when they can just sit and wait to see if their property sells. Of course, they think their home is beautiful. What they don't know is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When they live in their homes, they become desensitized to their surroundings. That is why we (stagers) are in the REAL ESTATE industry and not the decorating industry. We depersonalize a space, whereas a decorator/designer personalizes a space. The major point is, especially in today's market, that it is IMPERATIVE to stage a home to sell it, that is IF they want a short waiting period to sell their home and IF they want to get the most money for their home.
In the nation, we have a crisis. The economy with the sub-prime mess have us upside down. The Government is asking lenders to forgive and help homeowners get back on their feet so they don't lose their house. I've had my training from Stagedhomes.com, the only Nationally Recognized training program by the National Assocation of Realtors, and as Barb, the creator and founder of staging always said, ""We can improve the lives of others through our magic of Home Staging." When I heard about the "forgiveness campaign" (forgive me, it isn't officially called that but it's what I'm calling it), I thought, what they need to do is Stage the home, so the homeowners can sell and move on with their lives. Even banks who are carrying millions of debts can benefit. A lightbulb moment for me, when I thought, "Aha," "Home Staging saves the world campaign." Our national economy is very weak and it does affect the world, so that may be stretching it, but it sounds good and I'm sticking to it.
I believe we need to rally and make our voices heard with a renewed joint effort in making this work, and with the support and nudging from the Government, the banks, the realtors, the homeowners, this may work.
I know the Stagers, on HGTV and Designed to Sell have hit mainstream, but TLC, is offering a new genre, focusing on homeowners who have hit a rough patch called "Hope for Your home."
Barb Schwarz is the pioneer of home staging; the creator and founder of Stagedhomes.com. The Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) and the Masters (ASPM) designation is the only recognized designation by the National Association of Realtors. Barb has personally trained over 16,000 Realtors and home staging professionals through her company StagedHomes.com
Marcyne Touchton has been nominated for the Barb Schwarz Staging Excellence Award. This is the highest honor and accolade award given in this industry. Marcyne Touchton, ASP, ASPM, IAHSP, CIRC (Charlotte IASHP Regional Chapter), is the Owner and Principal Stager for Domaine Staging. She is committed to her industry and keeping current with her designation. She has dedicated over 100 hours every year.
"In our local Charlotte real estate market, ASP home staging is proving that regardless of the market downturn, properties are selling quickly. Even with the slower declining market in the DC area, in which Domaine has recently expanded their services, the homes are selling at record speed. A $700k property in Suburban MD sold their home in 3 days! The realtors and homeowner were shocked. ASP/ASPM home staging is the market differenitator. It is such an honor to be nominated for this award" Touchton says.
Marcyne Touchton, Charlotte NC has a background in Sales, Marketing, and Merchandising. To date, Touchton has helped sell millions of dollars in local Real Estate through the assistance of home staging. Her latest statistics are 75% of stagings have sold in 15 days or less.
The winner of the Barb Schwarz Staging Excellence Award will be announced at the International Association of Home Staging Professionals Convention being held in Seattle Washington July 16-19th 2008.
For more information on Marcyne Touchton and Domaine Staging, please call 704-905-6343 or check out her website at www.domainestaging.com.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
;)
;)
