Marcyne's Blog

Real Skinny of Virtual Home Staging

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:13:08 -0500

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.”

Does Staging work in a million dollar property?

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:08:08 -0500

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.

My first FLICKR Before and After photos - occupied and no painting allowed

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:48:11 -0500

I usually post a few before and afters but find it very time consuming. I just found the world of FLICKR, I know, I am definitely behind the times. Actually, I've heard of it, but never had the chance to investigate it and was using different programs to do the befores and afters.

Here it is, my first link to it ever, and the easiest post of pictures. Hope ya'll enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36109153@N07/sets/72157614924510886/

Click on it and on the upper right hand corner, click on SLIDESHOW.

Sold in 27 days in December

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:21:57 -0600

This is a property I Staged for a builder. The family room was of concern as it was very narrow and long - people couldn't imagine it having enough room for a sofa. Also the one long rectangular room had no formal eating area, see the yellow lonely hanging light pendant? That is where the eating room is supposed to be, off to one side.

I brought a silver cafe bistro set, brought in properly scaled furniture and here are the befores and afters.

I must admit, I am pretty good spatially and can scale jsut about anything but at first, I brought in a set of furniture that was a little too big. I came back with new pieces, re-laid out the room and voila, SOLD 27 days later - in this marketplace.

Before- living area too small and non-existent eating area

After - properly scaled furniture allows people to see just how much furniture can be placed within a room

The once problemed area, is now a cozy cheerful place where people can envision hanging out, entertaining, and having a mug of Joe while looking out to the big backyard.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New appointment as Director of Communications/Public Relations

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:04:30 -0500

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.

I LOVE this business!

FREE REPORT - TOP 10 Q's to ASK A STAGER

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:03:27 -0500

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.

When fire or other disaster strikes on your Staged Home! Don't get burnt!

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:38:44 -0500

When lighting strikes....

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.

Misfortunes buying a truck - READ IF YOU ARE IN THE MARKET OR THINKING ABOUT IT

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:16:19 -0500

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.

Hooray - an occupied staging...before and afters

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:04:42 -0500

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

Bathroom before - bathroom suite after

The wonder of paint and upscale bedding...

Home Staging saves the world Campaign

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:57:05 -0500

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.

Home staging is about perception, in that IT really matters that the house be in pristine shape and looks great. When Staging helps sell a home, that has a trickle effect: the homeowners about to foreclose, can now save their credit and dignity; the banks are sparred from having to foreclose on a house; and if EVERYONE participates in the Home Staging Saves the World Campaign©, it can save our economy, locally and globally! We should start a campaign to ask government for a tax deductible allowance for homeowners or investors, AND especially BANKS, who stages a home so we can flip the economy rightside up. They should help finance staging... trust me, I'm not about government spending, but when we can impact our economy as a whole, I'm all for it. "The investment of staging in your home is less than the price reduction of your home," says Barb Schwarz. It could save the nation, England (as their economy is always affected by our economy-still wondering how), and the rest of the world as our global spending has curtailed, therefore; the world you know. Who's in? Anyone?? Do you think we could start a petition...am I crazy?

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."

The word is out there. Who else is listening?

Nominated for the Masters Excellence Award

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:23:33 -0500

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.

7 days for FULL ASKING PRICE in this "tough market"

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:24:31 -0500

I was a little worried about taking on this project, when I was asked to stage this home. It was really poor timing. The house was on the market for a year - A YEAR! She took it off the market, and decided to do something "drastic". Unfortunately, it was right after the downturn of the market, and I heard horrible stats, nationally and even locally, although Charlotte is one of the steadiest real estate markets. I was worried if I could really deliver (not to mention, I wanted to keep my track record right where they were).

I heard how the market was tough, even with staging, it "might help" but it was not a guarantee whether or not it would sell a home. I don't know any stagers, or anyone in the real estate industry, for that matter, who can guarantee a quick sale, and if you do come across anyone, I'd be very wary. But I know statistically, staging always helps sell a home - 50% faster. So I staged, and waited....7 days later, it sold for FULL asking price. I was so esctatic - even though I know all the statistics and have witnessed countless times how staging really works, I even had doubts.

Can I guarantee that staging always sells a home fast? No, but I can guarantee you that staging always sells a home faster than NOT staging! Especially in today's market with an overflow of inventory, we need to have an edge over the competition. Staging will get your house noticed. Staging will get your house sold! I believe it is imperative to stage, especially in this "tough market." It is only a tough market to those, who don't do anything to the condition of their home, especially now.

As Barb Schwarz' says, "people only know what they see, not what it is going to look like."

Here are some before and afters:

Staging works - especially in a tough market!

From Plain Jane to Sexy Sheila

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:48:57 -0500

I recently finished doing a staging-to-live, where I had a carte blanche in pretty much anything. She trusted me totally and gave me a blessing to do "whatever" I thought she'd like. I was flattered but scared to have such a free reign. I was a kid in a candy store and was scared to go out of control. I will say, it took some discipline, and I had to really concentrate on what I think the customer wanted, and in the end, it was a success.

She is a very understated, but classy and a chic, pretty-young-thing - yes, the gals you hate to love. I had so much fun with this project as I got to bring back some of the 50's glamour into her masterbedroom. There was one room, which I got to designate as the Asian Room, as she had a collection from travels overseas in the Far East. Red walls are a far cry, from what I normally do, which is neutralize, and I do see alot of beige and tans, with a dabble of greens! Asking to paint a room red is a rarity in my profession so it was extra fun.

Here are some B&A.

Family Room - she actually bought a HUGE sectional, when she got it in, she wasn't sure what to do with the non-refundable sectional. We separated it into two sections - the other one is in the "Asian Room."

I got to do the drabby kitchen a cheery apricot color, which sounds gross but it actually complimented the cabinetry and brightened the whole room up.

A Consultation Success story after tweaking

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:07:17 -0600

I received a call from a woman who was going through a tough personal period in her life. She knew that she had to stage her home in order for her to sell it, and move on with her new phase in life. The cost of staging was too prohibitive for her so she opted to do a consultation. She followed every advice and direction to the letter.

With a few walls painted, lots of moving stuff out, and rearranging, and minor tweaking on my part, here is what we were able to do.

BEFORE - PLAYROOM/DINING AREA AFTER - DINING IN STYLE

BEFORE - Accent wall from playroom AFTER - neutralized wall, painted 2 tones for height

BEFORE - Family Room unruly and undefined AFTER - Classic style - Family room

BEFORE - family room opposite wall from entrance BEFORE - Family room mantel

AFTER - Family Room Retreat

BEFORE - mismatched everywhere

AFTER - Calm & soothing masterbedroom

BEFORE - Eating area

AFTER - painted the top of moulding a light green to carry off hte French Provencial theme. The beige walls did not do the kitchen justice as it made the white cabinets look drab and dingy.

This showcases how a great partnership and great communication works! It was put up on the market this week in Rock Hill, SC.

Home Staging WITH Feng Shui is extra insurance

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:13:12 -0500

I recently read an article in our local paper about selling homes with Feng Shui. They illustrated a home that was on the market for a very long time. After the Feng Shui Master came in and used Feng Shui on the same house - it sold a week later. I don't go as far as burying Saints in the corner of homes, but I do believe in applying the basic prinicples of Feng Shui, which by the way are pretty much in line with Home Staging.

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement used to create balance, harmony and well-being. I think we all do that when it comes to Home Staging. The most important thing about Feng Shui is maintaining or creating the flow of chi or energy. There are different ways to go addressing that, in terms of decluttering, and making sure the five elements are in alignment (using different colors, accessories and shape). For those who have studied Feng Shui, you know that is very simplified version of using the art of Feng Shui. For those who still aren't sure what it is, Feng Shui, according to Steve Kodad, who has a book out called "Feng Shui for the Real Estate Agent," is the study of the impact our environment has on our personal energy. Have you ever entered into a house that felt right? Perhaps you relaxed in a peaceful garden or you walked into the room and it was warm and inviting? That can be attributed to either really good staging or feng shui, or both.

Home Staging with Feng Shui sold my staged property in 2 days!

When I staged a property for a realtor/investor, for some reason, I really took great care making sure the colors were right, closing the drains and bathroom toilets (don't want money leaking out), and creating a good energy or chi. I normally apply basic principles of Feng Shui in all my properties but not necessariy, worrying about all the color quandrants and the 5 elements, definitely not worry about stopping up drains. In this case, I did. The house sold in 2 days. I had the privilege of meeting the realtor who sold this home to his buyer, he recently called me to stage a property of his. He works out in the South part of town and sold it to the other end, North part of town to show it. He loved what I did with what would have been a nice, very neutralized vacant carriage home, but said, the staging (and he didn't know I Feng Shui'd it) had a great feel and made a great impression on the buyers.

Here are some photos of before and after.

Now that I think about it, I should go back to my other staged properties to apply some more Feng Shui principles. The real estate market is hurting, we are 90-days plus days average on the market in Charlotte. See you, off Feng Shui'ing I go.

Typical house turns sensational house

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 22:11:17 -0500

This is my first blog in this group. I gotta check out the groups on a regular basis as I am seeing new ones today. Here is my latest befores and afters.

She was a grandmother looking to move out of her home to live with her child and in-law to help out and take care of her grandchild. We had to box up a whole PODS worth of stuff. Here's a sampling of the transformation.

It looks like all I've done is clean the office.... You can't tell but there was a huge rolltop secretary against the far wall (you can see the corner of it from one of the window pane) and I brought in a upholstered chair that was in the family room.

She hasn't even put it up on the market yet but will keep you updated once it goes on. The slow market is kinda hurting my stats but what I know for sure is that staging definitely helps!

REALTORS - need your help! When is it a good time for a vacation?

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sun, 06 May 2007 01:31:20 -0500

I am half joking, half serious.

I am a home stager and lately, I've been slammed with back to back stagings (not that I am complaining). I was wondering, why all of a sudden am I getting soooo many calls, did I do any advertising? They said they all found me on google (thanks AR!), but then I had an "aha" moment - Duh- it is SPRING, when all the homes are being prepared to go on the market.

As I am training my crew to be able to take over for me, it is going to take some time. I don't think they will be quite ready to be lead stager by end of the summer. If I am away, I will have some coverage, but I am at a risk of losing some clients. Therefore, I have to ask all of you ---

When is it a good time in the real estate sector to take a vacation? Is there a pattern in the world of real estate? When do you like to take off? (Please don't say winter....)

Vacants - Staging or model home design?

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sun, 06 May 2007 00:41:19 -0500

My latest inner struggle has been - how much is too much? In staging, at what point, is it no longer considered staging and rather a model home design? When doing vacants, I find myself doing a whole room as opposed to vignettes, often with the customer's preferring me to do a "lived-in" look.

I don't have after pics of the builder's home I am currently working on (all 4,500 sq ft), I can't wait to share it after it's all done, but when I post my B&A's, you will see I staged it top to bottom. I specifically bid for a model home stage, which is more elaborate than a typical stage, all with a pool table and popcorn maker for the media/pool room. I guess that mode of staging stuck with me because I just finished another staging, a much smaller home, but I found myself tweaking and tweaking. I felt like I had to fill every hole. Then I thought, is this still considered staging, or have I just found myself doing another model home design? What is the difference? Good question.

Vignettes pop to mind. Are vignettes powerful enough? Are model home stagings MORE powerful? I'd love to hear everyone's input.

THIS IS MY LATEST (which I consider to be model home design)

THIS IS WHEN I WAS ALL ABOUT VIGNETTES (I wonder if that had something to do with limited inventory as well?!)

POWER OF A SIGN - HOME SOLD DURING A STAGING

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:36:07 -0500

I just finished staging a beautiful 4,500 square foot home. The staging is about 75% done, but I am finished staging because the house was sold WHILE it was being staged.

I put up a sign, you know, like the ones the realtors have, but instead, it is a sign that alerts everyone passing by, that the home is being staged. Whenever I am doing a staging, I put out a sign every day to arouse curiosity and hey, it's free and great advertising. I was on the 3^rd day of staging, and a car came around the circular driveway. They told me that they had been looking in the area, and didn't see the house I was staging listed in the MLS. They saw the sign, which alerted them that it was getting ready for the market. They asked me if they could see the home. I told them that I have a professional policy that prohibits passerby's to come in without the presence of a realtor. I joked and told them I wouldn't call the police on them if they wanted to peek through all the windows. The whole back house is full of windows and you can pretty much see the whole house from the back. That they did!

They must have liked what they saw, because as I was staging on the 4^th day, I saw them again, this time, with their Realtor. They asked me where they should put this and that furniture, what I was going to do with this and that accessory. Once people start replacing their own personal items with things in the house, I consider it as good as sold. I told the builder but he didn't want to get too excited. They brought an offer and it was sold the next day!

I know this is just the beginning, and nothing is final until day of closing, but WOW, too bad I didn't get the commission for this one, because if it hadn't been for my sign, who knows. They might have bought another house before this one went on the market.

You can get a sign made at your local sign store. GO GET SOME!

I'm a little bummed about not being able to finish for my portfolio. This is just a teaser I got to do before being told it was sold.

Attn Stagers: Thieves on the loose!

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:49:30 -0500

I am just perplexed with what our business has to worry about. Here I am worried about the typical staging dilemmas such as how to keep track of inventory, wondering the "right" way to grow, pricing, colors, etc. and now, I am plagued with what "regular" storeowners have to deal with...theft.

I know you may not be in Charlotte, where I live, but regardless, if it's happening here, it may happen in your area as well. Maybe it's a trend - I HOPE NOT. Recently, we had some staged homes burglarized. The thieves targeted staged homes and ran out with furniture, accessories, etc. I don't have all the details other than the alarming fact, that, in our business, we are not immune to theft. One of the first things I did when I started my business, was to get insurance. I got that for peace of mind in knowing, if someone got hurt, or if a mover accidentally dropped an expensive item, but never thinking I would need to protect myself from theft. Now, I am so glad I did.

According to the two stagers who've been hit, the thieves knew what they were doing. The first one, they had all the furniture lined up by the front double doors ready to take out. Luckily, they couldn't unlock it (perhaps it was the kind you needed the key to unlock from the inside). They only left with what they could escape with through the window. The other theft that took place, the Realtor thinks that the "perspective buyer" unlocked one of the doors so they could come later to rob it. Details are not important but alerting all Realtors and Stagers is. The stager had a great suggestion, we need to alert stagers but Realtors as well! How do thieves know which homes are staged? Do they look at all the MLS trying to find those homes with pretty furniture? Who knows, but this is just cruel.

PLEASE 1) If you don't have insurance - get one NOW 2) Realtors, please make sure that after showing a home, double check to make sure all doors are locked! (windows too) STagers, if you are working with the homeowner rather than the realtor, you should still contact the Realtor to let them know what's going on, tell them to check all doors/windows before leaving the house 3) For those stagers, who like me, use a Masterlock key holder (you know the 4 digit key lock that allows you to store the key inside the panel). Do not giveaway the password number. If you need to give it to contractors, tell them to call you when they leave, and then you can change the password number.

Take precautions and you can never play it too safe. Even with insurance, you will have to go through the hassle of paperwork, taking time out to do claims, finding a new replacement and restaging the whole house AGAIN, just the emotional stress of it all. Let's be on high alert.

Car Flashing

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 08:24:45 -0500

I was leaving to go home from my mobile office (Caribou Coffee w/free wi-fi-LOL) when I thought, look at my car, it is ridiculous. People are looking at this lady with things falling out of her car because it is so jammed packed. Is she a homeless who lives out of her car? hmm, lately I've been feeling that way.

Why can't I ever have my car clutter-free enough so that I can quickly do a run through at Auto-Bell? By the time I finally declutter my car, it is junked by my children with their half drunken juiceboxes, and poptart wrappers shoved under the seats from the mad morning rush. Anyways, ...

it made me wonder - I'm sure there are other stagers who have just as much stuff if not more.

Show us your pictures everyone - let's have a good laugh! There's a staging I did, I was thinking how funny would that have been to have a deer head in my minivan? (well, maybe not)

Those are decoative seashells on the car floor, for you never know when you'll be needing them.

Now who can live without a handtruck? I need to go buy one, I borrowed it for this project, first time using it, and it was definitely a back saver!

Can you believe all this junk and this is the state of my car AFTER a staging?

Hey ya'll - join in, when you can. I know this is probably the last thing you want to do after a tiresome day of staging, but it may help you make light of everything - especially a long day of staging.

FOUR DAYS = 2 DAYS

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 10:22:48 -0600

I just wanted to share my successes as I've never had one sell so quickly. It was 4 days of staging and in two days, it sold!

The Realtor I was working with is now a believer and is looking to stage her other properties. I wanted to post this success because the more we tout our own horn (by that, I mean, not me personally, but stagers as a collective whole), the better the real estate industry is aware and informed about the staging phenomenon.

I love seeing B&A's so here they are:

The owner was concerned because the dining room was in the center of the house. It looked awkward, like it would be too small of a space to get around to the kitchen and the family room. Since it was so close to the breakfast room, we were worried about 2 tables being laid out side by side. I separated the middle wall w/vertical pictures, got a higher kitchen table to visually seperate the two areas. I used the round dining table to create a better flow since it was in the middle of the home.

I wish I had gotten a before for this. It is a patio in between the entrance to the home in the kitchen and to the garage. The right side where the plant and screen is, was a view of the unsightly neighbors driveway with their beat up car. I couldn't find a solid screen, I guess it wasn't in season, so I bought this one with minimal cut-out design. I stapled gunned light green fabric to the back of the screen to cover up the bad view. You can't see it, but the green picks up the colors in the cushion and brightens up the space.

C'mon girls, I know there are a lot of staging successes, I am challenging you to a chain blog. Please do not break the chain - post blogs w/your B&A's and success stories.

How much staging should we do in a vacant home?

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 20:54:28 -0600

I just came from Kathy Neilson's blog where she showed us an example of an effective vignette. She did an incredible job, not only was it beautiful, but very effective considering she did not do a whole staging. The property sat on the market for a year and she sold it after only doing a partial staging with a higher asking price. Some stagers had commented that they believed that vacant homes do not need to be fully furnished.

It had me curious - when does a house need to be fully furnished and when can it get by with just doing vignettes?

I understand that vignettes are powerful as well as a full stage. Vignettes warm up a property and give prospective buyers an illusion of what the space could be, with just enough chairs and plants.

Then there are those who feel the need to do a full staging with furniture in every room so that the house looks lived-in. I feel that if the house is empty, it gives the prospective buyer a bargaining chip to play with because they know that the homeowner has already left to their new home and is usually paying 2 mortgages. Sometimes Realtors say to me, "I want it to look lived-in," for the same reasons.

When I plan to do a vacant, and I haven't done that many, I usually plan on doing the Living room, master bedroom, master bath, powder room, kitchen , kitchen breakfast, office and dining. If I'm feeling creative and generous, I throw in a girls/boys room in.

Is there a good rule of thumb when you should only do a vignette as opposed to a whole staging?

Staging homes, now windows?

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 23:33:31 -0600

I recently had an idea as I was doing my friend a "favor." Actually, he was doing me a favor but it was a win-win situation for both of us.

He has a business building that is about 80% occupied. There are 2 big spaces that were vacant and because those are 2 large office/retail spaces, the building looked like it was 50% vacant as opposed to 80%. He was having a hard time attracting future retail tenants. The amount of traffic the street it sits on gets about 80,000 cars/trucks a day!

He asked me if I would stage the window and I could get a sign up above the windows to give me visibility for my new business. It was before Christmas so I had elaborate windowscapes ideas, like Macy's in NYC. Then I had to deal with reality of budget, lack of know-how in constructing platforms, and time restrictions. It ended up being alot simpler than what I had originally planned out, but in the end, it turned out just fine.

People commented how great this was and if I was going to do this as a business service as well. I had never even thought about it but, maybe on slow days, I could stage windows for small business owners and shops in our local cute lazy towns, like Davidson. Has anybody else thought of it or better yet, have you staged one?

I wouldn't know how to go about charging because it took me way longer than I thought it would and I don't know if anyone is willing to pay $800+ a window.

Here's a picture of how it turned out - sorry it's such a big picture! Anyways, give me feedback and let me know if you think this could be a new staging service. I think this is what visual merchandiser is for but I've never heard of it being called Visual Staging or Window Staging? I'm making it up as I go along.... ( :

Mother knows best

Marcyne Touchton (Domaine Staging) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:11:38 -0600

HAVING MOM OVER FOR DINNER!

You don't even have to be a mother to enjoy this one...

Brian invited his mother over for dinner. During the course of the meal,
Brian's mother couldn't help but notice how beautiful Brian's roommate,
Jennifer, was.

Brian's Mom had long been suspicious of a relationship between Brian and
Jennifer, and this had only made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she
started to wonder if there was more between Brian and Jennifer than met
the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Brian volun teered, "I know what you must be
thinking, but I assure you Jennifer and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Jennifer came to Brian saying, "Ever since your mother
came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle.
You don't suppose she took it, do you?"

Brian said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll send her an e-mail just to be
sure. So he sat down and wrote:

Dear Mom:
I'm not saying that you "did" take the gravy ladle from the house, I'm not
saying that you "did not" take the gravy ladle. But the fact remains that
one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.

Love, Brian

Several days later, Brian received an email back from his mother that
read:

Dear Son:
I'm not saying that you "do" sleep with Jennifer, I'm not saying that you
"do not" sleep with Jennifer. But the fact remains that if Jennifer is
sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by
now. Love, Mom

LESSON OF THE DAY - NEVER LIE TO YOUR MOTHER