Superstition - it runs rampant in our society.  Whether it's a rabbit's foot, a four leaf clover, a horse shoe... maybe even "lucky underwear", a good portion of the population has some kind of personal "lucky charm".

Home Staging Professionals seem to be no different. Some have their "lucky red couch" while others have "lucky artwork", floral arrangements or even butterflies.  I was beginning to think that I didn't have anything "lucky" per-say, truth be told I hadn't really had much time to think about it since our inventory is moving from one house to another so quickly, and we mix and match everything for every house....  However, I think I found our Muse, a "Lady".

Remember this picture not so long ago? 

Many viewers here in the Rain raved about this painting and how beautiful it is.  It dawned on me yesterday as I was delivering it to my Seller's new home (Yes, the Seller of this home loved it so much herself that she bought it)...  I was going to miss my "Lady Painting".  She had seen me through so much.

Like this home in Thousand Oaks that sold with multiple offers...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or this home in Los Feliz that sold in 5 days

 

Then I thought to myself, "OH NO!  Did I just SELL my LUCKY CHARM?!  My 'Lucky Lady' painting?!"

 

 

 

Good thing I had 2 in my inventory - it will just be harder to convince my husband that it HAS to be removed from our living room to sell my next Staged Home. 

Do you have a "lucky charm"?

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Platinum Home Staging, Inc.

We've been so busy lately that I've become a little behind on posting some of our pictures on projects we've been working on. So to catch up (a little) this is a home in Los Feliz, CA we Staged (a couple weeks ago - I told you I'm behind)

This classic, 4 bedroom 4 1/2 bath hill side Los Feliz home has BILLION dollar, 300 degree views from three of the four floors (yes, 4 floors, not including a possible roof top deck) All we can say is thank goodness it has an elevator. Currently listed at $1.6M

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Platinum Home Staging, Inc. Serving Ventura County and Greater Los Angeles Areas: Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Canoga Park, Van Nuys, West Hills, Northridge, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Wood Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Malibu

It was the best of times, It was the worst of times.....This is a tale of Two Condos and truly is a case of "All Things Being Equal" in terms of how Home Staging can GREATLY assist in selling your condo, home or estate.  Well.... almost equal

In November 2008, two condos with the EXACT same floor plans were on the market and were just 2 DOORS APART within the condo community in the highly sought after Westlake Village area.  Both had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, were 1,149 square feet, fireplace and both had HOA fees of $270 per month.

Condo #1 was actually listed in JUNE 2008                                    Condo #2 was listed on Oct 31, 2008

Condo #1 was actually FARTHER AWAY from                                 Condo #2 was actually listed at                  a busy city street (less noise) and CLOSER to                               $10,000 HIGHER than Condo #1               the community pool

Condo #1 although clean, was left in "as is" condition                   Condo #2 embraced Home Staging

 

 

    

Results:

Condo #1: Priced lower & in "better" location was vacant & on the market since JUNE 2008, only just recently sold on May 5, 2009 for $392,500

Condo #2: was priced higher, embraced some minor upgrades and Home Staging - SOLD on December 4, 2008 for $412,500  (less than 5 weeks on the market)

The small investment in Home Staging can save you THOUSANDS of dollars in carrying costs, maintenance or marketing materials.  Not including the mortgage fees, property taxes or special assessments of the HOA, the Owner of Condo #2 EARNED $22,700 by choosing to listen to their REALTOR and embrace Home Staging!

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Platinum Home Staging, Inc.   Serving Ventura County and Greater Los Angeles Areas: Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Canoga Park, Van Nuys, West Hills, Northridge, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Wood Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Malibu

 

        

There seems to be some disconnect in today's Technological / Social Media age.  The confusion seems to lie in that if you have a BLOG, you have a WEBSITE.

So many Entrepreneurs are beginning to advertise themselves using solely their blog AS their website. Countless times while wanting to investigate a local company about their services, specialize or professionalism, costs, etc... I click on what is labeled "website",  only to be directed to their BLOG and finding that they think "trash cans should be red, not blue"....which leaves me scratching my head.

Let's break it down for those who may have jumped into this plethora of technological advancements not knowing the difference between a BLOG and a WEBSITE

 

A BLOG   is an on-line "This is what I am THINKING, DOING or WORKING ON at this moment"  It can make you a "specialist" per-say in your field of work, or simply make you the knowledgeable "go to" person in your neighborhood.  A good example of this would be for a Realtor to BLOG, "Wow-look at the size of the portions at XYZ Restaurant in Anytown"  or "Today's market values in LMO, EFG & RST cities".  You can BLOG about your garden, your recent ReBarCamp or your latest success in your business.  ActiveRain is an excellent forum for your BLOG.

 

 

 

A WEBSITE is all about YOU and/or your COMPANY and will usually be something along the lines of www.YourCompanyNameHere.com /.net or .org  What are your services, specialties, contact information?  More importantly your website tells your customers what you do! What can you offer a new client?  What separates you from your competition?  It should have lots of links and pages about YOUR SERVICES, maybe even your upfront costs or fees, etc.  It might even have a link to your BLOG,  but your website should not be about what color of Kleenex box you prefer or an open letter to a local vendor of your distaste for their services....

 

 

Still confused?  I'll use my own company as an example:

Here is my BLOG (as well as the one you are currently engaged in)

Here is my WEBSITE

See the difference?  BLOGS are informational (such as this one) but I wouldn't want for every customer who is interested in hiring me to Stage their home to be directed here FIRST.  This should be secondary to the website showing what my SERVICES are, not what my OPINIONS are.  Just my $.02 ~ take it for what it's worth.

Platinum Home Staging, Inc.

Let this post serve as inspiration for your event, fund raiser or even your own personal party. Platinum Home Staging, Inc.  was proud to be a part of this year's Angels of the Alliance fund raiser luncheon to support the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center. The Alliance raises funds to continue support of music and arts in the local schools and to bring underprivileged children see professional performances at the Civic Center.

Each year, for the Fund Raiser Luncheon "Angels" are asked to decorate tables and although there are some "categories", you are really left to your own devices and imagination.  Since this was our first year, Platinum Home Staging, Inc. actually volunteered our services and inspirations to THREE tables (most only do one); there were approximately 35 tables total, here are some of our favorites:  Mouse of the images to get the Names of each table.

         

The above were all provided by Platinum Home Staging, Inc.

 

Here are a few FUN & Fab-U-lous tables that made our list of mentionables - ENJOY!

         

 

This table "Staged" their own celebrity guests!

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Platinum Home Staging, Inc. does Home Staging, and SO much more! Even if you're not selling your house, why not make it look like a model home? Call Platinum Home Staging, Inc. for an Interior Design Consultation at (805) 553-9952 Our Staging and Interior Designs are Platinum!

Serving Ventura County and Greater Los Angeles Areas: Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Canoga Park, Van Nuys, West Hills, Northridge, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Wood Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Malibu

 

        

This came across on Twitter and wil quickly become a viral video. I think any professional can relate to this under the current economic times ~ Enjoy!

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. does Home Staging, and SO much more! Even if you're not selling your house, why not make it look like a model home? Call Platinum Home Staging, Inc. for an Interior Design Consultation at (805) 553-9952 Our Staging and Interior Designs are Platinum!

Serving Ventura County and Greater Los Angeles Areas: Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Canoga Park, Van Nuys, West Hills, Northridge, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Wood Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Malibu

        

This is a word of caution for those individuals who are interested in becoming a Home Stager.  This is from the perspective of a Seasoned and Professional Home Stager (me) and that of someone who "thought it would be fun".

As many have posted here on AR about the numerous phone calls from "interested individuals" about the Home Staging Industry - I received one such call and it happen to be of good timing.  Thankfully, our business has been booming and needed to hire on additional help.  Although I had already offered the job to another person who HAD experience in Staging, this Individual came to us with a back ground in Interior Design and a very upbeat attitude. 

I CLEARLY stated what the job would entail and how much it would involve.  However she seemed unstoppable in her quest and so I embraced hat enthusiasm and put her to work.  So I hired 2 people, instead of just one.  Keeping that in mind - the following was all done with the HELP of another person who HAD experience in Staging other than myself.  In her first week she:

•·         Filed office paperwork

•·         She then helped meet with an interior design client, listened to their needs, tried to facilitate a plan and color scheme, only to find that it was taking hours for her to find that "just right" piece for the small space...

•·         She was asked to call Realtors who had recently visited our Staged homes which were now in escrow as well as call some other local Realtor Offices to offer our services and provide an office luncheon or breakfast (she was NOT comfortable with this)

•·         She was asked to follow up with current clients, insurance agents, vendors, etc to "make sure everything was OK and if there was anything we could do for them" (again, not comfortable with this)

•·         She came along to a meeting at a very high-end local hotel to discuss an upcoming fund-raiser which we would be involved in.

•·         Helped clean out the warehouse and inventory what was there (Cleaning means moving, packing, organizing, sweeping, cleaning, etc)

•·         When she saw the warehouse, her first response was, "You call this empty?!"  To her is was full, to the trained eye - it was desolate.

•·         Sought out to find bedding, a desk, floral and greenery, artwork, etc for inventory

•·         Tagged along while meeting a Staging client at not 1, but 2 homes, took notes, pictures, measurements, etc

•·         She helped PACK the moving truck the night before a Staging installation

•·         Helped UN-Pack the morning of the installation at the house into the landing spot (long driveway)

•·         Helped MOVE furniture around into new areas of the home, up and down stairs, etc

•·         Helped make beds, steam the linens, hang artwork, place plants, etc

•·         At the end of the day, her comment was "This is like moving a house, TWICE, this is NOT what I thought it would be"

•·         I was quick to point out that once the house sells, we get to do it all over again:  she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

 

Needless to say, she lasted all of about 3 weeks. Her reason frankly was "It was not what I thought it would be."

Home Staging is NOT glamorous, is not lights and cameras following you around.  It is HARD WORK, long hours, tons of marketing, and sometimes back breaking labor.  It can be hot, dusty and sweaty some days; cold, wet and muddy on others. It is being able to navigate Home Owners, Sellers, and Realtors, friends, families and sometimes competition. It is being a MOVER and a "shaker".  It is not "easy money".

 

Before considering starting your own Home Staging business, I would HIGHLY suggest speaking with at least 3 Seasoned and FULL TIME Home Stagers who have been in the business for a couple of years (not months) and do NOT be fooled by the statistics of  your training program and how much money you can make with little to no inventory.  

If you are interested in discussing the Home Staging industry in Southern California, you're welcome to contact me any time. www.PlatinumHomeStaging.com

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. hasn't done many Home Stagings in Moorpark, CA.  Sure we do the occasional Re-Design or Consultation, but the real reason I believe, in my humble opinion, is because HOMES ARE SELLING within 30 DAYS on average!  Yes, we have foreclosures. Yes, we have over 100 homes on the market at any given time. But when we were called to a home for a Staging bid right in our own back yard, we decided to "pass". 

WHY?!  You ask? 

The Realtor believes in Staging, but the Home Owners Don't.

  

The Realtor asked them to "clean things up & make some repairs", but the Home Owners refuse.

The Realtor asked them to then at least "remove your items since you no longer live in the home" but the Home Owner wanted to make the home seem as if someone "might" be living there.

  

The Realtor called us to give a bid to Stage the home, but said "the Owners won't spend any money on the home. They just keep lowering the price."

So in a market where Right Price + Good Condition = Quick Sale in 30 Days,  the home has been on the market for 4 months and gone through 2 price reductions.

So instead of giving a Staging bid for a Realtor who is spending a lot of time and money trying to sell a home with obviously unmotivated Sellers, we decided to help the Realtor in another way.  Some might say that we gave away the milk for free, but it wasn't THAT bad.  Instead we sent the Realtor a nice little email that he could then forward to the Home Owners.  Simply giving a "Professional Opinion" as to a few MUST DO's before we could even Stage the home. Here is a snippet of the email we sent:

To follow up with our discussion, although the home really needs to be professionally Staged there are a few things that Buyers would simply not be able to look past.  There are literally hundreds of homes on the market in the Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks area - buyers are looking for the best price coupled with the best condition. Currently buyers are only seeing that they will need to put more money into the home before being able to move in.
 

1. The carpeting is folding and buckling throughout the upstairs bedrooms and hallway.  This is actually a severe trip hazard as buyers walk through the home.  The carpeting needs to be re-stretched as soon as possible and then given a GOOD steam cleaning. 
2. The house really could use a fresh coat of paint throughout, however if this is not within the budget, then the next best option would be to completely EMPTY the home and give it a good, deep cleaning from top to bottom.  The current furniture & fluorescent light fixtures are actually distracting the buyers away from the positives of the property.
3. I would also highly suggest spending the few dollars it would cost to paint or stain the cabinets in the master bathroom.

Once these items are completed, only then we can begin the phase of actually Staging the home to make it warm & inviting to potential Buyers.  Please let your clients know that by NOT addressing these items, they are very much tripping over dollars to save a few pennies. **

We didn't close the door altogether, we didn't give away ALL the milk for free - we Partnered with the Realtor and reiterated what he had already told the Home Owners. That these items needed to be addressed.  We became the Industry Professional, and the unbiased opinion to back up the Realtor's statements and concerns.  And maybe by pointing out the fact that the buckling carpeting really was a trip hazard verses "just more money to spend", just might light a fire to get the other items completed as well.

This Home Owner contacted Platinum Home Staging, Inc. to give her home that "wow" factor. She was not selling her home, but was hosting her Church's Mother's Day Fund Raiser at ther home ~ in 10 days!

Talk about a tight time-line, and a tight budget. She had only $2,000 to spend, and there were a few things that HAD "to go", she told us so. But WE DID IT with 2 days to spare, ALL for UNDER $2,000. INCLUDING: new sofa and love seat set, new tables, new draperies and hardware, new area rugs and a few new accessories. Everything else came from her own things.

The transformation brought tears to her eyes ~ her home now had that WOW factor for when her guests arrive for her fund raiser. We hope you enjoy the transformation to!

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Platinum Home Staging, Inc. does Home Staging, and SO much more! Even if you're not selling your house, why not make it look like a model home? Call Platinum Home Staging, Inc. for an Interior Design Consultation at (805) 553-9952 Our Staging and Interior Designs are Platinum!

Serving Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, & everything in between!: Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Canoga Park, Van Nuys, West Hills, Northridge, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Wood Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara