Hi all! I just wanted to re-post Kathi's press release to let all that know me and who may be interested know that I am returning to the Staging world in a new capacity. I am excited to be working with Kathi. RE:Style has an excellent reputation in Michigan and we share a lot of the same thought processes.

I also look forward to chatting with some of my Active Rain friends who I have missed!!!

When I am finished writing a blog post (about industry related topics), I am always faced with the decision of where to post it. It would normally automatically go in Stage if Forward because I believe that this group has a large readership and my message will be heard, and I like to post in the RESA group because I am a member. I also like to post in the Michigan Realtors group to try to get to know more members in my area.

 But then I ask myself "Okay, where else?"

When I go into other groups for home staging, I see the same posts there that I saw in Stage it Forward. I think to myself "Well, that would be overkill" and I don't always post to the other groups.

Then I realized something that I wanted to share with you... Not everybody I want to reach out to is subscribed to Stage it Forward, RESA, or Michigan Realtors!

I was reading a post written by a Michigan Realtor and when I looked at his profile page and I could see the list of groups that he was a member of. Stage it Forward wasn't there - but the group Home Staging was! So by not ever posting to this group, this guy will never read my blog. I looked at another Michigan Realtor and not only wasn't he a member of Stage it Forward (shock!) he wasn't even a member of the Michigan Realtors group!

So my point is... (yes I have one lol)

We blog for our businesses, we need to post our posts where our target audience is reading. I now know that there are guidelines for every group and will post accordingly, but I need to branch out away from my usual three...

I always post to Localism too, but that seems to get lost into oblivion!

So what about you? Where else do you post about your staging work besides the usual staging groups?

I've been tagged by both Marianne Sweet and Sheron Cardin. Thank ladies! I just want to say that I've really enjoyed reading everyone's memes. Very interesting answers out there!

1. Favorite Musical Artist: My favorite has always been the band Led Zeppelin. I wasn't ever a stoner or devil worshipper; I just really enjoyed their music. My husband says that the reason he decided to go out with me was because he saw my cassette tapes in my car and figured I must be pretty cool.

2. Favorite Artist: I've never studied or invested or "got into" art. I just know what I like when I see it. My favorites are landscapes that look like you are going somewhere; down a path, on the road to a town in Italy etc. Take me away!

3. Favorite Blogger:  I swear Elaine Manes makes me laugh in every post or comment she writes!

4. If you could meet anyone dead/alive who would it be/most interesting about them: I would like to have a long one on one with David Packard and William Hewlett from HP. I love their Rules of the Garage:

• Believe you can change the world.
• Work quickly, keep the tools unlocked, work whenever.
• Know when to work alone and when to work together
• Share - tools, ideas. Trust your colleagues.
• No politics. No bureaucracy. (These are ridiculous in a garage.)
• The customer defines a job well done.
• Radical ideas are not bad ideas.
• Invent different ways of working.
• Make a contribution everyday. If it doesn't contribute, it doesn't leave the garage.
• Believe that together we can do anything.
• Invent.

They make sense don't they?

5. What I wanted to be when I grew up: I actually wanted to be a teacher and a writer. College changed my mind. Funny how becoming a home stager actually led me to fulfilling my dreams... now I stage, train and write everyday!

6. Most interesting trivia I know: I may only be trivia to me but... I found out yesterday that the baby is going to be a girl!

7. What point in history would choose to live:  I think that is so cool that we live in a generation that has seen the invention of the internet, DVR and so much more. But I think it would have been even more exciting to be witness to the first man in space and the invention of the TV.

8. Most interesting job I ever had:  My previous life career was being the Manager of a children's toy store called Zany Brainy and Noodle Kidoodle. I hope some of you remember them. I loved my job more than anything else. My days were surrounded by toys that I grew up with, amazing new products, Puff the Magic Dragon playing on the stereo overhead and we had a theater that we played Disney and other movies from open to close. The biggest joy was seeing the innocent smiles on the faces of those kids when their Mom said "Yes". We suffered demise when Wal-mart started selling toys below cost one year... We couldn't compete, and so I moved on to this new stage of my life (pun intended).

So enough about me...let's hear from Kimo Stowell, Kathleen Garvey and Carole Provenzale. For some reason, I think they will be very interesting to hear about.

I recently met with an older couple to do a walkthrough consultation of their home. Throughout the tour, I made my assessments. Most of my comments were met with resistance from the seller. Her favorite phrase was "Oh we're not going to do that." Keep in mind that these were simple "decluttering" suggestions and "packing because you will be moving" suggestions.

Near the end, the seller confided in me that she understood everything that I was telling her, that I made sense in my assessments but that she and her husband were older and tired and just didn't want to do what I suggested.

Another reason for their resistance she said was the fact that homes in our area are taking longer and longer to sell. They need to be able to still "live" in the house. The house may take months to sell and they didn't want to compromise how they lived and enjoyed their home.

A big difference between these sellers and other sellers is that they want to move - they don't have to move. I think if they had to move, they may have a different attitude.

But it made me think about just what goes through the minds of the seller as we are critiquing their home. In our practice we strive to justify every recommendation that we make with solid reasoning.

Declutter

Seller thinks - Get rid of all their stuff, throw away their memories, can't live without my Hummel collection

Stager says - Begin packing, start with items that are not necessary to survive on a daily basis, editing excess items and knick knacks make a room feel larger, buyer's can focus on the space in a room and not be distracted by your personal things.

Neutralize

Seller thinks - This stager doesn't have any taste, my floral wallpaper is beautiful, it takes too much time to paint, it takes too much money to paint.

Stager says - I can appreciate how much love and effort you put into decorating your home to your exact tastes, buyers prefer homes that are move in ready, buyers will deduct from their offer if they feel they have to take on the cost of removing wall paper and painting, the deduction will be far greater than your cost to change it.

Depersonalize

Seller thinks - I still have to live here on a daily basis, what is wrong with all the pictures of my grandchildren? I need those magnets on the fridge so I have the phone number to the pizza place

Stager says - Buyer's need to see them selves in the home when they are touring. Your grandchildren are beautiful, but buyers will spend time looking at your photos wondering about who used to live here. We want them to spend their time looking at the space. Magnets on the fridge distract from the beautiful kitchen, let's place these items from the fridge in this folder, in this drawer, so everything will still be in easy access to you when you need it.

Furniture arrangement

Seller thinks - They better not move my TV! I like my TV right where it is, you can't move the couch away from the windows, that is where the dogs lay to see outside.

Stager says - I'd like to rearrange the furniture so that the TV isn't the main focal point when entering the room, I'd like to show off some of the best features of the house so the buyers will really take notice of them. I'd like to make the fireplace and the view from the windows really catch the buyer's eye. We will move it so you can still watch TV comfortably, but arrange it so the fireplace is the focal point.

Accessories

Seller thinks - What is wrong with my dried floral arrangements and brass candlesticks? What is wrong with my collection of doggy statues? My pink candles are pretty.

Stager says - Less is more, we want the buyer to focus on the home - not your things. We use accessories primarily to enhance the space with color or as a prop to evoke an emotion.

These are just a few examples of objections that stagers receive from sellers, unfortunately they are not always verbalized by the seller. After the stager leaves, the seller may chose not to make any changes. It is important that as a stager, we arm are sellers will solid reasoning behind our suggestions.

Stagers - have you faced similar or other objections? Will you offer to us your solid reasoning?

I just wanted to congratulate and announce some recent graduates of the SMART Stager training program. They are also new members of RESA. Please help me welcome:

Jill Neugebauer
Step Up Staging
Certified SMART Stager
Clawson, Michigan

Barbara Deckon
Staged Inspirations
Certified SMART Stager
Post Falls, Idaho

Sherri Day-Ceinski
StageME
Certified SMART Stager
Freeport, Maine

Melody Herr
Selling Impressions
Certified SMART Stager
Farmington Hills, Michigan

We at SMART Stagers look forward to working with these very talented women and welcome them!
Congratulations!
Cari Pilon
Sharon Ahrens

I'll admit right now it is 10:30 and I am tired. I don't feel like searching for my answer - so I am reaching out to my AR friends.

Which would be considered "good" Feng Shui?

To have the bed facing the door or not facing the door?

Is it true that if your house number ends in the number 4 that there will be death at that house?

What about mirrors facing the entryway? Good for staging because buyers can see themselves living in the house because they see themselves upon entering? Or bad because it reflects the good energy coming in and sends it right back outside?

I ask because a fellow stager and I were discussing these topics and we did not agree. I will see her again tomorrow and can pass on the right information.

Thanks all!

Here are some thoughts on how home staging actually benefits the BUYER, fellow stagers please feel free to add to this list.

• Buy a "move in ready" home

 A staged home is usually move-in ready. This means that the buyer may move in, unpack and go on with their life. By purchasing a home that has been staged, buyers can be confident that deferred maintenance has been completed, decorative changes were made with the buyer in mind, and special attention has been made to show the buyer the special features of the home that they would desire.

• A professional stager will not hide issues

The professional stager will recommend to sellers that issues in the home be addressed. Should the seller not take the recommendation of the stager, as a matter of integrity, the stager will not intentionally cover up or hide the issue. We do not hang pictures over holes in walls or place rugs over stains in the carpet.

• Stagers will have arranged furnishings properly

The scale and flow of furnishings are a key component in the visual success of a staged room. The professional stager carefully selects and places furnishings so the buyer can see the function of a room and so that the flow of the space is not compromised. When a buyer moves in, they can be confident in the placement of their own furnishings.

• Stagers make use of awkward spaces

Some homes just have strange nooks and crannies that's purpose cannot be easily identified. The professional stager will address these spaces and give them purpose. Buyers can use this as inspiration for their own lifestyle.

I have a question...

I have friend who is selling her home and is currently a FSBO. She is not doing it becuase she mistrusts Realtors or anything, she says her reasons are purely financial.

She has had it listed for about 2 years now. Because she has to get a certain price for the home, she states that she cannot lower it any further. She stopped using an agent a year ago because after lowering the price, the commision amounts would deduct from the amount that she needs to get from the home.

I viewed the home and while my stager brain would like to see it staged, there is nothing horrible about the house that would make it not sell (other than probably the price and the Michigan selling market). The home was previously the model for the subdivision and she bought it furnished and everything.

My friend and her family do not currently live in the home, they are living with her mother in my town and hope to buy a house here when their home sells.

My question for you is how can I help convince her to use a Realtor? Like I said, she is not anti-Realtor, she just has the perception that she cannot afford one. I'm afraid that she won't be able to effectively market her home as an FSBO and it will stay on the market even longer.

Any advice on convincing her?

 Staging drives more traffic to the home

• 80% of today's buyers preview homes on the Internet. Staging makes the home more appealing so buyers will choose it to visit.

  Staging increases showings of the home

• Agents love to show homes that look good. Staging makes homes look great!

  Staging improves curb appeal

• Buyers will get excited about going inside the house when they have been impressed by the outside.

  Staging ensures a great first impression

• Staging creates the "wow" factor when the buyer first walks through the door.

  Staging creates a model home look

• When looking at comparable homes, buyers prefer new homes over resale. Staging creates a new home feel.

  Staging allows buyers to picture themselves living in the home

• By removing personal items and photographs, staging removes the owner's imprint on the home.

  Staging creates a "move in ready" look

• Buyers overwhelmingly prefer a home that is move-in ready.

  Staging highlights the best features of the home

• Buyers are looking for positive attributes of the home. Staging ensures these features get noticed.

  Staged homes sell faster than un-staged homes

• Staging helps homes appeal to a broad range of buyers; increasing the potential interest in the home.

  Staged homes sell for a higher price than comparable homes

• Staging decreases the amount of deductions that a buyer could potentially make by eliminating the cause for the deductions.

Home Staging improves the overall presentation of your home for sale to appeal to a broad range of buyers.

Serving Southeastern Michigan, SMART Stagers is your solution for all your Home Staging needs. Please call (810) 853-0053 to schedule your personal home evaluation today!

Every chance I get I try to talk about staging and its importance in marketing homes. I am sure many of you are the same way. Some of us are so passionate about home staging, what it is and what we do, that it is difficult to define in a short, succinct way.

Many of us have heard of the 30 second commercial or the elevator speech, but what if you do not have 30 seconds? What if you only have time to speak one sentence about staging - what do you say?

How do you explain it one sentence so that they understand?

How do you define it so that you do it justice?

How do you get the message out before you lose your audience?

I'd like to put out a challenge to all of you... Define home staging is the shortest possible way, yet still convey what it is, what we do and why we do it.

Consumer: What is home staging?

You: Home staging is ___________________________

(Remember - short, succinct and include what it is, what we do and why we do it)

Bonus challenge: Write your answer before you read the comments of others.

Non-stagers feel free to chime in, I would love to hear your answers too!

Maybe Maureen Henry will award one of her famous cookies to the winner!