The Staging Diva's Home Staging Blog for Home Stagers

Home Stagers: What's your favorite tool?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:31:13 -0500

Looking at the photo of me that's often used in the press, with the drill and tulips, you'd probably guess those are my favorite tools. Actually they come a close third and fourth. The most important staging tools a home stager has (other than their innate talent) is a measuring tape and paint swatch book.

Don't make the mistake of getting one of those small, light, easy to carry measuring tapes or those fancy new laser ones.

You need a good old fashioned contractors-grade tape measure. It's bulky and usual neon colored (so they can find it in the drywall dust I guess), but it does the job.

While I can walk into a room and almost instantly know if the furniture is in the wrong place or it's the wrong size, I do rely on my measuring tape to help me decide how to move it all around. Don't leave home without it!

My second essential tool is my paint swatch designers kit. Not only does it contain 2500+ colors, it gives me larger samples of each. I recommend paint colors in many of my home staging consultations, plus many of my clients want me to pick colors for their new home.

Home stagers, what are your favorite tools? What do you take with you to every client meeting?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 900+ Graduates worldwide. She is the author of:

"Staging Diva Home Staging Consultation Checklist with Room-by-Room Client Planning Forms"

“Staging Diva Ultimate Color Guide: The Easy Way to Pick colors for Home Staging Projects”

“Staging Diva Ultimate Guide: Creating The Perfect Portfolio to Sell Your Home Staging Services”

Marketing Plans: Does Size Really Matter?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:26:54 -0500

I'm a firm believer in the old adage that "failing to plan is planning to fail," but I'm also not from the school of thought that believes you need a full-blown multi-page marketing plan to succeed, especially if you run your own business.

And I say this as someone with an MBA in Marketing who used to get paid many thousands of dollars to write marketing plans for companies.

I've been an entrepreneur since 1989 and I've always found that the longer the plan I write for myself, the less likely I am to follow it.

Part of why I've chosen to be my own boss all these years is the creative energy and inspiration that comes from being able to act on my ideas without sitting around analyzing them to death.

A one page plan gets me far closer to my goals than a big report ever will, otherwise I just suck all the joy out of my ideas before I actually act on them.

So with the fall real estate market getting underway in the next week or so, whether you're a real estate agent or a home stager, I think it's important to spend focused time thinking about your business. I begin with a huge sheet of paper and start by "mind mapping" and brainstorming various ideas. I don't sit at a computer to do this, somehow doing it by hand on paper is more conducive to idea generation. After much thought and brainstorming by myself, I do make a list of marketing goals along with a list of specific steps I'll take to reach those goals.

I find the more specific I am, the better. I also keep it simple so that I will take action rather than feeling overwhelmed.

Another point: Try not to do what you've always done (especially if you're expecting better results than you've had before). And don't just do what you see everyone else doing. Step outside the box and challenge yourself to break from the pack, that where the real rewards are.

So how big is your plan? How do you go about tackling the process?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

A Fortune 500 company veteran, Debra Gould has been a business writer since the 1980s and wrote a chapter of the book "Marketing Masters" published in 1998. She is also known as The Staging Diva and is president of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company that is frequently profiled in the media in both the US and Canada. Debra Gould developed The Staging Diva Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging businesses. There are currently over 900 Staging Diva Graduates around the world.

Staging Diva Shares House Selling Secrets on CNN Money

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:14:52 -0500

CNN Money is featuring my House Selling Secrets and before and after photos of several of the homes I've staged through my home staging company Six Elements Inc, on their website.

If you click through the 21 (!) pages of links on the CNN site, you'll see my before and after shots with a description of the end results the clients acheived. How much they paid me, what the house was listed for, how long it took to sell and the final selling price.

All proof that home staging works.

I'm really happy that this media exposure has also generated a number of project leads for Staging Diva Graduates because CNN includes a link to the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers.

“Debra Gould, founder of Staging Diva has helped scores of homewoners clean up, rearrange, and style their homes to command top price,” says CNNMoney.

You can check out the full story of my home staging secrets at CNNMoney.com.

I was last featured on their website in January of 2006 when they wrote about how important home staging is to a slowing real estate market.

Isn't it interesting to note that so many people are talking about the slow market like it is a new thing. Yet, Les Christie of CNN was writing about it 19 months ago!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 900+ Graduates worldwide. Debra is the author of two home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar.

The wrong pricing strategy can kill your home staging business

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:29:29 -0500

The pricing structure you set up for your home staging services (and items you charge for), can either make or break your real estate staging business. It's great to follow your heart and make a business out of your creative talents, but if you’re doing something you love and not making money, it’s not a business – it’s a hobby.

Even if you’re the best home stager in your city, if you charge a flat rate for your services, you could end up broke faster than you think. In fact, you could be setting yourself up to kill a business that would otherwise be extremely profitable.

Charging by the square foot or setting a flat rate per room is a common mistake that has ended more than one home stager’s career

No two spaces are ever the same. It could take more time to stage a 1200 sq. ft. condo than a 4,000 sq. ft. detached home. If you're charging by the square foot or room, you're in trouble! When you’re already into a project and realize it will take hours more to complete than you originally estimated it’s too late. By using the wrong pricing strategy, you have totally undercut yourself.

There are several common scenarios you probably encounter regularly as a home stager that eat up time you may not be charging for. For example, the client who is distracted by toddlers while you're doing your consultation, or the one who has saved every item that has come into the house for the last 20 years.

If you have the proper pricing strategy in place, none of these "time-wasters" matter.

In fact, if clients like these are eating up your time, you will make more money with the right rate structure. With the wrong pricing strategy, you will find yourself working for nothing much of the time.

If you charge "flat rates" for your home staging services, you really need to reconsider your pricing strategy before your business "flat lines" from all the extra work you have to do to make ends meet.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould has been writing about home staging since 2002 when she started earning a living as a home stager. Within her second year in business she was earning up to $10,000 a month staging homes. She teaches her strategies to other home stagers in the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, which has 900+ Graduates worldwide. Debra is the author of two home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. To learn more visit http://www.stagingdiva.com.

Staging Diva Debra Gould front page story on This Old House Magazine website

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:17:24 -0500

This Old House Magazine's Senior Editor interviewed me for a feature story "House-Selling Secrets of a Home Stager" which will come out in the fall.

But today, they turned it into their front page story for their online magazine. The story includes 22 pages of before and after photos from my various staging projects with explanations of what I did, what staging cost, along with the sales results for the homeowner. Awesome proof that home staging works!

You never know how media interviews will turn out, so I'm very pleased they kept in my key message that home staging is critical to maximizing a home's selling price, especially in a slower market.

I'm also excited they included a link to the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers as I know this will generate more project leads for my network of 800+ Staging Diva Graduates.

This Old House is owned by Time so the editor tells me there's a good chance the story will also be picked up by Time and CNN, which is excellent news for all home stagers.

The more we can spread the word about how critical home staging is when you're trying to sell a house fast and for top dollar the better.

"Who knew that getting rid of family photos and clearing off countertops could help you snag top dollar for your house? These are just two secrets from Debra Gould, founder of Staging Diva. Gould, a professional home stager, has helped scores of homeowners clean up, rearrange, and style their homes to command top price," says This Old House Magazine.

You can see the story on the home page of This Old House today (July 1) at this link (see top left).

You can also go directly to the full story here.

By the way, this photo was taken by Virginia MacDonald, for the magazine. She also shot me with the drill and tulips a few years ago for MoneySense Magazine.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Home Staging expert Debra Gould also known as The Staging Diva is president of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company that is frequently profiled in the media in both the US and Canada. Debra Gould developed The Staging Diva Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging, real estate enhancement businesses.

How many home staging clients will you see in one week?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:55:33 -0500

I used to race around like a mad woman trying to fit 10 homes into a week, always afraid to put a client off who needed me and fearing if I didn't see them right away they'd disappear and find another stager.

Then I realized that if you're good at what you do and in demand, clients will actually wait for you to be available.

This realization allowed me to look at my business in a whole new way and think about what scheduling decisions would serve me too. After all, we're in our own businesses, we should try and set things up in a way that will make us happy too, right?

When I'm booking home staging consultations, I only book one per day. Yes, these are paid consultations, I don't do free estimates.

Somewhere in my second year as a professional home stager (I should have done this much sooner), I made a list of all the things that were driving me crazy about the home staging business and tried to figure out solutions to each.

Right near the top of that list was the sheer panic I felt anticipating the race from one client appointment to the next on the same day when there were so many unknowns:

- how long will the first appointment take?

- will there be time to eat before the next home staging consultation?

- what food can sit in my car for three hours and not make me fat (or lose control of the car) as I gobble it down while rushing to the next house?

- how long will it take in traffic to get to the second client's house?

- how long will the second appointment take?

- will there be enough time in traffic to make it to after school pick up or do I need to arrange childcare?

- when will I figure out what we're eating for dinner and buy it or make it?

Perhaps you've read that we all have blindspots. Things we can't see that maybe others can? Well after lots of pondering and writing in my journal about what was stressing me out, the answer finally came. Suddenly what should have seemed obvious to me but didn't was, "what if I only agree to see one client per day?"

Having one client per day gives me leaway if the appointment goes longer than expected and leaves me time for all the other things we have to do running a business (shopping for clients, going to the bank, paperwork, etc.) and keeping up with home and family demands.

With that one simple change my whole outlook on the staging business changed. I was having more fun, I was calmer and paradoxically my income actually went way up!

How do other home stagers do it? What works for you? Do you have a set policy of how many homes you'll stage or consult on in any given week? Have you tested out whether clients will wait for you if you say you're all booked this week?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager. She is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 800+ Graduates worldwide.

Home stagers: are you on the path to burn out and bankruptcy?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:22:46 -0500

When I ask many real estate agents today about the state of the market and its effect on their income, I often get an earful about tiny, intermittent commission checks and complaints of record breaking gas prices cutting into already bleak profits. Things aren’t great for many in the front lines selling real estate right now.

However, if you’re a home stager, chances are you are building your real estate staging business with the help of the market’s downward spiral. In a buyer’s real estate market, the people prepared to make offers are pickier than ever. Homeowners are desperate to sell. They’re scrambling to find an edge that doesn’t mean dropping their asking price, and that’s great news for home stagers.

More homeowners than ever before are turning to home staging professionals for advice on how to best decorate their homes to stand out before they list with a real estate agent. If you’re one of the lucky stagers enjoying an increase in inquiries because of the market’s decline, you have to keep the fine line between ‘free home staging estimate’ and ‘free home staging advice’ good and clear. Otherwise, you could burn out and bankrupt your business faster than you think.

If you are a home stager, you know what you can expect when you walk into a house to meet with a home seller to provide a home staging estimate.

Not long after being greeted at the door, you’re peppered with questions like:

Do you think I should repaint the bathroom?
What do you think of the rug in the living room?
Should I leave the high chair in the dining room for showings?
Do you think the kitty litter in the washroom will turn off buyers?
Should I put all the junk in this room in the basement?
How much do you think I can get for this furniture in my garage sale?

Of course these are legitimate questions for a home seller to consider. But when they’re asked of a professional home stager, the real goal is to obtain free home staging advice.

Beware of what I call the free estimate trap, it's disguised as a job quote, but it's really a free consultation.

Because you can increase the perceived value of a home from $10,000 to $70,000 by staging it properly, you deserve to be paid (and paid well) for your expertise and advice. Unfortunately, if you’re new to the business of home staging, you might be tempted to visit sellers to provide a free estimate of what it will cost for you to stage their home. If you continue down this road, you should know it almost always leads to burnout and bankruptcy.

If you consider yourself a professional stager, I hope you’re not out there wasting your time (not to mention gas) visiting potential clients to give away free advice. Any serious home seller seeking professional home staging advice will be happy to pay for your services – they know your work will result in a quick sale for top dollar.

It is rarely necessary to visit a home to provide a rough estimate of what it will cost to stage it, especially if it’s already furnished.

If you have any experience at all, you’ll be able to tell from one telephone interview, approximately how long it will take and roughly what staging will cost the seller. However, you have to be confident enough to explain everything thoroughly to someone who has probably never hired a real estate stager before. They need to understand the services you provide and how it will benefit them.

So how do you stop walking right into the free estimate trap and start taking the reins right from the get-go?

You arm yourself with the information you need to enable home sellers to understand your services and realize how much they need you. I’ve recently created a tool called the ‘Staging Diva® Sales Script: How to Avoid the Free Estimate Trap and Turn Homeowners Into Home Staging Customers in One Phone Conversation.’ It’s my script of what I say to a prospective customer to turn them into a buyer before they've ever met me in person. I’ve been using it for five years to build my staging company Six Elements Inc., despite being surrounded by home stagers doing free estimates. I don't do them and never have! This resource teaches home stagers what to say when the caller asks, ‘I’m thinking of having my home staged, what does it cost?’, so they no longer have to fall into that ‘free estimate trap’ in the hopes of winning business.

With the opportunities opening up for you as a home stager in today’s slow real estate market, it’s certainly not the time to give your services away for free. Educate yourself and enjoy the profits waiting for you as you help desperate homeowners sell faster and for more money. Their real estate agents will appreciate it too since you make their selling job so much easier!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 800+ Graduates worldwide. She is the author of:

"Staging Diva Home Staging Consultation Checklist with Room-by-Room Client Planning Forms"

“Staging Diva Ultimate Color Guide: The Easy Way to Pick colors for Home Staging Projects”

“Staging Diva Ultimate Guide: Creating The Perfect Portfolio to Sell Your Home Staging Services”

Must-Have Marketing Tool for Real Estate Agents

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:50:25 -0500

I receive countless emails from real estate agents asking if they should recommend a Home Stager to their clients.

My first question back would be, would you rather spend your time and money promoting a listing that looks like the one at the left, or one that looks like the one on the right. It's the same room after I staged it.

In my opinion, real estate agents are hesitant to utilize the services of professional home stagers for three key reasons:

1. They do not fully understand what a stager does.

2. They feel that they provide adequate advice to their clients regarding improvements needed for the home to sell.

3. They are afraid that by recommending a Home Stager they will be expected to pay for the services.

A professional Home Stager will look at your client's home through the eyes of a highly critical buyer and make recommendations that will create the best first impression for potential buyers. Their services allow a home to stand out from the crowd and that benefits both the seller and real estate agent. It is a clear win-win situation.

If your listings show well it reflects well on your professionalism and helps your clients sell more quickly and for a higher dollar.

Let's be frank. It is your name on the sign on the front lawn, and people driving by notice whether your listings say "SOLD" or whether they sit for a long period of time. It's your reputation on the line. Wouldn't it be nice to be known in your market for always having listings that show well? Other agents will more likely show your listings over others, and clients looking for a listing agent will want to be listed with you.

Turning your listings more quickly results in less hassle and higher profits for you.

I am sure you know what it's like to be stuck with a weak listing. Your clients call you daily wondering why it hasn't sold, when you'll be running another ad or when your next open house is scheduled. This is a huge drain on your time, energy and pocket book!

You know the issue isn't how many ads you run but how bad the house shows. If you have run out of ideas of changes to make, or you simply do not want to discuss other options that you feel might upset your clients, you can have a Home Stager address issues you may not feel comfortable discussing with your clients.

Home Stagers tackle sensitive topics like odor problems, ugly decor, etc. in a diplomatic way. And if the husband and wife can't agree on anything, wouldn't you rather we got in the middle than you? After all, you don't want to jeopardize your listing by taking sides. Home Stagers broach these subjects and consult with your client, and you get a better listing without having to face an uncomfortable conversation with your client.

Home Stagers free your time to focus on what you do best.

Yes you might offer decluttering or repair suggestions, but do you go into the same level of detail that a stager would? And more importantly should that be how you're spending your time when your real money is made getting and turning your listings?

We take over the worry of getting a home showing-ready and on time for your photography and agent open house. Imagine how nice it would be to show up for your open house knowing that all you have to do is open the door and everything else will be perfect!

But who pays for it?

Some agents will pay for a home staging consultation as part of the service they offer homeowners when they get a new listing. However, I don't think homeowners or Home Stagers should necessarily expect real estate agents to pick up the tab for a home staging consultation.

Just because you recommend home staging does not mean you have to pay for it; in the same way you wouldn't be expected to pay for a real estate lawyer or home inspector recommended to a client.

Homeowners who pay for the initial consultation themselves are more receptive to what the Home Stager recommends, unlike homeowners who only have us there because their agent is paying. Often when I do a consultation for homeowners whose agent is paying for my services, they continuously look at their watch hoping I don't go over my time because they have no interest in investing any of their own money in the process. These homeowners are less likely to act on many of my recommendations because they're just "playing along." For them it's free advice so they don't necessarily value it.

Home staging makes a huge difference in the presentation of a home. And for agents this translates into homes that sell more quickly and for higher amounts. It's only common sense that more buyers will be attracted to a fabulously presented home and be more willing to pay more for it.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 800+ Graduates worldwide. Debra offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar.

The Importance of Kid's Rooms in Home Staging

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:59:22 -0500

The goal of home staging is to help prospective buyers fall in love with the home and imagine themselves living there. If you're working on a 3+ bedroom home in a family neighborhood, it's important to show a child's room (even if the current owners are childless).

This inadequate (read: depressing) home office would
work better as a child's room in this three bedroom house.

With minimal furniture and props, I created a girl's bedroom
to help buyers imagine how they can use this small room.

It doesn't take much to "set the stage" for a kid's room. An attractive "bed in the bag" set for the twin bed, a nightstand and lamp, a small chest or dresser and some stuffed animals and kid's books. One or two pieces of appropriate art, and you're done!

The idea here is that when families come through the home, a child will run in and say, "Oh Mommy, can this room be mine?" Don't forget the emotional power of this.

Even if prospective buyers are touring the home without their children, you want to show them at least one room where they can imagine their own child being happy.

If you're wondering what type of art to use in a child's room, I've built a collection for home stagers for children of different ages in the Staging Diva Art Shop Kid's Bedroom Art Gallery.

I've also done the math for you and with a small collection of art for home staging re-rented to your clients, you can make a tidy pr0fit! Learn how you can make almost $4,000 in your first year.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Home Staging expert Debra Gould also known as The Staging Diva is president of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company that is frequently profiled in the media in both the US and Canada. Debra Gould developed The Staging Diva Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging, real estate enhancement businesses. There are now 800 Graduates all over the world following their own dreams of making money while helping others and using their creative talents as home stagers.

House Hunting Is A Lot Like Speed Dating

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:58:20 -0500

House hunting is a lot like "speed dating". You may have heard of this dating craze, whereby singles meet 20 or more potential mates in one evening by having 5 minute dates with each of them. The idea behind the phenomenon is that two people either have chemistry or they don't.

Many of us look for a mate with a logical list of our personal criteria. But when the chemistry and emotional connection are right, who remembers logic? We follow our hearts.

If you've ever been house hunting, you can see the similarities. Your agent will take you to six or more houses in a single afternoon. Within minutes, you'll reject most choosing possibly one or two properties to go back to for a second look.

Home Staging or real estate staging is all about creating the best first impression and paving the way for potential buyers to fall in love.

Creating just the right atmosphere is accomplished in the overall look of your home, but it's also very much in the details. Potential buyers start to form an opinion of your house before they even walk in your front door. It's important to maximize curb appeal, but then you must also carry that same attention to detail right through the rest of the house.

Your goal is to romance potential buyers... you want them to lose their hearts and say, "This is home. We have to have this house!"

Expensive furnishings don't necessarily help sell your home. But, an organized and calm interior can put buyers at ease and help them imagine their own furnishings in the space. The furnishings should also suit the target market of the home. If you're selling a high end home, it shouldn't look like students are tenants in all your rooms. Rent more appropriate furniture if necessary to project the right image.

Many of my clients have the right 'stuff', there's just too much of it and many items can be better used in different rooms. My role is to bring an objective eye to the project and look at every room in a new way. Often my clients are surprised by how much better their home works for them after I've been through it. Three families even decided not to move once I was done!

Despite what some people claim, you need to be aware that there are no official credentials to become a Home Stager. This is a completely unregulated field. When you hire a Home Stager, you trust this person with the "merchandising" of your single biggest financial asset and how well they decorate your home to sell can mean tens of thousands of dollars in your pocket.

Ask your real estate agent or other individuals who have worked with a professional Home Stager to recommend one. And be sure to ask lots of questions about any portfolio photos the stager shows you. Unfortunately, it has become all too common for training programs to provide before and after photos to their students. This enables stagers to pass off a ready-made portfolio as their own work. Be sure you are hiring someone with the experience needed to do the best job staging your home quickly and effectively.

FREE special Report - How to get buyers to fall in love with your home even in a slow real estate market

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 750+ Graduates worldwide. She is the author of “Staging Diva Ultimate Color Guide: The Easy Way to Pick Colors for Home Staging Projects”, and “Staging Diva Ultimate Guide: Creating The Perfect Portfolio to Sell Your Home Staging Services”.

Debra also offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar.

Staging Diva Radio appearance: Why home staging works and why homeowners need home stagers

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:46:17 -0500

Morning show host Dale Johnson has tons of questions for me about what home staging is, why it works, and how to find a home stager.

He knows his radio audience wants to know, but he's also confided to me that he's selling his property and has already used some of my tips from stagingdiva.com to enhance the home's curb appeal.

I'll be interviewed by Dale and you can listen to it live (via streaming audio from the station's website) Friday April 18. The show, Lincoln Live airs at 12:30 PM Central.

Checkout the KFOR 1240 AM Radio website, the link for streaming audio is in the bottom right of the page!

As always I need to walk that fine line between providing useful information to homeowners and educating them about why they really need a home stager and can't do it all themselves the way a professional would.

Let me know what you think by posting comments here.

Why Hire A Professional Home Stager?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:06:16 -0500

Summary:

There are lots of simple things a homeowner can do on their own to decorate their house to sell. However, many homeowners are unsure of where to start.

The process of selling a home can be completely overwhelming, but a Home Stager has the ability to look at a home with a fresh pair of eyes. They view the home as a highly critical buyer would see it.

Why Hire a Professional Home Stager?

There are lots of simple things a homeowner can do on their own to decorate their house to sell. They can get rid of clutter, re-paint, clean or put out fresh flowers. So why hire a Home Stager?

Many homeowners are unsure of what paint colors to choose or where to move the clutter. The process of selling a home can be completely overwhelming. They often lack real estate knowledge about their local market and what homes in their price range should look like.

A Home Stager has the ability to look at a home with a fresh pair of eyes. They view the home as a highly critical buyer would see it.

A professional Home Stager:

1. Knows what's needed to create the right environment quickly and at the lowest cost.

2. Knows what homes in different price ranges look like and what's selling. They will give homeowners suggestions that their real estate agent may be afraid to offer because the agent does not want to risk losing the listing.

3. Is not emotionally attached to any of the homeís contents which means that they can see the home in a way that someone who has been living there for years simply cannot. Using their fresh vision, they recommend the optimal way to re-arrange existing furniture, art and accessories.

4. Can quickly choose new paint colors, flooring, tiles, counter tops or any number of finishes. They have a ready source of painters, cleaners, handymen, off-site storage and a myriad of other services that may be needed on short notice.

5. Brings in replacement furniture, accessories and art if what is there isnít appropriate to the homeís target market or the home is empty.

Home staging is not just for multi-million dollar homes, it can have a dramatic effect on the selling price and days on market of even a modest home.

One home I staged had been on the market for months with a best offer of $350,000. I spent 90 minutes with the owner rearranging the furniture, putting items in storage and telling him what needed to be cleaned.

He sold the following week for $361,000!

How many other legal ways can you think of to invest $600 and get an $11,000 return on your investment the following week?

Interior Design Show (IDS) 08 - Trade Day registration ends today!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:34:09 -0600

If you're looking for suppliers and ideas about design trends and you'll be in the Toronto area Feb. 22, don't miss today's deadline to sign up for the Interior Design Show's Trade Only Day.

You can read more about why I like going every year here.

Go directly to their site to register and learn more here.

I have no affiliation with them, I just thought any home stagers in the area would be interested.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc.

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva, bought decorating and sold 6 of her own homes before becoming a Professional Home Stager. Since that time, she has staged 100s of homes and been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney, CBS and CBC Radio, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, MoneySense, Entrepreneur Magazine, House & Home, Style at Home, National Post, Globe & Mail, and HGTV, CityTV, GlobalTV, CBC TV, LifeChannel among others.

She created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program and has over 700 graduates across the US, Canada and in Australia, New Zealand, Wales, England, Italy, Portugal, The Philippines and South Africa.

Home Staging is a great business in a slowing economy

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:04:19 -0600

Have you been thinking about starting a Home Staging business? With the economy slowing down, you may be wondering if this is a good time to enter the field. You may be worried that home sellers, your potential clients, will not be as willing to spend money on your services.

As a professional Home Stager who also teaches a course on the business of home staging to students around the world, I know this is an excellent time to be in the Home Staging business.

1) The slowing economy means a lot of people's financial situations are changing and they will no longer be able to afford their mortgage. Sellers in this market will quickly realize that when their own home hits the real estate market, it will have a lot of competition. Home Staging is the special ingredient that gets buyers excited about a home. The vast majority of homes are not decorated for sale, so they show poorly. But as more people understand that a staged house helps it stand out from the crowd by appealing to home buyers on an emotional level, they will realize they need to invest in staging if they want to sell quickly and for top dollar.

2) We'll see more and more real estate agents recommending that their clients stage their homes. Again, with so many nice houses available for a good price, agents will see their profits squeezed as prices continue to decline. So, just like homeowners, they will need to do everything possible to make their listings stand out from the crowd. Staging ensures a home puts its best foot forward to buyers. Agents that don't already know the benefits of staging will learn very quickly in this market.

3) Home staging also has the merit of being a low cost business to start and run. You don't have the high overhead that other service or retail businesses may have, and many Home Stagers work from home. Remember, you're going to your client's home, they aren't coming to yours. So don't think you need to spend extra money to perfect your own house before you can become a Home Stager. As long as you project a professional attitude and have an efficient office from which to work, you're set.

4) Home Staging has been recognized as one of the best growth businesses. Entrepreneur Magazine identified home staging as one of the hottest growth businesses. And I'm proud that the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program is the ONLY home staging business opportunity recognized by the magazine for the last three years in all their business start up guides.

If you are a creative individual with an eye for design, you should consider becoming a Home Stager and put your talent to work for you. Home staging is a great career if you choose it. It is one of the most sought out services in the real estate industry today, and the future looks even brighter.

Related Stories:

The Future of Home Staging

6 Mistakes Home Stagers Make that Can Kill Their Business Success

Slow Real Estate markets Benefit Home Stagers

It's only too late to boost your home staging business if you don't start now

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Home staging expert Debra Gould is the only person teaching the business of home staging who combines an MBA in marketing, 20 years experience as an entrepreneur and the proven track record of actually growing a successful home staging business herself from scratch— not as a sideline to a real estate practice, but as a stand alone and profitable home-based business. Debra knows from first-hand experience what it takes to get a home staging business off the ground with a shoe string budget, and she knows how to attract home staging clients as proven by the hundreds of satisfied clients she’s served.

Home Staging Helps Real Estate Investors and Builders Maximize Profits

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:31:09 -0600

When selling your investment property, are you tempted to leave a room or the entire house empty?

Decorating your house to sell, also called Home Staging or Real Estate Staging, will help you sell your investment in record time and get top dollar for your home.

If you have gone through the expensive and time-consuming job of renovating, don't decide to save money when it comes to furnishings and accessories. When you've gone through expensive renovations, suffered with delays or extended beyond your budget, it's difficult to stay motivated to the bitter end. It can be tempting to say, "It's good enough. The paint's dry; let's put it on the market as is!"

This is short sighted and can cost you a bundle!

It's relatively inexpensive to rent anything you need, and these finishing touches help ensure you make the profit you deserve for all those costly repairs.

Imagine it's the Academy Awards. A big star is wearing a fabulous designer gown so she decides she doesn't need to get her hair done. Does everyone talk about the fabulous gown? Of course not, all they can remember is the terrible hair!

Or imagine a fine painting stuck in a dollar store frame. Does the painting have the same appeal as it would if it had been framed by a professional? Conversely, have you ever taken one of your child's paintings and had it framed? What a difference it makes compared to how it looked when it was stuck on the fridge with a magnet.

5 REASONS IT'S A BAD IDEA TO LEAVE ROOMS EMPTY WHEN SHOWING YOUR HOUSE:

1. People don't buy houses, they buy homes.

2. It is difficult to understand how large a room is when there's nothing in it as a reference point.

3. People can't visualize how furniture will fit in an empty space, and if they're unsure, they don't buy.

4. When a room is empty prospective buyers focus on negative details instead of falling in love with the overall space.
Instead of looking at the flow of one room to another, prospective buyers get bogged down in questions like:

Is the drywall smooth?

Will those bumps in the carpet come out?

Why doesn't the closet have a hanging bar?

Why doesn't that molding fit perfectly?

Why is the light switch in the middle of the wall?

5. When a house or even a few rooms are empty prospective buyers can get distracted from paying attention to the house and shift their focus to the home owners. Instead of focusing on whether this is the home for them, they may be busy wondering:

Is this a divorce?

Have they left town?

Are they selling because they have money problems?

This train of thought can then prompt buyers to starting thinking, "maybe I can put in a low ball offer since the seller might be desperate." Definitely not the picture you are trying to paint.

Home staging is about packaging a home to show off its best features and downplay the flaws. You romance the buyer and entice them into making an emotional connection with your house. So, bring in some furnishings and accessories to add character and warmth to the home. Taking the time to do these final details will ultimately translate into a higher return on your investment.

For more information on this topic, read Home Staging an Empty House.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva, bought decorating and sold 6 of her own homes before becoming a Professional Home Stager. Since that time, she has staged 100s of homes and been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney, CBS and CBC Radio, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, MoneySense, Entrepreneur Magazine, House & Home, Style at Home, National Post, Globe & Mail, and HGTV, CityTV, GlobalTV, CBC TV, LifeChannel among others.

She created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program and has over 700 graduates across the US, Canada and in Australia, New Zealand, Wales, England, Italy, Portugal, The Philippines and South Africa.

Help for butcher block counters?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:17:31 -0600

I've got a client with butcher block counter tops that have seen better days.

They're not scratched they just aren't an even tone and they have some rings from coffee cups or salad dressing bottles.

Anyone have any suggestions for how to even out the tone again? I'd like to avoid sanding them. Is there a product to clean them with and then would you oil them and if so, with what?

Any tips welcome!

By the way, in case this helps anyone else... I've successfully painted over ugly laminate counters. Have the painter sand them, apply a high adhesive primer and then paint with melamine paint. Ideally, you'd varnish over the top, but this last step not absolutely necessary.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva ®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is President of Six Elements and creator of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Debra has staged hundreds of homes and has used her expertise to train over 700 home stagers worldwide.

The Future of Home Staging

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:24:43 -0600

Many people ask me where I see the future of home staging, or whether I think it’s a fad that will die out when people will stop decorating their homes to sell quickly and for top dollar.

We’ll eventually get to the point where staging a house is something that you just do when it’s time to sell

Look what happened to “home inspections.” Most people today wouldn’t buy a home without having it inspected first in order to make sure that the roof doesn’t leak, the foundation is solid, the furnace works, etc. There was a time when nobody did home inspections, and now it’s an accepted practice. That’s where home staging is going.

In fact, I’m already seeing that in certain neighborhoods in Toronto. That certainly wasn’t the case five years ago, but there are neighborhoods like Leaside, Riverdale and the Beach, where a good percentage of sellers always stage their homes when they put them on the market. It’s something they know they have to do to stand out or even hold their own with their competition. It’s part of the process of selling a home. That will eventually be the case in most locations, especially major cities.

The future for home staging is very strong

It’s not like the world is suddenly going to say, “Let’s just go back to buying really ugly houses.” That’s not going to happen. Greater numbers of people are becoming increasingly savvy about what a difference design can make, yet they don’t have the time or talent to do it themselves.

You only have to look at prime time television to see that. There was a time when HGTV didn’t exist, but even when it first started, it was a real fringe thing. Only certain kinds of people watched decorating shows, and now everybody watches!

Oprah is always talking about decorating and design. There are home makeover shows on prime time networks and there are thousands of decorating (or “shelter”) magazines, so more and more people are becoming aware of the difference it makes when things look good and they aspire to live the lifestyle they see portrayed.

Besides, as more home sellers hire real estate stagers, others will realize they have to follow the practice otherwise their un-staged homes will look even worse by comparison.

Home Staging Marries the Sexy Topics of Decorating and Making Money in Real Estate

As people continue to look for ways to make money in real estate, home staging becomes part of the equation, so that’s never going away. Home staging marries the two sexy topics of decorating and making money in real estate, and people are always going to be interested in those two topics. I don’t see home staging being something that’s a flash in the pan and then suddenly disappearing. I see it continuing to grow.

Read the rest of The Future of Home Staging.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva ®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Home Staging expert Debra Gould also known as The Staging Diva is president of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company that is frequently profiled in the media in both the US and Canada. Debra Gould developed The Staging Diva Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging, real estate enhancement businesses.

Home Stagers: Did you think like an entrepreneur last year?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:36:33 -0600

An entrepreneur by definition is someone who has decided to take control of his/her future. We often start with nothing more than a good idea and a lot of determination, but are we cut out to run our own business with all that entails? I developed this simple quiz to help new home stagers gauge their ability to think like an entrepreneur.

1. You get a business referral for a project in your area. You know this person has been given your contact information.

Do you:

a) Wait to hear from the potential client and assume they hired someone else if they don’t contact you?

b) Wait a week to contact the person so they won’t think you’re too desperate?

c) Contact them immediately to introduce yourself and express your interest in learning more about their project and how you can help them?

2. You discover there are other competing stagers in your area.

Do you:

a) Assume the market is saturated and give up your dreams?

b) Decide to go into business anyway and charge less than the competition (or give away lots of free services) because you’re just starting out?

c) Research the size of the market and evaluate whether that sounds like enough potential work for you and your competitors? (If you’re a home stager, for example, this would mean researching how many homes are for sale in your area over a year and dividing that by the number of home stagers you can find.)

3. You invest in your own web site. After less than two months, you’ve only had one project or client.

Do you:

a) Decide the Internet is a bad way to promote your business and take down your website?

b) Decide to run a newspaper ad or send flyers door-to-door instead?

c) Evaluate whether your web site has had any traffic. If it has, you try to determine whether there is anything you can do to encourage more of the visitors to actually contact you?

4. You’ve been operating your business for several months but you don’t have as many sales as you’d like.

Do you:

a) Sit at home and wait for the phone to ring?

b) Spend hours discussing your lack of projects and hoping someone will give you the “quick and easy” solution to building your business?

c) Research marketing tactics, business building ideas and strategies for dealing with the “slow times” and take action to change your situation?

I listened to a very interesting teleclass recently. The topic was the shared characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. One of those characteristics was a “sense of urgency around achievement.” In other words, entrepreneurs don’t wait for success to happen. They take action to make it happen, and they treat their business as a main priority not something to get around to sooner or later.

As you might have guessed, you are thinking like an entrepreneur if you answered “c” to all the questions above. Running your own business isn't easy. It takes perseverance when many around you are giving up.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is President of Six Elements and creator of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Debra has staged hundreds of homes and has used her expertise to train over 700 home stagers worldwide.

Staging Diva Teaches Home Staging on new HGTV show

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:25:20 -0600

I just finished an all day shoot for a new HGTV show to air this spring, "The Decorating Adventures of Ambrose Price." He was one of the contestants on the last season of HGTV's Designer SuperStar Challenge.

In one of the 13 episodes of this new show, I take Ambrose under my wing to teach him about how to stage a home. We visited three houses today and I talked through what was done right and what was wrong in each one. All were staged (though it was hard to tell in two of them!).

This January, we'll get together again on camera to have a first look at a home he will stage on his own. I'll be the judge in the last segment of the show and come back to evaluate how well he has applied the principals of home staging.

It was great to visit a couple of "staged" homes to see why they weren't selling.

One had been on the market for 45 days, despite being in a hot market. It screamed "vacant" the minute we walked through the front door despite the attempts to furnish the main floor. There were no proper focal points or cohesion to the design, they set the dining table badly, the house was dirty, the list of mistakes was endless.

I've never been a fan of setting the dining table, though I know some people are. But if you're going to do it, for God sakes make sure all the cutlery is in the right place, put some candles and flowers in the center, and don't put dishes right down on a glass top with no place mats under them. It just looked sad!

In another, they'd done a beautiful job furnishing the living and dining room and then left the rest of the house empty except for a lone desk and broom in a back room and a dirty threadbare towel in the en suite bathroom off the master bedroom! Why bother staging at all? Once you're paying for the truck and the furniture for two rooms, it doesn't cost all that much to finish the rest. I don't believe in staging only a couple of rooms because then all you're doing is emphasizing to people that the home is vacant and that the vendors are probably desperate. When I'm a buyer in that situation, I immediately think "low ball offer." And I know, because I've bought 7 homes in 11 years.

It was great fun today working with Ambrose and the crew. Here we are pictured above after the third house. I'll report back after our next two shooting days in the new year and when I have the schedule for the new show. Apparently each of the 13 episodes will focus on a different aspect of decorating. Our episode is staging of course, other topics include: cake decorating, floral design, interior design. I'm not sure what else.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

She created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program and has almost 700 graduates across the US, Canada and in Australia, New Zealand, Wales, England, Italy, Portugal, The Philippines and South Africa. Discover her secrets to business success in the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program, here's a FREE 90 minute preview.

A home stager in the White House?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:06:35 -0600

Ed Marshall, of Los Angeles, an MD and head of his successful family-run home staging business, began an e-campaign in the second half of November, and is now ready to "appear live" as a candidate for the GOP nomination for President.

He will hold his first press conference announcing his GOP candidacy for president, on Saturday, December 15, at 2PM, at Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park in Los Angeles at the northwest corner of Hazeltine Avenue and Huston Street. Marshall's late entry, unusual candidacy, and interesting and unique stands on issues, will be discussed.

I'm not endorsing this guy, but it is amusing to read that a home stager is gunning for the presidency, and a Republican no less!

So how did a respected and established MD end up running a home staging business?

In the 1980s Ed Marshall and his wife started making money in real estate by building homes and then decorating them to sell or rent. He says the business "has grown nicely, has no debt and is also profitable." He uses this experience as a CEO of his family-run staging business to show his "belief in and support for balanced budgets, without needing loans (which would be much like getting money from taxes in the case of government)."

So how does a home stager decide to be a candidate for the GOP nomination for President?

It seems Ed has been interested in politics since his 20s joining the UCLA Republican Club and later the Young Republicans. In 1995 he wrote, 'Jump-Starting America: The Grass-Roots Revolution' and earlier this year, 'The War No More Book,' which is available free. Although the latter was written anonymously, he says "I decided to own up to it because of my candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination."

Is this good news for home stagers?

I have no idea whether Ed would make a good president. But I do know that when someone in his position mentions that he also runs a successful home staging business, it builds awareness for what we do.

Perhaps he can help communicate the desperate need for home staging in a soft real estate market to the general public! Or at minimum wake up all those real estate agents who still have their heads in the sand on what staging can do to boost their own business! You can check out Marshall's campaign website.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva, has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney, CBS and CBC Radio, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, MoneySense, Entrepreneur Magazine, House & Home, Style at Home, National Post, Globe & Mail, and HGTV, CityTV, GlobalTV, CBC TV, LifeChannel among others. She created the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program and has almost 700 graduates across the US, Canada and in Australia, New Zealand, Wales, England, Italy, Portugal, The Philippines and South Africa. To find a professional home stager, visit the Directory of Home Stagers or use the FREE Home Stager Locator Service.

Starting a business when you're drowning in debt

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:55:43 -0600

It was reported this week that parents are paying upwards of $1200 per ticket to get their kids seats for the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana concert. Many will be running up their credit cards (in the middle of the year's biggest shopping season) to pay for it.

Has the world gone mad? You can imagine what great managers of their personal finances these kids will be when they're old enough for their own ViSA cards!

Personal debt levels in the US and Canada are at all time highs and I continually hear from people who want me to loan them money to take my courses! As if me helping them scrape together $199 will change their world.

Many home stagers who complete the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program make $2,000 to $5,000 on their first project. Not bad for a business that costs next to nothing to get into!

But, does that mean it’s a good idea to start a business when you’re already deep in debt?

I started thinking about this after I was approached by the producer of the W Network TV show Maxed Out. It’s one of those reality shows where a financial expert helps a financially stressed woman understand how she got so deeply in debt and then gives her a plan to get out of it.

I have to admit I don’t have a lot of sympathy for someone who is in debt over extravagant trips, $1200 concert tickets, a luxury car, and a closet full of designer clothes and shoes. So perhaps I was a bit biased when they called.

But back to their concept. Apparently the wife in a couple that’s over $40,000 in debt wants to become a home stager. Maxed Out wanted me to appear on the show to help her learn about running a home staging business.

Although it’s always nice to have media exposure, I refused to participate. I don’t think anyone that’s deep in debt, with no resources behind them, should be starting a business!

You can make tons of money in home staging but it takes a great deal of commitment and follow through to make it happen.

Ken Sater, a Staging Diva graduate in California, just wrote me that he staged 17 homes in his first year with an average fee over $10,000 each!

That might sound attractive to someone swimming in debt, but would such a person have the self-discipline required to get their business to that level of success?

In course 1 of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program, I share my secrets of success as an entrepreneur. One of these includes having a financial safety net. If you can’t keep a roof over your head and food on your table for the next 3 months, then you don’t have the resources needed to allow you to focus on your business growth. Start staging part time while you keep your paying job, or start an aggressive savings plan while you have a regular income.

And for God sakes, stop shopping for items you can live without!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Home staging expert Debra Gould is the only person teaching the business of home staging who combines an MBA in marketing, almost 20 years experience as an entrepreneur and the proven track record of actually growing a successful home staging business herself from scratch— not as a sideline to a real estate practice, but as a stand alone and profitable home-based business. Debra knows from first-hand experience what it takes to get a home staging business off the ground with a shoe string budget, and she knows how to attract home staging clients as proven by the hundreds of satisfied clients she’s served.

Helping your website get found my search engines

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:28:49 -0600

One of the barriers to building a home staging or real estate business is getting found by prospects in your area at the precise time that they need your services. That’s why having an internet presence, and coming up higher in Google and other search engine rankings, are so critical.

I just watched a free video featuring top SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts explaining some of the best ways to help your website get found. This is a complex subject that I’ve taken an excellent course in, but this video certainly hits some of the highlights. For example:

When “spiders/bots” scour the Internet looking for websites, they travel through links. That’s why it’s critical to have links within your site and to have outside sites link to yours.

“High value” links are one of the best ways to boost your search engine ranking. In other words you want high traffic sites (about your topic) to link to you.

Avoid javascript, flash and HTML forms as search engines can’t read them, and your site will be “doomed to failure,” they advise. The Staging Diva site uses none of these for this very reason. “Flash” websites and those that use “Javascript” look great to the human eye, but they’re invisible to search engines. So, if you’re using some kind of template program to build your own site, make sure it doesn’t use these before buying!

Write the site so visitors want to come back. Fresh content, plus how-to information keeps visitors coming back. More traffic means more search engine ranking!

You can watch the SEO video here. Don’t get scared off by the technical terms they use!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

With an MBA in marketing and hundreds of home staging clients, internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, is uniquely qualified to train others how to start and grow a profitable home staging business. There are over 650 Staging Diva Graduates all over the world including in all states (except Wyoming, Alaska and Vermont) and all 10 provinces.

Learn more about how to join the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers which includes a link from the high traffic Staging Diva site back to yours if you have one, or acts as your website if you don't.

Will the future of real estate agents go the way of travel agents?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:17:11 -0600

There was a time when home buyers needed real estate agents to learn what homes were for sale in an area, what they looked like and what the prices were. That time has long past, but you wouldn't know it looking at a lot of real estate agents' online listings!

A US-based National Association of Realtors study found that while only 2 per cent of buyers used the Internet to shop for a house in 1995, that figure rose to 77% by 2005. It's a fair guess that this number has increased signficantly in the last two years. Perhaps close to the Canadian figure of 90% (based on a Canadian Real Estate Association study).

In other words, the power base has shifted significantly (in favor of the consumer) and if I were a real estate agent, I wouldn't be sitting back relying on what's worked in the past. In fact, I'd be thinking nervously about what's happened to the Travel Agency business in the last 15 years.

With 80% or 90% of home buyers searching online for their next home, if I were an agent I'd be making sure my listing photos were top notch. If a listing isn't camera-ready, then it needs the services of a professional home stager to style it properly!

After all, why would a buyer rush to see a listing if they already know it looks bad from the MLS photos?

Since advertising a listing has always been a way to attract home buyers (that's why agents sometimes advertise other people's listings), it's important to realize that home buyers are no longer just looking at an exterior shot and a cute headline to decide whether they'll call.

Bad listing photos of un-staged homes not only lower an agent's ability to get showings for that particular property, they reduce the number of prospects an agent will hear from in general. Without new leads, a real estate agent's business can't grow!

For additional information see "Should real estate agents pay for home staging?" and "Should Real Estate Agents Be Home Stagers?"

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva, has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney, CBS and CBC Radio, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, MoneySense, Entrepreneur Magazine, House & Home, Style at Home, National Post, Globe & Mail, and HGTV, CityTV, GlobalTV, CBC TV, LifeChannel among others. She created the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program and has over 650 graduates across the US, Canada and in Australia, New Zealand, Wales, England, Italy, Portugal, The Philippines and South Africa. To find a professional home stager, visit the Directory of Home Stagers or use the FREE Home Stager Locator Service.

6 Mistakes Home Stagers Make that Can Kill Their Business Success

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:08:56 -0500

There are plenty of ways for home stagers (or any entrepreneur) to sabotage their business growth, but here are the six mistakes I see most often:

Routinely giving homeowners Free Estimates. I call this the Free Estimate Trap.
Not having a proper pricing strategy and thinking the key to getting business is being the cheapest home stager in your market.
Thinking you can't afford to invest in a professional looking business card and/or logo. You can't afford not to, especially in an image business!
Not following up on business leads within one business day. Don't be afraid to follow up and show you're interested. A "hot lead" will cool off pretty fast!
Passing off stock photos as your own home staging portfolio. You'll have a hard time regaining your credibility when you get caught.
Blowing your marketing budget on newspaper ads and door-to-door fliers. At best you'll get a response of one tenth of one percent.

The bottom line is you need to decide whether you want to have a lucrative home staging business or just a creative hobby. If you want a lucrative business, you need to think like an entrepreneur.

If you'd like to add to this list of mistakes to help others avoid them, please send your comments!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva

President, Six Elements Inc.

Internationally recognized home Staging expert Debra Gould has been a published writer on the subject of marketing and how to grow your small business for 20 years.

She has trained over 600 others in the US, Canada, Australia, England, Portugal, Italy, South Africa, Wales and New Zealand to start and grow their own house staging businesses. She brings a unique perspective to training and the business of home staging, based on her experience of growing her own home staging company Six Elements Inc. Home Staging, from scratch (not as a sideline to selling real estate), being a self-supporting entrepreneur since 1989, and having her MBA in Marketing.

Slow real estate markets benefit home stagers

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva (Six Elements Inc.) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:11:31 -0500

I've been hearing from a lot of aspiring and seasoned home stagers worrying that the slow real estate market makes it impossible to build a home staging business. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In a slow real estate market, also called a "buyer's market," prospective home buyers can afford to take their time deciding whether to purchase a particular house. There's little, to none, of that sense of urgency where buyer's feel that if they don't act immediately the house may be snapped up by others that very day.

It's hard not to feel smug as a home buyer when you see the listing has been sitting on the market for 90 or 120 days. There's a rush of power that comes with feeling you're in the driver's seat when you're considering making an offer. And, it's hard not to feel desperate as a home seller when you spend day after day with your life on hold and your agent urging you to take yet another price reduction.

Price reductions cost home owners big money, but they don't change the real estate agent's take home commission by all that much. So, why wouldn't they recommend one? After all, if you price something low enough, someone will buy it! (Agents may want to read more about why it's in their interest to recommend home staging to their clients.)

That's where home stagers come in.

We offer homeowners a financially attractive alternative to endless price reductions.

This doesn't mean we can dress up an overpriced home to sell immediately in a down market. But, if a home is priced right, and it looks better than all the comparable homes for sale, why wouldn't it sell faster, or for more, than the others? It's only common sense.

We offer a way to attract Internet-savvy homebuyers.

With approximately 70% of home buyers looking on the Internet for their next home, the photos have to be stellar. And, let's face it, the unstaged home just isn't photo-perfect. Most are downright ugly at worst, and at best, they have nothing to make them stand out from the hundreds of other alternatives in that price range.

Home buyers shop with logic and buy on emotion.

Home stagers (if they're good) create an environment that prospective buyers will fall in love with. Remember those smug, I-can-afford-to-take-my-time home buyers I mentioned earlier? They won't be so smug when they're in love and worried that their DREAM HOME might disappear to another buyer.

I was interviewed by Les Christie, CNNMoney on why home staging is an essential strategy in selling a home in a slow real estate market, you can read it here.