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Staging with Cowhide: THE VOTES ARE IN!

Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage Realty FA100041320

November 11, 2011 01:47 AM

Thank you so much for casting your vote this week! Its been a wet and wild ride in the "rain" hearing comments from Hawaii to New York, Canada to Florida. The ActiveRain community has been terrific and I appreciate everyone taking the time to read Staging with Cowhide: Yea or Nay? Being a featured post this week was icing on the cake. I’m thrilled, thanks for that.

My question to the AR Community was this:

"Would you say Cowhide Rugs’ popularity spans across all demographics? Or, have you heard a Buyer react adversely to seeing a home staged with a cowhide rug? "

Without further adieu, here are the results:

* I received 49 total responses on ActiveRain as of 7:30 am MST, Friday, November 11, 2011.

* Of those, I considered 5 as abstaining (no preference, or deferred to a Stager, thank you very much)

· Starting in the West, hands down, YEA for Staging with Cowhides (11 to 5)

· Southwest, YEA (4 to 1)

· Midwest, TIE (2 to 2)

· Northeast, another TIE (4 to 4)

· Southeast, a shout out YEA (6 to 4)

· and, our friend and neighbor, Canada, a YEA (1)

Cowhides Win!

Perhaps the biggest lesson from this survey though, is to know your market. Demographics, cultures, styles, all tell a story as to what might play well in your area. As high-impact as I think they are, cowhide rugs are just ONE out of a zillion examples of how a professional Home Stager can create a dramatic difference when preparing a home to sell.

Its pretty simple. In a Buyers' market, Sellers have to try harder, to look better. Buyers' heads are literally swimming with sensory overload and need to cut to the chase. My job, as a Home Staging expert, is to “stop them in their tracks, so they make an offer”. To me, that means not only neutralizing and de-cluttering (that’s a given), it means adding drama and creating an emotional connection. When the buyer connects emotionally, they’ve made the leap, and want the house. Otherwise, they move along until somebody else’s house grabs them.

That said, in the Massachusetts' market, I'd probably say "nay" to cowhide. J Thanks for the ride!

To All Our Courageous Military Men and Women -

God Bless, and Thank You for Your Service!

Happy Veteran's Day.

Kim Gaston

Front Porch Interiors, LLC

Home Staging/Interior Redesign/Color Consulting

- delighted to stage Colorado Springs, El Paso county and the Front Range communities.

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Deborah Byron Leffler BzyBee Real Estate Lady!

Keller Williams Realty Boise - Nampa, ID

The power of Active Rain is pretty amazing.....and yes in the West cowhide is important to the decor!!

Nov 11, 2011 01:51 AM

Sally Weatherley

EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC

Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Kim - That was a fun survey! I was happy to represent Canada - only one vote, eh?!!! I agree with you, and think it's time to move beyond "safe" staging, and instead to really listen to the demographics of your area. Rather than the blanket response of appealing to everyone, let's focus on the target buyer, and what they would deem cool and memorable.

Nov 11, 2011 03:50 AM

Debbie Gartner

The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY

The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

I'm sorry, but I still disagree w/ you and now even more strongly.

Here is my original comment:"I could see it working in some homes as a neat decorating device but
certainly not for staging where you are trying to appeal to the widest
audience.  These types of materials are extremely polarizing and hence
not smart for staging.  they are taste specific.  <strong>Remember, the goal of
staging s to sell the home, not to feature the decorating</strong>."

We won't even go into accuracy of the survey, but let's just assume for a sec, the ratios are correct.  Why on earth would you knowingly stage a home when you have over 1/3 disagreeing and being offended by it.  Why would you alienate all those buyers and limit the pool?  Why would you have them distracted by this rather than have this focus on the home?

I think you may need to re-examine your role. I'm not a real estate agent, but if I were, I would be pretty angry with this as it would not serve my client well.  I'd think that not only are doing my client a disservice, but you are trying to push your decorating biz.  Agents have a fiduciary responsibility to their client. I would think that your goal would be to help the agent sell the home, and the both the agent and client are your customer.

Nov 11, 2011 04:33 AM

Kathy Streib

Room Service Home Staging - Delray Beach, FL

Home Stager - Palm Beach County,FL -561-914-6224

Kim- I think the point is that we have to know our market. I do think that a real cowhide probably wouldn't work but I could see a faux cowhide in white as you had it in a contemporary setting here.

Nov 11, 2011 05:36 AM

Kim Gaston

RE/MAX Advantage Realty - Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs REALTOR®, CNE (719)661-6987

Hi Deborah - Thank you for your feedback!

Thank you, Sally. Its great to know you share the same mindset about how "staging to sell" has had to change in the last few years.

Debbie - I appreciate each and every person's comment. I'll take yours under advisement.

Nov 11, 2011 08:09 AM

Kim Gaston

RE/MAX Advantage Realty - Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs REALTOR®, CNE (719)661-6987

Kathy - Thanks for following up. Yes, that is a fresh and elegant look.

Nov 11, 2011 08:55 AM

Karen Otto

Home Star Staging - Plano, TX

Plano Home Staging, Dallas Home Staging, www.homes

Hi Kim, I'm late on this blog but have read the post and comments and thank you for taking the time to put this out there! I agree with your informal results.

Target staging is not about appealing to the "widest audience" in all cases and is certainly being used in many markets successfully. Here in Texas cowhides in homes when used properly and purposely are perfectly acceptable and again knowing your demographics and who your TARGET buyer may be is key. What I find odd is that there is such an out cry about the use of a cow hide (which is a recycled part of the animal that was used for food and other products in a home - hamburgers and leather sofas anyone?) but we're perfectly OK with leather sofas, shoes and hand bags....

Bottom line, know your market, define your target and stage accordingly.

Nov 14, 2011 12:05 AM

Kim Gaston

RE/MAX Advantage Realty - Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs REALTOR®, CNE (719)661-6987

Hi Karen - I couldn't agree more. My responsibility to the homeowner and REALTOR is to understand what might trigger their specific buyer to make an offer. Staging has moved onto a smarter, more informed level. Thank you so much for stopping by with your vote of support.

Nov 14, 2011 02:28 AM

Karen Otto

Home Star Staging - Plano, TX

Plano Home Staging, Dallas Home Staging, www.homes

You nailed it Kim when you say "Staging has moved onto a smarter, more informed level."

Nov 14, 2011 02:55 AM

Birgit Anich

Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors, 203.807.4040 - Norwalk, CT

CT Home Stager Fairfield & New Haven County

Kim, great post and topic that you raised here. I have to disagree with the comments that were made that here in the Northeast we can NEVER use hides in staging, sorry Debbie. Staging techniques have evolved and have been taken to the next level. It is all about the target buyers and what they are attracted to. Home owners in our area do buy those hides because they love them, so why should our staging not give the buyers what they are attracted to? After all the goal of staging is to emotionally connect the buyers with that property - it all comes down to understanding your target buyer. I have successfully used hides in my staging designs and the properties here in CT have sold fast after they were many months on the market before we staged them - we staged them with a hide.

Nov 14, 2011 02:10 PM

Anonymous

Matthew Finlason

This is a great post. I had to chime in. We should also debate the appropriateness of leather sofas next. Karen you nailed it.

Our opinions matter little when it comes to deciding any aesthetic or whether or not to use hides, nudes, buddha heads, provocative art and color palettes, or anything that goes beyond neutral. Your demographic target is what must decide upon any aesthetic or creative choice after intense research on the demographic. This represents the Paradigm shift happening in the home staging industry.

Advanced staging will target buyer's with items that will appeal and emotionally connect them with any space… even hides. Appealing to everyone is not nearly as effective as calculating the Buyer's Demographic / Psychographic profile which will reveal creative schematics that appeal to your target buyer. Once you know who will likely purchase a home, the sky is the limit when choosing your furnishings. Of course, all choices must be tethered to your Buyer's Demographic Profile (BDP). Ultimately, the demographic target can change from street to street....so blanket statements like ..."here in the North-East" are generalizations you should avoid. We must make no sweeping statements on what is "appropriate" until the BDP has been filled out by you and the Real Estate team (who by the way respond formidably to this new direction). Avoid anyone telling you what is or is not appropriate for the home staging industry.

Fear of offending is why most home stagers do not produce work that excites many of today's buyers or the design industry. Where once we were to enhance or reveal the bones of the home, we must now step up our game to create the illusion of the lifestyle that buyer's are wishing to invest into. Shifting toward this concept in demographic Target Staging has taken the creative glass ceiling off many home staging companies who have trained with me and are now creating visceral and stunning installations that not only 'Dial in The Buyer', but also have them the talk of the town using hides or items everyone else is afraid to use. In luxury or sophisticated markets we can stage nudes. No longer boxed in by outdated norms, they have also become impassioned by this new outlook on staging for the demographic trusting their own instincts and the BDP. In fact, the staging firms who gross millions in profit do so because they are not limited by generalizations and not afraid to stage risky inventory which becomes a marketing tool in and of itself. The truth is....you can stage anything...so long as it appeals to the likely buyer. This, of course, is challenging the home staging industry to let go of "staging to appeal to the wide majority" and replace it with "target staging to appeal to your demographic". Hides are only the tip of the iceberg let me tell you.

If your demographic profile suggests hides: YEA. If your demographic profile does not suggest hides: NAY. It's all very moot if you ask me.

TIP: Cow Hides are the most effective silhouette when staging small, awkward or triangular spaces. It's a secret weapon for Jedi stagers if the BDP permits.

Nov 14, 2011 03:03 PM

#11

Kim Gaston

RE/MAX Advantage Realty - Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs REALTOR®, CNE (719)661-6987

Hi Karen - I'm so happy to have met you on Active Rain. Thank you for the tremendous support! You're a blessing.

Birgit - Yes! Love it when we're all tracking together. My post today - 'tis the season' - Emotions Sell - discusses how to connect with the buyer emotionally in order to trigger that offer. How does appealing to the masses vs. the target buyer help the homeowner? Great to hear you've had good success with this. Thanks so much for contributing.

OMG!! Matthew Finlason? From HGTV's The Stagers? Wow!!! Okay, sorry had to gush a minute.

Incredibly grateful doesn't begin to describe how much I appreciate your visit. I agree with your viewpoint regarding demographic Target Staging. Understanding the buyers' demographic profile is probably the most logical and critical step in home staging. Wonderful to know you're promoting this within our industry and receiving solid support from the REALTOR side. Kudos to you for educating and re-positioning this niche industry to the public.

I wrote the "Cowhide survey" mainly because I'm bored with neutral and thought buyers might be, as well. I wondered if there might be a few others who agree that staging with high-impact "risky inventory", like hides or whatever stirs your soul, could connect with buyers on an emotional level, prompting a fast and fair market offer. Excellent to hear your design approach.

Now, how can I sign up for that training you mentioned? :) Thank You so much for taking the time to explain your position and shout out your support. Do you have a blog we can subscribe to?

Thanks, too for letting us in on the Jedi tip... makes perfect sense! - Kim

Nov 14, 2011 05:16 PM

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