My house is a weird rancher that had a giant room built on the back of it and a huge dormer on the top. So I have a kitchen and dining room but these two huge rooms. My agent is pricing Professional stagers but I don’t think I want to put out the cash for someone to tell me where to move stuff. If she moved it for me- I might do it LOL. Anywhere I can look on how to stage my house? Would it be too weird to have a fancy dining room table and cabinet in large room towards the back of the house- little out of the way.
They said 500 to 5,000 plus the cost of renting funiture and storage space is extra. Plus my house is priced super low to begin with.

Tags: Dining Room, Dining Room Table, Dormer, Ell, Extra, Ff, Fun, Funiture, Hey, Lol, Profession, Spa, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Storage, Storage Space, Stuf, Stuff, Weird, Wit

Check out several before and after room makeovers from staging professionals across the country. In May, we featured popular room makeovers from real estate professionals. Now, it#8217;s the stagers turn!
They show us how they turned a home#8217;s eyesore into a room that buyers will love. See what they did to transform these less-than-perfect rooms, and [...]

Tags: Ec, Hey, Love, Makeover, Makeovers, Profession, Real Estate, Real Estate Professionals, Room Makeover, Room Makeovers, Stager, Stagers, Staging

a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hr_IDHKlvc0/R0xRgNGROxI/AAAAAAAAAY4/3eBRRcwgh_w/s1600-h/stagingstuck.jpgimg id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137570888636513042 style=FLOAT:left;MARGIN:0px 10px 10px 0px;CURSOR:hand; alt= src=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hr_IDHKlvc0/R0xRgNGROxI/AAAAAAAAAY4/3eBRRcwgh_w/s320/stagingstuck.jpg border=0//aDuring a cold winter’s drive over this past holiday weekend I had a chance to reflect on all that I see going on span style=font-size:85%;(or NOT going on)/span in the home staging industry. As I look at WHO we are and WHERE we are… the more strongI am sure the real estate staging industry is not quite YET ready to handle the BIGGER vision of unity so many in this industry say they want./strong Don’t get me wrong, this is not a BAD thing; this is just an IS thing.br /br /I recently commented in another stager’s blog that I thought home strongstagers could learn from the Realtor community who benefit from working together and learning together as a unified group in the association known as the National Association of Realtors/strong.br /br /strongHaving as an END GOAL within industry to have own NAR like organization/association is an AWESOME goal… which I embrace 100%./strong But, with the “results” and lack of response we are getting to the idea so far, I wonder if maybe we are trying to hard to make this end goal happen. If this IS the case, what can we do? Well, without loosing site of the END GOAL, maybe what is more important is that we define smaller goals and take smaller steps that start moving us to that big associated END GOAL.br /br /Right now there are many thoughts, ideas, concepts and strategies being discussed by a VERY vocal minority. strongBut are the stagers that comprise the industry actions REALLY equal to what the vocal minority are shouting for as the BIG picture?/strong I am not sure sure it is. But, if you think it is, then strongwhy does it feel like we are still stuck?br /br /Why isn’t there this vast tidal force of stagers joining together as a unified association?/strongbr /br /Well, I believe part of the reason strongwe are a bit “stuck” is the fact that our industry is riddled with misunderstanding, distrust, conflicting philosophies, and big egos./strong Plus, it doesn’t help that real estate market is the worst it has been in decades. But even though we are obviously not experiencing ideal conditions, this should NOT stop those of us who are committed to creating something more for ALL in this industry.br /br /So as a loose industry strongwhat can we do to get ourselves tightened up and unstuck?/strong Well, maybe, strongwithout realizing it we are getting ourselves out of this rut by starting with a rock and roll motion… kind of like what one does to get a car unstuck out of a snow bank. /strongI have come to notice an interesting phenomena that happens when someone tries to “rock” this industry forward with an idea or concept. Immediately following a rock forward there tends to be a counter “roll” back by someone else.br /br /Case in point… the group of stagers organized under the banner called a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://www.stageitforward.com/Stage It Forward/a (SIF) currently have scheduled a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://stageitforwardblogazine.blogspot.com/2007/11/stagers-now-you-can-attend-sif-round.htmlover 25 industry RoundTable discussion meetings planned /afor all over the USA and Canada. Even though SIF has rocked forward there are some who feels it is necessary to roll with their own independent roundtable gatherings. This is the rock amp; roll I am talking about that takes place daily in this industry. strongSo while different interpretations of a similar thing will happen, what is more important is who we are as individuals and how we respond to these differences… respectful professionalism is essential!/strongbr /strongFor those on the outside looking in the rock a with a roll response can seem a little negative./strong But like the motion necessary to get a car unstuck out of a snowbank, I am beginning to see how this forward and back (counter) motion is necessary to create the momentum that will get us unstuck so that we can trust in and fully embrace bigger united goals… like creating an NAR for home staging.br /br /strongSo while I have hoped we would already be traveling along in unity… I’ve come to see that the rock amp; and roll motion is not all that bad./strong What is most important is that the home staging industry is in motion and soon to be more unstuck.br /br /Just my thoughts as I rock and roll…br /Mediv class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31544353-6145094710611140323?l=realestaging.blogspot.com’//div

Tags: Aa, Act, Amp, Association Of Realtors, Awe, Big Picture, Blog, Blogger, Blogs, Blogspot, Bord, Border, Bp, Br, Canada, Case In Point, Cold Winter, Current, Decades, Dh, Distrust, Div, Dy, Eb, Ec, Egos, Ell, Ff, Fit, Goals, Google, Hey, Holiday Weekend, Home Staging, Hot, Ideal, Img, Independent, Industry Actions, Jpg, Love, Met, Misunderstanding, Mom, Moving, Nar, National Association Of Realtors, Pg, Pgi, Philosophies, Photo, Photo Id, Pi, Pot, Profession, Real Estate, Real Estate Market, Real Estate Staging, Realtor, Realtors, Reason, Rel Nofollow, S1600, S320, Smaller Steps, Sophie, Spa, Span Style, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Sting, Style Font, Sun, Target, Tidal Force, Unified Group, United, Unity, Vision Of Unity, Vocal Minority, Wit

a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hr_IDHKlvc0/SBkpJ576s3I/AAAAAAAAAng/7NKndKXwCgA/s1600-h/Staging+Bananas.jpgimg id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195228895296271218 style=FLOAT:left;MARGIN:0px 10px 10px 0px;CURSOR:hand; alt= src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hr_IDHKlvc0/SBkpJ576s3I/AAAAAAAAAng/7NKndKXwCgA/s320/Staging+Bananas.jpg border=0//aSo my home selling pets, would you like to pick a house stager but are not sure which in the bunch to hire? Plus does the fact that when you think about it, it seems like there are more and more people becoming Home Stagers almost overnight?br /br /Well, you are right; it can be a tough to know which stager you should work with, especially since staging is still relatively new in most a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hr_IDHKlvc0/SCSwdJ8Sk4I/AAAAAAAAAoA/v0HKOs27Tuk/s1600-h/COR+WINNER.jpgimg id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198473884823884674 style=FLOAT:right;MARGIN:0px 0px 10px 10px;CURSOR:hand; alt= src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hr_IDHKlvc0/SCSwdJ8Sk4I/AAAAAAAAAoA/v0HKOs27Tuk/s320/COR+WINNER.jpg border=0//aparts of the USA. You are also right if you noticed that there are many new bananas rapidly joining the staging bunch.br /br /To make a wise and informed pick, you need to understand that unfortunately a “professional stager” may just be an average green Jane or Joe who just fell out of a training tree. Many are transformed into “professionals” because they sat through a one, two or three day foundation training workshop. That’s it, as little as one day, and WA LA a new staging banana with a title tacked on.br /br /So be wise, home staging credentials that hype “trained,” “certified” or “accredited” can be a bit deceiving… especially considering that it can take as little as one day to be trained and graduated from foundation training programs. This is not to say that there are well qualified real estate stagers who have been professional trained. But remember, above everything, the ripeness of EXPERIENCE trumps all else… even “credentials.br /br /Unfortunately, the home staging industry is an unregulated wild bunch. Because this so… sellers are at risk, especially in this tough selling market. Actually, picking a green stager could cost you some green. So while staging looks mighty tasty, to those of you who are looking for some hope and help, don’t blindly accept the fact that a stager, with a horde of initials after their name, is experienced and fully yet knows what to do to maximize your homes staged appeal.br /br /So how can you pick out a ripe experienced stager? Well, it is not the difficult, if you keep in mind that home staging is an “image” industry.br /br /Considering it is a stager’s job is to create a good first visual impression of home seller’s property, then a good stager needs to do the same for themselves. A good stager knows the importance of and how to present a good visual first impression of their company and their work.br /br /To start to weed out amateurs from the experienced, first consider looking closely at the stager’s portfolio for examples of their work. Also, make sure that you ask the stager if they ACTUALLY staged the properties they show in their portfolio… believe it or not there are some foundation training programs that give green stagers a set of “starter” portfolio photos. Finally if you have any doubts, you can always ask the stager for testimonials from past clients and/or references.br /br /So that’s it, considering its a jungle out there, this is pretty easy. That is all you need to know and do to be a good home selling monkey and pick the ripe stager.br /br /Staging It Forward…br /Mebr /br /br /span style=font-size:85%;span style=color:#ff0000;POST SCRIPT of THANKS:/span Thank you to Rich at the emThe Official Active Rain Blog/em for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. /spana rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://activerain.com/blogsview/496429/-Top-Ten-Ridesspan style=font-size:85%;CLICK HERE/span/aspan style=font-size:85%;: To read The Top 10 Rides in the 89th Carnival of Real Estate./spandiv class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31544353-3321577880597659218?l=realestaging.blogspot.com’//div

Tags: Aa, Act, Amp, Aparts, Banana, Blog, Blogger, Blogs, Blogspot, Bord, Border, Bp, Br, Cor, Credentials, Day Foundation, Dh, Div, Dk, Dy, Eb, Ec, Eco, Ell, Ew, Ff, Fir, First Impression, Foundation Training, Google, Hey, Home Stager, Home Stagers, Home Staging, Horde, Hot, Hype, Image, Img, Initials, Job, Jpg, Mate, New Bananas, People, Pets, Pg, Pgi, Photo, Photo Id, Photos, Pi, Pot, Profession, Real Estate, Real Estate Stagers, Rel Nofollow, Ripeness, Risk, Rope, S1600, S320, Sat, Sk, Spa, Span Style, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Sw, Target, Train, Trumps, Wild Bunch, Wit, Yt

pI have been working with strongbuilders/strong of strongnewly-constructed homes/strong for some time now.nbsp; The houses that are being builtstrong in /strongstrongNassau/strongstrong and /strongstrongSuffolk/strongstrong counties/strong here on strongLong Island /strongare spectacular!nbsp; They have wainscoting on the walls, tongue-n-groove moldings, tray ceilings, spa-like baths, top of the line stainless steel appliances and a myriad of other special features.nbsp; Once completed, the house is only lacking one thing and that is lsquo;personalized appeal’ which is achieved through strongHome Staging/strong.nbsp; This specialized form of staging creates an environment which is specific to the buyer and one where they can identify themselves with the house and actually envision themselves living there!/ppFor decades now, builders have employed a special selling technique in the form of strongModel Homes /strongand have paid large sums to Interior Designers to come in and furnish every room in order to give the house a lsquo;home like’ feel.nbsp; Today’s builders, however, have discovered that the same effect can be achieved through strongHome Staging/strong, but at a fraction of the cost!/ppSome builders prefer to stage only the lsquo;impact rooms’ such as the Entry, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and Great Room (usually combined).nbsp; They would rather rent furniture and have the Stager supply the accessories as opposed to purchasing the furnishings.nbsp; For builders who can recycle the furnishings in their other newly-constructed houses, it is more cost-effective to buy everything and either use it again in another house, or let the home buyer purchase whatever might appeal to them.nbsp; At strongStaged 2 Sell NY/strong, we are adaptable and can either stage all the rooms or a portion of such.nbsp; We always work within the seller’s budget./ppI recently staged just such a strongModel Home/strong in strongHauppauge/strongstrong, /strongstrongNY/strongstrong (/strongstrongSuffolk/strongstrong/strongstrongCounty/strongstrong)/strong for strongForestbrook Homes of St. James.nbsp; /strongThe house is the model for a new community call Horseshoe Estates and is located off strongBlydenburg Road,/strong which isstrong just minutes from the L.I. Expressway/strong.nbsp; This house is ideally located - even the airport is within a few miles!nbsp; This builder creates quality homes and every detail has been attended to.nbsp;/ppIt was the builder’s decision to purchase the furnishings as opposed to renting.nbsp; This was a very wise decision on his part because for less than $10,000, he was able to buy all the furniture and accessories (including area rugs, artwork, window treatments, lamps, and all other props) for those impact rooms AND pay for the strongstaging/strong!nbsp; When I shopped, each piece of furniture and every other item were specifically chosen not only for this house, but also for his other houses, many of which are much larger with substantially higher ceilings; this way he can choose to use everything in another Model or just sell part, or all, with the house./ppI would like to show you photos of each staged room; by the way, I always stage at least one bathroom and it is usually the lsquo;Powder Room’ on the main floor./ppimg title=Staged by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/4/6/0/7/ar122075179970643.jpg height=600 alt=Dining Room Horseshoe Circle Hauppauge NY width=800 style=float:left;/nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;/ppnbsp;img title=Staging by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/5/2/2/ar122075215822565.jpg height=600 alt=Living Room Horseshoe Estates, Hauppauge, NY width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppimg title=Home Staging by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/5/3/1/ar122075224113542.jpg height=600 alt=Kitchen Dining Area Horseshoe Estates Hauppauge NY width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppnbsp;img title=Home Staging by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/3/2/1/2/ar122075232921239.jpg height=600 alt=Great Room of Horseshoe Estates Hauppauge NY width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppnbsp;img title=Home Staging by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/3/2/3/8/ar122075242583237.jpg height=600 alt=Kitchen amp; Great Room Horseshoe Estates Hauppauge NY width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppnbsp;img title=Home Staging by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/5/0/4/ar122075254940508.jpg height=600 alt=Half Bath Horseshoe Estates Hauppauge NY width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppimg title=Home Staging by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/3/6/2/ar122075262026365.jpg height=600 alt=Entry Hall Horseshoe Estates Hauppauge NY width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppThese new houses are being billed as This NEW Luxury Community offers two standing model homes as well as 13 additional places to build your own! Our models feature full brick fronts. 5/6 bedrooms, 3/4.5 baths, 2 car garage,9 ft first floor ceilings, hardwood flooring,custom trim and molding,designer kitchen cabinetry,professional appliances,fireplace,full basement, in-ground sprinklers (front), central alarm, central air conditioning and central vacuum systems. Beautiful paver driveway and walkways! This prestigious Community backs the Hauppauge Hamlet Golf Course! LOW,LOW TAXES of $9996.00! Visit our current model located on lot#9! Directions - Rt 347 East to Mt. Pleasant Rd. South - turns into Blydenburgh Rd. - Entry to complex on Left!nbsp;nbsp;/ppFor more information or a showing, please contact the realtor, strongCatherine Lindstadt of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate of Northport, NY @631-266-6113/strong.nbsp; Catherine and I will be co-hosting strongOpen Houses in September/strong, so please call her for more information./ppstrongpstrongVal Allocco, a certified (HSE), professional Home Stager, is thenbsp;founder amp; ownernbsp;of Staged 2 Sell NY which was established in early 2006 and serves all of Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk Counties) as well as the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.nbsp; She is also the Metro New York Chapter President of ASHSR (American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners)./strong/ppstrongVal has taught Adult Education courses on Staging Your Home To Sell and has also been a featured speaker at numerous Home Selling Seminars on, and around, /strongstrongLong Island/strongstrong.nbsp; She is available for seminars and other real estate related presentations and can be reached at 516-982-2671./strong/ppstrongPlease visit a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://www.staged2sellny.com/www.staged2sellny.com/a for more information and examples of our work./strong/p/strong

Tags: 411, Act, Ads, Air Cond, Amp, Appliances, Ara, Area Rug, Artwork, Baths, Beautiful, Bedrooms, Br, Brick, Bro, Brooklyn, Bs, Budget, Buyer Purchase, Cabinetry, Car Garage, Ceilings, Central Vac, Chi, Construction Houses, Contact, Current, Custo, Dap, Decades, Designers, Dining Area, Dining Room, Direction, Discover, Ec, Education, Ell, Environment, Ew, Express, Ff, Fir, Fireplace, Flooring, Furniture, Groove, Hardwood Floor, Hardwood Flooring, Hauppauge Ny, Hey, Home Buyer, Home Stager, Home Stagers, Home Staging, Hot, Houses, Ideal, Image, Img, Ins, Interior Design, Interior Designer, Interior Designers, Jpg, Kitchen Cabinetry, Lamps, Living Room, Long Island, Lot, Met, Model Home, Models, Mold, Myriad, Nar, Nars, Nassau, Nbsp, Ncl, New Construction, New York Long Island, Nme, Open House, Open Houses, Pg, Photo, Photos, Pi, Piece Of Furniture, Powder Room, Ppi, Ppl, Presentation, Profession, Professional Home Stager, Props, Queen, Quo, Real Estate, Realtor, Rma, Rugs, Rv, Seminars, Spa, Special Features, Stab, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Staging Your Home, Stainless Steel, Stainless Steel Appliances, Sting, Suffolk Counties, Sums, Sw, Target, Top Of The Line, Tray Ceilings, Unity, Window Treatments, Wit, Wood Floor, Wood Flooring, Yc, Yd, Yt

pFor those who are looking to sell a strongVacant/strongor strongNewly Constructed House/strong, here in strongNew York/strong and on strongLong Island/strong, here is some pertinent information regarding strongHome Staging/strong and strongRental furniture/strongnbsp;vs. Purchased home furnishings:/ppWhen I visit a newly constructed or vacant house for the purpose of providing a proposal for staging with rented furniture, I begin by touring the house and taking pictures of the rooms that need to be staged.nbsp; Normally, only the impact rooms (Entry, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and Great Room or Family Room) need to be furnished in order for buyers to see the purpose and potential of each room and have a point of reference as to what size furnishings the room can hold.nbsp; In the case of older houses, however, many times the bedrooms are very small and it is difficult to visualize the size and amount of furniture that the room can hold.nbsp; In those cases, I always suggest that at least the Master Bedroom be staged with a Queen-sized bed and dresser or chest of drawers.nbsp; As you can see in the photo below of a house that I staged in strongOyster Bay, LI,/strong a staged room actually shows larger than if left empty!/ppimg title=Master Bedroom Oyster Bay Cove Long Island before staging by Staged 2 Sell NY src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/7/3/3/5/ar122088468653375.jpg height=600 alt=Master Bedroom before staging in Oyster Bay Cove Long Island New York by Staged 2 Sell New York width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppimg title=After staging by Staged 2 Sell New York amp; Long Island src=http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/3/5/6/2/ar122088511226537.jpg height=600 alt=Oyster Bay Cove, Long Island, Master Bedroom after staging by Staged 2 Sell NY width=800 style=vertical-align:middle;//ppOnce I return to the office, I download the photos and begin planning what each room will require in order to highlight the architecture and focal points of the space.nbsp;nbsp; A lot of care and thought go into this process; not only do I need to choose unique and appropriate furnishings, but I need to be mindful of the cost for each.nbsp; I am able to lsquo;shop’ for the most competitive pricing because I work with all three big rental companies in the tri-state area./ppWhen all the necessary furnishings have been chosen, I present the client with a written proposal which details each piece of furniture and the monthly rental cost per item.nbsp; State tax and Damage Waiver fees are added to the overall monthly fee, as well as a one-time delivery/set up/pick up fee.nbsp; The total monthly cost to rent furniture is usually a bit of a jolt for most clients because they find it hard to believe how all those small lsquo;per item’ monthly rental fees can add up!/ppI realize that the monthly furniture rental fees mightnbsp;have a little bit of ’sticker shock’nbsp;for some people, and that is understandable.nbsp;The good news is that the rental fees are paid on a monthly basis and can be charged to a major credit card. What I ask my clients to take into consideration is what the overall investment will be and then to think about how much the first, or next price reduction on the house will be (not to mention that after the first few weeks on the market, a house becomes ‘market worn’ and will receive fewer showings by other agents)./ppThen I ask them to consider this:nbsp; More than 80% of today’s home buyers start their search online and if the photos depict empty rooms, or even worse show only exterior pictures of a house, chances are that the viewer will move on to the next listing.nbsp; The most memorable houses are those that make an eye-catching impression which entices buyers’ interest. Staged roomsnbsp;help buyers to visualize the true potential ofnbsp;the house.nbsp; When buyers tour the house,nbsp;rooms that are strategically furnishednbsp;help them to connectnbsp;to the home on a personal and emotional level; they will remember thatnbsp;house throughout the home searching process.nbsp; Remember that once a potential buyer has toured a home and has not made the necessary connection to it, you have lost that ‘audience’….they will not come back again because they have already formed a negative opinion./ppThe strongnewly constructed houses/strongnbsp;of today’s market offer all kinds of amenities and quality craftsmanship and yetnbsp;they are difficult to sell…just look at how many there are on strongMLS/strong in strongNassau and/strongstrongSuffolk Counties/strong here on strongLong Island/strong!nbsp;/ppWhen a vacant, newly constructed house is strongstaged/strong, potential buyers are more apt to connect to the home on a more personal level; they can actually envision themselves living there!nbsp; As part of my staging, I always include specific ‘props’ for different rooms, such as an open book with a pair of reading glasses perched on top and strategically placed on a coffee table in the family room…or faux vegetables in a bowl next to an open cookbook in the ‘prep’ area of the kitchen…or annbsp;’interrupted’ game of Scrabble in the den.nbsp; Without being too ‘viewer specific’ (everyone prepares meals, plays games and reads books), I want the buyers to see that this could be ‘their’ room…’their’ HOME! nbsp;It is that connection that will ultimately sell your house!/ppWhen it comes to the strongbuilders/strong, if the idea of spending a few thousand dollars on strongrental furniture/strong does not strike them as a good business investment, I tell them that perhaps they might want to consider doing what some other strongLong Island builders/strong have done, and that is to buy the furniture and then either reuse it in other strongmodels/strong or sell it with the house (quite often the buyer loves the way the room looks and asks if they can purchase some, or all of the furniture).nbsp;nbsp;The overall cost to purchase the furnishings usually works out to be in the same ballpark as 3 months rental fees for the same amount of furniture and accessories./ppstrongVal Allocco, a certified (HSE), professional Home Stager, is thenbsp;founder amp; ownernbsp;of Staged 2 Sell NY which was established in early 2006 and serves all of Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk Counties) as well as the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.nbsp; She is also the Metro New York Chapter President of ASHSR (American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners)./strong/ppstrongVal has taught Adult Education courses on Staging Your Home To Sell and has also been a featured speaker at numerous Home Selling Seminars on, and around, Long Island.nbsp; She is available for seminars and other real estate related presentations and can be reached at 516-982-2671./strong/ppstrongPlease visit a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://www.staged2sellny.com/www.staged2sellny.com/a for more information and examples of our work./strong/p

Tags: 2 Jpg, 3 Jpg, 6 Jpg, Act, Ads, Amp, Arc, Architect, Architecture, Awe, Bb, Bedrooms, Books, Br, Bro, Brooklyn, Bs, Chest Of Drawers, Chi, Coffee, Coffee Table, Conn, Craftsmanship, Credit Card, Damage Waiver, Designers, Dining Room, Dollar, Drawers, Dy, Ec, Eco, Education, Ell, Ew, Ff, Fir, Fn, Focal Point, Furniture, Furniture Rental, Game, Hey, Hock, Home Buyer, Home Furnishings, Home Stager, Home Stagers, Home Staging, Hot, Houses, Image, Image Store, Img, Jpg, Little Bit, Living Room, Long Island, Long Island New York, Lost, Lot, Love, Master Bed, Master Bedroom, Mate, Met, Models, Nar, Nars, Nassau, Nbsp, Ncl, Necessary Furnishings, New York Long Island, Ny Times, Oyster Bay, Oyster Bay Cove, People, Pg, Photo, Photos, Pi, Piece Of Furniture, Plays, Point Of Reference, Pot, Ppi, Presentation, Profession, Professional Home Stager, Proposal, Props, Queen, Queen Bed, Queen Sized Bed, Quo, Reading Glasses, Real Estate, Rental Furniture, Rma, Rv, Sell Your House, Seminars, Shock, Showings, Sk, Spa, Stab, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Staging Your Home, State Tax, Sting, Suffolk Counties, Target, Wings, Wit, Written Proposal

During a cold winter’s drive over this past holiday weekend I had a chance to reflect on all that I see going on (or NOT going on) in the home staging industry. As I look at WHO we are and WHERE we are… the more I am sure the real estate staging industry is not quite YET ready to handle the BIGGER vision of unity so many in this industry say they want. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a BAD thing; this is just an “IS” thing.

I recently commented in another stager’s blog that I thought home stagers could learn from the Realtor community who benefit from working together and learning together as a unified group in the association known as the National Association of Realtors.

Having as an END GOAL within industry to have own NAR like organization/association is an AWESOME goal… which I embrace 100%. But, with the “results” and lack of response we are getting to the idea so far, I wonder if maybe we are trying to hard to make this end goal happen. If this IS the case, what can we do? Well, without loosing site of the END GOAL, maybe what is more important is that we define smaller goals and take smaller steps that start moving us to that big “associated” END GOAL.

Right now there are many thoughts, ideas, concepts and strategies being discussed by a VERY vocal minority. But are the stagers that comprise the industry actions REALLY equal to what the vocal minority are shouting for as the BIG picture? I am not sure sure it is. But, if you think it is, then why does it feel like we are still stuck?

Why isn’t there this vast tidal force of stagers joining together as a unified association?

Well, I believe part of the reason we are a bit “stuck” is the fact that our industry is riddled with misunderstanding, distrust, conflicting philosophies, and big egos. Plus, it doesn’t help that real estate market is the worst it has been in decades. But even though we are obviously not experiencing ideal conditions, this should NOT stop those of us who are committed to creating something more for ALL in this industry.

So as a “loose” industry what can we do to get ourselves tightened up and unstuck? Well, maybe, without realizing it we are getting ourselves out of this rut by starting with a rock and roll motion… kind of like what one does to get a car unstuck out of a snow bank. I have come to notice an interesting phenomena that happens when someone tries to “rock” this industry forward with an idea or concept. Immediately following a rock forward there tends to be a counter “roll” back by someone else.

Case in point… the group of stagers organized under the banner called Stage It Forward (SIF) currently have scheduled over 25 industry RoundTable discussion meetings planned for all over the USA and Canada. Even though SIF has “rocked” forward there are some who feels it is necessary to roll with their own independent roundtable gatherings. This is the rock & roll I am talking about that takes place daily in this industry. So while different interpretations of a similar thing will happen, what is more important is who we are as individuals and how we respond to these differences… respectful professionalism is essential!
For those on the outside looking in the “rock” a with a “roll” response can seem a little negative. But like the motion necessary to get a car unstuck out of a snowbank, I am beginning to see how this forward and back (counter) motion is necessary to create the momentum that will get us unstuck so that we can trust in and fully embrace bigger united goals… like creating an NAR for home staging.

So while I have hoped we would already be traveling along in unity… I’ve come to see that the rock & and roll motion is not all that bad. What is most important is that the home staging industry is in motion and soon to be more unstuck.

Just my thoughts as I rock and roll…
Me

Tags: Aa, Act, Amp, Association Of Realtors, Awe, Big Picture, Blog, Blogger, Blogs, Blogspot, Bord, Border, Bp, Br, Canada, Case In Point, Cold Winter, Current, Decades, Dh, Distrust, Div, Dy, Eb, Ec, Egos, Ell, Ff, Fit, Goals, Hey, Holiday Weekend, Home Stagers, Home Staging, Hot, Ideal, Img, Independent, Industry Actions, Jpg, Met, Misunderstanding, Mom, Moving, Nar, National Association Of Realtors, Pg, Philosophies, Photo, Pi, Pot, Profession, Real Estate, Real Estate Market, Real Estate Staging, Realtor, Realtors, Reason, Rock Roll, S1600, S320, Smaller Steps, Sophie, Spa, Span Style, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Sting, Sun, Target, Tidal Force, Unified Group, United, Unity, Vision Of Unity, Vocal Minority, Wit

“You can rent movies. You can rent an apartment. If you live or work in a street-parking desert, you can even rent a space for your ride. So why not add luxury to that list?” This is what Kyra Kyles wrote the introduction to her cover story in last weeks Red Eye Newspaper.(For those of you that don’t know what a “Red Eye” is… well it is the hip urban free daily newspaper published by the Tribune Corporation here in Chicago.)

The article, entitled “Rent An Image” looked at some of the interesting luxury items that are available to rent in Chicago-land. Well, I have to admit I never considered the props we have available as ubber LUXURY items, like the Austin Martin automobiles and the Prada handbags the article spoke of. But Kyra who interviewed Real Estaging for a side bar story entitled “Go ahead and rent that furniture”,(Click on image on lwft to enlarge) pointed out the fact that props can be rented to help you sell your home for more money(Click on image at left to read it). Besides making homes look more appealing, staging has helped sellers make more money when they RAISED the asking price. as well as help to sell homes faster… and considering “time is money” staging a home should be a considered in this current market.

Most home seller’s think that staging props are rented for use ONLY in and for vacant property sales. Seller’s don’t know that some home stager’s can also rent just the right piece or pieces to finish off the look and appeal of their property as they live there while it on the market. The main advantage of renting is the fact that the seller need not spend the time to shop for decorative items or spend full retail prices to buy those items. The other VERY important advantage of using a stager’s props is the fact that a stager knows to use pieces that are UNDERSTATED. When selling your home, your house needs to be the star, not the stuff in it. Experienced stagers know how to create a “put together look” with out our stuff ending up being a beautiful distraction.

So thanks Red Eye… your unique story angle helps to make another fine point about home staging.

Me

PS: If you would like to see an entire PDF sample of Chicago’s Red Eye Newspaper… CLICK HERE.

Tags: Aa, Act, Ahead, Amp, Apartment, Asking Price, Automobiles, Bb, Beautiful, Blog, Blogger, Blogs, Blogspot, Bord, Border, Bp, Br, Chi, Chic, Chicago Land, Cor, Current, Current Market, Desert, Dh, Div, Ec, Eco, Ell, Ew, Ff, Furniture, Hey, Home Stager, Home Staging, Hot, Image, Img, Jpg, Kyles, Luxury Items, Marti, Money, Movies, Newspa, Pg, Photo, Pi, Pot, Prada Handbags, Props, Red Eye, Retail Prices, Rope, Rv, S1600, S400, Selling Your Home, Sk, Spa, Span Style, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Staging A Home, Sting, Stuf, Stuff, Target, Time Is Money, Tribune Corporation, Uto, Vacant Property, Wit

From when we were just little kids we were taught there is a difference between what is right & wrong and what is good & bad. While these initial lessons of life had to do with basic relationship skills and behaviors, as we got older, we expanded in our awareness of good & bad, right & wrong rules that applied to other parts of our lives. Rules, we grew to understand, helped to guide us in subjects we study, the hobbies we undertake, the sports we play, and the work we do. In short, we gained insight and knowledge that there are proper ways things are to be done if you are going to do them well.

So while learned knowledge is a good thing, we also have discovered that correctly applying that knowledge can prove to be a quite a challenge…which also holds true to home staging. Even though there are those who are knowledgeable and appreciative of staging, some have come to realize it takes skill and ability to properly apply that knowledge. This is one of reasons why the staging industry is on the rise.

BUT, if you are young in your understanding of what staging is, there is something ELSE you need to know about it and the people who present themselves as stagers. Be advised… not everyone that says they know staging or claims they are stagers really can do it. There are far too many people now jumping in to an unregulated industry claiming they KNOW how to stage. Their final staging results unfortunately demonstrate their gross lack of understanding and break basic staging rules. AND I have to admit this really ticks me off!

To make my point, let me give you an example of a problematic staging in the form of a short video called “OOPS Goes the Staging!”(Oh… be sure your speakers are on.)

For the sake of fair disclosure, I want to let you know we here at Real Estaging are VERY familiar with the property featured and critiqued in my video… we actually lost the bid to stage it to whoever did the work in the video. So while some might think I am upset because we lost the job that person… that is just not the case. (Anyone that has been in sales for any length of time knows that is the way it is in sales… “You win some and you loose some.”)

Anyway, the reason I am so ticked-off is because good and proper staging DOES follow certain rules, practices and procedures that when done well and done right will help the property sell. It is upsetting to know that this Chicago developer finally got the message that “staging helps to sell homes” and they were willing to invest hard earned money, only to get a final “staging” that actually works AGAINST their property’s sale. Plus what makes this staging a sadder story is the fact that this was to be the model for a multi-unit property.

Tags: Act, Amp, Asic, Bb, Bid, Blog, Blogger, Blogs, Blogspot, Br, Break, Butt, Chi, Chic, Clutter, Cor, Critique, Disclosure, Discover, Div, Dy, Ec, Ell, Embedded, Ew, Ff, Flash, Hey, Hob, Hobbies, Hock, Home Sellers, Home Staging, Iframe, Img, Initial Lessons, Ins, Insight, Job, Knowledge, Learned Knowledge, Little Kids, Lost, Many People, Met, Money, Oops, People, Pi, Pot, Ppl, Real Estate, Real Estate Staging, Realtor, Realtors, Reason, Relationship, Relationship Skills, Rope, Sage, Sake, Selling Homes, Shock, Sk, Spa, Span Style, Speakers, Sports, Stager, Stagers, Staging, Sw, Unregulated Industry, Wit