Home Staging Blog by Jennie Norris

As a professional Home Stager, my job is to help de-clutter spaces and help sellers part with personal things for selling their house.  It's rewarding to see houses de-stressed by my plans and efforts and it's easy when it's "someone else's stuff."

But what about my own house?  And yours?  Could you put your house on the market "as is" or would you have to have a major "come to Jesus" meeting with your spouse or significant other, the kids, and yourself?  I would.

I just get so frustrated sometimes - I think "Am I the only person in my household of 6 that puts anything away, or throws anything away?"  I find the potato chip bag rolled up with a rubber band - and inside are the crumbs no one wants!  Throw it away! Do you really think someone wants chip crumbs?  I purge out the refrigerator because no one else does - and I find all sorts of science experiments in the works - leftovers no one ate while I was gone, and expired food.  Ick.  Throw it away!

I find collections of the oddest things in my kid's rooms - rocks, bottle caps, dirt clods (we have 3 boys and 1 girl). And lately the boys have been venturing to the fields where they are finding shot gun shells and bullet casings.  First of all, I don't live in the country so WHY is someone shooting off a shotgun or gun in this field near our house?

They proudly show me their treasures, and all I praise them - but inside am thinking, "Great, more stuff to have to store."  I know it's a right of passage for kids - they need their treasures and things.  Can I just admit to you here how HARD it is for me to leave their stuff alone?  I will "arrange" things better so that they have SOME space on their desk in their room that was put there for them to do homework or draw - but is so laden down with trading cards, rocks, metal things, and who knows what else, that they end up doing homework in the kitchen! 

One of my sons is already prepared for Fourth of July (and has been ready since about January) and has rigged up one of his plastic trucks with little firecrackers (from my husband) - and it sits, all taped together waiting for that one special day of the year when blowing things up is OK.

My daughter - she is a little better, but a collector none-the-less.  She has at LEAST 45 stuffed animals and dolls lining shelves, cubbies and her bed.  Her dolls are carefully put to "bed" with blankets or a piece of her clothing on them (she is almost 14 now) - and yet she loves her things.  She has little mementos stored all over her room on the surfaces.  At least she makes her bed in the morning.  Most days.

The other day, I was actually doing the bed making rounds for the house and found an entire box full of food in her room!  It was like she was camping out or ready for a "situation" with all the goodies she had stashed up in her room!  When I asked her about it - she said, "Oh yeah! I brought that up when (her friend) came over to spend the night and we were studying.  We wanted snack food."  OK.

Anyway, I sit in my office and seem to move one pile to another - taking stuff off one surface and putting it on another, figuring out what I can throw away and what still needs my attention.  I have "future projects" that I willl get to when I have more time. My office is also our bonus room - with books and videos galore because I gave up my "office" for one of our sons so he could have his own room like the rest of the kids. 

Don't even get me started about my husband's "office" out front in our free standing Casita.  There is so much paperwork and stuff out there - he now is at the dining room table.  He says it's so he can "monitor" the kids while working.  Um - the kids are in school all day - nice try. :-) I love him, but he does not know where to begin to clean up his office, and if I do it, I'll kill him before it's done.  If I had free reign in the place, fine, but I can't take the reasons WHY he wants to hang on to stuff, and we end up arguing rather than sorting, purging, and organizing. 

The other day, he was griping to me about his "lost" drill charger.  I said, "The one that is in the garage in your work bench"  He said it was not there.  After a day of hearing him complain that, "You must have moved it and now it's lost."  I got up.  I walked to our garage.  I opened up the top drawer of his workbench area where his tools are stored - and what do you know!  There it was!  Amazing!  They can't put anything away, and they also can't find anything that is in the logical place!

Outside of the sentimental factor, I have come to the conclusion that some of this "need for stuff" or inability to organize is definitely genetic.  And I "blame" my husband!  (smile).  I am the purger and he is the collector or "don't throw it away yet - I might need it."  His Mom is a collector extraodinaire.  (Although My Dad could give his Mom a run for her money!) She is the hardest breed of all because the stuff she finds and collects is actually worth something!  Antiques, and fabulous semi-precious stones, and cool artifacts, and salvaged architectural pieces from old Chicago houses, etc.  She has the other stuff too - a collection of heart shaped rocks - they are pretty neat, but after 50 years of "finding" them you can imagine they are all over the house.

And I am not totally innocent either.  I have boxes of my children's school papers.  Why am I saving them?  I have some of their more significant things from the years in school, but I am thinking that years from now they will have the "best time going through all their old papers!"  I want them to see writing samples of what their handwriting was at 7 or 8 years old, and be able to look back on old school projects.

Am I INSANE!?  I have 4 children and already have stuffed one large file cabinet of their work, plus 2 bankers boxes in the rafters.  At this rate (our kids are 8-13 years old and we have 10 more years of school to go - these memories will crowd us out of the garage!  Do I put them in storage or will my kids really care?  I don't have anything from my childhood - except a few class photos, some certificates, and awards.  All our "treasures" were boxed up and stored in my grandparent's cottage by the ocean - in a shed - that was not airtight.  Rain, mold and time ate up whatever was in the boxes.

So I think I have "over-compensation syndrome."  I did not have much to look back on (and I am not "scarred" by it - I just think it would have been cool to show our kids some of my work) so I am ensuring my children will - but how much is too much?  In addition to their schoolwork - they have scrapbooks from their early years, photo albums and journals I have kept about their lives.  Yes, I stopped being as diligent about writing about 2 years ago - but I do hit them once in a while and update who they are and some of their milestone accomplishments.  I can see the need to scale back, or this will get out of control.

So - why bother having cupboards and storage areas - when it all ends up out on the floor or on the counters anyway?  Why don't we all just live with everything in reach and in view?  It is the constant battle between de-stressing our house (and our lives) by putting thing away or getting rid of things, and the "practical" side of life.

I do think organization is a learned skill - so my job is to help teach my kids to organize and purge - within reason because I have Staged enough houses to know that when a space is decluttered, the people living there can feel and sense the difference and are less stressed themselves.

I get stressed out with too much stuff around and see the value in professional organizers because just like it's hard to Stage your own house objectively, getting a 3^rd party in to help purge is a great service!  I can organize too - but I have to deal with the "I can't believe you threw away my prized hacky-sack" and a husband that goes dumpster diving to see what else I got rid of.  Sigh.

I do have a solution for that one - load up your car with the hefty bags of items no longer needed (according to you - the expert :))- and drive to a remote dumpster far, far away!  Yes - I HAVE done that.  You know what?  No one asked where the items were.  That is the TRUE test of clutter.  If you don't miss it once it's gone - it wasn't needed in the first place!

I have been absent from the site for a while (did you miss me?) during which time I have been Staging, and also traveling to different cities in the US to train others about Home Staging.  It has been interesting to hear what various markets are experiencing with the tough resale market, and to learn which areas are still doing well.  I have been to Evansville, Raleigh, Atlanta, Tampa, Scottsdale, Portland, San Jose, and Pleasanton.  It has been an interesting way to hear about how the market is impacting our business with first hand glimses into the economy and attitude of entrepreneurs.

From the north, south, east, and west - I hear stories of success and struggles.  And I hear the question - will Staging survive the market downturn?  Estimates of another possible year of adjustment can be scary for those that have tied their coat tails to the real estate industry.

It has been interesting to speak with Stagers that work the various markets where I have been, and hear how their businesses are doing - and what, if anything, they are doing to help adjust to the changing market.  And it has been exciting to see the anticipation light up in the eyes of those just discovering this field as a viable business, (both realtors and Stagers) and the fervor with which they approach building their businesses.  These new people don't know any better and so to them, succeeding in a tough market won't be seen as a challenge - because they don't have anything to compare it to.

On one hand I see there are those that are shutting down business.  I got yet another email from a Stager in my area that is going out of business and pursuing design work instead and wanted to unload her staging inventory.  My immediate thought is "Good - that means more for the rest of us," and she is happy as she is pursuing what she really enjoys which is the design side of business.  I don't pursue that - and can actually refer her business. So it is not a bad thing.  And I don't see it as "she was not able to get business as a Stager, so that means there is no business."  Just because one person chooses to pursue something different does not mean there is a lack of opportunity for me - or you!

I know there are Stagers that are continuing to grow their businesses and remain productive in their regions.  I hear from them as well.

But the question remains:  Do sell offs and closed doors signal a shake down of the Staging industry?  Should we be concerned about business drying up or not having enough to sustain our income needs?

I have two answers for that question.  Yes and No.

The difference is that those in the NO category are out there marketing to their business targets and have not ever stopped that mode of business growth.  Those in the YES side - well, I would bet money that their business has slowed and they stopped actively marketing a while ago, relying instead on their base of business developed over the past year(s).

The moral of the story is: We can never stop marketing because when we do that - we will have a lapse in business as a direct result of our lack of marketing.  If the market is slow where you are - then spread your net wider to capture more business.  Find ways to capture new markets - such as the REO market.  Find ways to engage in Staging that has nothing to do with Selling a house.  We need to carve out new niches in order to sustain income - especially if we are in a market where the resale side of things has gone almost all foreclosure.

There is no shortage of income for us - just a shortage of belief in how to obtain jobs and market share.  Here are some tips for success in a market that is still trying to stabilize:

• Network to find business opportunities - you never know who might lead you to a client or possibly BE a client for you
• Make sure that you are out there at least 3 times a week making contacts
• Re-invent your Staging to fit into a niche market
• Face time is important - do not hide out at home in fear
• Be excited for the new ways you will be able to serve your clients!
• Work your network and ASK for business and referrals

Green Home Staging - again is the buzz for the NAHB and Building Industry groups all over the nation!  We were asked to Stage a Green Home Model for a Home Show - and it turned out great.  The home was a modular home - and all elements were Green from the design to the construction.  It was a unique featured home at the recent Spring Home Show - and We Stage Sacramento was privileged to be part of this new market segment.  Team members Michelle Beste and Diane Cahill did the Staging work.

Here are some photos of the house:

Modular home set up on the grounds of the Home Show . . .

 Living Room

 Kitchen

 Dining Room (notice the "real" fruit  - not faux)

 Master - we hung the panel with a branch affixed to the wall.

Master Bath - the mat in front of the shower was made of rocks.

Staging a house for sale once again disproves the demise of our real estate market!  A house I recently Staged received an over-asking price offer within 24 hours of completing the Staging - and there were other offers that came in as well!

The Sellers are thrilled and so is the Realtor - who was prepared to have the house on the market for up to 60 days - based on current stats.  Instead, he invested in the Staging - made sure the house looked its best BEFORE putting it on the market, and priced it with the highest price per square foot in the area - so did not "give the house away" - and they got an offer right away!

The sellers had about a week's worth of work on their list - provided to them by my detailed Staging Plan, and then we came in and finished off the Staging with final placement of furniture, decor and added pizzazz and "wow" factor with color and accessories. The overall investment for the Staging was under $500.00 and the Return on Staging Investment was HUGE!  The sellers got a sale they wanted, and the neighborhood is abuzz with excitement!  We even saved them money on storage and boxes with our vendor partners!

Our ASP Staging works - We Stage Sacramento is the Regional Staging expert for the entire Sacramento region!

Here is a testimonial from our client:

Hi Jennie,   We just wanted to thank you for the beautiful home we came home to tonight, thanks to your staging!  Every room we went into there was something new....it was like Christmas morning.  My husband, said, "this is the most beautiful home I have ever seen"!!  The kids couldn't wait to get to the next room to see what it looked like!  Our home is very impressive now and we are really impressed with We Stage Sacramento!!  Thank you, again for helping us get our home looking so good!! 

  The living room was used as a game arcade - and featured the football memorabilia of the seller who was a college player . . . it all had to go!

 We turned this room back into a formal living and dining room - using their furniture and our accessories to add color and appeal.

 This was the guest room - which was a "catch all" for the sellers.  They were told to remove the yellow desk and clutter - and get different bedding. 

  We actually flipped over the bedding the seller bought to make it more appealing, added our shams and folded bedding at the base for some contrast, added the artwork and - room was transformed!

Someone sent me this article link and I could NOT believe it when I read it - but it's true!  Although there are those that we could argue should be "shot" for doing a poor job in the decorating, Staging, and design world, this is going to the extreme.  We have blogged about "regulating" the industry based on skills - this is basing it solely on education and passing a test.  Seems there is no happy medium  . . . . yet.

For those that missed the article - I reference a couple of points - and you can link to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120701341410579079.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries and read it online there.

The bottom line is that ASID - that I know has many wonderful designers in it - as a business entity is trying to eliminate competition from those that do not have the initials after their name.  As the article points out, many of the designers out there do not bother to take the 2-day, $2,000 test for a license as it is "meaningless" (and expensive).

I found it most disconcerting that a state had already banned the giving of decorating advice (Alabama) even though it was retracted by the courts.  IF we head this way or have an entity with much $$$ behind it pushing for legislation with the only agenda to drive others out of the market (not encourage a quality standard) that is a frightening thought.

- Jennie

I wanted to take this opportunity to promote the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP) Convention in July in Bellevue, Washington!  We are going back to the roots of Staging - to the Emerald City where Staging began over 35 years ago, and are hosting hundreds of Stagers from across the US and Canada at this event!

There will be featured speakers, breakout sessions, and new services unveiled for the first time for us to use with our clients.  We will have time for networking, and even time for a little shopping!  It is a packed 4 day event that kicks off with a Vendor Expo and culminates with a fabulous Awards Dinner and Auction.

IAHSP was the first association established to guide the Home Staging industry over 8 years ago, and is the only international association in existence.  You do have to be an ASP or ASPM in current standing to attend this convention.

If you have questions go to www.iahsp.com for information on how to register for this event.  You won't want to miss it - it will catapult your business forward and help create more excitement and momentum for you that will carry you through the year!

Hope to see you in Bellevue!

Jennie - Vice President, IAHSP

What is it about a Dog and his ball ?

Our dog, Copper, showed me something last night that made me really think about the word FOCUS.

At about 9 PM last night, my children began to panic as Copper was no where to be found.  "When was the last time you saw him?" I asked - as I had been dutifully working upstairs.  "I saw him run out in the backyard," my son Steven told me, "and he never came back."

I called his name out in the darkness - no response.  Normally he will come running or at least let me know where he is.  Nothing.  No sounds.  No response.  My mind immediately went to the "dark side" of fear thinking, "Oh my gosh - he has been eaten by a wild animal."  Yes - a wild animal that could scale our iron fence and make off with my 22 pound cockapoo.  A wild anumal that lives in the midst of suburbia (although we do back to an open space with a creek, trees, and well - it could happen).

Well - anyway, the mind was leading me astray and I got a flashlight and headed to the back corner. I was sure I would find his little body - either passed out or injured, too weak to get up or respond to my calls.

No - a totally unexpected sight greeted me.  There was my dog at the edge of our pool.  He was frozen in one position.  He was focused.  He was not moving.  He was not barking.  He would not even turn his head.  What was he looking at? His tennis ball that had somehow fallen in the water.

The ball had somehow ended up in the water and he would not leave without it (nevermind that he had 5 others inside - he wanted THIS one).  I noticed then that the area around the pool was wet with his paw prints - and I deduced that he had actually been trying for some time to get his ball OUT of the water.  But lacking long limbs and a tool to scoop the ball up - he was not successful.  But he had tried - he had made the effort, and when that did not work, he did the only thing he could think of - stay focused and get someone to help him. 

It made me pause.  It made me laugh.  It made me think.  He remained fixated on his ball until I got my husband to get the pool scooper thing (don't ask me what the technical name is) and get the ball.  Copper finally came to the house - wet paws and all - and happy because he got what he wanted.  He stayed until he achieved his goal with the help of another - but the goal was achieved.

What if we had that type of single-minded focus of a dog in our work?  That we would stick to it until we achieved what we wanted - worked for - and expected?  I think too many times we get distracted or disbelief creeps in and we give up.

When we can channel our focus to a goal - and stick to it - that is when we succeed.  Whether we eventually have to enlist the support of other people or other tools - staying focused until the goal is achieved is the key. 

What is your tennis ball?  Focus on it - and wait to achieve it. 

With all the shows and media coverage on Staging, it is natural for people to believe that "anyone" can stage. The fact is, that is not true. Anyone can learn to copy basic tips and maybe some ideas, but for true Staging to happen, a trained Stager needs to be involved (whether formal or informal - we are all educated in our field).

When less than 10% of the population has the ability to picture a room in a different way, it is not possible for "every" homeowner or realtor (or friend) to manifest that ability. Staging is not just about putting table cloths out (which actually is a no-no in my book) and adding some greenery. It is about strategic placement that occurs after a house has been depersonalized.

I want to make sure that anyone that is looking to prepare a house for sale actually uses someone that is trained and educated to know what that means. We have had friends, neighbors, even appraisers poke their noses into what we do best and what we've been trained to do - and I am amazed at some of the "advice" our clients hear.

Case in point - a family I know just put their house on the market using a Realtor that is not an area specialist. House is not "professionally" Staged - and I can tell because they have a narrow front window by their door where jumbles of jackets hang, greeting a buyer with a messy display of home familiarity - familiarity that should be removed, packed or put away. The photos of the house show cleaned surfaces and pleasant arrangements, so someone put on their "Stager hat" to get rooms ready for buyers, but I still see too many personal items, and odd arrangements of furniture.

When I teach classes I have Realtors and Stagers in the classroom. I make sure the Realtors that like to "dabble" in Staging know that their job is really to sell a house or find a buyer to work with - and if they really enjoy the Staging side, they need to ask themselves if taking all that time to Stage a house is really what pays them money, or is it getting a new buyer or listing?

The analogy I give is that their "staging" would be like me getting my real estate license and listing houses at 0.5% because it's "fun." How would that honor my relationships with my Realtors, or allow me to actually serve my "clients" - because my true joy is in Staging.

So - what hat are you wearing? And is it a Natural Fit?

• If you are a seller, let an expert give you objective advice on the sale of your house.
  
• If you are a Realtor, your income comes from listing and selling houses, not Staging.
  
• As a Stager, bring me in to help you both achieve your goals.

Check out this latest We Stage Sacramento Staging SUCCESS Story! 

We were contacted to Stage a very dated 1970's house in the area, that was full of wood - flooring, paneling, huge wood bar, etc.  The sellers had done some updating and remodeling through the years - mostly in the Master bath.  The house had a great floorplan for entertaining, and a wonderful location with a golf course and cul-de-sac location.  We worked our magic - and the house SOLD the first week it was on the market! 

The best news . . . the buyers are having us Stage their house they are selling - AND we picked up another job from this listing - a house in the neighborhood that has been languishing Vacant on the market since January!

Here are some before/after sets for you to enjoy! 

Dated carpeting - and HUGE Living Room with very high ceilings. 

Solution:  Nice grouping of full-size furniture with console table on wood paneling to help "soften" the wood - and still have a pathway to the backyard.

Huge wood bar and "area" that was sort of undefined.

Staged the bar with decor and furnishings, and put a grouping of furniture in "undefined" area - to make it a useful sitting area.

This is the formal dining room - that is very open and is part of the pathway from the front door to the kitchen.

Area rug to help anchor the space, formal table and artwork on the long wall to add color.

Throughout the house, we used greenery (trees, etc.) to help soften the amount of wood.

When you want Staging done right - contact the experts at We Stage Sacramento - Sacramento's FIRST and Premier Home Staging Company serving the entire region including Placer, El Dorado and Sacramento Counties. 888-WE-STAGE www.WeStageSacramento.com

Well - that was my weak version of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" - which is a great song and I am deciding between that one and "I'm Still Standing" as my team mantra for this quarter! 

I have been receiving quite a few emails from Stagers in various areas - not just my region - that are going "out of business."  We are getting emails to buy up inventory, as these Stagers decide to pack up, cut their losses and move on.  This can lead to some pretty good deals for those that are sticking around. . . but it makes me wonder about the WHY.  Was their dream not big enough?  Did they expect success too soon and not have a plan for beyond 1-2 years?

And I say - with sincerity - good riddance.  Some of these Stagers I really liked - so it's nothing personal.  It's just that when the going gets tough, the not-so-tough pack up and leave.  And that leaves the tough to ride out the market and make more money.  I am OK with that.

I do feel sorry for some of them - some that over-invested too soon, to the tune of I have to say about $100K - without the business to support it - I just cringe inside.  I KNOW they were not taught that in any course they took - but impulse takes over and in anticipation of the big bucks they would earn - they bought and spent and got things like a truck, t-shirts, storage, furniture, and a ton of accessories - placed an ad on TV - and did not have a job yet!  What?  What were they thinking?  It took me 2 years before I did anything exhorbitant like that!

For others that got injured on the job - I know mostly it was because they undercut their competition, did not have enough help on jobs, and strained their backs or ruptured discs.  On one hand I want to say, "I'm really sorry about your back," and under my breath I am saying, "Serves you right - Cheapo!"  Does that make me mean?  These are the same Stagers that "beat" our price for Staging or maybe they beat your price if they are in your market.  I want to empathize, but I am sort of secretly happy they are leaving.  It makes my job a lot easier when I don't have to account for the cheapos in the market.  Forgive me - but maybe those of you that are in an honest mood will fess up to your secret glee streak too! :-)

And I am not a mean person - so I don't know where these thoughts come from except to think that "what comes around goes around" - and a person cannot continue to operate at a loss and stay in business, or operate a business without help - and not get injured.  Those are 2 truths that are part of Staging.

So - another one bites the dust . . . I think we will see a steady shake-down of the Staging industry with the demise of the real estate market - unless Stagers are able to reinvent themselves and find another niche market.  Those that have developed relationships and have set up their business for success with proper pricing, will stick around.  If we are not in this for the long haul, we will be singing that familiar tune . . . "Dant, Dant, Dant . . . " For the rest of us - hunker down, smile, and stick with the long-term plan we started with!

- Jennie