Staging Ideas

This is a growing list of staging ideas for what kinds of accessories to shop for that will work with almost every staging job.  If you have any other great accessories you recommend, include it in the comments below with a link, so I can add it to this growing list…thanks!

Realtors Who Stage…

4 Secrets to Success for REALTORS® Who Are Also Home Stagers

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from agents looking for "Realtor Staging Training". I get it, the market is hot and home staging works to get the price the seller is hoping for BUT…not all agents can be stagers. Why?  I’ve found in the over 10 years of training, there’s a formula to agents who have great success selling AND home staging themselves.

Living Room Before Staging

After Staging by Sinatro Real Estate, Staging and Design

I’m going to give you my secrets but also share a true, success story (with before and after photos) from an HSR grad who does both Real Estate and staging very successfully!

1.  They Have the "Staging Sickness”

What is the "Staging Sickness”? The sickness is those folks who have been rearranging their rooms since they were children. That's it.  I've found that the best home stagers ALL have been rearranging their rooms since they were children.  Now if you think that everyone does that, you are VERY wrong.  Trust me, most people never rearranged their rooms as children (my two teenage boys have never done this!)  The point I'm trying to make is this...

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Great home staging is an art form born out of an innate passion for design. You were either born with that passion or not.

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Michael Sinatro of Sinatro Real Estate, Staging and Design out of Hartford, CT has the "sickness". He's not your typical stager as a young, father and husband with a background in selling high-end furnishings and textiles to designers.  Michael decided to quit that job and become a real estate agent who also stages and helps with move-in design which is a unique business model.

Michael and his adorable family

2.  They Know Their Limitations

You cannot be all things to all people. Being a 6-figure agent and a 6-figure home stager are usually two separate jobs, so unless you have the “sickness” outsource the work to someone who does.

In Michaels case, he outsourced the job of being an agent on this project to an agent who was more knowledgeable about the area. He staged the home beautifully but understood that he could not deliver the best to his client on the selling side, and sourced that portion out. By knowing his limitations, he created trust and lifelong clients in the seller and agent he worked with.

Bedroom Before

Bedroom After Sinatro Real Estate, Staging and Design

3. They Take Great Care of Their Relationships

I’ve heard some agents who stage say that other agents will not refer staging business their way because they don’t trust them not to steal their client. Trust is an issue and being trustworthy and recognizing that the agent is your most important client of all (for stagers) is essential to success.

The successful staging agents that I know are constantly referred staging business from other agents because they can A.) Trust them B.) Know they have extreme talent (the “sickness”) and C.) Know that they are qualified…which leads me to the fourth point...

Bathroom Before Staging

Bathroom After Staging by Sinatro

4. They Invest in Their Credentials & Education

Real Estate Agents understand almost better than any other industry the need to constantly educate yourself on your industry. Home Staging Certification when done right should NEVER end! Why? The art of home staging is closely aligned with design and the real estate market which are two constantly changing, evolving industries.

Realtor staging training should involve not only the "how to" but also the business logistics to serving other agents with your staging business.​

When you decide to become a professional home stager you are committing yourself to lifelong learning as an entrepreneur

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Is Staging a Career for You?

What other traits have you seen allow agents who also stage to be successful?

I’m going to give you my secrets but also share a true, success story (with before and after photos) from an HSR grad who does both Real Estate and staging very successfully!

Perfect Business for New Moms

Having just come back from speaking at the Real Estate Staging Convention I have so many, amazing stories to tell about the people who take a leap of faith, follow their design passion (and talent), take our HSR Certification training and are now loving life!  I have tons of photos to share too but I wanted to get this story out which showed home staging to be the perfect business for a new mom.

One such story, I had to share right away was Asha Thune Clarks of Haven Space Designs an Austin, TX based home stager.  I love her story because it shows how she created the perfect business for new moms and so represents what I hear daily from people wondering if they can do this. 

Asha was a new mom when she started the HSR training four years ago and wanted a business that could work around her hours, allow her to contribute to the family finances and still make all the important events in her children’s lives.  That's when she found my training!

Here's Her Inspiring Story and Impressive Portfolio...

One of my very favorite childhood memories was walking into my bedroom and discovering that my mom had surprised me with a beautiful new bedspread. I can still feel the fabric and could pick that particular shade of pink out of a lineup any day. I could not have been more than four years old, but I vividly remember the beauty of my newly, lovingly designed room and how it made me feel: special, loved, and perfectly at peace (as much as a four-year-old recognizes peace).

Throughout the many years that followed, I looked at houses inside and out and loved how the built environment influenced the way I felt. My husband still finds my habit of asking him to slow down as we drive past warmly lit houses at night a bit creepy, but I just love how life happens inside a space that looks and feels beautiful.

When I was around ten, my mom started working for Any Baby Can, an amazing organization that helps families with children with special needs or chronic illnesses. I would tag along on many of her endeavors. One such trip brought us to a small house where we delivered Thanksgiving dinner. I will never forget driving up to the house and once inside, realizing that the dirt floors were not a temporary inconvenience during a remodel or construction; it was the way of life. My heart was changed so strongly that I found myself engaged in as much volunteer work during my high school years as I could find.

When I was accepted into the UT School of Social Work, it seemed fitting; however, I had this nagging voice that wouldn’t let me ignore the dream of creating interior spaces that look and feel beautiful. After all, I was the girl who introduced herself to her would-be college roommate not by saying what my hobbies and interests were but by telling her that our dorm room would be decorated in purple and to please be sure she coordinated her bedding accordingly. Miraculously, she is still one of my most treasured friends.

I completed my graduate degree in Social Work and years went by. I found myself enjoying my career at a local non-profit for several years, but the feeling of “what if I could do what I really love” never went away. When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband encouraged me to take a leap of faith and make a change since we were about to embark on the biggest change of all. I wanted to be sure that whatever I did, I made it official; I started researching Professional Staging Certification programs. I found HSR and began the training.

I was a kid in a candy store going through the modules and learning more not just about how to stage and decorate but how to run my own business.

Before I even completed the training, I had my first client. I was in a total panic and made a couple frantic calls to Audra to get guidance on how to proceed as if I knew what I was doing. HSR gave me tools that helped me move confidently forward. I cannot believe that this journey started almost three years ago. My business has grown steadily, along with my family.

I specialize in Occupied Consultations and also work with design clients who want to improve their living spaces. I also now have a 10-month-old little boy. It is an amazing gift to live near my own mother who helps juggle – I mean watch- the little ones when I meet with clients. I get to plan my work around their needs and never have to miss out on special moments or events. As ridiculous as it sounds, I often find myself driving away from clients’ homes with a smile on my face.

I was recently asked the age-old “if you won the lottery, would you quit the next day” question. Without a doubt, my answer is “No!” I love what I do, I love the people I get to help, I love the realtors I work for who want the best for their clients, and I love that HSR helped turn my life-long daydream into my real-life job.

Woohoo, how cool is that?!

Thank you Asha for sharing your story and talent to encourage others!   This is an amazing industry because of people like you.

If you're reading this and thinking about becoming a home stager and creating your story...then watch my free video about how to become a home stager below...

Could “ Home Staging" be a Career for You?

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Don’t miss this..!!

• 7 Key Questions to Ask Yourself
  
• What the Cost is to Starting this Business
  
• Do You Have the Personality for This Industry?
  
• How You Know If You Have the Design Talent?
  

Watch it Now »

Some More Recent Stories from Home Stagers...

Pursuing Your Passion in 2016

I hear it all the time…”I need to just wait for XXX to happen and then I can pursue my dream of becoming a home stager.”  Sometimes waiting for the stars to align means things never happen for us.  Most of the time we let fear and self-doubt paralyze us from making decisions we know we would love to do.  Will you be finally pursuing your passion in staging for 2016?

Cori Smith of The Humble Abode was in this exact situation last year before she finally took the plunge by pursuing her passion and joined the Home Staging Resource training.

I recently asked her if she would have done anything differently now that she is living and breathing staging and she answered:

The only thing I would have done differently is doing it sooner.  I believe the biggest challenge starting a new business is courage and know how.  I needed a more solid business plan/model. HSR provided the guidance and direction I needed to be a Professional. 

 

So, don’t wait! If you have been rearranging furniture since you were 8, have a love of color and decor and your friends ask you all the time to help them with their house….Its time!!!

Cori graduated from the HSR training in April and hit the ground running with her business and passion!  When I interviewed her originally after she signed up, she told me these prophetic words:

“My background in design and decor has always been a hobby and a passion.  Friends and family have been telling me for years to do something with my gift/talent…I am looking forward to making something that I have ALWAYS done into an official business!“

I followed up with her a couple months ago and asked her how her business was doing and what advice she would give.  Here is her amazing story, wisdom and photos merely 6 months later…

1.  What was your background before starting a home staging business and how did it serve you well in this new endeavor?

My background was primarily in EMS. But, I have always been redesigning, remodeling and staging for friends and family.  I can’t remember a time when people didn’t tell me that I should design and decorate professionally. When I finally took it seriously I searched out Staging accreditation and chose HSR.  It is the best decision I could have made. HSR provided the bones for my business. The plan and direction.  There really is no way I could have done it with out HSR.

Now, thanks to the training that HSR~Audra Slinkey~ provides, my new business is gaining success every day!

2.  How “busy” are you today and why?  Do you have any real estate agent partnerships?

As of July, 2015 I average 1 to 2 consultations (redesign and/or occupied staging) a week, 1 redesign project every 2 weeks and at least 1 vacant staging per month. And my business is growing with a new partnership…the Charleston Dream Team. AND as I was completing a vacant staging project just yesterday, that client called Charleston Home & Design whom they work with frequently and told them to do a piece on my business.  None of this could have happened with out HSR!

3. Wow, that’s a steady stream of business already!  How have you marketed yourself?

Lets just be totally honest here….marketing is NOT my strong point.  I have quite a few friends and acquaintances that are realtor’s. That helped. My first vacant staging as The Humble Abode was basically a charity project (wanted to help a friend sell her vacant listing of 4 months and I knew I could do it!). I pilfered furniture, begged and borrowed and invested in my first acquisition of accessories. Promoted the talents of other friends who are Artisan’s and Craftsman by using their wares to fill the “Crooked House” a 1923 Charleston Single in Historic down town. It would have been easier to just deliver a yummy plate of “Pop By’s” to the nearest Realtor’s office.  The home received an offer with in two weeks of being staged….it wasn’t done up fancy or lux…just felt lived in.  That got folks talking about The Humble Abode.

Now, I use Thumbtack, Porch, Houzz and Face Book for most of my marketing. Mailers don’t seem to work and I haven’t had a great response to email marketing.  In my area it is who you know or who know’s you and refers you.

Get to know your Realtors. Establish relationships, make friends. In this day and age I am finding that people appreciate the face time and that you care about them and their clients.

4. Are you glad you decided to go into the home staging field?  Why or why not?

Yes!!! I was staging before I even knew there was such a thing and I have found my professional niche! I will most likely never do anything else.

5. Any words of wisdom for those just entering into the field?

I just have to THANK YOU again for HSR and the thorough extensive training you provide. I honestly could not have made my passion (or should I say fetish) into a business with out this amazing training!  I recommend that others trust the HSR training and learning process. Give yourself time, confidence comes with experience. Be honest with your clients.  Don’t be afraid to fail~that’s were we learn the most!

Thanks Cori for sharing!  I wish I could post every interview I get that looks very much like Cori’s.  If you have a gift in design, then do yourself a favor and pursue it!

I have never heard any of our HSR Members say they regret following their design passion and getting into the industry…Never!

2016 Pantone Color of the Year Rocks the 80’s

When I saw the 2016 Pantone Color of the Year (which is not a single color but two colors in harmony), I was giddy with excitement!  Why?  Because when was the last time you saw dusty pink (Rose Quartz) and pale blue (Serenity) together?  Yep, you guessed it…the 80’s!

Pantone states that it’s intent in picking two colors was to reflect “connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.”  This is the first time they have ever picked two colors (which I love!)  “Anxious times call for calmer colors,” said Pantone.

The reality is, the last time you saw these two colors side-by-side was over 25 years ago at a time not that much different in “turbulence” and tension than today.

Remember these guys?  You couldn’t get through an episode without seeing our 2016 Pantone Colors on display in garb and interiors.  Crockett is wearing our 2016 Pantone Colors.  Be still my beating heart! But seriously…do you have any of this color combination in your closet or interiors?

No, probably not because I did several searches on Houzz and Google and you don’t see this color combination in interiors anymore.

When you have two prominent paint companies (Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams) choose variations of white as their color of the year, it feels as if Pantone’s made a very bold move.  Not only is it unconventional to pick more than one color (something they have never done), they have specified two colors that have not been seen in unison in 25 years!

It was all over the movie set interiors of the 1980’s…notice the dusty pink couch set and pale blue rug?

The 2016 Pantone color of the year, color combination was everywhere we looked!

I feel like we should have seen this coming since lately we’ve seen increased popularity of certain “elements of the 80’s” in the last couple years.  For instance, who hasn’t purchased brass (anything) and ginger jars in the last year?

What makes me giddy about moving towards the 80’s style is not only am I a product of the 80’s (class of 1989) but my love for interior design (inspired by my mother) was born in that decade.  That decade represents a certain fearlessness when it came to dress, style, interiors, music and culture that has not been seen since.

My mother had designed our living room in the 80’s with pale blue carpet, dusty pink chairs, brass framed photos and standing light fixtures, several ginger jars and of course a large white couch.  Pink and blue were everywhere in our house in the 80’s because it was hot, hot, hot!

It was the decade that celebrated the ridiculous and absurd while ushering in the “preppy” and “yuppy” sub-cultures.  It was truly a decade of diversity in a form that treasured being unique.

It was cool to NOT buy designer.  It was popular for boys to wear pink…or color your hair any color you prefer.

Is Pantone trying to usher in the carefree attitude of the 80’s or merely giving a nod to gender equality?  An even better question is…are we ready for the 80’s?

So…do we hold our breath and wait and see if it catches on or do we embrace it for all it’s worth?

Okay, I couldn’t resist this one…

Personally, I don’t think it looks too bad in this more modern setting…What do you think?

It’s interesting to me that the colors picked by Pantone this year have no relationship with last year’s pick (which many people were not fond of).  It’s almost as if Pantone said, “we better get it right this year and be cutting edge since we kind of blew it last year.”  Whatever their intentions I love to see the changes in design, color and trends…it’s what makes us home stagers and designers super happy!