Getting Organized for Staging

How To Get Organized Before Staging Your Home

I just added an entire section in the HSR Certification training on adding Organization services to your staging business.  We had so much fun doing an advanced webinar on the subject or organizing, I thought I would share the hot tips that I learned.  Jennifer Lake a Kansas City home stager and designer who has years in the organization business before joining HSR generously shared:

• The single best way to market your organization business
• The best way to price for volume business
• The first rooms/spaces you should focus on for the client for maximum transformation
• Key phrases to use while organizing with clients
• How to incorporate organizing into your staging business

When it comes to selling a home, organization is key since it’s the first step to decluttering and starting the packing process.  In fact, many home sellers will have professional organizers come into their homes before the home stager.

Here are My 5 Tips to Getting Organized Before Staging

1.  Have a Plan – Organizing is very “intentional” and purposeful…it doesn’t just  happen on it’s own and in fact, will turn into a huge nightmare if it’s not addressed throughout the home on a yearly basis.  Start with three bins labeled:  1. Keep  2. Goodwill and 3. Craigslist/Consignment.  You will also need two trash bags, one for trash and another for recycling (for magazines, plastic toys, etc…).

2.  Take the Time and Be Honest With Yourself – I always say that successful staging takes a lot of time and energy, and organizing is no different.  Jennifer says that each room/space takes about 4 hours to tackle, so plan ahead and carve out the 4 hours of time to organize each space of your home.  While organizing it’s time to be brutally honest with yourself and ask whether each item is essential.  Particularly when moving, it takes three times longer to unpack and find a home for a non-essential item, so removing unused clutter from your life and home is a gift to yourself.

3.  Label Everything – What’s the point of planning and taking the time to box up those winter sweaters if you don’t label the box and end up forgetting that it’s there?   There is an easy way to create labels, so you always know where everything is and it can be purchased at Amazon:

Epson LabelWorks LW-300 Label Maker (C51CB69010)

4.  Like With Like – The key to successful organizing is putting things that are like one another…together.  Think like a Target store and how they group like items in the same department.  Don’t have your light bulbs across the house from your dimmers and extension chords.  When you’re packing things up, think in terms of rooms and spaces.  A mudroom/laundry room is a great place to put all of your utility items.  Think in terms of “stations” throughout the home.

5.  High Rent vs Low Rent Space – I liked learning about this concept because I teach it in the staging realm in terms of what buyers want to see the most.  In the organizing realm it means that you keep regularly used items in the easiest places to get to them (middle shelves).  Items that are rarely used can go in low rent spaces like the top shelves are very bottom.  If you have too much “stuff” in the low rent space, it may be time to say good bye to it.

The goal of getting organized before staging is to have a home with only essential and beautiful items within it.

It’s important that a home stager knows quite a bit about organizing, so I’m so happy to have this new section within our HSR Certification program and am grateful to the many members who generously share their knowledge daily in Stagers Connect!

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!

1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

Starting a Home Staging Business

Starting a Home Staging Business…

I get this question a lot, “how can I start a home staging business working full time?”  I understand the fear and anxiety that those folks feel because they want to be their own boss, follow their passions and their true talents BUT they need an income…I get it.  Starting a home staging business is not easy!

Here’s a story of someone who was able to go from a full-time management position with guaranteed income to a successful home staging entrepreneur along with her amazing before and after photos…

Hi Audra, Sorry for the delayed response…The good news is that I was super busy working on a couple large staging projects when I received your email.  I struggled with the decision to make my career change for years and I am so happy that I did!
Susan Batka, Professional Home Stager and Redesigner for Aerie Interiors based out of Alpharetta, GA

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

Educational background: Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Career: 17 years in the Medical distribution field.  Most of my time was spent in Management of the Customer Service Team and later the Sales Team, during the interim of those positions, I ran a successful Sales territory.  I was working full time when I started the HSR Certification Program.

Before Staging

How long did it take you to go through the training/business set-up?  Did you feel well prepared after finishing the HSR program?

I completed my training while still working with my former employer.  I took my time going through the materials and refer back to them often.  I felt that HSR prepared me very well to start up and run my own staging company…In fact, I believe that my sales background paired with my HSR training helped me confidently go in and secure my first staging job.

After Staging

It is critical that you go in fearless and confident even if you are shaking in your boots!  My first appointment was with a Real Estate Agent who was looking to sell his 7000 square foot home that he had designed and built!  No pressure there!  He still does not know that he was my first client and that is the way it should be!

Before Staging

How did you begin marketing yourself, what marketing efforts did you find most valuable in your area and why?

I am now just starting to Market my company.  My current clients have found me through my website or from word of mouth.

After Home Staging

How “busy” are you today?

I have had a very busy Spring so far and anticipate it to get busier because my clients have been so excited with the results and have asked me to redesign their new homes!

What (if anything) would you have done differently looking back?

Nothing, I am the happiest and more fulfilled than I could have dreamed of!

Are you glad you decided to go into the staging field?

Yes, very much. I would not change a thing!

Before Staging

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

Believe in yourself, be confident, let your passions be your lauchpad!

After Staging

 That is the beauty of online training versus traditional classroom style learning.  It allows you to “hit the rewind button” and refer back to the online classroom throughout the course of your business!

After Office Redesign

There could be a good month or two between your training and the moment you get your first staging consultation, so being able to go into the online training area and watch the consultation videos again is critical to confidence building!

After Office Redesign

Thanks Susan for sharing!  If you’re thinking of taking the plunge into becoming a home stager, there’s never been a better time to do it!  Here’s a quick video on becoming a stager if you’re interested…

What Agents Really Want

3 Tips on What Agents Want from Home Stagers and a Staging Story

What a lot of home stagers don’t realize is that agents want different things in different real estate markets.  For instance, in a “buyers market” which was 2007-2011 agents just want the property to sell and not sit on the market like their competitions.  In today’s seller’s market, the savvy agent wants to get the best price (and sell quickly) but price is king.  Why?  Because the smart agent knows that if they can be the “high price” leader in their market, then people will give them their listing (instead of their competition).

I love this story told by Lori Murphy who was recently awarded a 2013 Best of Houzz award and nominated for the RESA Rising Star of the Year even though she essentially just completed her HSR training and started her business last year!  At the end of the story, I give my three tips on what agents want right now…

Hi Audra,

He continued to tell me how he wants someone who will give the seller the “bad news” so that he doesn’t have to, because he wants to keep his relationship with the seller.

The stagers they’ve been using seemed to just want the seller to like them.  He said, “I need someone who will explain to sellers “why” and help them understand it is important in preparing the house to sell.  I’d rather postpone putting it on the market by 4 weeks, if when it is listed it’s ready . . . every thing’s done.”

As I sat there listening to him, (he went on for an hour . . . I’ll try not to), I realized something.

At first I shook my head agreeing with him and thinking to myself, “well, of course, that’s what we do” . . . and then it hit me . . . I was trained that way.  But it became suddenly clear that because not every stager in Columbus, Ohio received their certification from the Home Staging Resource . . . . well, let’s just say the advantage I have became crystal clear.

Eventually it did make a little sense, and then a little more, and then came the first staging job . . . .and then it really came together!  lol

Audra, I’m so glad I made the choice to sign up with HSR!  And YOU . . . over the last year and a half, I have never felt that I was in this alone.

Thanks Lori for the story and photos.  Here are three tips for what I think real estate agents want and need right now:

1. Agents want to be listened to and understood – This may seem obvious but too many times the stager is trying to fit the agents needs into their business model rather than coordinating their pricing/services around what the agent needs.
2. Agents need “staging honesty” for them and their clients, so that the house will get “top dollar” – I see a lot of stagers do a “half staging” job  which looks worse than vacant sometimes because the scale is completely wrong.  As stagers, we need to be clear and honest about what the home needs to get the best price.  The agent does not want to be the “low priced” agent, so we need to be ruthless with the seller on what kind of return they can see in a seller’s market if they stage it well.
3. Agents need tools and resources that look great in order to resell our services to their clients – This is where so many home stagers go unnecessarily wrong!  Agents need beautiful looking sales materials to convince their clients that staging is the right thing to do.

Image is everything and that is why I just added a a 6-video and two-hour series about “Blinging Your Brand” in our HSR Member’s area because we have to make agents look good for their clients!

Cheers to all the talented home stager’s out there!  Any more tips you would like to add to this post?

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!

1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

5 Reasons to Start a Staging Business in 2014

What is it that you love to do and are passionate about?  Chances are if you love it, you are truly gifted at it.   Do you get goosebumps when you walk into a book store and head to the interior design section?  Do you anxiously wait for your design magazines to come in the mail or get “geeked up” over organizing your closet?  Do you notice every design detail when you walk into a friends house and then subconsciously rearrange the space in your mind? If you answered “yes” to any of these seemingly absurd questions then you definitely have what I call the “design sickness” and the good news is there’s never been a better time to explore the possibility of creating a business doing it.  There is nothing more exciting then doing what you love and getting paid for it!

Here are five reasons (with statistics) why starting a staging and redesign business is a practical and perfect idea for 2014:

• Home Values Are On The Rise – What a roller coaster it has been but now in almost every area of the country, home values are going up.  What does this mean for stagers?  It means there is value in the sale of the home, so staging becomes a “windfall” of sorts for sellers who really want to get all they can out of selling their most prized possession.  (The median price of a house in the United States is $197,100 which is up over 10% from last year’s median price of $176,800 according to the National Association of Realtors NAR) (According to the National Association of Realtors, almost 20% more home sold over 2012 numbers:  5,160,000 homes in 2013 vs. 4,660,000 in 2012)
• Remodeling Is On The Rise – What happens when people start to take an interest in their homes?  They look for critical expertise from a home stylist, color expert and designer! (In an HGTV Magazine reader poll over 25% of readers underwent a big renovation, like a new kitchen or bath in 2013)  (In a 2013 Houzz survey of over 100,000 people over 53% plan a renovation in the next couple years, think it’s a good time and plan to hire professional help)
• Home Staging Was Specifically Listed As A “Best Career for 2013 and Beyond” – In an article by career guru, Marty Nemko, staging was listed as a best job and fastest growing career for the future. (Link to Article)
• Sellers Are Now Staging Savvy – With the rise of HGTV, Pinterest and Houzz the average seller understands the value of professional, design advice for both living and selling!
• Agents Are Now Staging Savvy – It’s taken home stagers years to educate the real estate industry of the benefits of staging and now home stagers have become a de rigueur part of preparing a home for sale.

The most famous real estate agent of all time, Barbara Corcoran is speaking at our Staging Convention in a couple weeks, so it’s incredibly encouraging to see how our work over the years in educating the public on staging has Barbara as a huge supporter and advocate!

 

Timing is everything and building a business is a luxury but the biggest regret I hear our member stagers say is that they wish they started earlier.

Here are just a few quotes from our members I thought was worth posting to encourage others that a new year, can mean so much to you…or it can pass you by.

7 Staging Tips for Difficult Spaces

7 Staging Tips for Difficult Spaces

One of the critical reasons to stage a vacant home is to give perspective to buyers.  Empty rooms are lifeless question marks in buyer’s eyes, so merchandising the space becomes essential!  Here are seven staging tips I think you will find extremely helpful in your next staging project…

Donna Dazzo of Designed to Appeal, a New York City based staging company was given one of the toughest vacant staging assignments I’ve ever seen, so I just had to share it.  This 3-bedroom, 4,000 square foot loft in Tribeca was on the market three months without an acceptable offer.

The loft sold at FULL asking price 22 days after Donna staged it!

Check it out…

This was the loft space as you walked in the home and as you can see the large columns are distracting and overwhelming.  The space appears dark, lifeless, cold and definitely not easily able to arrange furniture around!

Staging Tip #1 – Create Groupings

Strategically using area rugs, Donna separated the large space into groupings.  A central living and seating area between the columns draws the eye to the seating area and away from the columns.

Entryway/Living Room After 

Staging Tip #2 –Use Reflective Surfaces

The large and well placed mirror brings the eye further into the room immediately while extending the more narrow space. Using a light palette, reflective surfaces and mirrors, the space appears more open, light and inviting.

Here is a view from another angle where you can see how open the space was and how difficult it would be to fit all the represented living spaces in this one great room.

Not only did she fit a living grouping but a dining area off the kitchen as well.

Staging Tip #3 –Use Furniture to Separate the Space

What do you do with a small, seemingly un-useful space off the living area when you’ve already established plenty of seating arrangements?

Separating the space with a bookcase, it becomes an office with a view!

Staging Tip #4 –Proper Scale Needs to Always be Considered

Filled with large, empty space this loft needs properly scaled furnishings to first “fit” between the beams in the living/entry area and now larger pieces to match this large space below.

The cabinets are artfully arranged to add color and symmetry.

Staging Tip #5 –Know Your Buyer Demographic

Staging for Families

Since the buyer demographic for this space was a family, Donna incorporated that lifestyle in her merchandising by turning this cold Den space into a bright, kids play area.

Notice how the brick wall in the vacant space appears to be a detraction while once it’s staged becomes an asset.

“Artful staging can turn even negative architectural elements into positive assets!”

Staging Tip #6 –Use Great Art to Elevate the Space

At this point you’ve probably noticed the amazing artwork that serves to elevate the space and give personality right?  Well Donna cleverly partnered with an art gallery to complete her staging vision.

This bedroom is tricky because all you notice is the long, unsightly heater under the windows.

Second Bedroom Before

Using a highly textured area rug, soft textiles and amazing artwork the space becomes a girls dream bedroom!

Second Bedroom After – Girl

Ready to Become a Successful Home Stager and Redesigner?