Industry VP Connected the Dot... Now I'm Gonna Paint the Picture

Recently I read an interesting post by Jennie Norris, a Vice President at stagedhomes.com. In her blog Jennie “connected” with what I see as one of the important yet troublesome industry "dots" that other stagers in others markets have experienced.

Jennie wrote an expose' on what she felt were wrongful pricing strategies taking place. Her (members only) post on Stage It Forward, entitled, “Get off your back and on your feet - and walk out of the red-light district!” describes her frustrations with the low ball fees other stagers are charging for their services. Jennie writes "When are we going to stop giving it away - and realize the VALUE of what we bring to the table? And if you are out there undercharging because you think it's the only way you can get business - for shame! Take another look at what your market will bear - and don't leave money on the table!"

While low ball pricing may be a new issue for Jennie in Sacramento, it is NOT new to other stagers in other markets across the country... including me. AND you might be surprised to know that I believe that while lowball pricing is occurring, it is NOT the biggest issue facing us. WHY lowball pricing is occurring is a bigger issue that I want to address here in this post.

So the BIGGER picture and facts as I see them are…

• FACT: It is very EASY and FAST for someone to become a home stager. NO formal training is required. (I happen to be this type of stager.)
• FACT: Because foundation training programs have made it SO easy and fast (from 1 day to 1 month) to become a trained certified/accredited stager, there is NOW and continues to be a glut of graduates empowered as a "professional" stagers entering the market place. In some markets there are more then it can bare. Of course the larger the market the greater the probability a stager WILL compete with a fellow graduate from the same foundation course they took, as well as a graduate some other training courses.
• FACT: The home seller/consumer has NO idea what good staging is or is NOT. Our industry has created NO way do differentiate/compare common types of service or FEES for those services we provide. (Even the auto industry has common TYPES of cars: Compact, Economy, Midsize, SUV etc...)
• FACT: When starting a new staging business there are those who are hungry for business and WILL undercut the "going" rates in order to get some work under their belts. A new stager's "pay" could be the opportunity to capture amazing after photos for their portfolio. (Heck, I did this when I started.)
• FACT: The home seller/consumer market has NO idea what staging costs. What a home seller believes staging costs is often based on a unrealistic understanding... that comes directly from TV shows like Designed to Sell. Shows like this NEVER take into account the LABOR fees to pay the host, Lisa LaPorte. or her team of staging laborers.
• FACT: The real estate market is extremely slow... and in some markets totally stalled. Because it is so slow, sellers are VERY cautious about spending their hard earned money on staging as for MANY, staging is an unproven risky venture. So for them the cheaper the better.

So, where this industry is at is the result of MANY players and circumstances working in tandem and unfolding over time. Companies, organizations and individuals must step up and work together and do their parts to create solutions… instead of trying to undo and undermine any attempt at building this industry. BUT, while some are not doing all they can, we still are making progress… one fine example of a company working to improve the home staging industry is Brook Furniture Rental. Brook's sponsorship of 2 of 27 national Stage It Forward RoundTables and their formation of a Home Staging Advisory Panel is a HUGE step and huge commitment to all in this industry.

Getting back to what can be done... First, all members of the home staging industry must realize this industry is no longer made up of 1,2 or 3 players... it is made up of 1000's... stagers, vendors, and trainers. The Stage It Forward (SIF) Group on AR and now SIF RoundTables are a START in the breaking down of the barriers between those individuals and companies that for whatever reason try/wanted to operate in a protectionist bubble.

RESA has been trying, (with limited success) to get foundation training programs to work together. The public needs a way to KNOW what a TRAINED STAGER is and how the consumer can differentiate a formally trained stager from a "yesterday I aren’t one today I is one" stager.

The 27 Stage It Forward RoundTables taking place across North America are tackling bigger issues that touch all stagers regardless of where they were trained, what market they are in, who there competition is, or how big/little old/new their staging company is. Those that try to ban, thwart or scare people away from the possibilities the meetings hold only help to keeps us all stuck.

The SIF Quartley Qwick Staging Stats (QSTAT's) WILL help to begin to address some of the issues above. Stagers who get jobs will know what average rate for staging is for a DEFINED type of staging in that market. Currently, how a stager ultimately chooses to PRICE their services is totally up to them. BUT with QSTAT's bench mark price ranges could be communicated. The competing stager's who presented THEIR solutions would have NATIONAL, STATE and LOCAL data that can be presented to the consumer to EDUCATE them to make an informed decision. You might say the staging playing field would be level.

There is so much more I can write about that will help begin to paint the masterpiece of a industry so many of us see and believe in. But for now... this seems to be enough.

Sorry this was so lengthy...
Me

ROCK & ROLL: "Where It's At" for the Home Staging Industry

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

Will Home Stager's Statistics Bust Your NUTS?

By now you have all read the glowing stories and/or watched the captivating HGTV shows that triumphantly boast: "SOLD in one day after home staging!" "Multiple offerings after home staging!" "SOLD at first open house right after staging!" Yet even after all these great staging experiences have been reported in mainstream media, there still is apprehension by Home Sellers and the Realtor community to tap in to and use staging solutions that help sell homes… especially in this slower market.

Now don't get me wrong, there are those of you who have been "early adaptors" of home staging services. But in general, Stagers still experience quite a bit of resistance and reluctance by both Realtors and Sellers alike. Stagers have learned that their nut of concern, which needs be busted into, is the fact that there are no national, independent and verifiable statistics that back up claims of staging effectiveness.

While some individual stagers do keep their own personal statistic, there are NO comprehensive and consistently tracked national data to back stagers up. So, unfortunately. all we end up having too offer, are the tales of all the wonderful experience our clients have had… but this never seems to be enough. Our clients are asking for and need more data.

Up until now, the primary reason there are no NATIONAL real estate staging statistics is due to the fact that within the home staging industry there has been no autonomous body independent of the competitive foundation training organizations to capture statistical data . But this is all going to change... thanks in part to a group of stagers of Stage It Forward and their new Quarterly Qwik Staging Stats program.

Stage It Forward (SIF), an independent group of over 1200 stagers, are now going to regularly track staging stats. Once gathered and tabulated, the home staging industry will finally and continually collect the data needed to convince home sellers and Realtors that staging is an effective marketing strategy on both the national and state levels.

Besides finally having statistics, there is another benefit to SIF stagers joining together… that benefit is it starts industry standardization! Just as there are different types of automobiles (sub-compact, economy, intermediate etc...), most Realtors and Home Sellers do not realize that there are actually 5 different “types” of home staging. Being able to track statistical effectiveness about each staging type will help Realtors and sellers understand and choose from the best staging solution.

Additional benefits from standardizing staging industry data include:

• Real estate market fluctuations as they relate to staging will be captured and reported.
• State and national statistics will be compiled.
• Standard fee ranges for standardized service types will be reported.
• SIF’s Data gathering process will create an audit trail.

SIF realize there is MORE that needs to be done, but this definitely is a good start. SIF has stated over and over that it is best that our industry CRAWLS before it walks applying slow and steady pressure will surly help the industry bust open the statistic nut.

Staging It Forward...
Me

Ranting & Raving... I Guess it WILL get you Top Blogging Awards!

Well... September was a good month for Home Staging Rants & Ravings.

We are very pleased and honored to announce that this site was ranked in the TOP 100 Real Estate Blog Sites by International Listings.

International Listings is "the premier listing service for luxury homes world wide." WOW ! We are honored to be recognized by such a noted real estate site.

With the thousands of real estate blogs out there I know it took International Listings quite a while to scoure the web to find the best of the best. They then group the blogs in one of the following categories for their TOP 100 BLOGS: Appraisals, Entertainment, Green Ideas, Home buyers, Home Improvement, Doom & Boom, Investing, Marketing, Mortgage Brokers, News, Niche Markets, Technology and the Title Industry. (This blog can was categorized in the Niche Marketing catigory.)

So thank you for the TOP 100 AWARD!

The honor is insprirational... so keep watching. We plan on writing more compelling blogs and being a powerful voice for home staging and the home staging industry in the future.

Stage It Forward...

Me

Home Stagers... Isn't it Time You Became a B.A.S.T.R.D. ARSE Like Me?

To my fellow home stagers... I did not want to make too big of a stink about this, but I am delighted to announce yet another staging training & certification course than is now becoming available to you.
While I know many of you all already are well trained staging professionals and have worked hard at applying the foundational basics in the art and business of home staging, I also know many of you still feel a bit inadequate and under-trained.

You’ve shared with me your tales of how your competition, at times, rubs your nose in the fact that they believe they are better educated then you... ESPECIALLY when it comes to the skillful use and application of Raffia.

Well, guess what? Your worries are over...

I am happy to announce I have been recently sought out by the British Academy of Staging Training & Raffia Design (B.A.S.T.R.D.) to be educated, certified and then bring back to you their renowned ARSE approach to staging.

Last weekend, I am happy to reveal, the B.A.S.T.R.D.s flew me over to cheery old England for an exhaustive training program to learn ZILLIONS of ways the professional home stager can use Raffia cheaply, yet beautifully, transform their client's properties. GOLLY! There was so much I had to learn in this grueling three day wonder workshop. WOW! I would never have thought one could create so much out of a shriveled stinky dead weed?

But even now, though I am so pooped out, I am just too excited and want to share with you that I am now a Master B.A.S.T.R.D ARSE. That's right I got my MBA! I'm a real live educated ARSE too. I can no longer say I “stage naked” as the renowned stager Kate Hart says. Oh, and more importantly… I am trained and authorized to now teach you the B.A.S.T.R.D. methodology so that you too can generate beautiful Raffia staging transformations. Just LOOK at all the stunning, yet clever, ways Raffia was used in the room pictured above. LOVELY, simply lovely.

You see one thing I learned was… NOTHING SELLS a home faster than a home staged with RAFFIA! And while I know many of you might think you know why it works so well, I know you believe it is because it looks cute and adorable. But it is not the way it LOOKS that helps it make a house sell. Actually it is the way that it SMELLS that SELLS! But I have to admit while it does look pretty too. WOW, there is so much to teach you. Did you know the ARSE tag line is, "Don’t be a stinker... swell smells sell!"

Well I just know the home staging industry will soon be revolutionized as more and more stagers use this misunderstood and underutilized tool. So I invite all home stagers to come learn the secrets of Raffia! I am now taking reservations for next month's inaugural class. Space is limited... so sign up now. And know, I look forward to teaching you how to be a total ARSE… just like me.

Smile It Forward...
Me

Post Script: I believe it is important that we can laugh at ourselves and not take ourselves too serious. A smile before the holiday is a good thing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it... Happy 4th.

DING DONG, Stage It Forward Calling... with a FREE Member Button for YOU!

As a member of both Active Rain and Stage It Forward, I LOVE the fact that it is open to all… And because it is so, many home stagers have joined over the past year to shared tales of their experiences and their wisdom. But, I am most proud of the fact that since joining Active Rain its group Stage It Forward... has become one of the most active and THRIVING sub-communities on this HUGLY popular real estate industry networking site.

WOW do Home Stagers have a lot to say and WOW do they ever say it.

Home Stagers and the Home Staging Industry are lucky that Active Rain came along when it did.

Since November 2006 over 600 members have joined and have posted over 2,400 articles about home staging in the group. Because of this fact the group has rapidly become a nation-wide noted resource for home staging information. What makes it so special the fact that collectively the group created itself… which is something each member should take pride in. The collective home staging voice is being spoken hear AND is being heard.

A few months back a special "staged" doorway into the group was created. And while it was GREAT to have the doorway... getting to the "door" became an issue. You see, you still need a "door bell button" that “rings” into this amazing industry resource and community.

So here you go... I have been asked for a link that a stager can use to display their involvement. Here is a button of a working "doorbell" that can be FREELY added to websites or blogsites. All you need to do is copy and paste the HTML CODE that I can email to you. (Image shown below is an actual working sample.)

Clicking on the button will take people visiting your site on to the Stage It Forward Gateway site. At the Gateway they will read a quick overview of the group you are a part of and committed to. Then they can move on into Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group.

So if you would like to show your affiliation to the group... just click on the link. The HTML code that you can insert on your website and/or your blogsite that will create this linking button can be found on the Stage It Forward Gateway.

I, like many of the home stagers that visit this blog, know that home staging works. But I also know that getting the general public and real estate community to understand and believe in what we do has been a bit of a challenge at times. However now, because of Stage It Forward, our voice speaking as one helps tell our story... that's for sure. This membership button is just another subtle "less is more" way to SHOW people we do have a collective voice as an industry.

More good Stage It Forward things are to come... I promise.
Me

Success in Home Staging Business is NOT Just "Pretty" Hocus Pocus Magic!

A few blogs back I wrote of the upcoming publication of a book by Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com called: "Building a Successful Home Staging Business."

Well, it has been published and I have read it and here is my promised "Book Review".

First, while I don’t agree with everything Barb and her co-author Mary Goodbody wrote of... I have to admit, overall I was pleasantly surprised. I found this book to be MUCH better than I expected!

Yes, this book is a little schmaltzy. Yes, Barb repeatedly states throughout the book that she “invented” home staging to the point that it feels annoyingly boastful at times. But Barb does masterfully "walk the line" I spoke of back in my original post. I think readers of this book will find it to be better written and NOT the "self serving big ego dump" and not a "fluffy disguised piece of advertising" for StagedHome.com seminars... which were some of the complaints she received for her last book entitled: "Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell Your House for More Money."

However, unlike what the back cover claims… this book is still not so much a "How To" operate a home staging business as it is a "How About" the business. So, while it is a nice overview for anyone interested in getting into the business, if you have owned and operated a home staging business, you will find much of what Barb reveals is no great new news.

But, for the budding stager this book is a nice summary of the tribulations, trials and necessities involved with the start up of a home staging business. The authors make it clear this business requires NOT just having the creative talent to "redecorating a room". I totally agree with this key point, as I think many people are first attracted into this business because they hope it is a way to utilize, tap into and apply their creative skills and desire to decorate.

Unfortunately, dealing with the cold hard reality of STARTING, OPERATING, and MAINTAINING a business is often the after-thought for people who get into a home staging (or any) business. From this book, readers will surely see that a "glamorous staging career" is REALLY about being an entrepreneur that has to work hard at growing their staging business.

So while I was glad Barb writes and says it takes work to own and operate a home staging business, I have to say the book still is a little too simplistic and idealizes what it actually does take to run a staging business. Some of what Barb wrote of is incomplete advice and a little glossed over (ie Chapter 3 "Your Business Plan" - only 8 pages long) and some of what she shares would be GREAT guidance if we operated in a perfect world and a perfect marketplace where there was NO competition. But in spite of her somtimes over simplistic view, I was glad to see that Barb was clear about the fact that starting and running a home staging business is not hocus pocus magic. Ultimately she communicates to the reader that what it takes is a combination of talent, a lot of hard work, positive perseverance and a little bit of luck.

So in closing I have to say… Barb Schwarz's new book is a nice OVERVIEW for those considering opening a home staging businesses, but for those of you already in the industry just know that this book is NOT the promised “practical guide that will show you exactly how to” do “what it takes to make it in the Home Staging Industry”. There is so much more that can, needs and will be said to move your businesses and this industry to higher levels. Luckily, much of what needs to be shared and said can be found over in Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group.

Me

Staged Home Raises Funds to Benefit Art Center

Well, I gotta admit it really is odd to see the house empty again… but just one weekend later that's how this house sits.

However, LAST weekend, this newly constructed luxury home in Park Ridge, Illinois was staged and GLORIOUSLY TRANSFORMED (as these photos show) into the premier site on the Artistic Living Tour of Homes.










Last weekend was the culmination of over year of preparation for a unique fund raising event. The weekend's festivities were no small undertaking, as it took an army of volunteers, who graciously donated their time, talent and treasure, to totally transform this site into a beautiful staged show-house... all for the benefit of Brickton Art Center.

I am happy and proud to report that the Artistic Living Tour of Homes, a show-house plus 5 tour residential tour homes, was a wonderful success. With over 300 people touring the sites… everyone is already buzzing about next year. The volunteers are excited and full of ideas and anticipation on how to make next year’s tour even better. One resident even already offered their home as a tour site!








This “staged” fund raising event was for Brickton Art Center. Brickton does amazing things with and for the arts and is one of the “crown jewels” of our community. It is one of those unique resources within Park Ridge that makes this city such a desirable community to live in.

Brickton, is a small art center tucked away in a corner of the downtown area, currently fulfills the cultural and creative needs of over 6,000 Park Ridge and Northwest Chicago community members each year. It offers over 200 fine arts classes and has hosted nearly 100 gallery exhibits featuring established, emerging and developing Illinois artists. PLUS, and most importantly, Brickton creates beautiful changes in the lives of at-risk populations through it’s out-reach and art therapy based programs.








However, like any not-for-profit, raising funds to continue Brickton’s mission is critical.

At Real Estaging, where one of our core values is to support not-for-profit organizations that are making a difference in the world, it made total sense to offer our help and support such a wonderful organization. We've known how staging can be used as an AWESOME marketing tool for selling... so it made perfect sense to adapt it for this event and create an entirely new version of Brickton’s Artistic Living event.

This event was no small undertaking… besides creating a fresh adaptation of the event and then coordinating all the creative talent of the Gallery Home, whose rooms were each separately "staged" by 9 different designers and/or retailers, we also worked with 5 residents in Park Ridge who graciously opened up their homes as sites on the first ever Park Ridge Tour of Homes. We received accolades for having the “perfect mixture” of big homes, small homes, contemporary homes, traditional homes, new homes, and old homes. The homes we selected were a perfect cross section of all that Park Ridge has to offer.

Having a great idea is one thing, but a weekend long city-wide event of this magnitude takes hundreds of helping hands, including individuals, business organizations, artists, designers, home stagers, elected officials, corporations, residents, neighbors, and families. It took a community working together to make this event the success that it was.

So, needless to say Brickton staff and the army of volunteers were THRILLED that after all their hard work the Grand Opening ceremony was recognized by state Senator Dan Kotowski. Senator Kotowski came and cut the ribbon kicking off the tour and opening the Gallery Home last Friday night at the Gallery 1033 Cocktail Party. More pictures of the gallery home and the cocktail party can be seen here.

So, all I can say is a heartfelt “thank-you” to the many of you that helped stage this successful event.

Finally, to my fellow home stagers, I share this idea with you… for while this one event showcased how we transform spaces, more importantly it shows that we can Staged It Forward... by giving it back.

Keep Staging It Forward...
Me


PS: Oh... Real Estaging staged the Red Living Room & Dining in the pictures above and in the link.

THANKS NBC CHICAGO... for featuring this story on your web site.

Good Photography Helped National Media Tell our Staging Story

I know that at times I sound like a broken record. But this is a story that is worth repeating. In the past I have blogged about how important good photography is to tell your own staging story… but now I have proof how important is it and can do more and help you tell a BIGGER story.
National print media uses the web to search out and find good photos to use in conjunction with the feature stories they are publishing on the home staging and interior re-design.

A Few months back, Home Magazine found our the our Real Estaging website gallery and contacted us, asking if they could use photos of our home staging work for an upcoming feature story they were going to be publishing (June 2007 issue). Of course we were more than happy to help them out.

Well I gotta admit Real Estaging has come a long way. To have a ½ page photo spread as the main work featured in a national magazine for an an article on Home Staging that also quotes Donna Freeman of HGTV’s Secrets that Sell and Barb Schwarz, president of StagedHomes.com (and lets face it the grand-dame’ of home staging)… well this is quite an honor. We surely must be doing something right.

But more importantly the point I really want to make is... we shoot ALL of our home staging jobs. Right from the start, we made a commitment to INVEST in the time to completely and thoroughly photograph each and every one of our home staging project.

Over the years, with each home staging we completed and photographed, we got better and better at capturing the essence of our work. Yes, it took us awhile to learn how to use our 3 different cameras... but we have gotten pretty good at it. And we are proud to say we are ALL self taught. (Yes we read manuals!)

IN the future, there may be a time when we will have to hire a professional photographer to take our photos to the next level... but we happy to report that investing in the time to learn and do the best we can has paid off now.

Thank you Home Magazine... all of us at Real Estaging we are thrilled and honored!

This article really helps to Stage It Forward...
Me

PS: REALTORS, if you have not replied to the Real Estaging Poll on home staging, we would appreciate if you would go to our blog an do so. Just quickly select a button on the right colomn on our blog and then hit "VOTE" >>>>>.

Will Barb Schwarz's Home Staging Biz Book, Soon to Hit the Shelves, Hit the Target?

Well, I even if I wanted to I couldn’t have planned this better. Considering my last post spoke of the difficulties of owning and operating a home staging business, the fact that this week Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com is to release a new book entitled "Building a Successful Home Staging Business" is timed perfectly. Just what will Barb Schwarz reveal in her business book? Well, I do not know… but I will SURELY read it and share my thoughts about it here in a future book review.

However, a quote taken from the inside front cover (quote taken from Amazon) shares this insight of what the book is to offer the home staging industry: "Whether you are thinking about starting a Home Staging business or want to improve upon an existing one, this timely guide can help you master the essential elements of a successful Home Staging business." So, considering and understanding what start up business owners in the home staging industry are hungering for... the promise sounds mighty good.

But I have to admit, Barb's book puts her and the company she started, StagedHomes.com, in an odd quandary.

If her book should reveal too much it could jeopardize future students from enrolling and buying into her expensive classes in home staging… for they might think they now only need to "buy the book".

On the other side, if Barb's book reveals too little it can STILL jeopardize her home staging training seminars. For if people who are interested in a career in home staging buy her book, believing in its promises to provide "various strategies and techniques needed to achieve unparalleled success in this field" (inside cover quote) but end up thinking it is "useless fluf and hype," then the book might backfire with potential students… thinking that her training seminars too might also be “fluffy” and not worth it.

Further complicating the issue is the fact that if Barb reveals too much in the book she might end up alienating past graduates who already paid thousands of dollars to be trained as ASP’s in her home staging training seminars. Buying a book for a mere $16.47 (today's price on Amazon) might be seen by past graduates as now selling off the ASP secrets. PLUS, if the book is good, then other non-ASP stagers will surely benefit from the ASP leader's wisdom, but this may be seen as directly helping the “competition". Barb’s “sharing” could back fire and leave those who for years have helped her build up and are committed to StagedHomes.com and the ASP network feeling betrayed.

(OY! I gotta admit as I write this I see what a pickled predicament this one book puts Barb in!)

So that leaves me with just one more scenario to examine. How will not revealing enough, in a book so desperately needed by her graduates and other home stagers, be looked upon? Well, as for graduates of her ASP seminars, Barb has built up a following amongst them and they tend to be her biggest fans. I would not be surprised if they are content and cheer the new book along as they did with her previous one.

On the other hand, those stagers outside StagedHomes.com, who make up the fastest growing segment of the home staging industry, if after they buy and read Barb’s book think it is just a "puffed up fluffy infomercial," they will then rip it to shreds. She will be seen as shrewd, but as an opportunist. (This has happened before so don’t be surprised to see it again.)

Just in writing this article I now have come to a conclusion as to just how much good information on how to run a truly successful home staging business I think Barb Schwartz will reveal (or not) in this book. I look forward to reading it, and when done I will surely let you know in my review if it hit or misses the target. In the mean time, if you do read it let me know what YOU think.

Stage It Forward...
Me

5/23/07 Post Script: The release of this book must have been delayed. Amazon HAD been pre-selling and stated it would be available on May 18. Amazon now says its availability is anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks out. It is Amazons policy to tag books that ARE in-stock as "In Stock".

THANKS! ABC 2 Atlanta for picking up this Post on Barb's Schwarz'z book on running a Home Staging businness.

Home Stager's Controversy is Activated in the Rain

While it was NOT the intent to create controversy with my initial blog post on Active Rain entitled "Was Barb Schwarz the 'INVENTOR' of Home Staging", somehow it did cause issues to swirl to the surface. And in all this there lies a lesson for ANYONE who writes a blog.

First let me be clear as to MY PERSONAL REASON for writing what I did.

I use Active Rain as a place for me to write a "first draft" and see what "works" with what I write. Member’s comments give me a clue as to how well I conveyed my message and if I need to tweak or alter it before putting it up on here my "Pretty" Home Staging blog. In this case, it’s an ironic fact, I KNOW that the words I selected in the initial Active Rain post missed some of the mark and I needed to go back and do some editing.

That post was to be about CHOOSING WORDS, USING WORDS, and ASSIGNING WORDS to the ideas, thoughts, plans, theories, programs, methodologies, wishes, concepts, etc... we write of in life. I don't care if you are writing a note to you kid's teacher at school or a book that eventually makes the New York Times Best-Seller's List. Words Matter!

WORDS have power to convey (or wrongfully convey) a message. We need to CHOOSE them carefully. Ironically in my own post I saw that the words I chose did not fully convey the message I INTENDED to communicate. So when I rewrote it and posted it here on my "Pretty Blog" I added this entire line:

"Anyway... getting back to words, the use of the words ‘invent’ and ‘staging’ demonstrate how the use of the one right word can help to effectively communicate a message. So while Barb's word ‘staging’ is masterfully on target, on the flip side, the word ‘invent’ falls short."

Did I "TARGET" Barb Schwarz?

While I have been accused of that I must respond by saying... "Absolutely NOT!" I chose to use BARB SCHWARZ as a subject to write about because she is a recognized personality within the Home Staging Industry. Whether you personally have good, bad or indifferent feelings for Barb, it is a fact she plays a role in the industry that I write about. Every writer knows that it helps to develop a point and convey messages if your audience can RELATE to that which you write.

As more and more people become my audience and read my words... it sets me up to be a target for scrutiny. I know it, I expect it, I don't LIKE it... but that is the way that it is. PERIOD. So my words need to be CAREFULLY selected. As do Barb Schwarz’s words or ANYONE ELSE who writes PUBLICLY! PERIOD. Whether you write about the Home Staging Industry, Real Estate Industry or any other industry. PERIOD. As a writer you put your words out there to BE dissected. PERIOD. If you don't like the fact that people MAY just challenge what you say, then DON'T write blogs, DON'T write articles, DON'T give interviews, DON'T do videos, DON'T write books, DON'T teach seminars. Just LIVE in a friggin bubble!

But more importantly PLEASE reader, viewer, listener know that JUST because it is printed, televised, spoken that DOESN'T make it God's Truth. Please, don't be that ignorant or naive. However if you choose to be THAT naive, then here… Craig Schiller created the World. Now wait two days and print this post. Then you’ll have the printed PROOF that it is so. For you read it here and it is now in print! Really, what ever happened to the saying... "Question Authority”?

As for all the controversy, that surfaced in the comment section of my Active Rain post, that surrounds Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com…

I am truly sorry it is so. But there is obviously something VERY REAL between Barb and the the people upset with her. Likewise, there is something VERY REAL between Barb and those people that like her.

It is a well know fact that people LOVE bad news MORE then good news. Unfortunately, the BAD will TRUMP the good. The BAD will grow and spread FASTER than the good, and the bad will be harder to clean up.

Once the BAD is out there it will stick to the hearts of those who feel it and they will judge, condemn and criticize Barb no matter what she does. Even if Barb Schwarz would now create a "scout troop for orphans that walks old ladies and puppies across street corners..." and she will be a target. The hurt these people feel, to me, seems way too real and goes way too deep. Who am I, or who are you to say it is not so for those that are hurting?

Stage It Forward…
Me

See this post on NBC - LOS ANGELES website.

Transforming the Doorway into the nation's only FREE Home Staging Information Resource Site

Ask any Realtor and they’ll tell you… first impressions matter. But besides home sales there are other times where first impressions count. So to demonstrate the importance and result of home staging, I thought I would do some staging in one of those “other places.” Considering that the home page of a website is like its “front door”… those of us at Real Estaging thought we would apply the same creative magic we use to stage a home and do a little cyber staging. For this staging our “client” is going to be Active Rain, the hugely popular on-line real estate network. Why them? Well, from the time I joined Active Rain, something has bugged me about it. Let’s face it Active Rain's front door is Boring.

Yes, Yes I know what they have right now is fully "functional" door, and Yes, I know that search engines have no problem finding it. But let's face it... its just plain old BORING. It has NO PIZZAZ, NO WOW! NO… DANG, I gotta go in and check this site out. You might say it suffers from the lack of cyber curb appeal.

So off to work we went… to see the result of our work just click here and you will see what Michelle Tsioles, an AMAZINGLY creative designer (interior and graphic) on staff here at Real Estaging, created. This gateway site is fully functional and is up and running and ready to be linked to. So for my peers in the Home Staging Industry, who have been working together as a group to share our story, you now have a more attractive and less confusing way to gain access to all the great free information being shared about home staging in Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is NOT going to replace the MAIN door into Active Rain. However, the Chief Community Builder of Active Rain, Caleb Mardini was quite pleased with the result saying "I have to say YOU'VE GOT IT! Craig this is great. This really helps. Thank you for putting this together." Since that note, the developers of Active Rain have revealed some images of a newly “staged” home page that they have planned for the future... which does look MUCH better. But with Active Rain getting so big… it still be nice for home stagers and other’s interested in home staging to have a simple access directly to all the great information and dialogue taking place on the internets largest and most comprehensive FREE informational resource… Stage It Forward.

Me

Growing Membership of Stage It Forward... Creates a United Voice for the Staging Industry

Just what kind of power and impact Active Rain, the online real estate network, is capable of is definitely been proven. Almost daily, one can log on and read great posts crediting it in countless ways for helping create success in so many ways for some many professional that are employed in the Real Estate Industry. But what really is mind boggling is Active Rain is ONLY in its infancy (less than 1year old), so it is hard to comprehend all that is possible in its future.

So while the "big" Active Rain has been so revolutionary, when it comes to the Home Staging Industry, I can personally attest to just what impact Active Rain has had to legitimize and catapult that industry forward. It so happens that the day Active Rain added the "Group" functionality to its site... the Stage It Forward group was born. This past Saturday, that small group hit its own small milestone... the 300th member joined the group. And while that might not seem like that big of a deal to most... for the Home Staging Industry it is quite an achievement.

Active Rain’s Stage It Forward group is one of the Top 10 (out of over 600 groups) most lively and active groups on the site. It has become a gateway resource for GREAT staging information. Members respectfully and FREELY pass along knowledge to both Home Stagers and Realtors alike. Each day anyone can go and read well articulated stories written by Home Stagers from all across the USA and Canada.

Realtors, if you never considered using a Stager, go on in. You will be bombarded with visually stunning examples of what we do… you will find that the Stagers are relentless to make sure you and your sellers understand the power of our craft. This group is quick to share stories that speak of success, after success, after success.

But what is most amazing, and what I am most proud to be a part of, is to see how Stagers enthusiastically help and contribute to the success of their colleagues.

Unfortunately, I have been in the Home Staging Industry long enough to know that there was an underlying negativity that was keeping our industry small. Margaret Ann Innis, a stager that studied at BOTH stagedhomes.com and the Interior Redesign Industry Specialists, described the industry perfectly when she recently commented, “…our industry was fragmented by personalities, training schools, etc. Now there is a level playing field for all the voices of Stagers to be heard. We all bring many talents to this passion."

When Active Rain created the Group functionality... an opportunity to mimic what was already taking place in the "bigger" Active Rain became possible. Stage It Forward created the ONLY free and accessible forum where any and ALL Home Stagers, regardless of where they received foundation training, can go and ongoingly learn and discuss the “ins and outs” of staging.

This just goes to show the power that sincere sharing and respect for diversity can do… for it is moving the entire Home Staging Industry forward into the future.

Stage It Forward...
Me

3 years Ago TODAY, We First Appeared on "STAGE"

Today, is the third anniversary of my first home I ever staged. So, I thought I would reveal the back-story behind my own first home staging experience and how it proved to ME that home staging really works.

Back in March of 2004, after I had completed my studies in interior design at Harrington College of Design, I was asked by a Realtor to "stage" a high rise condo in Chicago, which actually had a lot working against its potential sale. I can remember thinking... "Staging? What the heck is that?" You see at that time, I really knew NOTHING about home staging. So I researched what I could on the web. However, unfortunately at that time, there was not as much information available as there is today on sits such as in Active Rain's Stage It Forward group. But there was enough that I was able to get the "basics" of what staging is all about… which was to de-clutter and let the HOUSE be the STAR not the STUFF in it.So with this new found LIMITED information I did the next best thing I could do... I blended this new understanding with: 1.) My own life experiences of multiple moves (where my father, an account executive for United Air Lines, always had us get the house "ready for selling" each time we were transferred) 2.) My newly educated creative passion (interior design) and 3.) My professional career experiences spanning the past 20 years (sales, marketing and most importantly and helpful... advertising).

I can recall going out and buying nearly $700 worth of props for this 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo and thinking "what would I do with all these nic-nacs & fake plants when the condo sold?" But, I didn't worry too much... as I figured I could always use the after photos as part of my interior design portfolio. (Odd thing is I DON'T use these photos in either our interior design portfolio OR our staging portfolio.)

Well, anyway, the home staging not only worked... and worked FANTASTICALLY!

The property sold in 10 days, had 3 offers and sold over its original list price! While selling over list is not unheard of, what makes this QUITE unique is the fact that NOTHING had been selling it the ENTIRE high-rise for months as any new owner was going to be hit with a special assessment for new windows. In the case of this particular corner unit the special assessment was going to be an astounding $20,000!

Plus what was also working against the sale was its original kitchen (ugly dated metal cabinets) and there were OTHER units in the same tier of the high-rise with fully renovated kitchens. So you can see why I say much was working against the sale of this condo.

It is no surprise, and rightfully so, that the Listing Realtor still takes great pride in the fact that for over 2 years after it sold this unit held the selling price record for a non-renovated 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit in this condominium high-rise.

This whole experience was AMAZING to me… I learned FIRST HAND just how awesome of a marketing tool home staging can be when it comes to selling real estate.

Needless to say, I was SOLD ON STAGING in Chicago… and on that day I became a home stager and Real Estaging was born.

Stage It Forward...
Me

Wanting to Share the "GREEN"... I'm Gonna Recycle a Full-Circle Moment in My Own Life

This past November I took a business trip to China. I traveled there because the professional designer side of "me" was required; however to my surprise the personal side of "me" was profoundly impacted.

It just so happens that when I was in China, I visited both Hong Kong and a city called on the mainland called Shenzhen (which is 45 minutes away from Hong Kong via water taxi). During this trip something became quite apparent to me… Hong Kong was all about consuming, and Shenzhen was all about manufacturing. Shimmering and sparkling, yet stuffed and cluttered in EVERY nook and cranny of the streets of Hong Kong, were stores, shops and boutiques offering for sale every conceivable thing we stuff into our lives.

Oddly, in contrast, was Shenzhen, a city where pollution constantly spewed out of the thousands and thousands of factories located there. The pollution was so bad that I could literally and easily look directly into the sun in the middle of the day. Sadly, at one point we drove over a river that was so polluted it was thick and black as tar. (I am NOT exaggerating.) It is also important to note that Shenzhen is just one of the multitude of manufacturing/industrial cites throughout the world that makes the material goods we think we "need" in our consumer society.

Upon returning to the states, I started to reflect on all I had experienced and thinking about how it affects my job as a home stager… and I came to a “full circle moment” in my life.
I came to realize that in this age of consumption, it’s kind of odd that my job as a stager is to "transition" a home back to simpler view. Basic to what we do is de-cluttering the mass amount of consumer "stuff" that has built up in a seller’s house. In fact, if a stager’s work is done properly, completely and timed right, the seller can actually PROFIT from the sale of their home. It is scary to think that these “profits” then COULD then be used to go out and buy more "stuff".

But now, because of this trip to 2 cities in China… if I have it my way, people that use our home staging services will begin to look at their lives and their desire for stuff in a new way. I hope and want to show people, whose homes we transform, that a beautiful home NEVER needs to be STUFFED full of useless consumer crap. I hope to share with all our clients the fundamental lesson EVERY interior designer is thought early on in their design education... the fact that "Less is More."

For now, because of my trip to 2 cities in China, I come to realize our planet's life truly depends on less being MORE.

Green It Forward...
Me

STAGE IT FORWARD... means giving IT back

The willingness and importance to give back is basic to what the group of Home Stagers in Active Rain’s Stage it Forward group are all about. Giving back is so basic, that in the group's short description on Active Rain, the words "sharing" or "share" is used in three separate places.
However for me personally, Stage It Forward is more than just helping fellow home stagers grow their businesses... for me, Stage It Forward means using my time, talent and treasure to benefit community where I live. So at Real Estaging, our company’s current Stage It Forward effort centers around the creation of a marvelous community wide fund raising event for Brickton Art Center... which happens to be a WONDERFUL not-for profit organization (committed to outreach) in Park Ridge Illinois.

Starting last summer, we helped invigorate and re-invent Brickton's Artistic Living event by refining it and adding an entire Tour of Homes. With a goal to raise $20,000, here is what we have been working on and organizing…

The Artistic Living Tour of Homes event revolves around what is being called the Gallery House were art is featured within each room of a newly constructed home (donated for the weekend of May 18th - 20th by Tim Metropolis of TMM Development Corporation and listed with Gretchen Gullo of Coldwell Banker) in Park Ridge. This beautiful constructed Arts & Crafts style home will be where its interior spaces will be transformed and feature the creative works of both artist and designer. This house will also host the: Gallery 1033 Cocktail Party - a unique themed grand opening cocktail party and event night, and Silent Auction Room - featuring a variety of donated artistic objects, gifts and other items from local businesses.

In addition to the primary Gallery House, this tour event will also feature several other beautiful homes of Park Ridge. Residents are opening the doors to the interiors of their home to be locations on the tour. Craig Interior Design (our sister design studio) is even offering to help stylize & stage these homes with FREE design advice and help prior to the event.

The final fun new twist is that Brickton is commissioning a special gallery exhibit entitled The Doors of Park Ridge. This show will feature and exhibit the artistic interpretations of doors of homes, shops, schools, or churches etc. throughout Park Ridge, as seen through the eyes of and created by local kids.

The whole event is designed so that whether donating "BIG" or donating "SMALL" of one's time, talent and treasure, we have created many ways for others to experience the joy of giving and share in this wonderful event. All are invited and encouraged to tour the homes and see the power of what is possible when you… Stage It Forward.

One Stage NOW shines its Spotlight on the entire Home Staging Industry

The geniuses that created Active Rain might not realize it (and I KNOW they did NOT intend it) but they have created something amazing.

They have created a stage for the voices of an entire industry, which was still a relative infant and struggling to be heard, could finally be heard. That industry is the Home Staging Industry.

Today is going to be a VERY special day for all home stagers that utilize Active Rain and its Stage It Forward group as a resource for fresh and helpful industry information. Today, the stagers on Active Rain will be welcoming their 500th stager. Considering Active Rain is TOTALLY FREE and non-aligned with any home staging foundation training program THAT is a HUGE milestone for home staging!

If you are NOT a stager, I don’t think one can fully appreciate how significant this milestone is and what Active Rain is doing for a very young and rapidly growing industry.

You see prior to Active Rain there was no one place that any and all stagers could freely go to and share information with their colleagues. Many of the company's that provide foundation training in home staging have turned their backs to and would not acknowledge any of their fellows who did not have the same training as they provided... and definitely would not share ideas... or even a kind compliment!

Active Rain has shattered all that, and has allowed the voices of ALL STAGERS to be heard and RESPECTED. On Active Rain and in the Stage It Forward group ALL stagers are welcome! I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful place.

SO MY HAT IS OFF... to Active Rain and all the home stagers who proudly SHARE ONE VOICE on this ONE STAGE. YOU ARE ALL in your own way SINGULARLY SENSATIONAL.

Stage It Forward...
Me

PS: The smiling dancer is the stager Marci Toliver, the person I call "The Smile of Home Staging". Marci embodies professionalism. She lives and IS what more of the leaders of this industry could be... kind, respectful and welcoming to ALL who have and will choose in the future to make home staging their career... regardless of where the stager first received their foundation training.

Home Stager's Websites are the Display Windows of their Skill & Talent

I believe that the home staging industry is in the business creating amazing first impressions; therefore, I often search the Net for websites of home stagers to check out what kind of first impression they ARE or ARE NOT creating for the consuming public.

I first started doing this 3 1/2 years ago when I was opening my own staging business and researching the staging industry. At that time, two home staging company's websites caught my attention and left me with an amazing and favorable first impression. Those two staging companies were: Nest Home Design in San Francisco and Dekora in Vancouver BC. (They still are shining examples of professionalism.)

A little while back, I happened to stumble upon and then was blown away by the website of Turton Interiors. Then, just yesterday, I found yet another great website… Bella Casa Staging. It happens, by coincidence, that both of these stagers received their initial foundation training from the same training resource (stagedhomes.com), however each has gone on to find their own unique way to express their creativity, staging styles, and business acumen within their individual websites. It is also important that I note that both of these stagers have chosen to further differentiate themselves within their respective markets by NOT having a web presence provided exclusively through the company that provided their initial foundation training.

In my opinion these 4 staging company websites embody the essence of GOOD home staging. Just like a well staged home, these sites are fresh, clean, uncluttered and easy to maneuver in and around. All are stylish and creative, simple... not flashy. They are well thought out, and beautifully display both creative skill and talent. When a consumer visits these sites they can SEE that these professional stagers know what they are doing.

Now, as more stagers graduate from the multitude of staging training companies and enter the home staging industry and as home staging continues to gain in popularity... it only makes sense that more and more of the consuming public will first "shop" the internet and use a stager’s website to "pre-screen" them. It is only natural that prospective clients be attracted to stager’s sites that are beautiful, simple to navigate and demonstrate an understanding of scale, proportion, color, and balance.

As a professional stager, “who you are” and “what you can do” must be displayed on your site. With the accessibility and ease of digital photography, Before & After Galleries/Portfolios are essential to a home stager in there website. By investing no more than $500 in a decent digital camera and then taking the time to READ the operation manual and learn how it works will pay off.

If you are serious about growing your business and differentiating yourself from other home stagers, I suggest you invest in and create your own website that is a beautiful "Display Window" of your talent. To help, I list and link (in the right hand column) many of the best sites that I have stumbled upon, so that those of you who are committed to improving and growing your own staging business can easily access examples of some of the best DISPLAY WINDOWS with the Home Staging industry.

Stage It Forward...
Me

MY ADVICE: Don't drink the Kool-Aid, but keep your Staging Training Pride!

Last July, when I was invited to join Active Rain, the real estate social network, I knew it was going to be a very special site. Right from the start I was amazed to see how Realtors from "competing" companies reached out to their colleagues to freely share information that helps and betters their "rivals". So it is no surprise then that because of all of the shared generosity, Active Rain has been a successful and rewarding venture for ALL who participate.

When I started on Active Rain, there were only a small number of Home Stagers on the site. Slowly, at first, Stagers found and began contributing. Amazingly, Stagers from across North America (YEAH CANADA!) started sharing ideas, challenges, frustrations, tips, successes and techniques to staging homes and running home staging businesses.

When Active Rain created the "group" feature, Stage It Forward was born. Stage It Forward now provides Home Stagers with ONE easy forum and resource where, regardless of where one’s foundation training was received, all can gather and learn MORE and become BETTER Home Stagers. Any Home Stager who has spent any time on Active Rain in Stage It Forward knows the benefit from diverse and free flow of ideas and dialogue that takes place each and EVERY DAY.

So as more and more home Stagers find Stage It Forward… just know that when you come gushing in with "foundation training pride” know at times it looks like you "drank too much of the Kool-Aid" from the company that provided your base training in home staging.

Just know that Active Rain and Stage It Forward are places where Stagers and the Home Staging Industry has and will continue to grow to greater heights through the simple acts of kindness and sharing.

Stage It Forward...
Me

DO YOUR HOMEWORK... before you sign up for home staging courses

With more and more people positively experiencing the rewards of all that real estate staging brings to both the home seller and real estate professional, Home staging has begun to bloom in interest and knowledge of it continues to grow.

So, with so much positive feedback and real estate industry "buzz" about what a professional stager does... people are looking at home staging as a career option and are researching home staging training resources for professional classes and courses.

Each week more and more people are asking me for my opinion home staging classes. So to make it easier I thought I would take a pro-active step to help those interested in home staging training. This past weekend, I when I was working on updating the look of this blog, I decide to create one comprehensive listing where many (if not all) the resources that offer kind home staging educational training courses in North America could be easily referenced. WOW was I very surprised to find 30 (large and small) companies across North America that offer classes in home staging training courses.

So if you are personally interested in formal classroom training in real estate staging, let me give you a VERY IMPORTANT Tip #1… OPEN YOUR EYES and LOOK at the companies offering foundation training. Their websites are windows into their ability and professionalism.

As you click on each you will start to SEE for yourself who leaders are and who are not. Tip#2 look for copy write dates. If the site has not taken the time to update a small little copy write, what makes you think they have update the details of their curriculum?

Finally the biggest TIP of all is 3#. Its really quite simple, when researching these companies and their informational web sites, keep in mind that the career you are undertaking is Home Staging. This is the business of creating AMAZING first impressions. So if a company is going to TEACH it... they should BE it. EVERY element of their site should be clean, clear, beautifully display and convey just what they are about. They SHOULD be and LOOK like leaders in the industry!

To date, the industry has evolved enough to have trained and produced a number of individuals who now have gone out and applied and perfected their skills and are now offering their own courses. So another KEY POINT to remember is that while the “biggest” may not be the best for the small “mom and pop” shop just offer a less expensive and more comprehensive training package. This is where you must LOOK to do your homework.

I believe there are NO coincidences in the world… so oddly, as I was researching and composing this post, I stumbled upon 2 other separate and unrelated post on Active Rain, that shed new light on the subject of home staging training.

The first was a comment by (literally) "the staging diva" Debra Gould on one of my older blogs that to this day gets quite a bit of traffic... ASP? HSE? What's-a-stager-SUPPOSED-to-be? Debra who teaches foundation training offers her wise insight to anyone considering training. I encourage you to check out what she said by clicking the link above.

The second was very revealing (if not scandalous) blog about training posted by a Shell Brodnax also on Active Rain. Shell worked for 4 years for one of the largest professional staging training organization in the country that expounds upon the fact that they “certify/accredit” people who take their course.

The blog Shell wrote sheds some interesting light on the subject of training from home stagers. For in this blog she explains that while students had enjoyed the initial training experience, they soon became disillusioned after getting out in the real world and having to deal with what was NOT trained or covered in the EXPENSIVE course they took.

Shell's lists of 35 questions she often had to dance around, when asked by graduates after training. Shell speaks to the complexity of what it REALLY takes to stage a home, and run a staging business. She shares with us all some of the basics that NEEDS to be taught by organizations claiming to offer professional staging training.

Bottom Line... Home Staging is NOT just fluffing a nick knack, it is a BUSINESS! So if you are going to invest in your time and money for a future career, look for companies that not only trains staging... but focus on teaching the ins and outs of owning and operating a home staging business.

So I guess it comes down to… let the buyer LOOK and be aware.

Stage it forward...
Craig (Me)

Post Script: I happen to know that this is one of my most visited posts... if you are looking into a career and training in home staging I STRONGLY encourage you to read this: Home Staging 101: Day in the life of a stager- this ain't for the faint of heart! This post by Kate Hart is a bit tongue-in-cheek... but it REALLY is what this "glamorous" industry is all about.