Not Cool At All * What Does That Mean for the Consumer? * Tips on How to Hire a Home Stager

I just googled around and came across a local home stager who is using my youtube video/s on Google Places to attract traffic to her own business. Why would someone do that – the only reason I can think of is that she needs to get a superior look than her work actually is in order to get business. While I am flattered that she “chose” my work, this is completely unethical. To clarify, this stager is not a RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) Member, in which case she would be held accountable for showing someone else’s portfolio as her own work.

What does this mean for the consumer?

The Real Estate Home Staging industry is an unregulated industry. There is no independent national organization that certifies home stagers. Therefore, it is even more important as a client to educate yourself about the stager you are considering to hire – after all you are trusting this person’s advise with your single most valuable asset. Here are some important tips about how to hire a home stager:

• Look for a staging professional with great competency and professionalism, rather than the cheapest price
• Does the stager belong to a reputable national self-regulating organization? The largest such organization is the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) – the designation RESA-PRO™ indicates that this stager is not a "hobby" home stager. A RESA-PRO™ home stager is a dedicated home stager that is held to the highest standards of business, ethics and integrity. RESA-PRO™ Designees have also agreed to the RESA-PRO™ Code of Ethics.
• Ask about their training and experience
• Ask for how long has the stager been in business
• Take a look at their website
• Ask to see their portfolio with Before & After photos – specifically ask if this is work that they have done themselves
• Staging Style – make sure that not all staging installations look the same. Staging is marketing and thus it needs to be tailored to the property, local style, target demographic – and not to appeal to the masses
• Ask about insurance coverage
• Make sure that the professional is working full time as a Home Stager to be available for your needs.
• Ensure that you are being given a clearly written contract and that you understand all aspects of the contract
• Ask how they are keeping up-to-date with new staging trends
• Make sure you understand the general process the company has implemented.
• Probe to see if the stager has a marketing concept behind their staging design to sell YOUR house (what design strategy they use to make the house stand out from the competition)

Now that you have selected the right home stager for you and your needs, relax for a faster sale at the top dollar.

Listen to Your Stager, Not Your Heart–HGTV on Staging

Kris Berg from San Diego Castles Realty, also from Frontdoor.com - HGTV makes some great points about the importance of staging a home for sale if your goal is to sell fast and for the top price.

In a recent interview she said that “Mediocrity is not being rewarded. Buyers want “turn-key” or a “smoking deal”. Stage it to perfection.”

Kris has some great tips for home sellers that are important to think about when selling a home. Read her article on HGTV:

“Listen to Your Stager, Not Your Heart”

Staging is no longer just about de-cluttering and neutralizing spaces

If you are a real estate agent or a home seller, this great article written by Shell Brodnax, CEO of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), is important to be read BEFORE hiring a staging professional. The blog post underlines what Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors’ approach has been for quite some time.

When you are thinking of a hiring a professional stager, which should be a standard in nowadays real estate market, take a look at their online presence and portfolio to assess whether the stager is adopting these staging concepts.

Click here to check out Shell Brodnax’s article.

 

Large Cape for Sale in Fairfield

This beautiful large Cape in Fairfield, CT has been staged by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors and is now available for sale.

The floor plan is versatile and ideal for entertaining, with lots of space that can be used for a grand piano, pool table, family room, media room, library or many other possibilities including an in-laws set up or a live-in nanny.

The large deck features a nice outdoors kitchen and lifestyle.

For more information about the listing click here.

View the video:

Large Cape for Sale in Fairfield

This beautiful large Cape in Fairfield, CT has been staged by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors and is now available for sale.

The floor plan is versatile and ideal for entertaining, with lots of space that can be used for a grand piano, pool table, family room, media room, library or many other possibilities including an in-laws set up or a live-in nanny.

The large deck features a nice outdoors kitchen and lifestyle.

For more information about the listing click here.

View the video:

Beautiful Large Cape for Sale in Fairfield, CT

This beautiful large Cape in Fairfield, CT has been staged by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors and is now available for sale.

The floor plan is versatile and ideal for entertaining, with lots of space that can be used for a grand piano, pool table, family room, media room, library or many other possibilities including an in-laws set up or a live-in nanny.

The large deck features a nice outdoors kitchen and lifestyle.

For more information about the listing click here.

See the video:

Home Staging in Fairfield by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors

Furniture + Accessories = Staged - Really?

I often hear from home sellers and real estate agents that they have staged the vacant house for sale themselves. When I ask them how they have staged it, they say they have added some furniture from friends or some pieces from their home that they currently do not need and added some accessories.

As a professional Connecticut home stager I can immediately tell that in that person’s mind there is no clear understanding what real estate home staging really is. Home staging is a marketing tool and as such it requires an understanding of the most likely buyers and how to translate this into a staging design plan. While staging might seem random and being just a matter of adding some furniture and accessories, this is far from what staging really involves. Staging is a marketing tool that involves research, the art of design, and psychology. After all with staging we want to give a “wow” factor to stand out from the competition, not just a “oh, it’s ok looking”. When staging our company carefully selects each piece of furniture, artwork, lighting, décor item with the target buyer in mind.

My staging colleague Karen Otto from Home Star Staging in Texas shows in her recent blog post the different level of staging using the same accessories and furniture that were used by the home seller who “staged” her house herself. It shows that staging is a skill and an art and not just adding furniture and some accessories. Click here to check out the difference.