Friday was cold and the rain was mere drizzle, but the annual Southport-Westport House Tour to benefit Near & Far Aid (www.nearandfar.org) must go on! I was asked to be a room hostess for one house where the theme was the Kentucky Derby, so of course a major hat was required! It was a great time, and I enjoyed the unique architecture of this renovated barn with a great modern addition - it even had an indoor squash court! It was also a chance to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while.
The other hat I wore was my Stager's hat. Now, these houses are each lovely in their own right, but for the tour, designers do come in and tweak them. I'm sure some valuables are also stowed safely away. However, what do we consider valuable? I was the Hostess in the family room/squash court for two hours and there were hundreds of people coming through. One of the room's features was a long work station where the youngsters did their homework - all of this was on display. People learned where they went to school, what their names are, etc. A huge bulletin board had photos, school work, lists of names and phone numbers...you name it, the visitors were looking at it. They asked me how many children lived there, how old they were - I don't know - AND IT'S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS!!!
This is exactly why we ask homeowners to put photos and family information away while their house is on the market. It's distracting to the potential buyer, and it's none of their business!
Maybe I was over-reacting, but the Stager in me came out, and I started keeping people away from that area - refocusing them on the architecture. I also told my replacement to do the same, and told the House Captain they should re-think having that info out like that. Better to be safe than sorry. Julie
Nestings provides home staging and interior merchandising for Fairfield County and all of Connecticut.
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Nestings provides high-quality, value-added Home Staging and award-winning model home design in Fairfield County and Connecticut. I have a large inventory of decorative antiques and décor.
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Hey Julia- You had your police hat on, too! Sad as it is, you have to be careful these days, and at least you were looking out for the safety of those children! Good for you! Wish I could see the hat you really wore!!! ;)
enjopyed your post..I agree with you..I will use thing for my listings...thanks
I agree, I think photos can be VERY distracting! I also let my clients know that they should put photos away.
My house is going to be included on a house tour this fall. While I was meeting recently with the chairperson of the event, I was thinking that I will need to address these very issues. Just seems like common sense to me!
Wise, not suprised to see you stand for principals, Julia.. and then relate it back to staging in a very poignant way... Love that!
Julia - great comments. I've also seen more and more press on Realtors being asked to go show homes for not so good reasons...and how to keep yourself safe as an agent. You wouldn't put that kind of information about your children on the internet, why let all those strangers have access to that information? Just not a good idea. And not good for properly staging a home either!
Rebecca
Julie ~ Are we going to see a picture of you in your Kentucky Derby hat? : ) I agree with that idea and have actually added it to a seller seminar that I put together. Very important and I don't think that people think of it. The agents at this seminar were even enlightened by that.
The thing that was really amazing to me was that I could really see how people would really pore over a stranger's personal belongings, and I got the creeps and goosebumps. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we stagers tell our clients to put away the photos, collections, personal stuff, blah, blah, blah - sometimes they do, sometimes it's just a percentage...BUT NOW I KNOW WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT!!! It was the big A-HA! moment.
Thanks, all, for your comments, and Linda - take care for your tour! Julie
Oh I could not agree with you more. Whenever I do a staging I ask clients to remove anything with the children's face and/or name. When I remind them strangers come in the house and they do not need to know one single detail about the children who live in the house, they look at me with that grateful "good golly6, I never thought of that!" look on their face.
When I am decorating a home, I always indicate my personal philosophy about the foyer and front hall - never put a child's school picture there. Again, strangers are coming to the door and when they are invited in, that is when they can know more about the family. Keep the children's security first and foremost!
Good reminder!
Aloha Julia,
In Hawaii we call it Poke Nose. People are always fascinated by how other people live. They like to compare, they like to judge, and sometimes condemn. When someone Poke Nose they are looking for a distraction from their own life, for the most part it's voyeurism and relatively harmless but it does distract people from the task at hand. As for protecting children from predation, being aware, is the important thing. It sounds as though these parents were'nt thinking.
Peace,
You know, people don't think anything will ever happen to them, until it does. After reading Karen Otto's post, it is a bit scarey how trusting we are sometimes. It is good to be a positive person and trusting, but sellers should really listen to their stagers and realtors and keep their personal stuff out of sight of the buyers...It is none of their business really. Thanks for the post, and reminding me to remain firm on this point.
Julie - Jeeeeez.....I couldn't help but think of the name of your company and a mama bird reading that post. You are good with your clients, keeping their best interests at heart.
BTW, did y'all have Derby Pie?!
Jackie