Jennie Norris, ASPM, IAHSP

We all love Staging - it feeds our creativity. But the difference a business that is good and one that is great is all about Project Management. You may disagree with me - but the Stagers that make the most profit have found out the secret to success is all about TIME - maximizing it and managing it TIME waits for no one - and when we are not effective Project Managers on our staging projects, we end up wasting time. And this costs us money.

Project Management begins with knowing how long it will take to Stage a house - getting the team together and then making sure the job stays on track. When the project starts it's up to us to make sure all team members stay on track according to the time allotted. When I blog about being able to Stage a house in 5 hours from loading up to parking the truck back at the storage, that is not fantasy and it is not out of reach for you if you want to make that your goal.

What I decided early on was that I could either take all day Staging a house or do it in less time and be back home with my family. Or I could Stage only one house or get 2-3 houses done in the same time as I was taking for only 1. As much as I love Staging, I love my family time more, and I don't want to be working all day unless I really have to. In the beginning things did take me longer. It always came back to planning. Where I lost time was in forgetting something and having to make a second trip to the storage unit or to a store to buy something. My motto now is that I am "the one trip woman" and I am not going back! I discovered along the way that when I give clear directions on what I expected to the movers or other Stagers that were with me - things went more smoothly. People don't know what we don't tell them. So, communicate clear expectations of time and what the vision is for the project.

When we began to load up only what was needed on any project, and not take our entire storage facility, we became very efficient at the Staging. Instead of having too much to choose from and have to sift through bins and boxes to find what we needed, we had just enough and came home with empty boxes. The LIST that I have written about in other blog posts is the heart of the Project Manager. The LIST is what keeps us on traack, and lets us know what we need, how much, and how long things will take.

I know, for example, the average bathroom takes about 15 minutes to Stage. When we stage a typical bathroom we dress a couple of towels, hang some art, dress the counters, and boom - we are done. None of this 45 minutes in a bathroom with a colleague - I mean, what could 2 people possibly be doing in a bathroom for 45 minutes? Washing their hair? When I hear those stories, I say to myself, "The PM role was lost."

So WHO is the Project Manager or PM? The person running the job or project that is ultimately responsible for the financial success of the project is the PM. The PM may have the creative oversight as well - and they are the director for the project. Finding ways to become more efficient on Staging projects is the goal and this begins with a vision of how each room is going to evolve, and being able to clearly communicate that to the team. When the truck pulls up the thouse, I don't want to be wondering how I am going to place furniture - I already know. There may be tweaking of the plan, but the overall placement has already been determined.

The PM has the vision, the PM has the time management and the PM manages the money on the project. Being able to earn $200/hour on a project because we got it done in short time (and it looks great) is much more appealing than only earning $50/hour because we took 4 times as long as we needed to stage the project.

When we have a business to run, the fun of Staging is part of the package - but it is at the end of the day a business. Keeping profit focused as part of our planning and management is essential for long term success.

- Jennie

Who says our market is tough? I just had ANOTHER house sell in a matter of days - only 14 this time - after implementation of the Staging Plan I provided to the Sellers! Staging works! In our market we have now topped over 60,000 foreclosures region-wide! In the midst of this - "normal" sellers are still in need of selling their houses and want a good price for their home. Enter Staging.

Now more than ever Staging is needed to ensure that a property looks its best - both ONLINE and in PERSON. The Buyer for the house I staged felt an emotional connection to the house - to the point that they would do anything to make sure they got the purchase! There are other houses for sale on this same street, and plenty of other comps that would be of interest to a buyer - but this was the one that was STAGED! I did not even have time to get all the marketing information out on this house before it had an offer!

Here are some before/afters for you to enjoy!

- Jennie

BEFORE: The living room/dining room was actually only being used as a living room/tv room. The sellers decided not to bring in a dining room set and I was OK with that - and yet the use of the space was not really conducive to buyers as the extra space to the left was sort of wasted and from the front door, buyers sort of walked right into that chair and a half.

AFTER: We made that space that could have been a formal DR (although no light fixture) into a nice additional area for the LR - making that space feel larger. Now instead of everything crammed to the right, I opened up the flow, I made use of both areas of space - and helped a buyer to know what could fit where.

BEFORE: Family Room - too much furniture and large chunky pieces that swallowed up ALL the space. Purging unnecessary items and helping seller to put things away that were not mandatory for the selling time - allowed us to open up the space.

AFTER - Family Room is now much more open and spacious. (I did remove the greenery on the mantel after this photo was taken).

BEFORE: Master Bedroom - too many things on the walls and floor. Dog crate had to go - could not open the double doors to the Master.

AFTER - Master Bedroom - has more space and less clutter. Much more inviting for buyers!

And no house would be complete without a SURPRISE lurking behind a door or two. In this case, the Laundry Room held the Surprise Deer Head - I actually JUMPED when I opened the door as I was not expecting to see Bambi's father mounted on the wall. Of course, he was not there for the sale.

Color and Decorating Trends for Fall 2008!
By Jennie Norris, ASPM®, IAHSP®, Owner, We Stage Sacramento

Color trends for fall are in one word: BOLD!

The color palettes for paint companies will continue to be in the bold family lines of warm tones, with hints of homage to the past for those young enough to recall the pea-greens and mustard golds of the 50's and 60's. With colors like periwinkle, navy, and chartreuse back on the color spectrum of acceptability, we should see some interesting combinations in homes. Throw in some rusty reds, fuchsia, lime green, plum and navy, and you have the "new" color palette being touted by groups such as ColorMix 08 found at Sherwin Williams. Not all palettes are bold, you can also enjoy a wonderful soothing palette of colors that have a peachy hint of a base color to warm them up.

The difference with today's houses and painted walls are the furniture pieces that sit in the rooms that we find are mostly in the dark tones with classic clean lines. Framed art is also a way to create a new look and the wood frames have replaced the faux gilded frames from the past with a fresh and clean look that sits well on any wall color.

For guidance on what color to paint walls, take inspiration from your art. If you have a fabulous key piece that you really like, select a color from the piece of art, and use that as the background color or inspiration accent color for your room. If you are not confident putting bold colors on walls, you don't have to paint the wall that color, but how about placing some lovely accent pillows in the accent tone on your sofa or chair? Or add an urn or other decorative object in that color. Add a thick faux mink throw draped over the arm of a sofa or chair, and your look says, "Come and sit - enjoy!"

You can also take inspiration from nature or a journey you have taken to another country where the culture of color inspires you! Get inspired by the costumes, the food palette, and buildings.

When looking at nature, notice how blues and greens blend together, and a pop of color such as yellow, red, purple, or pink give a special touch and draw the eye, much like a blossom of a flowering shrub captures your attention.

If you are looking to achieve a fresh look for your "tired" interior, consider the services of a Home Staging professional that can apply their "Staging to Live" techniques in your home. Unlike designers or decorators that will try to sell you on expensive new furnishings (as they typically make their profit on the margin of wholesale to retail cost), an ASP Stager will use what you have, apply a fresh set of skilled eyes to your room, and refresh your interior with their creativity.

For more information on how to take your home from frumpy to fabulous while sticking to your budget, give us a call! We'd be happy to provide an in-home Staging to Live Plan where you can do the work or we can help you transform you home, passing along our discounts and savings to you.

Call We Stage Sacramento at 888-WE-STAGE or (916)768-1662 www.WeStageSacramento.com

Here are some tips from pros on the Color Trends for 2008-2009*:

• Purple - in fashion and home, purple is the front runner of color.
• Yellow - Yellow is the new orange! Orange will still remain with a presence, but not quite as hot as yellow.
• Blues - varying shades from soft spa blues to robin's egg blues to deep sea blues. Many nature inspired blues.
• Greens - with all of the buzz about the environment, natural greens are making their way into the home
• Browns -look great with other hot colors, especially the softer colors where black would be too harsh.

Home Accessory Trends - These trends allow you to maintain a conservative color base (neutral floors and walls) while playing with punches of color. These accessories can be replaced annually giving you a complete new look without a huge investment.

• Bright colors - yellows, deep spicy reds, deep sea blues
• Bold stripes - mainly thin multi stripes
• Large scale patterns - big bright oversized florals, animal prints are still hanging around
• Metallics - are still here contrary to previous forecasts. Perhaps the addition of pearl finishes and continued success of mirrored finishes are helping the metallic finishes stay around. Metal finishes are leaning more towards patina finishes rather than bright, shiny finishes.

Kitchen Trends

• Wall colors - either soft colors to compliment any cabinet color whether it be stained light finishes or dark finishes or painted color or bright bold colors to add life and punch to your kitchen walls.
• Backsplashes - adding a backsplash can give you an updated and stylish face lift to your kitchen
• Cabinets - New multilayered finishes are taking center stage with painted finishes, distressing, glazes and rub through finish techniques.

Tile Trends

• Metals - copper and stainless tiles compliment appliances, countertops in traditional and contemporary kitchens and baths.
• Glass - glass accents from mosaics, to single accents, to full walls and backsplashes in glass tiles
• Faux hardwood tiles - these tiles are great for rooms with a lot of water and moisture where hardwood might not be the most practical choice.
• Window frames - a new trend is to remove a pictures window casing and replace with tile.

*Source: 2008 Color Trends February 28, 2008 - Floor Talk Online

Real Estate Agents - those of you interested in learning about the process and purpose of Home Staging, how to get clients on board, how to use Staging as a key marketing tool, and earn the prestigious Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) Designation and Accreditation, come to the ASP Course in Portland, OR on September 23-24, 2008 hosted by Stagedhomes.com.

Date: Sept. 23-24

Time: 9-5:30 daily with Special hands-on Staging Project on Day 2!

Discounts offered through WCR and CCAR. Email Julie@stagedhomes.com for more information and location details.

You willl receive valuable and detailed instruction, as well as access to the one and only Staging University. It's not just what you receive in a class, it's what you need and receive AFTER.

Home Stagers - Anyone interested in running a SUCCESSFUL Staging business you can earn the ASP Stager Designation and membership in the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, the first professional association established to serve the home staging industry and includes professional educational standards and adherence to a code of ethics.

Sept. 23-25 (3 days) 9:00-5:30 all 3 days.

This course is taught by an experienced Trainer and current and successful Home Stager with Stagedhomes.com, the nation'a #1 Training Company. You are not just learning "theory" you are learning from someone that is actually DOING what is taught and is successful. Real Life. Real Answers.

All ASPs receive access to the Staging University, online exposure for referrals, marketing resources to build your presentations and portfolios, turnkey resources for success, and website hits that average nearly 10 million monthly which means the public looks at Stagedhomes.com as THE resource for finding information and people to work with to help them stage and sell their houses. Stagedhomes.com is the only company ever featured on prime-time television and was just featured in the August issue of Consumer Reports! Get trained by the EXPERTS!

Check out this latest We Stage Sacramento Staging SUCCESS Story!

We were contacted to Stage a very dated 1970's house in the area, that was full of wood - flooring, paneling, huge wood bar, etc. The sellers had done some updating and remodeling through the years - mostly in the Master bath. The house had a great floorplan for entertaining, and a wonderful location with a golf course and cul-de-sac location. We worked our magic - and the house SOLD the first week it was on the market!

The best news . . . the buyers are having us Stage their house they are selling - AND we picked up another job from this listing - a house in the neighborhood that has been languishing Vacant on the market since January!

Here are some before/after sets for you to enjoy!

Dated carpeting - and HUGE Living Room with very high ceilings.

Solution: Nice grouping of full-size furniture with console table on wood paneling to help "soften" the wood - and still have a pathway to the backyard.

Huge wood bar and "area" that was sort of undefined.

Staged the bar with decor and furnishings, and put a grouping of furniture in "undefined" area - to make it a useful sitting area.

This is the formal dining room - that is very open and is part of the pathway from the front door to the kitchen.

Area rug to help anchor the space, formal table and artwork on the long wall to add color.

Throughout the house, we used greenery (trees, etc.) to help soften the amount of wood.

When you want Staging done right - contact the experts at We Stage Sacramento - Sacramento's FIRST and Premier Home Staging Company serving the entire region including Placer, El Dorado and Sacramento Counties. 888-WE-STAGE www.WeStageSacramento.com