Tips for Choosing Your Home Staging Partner
1. Statistics, that's a good thing. You could look for those.
2. Credentials. Realtors know how important these are behind their name.
3. Properties on their website. What do they look like?
4. Geographical locations they serve. Do they have a potential for being an expert in your area?
5. Longevity? Are they a newbie?
All of these are important. Some may be more important to you than others.
Statistics should be very important. The least amount of days on the market per Staged Home. Well, this is definitely a good thing for a homeowner or a Realtor to consider. Not so good for my business though. That is right, I did just type that! As a Home Stager I should be looking for additional ways to generate income. You would think, right? When a house is under contract in days, I lose a possible source for additional income. I could potentially be receiving additional fees for the items I place in the property to enhance its appeal and appearance. Each day, week or month it does not sell, I am supposed to be collecting fees. This is a source of income for Stagers and a big one, for many. We all choose to work the way we want to work.
There are two things to consider with Statistics for me. Days on Market? Would I like to be in the Staging Inventory Rental business as well as, a Home Stager? Sure! Or profit from Home Staging professional fees, first and foremost? Of course! I have chosen to make it my business to see that I do my best to get a home Under Contract and SOLD, ASAP. Income from the additional days, weeks or months on market are not my focus. I want to be known as the partner that helps you get your properties off your "Active Listings", and on to the "Sold Listings" pages of your website. As well as the partner that helped you get those moved over with the biggest commission check possible. I suggest this is important to consider when you interview and choose your Home Staging partner. Aren't we all in the business of helping the property get SOLD?
Tip Number 1 to finding the right partner for you. This has been my opinion, backed by experience and a suggestion to think about your choice, thoroughly. Check out the Stagers Statistics, first and foremost. What Statistic, when selling a house, is the most important to you?
Look for Tip 2...soon.
Home Staging® Myth Busters
Myth 1: Staging is Decorating... Fact:
is De-Personalizing and preparing a house for the un-known Buyer. That is why it's KEY
that you hire someone with training specifically on how to prepare a house for sale.
The Accredited Staging Professional DesignationTM (ASPTM) is the ONLY nationally recognized
professional designation for Home Staging. Make sure to hire someone with this professional
designation when selecting a qualified Home Stager.
TIP: When the focus of the Staging becomes about things and not your house, then you are working
with a decorator and not a trained Stager. An ASP Stager can use existing items in a house and their
creativity to properly Stage a house for sale.
Myth 2: Staging Costs Too Much... Fact:
always less than a price reduction. An ASPTM Stager has been trained to work with a
Sellers' budget and time frame to properly Stage a house. We like to ask our clients, "Can you afford
NOT to Stage?" When compared with the other costs associated with the sale or purchase of a home,
Staging is very reasonable. In most markets, a Staging report detailing what needs to be done to Stage
the house for sale is less than the appraisal or Home Inspection reports.
Myth 3: All I Need Are Lights, Flowers & Music... Fact:
requires an objective and professional assessment of a house's strengths and challenge
areas, and solutions to help Buyers fall in love with what they see. This requires more than just flowers
and music to achieve - it requires an Action Plan! Your ASP can help you and your clients with a Success
Plan for getting their house STAGED and SOLD!
Myth 4: I Can Just Watch One of Those Shows... Fact:
something to their house to prepare it for sale, but Sellers cannot truly be objective in
a house they have been living in and need a 3rd party independent opinion to get it properly Staged.
ASPs have the experience and ideas to help Sellers get their houses ready and we honor our clients, and
work closely with Realtors to help get a house sold.
Proudly posted by Deborah Harshman, Accredited Staging Professional Master Personally taught by Barb Schwarz
This information has been made possible by Barb Schwarz, Creator of Home Staging and CEO Stagedhomes.com
Stage® is a federally registered trademark of StagedHomes.com & StagedHomesCanada.biz. ASPTM is a trademark of StagedHomes.com & StagedHomesCanada.biz © Barb Schwarz 2006
2010! Very thankful for a wonderful year. As I reflect today while updating the social networking sites, I realize the whole year has been wonderful!
Thankful for my new HUGE Dining Room to accommodate the dinner for 20 guests.
Above: The tablescape. Thanksgiving was highlighted by the Engagement Announcement of my baby daughter, Carissa. Below: The Future Mr and Mrs DiChiara as we celebrated their upcoming union 8.27.2011 and Thanksgiving.
The year has been full of other beautiful and wonderful occasions- The wedding of my nephew Ron Harshman to Desiree. Learning I will soon have a Great-Godchild courtesy of Abby and Andy Barclay.
Home Staging in Montgomery County is booming. The year has noticeably given way to many owners and Realtors making Home Staging an intergral part of marketing their properties.
Our Home Stagings in Potomac have been 100% in reaching the goals of the owners and their Realtors.
Park Potomac Brownstones
Our business increased by 500%! HOW THANKFUL ARE WE? Can't quantify. Elated!
I am so hugely thankful for the team of fabulously talented people that work with me to make it all happen! Vivian, Katrina, Denise, Cheryl, Eleni, Lorin, Terri, Valanda, Lynn, Justin, Tim, Tom and even my daughters- Carissa and Aimee from time to time.
Thank God for the good health and fortune to all our family and team. It has been a wonderful year.
The Washington DC Area Chapter of International Association of Home Staging Professionals came together as a team for one week in September, from the 12th through 19th, WWSSW. Together with help from Sponsors from the Maryland, DC and Virginia volunteers transformed Fisher House, Silver Spring, MD into a contemporary, beautiful, and relaxing home for our service men and women, veterans and their loved ones.
Chapter member volunteers and sponsor volunteers from Home Depot, Bethesda, MD worked inside and out to update the house and make it more comfortable. Because of these efforts, the entire main level common living area has been transformed.
Home Depot Community efforts from the Bethesda, Maryland store, contributed the major monetary donation to make it all a reality.
Fisher House Living Room Before
Fisher House Living Room After 
A new cooktop and microwave oven were installed through the efforts. New lighting throughout was installed. Window blinds, cabinet hardware, and much more.
Dining Room Before
Dining Room After 
Other major sponsors included, American Furniture Rental, CORT Furniture Rental donated Furniture. Dining Room Tables and chairs were made possible with a generous donation from Brook Furniture Rental. Sherwin Williams gave paint and supplies for the project, which added new light and beauty to all of the rooms.
As the Before and After photos show, it was a huge success!
Kitchen Before
Kitchen After 
On behalf of the Washington D. C. Chapter of IAHSP, we thank all of the Sponsors and volunteers. And, Congratulations on a Job Well Done!" We could not have done it without your support, determination and donations.
Fisher House WDC IAHSP Team of Volunteers at Reveal Day
What and Why? This is WWSSW Worldwide Staging Services Week
Each year, all IAHSP Members worldwide stop their regular Staging® businesses and contribute by choosing to give of their time, service, and talent to a worthy cause in their community. Each IAHSP Regional Chapter has chosen a special local project.
The International Association of Home Staging Professionals® (IAHSP®) Foundation, a charitable foundation of the IAHSP Association, has completed another Worldwide Staging Service Week (WWSSW) where all over North America, Accredited Staging Professionals® (ASP®) and Accredited Staging Professional Masters® (ASPM®) set aside personal business and gave back to their communities. WWSSW has been happening since 2005 when IAHSP Founder, Barb Schwarz, The Creator of Home Staging®, had the vision to give back to communities and individuals in need, serving from the heart and helping others with the art and creativity of home staging. Worldwide Staging Service Week is officially the week of September 12-19th with some projects completed in subsequent weeks.
The International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP) is the only international trade association for the Home Staging industry and since 1999 has been setting quality standards of excellence, education and performance for Home Stagers. IAHSP was the first association founded to guide the Home Staging industry, and remains the industry leader for quality assurance and performance standards. IAHSP is based in education and excellence and all members must adhere to a strict code of ethics for serving their clients and working with colleagues. IAHSP has established local member chapters all over North America that since 2003 have been serving the public by creating awareness of the need for professional Home Staging, and providing professional business networking forums for Home Stagers.
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Expert Home Staging for Realtors, Builders & Homeowners in Potomac, Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, all Montgomery, Howard, Frederick, Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Co.'s as well as DC and VA.
Occupied $2.7M Greenbriar Rd. Potomac, MD B4
Family Rm After
Deb Harshman has 30 years experience in interior design, marketing and sales sectors. She is the owner of Staged Home Decor, Staging homes since 2004. She has been setting the Stage® of homes for sale by agents, builders and homeowners in MD, VA, NY, NJ,and PA. Deb has earned the distinctive title, Accredited Staging Professional MasterTM. in 2007. This title is earned by only 250+ Stagers, out of 16,000 worldwide.
She is a member of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals. In 2009 Deborah served on the Board of Directors as Education/Activities Chair. In 2010 She served on the Board as Media and PR Chair. In 2011, she had been elected to serve as the Media/Activities Chair, combining to positions as her responsibilties had grown. She is proud to be accredited by StagedHomes, and Barb Schwarz, the founder of Home Staging over 30 years ago. She has been trained by Barb, personally in Palm Springs, CA when achieving her Master Certification.
Staged Home Decor is providing effective assistance to her clients in selling their homes in the shortest time, for the highest price. Remember, "the investment in Staging is always less than the first price reduction"! Barb Schwarz, Creator and CEO Stagedhomes.com
Staged Home Decor provides pre-list consultations and Staging for Homeowners, Realtors and Builders throughout the entire DC Metro area. Montgomery, Howard and Prince Georges Counties expert.
We excel in vacant properties. Staged Home Decor has rental services for all items and furniture to present your property and listings in the best light. Your property will definitely show better than all the others on the market. Therefore it will sell faster!
Occupied houses can have as little or as much done as you would prefer. We can pack it, store it and Stage it! We have professional discounts to pass on to our customers from our association with service providers all over the DC metro area and our affiliates with StagedHomes.com.
VISA, MasterCard Accepted
July, 2010 "48 hours and far above what anyone believed our home was worth. Yes, 48 hours, from the time the home went on the market to the first offer. Contract in 72 hours. All in the slowest market in history. Deb Harshman is the reason for our success. Brought to our attention by exceptionally strong customer feedback, we found her initial evaluation, respectful suggestions and her many hours on site refreshing. She was chosen amongst other stagers, via an outstanding presentation, a solid web site, customer recommendations; and she even provided us a small gift during the initial meeting. The truest sense of a professional. The on site set up went late into the evening and Deb left no detail out. 18 showings in the first days resulted in consistent feedback praising the staging as masterful. One contract and three pending offers in the wings resulted. Finally, the sale price was 14 percent above what appraisers and other realtors believed the home would fetch. Yes, 48 hours and 14 percent. Staging works!" Ron Struble
"Deborah is an ace and absolute star, in Home Staging. There is nothing else Deborah needs to know, she already does a wonderful job and gets the property sold!" Homai McDowell, Realtor, REMAX SAILS INC. College Park, MD
"Good news -- we got an offer last night for our full asking price! They are strong buyers so we do not anticipate any issues with the closing. So, in the end, we got an offer in only 3 weeks, which is way better than I ever expected...Thanks for the follow-up....I know we wouldn't be where we are without the benefits of staging and I'm so happy we decided to work with you." Louis Iavarone, owner, Germantown, MD
Felicia, owner of 409 Great Falls Rd. Potomac sends note of appreciation. Ratified contract in 7days! Closed in 45 days!
Dear Deb,
I now see what Michelle meant when she said you are the best at what you do. The house looks fantastic. Thank you so much for going the extra mile. This was probably not an easy job. Thank you for sticking with it.
Many thanks from all of us.
All the best, Felicia
Felicia's Realtor is Michelle Yu, Long and Foster, Fallsgrove Office Rockville, MD
Another Home Sold! .... Deb Harshman with Staged Home Décor has done it again! I have had the pleasure of working with Deb on numerous projects over the last few years and I have seen first hand how she can transform a space! She is very passionate about what she does and the results speak for themselves, A Quick Sale for Top Dollar. Deb is a Master ASP who knows exactly what it takes to 'Get it Sold' in today's market. With her expertise, creativity, and impeccable designs skills, it's no wonder that Home Staged Decor has become one of the most sought after design firms for home staging in the entire DC Metro Area. Thank you Deb for being such a pleasure to work with!
Lori Caporaletti
Brook Furniture Rental
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