Jessica Hughes of Ambiance Staging obviously isn’t a fan of trying to market vacant homes. So she found herself in a bit of a struggle trying to assist her clients, Alison Sirlin and Lance Smith.

The home was vacant, and I refuse to simply take pictures of 2 blank walls, it wasn’t anything to write home about, and to top it off it was TINY!!!! It’s only 950 square feet with 3 bedrooms on two stories, meaning the stairs eat up some of the space… that kind of small! You know, the kind of listing that’s always described as “Cozy”

See her solution here, “Cozy” Home? Not Anymore!

Going green can be good for your business on several levels.

First of all, it’s the right thing to do. You’ll feel better when you know you’re a part of the solution instead of adding to the problem.

Secondly, people like to work with people/companies who are being responsible about the environment. Even clients that haven’t begun living a greener lifestyle themselves still feel that they are helping out if they “vote with their dollars” for a healthier way of doing things.

But mainly, it sets the tone we are looking for in Staging. Natural materials are soothing. They have a calming influence that makes an entire space feel relaxing. Natural colors are never jarring or distracting.

Think about how rocks, coral or driftwood have a sculptural quality without becoming a statement piece. Wood furnishings and floors have a warmth that appeals to any decorating taste. Wicker adds texture while being inexpensive and lightweight, both of which may be important traits for your staging props.

Together this results in exactly what we’re aiming for in Staging. The house itself becomes the star, the “stuff” in it serves only to create a warm and inviting feeling in whoever enters.

“Wallpaper that reacts to heat, the painting that react when you touch it, or the daily calendar that fades away during the day. ” Heat Sensitive Wallpaper?

This not the first time we’ve featured Shows by Real Estaging’s Craig Schiller.

I’m sure it won’t be the last either. This show speaks for itself.

How do you demonstrate to potential clients that you are serious about your work? You show them what you’ve already done. You show them a LOT of what you’ve done.

One of the easiest ways to do that is to link to your inventory list of Home Staging Shows from your website or blog.

But what else can you do?

* Link to your Shows in the signature of every email.
* Make up CDs of […] Continue Reading…

Craig Schiller is a home staging genius.

Craig owns Real Estaging, a the metro Chicago area Home Staging company. I feel confident saying that he’s wowed me time and time again through his blog on Active Rain and his Home Staging, Rants & Ravings.

Let’s capitalize that: STAGING GENIUS.

In this Real Estate Show, he takes vacant homes and transforms them into Model Homes. He’ll tell you in his own words in his post, but I see […] Continue Reading…

Sue Argue, thank you. Sue’s post on ActiveRain, Real Estat eShows User Guide, is simply the most complete list of links we’ve about how to use RealEstateShows.com we’ve seen anywhere. I can’t imagine the work she put into this list, but I know it was a lot.  It certainly deserves recognition! Sue said:
Real Estate Shows is a marketing tool that allows you to take digital images, link them together in a slide show that mimics […] Continue Reading…

Wallpaper — is it the biggest challenges a Stager will ever face? If not, at least it’s near the top of the list!

One of the main problems with wallpaper is that it’s so personal. Stager Marci Toliver of Fresh Eye Designs says of a recent conversation with a client, “I told her wallpaper is like a bathing suit. I wouldn’t wear hers and she wouldn’t wear mine!” Now […] Continue Reading…