Don't Kid Yourself...Home Staging is a lot of work

I was just reading a post about home staging as a career and the title led one to believe that home staging is the perfect career for the frustrated mid life person. My first thought was "are they in for a shocker!".

Staging homes is very hard work so don't kid yourself if you think you will be able to jump right in and begin satisfying your creative mid-life self. Creativity seldom comes into play in home staging and let me tell you why...

• It is a business so the business needs to be set up and run like any other small business
• You will be confronted with clutter and grime like you have never seen before. Stripping a home down to its basic essentials can be a real challenge for you and if you choose not to do it, then getting your clients to do it is another big challenge...why? If they lived like that in the first place, it will be difficult for them to clean it up to your satisfaction.
• You will need inventory...sometimes a lot of inventory such as plants, art, accessories, bed dressings, towels, lamps, and often times large furniture pieces.
  
• You will need good credit, a place to store your inventory...some have $80,000 worth of inventory and they outgrew their garages and spare bedrooms within a few months.
• Hauling inventory is challenging as well.
• Then you will need to go pick up your inventory when the house has sold or when the contract runs out.
• You will have to keep track of your inventory and protect it with insurance.

So as you can see the fun decorating part is where???

What I am trying to point out here is home staging is not decorating, it is more like a furniture rental business than anything. Could you be looking for something else like maybe a 'one day makeover' business? I'm thinking this might be the case! One day makeovers (or two to three day makeovers) is much more like what you may be seeking because creativity plays the largest role here.

As an interior designer, my experience in preparing a home before the for sale sign goes up is more like re-design, using what the seller has, rearranging it and then making a shopping list, arranging for painting, repairs, etc., then finishing the house as beautifully as it can be. I have never provided the accessories or the furniture but I have purchased or rented pieces for the clients with their money.

I don't think the home staging business was originally intended in supplying furniture and accessories and I think it has gotten way out of hand. How can a creative person entering what is supposed to be a creative field, handle what is in store for them?

Be warned because the home staging career it is not what you think or what the home staging trainers want you to think.

However, I don't want to discourage you as long as you know what you are getting into. I just don't think providing the staging inventory is necessary. These home sellers most likely will love what you have done and want to keep your selections for their new home anyway. Don't even get me started with new home construction...that is a different post for sure.

Visit how2homestage.com for information on how to stage your own house or stage for others for a lot less than you imagined.

What if you are NOT selling your house?

Home Staging techniques are not just for home sellers. I use them all the time to de-clutter and refresh my own home. I am in the process of doing just that right now. What am I doing exactly?

I need, and I say need loudly, to get the winter months out of my house now! Spring is here and I am closed in...if I could knock the walls out, I would but I cannot. Here is what I did today and I feel better already. Actually I started yesterday with the housekeeper. I had her move everything in the kitchen including the large appliances and clean around absolutely everything.

The I washed every little decorator plate and garlic cooker and utensils...everything! Then I only replaced what I really use at least once a week and stored everything else in a cabinet in the garage. I know where it is if I need it.

I weeded out my cookbooks and sorted through medicines, glassware, pots and pans. They too went out to the storage cabinet.

I just cleaned off the refrigerator and left only the beautiful magnets with photo's...no notes, phone numbers, recipes, etc. They all have an appropriate place to dwell but I get too lazy sometimes to follow through.

I purchased some hydrangeas in silk and hunted down some glass bowls and made some new arrangements. Here are the instructions if you would like to make the arrangement you see in the picture yourself...

Purchase a bouquet of your favorite flowers in silk from your local crafts store, "Magic Water" which is the material that makes the fake water, and a glass container or use your own.

Cut the stems from the bouquet so you have individual flowers and be sure you cut or pull the leaves off (this arrangement is from 2 bouquets @ $4.95 ea.)

Clean your glass container thoroughly and make sure it is dry

Follow the instructions on the Magic Water.

Tip: The longer your stems, the larger the arrangement.

Set your flowers around the rim first, then the center. Keep it simple. Trim the stems little by little until the right length to match the others.

This arrangement has 8 flowers all the same size. After you have made a few, it would be fun to experiment with other more complex flowers arrangements. (I just bought out all the hydrangea's from my local super market in all the colors and making them for Mother's Day).

Then I stacked all my magazines that I have read and will go through them tonight while I watch TV and tear out all the pages that I am wanting to use for future reference and sending the magazines themselves to the recycle bin.

I have removed everything from my table tops in the living room except for my new flower arrangements and candles. Now I know what spaces I want to fill and will go shopping tomorrow for new sofa pillow fabric and boxes that are light and airy.

I have made room for Spring to move in and Summer as well. It feels fresh and renewed and I hope you will take a little time like this for yourself and 'stay awhile'.