Home Staging Pennsylvania- Hart & Associates Servicing the Main Line, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

Well ladies and gentlemen, it is official! I have been defrocked, my staging letters have been stripped from me! I am now staging without credentials- I am staging in the nude!

I have kept quiet too long about my opinion on the state of the staging industry today and feel now is the day to vent a little on Active Rain.

First I have to say that I appreciate all the love and support I have been given from fellow ASPs, Stagedhomes.com employees, and other home staging and real estate professionals during the past few months. As many of you know, I left my training position for Barb Schwarz at Stagedhomes.com in May and have pursued other opportunities in the real estate staging industry- namely building what is now the largest team of property marketers and stagers on the East Coast. Staged homes has recently revoked my ASP designation saying that I am violating their code of ethics because I am taking referral fees for jobs I give other stagers. That may be their opinion, but for those of you that know better, I am working passionately at building the staging industry on the East Coast to be as successful as it has been on the West Coast and will continue to do so with or without their approval.

Many of you have called or sent me emails asking me what happened? Well here is the story. When I left Staged Homes I felt that my passion in life was not teaching people a three day seminar, but actually helping creative entreprenuers to build successful businesses. While I was a trainer, time and time again, I met many talented staging professionals that simply did not want to do the marketing and sales aspect that running a successfull staging business entailed. I would spend hours consulting with these past students on ways to build their businesses and strategizing on how to get more exposure for the industry in their local areas. I receieved countless emails from Realtors and Consumers looking for stagers in their local area that had actual staging businesses and were not people that took a class and ended up on a website- they wanted people with real experience and professional backgrounds. I took a look around at this fledgling industry and realized that with my markerting and business experience that I could help other stagers to find work in their local area by doing the marketing and networking for them. I would essentially form the relationships with local realtors and builders and then give the jobs to the local stagers that I had trained or met through my many speaking engagements.

The designation that these staging professionals held did not matter to me- I only was concerned about the creativity, business sense and standard of quality that these stagers possessed. As you all know, there is no one designation in the staging industry, and there is no official independent organization that deems the qualifications of what makes a stager a good stager, or what policies and procedures a staging company must follow. I had to go with my gut instinct and choose the people that I knew personally and knew had the passion that I have inside of me for helping home sellers and Realtors.  So our team was born.

We have since grown to 13 states and have clients nationally and internationally. I feel what I am doing is not unethical- I enable people that love to stage houses to stage houses and not have to focus on the details of running a business. How the members of our team choose to get work and who they choose to associate with should not be a concern to Staged Homes. Our company is setting the example of how a staging business should be run and I will continue to do this for the good of all.

I wonder at times what the future will bring to this industry when you have the very company that deemed me a stager, revoking my designation because of my success. Now that I am naked, I have dedicated myself to working with other staging professionals (regardless of their designations or lack of designations) to build a more positive industry. Working together we will create the future of this industry, working against each other, we will be its downfall.

In the words of my dear friend Craig Schiller, stage it forward!

About 10 years ago the automobile industry changed the term "used car" to "pre-owned automobiles". For more prestigious luxury cars, the term became "certified pre-owned" and they came with glamorous incentives like extended warranties and free oil changes. The real estate market adopted a similar phrase using the term "resale homes" to describe homes that are not new construction. Can you imagine if you were a home buyer and your Realtor called you to show you a "used home"? You probably would not be that excited about such a prospect imaging something dirty, outdated and far different than the sleek sophisticated newer homes being built. Thankfully, Realtors have adopted this more polite way of describing older homes taking the hesitation away from buyers. If you are selling your "used home" however, you need to make it stand out in the eyes of buyers also looking at new constructions homes. The following ideas will help you to give your "used home" a mini facelift:

Consider your color palate- Just as you would not wear your prom dress from 1972 to this year's holiday party, a home buyer would not want to dress their new home with your décor from the 1970's either. Take a step back and look at your home critically. Has the paint color, wallpaper and carpet become worn or dated? These are inexpensive things to replace or update. If you are looking for inspiration look at the neutral color palates being used in new construction homes. These subtle shades of coffee and cream for paint and carpet color will look great with almost any buyer's furniture and will give your older home a clean crisp look. If your home has dark woodwork or pine paneling, also consider investing in painting the walls, trim and doors for a lighter more on trend feel.

Light up your life- Another inexpensive way to give an updated look to your older home is to replace the light fixtures. Kitchens, bathrooms and dining rooms are key areas to focus on. Older kitchens do not have the multiple light sources that newer kitchens have. Add a pendant light over the counter or center island to give a sophisticated look to a tired space. Place inexpensive halogen lights under your kitchen cabinets to illuminate the counter tops. Install up-lighting above the dust cap where the cabinets do not reach the ceiling. Cabinets found in new homes are taller and this will give the impression that your kitchen cabinets are larger. Have an outdated bathroom? Changing the light fixtures to nickel or chrome will instantly shave years off your home. Swap out the shiny brass chandelier in your dining room with an antiqued bronze fixture with decorative shades. This will dress up this space and give it a look that is more-on-trend with new homes. For budget friendly ideas visit local home stores like Lowes or Home Depot. Small fixtures for the bathrooms start at just $9.99 and chandeliers in the dining room will run you about $59.99. If replacing light fixtures is out of the question, make sure to change your overhead light bulbs for the highest wattage allowed. 90% of home owners do not use the maximum wattage making their homes feel darker and smaller.

Get some bling- Just like outdated light fixtures will date your kitchen and bathrooms, so will the hardware and faucets. If your budget allows, consider replacing outdated hardware and faucets with more-on-trend nickel or polished chrome. This will instantly brighten the space. Combine this with repainting the room a crisp neutral color and updating the lighting, and your kitchen and bath will feel years younger for much less than the investment of new appliances, granite countertops and marble sinks.

Door to door service- Another relatively inexpensive way to update your home before putting it on the market is to replace your hollow core doors with paneled doors like those found in newer homes. Paneled doors not only make your home look younger, but they also make your home look more expensive since they have the look of custom millwork. The internet is full of companies that will manufacture and ship you the doors for $99- $599.99 apiece. Most companies also offer installation for a nominal charge.

Need additional ideas or not sure where to begin? Visit www.hartstaging.com  and hire a professional real estate stager to give you a consultation on how to instantly update your home and prepare it for sale. You may be wary of spending money on these updates before you sell your home, but consider the cost of having your house linger on the market while newer homes sell. These simple updates are worth the investment and far less than major renovations.

Recent changes in the Real Estate market have made sellers concerned about getting the most value for their home. If you want to sell your home faster and for top dollar, consider the following guidelines used by professional real estate stagers:

Are you selling your space or your stuff? The clutter that you collect eats up the valuable space that you are trying to sell, making it hard for buyers to look beyond your personal items and see the selling features of your home. Start preparing your home for sale by packing up personal items such as awards, trophies, collections, and family photos. Not sure about a specific item? A good rule to follow is to pack up anything with eyes such as stuffed animals, doll collections, photos, figurines etc.

Is your home ready for a blind date? First impressions do matter. Just as you would not answer the door on a blind date with curlers in your hair, wearing a tattered bathrobe and slippers, you do not want your home to make a bad first impression on potential buyers either. Consider repainting the walls and trim in your home a neutral color that will appeal to the most potential buyers. Make sure to have your home professionally cleaned and focus on problem areas such as the grout in the bathrooms and stains on your carpets. Washing the windows, and edging and mulching beds, will also leave a lasting impression on buyers.

What is the purpose of each space? The way that you currently live in your home may not be the best use of each space. Take for example a home with three bedrooms upstairs and a small den on the first floor. In a neighborhood where other homes boast 4 bedrooms, perhaps it is best to show the den as a bedroom so your home measures up to the competition. If your older home lacks a great room off the kitchen as found in new construction homes, consider turning your formal dining room into a more casual eat in family room, or make the living room more family friendly so buyers can see this as a multi- purpose space.

Overwhelmed or in a time crunch? Seek the help of a Real Estate staging professional to prepare your home for a faster and more profitable sale. For more tips and ideas visit http://www.hartstaging.com/ to learn more.