Home Staging Indianapolis Blog

The predominant media buzz about the current “buyer’s market” is everywhere today, making it appear that sellers have lost any advantage in this highly-competitive real estate market. Yes, there is a huge inventory of homes competing for a smaller and choosier pool of potential buyers. This is enough to make even the most seasoned home seller fear that their property will only sell at a giveaway price or after a long time on the market—or worse; that it may not sell at all. Yet, the homes of some sellers are selling more quickly and profitably. How can it be?

This leads me to another media buzz (music to the ears of every home stager) which says that even in the current market, staging remains one of the very best investments a seller can make to protect their home’s equity and increase its resale value. According to HomeGain’s 2009 national survey of realtors, home staging yields a whopping 586% Return on Investment (ROI) and can help “get your home sold quicker and for more money.” The survey ranks home staging as the second best ROI (after cleaning and decluttering) and yielding the third highest price increase to a home’s resale value.

Also buzzing in the media is word that home staging is changing the landscape of the real estate industry and having a positive effect on the overall economy. In August of 2009, CNN.com and CareerBuilder.com listed home staging as one of seven “cutting edge careers… making a mark and poised for growth in the coming years.” This research validates the significant results of home staging—even in this buyer’s market and this economy.

That’s why it’s critical for us, as members of the professional home staging industry, to provide a more balanced perspective on the often-gloomy media buzz. We can do this by reassuring home sellers that they still have tremendous power to significantly improve the value of their homes and ensure a faster, more profitable sale; and that we are here to support them every step of the way. We need to constantly remind home sellers and realtors that, at a time when fewer homes are selling, we help ensure that our clients’ homes are the ones that sell. In today’s buyer’s market, home staging gives sellers a distinct advantage.

Home Staging is a great marketing tool to successfully connection with your targeted audience. It can work for you!

Remember the old saying that how you say something is often as important as what you say?
Well, that’s certainly true when it comes to hiring any professional home stager. It’s not enough to have excellent design skills; they also need strong “people” skills in building rapport that lets realtors, builders, home owners know they can get the job done and will help you work through the often-delicate process of turning a household back into a house for sale.

The rapport a professional stager builds with their clients allows them to trust that they care for them -whether they’re conducting a pre-staging consultation or a full-service staging-even in the stickiest situation. And we know that professional stagers rely on their clients’ referrals to help build their businesses.

The rapport a staging professional builds with home sellers not only allows them to be open to their guidance, but also helps sellers begin to see their home as a marketable product. Before they can ask you to pack away your favorite collections, take down your personal photos and remove all traces of your beloved pets, home sellers need to trust that stagers are an ally who has their best interest at heart. Strong interpersonal skills allow them to reach out to home sellers by discussing their needs and goals, educating them about the whys of home staging as well as the hows, and responding to their questions and concerns in a kind, caring manner.

Top stagers never forget that depersonalizing a home is a highly personal matter. Every seller has a story that got them to the point of putting their home on the market. It may involve death, divorce, financial difficulties or a work transfer that has temporarily separated their family. Whatever the circumstance, mixing in a little warmth and understanding with their professional staging guidance can encourage home sellers to let go and move forward with their lives. No, stagers are not psychotherapists, but their work does touch people’s lives in a very intimate way.

Last week, Gary and I attended the F.C. Tucker Real Estate Companies annual Indiana service awards celebration held here in Indianapolis. With 47 offices, over 1,500 agents statewide and over $2.1 billion in sales, The F.C. Tucker Company is the largest independent real estate firm in Indiana, and is ranked among the largest independent real estate firms in the nation.

At this function, Best in class service awards were presented to service providers of F.C. Tucker who offer services in 29 different categories to their agents and Home Sellers. This honor is given to service providers based on feedback from agents and clients utilizing the services of these companies. 

Drum roll please……Our company, Home Matters was awarded best in Class in the Home Staging & Design category for the second straight year.  This is such a special honor for us because it comes from feedback of those many agents and home owners that have used our services.  As I said last year when accepting this award, any honor, award or special recognition that myself or my design specialists have received over the years is always special to me; but the ones that come directly from those that have used and depended on our services are always the most meaningful for me.

Our goal from the very beginning of our company still remains in force today. We simply provide the most meaningful and valuable experience we can for our clients so that they can sell their homes and move on with their lives. By doing so it shows that by staying focused on our clients and their needs; honors, awards and recognition will follow.

Thank you so very much to all of the agents and home owners here in Indiana who have voiced their satisfaction for the services we have provided.  We thank you and we are always happy to offer our experience and expertise.

Valerie Hayes  Home Links Division Service Coordinator & Linda Barnett

Linda Barnett & Elaine Sholty President of Home Link Division

Jim Litton Owner F.C Tucker & Linda Barnett

The Following is a new press Release

Linda Barnett, Founder of Home Matters Home Staging of Indianapolis, Indiana announces that the long awaited and highly anticipated CSP™ courses, for Real Estate Staging will be taught in Indianapolis.
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CSP™ certified staging courses are cutting edge and recognized by leaders in the field of the home staging training industry. The Certified Staging Professional Organization offers a variety of specialized courses.  The CSP™ Staging Course is a 30 hour course which provides the foundation for those wanting to start a career or own a business in real estate property staging. The proven CSP™ process is a blend of interior redesign techniques, along with business, marketing and communication skills, to effectively market a house for sale. Owning a business involves so much more than talent; like pricing, invoicing, communications and vital marketing components.  The program includes a one year membership in the CSP Alumni Association, which provides the support and resources crucial to building a profitable, home staging business.

The CSP™ Elite Course is a one day course for Real Estate agents that provides comprehensive training and insight on staging principles, best practices and strategies for agents to assist property sellers to maximize equity gain during the sale of a property.

Barnett, founder of one of Indiana’s largest, most successful and fastest growing Home Staging, Training and Rental companies, recently became a certified instructor for both the 3 day CSP™ Stagers course and the CSP™ Elite Real Estate agents’ course. 
Barnett is also an Indiana State certified instructor through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency and the Indiana Real Estate Commission has been offering certified training to Home Stagers and Real Estate agents for several years, including a GRI Continued Education class for the Indiana Association of Realtors at the IUPUI Campus at Kokomo, Indiana. “I could not be more pleased to be offering the CSP™ Stager and CSP Elite Courses.  CSP has developed first class training courses and I feel fortunate to be their Mid-West instructor,” Barnett said.
For further details about the CSP Training Courses please visit the training page on our web site or go directly to the CSP web site at www.csptraining.com

Marsha Moss of Anderson Indiana, homeowner in a small town northeast of Indianapolis tells her staging story to local newspaper.  It is amazing how the power of staging changes people’s lives and in this particular case, it was enough to compel this homeowner to find someone in her local town to tell her story. WoW, that’s a big change, isn’t it?  Normally, the staging company or the realtor would be the one trying to find ways to showcase their work and inform the world of their services.

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Not this time. Could this just be a sign that homeowners are truly exploring their options and they understand that their home is a product and they need a property presentation specialist on board as well as a real estate agent to maximize their selling potential?  I would like to think so; so much that I would like to believe that real estate sales are evolving and all parties involved in the real estate transaction participate in their specific role, for in this joint collaboration the anatomy of a successful sale is realized.

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My favorite quote from this story was this, “While none of these changes are major and the furniture will return to the warehouse once the condo is sold, the effect they are having on visitors is measurable.”
 What is your favorite line or quote?

Click Here to Read Article
Moral of Story:  Plan Today for a Successful Tomorrow!

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by Michelle Boggs, Interior Design Teacher at the Art Institute of Indianapolis.  Michelle was inquiring about me putting on a brief presentation to her Interior Design students regarding home staging.  I saw this as an opportunity to spend time with some impressionable minds that had already made a strong commitment to working towards a degree in the related field of Interior Design.  Once I had finalized the arrangements and set the date and time with Michelle, I took some time to reflect on how far we have come in the arena of home staging.

 
When I started Home Matters in 2004, it was the first Home Staging Company in all of central Indiana.  Approximately 1.5 million People in the Indianapolis area and me, one lone stager.  Even with having been a former Real Estate Agent, in 2004 I would talk to my old Real Estate colleagues and they would squint and reply, “What is it your doing?”  And now, here we are 5 years and eight hundred plus staged homes later, the Art Institute of Indianapolis wants me to educate their students about Home Staging.  Gary simply smiles and says “You’ve come a long way baby.”  There are moments like this that it feels like a long way, but then again, so much of my time these days is still spent on the education of; Realtors on how to use a Home Stager, new stagers on how to stage homes and run a home staging business and the general public on the psychology and value of home staging.  Eight hundred homes seems huge to me, but then again, it is really just a drop in the bucket considering how many homes have been on the market here in Indianapolis area over these past 5 years. My take on this business is as the educational journey continues, the evolution of our companies will continue.

 
To my delight, last Tuesday, the day of the presentation, Michelle and 13 of her students, along with Fabiola Malerbi, Academic Director-Interior Design for the Art Institute, battled a treacherous storm to come to our training facility to participate in a 2 hour discussion about Home Staging.  What a great bunch of students they were.  So involved in home fashion and so many questions.  Without a doubt they were the most informed and yet inquisitive group I have ever had the pleasure of talking with. I’m hopeful that we may even have converted a few of them to become future Home Stagers.  Thanks to Michelle, Fabiola and all of the Students from the Art Institute of Indianapolis for being such a great group to spend the afternoon with.
So, what does this all mean, besides the fact that I had a really great experience with them?  Well it simply means that I am more convinced now than ever before that we have to keep on teaching about home staging.  We have to teach them and then teach them again and again and then teach them some more!  We have to teach our communities and most importantly, we have to teach each other.  And if we do this really well, then we can all be known as stager just like we planned to be.

Last week, Gary and I attended the F.C. Tucker Realtors Indiana State Convention held here in Indianapolis. The convention was a 3 day event, packed with continue educational opportunities for their real estate professionals as well as sessions hosted by renowned speakers.

We were there as part of the Tucker HOME-LINK vendor fair which was held on the first afternoon of the event. HOME-LINK is Tucker’s network of service and product providers. Directly at the conclusion of the day’s event, there was a vendor banquet and awards ceremony. The banquet was very nice with great food and the awards ceremony even better.  There were many classifications of honors given out that evening.  Some were for painters, electricians, plumbers, and yes, also home stagers. This honor is based on feedback from agents and clients utilizing the services of many companies. What a wonderful surprise when it came down to the home staging and design category honors. Home Matters, Home Staging and Redesign were awarded “Best in Class”.  Any honor, award or special recognition that myself or my design specialists have received over the years is always special to me; but the ones that come directly from those that have used and depended on our services are always the most meaningful.

Also as an added bonus, we were just recently made aware that Home Matters, Home Staging and Redesign are the highest rated Home Staging Company in the Central Indiana area by Angie’s List. Angie’s list, as I’m sure many of you know is the nation’s leading source for consumer ratings on local preferred service companies. Detailed feedback from members is used as the basis for providing up-to-date, reliable, unbiased ratings and reviews. Home Matters maintains an across the board “A” rating in all categories.  Again just like the Tucker award, this acknowledgment is an honor that we appreciate very much.
Our goal from the very beginning still remains in the forefront of our business. We simply provide a meaningful and valuable experience for those who are in need of our service. By doing so it does show that by staying focused on our clients and their needs; honors, awards and recognition will follow.

Thank you so very much to all of the agents and home owners here in Central Indiana who has taken the time to raise their voices of satisfaction.  We thank you and we are always happy to offer our experience and expertise.

Savvy home sellers know the main components of a successful sale: keeping (or getting) their home in good-as-new condition; presenting their home so that it appeals (online, in print and in person) to buyers in the targeted demographic; and hiring a professional realtor to make sure that their home gets priced to sell and marketed to be seen. Yet there is another critical point which home sellers often forget: even though “price is king” in this buyer’s market, sellers still control the keys to their own castles.

Unfortunately, many home sellers fail to realize just how much power they have to ensure that their homes will sell quickly and profitably. For any given home, it is ultimately the seller who decides whether the home will enter the market “as is” or in peak condition; the seller who decides to use the support of professionals (realtors, inspectors, home stagers, etc.) or go it alone; and the seller who decides the price of the home. Without the realization of their power, sellers fail to maximize their role in their home-selling process.    

The job of real estate professionals is to remind home sellers of their power and provide them with first-rate support. This is where a home stager can be a realtor’s best ally. Stagers can objectively and knowledgeably assess sellers’ needs, explore their motivations, address their questions and concerns, advise them to listen to the wise counsel of their realtors, and remind them of their tremendous capacity to help ensure a successful home sale. By working closely with realtors and sellers, stagers can present a home that will compel buyers to become the next king or queen of the castle.

The Following is a press release that was published today about the addition of Home Staging Training which will be offered to both Stagers and Real Estate Agents effective this month.  Click on the Home Matters web site training tab above to see the details.

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Linda Barnett, Founder of Home Matters, to Offer Staging and Redesign (SAR) Certification Courses

Nearly five years after having founded one of the most successful and fastest growing home staging and redesign companies in Indiana, Linda Barnett is expanding Home Matters to include a new training division. Starting in January of 2009, Barnett will offer a series of 5-day Staging and Redesign (SAR) certification courses for stagers and 2-day SAR certification courses for real estate agents.

The SAR Certification Course for Stagers combines classroom training with field experience to provide a strong foundation for the art and business of staging and redesign in vacant and occupied homes. The SAR Certification Course for Agents utilizes classroom and hands-on training to give real estate professionals the tools to improve the marketability of their clients’ homes and generate faster, more profitable sales. Each course includes personalized instruction, as well as ongoing professional and marketing support, to help ensure participants’ success.      

Both of the SAR courses were created and certified by Melissa Marro of Charleston, SC, who founded First Impressions Home Staging and Interior Redesign in 2005 and helped it become one of the premiere staging and training companies in the southeast. Marro holds several leadership positions in the staging/redesign industry, including the South Carolina State Chapter President of the Interior Redesign and Staging Industry Specialists (IRIS). Marro tapped Barnett to become the Midwest SAR Instructor because of her longstanding record of success in the Indianapolis metropolitan area and her leadership in the staging/redesign industry.  

This collaboration between Barnett and Marro marks the latest step in their efforts to enhance standardization and elevate professionalism within the staging/redesign industry. Also to this end, they are both active in—and have been nominated for various awards by—the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) of North America and have served as moderators for RESA’s Stage it Forward (SIF) Roundtable Forums, a series of nationwide conferences for staging and redesign professionals.

The dust has settled, the food has been eaten, all of the table and chairs have been hauled away and the real estate stagers from all across Indiana have made their way back home.  Even though our accessory warehouse is just a room with racks, shelves and things; it sure came to life the day of November 13th when it was filled with people with the same dream.  There was a time not long ago that I could not have imagined there being 25 stagers in all of Indiana, let alone there being that many all gathering in one place for a group discussion about topics surrounding our industry. Needless to say the event was a HIT. Many of the Real Estate Stagers had felt fairly isolated until this Round Table event and many were excited just to be in the company of others that have a passion for staging homes to sell.  One tell-tale sign was the exuberance that everyone put into simply exchanging business cards with each other.  Everyone walked away from this event feeling that they now had 24 new friends in the business. Small groups of stagers gathered afterward to learn and share and the smiles on their faces told me that indeed this is was a great day.  Our group had quite diverse backgrounds and affiliations; there were RESA’s, IRIS’s, HSR’s, ASP’s ASHSR’s and a few naked stagers as well as some fresh out of training… But for those few hours of sharing and learning and discussing our industry, there were only interesting conversations, great questions and a sense of belonging.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our event…. A Big, Big THANKS to all of our sponsors, RESA, SIF, IRIS, ASHSR  and a HUGE, HUGE, THANK YOU TO OUR LOCAL LUNCH  SPONSOR…….PACK-RAT OF THE GREATER INDIANAPOLIS AREA.