Home Staging Success for NYC CSP Trainees!

I am so proud of my new NYC CSPs! We had a fantastic staging training last weekend in my Chelsea loft office space. The class staged a $1.350 million Pre-War, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom co-op on the Upper West Side on Monday, Oct. 19th. The owner is a recent widower, looking forward to selling his apartment and moving to his home in Israel, but of course with so many fond memories present, the process can be emotional and overwhelming.

It was truly such a pleasure to be able help him prepare his apartment for showings. In amazing synchronicity, one of the NYC trainees, Aya Barak, had traveled all the way from Israel to take this CSP training and was able to converse with the seller in Hebrew -an incredible coincidence.The home is in very good condition and very clean, it just needed some “reducing, re-arranging and refreshing” and the CSP special touch.

The class worked enthusiastically and energetically and created an amazing transformation! The first open house was this past Sunday. By Monday they had a very good offer and appointments from four couples to return for second visits. In this very “challenged” NYC market, this is exceptional!

This was such a positive experience for everyone. The class had an excellent hands-on learning experience and felt really happy that they were able to help this seller so much. All in keeping with Christine Rae’s “pay it forward” philosophy for CSP.

Marie-Elena Waldrip summed it up so well. “The class and our working together ended all too soon- I never had so much fun working so hard!”


The CSP NYC classes are unique because they are run work-shop style with a maximum of 6 trainees. This allows excellent opportunity for lots of one-on-one attention and a high energy class dynamic. As president of Ingenuity & Pizzazz, Inc. have collaborated with home sellers and agents on the staging and marketing of over $500 million in real estate and I share my diverse experience with my trainees.
My next New York class is scheduled for January 9th – 11th, 2010. For more information, contact nairn@ingenuity.com and please visit www.ingenuitypizzazz.com and www.csptraining.com.

Why Accepting the Lowest Bid for Home Staging Can Prove Extremely Costly for Sellers

As a very experienced stager and president of Ingenuity & Pizzazz, Inc., (I have collaborated with home sellers and real estate agents in the staging and marketing of over $500 million in real estate in the Tri-state area), I feel the need to comment on the issue of hiring a home stager, based on the lowest bid. Some home staging companies are now marketing themselves by their willingness to accept sellers’ lowest budgets. It is well known that in any business, you cannot achieve all three of the following at the same time: high quality, low price, and fastest delivery. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for.

For most sellers, their home is their number one financial asset. The return on the sale of this asset will be key to their future financial well-being. Statistics prove that professionally staged homes sell faster and for more money than comparables that are not staged. Furthermore, with a surplus of inventory, the competition for any home seller today is greater than it has been in years. With more than 90% of buyers shopping first on the internet, the website marketing is the key to attracting traffic to a listing. Viewing the property, buyers need to fall in love within minutes – the first impression is that powerful to buyer decision making. Professional home staging is not decorating – it is marketing, pure and simple.

Would any business launch a product into a competitive market in an unattractive package or damaged condition? Of course not. Because the only way that type of product will sell is at a significant discount! Staging is not an expense – it is an INVESTMENT- in fact, the best short-term investment a home seller will ever make. Just compare the financial return from a profitable and quicker sale (which also reduces monthly carrying costs), with the interest the banks are offering for 6-month CDs.

The choice of a professional home stager, is a critical decision that should only be made in consideration of many criteria – and certainly not just on price! In many cases, the savvy real estate agent already has a professional stager working on their marketing team. If the agent can’t recommend a stager, then the home seller needs to base their decision on the stager’s expertise, experience, track-record, professionalism and portfolio. Of course everyone has budgets and professional stagers will do their best to get the biggest impact for the client’s investment. However, it is wise to listen to the professional stager’s comprehensive consultation and recommendations before making any final decisions on what should be invested in the staging project. Home sellers today have too much at stake to be “penny wise and pound foolish.”

Certified Staging Professionals understand the importance of explaining to sellers what needs to be done to get their homes market ready. As consultants, we accept that it is our responsibility, not only to showcase the strengths of a property, but also to address the weaknesses – even when some of these issues might be sensitive in nature. The bottom line is that this is a marketing collaboration between the seller, the home stager and the agent to achieve the highest possible return on the sale of the property in the shortest amount of time.
The Certified Staging Professionals training does not only teach staging techniques and tips but also sets the highest standards of ethics and professional responsibility. It is the most comprehensive home staging training program available. Unlike the on-line training companies, CSP provides trainees with hands-on staging experience and incomparable after-training support. I am confident that the CSP home staging training program is the best investment budding home stagers can make in themselves and their businesses. I am extremely proud of being a trainer for this exemplary organization and am pleased to share my diverse experience and expertise with all my trainees.

I am looking forward to my upcoming home staging training classes in New York City (Oct. 17-19) and Ottawa (Nov. 2-4).

For more information, please visit www.csptraining.com and www.ingenuitypizzazz.com or contact Nairn Friemann at nairn@ingenuitypizzazz.com.

The Importance of Floral Design to Real Estate Staging

What is the one common feature in rooms showcased in decorating magazines, regardless of design style? Floral Accents!

Everyone would agree that flowers and plants are beautiful decorative accents to these stylish rooms. But please consider that flowers are so much more than decorative room jewelry. With more than 80% of home buyers shopping on the internet, shouldn’t we all be paying attention to what the decorating magazines already know? In the same way that I say that, "staging isn't decorating, staging is marketing,"

Attractive floral design isn’t optional – it should be a key component of staging. I believe flowers and plants help sell real estate!

Recent Research:

Did you know?

• Scientific research conducted by Rutgers University, The Emotional Impact of Flowers Study, has proven that flowers improve emotional health, having a profound effect on mood and well-being.
• At Texas A & M, research showed that a change as simple as adding flowers and plants can be important in the most meaningful way to businesses. Workers’ idea generation, creative performance and problem solving skill improve in workplace environments that include flowers and plants.
• Research by The Color Institute showed that people start forming impressions in the first 90 seconds and that up to 60% of that impression can be based on color alone.

For more information on this groundbreaking research visit www.aboutflowers.com

Given the powerful impact of color and emotion, flowers in different color combinations can enhance or adjust feelings. When we stage a house to sell, our goal is to transform the home to a living space that will appeal to a broad base of potential buyers. As we set the stage in various rooms, we aim to create positive emotional responses from potential buyers. Flowers can help us accomplish our goals in a subtle yet highly effective way.

From the first, all-important, impact of curb appeal, a beautiful garden will tell buyers that this is a well-maintained, well-loved home. And when the front door is opened, flowers will instantly welcome visitors. Think of the grand hotels. What do they all have in their lobbies? Fabulous floral arrangements! Think of fine restaurants and special events – flower arrangements! These businesses invest in floral design as a key component of their marketing budget, because of the positive response from their clients. If they weren’t achieving a significant return, they wouldn’t waste their money.

Given that up to 60% of the first impression is based on color alone, pleasing color palettes are key in the first 90 seconds. A pretty flower arrangement on a foyer table will become an attractive focal point and have enormous impact on the potential buyer’s emotional response.

Throughout the rest of the rooms of a home, floral accents, plants and trees should be integrated to draw the buyer’s eye to key strengths and away from weaknesses. They also add instant vitality and color to any space. Color theory teaches us about the impact of color on emotions. Floral accents can enhance the desired color palette of any room and help evoke the desired emotional response from potential buyers. While white orchids can add a sense of calm and a spa-like feel to a bathroom, vibrant tropical flowers will instantly energize a loft space.

However, poor floral design can have a hugely negative impact on potential buyers, Dusty dried flower arrangements and wreaths should be removed. High quality silk floral accents look remarkably authentic and photograph extremely well, but cheap "fake" flowers will draw the buyer’s attention like a magnet. Also critical is attention to style, scale and mechanics.

I believe professional floral design should be a key component of real estate staging. Before becoming a real estate stager, I achieved my certification in floral design from the prestigious New York Botanical Garden. I interned and then freelanced with a top New York floral designer and gained invaluable experience in event staging. I bring this specialty and experience to all my staging projects and staging training.

Certified Staging Professionals - Helping Hands in Tough Economic Times

As a Certified Staging Professionals trainer, I am always truly impressed with the amazing transformations our trainees create on Day Three of our staging training program. Although we all pride ourselves in the incomparable learning experience CSP offers our trainees during our three-day, intensive staging training "boot camp", we are also equally proud of the talent, creativity and work ethic of our class teams. After two days of classroom teaching, everyone feels tired and some are a little overwhelmed. But on Day Three when the class receives their staging challenge, the adrenaline and creative juices kick in, and within a few hours, with very limited resources, miracles occur.

Experiencing these staging transformations is always so gratifying for all of us. When the homeowners and agents return to assess our staging work, there is always apprehension. Will they like what we have done? Will they object to any changes we have made? Of course, we hope that everyone will be happy with what we have created. Stagers thrive on enthusiastic positive reinforcement. However, in some cases, the rewards are far more meaningful.

Recently, one of my classes staged a home for a family in unfortunate circumstances. The husband had been badly injured in a car accident and had been hospitalized for months. In spite of regular physiotherapy, he was still unable to resume work in his own small business. Sadly, this had caused financial hardship for the family and had led to the need for them to sell their home. After two months on the extremely tough real estate market, the house had not received any offers.

My class of five incredible CSP trainees rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Room by room, they edited excess items and carried them to the basement, re-arranged existing furnishings, searched closets and cabinets for optional linens and staging items, and then showcased each room. The result was transformational. After four and a half hours, the home felt more welcoming and spacious, and focal points and key strengths were highlighted.

The husband came home first and was extremely happy and complimented us all on our hard work. He called his wife to tell her about the changes and she came home to see for herself. They were truly overwhelmed. The wife said her home had never looked so beautiful. They were such a lovely couple and our class was truly touched by them and their situation. As we left, the husband took my hand and said, “God bless you.”

The market is extremely competitive these days and we cannot guarantee that this newly staged home will now sell quickly. Although we left them a list of additional recommendations, it is doubtful that they will be able to follow through on these due to their financial circumstances. Undoubtedly, the house is far more marketable than it was before we created our CSP staging magic. But what we do know for certain is that in a brief moment in time, CSP touched the lives of these wonderful people and brought them pure joy in the beauty of their home. It is so gratifying to me that not only are we providing the best staging training in the industry for our CSPs, but we are also helping so many deserving home sellers in the process.

In this tough real estate market, home sellers and real estate agents must integrate professional staging services in their marketing plan. Some agents are saying, if you don’t stage, you’re helping to sell the competition. In this buyers’ market, the key success factors are: realistic pricing, optimal presentation and savvy marketing. Certified Staging Professionals collaborate with home sellers and real estate agents to ensure that their properties can be marketed to full potential. Our goals are to maximize the return on the sale of our clients’ most valuable assets and to minimize time on the market. Our professional services are now more important than ever.

I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to work in a profession that has such an important role to play. As the president of Ingenuity & Pizzazz, Inc., I have collaborated with home sellers and real estate agents on the staging and marketing of over $500 million in real estate, and as a CSP trainer, I can share this diverse experience and expertise. And I am very proud to be a member of the Certified Staging Professionals team because I sincerely believe that this is the best staging training program in the industry, with unparalleled after-training support. Christine Rae, CSP’s visionary founder, continues to set the bar higher for the entire professional staging community as her exemplary organization expands in North America and now Australia

For more information on our upcoming Certified Staging Professional classes, please visit www.stagingtraining.com.