Staging: Articles & Information
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Setting The Stage
The Cary News, October 17, 2002

Most people selling a home in the Cary/Apex area know they’re in a competitive market. There are lots of beautiful homes for sale in almost every price range.
So how do you make yours stand out in the crowd?

"The home you live in isn’t the one you sell," said Donna Johnson, owner of Assist-2-Sell, a discount residential brokerage company in Cary. Johnson was recently awarded the designation of Accredited Staging Professional (ASP), possibly the first real estate broker in the Triangle area to earn the credential. "I'm the first that I know of."

"Staging" is a concept that was pioneered by real estate broker and nationally-known speaker and author Barb Schwarz. It’s based on the idea that a home that is properly prepared for sale—clean, organized and clutter free—will sell faster and at a better price than the competition. Schwarz holds the federally registered trademark on Staging and travels the country teaching real estate professionals and interior decorators how to help clients stage their homes for the market. The concept works in any price range.

Sellers in the Triangle area may soon see more real estate companies offering the services of an ASP. Johnson, who took the course in Charlotte last month, said it may be offered in the Raleigh area in the spring.

Any real estate broker or agent can make suggestions to their clients on how to improve their chances of selling. The ASP designation, however, lets the seller know that the broker/agent has had special training and has completed an exam to earn the credential.

Johnson offers her Staging services as a part of the overall listing process. An assistant, Mary Landis, who also took the training course, helps her coordinate clients' homes.

"I knew that I needed someone to be upfront with their recommendations so that I could get motivated to make the changes needed to help sell our home," said Holly Springs resident Amy Gingery, a client of Johnson’s. "She was very helpful."
 Johnson says the idea is not to make a house look like a model home—an unrealistic expectation for anyone. "A model home is perfection...We want something livable."

What homeowners can do is make changes that will make their home more appealing to potential buyers: getting rid of clutter, clearing away the knick-knacks, organizing closets, rearranging or removing furniture, and removing magnets from the refrigerator door. And the best thing is much of it doesn’t cost the seller a penny.

"I may suggest that the seller rent a storage space," as Johnson did with Chris and Stephanie Clayton, who had some items they needed to clear out of their garage before potential buyers could walk through.

It's Johnson's background in human resources that helps her offer suggestions in a sensitive way. "It’s hard to tell somebody they need to move their couch. I do the soft-shoe approach. The beauty of going in with Staging is that I’m taking into consideration people’s feelings and needs and merging that with their need to sell the home."

Johnson switched careers in the mid ‘90s, but not before defining for herself what she needed to be fulfilled professionally: "Working with people, problem solving, short-term projects, use of a computer, analysis, flexibility and ownership of my time, and responsibility for what I do. Where do you find all that and get paid for it?"

She found it in real estate, working for Fonville Morisey before opening the Assist-2-Sell franchise in April 2000. She also teaches real estate courses through Wake Technical Community College.

She says most of her clients are open to changes that will help their home sell faster.

Tim and Donna Downes are downsizing. As their children approach college, the soon-to-be empty nesters are looking at town homes.

To prepare to show their three-bedroom home in Lochbain, Johnson and Landis helped the couple take a critical look around. Furniture was removed to open up some of the rooms. Several items that the family isn’t currently using will be boxed and stored for now. Johnson also recommended the family leave the shades up during the day to let light in.

"We organized our clutter, if you will," said Donna Downes. "We want to make it look like the home has been lived in, but so that someone else can use their imagination and see themselves living in the home. I would want do to the same thing if I were shopping for a new home."

Stephanie Clayton said she noticed a big difference in her Apex home's appearance once she made some minor changes suggested by Johnson: removing a coffee and end table, rearranging furniture, organizing closets. “It was all welcomed information. She even got in here and helped.”

Parents of an 18-month-old baby, the Claytons faced the additional challenge of keeping "baby stuff" organized. They bought a colorful basket for the living room in which to keep his toys. "They're in one spot and he's able to get to them. At night we just put them in the basket," said Clayton.

Often a few key changes can make a home seem larger. Johnson suggested Scott and Amy Gingery take out a leaf from the dining room table so potential buyers could walk through the room more easily. A three-panel screen was removed from the family room to give it a more spacious feel. “A minute’s work makes a big difference in perception,” said Johnson.

The Gingerys also had lots of decorations and family photos that they removed, but it’s given them a head start on their impending move; many of their belongings are already boxed and stored in the attic.

"I think that the hardest thing to deal with is missing my 'things,' especially our family pictures,” said Amy Gingery. "But we did keep out a few of them, which helps. You really become attached to your house because it has become your ‘home,' and while we were boxing up many of our things specifically made or bought for this house, it really sunk in that we would be moving out of our home soon."

Staging is equally important on the home’s exterior and yard, where “curb appeal” is a major factor. The lawn should be neat and tidy, the front entrance area free of clutter.

"When we finish, people feel good about it," said Johnson. "Actually I think the Staging part of selling their house will follow them through to their new home."

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