Mall window shopping doesn't have to be an aimless pursuit. It can be a great tool for fresh, innovative ideas in Home Staging. Do you feel as if you are duplicating the same few designs over and over with your customers? You don't want to see the same look and neither do real estate agents and clients. Learn how window shopping can spark creative ideas for new home staging design.
Copyright (c) 2009 Alice Chan
Do you ever feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again? That's how I feel about our family meals. We know how to make a handful of dishes relatively well and it's just a never-ending rotation of the same things, week after week. Sound familiar - BORING!
This could happen with our Staging design as well. We know what inventory we have to work with and how it could be set up. It can be a challenge sometimes to keep your design plans fresh.
I was very conscious of this because I didn't want realtors to walk into one of my staged properties and say, "Oh, this looks just like what she did at the XYZ house". If we staged a property in town and then another property in a nearby city, I did not have a problem recreating the same look there, but we NEVER used a similar design in the same city where the same group of realtors would likely see the house.
I always reminded my team of the absolute necessity to vary the design on every property we worked on. So what do you do when you run out of ideas? How about window shopping?
I recently walked by Banana Republic and saw two windows and had to take a photo because the first thing that popped in my mind was, that would be a great idea for Staging!
In the left window was a mannequin wearing a partially completed dress design and design sketches in the background of a design work table. This would be a great theme for an office. You can probably find some photos from magazines to substitute the sketches or even find a clothing design sketchbook that you can extract pages from. Framing the tear sheets would give you a more polished look.
The right window showed the mannequin wearing the finished design plus a second mannequin seated "sketching" at the work table. It was easy to trace the progress of the design from the first window to the second window.
Need ideas for kitchens? Visit some gourmet cooking stores.
Need ideas for bathrooms? Visit the bath department of a department store.
I love visiting the china department at Bloomies or Macys to get ideas for tablescapes.
Schedule some extra time for your next visit to the mall to look around and see where you can find additional inspiration for your staging plans.
Are You Giving it Away?
The old saying goes "Time is Money". As a Home Stager you need to take a cue from that and value your time and specialized knowledge. You're worth it! Learn some tips on how to prequalify clients and understand the difference between an interview and a consultation. This pre-qualification process will help you AVOID running around town, from property to property, giving away free advice and estimates.
Is Your Environment Supporting Your Journey to Success?
Your environment can define you. How and where you spend your time can determine both personal and business results. Learn to be more discriminating about your time. Create a more productive pathway for your success.
Innovative Strategies for Effective Marketing Promotions
In the competitive world of business, standing out with creative marketing strategies is not just an option, it's a necessity. Engaging prospective clients and maintaining a consistent, positive presence can significantly boost your business. This article delves into five inventive tips that can help capture the attention of potential clients and ensure your services are top of mind.
