Initially, the focus of home staging was to neutralize your home in order to appeal to a wider market of potential buyers. But that often results in the fatal side-effect of becoming a “forgettable” home.

Forgettable Homes: Not distasteful, but not memorable enough to make the short list.

The latest trend in Home Staging is target marketing, or “Lifestyle Merchandising.” Designing a space to attract a more specific buyer.

This is nothing new – consumer product companies have been using this science for years. It’s about getting more specific data from a lifestyle perspective to attract the most likely buyer demographic. This involves defining not only demographics, but psychographics and lifestyle profiles as well.

As a seasoned marketer, I totally get the value of target marketing in staging. But I’m cautious to find the right balance between casting a wide (enough) net and targeting a specific buyer. I believe you should be as targeted as possible based on the data you have. Assumptions can be dangerous, and going too far in either direction can be ineffective.

So how do you find good data? By working with a knowledgeable Real Estate Agent who really knows the area. The stager and agent should work closely together to understand who they’re trying to attract.

Data sources:

• Comps
• Nearby retail (shops and restaurants)
• School data
• Interview Sellers about the area
• Local sport teams, art galleries, etc.

Realtor.org published helpful definitions by Hal Douthit, a contributing columnist to The Real Estate Professional and creator of Re/Ad, a computer ad writing program for real estate. He’s the publisher of 19 Homes Illustrated magazines and 13 newspapers.

Hal applied psychographics to real estate sales, and articulated five market segments among homebuyers and sellers, as illustrated in this chart presented in Realtor® Magazine (click chart to enlarge):

So before you list your home, make sure you have a solid team on your side to help you prepare your home in the smartest way possible for the quickest sale possible.

There is a careful balance in translating the science of data to the art of purposeful design. And the right combination is powerful!

Great time in NYC for the grand opening of the new HomeGoods store in Manhattan!

Hello RTW friends!

I’m happy to say that we bought our fixer-upper the end of December, and moved in the 3rd week of January. Prior to move-in, we spent weekends camping on air mattresses and painting til we could paint no more! While it was nice to have a three week head start to get some of the projects done before the furniture moved in, we also then ended up moving during the soon-to-be-famous blizzard of 2011. Oh joy.

We’ll be sharing some before and after pictures soon, I’ll offer up a tease – the before picture of what we affectionately called the “Barney” room.

I should mention that even the doors were painted dark purple. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

I’ve been reading LOTS of property descriptions. Aside from the many typos and CAPS, here are a few gems I see over and over and what they REALLY mean to a buyer.

Original Owner = dated décor

Well (or impeccably) appointed = a woman picked out the finishes

Custom = what someone else wanted

# Years Young = denial, i.e. a perpetually 29 year old woman

Stately = stuffy

Pristine condition = they have a good housecleaning service

Updated = painted within the last 3 years and took down that ugly border

Upgraded = splurged for the stainless and/or granite

Wow! = really?

Motivated Sellers = Go ahead and low ball us – we won’t be offended

Dramatic = Stunning = Spectacular = Fabulous = Majestic = Beautiful = Dramatic {oops, caught in an adjective loop, can’t get out!}

Do you agree with any of them? What am I missing?

It’s not Wednesday, but I’m (practically) wordless on this one:

Ok, buyers…is this an asset for you? Oh, and ignore the mess beyond the door on the left.

One of the homes we toured was absolutely beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, we were commanded by a note written in bold felt pen to sport little paper booties in lieu of our shoes. (I should mention, it was a lovely day and there was no visible dirt on our shoes).

At the stairs to the basement was another note to put on a DIFFERENT pair of booties to view the basement, but to change back in the first pair of booties when you came back up to prevent getting any basement dust in the house.

Once the kids were properly sanitized, we ventured our way timidly through the house. We oooo-ed and ahhhh-ed at the many crystal displays and intricate design details. Well, the kids oooo-ed and ahhh-ed while I played zone to make sure they didn’t touch anything.

Come to think of it, I don’t think I really saw the house at all. But I think it was nice. My kids referred to it as the “neat freak” house the rest of the day.

Now I’m not going to say that over-the-top condition and decor are never effective, but I do have some advice for sellers who suspect that their target buyer might have kids (or a sense of humor)…LIGHTEN UP! You want the buyer to feel comfortable and welcome, not “dirty”.

Anyway, isn’t this supposed to be a buyers market? Think!!!

I think this one goes without saying.

Which is worse:

• The bear
• The deer heads
• The guns
• The Cowboy Cutout
• The vintage barber chairs
• The blinds
• The carpeting
• The clutter

Or, are you too afraid of this homeowner to say anything but “wow, very interesting home!”

Yea…he scares me a bit too! Don’t think this is a client I’d like to stage for!

Welcome to “MLS Mishap Monday!”

Since I’m looking for a new home, I’ve been looking at MLS photos a lot lately. To be frank…I’m shocked. You would think a challenging economy would inspire sellers to up their visual game. There are more homes in my target area than I have time to even look at. So I’m using MLS listings to decide which ones I’ll take the time to actually visit.

So, as I find photo’s that are “misguided,” I’ll share them here on the Rooms That Work blog.

Today’s theme is related to my post about pets and people. First up has several issues…can you find them all?

• The most obvious is two cats and a man in his undershirt. Yea, that makes me want to see the house!
• What’s with the coffee cup sitting on the floor? Is that for the cats?
• Lots of family pictures displayed, furniture not in a conversational grouping.

Now here’s a winner…do you see what I see?

• How much is that doggie in the window? Oh wait…is that two dogs?
• Is that really the best place to store your gun when selling your home?
• Enough of the dried/faux foilage over the door – it’s just bad feng shui!
• Do we even need to talk about the quality of the photo, and the big ‘ol flash reflected from the display case?

Ok, here’s another one…what do you see?

• Well, for starters, we’re being stared at by a cat and a dog.
• And do you really need to leave the TV on for MLS shots?
• Would it hurt to turn on a couple lights for the photos?

As a buyer, I pick the homes I want to see based on the photos. Yes, the home still has to sell to me when I get there, but if the pictures are bad I’m probably never going to see the home.

So please…at least remove your pets before taking pictures, turn on some lights and use a proper camera.  Better yet, select an agent who knows how to use a camera and has a home stager on his or her team to avoid these MLS Mishaps!

Happy selling (and buying) everyone!

Hey buyers…are you moving to a new town and/or state? Me too.

To get a feel for my soon-to-be-town, I’m now keeping regular tabs on local news websites at my destination. But what a shocker…I’m reading about lewd behavior in a movie theater, some teens stealing money out of cars, and even a fake bomb threat at a high school!

What have I gotten myself into!!!!

But then I check the local paper’s site here where I live. And OMG…who knew we had such a problem with gang shootings, serious car accidents and armed robberies!

Just remember, the more shocking the headline, the more traffic the online news publications attract to their site. It’s not necessarily representative of the area. To get a better feel, why not lunch at a local diner and talk with the folks who live there?

And news media – keep in mind that while sensational stories sell, they really portray your town in a bad light. Keep it balanced please…potential new residents are watching.

Q. What do buyers and sellers have in common?

A. They’re both moving!

Moving is a BIG change. Don’t waste that BIG momentum…what other changes would you like to make in your life as part of your move? It’s a great opportunity to reflect on your life and go big! Perhaps you want to start a work out routine, write a book, learn a new language, become a mentor, change your style, you name it…this is an exciting time when you are more open to change. Take advantage of it!

Me? I’m going to learn to cook at a level suitable for entertaining. Why? 3 reasons:

1. I want healthier and tastier meals for me and my family
2. I want to entertain more (without relying an a catering service)
3. And finally, there is no Dream Dinners franchise where I’m moving to (although I often consider opening one myself!)

This won’t happen overnight, so I’m starting to practice on the weekends. As I find tasty and easy recipes, I’ll share them at my Your home, only better blog with a new series entitled “Entertaining Tips {for the rest of us}”.  I’ll kick it off today with a lovely Butternut Squash and Apple soup that I made this morning.

So what life changes would YOU like to incorporate into your next move?