Home Staging in Portland Oregon Blog

It seems like only yesterday that I found Active Rain online (back in March 2007) and although it seemed like a great resource for real estate professionals (including home stagers) I had no idea then how being part of this community would impact my business in such a positive way.  Now, 189 blog posts later ....

It's true that Active Rain is a community  ~ in the best sense of the word.

I've found friends all over the country here, received referrals to my business, found other great professionals to refer clients to, and learned more about many subjects than I probably did during years of school.

On top of all that, the Active Rain staff is amazingly helpful, friendly, and responsive.  You just couldn't find a nicer group of people who are willing to answer questions and who regularly go above and beyond our expectations.

The thing is, I'm still a newbie in many respects .. we all are ... because this community is constantly evolving and growing just as the real estate industry is.  Being a member of A/R means you're going to be exposed to the "best of the best" info on a daily basis.

How has Active Rain helped me?  Here are just a few of the ways A/R has impacted my business:

• My A/R Blog reaches consumers in my local market of Portland OR looking for a professional home stager; my A/R Outside Blog is on page 1 of Google, so the exposure is excellent

• My A/R Profile also ranks high on Google and contributes to my overall internet presence
  

• A local Portland television station and Oregon's largest newspaper have interviewed me and asked for my opinions on  home staging and decorating ~ on camera and in print
  

• HGTV contacted me through my A/R Profile and another A/R stager's recommendation ~ and offered me a contract to do the design work for 5 episodes of their popular show "My First Place"  (to be aired in 2010)

• Portland Monthly Magazine and Personal Real Estate Investor magazine interviewed me for articles on how home staging can help sellers in any real estate market
  

• Savvy Realtors in the Portland OR area have referred homeowners to me, after reading my blog posts on A/R showing interiors of staged properties, often with "Before & After" photos that showcase my work
  

• My A/R peers nominated me for Professional Stager of the Year for 2010 ~ through the Real Estate Staging Assoc (RESA) ~ which is truly an honor I'm grateful for
  

So, grab your mouse ...& tell everyone you know ...

ACTIVE  RAIN  ROCKS!  All you have to do is Write posts with good, relevant content, Comment on others' posts, and Watch your business grow!

Reaching any milestone takes a team effort, and I'd like to thank the great team of professionals (many who are here on A/R) who have helped my business grow for the past three years.

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Room Solutions Staging in Portland, Oregon offers homeowners, banks, builders, investors & real estate agents a menu of home staging services to prepare properties for the market.  For a free home staging proposal for your property, give us a call @ 503-246-1800.  Our clients have confidence in knowing that our staged homes sell faster in today's challenging market!   View our updated Portland OR home staging photo gallery to see Before & After photos of both our vacant and occupied properties.

Having lived in Ireland, I like to visit there as often as possible ... such a beautiful country with the most amazingly friendly people!  I've also discovered that the Irish love their dogs .... and sometimes those dogs are allowed to be quite independent especially in rural areas.

Here are a few new pals I found along the byways on my last trip over to Ireland .... some are scruffy, some spoiled rotten, some are lonely, some have serious jobs, but all surely must be loved. 

The two characters to the right are Rocky & Swanky -- they live on the County Kerry farm where my grandfather was born in 1886 (my ghostly reflection is in the cottage's window).  As a border collie and a Jack Russell terrier, they represent two of the most popular breeds in Ireland. In the photo below, Swanky is obviously trying to win the "ugliest dog" contest -- even with his smile.

Just a bit further North we came across this cutie on Kells Beach -- he wanted us to play catch with a rock he found in the sand.  I just love the look of this little guy!

In County Limerick we found more new pals, some who were waiting patiently for their masters ...

This fellow looked so lonely that we asked his master if we could take him for a walk down to the river ...

Now isn't he having much more fun?

And this lucky collie oversees magical Lough Gur in County Limerick, where I had a Bed & Breakfast business for 4 years ...

But my favorite Irish dog of all is my own Darby O'Gill (D.O.G.) who's a Border Jack (border collie-Jack Russell mix) and was born & raised in Lough Gur but emigrated to the U.S. (now 14 yrs young).

Have you come across cute dogs during your travels?  If so, please share your photos in your comment!

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If you're looking for a home stager in the Portland OR area, give Room Solutions Staging a call.  We love preparing homes for the market just as much as we love dogs!  For a complimentary home staging consultation give us a call @ 503-246-1800.  To see Before & After photos of both our Vacant and Occupied properties, view our updated Portland OR home staging photo gallery.

Many of us regularly receive emails or calls from "wannabe" stagers .... I've had so many that I came up with a letter to send them.  They deserve to know the "reality" of the staging business and not just hear about how "easy" it is (as shown on TV and by some staging training companies) .... 

Dear Wannabe Stager,

Thank you for inquiring about the home staging business.  I’m often contacted by people who’d like to know more about staging and how to get started.  One of the most important things to consider is that professional stagers should be committed to running a business which is so much more than “decorating” someone’s home.  There are a lot of costs to consider, such as:

• Inventory and props – even if you plan to rent some of the furnishings, you’ll still need to invest a substantial amount of money into accessories, rugs, wall décor, linens, plants, etc.  The cost of these items adds up much quicker than you might imagine. 

• Storage space – once you’ve accumulated accessories and small furnishings you’ll soon find that you need more than just your garage or spare bedroom to store them.  Public storage or warehouse space will add to your expenses. 
  

• Special insurance to cover your staging company for liability in the event you or your helpers damage something in the client’s home, and also to cover your staging inventory whether it’s in transit, in the client’s home, in storage, or in your own home. 
  

• Legal help – you’ll need a good business attorney who can help you develop a staging contract for occupied & vacant homes;  this is very important as you’ll find that being in other people’s home exposes you to liability you may not have thought about, or what happens to your rented staging inventory in the event of non-payment, etc.  It’s best to seek help even if you have a “template” contract, to make sure everything in it applies in your state.

• A good accountant who can help with taxes and what requirements your city & county have for small business owners. 

• Labor help with packing, loading & unloading, transport, and the actual staging and de-staging.

• Register your business with the city and county you’re in and get the proper instructions on your responsibilities; get a TAX ID number.
  

A domain name for your website & a reputable host for it; SEO help to get your site noticed.

• A great blogging platform to help your business grow (Active Rain) 

• A portfolio and website with photos of your own work  (not the work of your training company or stock photos off the internet!).

• A reliable vehicle that can carry your many staging props to each job.

• Office space with a good computer, printer & supplies ~ and good computer skills.

• Marketing advice on the look of your company logo, letterhead stationery, flyers, etc.

• Investment in advertising & marketing to potential clients in your area.   

•  Cost of joining local professional organizations to network and get support from others in the industry 

• Sources for purchasing your inventory and for local furniture rental if needed. 

• The ability to give presentations to Realtors and Homeowners

These are just a few of the things to consider when thinking about setting up a staging company. The best advice I can give someone interested in staging as a career ~ and not just a hobby ~ is to take one of the professional foundation staging training courses that are available (some are better than others so be sure to get recommendations from established stagers).  Continuing education in this field is vitally important.  It’s also just as important to maintain contact with other local stagers for support and to further our common goals.  We have a lot of work to do to educate real estate agents and homeowners about the powerful benefits of staging their properties. 

If you’re truly committed to starting a professional staging company then I hope this advice has been of help to you.  Home staging is an extremely rewarding career ~ but please don't quit your current job just yet until you've really considered all the facts.  You  may also want to read this blog post about running a staging company.  Best of luck to you as you move forward with meeting your goals!

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Maureen Bray is a fulltime professional home stager in Portland Oregon.   To see Before & After photos of both our Vacant and Occupied properties, view our updated Portland OR home staging photo gallery.

Since your blog post exposes potential clients to you (through the magic of Active Rain's powerful Internet presence) you want it to be the best representation of your ideas and commentary. Just as we do when we stage a home to make it appealing to target buyers we want to do the same with our blog posts so that readers will find them attractive and well-presented. 

 If you haven't already, be sure to read all of the great Blogging Tips written by A/R staff & members ~ and don't miss Brad Andersohn's great post about 5 important blogging principles ~ it should be required reading!

Remember that in your post's draft mode there's a built-in spell checker, so there's no need to worry about misspelled words  ~ it's the "ABC" icon with a check mark at the far right end of the tool bar above your draft.

Inserting photos and clip art is easy ... just read Kristal Kraft's post about it ~ a step-by-step illustrated post that even beginners can quickly master.

You'll soon be an expert at Adding Links thanks to Jeff Turner ... and besides the Blogging Tips mentioned above, you can use the Search Bar found in the band at the top of each page and type in whatever info you're looking for. 

I still consider myself new to blogging, but hope these few tips I've learned along the way help you!

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Maureen Bray of Room Solutions Home Staging in Portland OR helps Homeowners & Realtors prepare homes for sellling using professional home staging techniques.  For a free staging proposal contact us @ 503-246-1800 ~ Staging that Sells Portland Homes.