In case you missed the story published in the October 22, 2009 edition of the NY Times by Mark Oppenheimer, it profiles Meridith Baer, a home stager and designer in the Los Angeles area. Her company, Dressed to Sell by Meridith Baer, has been staging homes and offering design services for ten years with 12 designers and a staff of 70. They house their extensive and eclectic inventory in a 45,000 sq ft warehouse.
Her story makes for interesting reading and the photo tours on her website showcase some spectacular homes!
One of the hallmarks of this company's staging style is that they decide who will be living in this home (determining the target buyer) and then stage the home for that person. Apparently her techniques are very successful ~ and sometimes quite costly!
We can all learn from each other and this article illustrates the importance of professional home staging to sell homes -- luxury and otherwise -- faster than if they had been left vacant. In any market, staging makes the home memorable!
Read the full NY Times article here ....
What did you think?
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Thanks for sharing Maureen, it just shows you there are so many ways to service this industry.
Hi, Maureen. I saw that article and was a tad bit confused why the NY Times was featuring a Los Angeles Home Stager. However, I was certainly warehouse-envy, that's for sure. If I recall correctly, she has 5 trucks and 9 crews. Can you imagine?
Kathy
Maureen-thanks for sharing this. With so much out there to read in print and in cyberspace, and even with Google Alerts it's impossible to catch every article. What an impressive story. And, the 45000sq ft warehouse makes the small Storage areas that most of the Stagers use pale in comparison. Wouldn't it be nice to have those $20k + fees!
What a great story. I wonder if she is a member of RESA or any other staging networks. Since none of us seem to have heard of her I kind of doubt it.
Terrylynn ~ It's true that there are many levels of home staging needed by sellers out there! Those multi-million $ homes in southern CA sometimes need an entirely different level of service than our "regular" clients do.
Kathy N. ~ No kidding -- but how could you keep track of 70 employees? That in itself is scary!
Kathy S. ~ My storage space is like a broom closet compared to that massive warehouse LOL (and my fees just as dinky too!)
Kathy A . ~ My guess is that she's too busy to attend meetings ... keeping track of all that inventory in her 45,000 sq ft warehouse and her large staff. Maybe on the other hand she just needs an invitation?
Maureen, what an interesting story, thank for sharing. She's older than me and I can't imagine how she does it. 70 employees yikes!
Ginger ~ Did the story give her age? I must have missed that part. We can only dream of having a thriving business like this one, with such great fees!! (or perhaps it would be more than we'd want to handle .... that's a lot of staff to keep track of!)
Maureen, it said she was born in 1947. It definitely is more than I would want to handle at this point of my life. But if I was 20 years younger....oh well (-:
Ginger ~ I know what you mean -- I can relate too even though I was born in a different decade LOL! :-)
More power to her!! I thought I was one of the oldest out there!! I can't imagine 70 employees-whew!!
Cathy ~ I agree, anyone who can manage a staff of 70 and stage those high end homes must be doing more than a few things right!
Thanks Maureen for posting the NY Times article. I feel like Cinderella did when her stepsisters were gettiing ready for the ball in fine clothes and all Cinderella had to wear was sooty and tattered. (not being serious)
There is no greater joy for a homeowner that you help repurpose their tired wornout often outdated stuff into a staged room and into a staged home that sells. The thank you notes are priceless. And the creativity came in knowing where to get a slipcover off the Internet for $69.
Bev ~ regardless of the price point of the homes we stage, there's always a rewarding feeling when we know we've provided the best staging service possible. It's true about the Thank You notes we receive ... they're truly priceless!
Hi Maureen, what a story and amazing. She has defined her niche and target audience! Great Success Story!
Barbara ~ finding your niche in your local market is often a great way to differentiate yourself and your service ... this Los Angeles home stager has done that to perfection.
OMG!!! Wouldn't it be exciting to be that successful! I like her idea about imagining who will live there and making it look like the owner just left the room to answer the phone.
Thank you for sharing Maureen! My gosh what a success she's having! I would love to work with her for even one day!
Janice ~ That's a great concept -- making the home look "lived in" versus "staged" -- much more realistic to the potential buyer, but without the mess!
Lina ~ I agree, a job shadow with Meridith would be fun! (I'd bet she gets offers for that all the time ....)
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Even though I may never stage or sell a 10 million dollar penthouse I can certainly imagine who might be living in that $440,000 bungalow in Ballard.
Susan ~ Great point ... good stagers everywhere can target the buyer for any property and stage accordingly, regardless of the price point of the home. I must admit I'd love to see one of those $10Million homes with this type of staging though.