Dwela: What is Home Staging? IB: Home staging is the art and science of preparing a property for sale, no matter its current status. Simply put, staging is a marketing tool to attract traffic and turn browsers into buyers the very moment they walk through the door. Does that sound familiar? Of course, it is what every retailer does very successfully in its stores. It is called merchandising. And it works. Staged properties sell faster and for more money.
Dwela: How did you get started in Home Staging? IB: My background is in retail strategies and turning traffic into sales in a retail environment. I had a lifelong passion for interior design and experience in renovations. Staging was my opportunity to leverage on my expertise and turn a passion into a career.
Dwela: What do you like most about your job? IB: I love everything. Staging is hard physical work. You have to love it otherwise you do not last.
Dwela: What’s the least favorite thing about your job? IB: Keeping track of over 700 pieces of furniture and accessories in my inventory.
Dwela: What’s the funniest experience you’ve had on the job? IB: Driving in Manhattan on a big truck.
Dwela: What is different about Home Staging in New York than in other parts of the country? IB: There are several differences. Staging is relatively new in NYC in comparison to other states. The reason is that until two years ago, you could sell a dump in New York to anybody at the price you asked. We have apartments here that have a view of a wall from a window or tiny cluttered spaces. This differs with home stagers in other parts of the country where the homes that are staged have yards. Another major difference is the competitive nature of the marketplace: demanding sellers and brokers and, above all, sophisticated buyers
In the suburbs, the quality of staging such as the one you see on TV 24/7 does not work. I easily put $45/50,000 retail value of furniture and accessories when I stage a vacant space.
Dwela: Coffee or cocktails? IB: Coffee.
Dwela: Reality TV or a good drama? IB: Drama.
Dwela: Dog or cat? IB: Cat.
Dwela: What’s your most valuable personal attribute as it relates to your job? IB: I have exquisite Italian taste, and a great eye for enhancing spaces. I am also very reliable.
Dwela: How much impact does the Internet and related technologies have on your business? IB: For my core business, the Internet simply allows visibility of my portfolio. Brokers do not recommend a stager to their sellers by finding them on the Internet. You have to have personal referrals. But I do actually offer “virtual staging” including Staged to Date online.
Dwela: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? IB: Happily in New York.
Dwela: Whose brain would you pick if you could? IB: Leonardo's.
Dwela: If you weren’t a home stager, you’d be a…? IB: I would do something very similar: interior design, redesign, renovation work. This is my perfect world.
