Secrets of Successful Model Home Staging: Expert Tips from Helen Bartlett

This week, we dive into an overlapping space within the Home Staging and Real Estate industry: Running a business with and alongside your spouse. I sit down with my guest, Daniel Coffman, co-owner of Staged Spaces, an educator and speaker within the staging community, to discuss the relationship dynamics of running a business — and raising a family — together, with your partner.  Originally from the Midwest and currently based in Los Angeles, CA, Daniel has specialized in the Home Design and Real Estate industry for nearly a decade. Even further, Daniel is known for his creative collaboration efforts and ability to ensure both he and his work are noticed and remembered. We discuss how and why Daniel entered the Home Staging and Real Estate industry, and the responsibilities he and his partner, Jacyn, each have within their company, Staged Spaces. Daniel also shares tips and techniques on how they maintain effective communication, strategies for managing their personal and professional lives, and how their children respond to the social media aspect of a home staging business.  Love what Daniel has to say? Be sure to check out Daniel’s past Staging Community Talk about staging workflow on Episode #150 of The Home Staging Show. 

Welcome back to The Home Staging Show, where we bring you the latest insights and tips on all things home staging. In today's episode, we have home stager Aileen Crapps, who specializes in staging mobile homes. She shares her expertise on how she transforms these properties into irresistible spaces that attract buyers. From considering the surrounding amenities to incorporating decor specific to her real estate market, Aileen knows all the tricks of the trade. Additionally, she offers her advice on networking with real estate associations and investors. We also dive into the world of mobile homes, debunking misconceptions and discovering the advantages of these housing options. Join us as we explore Aileen’s approach to creating stunning mobile home interiors and learn how to navigate the challenges of real estate investment. Let's get started with this episode of The Home Staging Show!

This week, I sit down with Helen Bartlett, a national award-winning home stager and home stylist, founder of Refined Interior Staging Solutions, and co-author of Home Staging: The Power That Sells Real Estate, about the process of staging model homes. In this conversation, we discuss the difference between a model and a regular residential home, how to pivot to meet expectations, and Helen illustrates the process of collaborating with builders (including its challenges!) to personalize the design experience and build trust. Lastly, Helen shares some amazing advice for future model home stagers — tune in to the full episode to hear her advice in detail! Topics Covered: How Helen unexpectedly began staging model homes  How a model home differs from a residential home  The collaborative process of working with builders throughout the design process  The risk model staging homes run into around damaged, dirty, or stolen items  The importance of quality, elevated items in a model home  Helen’s approach to trend forecasting and how she incorporates the target demographic into the staging process  The power of sharing leads and strengthening trust with everyone involved  Advice for future model home stagers  

Welcome to The Home Staging Show podcast, where we deep dive into the world of home staging and how to build a viable home staging business. In this episode, Cindy recaps the recent StagerCon 2023 conference, which focused on building multiple streams of income for home stagers. One of the big takeaways from this year’s conference is the importance of intentional business design. This strategic approach gives you the flexibility to select the tools and strategies that align perfectly with your goals and visions of your home staging business. Even among the six active stagers and speakers this year, we can already see a wide range of home staging business models and philosophies. We think it clearly shows that it is possible to design and build the home staging business you want, as long as you have a clear vision of what you want and develop staging services and strategies that seamlessly fit your staging business. From consultations and turnkey home design to short-term rental design and the emerging trend of midterm rental design, we also took a look at staging services that you can explore and consider adding to your home staging business. We also touch on the power of affiliate programs and the benefits of charging your worth for your expertise. Whether you prefer slow growth or scaling big, managing your cash flow and aligning your business goals with your desired lifestyle are key factors to consider. If you’re interested in learning more about these topics, catch up on StagerCon 2023 with our Replay Pass! Simply go to www.stagercon.com for more information.

Transforming your money mindset for success is a crucial aspect of achieving financial stability and business growth. In this podcast episode, Dr. Amanda, also known as the money healer, shares her expertise in helping entrepreneurs master their money mindset and manifest easier money in their businesses. She emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing the various emotions and beliefs associated with money. One of the key takeaways from the podcast is the concept of radical responsibility. In the episode, Dr. Amanda also dives into recognizing and reframing our beliefs and thoughts around money and consequently becoming aware of our negative thought patterns and replacing them with positive ones. The podcast also addresses the common blocks and self-sabotaging behaviors that can hinder our financial success. To overcome these blocks, Dr. Amanda provides a three-step formula to reprogram our subconscious mind and create new, empowering beliefs. Transforming your money mindset for success is a vital aspect of achieving financial stability and business growth. Dr. Amanda's insights and experiences serve as a valuable guide for home stagers looking to master their money mindset and manifest easier money in their businesses.

Welcome back to another episode of The Home Staging Show! I know we’ve been on an accidental hiatus when our previous podcast editor left to focus on his health. I am excited to report that we are getting back on track, plus a few exciting updates at the school during today’s episode! As usual, I would love to hear more about what you want to see at the school. For example, topics for live workshops, community talks, etc. Feel free to DM me on IG @staged4more or leave a comment below ❤️.

In this podcast episode, Terry Mainord, an award-winning home stager based in Brooklyn shares her insights on effective staging techniques to attract today’s home buyers and staging clients. One of the essential elements contributing to Terry's success is her ability to develop, refine, and perfect her signature style, understanding how to create captivating and appealing spaces that resonate with the aspirational lifestyle of potential home buyers. During the episode, we dived into a lot of Terry’s process in operating her home staging business, as well as how she approaches staging stylistically and how she curates inventory and working with rental furniture. She also shared how having a firm grasp on her numbers, has propelled her business to new levels, a happy result from attending our retreat last year. (You can find out more about the Retreat and join Terry in Florence here.) Join us in this episode as Terry shares further insights on how to elevate your home staging game and create spaces that exude aspiration while maintaining a welcoming lived-in feel. Prepare to be inspired and equipped with practical strategies to take your staging endeavors to the next level!

In this episode of The Home Staging Show, Jess takes us on her journey of transitioning from working for auction houses and Wayfair to becoming a successful home staging business owner in the Boston area. Jess candidly shares her progress and challenges in running and building her staging business and highlights how having a warehouse space has improved her staging business and profitability. Moreover, Jess offers valuable insights on buying inventory and creating a curated look for her staged homes. She emphasizes the importance of budgeting and tracking expenses and explains how fine-tuning her financial reports and processes has enabled her to make strategic financial and inventory purchase decisions for her staging business. Throughout the episode, Jess also shared her experiences attending last year’s Home Staging Business Mastery Retreat. The retreat gave her the clarity needed to grow and scale her staging business. She shared how the ideas and insights gained at the retreat helped her to enhance and elevate her staging business, which she implemented upon her return.

In this podcast, Steph Tuss, CEO of multimillion-dollar global consulting company Life Is Now, Inc., talks about how important it is to have the best people on your team and how dangerous it can be to settle for mediocre ones. She also advises on how to handle conflicts productively in your staging business and talks about becoming a better leader who can empower and motivate your team. Steph introduces four leadership archetypes and explains how to recognize and work with each archetype effectively.

Hiring is so pivotal to the growth of your home staging business. Are you wearing a million different hats because you don't feel ready to outsource and delegate?  Today’s conversation with Jamie Van Cuyk of Growing Your Team draws on her 15+ years of leadership experience and is like a mini workshop in mastering the art of hiring. Jamie and I cover it all - from avoiding being the bottleneck in our businesses, to figuring out when and who we need to hire, compensation strategies, managing a remote team, and dealing with family and friends who want to work with you. You’ll walk away with so many takeaways and a game plan for your next hire. BONUS: Download Jamie’s hiring checklist and learn the 8 action steps you need to complete for a successful hiring process.   Connect With Jamie Jamie’s website: https://growingyourteam.com/  Jamie’s podcast: https://growingyourteam.com/podcast/  Jamie’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GrowingYourTeam/  Jamie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growingyourteam/  Jamie’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamievancuyk/    Links and Resources Mentioned Learn more about our partner, Stageflow: https://www.stagercon.com/stageflow  Stageflow provides real estate agents, property developers, and home stagers with powerful data collection and reporting tools.  Celebrate our 17th anniversary and get all of our staging, courses, templates, scripts, and checklists for 17% off! Click here to learn more. Download Jamie’s hiring checklist and learn the 8 action steps you need to complete for a successful hiring process. Enroll in our upcoming marketing workshops for home stagers. Learn how to use AI and ChatGPT.  Join me and Elaine on one of our upcoming home stager retreats! Join us in Florence, Italy from September 17-22, 2023, or in Tuscany, Italy from September 23-30, 2023. Click here to learn more and sign up. These retreats are designed to elevate your staging business by aligning your action plan for the next 12 months with the goals and dreams you have for your business and your life. Apply to speak at this year’s StagerCon! Our theme for 2023 is how to build multiple streams of income in your home staging business. Jamie recommends checking out Salary.com and Payscale, along with Glassdoor and LinkedIn to get ideas of salary ranges for roles.