New can be a lot of things, but it isn’t normal. 

New is different. It catches our attention. With new, we experience or process something we haven’t been faced with before. Funny or scary; exciting, inspiring, surprising, or off-putting, new can both intrigue and unnerve. 

As an adjective, normal is objective; what’s average, standard, or expected. As a noun, it’s just a teeny bit more subjective, more what’s accepted, often granted this status in more personal cultural scenarios.

Data, or others’ assurances normalize new @Cristiano/Kylie/etc, (or, going old school, one of the earliest influencers, our pal Mikey.) 

Both matter a lot, and I’d say they’ve got kind of a symbiotic, yin-yang thing going. Our lives would be pretty dull if there was nothing new; pretty unsettling if there were no norms.

Absolutely everything was new once: people, products, or practices. Then each became normal. So not complicated. But truth told, don’t we let these words mess with us from time to time?

We have short memories when it comes to what’s new or normal. Cell phones, yes to the practices of recycling, wearing seatbelts, even colonoscopies; no to smoking in restaurants were all new, foreign ideas once. (Still trying to wrap my brain around NYC guys selling weed out of vans you could see a block away though!)

SO…normal is familiar. It sticks around because it works.   

While home staging has been practiced informally by agents everywhere since MLS listing #1, did you know it’s been a named, trademarked entity for almost 50 years?  It’s also been the central theme of the wildly popular cable channel 24/7, for-how is this possible??- almost 30 years.

So not new, and apparently very normal. Yet all most know of it is what they see from a distance, in the media. Why? Well, it’s hard to convey happiness or efficacy in one photo shoot, or in 21 minutes of airtime.

• Staging is a personal service. Circumstances and solutions are unique to each client and stager interaction. How it’s presented, what is done, and how well it’s done comes down to the individual stager. 
• The industries, the media and it’s sponsors all have a vested interest in keeping the conversation about major purchases and big renovations. Much easier to grasp when kept to the 2.0 version of what it looks like and how much it costs.

TRH gets you may just not like the idea of talking to a stranger about money, your space, and your stuff.

That you’d resist because it seems icky. Hesitate to ask for more info for fear of getting pitched. Worried you might look dumb, or embarrassed to ask about costs. (HINT: If you’re getting more platitudes and pitches than comfort and information, keep making calls!)

There’s no shame in owning how you feel. But there’s a lot on the line in real estate. And I’ve seen so many lose out, needlessly. Staging is about solving problems, and there are many ways it can unfold. 

If what you’re doing hasn’t worked, if you’re looking for other options, just pick up the phone and ask around. OR-if you’re local, come to my next staging workshop at the Rye Free Reading Room on Thursday, October 6th.

15 years of FT+,  The Refreshed Home has nearly $1B of closed Westchester properties in the books. Chances are excellent I’ve worked with, helped normalize this process, and get results for someone you know!  All you have to do is start the conversation!