Customer Reviews

Peggy's Corner: The Art of Staging (Book & DVD)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Staging" is the process of preparing a home to put on the market, and Peggy Selinger-Eaton is a true expert. She explains how to make your home look its absolute best by subtracting what you don't need (too much furniture, too many decorations) and adding just a few crucial items that give each room a more luxurious look and feel. Her genius is in knowing just what to subtract and just what to add. Read the book and watch the DVD and you will learn enough of her secrets to be something of an expert yourself.

I just read Peggy's book a few weeks before preparing my own home to go up for sale, and staged it according to her instructions. We showed the home to a couple of neighborhood families before putting in on the market, and now, before we've even put a sign in the front yard, we already have a serious offer in hand. If my experience is any indication, Peggy's methods work extremely well and will maximize the sales potential of any home.

So, by all means, read this book in advance of putting your home on the market, or make it a gift for a friend who's planning to move. When you consider what you can achieve in terms of an increased home sales price, the book and DVD are an excellent investment. I say, go for it.

FYI, Peggy also has a website, http://www.peggyscorner.com .

When I put my home in Bev. HIlls up for sale, I was told by my realtor that I "must" hire a stager in order to best present the house to make the optimal profit on the sale. They started telling me how much it would cost to not only hire a stager (about $5,000), but as well the costs for leasing furniture, etc. I started to feel like there was a ploy here, but understood that there would be a benefit to actually staging the home correctly. I had heard of this book and that the woman who wrote it was the person to hire in Northern California, but my home was 350 miles away. So I bought this book and watched the DVD... It was amazing how it put everything together so that I could do this myself, with a LITTLE bit of help, and not have to cut into the profits of my home. WELL, after a week worth of following the authors suggestions and preparing the house, my realtors were blown away that we didn't have to hire their expensive stager! AND my house sold in 1 day ABOVE asking price... The book was so easy to read and quick to understand without boring fluff, that I would recommend it to anyone looking to maximize their profits on the house. Saving that money AND making more on the house was a win win situation for me and my realtors.

The book itself contains some good information - if basic. It does not present ideas for furniture arranging. The video gets better toward the end, but a lot of time is wasted while the author walks around and chats. I found it difficult to sit through. It would have been alot better if it clearly presented before and after shots with improvements - and simply discussed that instead of wandering around houses showing obvioulsy staged, cluttered rooms and then just removing the clutter. Not a big help.

This book and DVD cost me $39.99. The materials for that price were substandard. The book was a small handbook with a cute cover and very little information, but with most ideas repeated several times in the text to make the book, as meager as it was, a little thicker. I have ordered 6 books from Amazon on the same subject of staging homes, most of them priced at approximately $10.00. I found great info and ideas in all the other books. I was expecting a far better text for the price I paid. The DVD was also substandard, very non professional and jumbled. Peggy would serve herself and her buyers better by simply staging homes and not try to speak before a camera. However, I would have certainly been willing to wade through all of that for good information, which was never given

When I went on Peggy's Corner website I found the book actually sells directly from her for much less. I assumed that Amazon would be selling the book at a fair market price, but in this case you did not. This purchase was a rip-off financially and informationally, and I would not want other people to purchase this book expecting something of value for $39.99

Thank you,

Susan Mascia

sammascia@earthlink.net

The book presents a nice, easy checklist for staging various rooms in your house. Not all of us have a pool house or guest cottage, but most of the information is very relevant. Some before and after pictures would be the only thing I'd add.

The DVD was helpful. It starts out a little slow, but eventually Peggy actually shows you how she goes about staging a home. Watching her go through the steps and explain what she's doing and why is invaluable.

I have worked with Peggy personally, as she has staged our current home. She is truly a master at the unique art of home staging. The content of her book closely matches the consulting process she provides, so the book is a great value. If you buy this book and spend a few hours reading it and watching the DVD, then you could add several thousand dollars to the sale price of your home.