Sharon Haver:

I think that is something that is a pet peeve of mine, is it of yours, you see people doing Facebook videos, and they have an unmade bed behind them and I am like “ Really!” if you want to say that you are successful you don’t want to look like your office is in your bedroom and particularly when the office is in your bedroom and you have dirty laundry and unmade bed, once I noticed it, it was something I got onto and I could count hoe many times a day that you see someone, bad light, big mess, and just not looking Professional, and that creates the first impression that the person must be a slob, and this person doesn’t know what they are doing as they don’t look a certain way.

It is the same feeling that translates when a buyer walks into your home, I know when I was going through my selling, I was looking through the photos, I was, really someone would actually try to sell their house and have the real estate photographer come over and they ironing board out, dirty dishes in the kitchen you want to make it appealing.

Can you tell us some of the all-ins, some of the dos and don’ts, when in a video, or home staging, or when your having your house photographed, of your shooting yourself, what are the obvious things that people should not do, or do?

I could tell you right now I can still see the house with the ironing board and the dirty laundry on it, when they were trying to sell their house, and the woman who was trying to tell me she was a business coach with an unmade behind her.

 

Tori Toth:

I know I love it. I have been in plenty of houses, when I wonder what they want me to do with their pile of dirty laundry on the floor, I don’t want to be touching that.

I am your stager, I put it this way, this is a good analogy for this, for all you mothers out there.

Think about kickster day when it comes to school and getting your child in front of the camera, what do you want them to look like that represents who you are as a mother.

So you want to make sure their hair is combed that, their collar is straight, their tie is on right.

 

Sharon Haver:

They don’t have a stain on their shirt.

 

Tori Toth:

Exactly and that they are wearing some presentable that can represent what they are going to look like for years to come, it also represents who you are as a mother, obviously the kids that are just schlumped to school and don’t really care what they look like it definitely ahs an affect on that parent.

I equate that to home staging, strangers are going to walk into your house and they are going to form an opinion within seconds, whether they want to buy it or not, so it is important to put your best foot forward, make sure you don’t have anything around on the floors, that your counter top surfaces are clean and clutter free, and that everything seems to be put away, whether it is toys, clothes, shoes or book bags, all of the stuff that gets thrown in the walkway.

You don’t want to make it harder for a buyer to see the potential of the lifestyle they could lead if they buy that home, so you really want to make sure you have that model home look, if you don’t know what a model home looks like, I suggest you go to a new construction neighborhood in your area and look at that model home, because at the end of the day that is your competition in the market, if you are selling your home.

The same goes with the videos, you want to look as professional as possible, so having a cluttered background. People are not going to be listening to what you are saying, they are going to be looking at all the stuff that is on the wall, or on the shelf, or trying to see what books you’re reading or trying to see who is in that picture.

It is really important to dumb things down, whether you are showing in a home or showing in a video, this way you have one clear message that the potential buyer or viewer can actually hold onto and see.

 

12:01

 

Sharon Haver:

Exactly and another helpful hint too, if you are looking at real estate I know, this is what I did at least, I know when I was going to sell a house in Brooklyn I was looking at multi-million dollar properties on Sotheby’s to see how they were styled, not to say that I was getting that furniture to stage it, but just to see the elements and the nuances, oh right, and on the kitchen counter they just had a bowl of apples there.

In the bathroom they just had some flowers on the sink, the little tiny designer touches that made a luxury house look even more luxurious and putting those simple elements into my parents house in Brooklyn made it just look that much more elegant and more attractive, and the same thing when you look at the videos on line, I see so many people that has some junky things behind them, maybe they need to get that one pretty vase and put it behind them, something that looks a little more on brand and luxurious, at least level off in what you are seeing and translate it into what serves you.

 

Tori Toth:

Definitely and I also think that picking up a Home and Gardens magazine that can inspire you on what you should be displaying in your home, as well s looking at other homes on the market in your neighborhood, they don’t have to be luxurious, but look at that the ones that just sold, obviously they sold for a reason and try to mimic what is going on in that property into your property.

 

Sharon Haver:

Is it true that you are supposed to have that scent of fresh baked cookies that people can come in and feel all homey? My real estate agent said, “ You are not going to make me spray that are you?

Then I was reading about it and someone said there was a psychological thing about putting something in the oven where you smell that homey feeling when you walk into a house.

 

Tori Toth:

I don’t think, yes that used to be a thing, at open houses years ago. I think staging has morphed beyond that, it is not just about putting the cookies in per se, you can put in aromas and scents that are going to appeal to your potential buyers, obviously you don’t want to be over powering or over whelming, but you want things that are going to subliminally click with that buyers emotion, for instance, you wouldn’t necessarily know this, if you were going to site a house.

Let me tell you a quick story, I remember smelling honeysuckle in my grand others yard growing up as a kid, I stumbled upon this honeysuckle scent by Perwin Import, it brings me back to that moment that brings me happiness and joy, and if you can figure out that for your potential buyer, then they are going to be much more willing to open up their wallet and pay the price that you want for the home.

 

Sharon Haver:

Yes we make a subliminal connection with them and they feel at home in a way that they are not realizing probably, they go in there and there is a feeling of love, family, home or whatever that is, it elicits it inside of them.

If somebody wants to start staging for a party, they have friends they haven’t seen in a while, they want to make their house look great, they just want to set the stage, if it is for sale, for a party, for a video back drop or whatever it is, what are the few key elements that someone can put in their house or rearrange that just makes it look updated and modern and someone wants it, and you feel happy in it.

 

Tori Toth:

If you can mix some of the old things that you have with some updated accessories that are on the market today, to create a completely different look in your home to make it feel fresh and new, without spending a lot of money, whether that is a new piece of artwork or some type of object that is going to be on your bookcase behind you, it instantly freshens up the space, creating a focal point too. Having traffic flow, and just space if you are going to be entertaining at an event or if you are selling your home, you want people to easily find a place to sit, or walk around and not be bump into everything.

 

Sharon Haver:

I think a focal point and flow is really important, let us talk a little bit more abut it, I think that is something people don’t notice when it comes to designing a room, or even having little conversation areas when you position your furniture, if you want to help the listeners a little bit more that might not be familiar with arrangement.

 

Tori Toth:

You should put the biggest piece of furniture in the room opposite to where you walk into the space, whether it is your bed or the couch in your living room, those are two big main pieces of furniture that is going to be in those rooms that also represent how that room is going to utilized, and the rest of the furniture pieces that you decide to use, should be positioned to be looking at that main focal point, so basically your couch or your bed is the center stage so everything else around is looking back at that focal point.

 

Sharon Haver:

That is really important, that is another thing that I noticed in webcam videos a lot, when you go into someone’s house and you see nice furniture and it is just not right, I think a lot of people have this inclination to take the furniture and fill it along the sides of the perimeters of the wall, also all the furniture goes around the wall, but there is no focal point, they might stick a coffee table so the room is not balanced, the couch is against the wall, the coffee table is right in front of it, it is just not interesting, your eye cant hold onto anything, it goes in a circle, finding something to ground it is so important in any kind of decorating and if somebody is selling a home, you want people to walk from room to room in the home, so you want to have the breadcrumbs of the furniture going around, so it feels more expansive, and have the person go through the flow, I think that is super important.

 

19:35

 

Tori Toth:

I feel that in a conversation area, you shouldn’t have furniture more than 10 feet away from each other, as you don’t want to be shouting at one and other. That is a good tip if you are entertaining in your house.

Another good way to ground a conversation area is by using a rug, or even on a neutral colored carpet, you can put a rug on top of that has a pattern or s trip, just to clarify that this grouping of objects all go together.

 

Sharon Haver:

That is really important, I live in a loft, most of it is important except for the bedrooms, there are rooms per se, defined by the furniture the rugs, a screen here or there. So even though it has that really big and has that open floor space, it is not like going into a dance studio, the furniture is put in a certain way that creates the idea of a room, and by still being open, rugs are really important.

 

Tori Toth:

Yes they really are, as well as curtains on your windows even a good piece of artwork over your couch or your bed.

 

21:00

 

Sharon Haver:

So Tori, so you have a role model or someone a design icon that inspires you, where do you get inspiration from, is it designer open houses, magazines or TV shows, what is your style icons, where does your inspiration come from?

 

Tori Toth:

I don’t necessarily have one icon per se, I guess that growing up like everyone else, I think Martha Stewart put a mindset in me,             even nowadays like Joanne Gaines from Fixer-Upper or even the YouTube sensation Mr. Pate, it is women like that, that inspire me in business and where I want to go, because they have their hands in everything, that is where I hope to be someday.

My actual design style which I would say is more an eclectic mix, it really covers the gannet, things from the 870’s to the current day, antiques, cameras, old typewriters that I like. I get inspiration from everywhere, just by walking into a store like Frustration hardware or West Elm, looking at magazines, I love sipping tea and looking at the HTV magazine or the Better Home and Gardens magazine.

Really just Pinterest surfing at night when I can’t go to sleep, there is always something out there that inspires me to take it to the next level or consider a DIY project, just to update something that I already have.

 

22:59

 

Sharon Haver:

What are your favorite DIY projects?

 

Tori Toth:

I love taking old pieces of furniture, like antiques pieces. I am so excited as we just got them back. I am going to learn how to do it, upholstering, re-upholstering and bringing old antique furniture to life, especially Accenture’s, for some reason I am collecting Accenture’s like I am collecting shoes.

 

Sharon Haver:

Me too, I am like a chair freak, I have an obsession with chairs, and I have always had an obsession with chairs. And having a loft I can have all of these interesting chairs around, I have noticed 2 of my older chairs have suddenly got a little stain on them, that you can barely see unless it is in the right light, and damn I have to figure out how to get this clean, oh maybe I need a new chair.

I love this chair but It is three years old, I love this chair, but I think to me, especially in my office I am looking at 5 chairs that I have a whole sitting area of sculptural beautiful vivid chairs, and it is my view and I find that so inspirational. Yes I am a shoe addict, same thing, shoes and chairs.

 

Tori Toth:

What I love about chairs is they are so versatile, you can turn them into a conversation area, you can have them hang out in a corner for a quiet space to read, you can add them under a dining table for a bigger setting.

Like both of us we have small spaces so we have to utilize what we have.

 

Sharon Haver:

You can just turn them around, the chairs, I end up keeping them more or less in one spot for 6 months- 1-year tops, then I just rearrange furniture or I will buy.

I love furniture sample sales that are one of the good things in New York, I used to live in a totally Victorian apartment, then when I met my husband he sat in my Victorian love seat, and it was like it is not going to happen. Okay, I am sick of this, so now everything we have is modern and sculptural and Italian classic, shapely furniture and clean sculptural lines.

So what I do is just move my stuff around, it is so much fun.

I just put my new coffee table book on the coffee table it adds some color and it juzzes it up a bit. I love chairs.

 

Tori Toth:

We just got this Accenture chair back, it has a wing back it has all this detail to it, we have painted it now, it is almost like a grey/blue and the fabric has got a pattern on the front, on the back it is a navy blue dark fabric with some copper shimmering in it, so it is one of those fabulous luxurious chairs, I am like, I need a new coffee table now, a new rug.

 

Sharon Haver:

I know when it starts it starts. You touch little things up on the wall, no it is just that little piece of dirt, now I see this big clean paint spot swatch and I have to repaint the whole wall.

Now we have re-painted the wall, I need a new carpet I need a new lamp.

So tell me if one of the listeners wanted to make this week more amazing, something that they can do in their home style, whether it could be for sale, or parties, or video backgrounds, or just feeling good.

Give us some takeaway tips that someone can do right now to make their living environment more amazing?

 

Tori Toth:

I think it all starts with changing your habits, which obviously that take time, but you have to start somewhere. I really think if it will change your life leaps and bounds, if you take 10 minutes of your day or at night before you go to bed and put everything away. Everything that you have out on your counter top surfaces, on the floor, anywhere around, put it back in its home where it belongs, so that when you walk down the stairs in the morning, or get out of bed.

You start with a fresh new space, you are not just pilling more clutter on top of more clutter, you can actually utilize the space that you have, whether you have a ton of space or not, it is all yours, so make the best of it, that is what I always say.

 

27:53

 

Sharon Haver:

That is a really good tip, that is a good mindset tip, and I know sometimes I fail to do that and especially when you are working from home, living from home, you go in the other room or the other end of the house, Ah I didn’t clean up my desk last night, and it is piles up and builds up, you wake up in the morning, look at that mess as opposed to when you do straighten the papers up, or put the vase back where it belongs, it looks fresh and pretty in the morning. You tart the day with a better attitude.

 

Tori Toth:

It does and you should also make your bed every morning too, which is a catalyst to actually create better habits.

 

Sharon Haver:

And in my case it is put your shoes away, there is that pile, no I wasn’t wearing those, maybe I will try these, there is that shoe pile.

Anything else they can do this week to be a little more amazing besides cleaning up your mess before you go to bed?

 

Tori Toth:

I think if you are trying to update your space or you want to freshen up the look for spring or any other season that we are heading into. You should just take one room, probably your main living area, and I would say create a punch list of things that you potentially want to do, we always do this with sellers, it is called, Go around your room with buyers eyes, basically look around the room form the top down, all four walls, figure out any minor repairs that you need to do, maybe add a new lighting fixture or more lighting, change the room around a little bit, just make a list that you potentially want to do in that room and then pull one or tow out that you can instantly do for the biggest change that you can do for the smallest amount of money.

That will really get you going into starting to do more for your home, to make it really feel at home.

 

Sharon Haver:

That is a really good idea, one of my other pet peeves, I am sort of addicted to House Hunter International and House Hunter shows, you were saying the thing before with Joanna Gaines, and I love HTV, I find it so fascinating is when you go into someone’s house and look at it with buyers eyes, and they start complaining that they don’t like the color of the paint.

I sit there at the other end of the TV yelling “ That is the cheapest fix, you can change the paint”, I really don’t see how people can get so stymied on the color of the paint, when you are selling a house, shouldn’t you paint it in a way that is pleasing to the masses rather than some crazy color that you might like?

 

31:02

 

Tori Toth:

Yeah that is definitely a great tip, stick to neutrals, not just a boring white, a Navaho white, you can play with some neutral colors nowadays, it is not just stark and boring.

I wouldn’t necessarily say paint a black wall, however if you are in an urban area and that is what the neighborhood is looking for, something trendy and cheap, then why not, paint one wall that color, as that will make you stand out from the other competition on the market.

You really need to do some research in your area, look at the homes that just sold, what colors did they use, and try and incorporate that into your home.

 

Sharon Haver:

Yes that is a really good idea and also think of painting a wall a color as a back drop that, it is like an accessory your wearing the same black dress every day but can change the accessories, but adding one color wall, either a different shade of neutral or something that is really bold, metallic or some wallpaper or glass cloth or something, it is adding a new accessory to your black and dress and having a whole new look with minimal effort.

 

I think that is really important and people get stymied, it must be something that a lot people just don’t think of, I just know from watching these shows, it is almost every time, “ Oh I have to paint it”, it should be “Oh I am going to paint it the color that is pleasing to me”, make it look more exciting.

 

 

Tori Toth:

I think at the end of the day people get hung up about painting because they think it is really expensive, and they are lazy.

 

Sharon Haver:

Yes probably they are lazy, as paint is not that expensive, even Ralph Lauren paint is not that crazy.

 

Tori Toth:

I know I have some Candlelight in my living room that I did.

 

Sharon Haver:

I also have some Fowl and Ball, I have one of those two, Chinese lacquer red, I painted it myself, as when we were doing that one, all of the painters come in, this is an interesting tip for people, we were going to paint it, I was some construction done at the time, and they would see the brown paint, and then the price would become insane, then my husband and I were like, lets see how this paint goes, and we ended up painting it over a couple of days, as we to had let the layers dry and it looks beautiful and fun, it is a total accent piece.

Don’t hold yourself back by thinking that you have to have someone paint it.

 

 

Tori Toth:

I love painting; I painted my whole house except for the vertical stripes going up my staircase, just because I was a little nervous of being on a ladder and on stairs.

Yeah I love painting, it is not for everyone, there is a lot of affordable painters out there, and don’t show them the expensive brand of paint first, “ We are just going to paint it red” they will see the can later.

That was the weirdest experience.

I want to say thank you. Is there anything else that you want to tell the audiences real fast as we wrap it up, what they could think about, any other teaching moment you want to share?

 

34:50

 

Tori Toth:

I just think that, we don’t have time in our schedules or day anymore, and I think that people consider their home as an after thought, and why is it only fair when guests come to keep a well maintained home or sometimes home owners don’t up keep their home for guests let alone their family or themselves, I think everybody should value their home and showcase their pride inside that home, whether it is having guests or home buyers or not.

Just create a sanctuary when ending the day and their private space, at the end of the day it is there for them. It is important to find your style and create a lifestyle that you want to aspire to, and that you love being around.

 

Sharon Haver:

That is a great tip, that is a really great tip, and I also think is key is finding pride in where you are, so many people ignore it and they have home shame and sometimes it is just straightening up the books behind you or rearranging things, thrift shops or flea markets, there is really no excuse not to have a space that you love, you can find things and place them or rearrange them so that it is just more pleasing to the eye.

 

Tori Toth:

Exactly and there are so many ways that you can DIY these days, they are cost effective, stores out there Dollar Tree, even things like that, if it is a money issue that you can still create a space that you love.

 

Sharon Haver:

Yeah actually we have a place out in Jackson, Wyoming, and oddly enough there are so many high end furniture stores there, but when we started there was either these crazy high end furniture places which obviously a house that we rent out, at the time we were renting it, we weren’t there, we were only there a month or so a year.

We didn’t want to be spending a fortune on it; the other shops were thrift shops and dollar stores, we had Kmart was a big store, when we needed sheets it was Martha Stewart at Kmart, at first I was like, okay.

And I was creating the coolest house from what I was finding in thrift shops out there.

Then I would take stuff in New York and ship it out there, I would find stuff on sale here and it was really amazing, we were talking to some real estate people, and they were like, “ We are selling 410m homes and they all have Martha Stewart for Kmart sheets”, it is what you do with it, it is not the price of what it costs.

It is the same as dollar Tree, I have Dollar Tree mugs out there too, we have 99cents or whatever it is, it is a matter of how you put things together and you shouldn’t be dictated by price or where you purchased it as there is so many ways to work around it, if it is something that is pleasing it doesn’t matter if it costs $1 or a $100, or a $1000.

 

Tori Toth:

One other thing too, even at bulk pricing, furniture these days become in these packages and bulk prices, the more you buy the cheaper it is.

I really think that you need to step back and wait for a second and really consider where all of these pieces are going in your house, a lot of times it gets too clattered, or you have furniture piling on top of other pieces for what to save $100-$200, at the end of that day that is not going to help you sell your house, with the flow and the way everything should be.

Sharon Haver:

I do see that when people have these huge umwas, in these small rooms, and it matches everything else, not only is it boring it is cluttered.

 

Tori Toth:

Exactly.

 

Sharon Haver:

So your book is “ Feel at home- Home staging secrets for a quick and easy sell” by Tori Toth, tell everyone where they can pick that up and what else you are doing right now, and where they can hook up with you and get to know more?

 

39:!5

 

Tori Toth:

We have a website for the book it is

http://www.feelathomebook.com

You can also head over to our main website, which is

http://toritoth.com

The book you can pick up at any online shop, Amazon, Goodread, we also have it in our shop at

http://toritoth.com

When you buy it through us I can autograph it for you and send it out, and you can also buy the book in bulk if you are interested for any real estate agents out there, if they are thinking of having a little gift for the listing presentation.

 

Sharon Haver:

That is a great idea.

 

Tori Toth:

Yes a lot of agents do that as it a great idea to get their clients on board with staging right at the beginning. We are all over social media of course, you can go to our YouTube channel, we are actually just switching our YouTube channel, so I would say go to the Home Arena with Tori Toth

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/stylishstagers

We put up new videos every week on home staging, decorating, DIY and other fun things.

We are going to do a painting video series coming up soon too.

Sharon Haver:

Cool, now Tori’s videos are quite addictive I might say, even if you are not planning to decorate there is just so many easy take away tips and I know they are fantastic, I was watching one of yours the other day when you were arranging flowers.

I watched it for a while, it was really fun.

 

Tori Toth:

That is our Facebook live, we are trying to do more livestreams like everybody else, and you can visit our Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/homestagingtips/

We are also on Instagram too, @Torittothstager

So we are everywhere, we love peoples questions, or issues that they are having as we really love trying to come up with solutions for them, that are budget friendly but also look amazing,

 

Sharon Haver:

So what we will do, on Focusonstyle I will put all of the links, if you are listening on ITunes, you can pop back to focus on style for all the links if you didn’t catch them on this.

Thank you for being here, and thank you for helping everyone to make their life and their home more amazing this week, and hope to see you soon Tori.

 

Tori Toth:

Thank you so much for having me Sharon

 

Sharon Haver:

You are very welcome, so until next time everybody.

 

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