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Explain the concept of home staging.

It is basically setting the home up to look like a model home so it appeals to a variety of buyers. So on a resale of a home that is already occupied, I work with the homeowners and help them with decluttering and depersonalizing – anything that we can do, packing, moving stuff out, to make it look like a model home.

Why do you want to make it look like a model home?

By making it look like a model home, we are going to go though all the steps, and one of them is depersonalizing. So taking out all the photographs, all the collectibles, knickknacks and things like that. And the reason we want to do that is because when a buyer walks in, we want them to feel welcome, and then we want them to feel like it is their house, like they are walking into their new home and they aren’t intruding on the people that already live there. When the current homeowner’s stuff is still in there taking over the home, then they don’t feel as welcome to come in and say, “Oh, I can see myself living here.”

So my aunt’s 1970s green shag carpet?

Gotta go. They say that when a buyer first walks in the door, they make up their mind within the first 10 seconds if they like this home or they don’t like this home. So when they first walk in the door, we have to make it just “wow,” and make them feel welcome.

Is it a tough sell in this market to get people to spend money to stage their homes?

With staging, either in an up or down market it is a great time for stagers, because in a down market when houses aren’t selling, we have an advantage because you want to do something that makes your house different. So people are looking for ways to make their house stand out, so that is when they look to us for help. In a good market when houses are selling, they are looking to us for the exact same reason, because they want it to stand out because they want to get more money.

So do you drive your husband crazy with changing rooms all the time?

I think I do a pretty good job of leaving things. Things on the walls tend to change pretty often, and I move stuff around, but not as much as you think.

What is the first thing you usually look to change in a room?

Well the biggest thing is, when I first walk in, it is just talking to the homeowner on the redesign side about their style, what they use the room for, and then after that, I just kind of make a run-through of the furniture. Most of the time, people have too much furniture in their room and too big of furniture.

Do you have a design pet peeve?

Well, there are many things. Well, I guess I should say hanging artwork too high is kind of a pet peeve, and it is something I pick up on right away when I walk in a room.

What is too high?

A lot of times, people will tell you just to do it eye level. And eye level ranges, from me to you it is going to be a different eye level. So it just depends on where you are hanging it. If you are hanging some artwork over a couch, you want it 10 inches above, so it looks like it blends together as all one piece. If you are hanging it on the wall, then we are going to measure usually about 38 inches up. But it is a lot of visualizing too and just kind of looking at the architecture and layout of the home.

Give us one design tip for homeowners.

Don’t be afraid of color; paint the room. And don’t leave the walls white. It is not fun to live in a white room. And paint is the easiest thing and the most affordable thing to do to dramatically change your room. People are afraid of color and I always say, don’t be afraid, because if we put it on the wall and you don’t like it, then we repaint it. It is not a major, major thing, but it makes the room so warm and inviting.

What would you like to accomplish in life?

Having a successful business. I’d like to have a team under me that I manage, and I want to be the No. 1 home stager in Des Moines.