Friday, November 02, 2007

staging vaudeville



Today I was crawling around in traffic with all the other denizens of this world class city, and found myself behind a 5 ton truck emblazoned with DEKORA. It's Canada's largest home staging company. It got me to thinking about all kinds of things;

- are people actually still "staging" their homes? and will people still "stage" their homes after the melt-down?

- what will happen to all the ancillaries to RE in Vancouver? (Revy, Home Depot, furniture stores, lighting stores, property inspectors, property appraisers, a lot of RE agents and their staff, filing clerks at the building department at City Hall, back hoe operators, for sale sign makers, mortgage brokers, etc., etc.) Some will still be around, but there is going to be a lot of pain. There are a lot of actors on the stage.

Then I started thinking about a post. My mind (of course) went to the Photoshopping possibilities, and I dwelled on that far a while, with all of the economic horror stories yammered at me from the radio.

My thoughts are often oblique (ship hits dam being one), but I amuse myself none the less. As I was working the pic's, I started thinking of vaudeville, and I thought that we ought rename Vancouver Vaudeville. Why not? It's a Hurly-Burly city these days, and spectacle, masks, glitter, spotlights, songs and dances, and dogs and ponies are the thing. It's all a distraction - just like Vaudeville was a distraction from the Depression. And boy! is there going to be a lot of depression when things go south.

Things are going south too - just look south. Look east and west while you are at it. This thing has barely begun in the US, UK, Spain, etc., and has not yet begun here. By the time it does, people are going to be so scared shipless, it will unwind here very quickly. The biggest house staging company in the world won't help much then.

I wonder what next summer will look like.



*It's a cheap post because I wasted too much time on the Photoshopping, and Babby solipsist needs a feed and a diaper change. Gotta go.

11 comments:

Nancy said...

Great pictures!

Tony Danza said...

According to recent posts on Ben's Housing Bubble Blog the staging companies are the only part of the REIC that are doing much business these days, 'cause you know the reason their houses aren't selling is the decor right?

Anonymous said...

i think it is slowly starting here. my neighborhood (n. burnaby) there are two brand-spanking-new-homes that have been sitting there since the summer.

now the for sale signs have been festively adorned with "new price" signs...i cant wait for the "newer price" and "newest price" signs.

spark

Will said...

Actually, Dekora is doing blazing business and will be part of a new HGTV show coming up called "The Stagers" (or something like that). They were looking for homes in absolute dire need of a dramatic improvement and HGTV was going to compensate the Seller with, if I remember correctly, $1000. I know Dekora... drastic staging efforts cost welllllll over $1000... still, you'd get on TV :D

Nancy said...

Spark!

The Times Colonist (Victoria local newspaper) for the first time has reported that housing is cooling in Victoria (even though this has been happening for a bit). They are still trying to put a postiive spin (Times Colonist if one of the big RE cheerleaders since many re agents advertise in that paper). Anyway, people in Vancouver predict it will start here first ...

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/business/story.html?id=669afd6f-7b6a-47af-b079-a7f9e75c16ae

Anonymous said...

Hey, I never even knew that this "staging" business happened. Amazing---thanks for telling us!

Anonymous said...

Home staging companies do even better in a slowing market, in these times it is crucial that properties stand out and look better than the competition if they hope to attract an offer.

solipsist said...

Home staging companies do even better in a slowing market...

That brings to mind two platitudes;

"Don't throw good money after bad."

and

"Cut and run."

Pardon my attitude of scornful, or jaded negativity, but is there no common sense any more at all? Are you gonna fall for a pig with lipstick and a a few flowers on the dining room table?

It brings to mind the oft-lampooned MasterCard commercials about "priceless". Is humanity really so shallow? If so, I'm stocking up on buckshot, canned Argentinian corned beef, night vision apparati, and gold.

Maybe a bunker too.

(danged Chilean wine...)

Anonymous said...

Has anyone heard of this company before?

http://www.openhousecreations.com

thnx!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
solipsist said...

Anonymous said...
The fact is... I know becuase...
3/18/2008 10:37 PM

I have removed (most of) this comment by request.

The anonymous poster made unsubstantiated claims that were construed as libelous, and I agree. Had the poster identified him/herself properly (real name, address, phone #), I might have let it stand, and the offended party could have had his day in court.

Anonymous accusations will not stand here.