Life's a Stage

Marketing director for Metro Builders Supply by day. Interior decorator by night. "And weekends," adds Judy Bilyeu, with a smile. She's the owner of Setting to Sell, which stages homes and gets them ready for visitors while they're on the market. "For 20 years I designed as a passion," she says. "Now it's a passion and a business."

And for 20 years, Bilyeu, mother of four, thought the tips she gave her friends about furniture placement, color pallets and lighting design was simply a helpful talent. Then about a year ago, everything changed. "I was reading an article about staging," she says, referring to the new-ish trend of interior designers helping home-sellers style their décor to be more appealing to potential buyers. "I thought, 'I could do this,'" she says.

Bilyeu says starting the business was easy, citing the Internet as her biggest resource for ensuring that she had the proper licenses. Soon she had her LLC, and Setting to Sell was born. In this last year, the energetic Bilyeu has helped more than a dozen families tweak their home décor to not only sell houses quicker, but for more money.

Bilyeu says her job as a stager is different than traditional interior decorating. "When staging a house, it's all about de-personalization," she says. "Instead of fitting decorations to your own personal style, you want to make the house as generically pleasing as possible, enabling the average buyer to imagine him- or herself in the home."
So much for showing off that troll doll collection. 

Bilyeu's services range from simple consultation to organizing large changes such as wallpaper replacement and repainting. So far, Setting to Sell's clients are home sellers in the mid- to low- price range. "The more expensive houses have mostly been designed already," Bilyeu says. "I get a great sense of satisfaction from helping people get the most money out of their investment," she says.

But it's not just about benefiting the seller. Bilyeu says the staging process benefits buyers, too. "Buying a house is stressful enough without thinking about redoing the lighting or pulling weeds from the front yard," she says.

Though staging is a popular trend "mostly in large cities," says Bilyeu, it hasn't quite hit 417-land yet. For this entrepreneur and her clients, it's a win-win situation. She recalls one client's home, which was "beautiful and tasteful," but on the market for several months. When the homeowner enlisted Bilyeu's services, she was surprised to find out what a fresh pair of eyes could see. "The home was perfect except for the old brass lighting in the entryway and living areas," Bilyeu says. "Once we modernized the lighting, the homeowner said she wished she had done so years ago!" Caution, readers: Once you properly stage your home, you might want to consider removing that "For Sale" sign from the newly manicured front lawn.

Though Bilyeu's clients are mainly home sellers, she also lends her services to other local entrepreneurs. Local real estate agent Cindy Rabourn offers Bilyeu's staging talents as part of her own realtor service. Setting to Sell also works with a local real estate investor, who uses staging as a key strategy for "flipping" homes.

A Missouri native and graduate of Missouri State University, Bilyeu has worked as the marketing director for Metro Builders Supply for three years, with Setting to Sell running a close third. (First being her family, including those four teenagers. Second being Metro Builders Supply.)

Though the hard-working mom is happy with her current situation, she says she looks forward to retiring and possibly taking on Setting to Sell as a full-time business "complete with carpenters and painters on hand!" 

For now, Bilyeu is satisfied with only herself on payroll, her car as an office and her notebook and paint samples for tools. "My work and my family; that's my life in a nutshell," she says.