Date: July 13, 2008
About: Shelly Neisen - Class of 1981

A few minutes with... Shelly Neisen

Source: Quincy Herald-Whig
Author: Jamie Busen

Growing up, Shelly Neisen didn't have the "typical teenager's" bedroom. She cared more about paint than posters and furniture arrangements than frills.

"I always just had to have it the way I wanted it," Neisen said.

Today she puts those decorating skills to good use in MarShell Interiors, a home-staging business in Camp Point that she co-owns along with Marge Moore.

Neisen is a firm believer that her business makes a difference. She said her firm staged four consecutive homes that were sold to the first people who walked through them.

"It makes a huge difference," she said.

Neisen said she and Moore help assess a person's home and tell them what they need to do to sell it quicker -- or they'll actually do it themselves.

When it comes to selling similarly priced homes in a neighborhood, "yours really needs to be the one with the edge. Yours needs to be the best," she said.


What is the best part of your job? What might you consider to be your least favorite part of your job?

The best part is seeing the difference we can make by getting a house properly staged for sale. Removal of unnecessary items and proper placement of items make such a difference. It's also very rewarding to see a person's home sell quickly so that they can move forward with their plans.

My least favorite part is moving furniture and accessories into vacant locations, especially if the weather is not nice.


How did you get started with this career?

I have been involved in the decorating profession for a number of years and wanted to find something that I thought was "fun." I spoke with my partner, Marge Moore, who is also a Realtor, and we realized that there is a need for our service within our community. We then located a professional in this area and completed "staging and redesign" schooling.


What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?

You have to be able to step back and see things as others see them. Sometimes you get so caught up in your day-to-day life that you are unable to see the big picture. Most things really aren't so troublesome that you need to worry about them.


What kind of work ethic do you have?

I think it is pretty good. I've never turned down a job if it was physically possible for me to get it done.


How well is your own home decorated?

Today I think it is decorated very nicely, but I may not think that tomorrow. I am constantly changing colors and accessories and moving forward with decorating trends.


Why do people need your services?

With the housing market being as competitive as it is right now, homeowners need an edge. They need our service to provide them with an honest opinion of what will make their house more marketable than others in their price range.

A lot of times a homeowner has been living in that home for a number of years and their decorating items and accessories, unbeknownst to them, are often quite personalized. Staging is not just redecorating; it is proper placement of things in a room so that the room's full potential can easily be seen by the prospective buyer.


Finish this sentence: It's a good day when ...

I can convince any one of (the members of my family) into coming home and helping me move furniture or any other home project I have going on.


-- jbusen@whig.com/221-3385