Showhomes has for years offered sellers their home stagings and “makeovers,” but the firm’s signature is deploying managers to the cavernous, dreary, desolate shells they call “naked homes.” Filling vacant houses with stuff, the firm said, “enhances the focal points, softens age and minimizes flaws.” But adding in fake homeowners adds something else entirely, Saavedra said, turning quasi-spiritual: “There’s an energy there. You can feel it. There’s something. There’s life.” Showhomes managers live in about 15 Tampa Bay homes, most of them valued at more than $500,000. Some have lived in the homes for 18 months, others, less than a week. Few qualify, because managers are expected to bring their own upscale furnishings and compulsion for hyper-cleanliness. Most, Saavedra said, are “people in transition.” (via ‘Human props’ stay in luxury homes but live like ghosts | Tampa Bay Times)
People are strange. What would you do if you lost your home. Would you want to cart around your statues and possessions?
Barbara K Iverson 