greenlamps
Transformations Newsletter
Staging News
by Becky Harmon
 
In This Issue
Staging News+Pictures
From the Heart
 
 
Becky Harmon
Transformations School of Staging and Redesign
 
        VIDEO CLIP        
 
Greetings Friends, Agents and Staging
Fans---
.

~This newsletter is going out to my current list of friends, family and people interested in staging, redesign and personal motivation. If you received this by mistake, forgive this tech-challenged "blonde" and unsubscribe. 
WELCOME to STAGING NEWS---
Becky Harmon
 
Hello All,
Before you fly off to another site, check out the pictures (below) from the January class. Now that this "tech-challenged 'blonde'" has figured out how to upload pictures, you will see more interesting newsletters. It's a very visual business. Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Pictures also illustrate the difference between professional and ametuer staging.
 
Everyone's talking about staging these days. There are numerous shows on HGTV and other channels in prime time featuring the staging process. Segments on this topic have been broadcast and aired on virtually every network, radio station and talk show, including Oprah, in the vast soup of lifestyle and home improvement programming. People are fascinated. Why?
There are three simple reasons:
1.      People are intrigued by the makeover process. We all love to see the ugly duckling become the beautiful swan. Some say they are addicted to these redesign and staging TV shows.                                                      
 2.      It works!! The national statistics tell us that staging will result in selling the home in half the time. It can also save the homeowner up to 10% of the cost of the home. WOW!!
3.      It is truly the evolution of a whole new industry.
 
People sometimes disagree about number three. Some agents say they have been staging for years, even decades. But what they are doing is helping to declutter and streamline. That is part of the process - an important part - but that is not all there is to professional staging.   
 
Let's hear from a successful agent, Brad Kirk of Watson Realty, who decided to sell his personal residence. He did everything an agent should do to prepare a house for sale. He cleaned out closets, organized, decluttered and got the yard and house in pristine condition. Then he called in a professional stager.
 
"Before putting our home on the market, I decided to call a stager to get advice on what was needed to make our home more presentable," Kirk said. "We made the changes, added a few accessories they thought we needed, and within 10 days had accepted a contract."
 
The stager picked out the perfect wall color and gave advice on carpet and tile upgrades. She then moved furniture to open up the seating arrangement and add visual space. Some art was repositioned and accessories added to reflect the coastal  community's theme.
 
Here is an easy way to explain the difference: Amateur stagers and agents "pull the weeds." Professional stagers do that and also "plant the flowers." They add the "Wow-Factor." There's a big difference! When you need a stager, be sure to call someone who is certified by a company who offers "hands-on" training.
 
Speaking of the "Wow Factor," take a look at 2 pictures from our January class. This house needed streamlining and the furniture, including piano, needed repositioning. The color theme from the dining room was repeated in this living room. A note to our local alumni: I'll let you all know when the next open house is scheduled.
 
As we have said before, the website photos and virtual tour need to be spectacular and must show off the best features of the house. We know that 80% of the homebuying public looks online before deciding which homes to see in person. Why take pictures if they are not fabulous?? Why not stage the virtual tour and/or photo session? Call for pricing. 904-945-0093


Amy Marino LR

January '09 Class~Staged to Sell *Living Room
 
Amy Marino DR
 
*Dining Room
 
Here is an audio testimonial from one of the November '08 Class Students, Mary Habres, who finished her second certification in January... 


Mary Habres
 
 
 
 one more...Connie Crosby, Allied ASID of Constance Crosby Interiors in Pensacola, Florida...

Connie Crosby

 
.
Specials for February 
 
~There is one opening in the February Staging Certification class. 2-17 through 2-19 Call for a significant price reduction if you can jump in at the last minute.
 
~The March 5 - day Certification class dates are 3-16 through 3-20. The weather in March and April allows us to enjoy lunch on the Queens Harbour veranda overlooking the marina. It's a delightful bonus. We have a few openings for the March class.
 
~Another note to our local stagers and especially real estate agents:
Keith Harmon, my son, who is one of the managers at the Carpet Man, has decided to offer a free, small set of the best selling and most popular carpet samples to each R.E. office that contacts him. It is a $25. value. Call him and he'll have it delivered to your office ASAP. 904-803-7825
 
If you remember from previous newsletters, the Carpet Man gets the product straight from the manufacturer so they are also wholesalers. They actually sell to other carpet stores. 
 

For instance, buying directly from the manufacturer allows them to sell a popular Shaw Stainmaster plush nylon that Home Depot sells for 3.99 a sq. ft. for only 1.69 a sq. ft. installed.
 
They now have a Phillips Hwy. location in addition to the Blanding location. It's north of the Avenues Mall/I-95 next to Steak 'n Shake.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
~The February class is the 17th - the 19th. There is still one space available. The March class is the 16th - the 20th. A marketing/staging class will be scheduled for spring, probably April. We'll have several guest speakers from different arenas. (More updates are coming soon.)

chickensoup 

From The Heart

  

 Women seem to frequently put their wants and needs on the back burner and sacrifice their dreams for a more convenient time. We seem to tolerate disorganization and sometimes chaos in our life to meet the demands of work and family. Take a minute today and do something for yourself that will cause you to move toward that goal of excellence in every area of your domain.
 
Suggestions---Clean out your make-up drawer, buy a book about getting organized, buy flowers for your kitchen. Sometimes one little action in the right direction leads to another, and then another. Transformation begins with one small step.
 
 Your home is an extension of your heart. It represents your personal statement to the world and to yourself. When we fill our lives with things that uplift us, we become a product of that environment. Having an organized and beautiful home is about honoring the very important person who lives there...YOU.
                                                                  

   
"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
                                                                   Wayne Gretsky

 

Save $300. ...on the cost of the next 3-day staging/redesign certification class.
 
E-mail for details [email protected]
Offer Expires:  Feb.28th , 2009