So instead of too many details about staging tips and
strategies, I will share stuff you can use - enough about me and more about you.
· I learned from a panel of Realtors that
professional home staging is assumed In San Francisco. The vast majority of houses on the market are
staged. The criteria used for choosing a
home stager are the product (are you wowed from the front door?) as well as
their reliability and experience.
· In areas where staging is not assumed, the
competition is not other professional home stagers. Our
competition is not staging at all or seller complacency. This complacency is based upon the
assumption that the only preparation needed before listing a house on the
market is to put a “For Sale” sign in the front yard – and the market will do
the rest for you.
· A few of the top decorating trends include:
o
Colors
– Pantone color of the year for 2013 is Emerald Green
o
Global
chic – well-traveled, eclectic displays of books and accessories
o
Mixing
it up – contemporary with vintage; formal with casual; indoors out and outdoors
in
· Some catchy phrases for Realtors and
professional home stagers
o
If they can smell it, you can’t sell it.
o
Clutter eats equity.
o
“All things being equal” - four most dangerous words in business.
· Motivational speakers worth remembering (especially
if you have to book a meeting speaker or if you are looking for some personal
inspiration and motivation):
o
Elizabeth Hagen (Now is Your Time: The Steps to
be Fearless and Extraordinary) - http://elizabethhagen.com/
o
Bodine Balasco (VISION CREATES REALITY – Expanding Your Ability to Create the Results You
Truly Want) - http://www.bodinebalasco.com/
o
David Arvin (It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You) - http://www.visibilitycoach.com/
I also came away with a great line used by David Arvin (who
is a dead ringer for the British actor, Clive Owen). His story was that he was at a convention of
motivational speakers who can be some of the most extroverted people you will ever
meet. You know, they are the kind of
people who will say -- “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you? What do you think about me?”
For
me, the possibilities are endless when the focus is not on me but on what I can
do to help my sellers and Realtor partners get the best price possible in the
shortest amount of time by using my home staging services. But I
must confess that when I finish staging a home, I am always interested in the
feedback from the seller and Realtor about the finished product – as I want
them to be wowed as well as wowing the potential buyer.
Dwell in possibilities
Cindy
PS – I was not selected as the RESA Top Stager – Occupied
Stagings in North America. But I was so
proud and so excited to be called up to the stage and stand with the other nine
stagers selected as top ten finalists in this category.
