VIVA Las Stage-Us... thanks in part to Active Rain!

Well I've done it. I am all signed up to go to this year's Home Staging Conference hosted by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). I so look forward to the magic that can only take place when a group of like minded people meet to share, learn and grow. If you have ever been to an ActiveRain RainCamp or a NAR Convention I am sure you know what I mean.

But I bet you don't know that the growth of the home staging industry actually began to take root and is due, much in part, to ActiveRain. For just about the time ActiveRain started up, home staging finally began to be accepted as a viable proactive real estate marketing strategy. Early on, here in the Rain, a small group of practicing home stagers saw the value of blogging and started to write blogs that genuinely shared their ideas and experiences for anyone interested in learning more. 

Blogging about Home Staging on ActiveRain proved to be a powerfully effective way to help a budding industry that was eager to grow. In fact, the very day back in 2007 when the "group" functionality was added to ActiveRain, the group Stage It Forward was born. The Stage It Forward group, commonly referred to as "SIF", became the first and only place on the web dedicated solely to home staging. The group welcome and encouraged the sharing of ideas while not excluding others on the basis of where they received their foundational training in home staging. SIF still is still a wonderful industry resource that quickly pulls "all things home staging" together here in the Rain. And for all the good Stage It Forward group did... the home staging industry wanted and needed more.

One of the early home staging bloggers here on ActiveRain that wanted more for and from the industry was Shel Brodnax. As a blogger Shel offered a unique perspective and insight which came from working for a home staging foundational training company assisting graduates in the field of developing and growing their newly formed staging businesses. It is no surprise that her experiences and willingness to engage and listen to all types of players in this industry helped her go on to create an organization beneficial to all in the home industry... and that organization is the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).

Shel knew that in order for this fledgling industry to grow it needed an organization that welcomed, listened to and represented ALL stagers equally and didn't discriminate or segregate out stagers because of where they received their foundational training. Since starting RESA, Shell has worked tirelessly to grow a welcoming staging community that fosters new ideas, approaches, methodologies, products and services and ultimately makes the home staging industry and its players more effective and viable. 

Last year, during the worst economic period of any of our lives, RESA successfully held the industry's first Home Staging Conference. And while the economy is still struggling this year, that hasn't discouraged home stagers or RESA, for attendance numbers are reported up for this year's Home Staging Conference. So I guess all I have to left to say to that is "VIVA Las Stage-us" or better yet..."RESA Las Vegas here I come!"

ME

PS: Thanks Shel.