staging: Scent of a sale at The Wall Street Journal - Scent Seekers - 02/03/09 08:33 AM
Today's issue of the Wall Streedt Journal (2/03/09) tackles the question:
Is the Scent of Moroccan Bazaar too edgy for American Homes, by Ellen Byron www.wsj.com
Does fragrance mean clean? Stagers have been working that for years!
Dobs, our Brittany Spaniel, wondered that too!
Proctor & Gamble Manager Scott Beal believes that "Your home could look clean, but if there is an absence of scent, you don't really know."
We recommend Pure Ayre - it is an amazing product that works on everything! James, the inventor and CEO, will help you in a heart beat for any questions or unique situations you happen upon.
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staging: Business of the Year Nominee - 10/30/08 09:24 AM
We at Decorate To Sell are honored to be nominated by Enterprise Bank as Business of the Year.
Enterprise Bank's First Annual Celebration of Excellence will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2008 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
Businesses have the ability to make a difference. At our First Annual Celebration of Excellence we will honor those remarkable entrepreneurs, businesses and community leaders who have achieved success and inspired others to excel.
Theo Epstein, Executive Vice President/General Manager of the Boston Red Sox and architect of 2 Championship teams, will be the keynote speaker for the event.
The Business of … (15 comments)
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staging: MAR Convention: My favorite new Tool! Thank you Miss Mannersmith! - 10/04/08 09:14 AM
Massachusetts Assn of Realtors at their recent convention had several really great seminars.
Miss Mannersmith - Jodi Smith - was my favorite!
She discussed first impressions (sounds familiar) and it takes 14 positive impressions to overcome 1 bad impression!
This woman was fabulous! Check out her website at www.mannersmith.com
The website is amazing and has a Thank you Note Wizard! As she states on her website: "This Wizard is to be used only as a tool to aid you in creating your thank you notes..."
http://www.mannersmith.com/resources/tyn_wizard.cfm
Check it out, get some manners and have some fun!
She also offers a free … (17 comments)
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staging: Help! 83 Days til Christmas - To Decorate or not to decorate??? - 10/03/08 03:08 PM
I have a client putting her home on the market in the next few weeks - just before Halloween!
She is a terrific client - and very motivated.
Which is why she is putting her house on the market over the holidays.
Handling the celebrations of Halloween and Thanksgiving are easy for her -- She is doing seasonal generic wreaths and that is about it.
However, our BIG problem is Christmas!
She is looking forward to puttting up her tree - but without the cute ornaments crafted by her children.
I don't have a problem with that because many … (19 comments)
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staging: Financial Crisis - NAR official recommends Staging - 09/24/08 07:50 AM
Staging has received the endorsement of NAR's economist Jed Smith.
During the keynote session at the Massachusetts Assn of Realtors Convention 9/22/08
NAR's economist Jed Smith, Managing Director for Quantitative Research, gave 2 pieces of advice to Realtors during this financial crisis:
"Add Value to your services:1. Marketing - realistic pricing2. Staging - how many times do you make a first impression." Jed Smith, Chief Economist & Managing Director for Quantitative Research for NAR.
This was included in part of Jed Smith's powerpoint presentation and live webcast from Washington.
NOTE: Staging is discussed 14 minutes into this video.
UPDATE: This can be … (35 comments)
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staging: Craftsman Bungalow Staged & Sold! 10 DOM! - 08/11/08 06:43 PM
We get the best clients - This family was a pleasure to work with! We are thrilled to have been able to help them move on to their new home! DOM 10 Days!
This is a Craftsman Bungalow - an original Catalog Home from Sears & Roebuck!
Bath Before & Staged!
Loft Before
Loft After!
… (15 comments)
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staging: Business Systems: How to charge for "no charge" - 08/05/08 11:11 PM
Business Systems are key to keeping our business and relationships professional.And, with all the discussion about how to get paid and when to get paid, many of us also do pro bono work - just like attorneys! So how do attorneys manage to do "no charge" and still remain professional? They have a system:
Attorneys are always sharing information - many times at no charge to family and friends. They get asked to help friends and family with P&S or anything else that requires their legal eye to review some contract or paperwork.
My friend was helping his friends who were considering the purchase of a second home. They asked him to put together the … (20 comments)
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staging: A Win-Win for Clutter & Homeowners! - 06/30/08 01:14 PM
Our homeowners (and agents) are always looking for resources.Clutter is usually tops on the list.
Here is a win-win for everyone - you can help your homeowners & make a difference in a child's life!
In our area the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation www.bbbs.org offers scheduled pick-ups of small household items, usable clothes and shoes. (This is for gently used items) It is an efficient system to help your homeowners rid their home of clutter and help a very worthy cause. Their phone number is 800-483-5503
The BBBS Foundation is registered with the offices of the Secretary of State and the Attorney … (13 comments)
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staging: Architecture - Small House Lit! - 06/30/08 09:52 AM
Small house lit - James McCown has a great article about the influence of building small is having on the book industry - he states that Walden, is an early example of "small house lit."Here are some great books he recommends!
25 Houses Under 1500 Squre Feet - by James Grayson.Big Ideas for Small Spaces - David Lansing & JoAnne Liebeler.Compact Houses: Architecture for the Environment.The Smaller Home - Creating the Perfect Fit by Dan F. Sater IIThe Very Small Home - Japanese Ideas for Living in Litmited Space.The Wright Sized House: Frank Lloyd Wright's Solutions for Making Small Houses Look Big.
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staging: Is Small the new Big? - 06/30/08 09:34 AM
As Stagers you are right there when homes come on the market. What house styles do you see when you stage new construction?Building in our area is moving through a climatic change - carbon footprints, green LEED, wind farms and the price of oil. Large parcells of land are a thing of the past - building roads can become not just a deal breaker but break the back of a business.
Work with spot lots and smaller parcells is the landscape now. From this change of landscape comes a change in the style of the home.
What styles of home do you see now? What … (2 comments)
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staging: I stopped marketing & had a cup of coffee! - 06/30/08 08:38 AM
We all love sharing everything about Staging - but how do we get Realtors to Love Staging!Some of us do this with marketing - but I hate marketing.Any of you who know me understand that for me to use the word hate is a profanity - and I use it as a profanity here.Let's change our language - let's get rid of marketing!Let's collaborate with Realtors!Collaboration is inspiring someone to view your way of thinking! We have to inspire them!Deborah Weisgall - she wrote a terrific article about collaboration - Searching for the Roots of Creativity.This article discusses how architects collaborate with builders & writers collaborate with agents and … (11 comments)
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staging: HGTV - The Stagers - your thoughts... - 06/28/08 01:32 AM
HGTV has a new show - The StagersIt starts this Tuesday, July 1st, in Canada and July 22nd in the States - I cannot wait to see this!
Takes place in Vancouver (my favorite city) at a design firm. 13 episodes are on track and depending on response more will be ordered.
Apparently the craft of Staging does not have enough drama...there are dust-ups between the mother-daughter staging team, a prima donna - Jay, and uber stager - Matthew.
Do you think this will help or hurt our industry?
And, does this mean Staging is now accepted by the mass media?
Check … (12 comments)
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staging: It's time for a makeover... - 06/01/08 06:56 PM
It's time for a makeover...
Decorate To Sell had the pleasure of working with Kim Herter, a wonderful mom and full time professional who lives in the beautiful suburb of Ashland, MA!
Kim was the fortunate winner of a complete makeover which included hair, nails, spa treatment, wardrobe consult and clothing, life coach consult, resume rebuilding and more! Also included in the makeover was a room redesign by the Decorate To Sell Team of Margaret Innis, Jeanne Boudreau & Pam Hall.
Here are some of Kim's thoughts on the makeover:
"Margaret and her team could not have been better to work … (1 comments)
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staging: Ugh! The Pain! - 12/28/07 09:40 AM
Making color choices is truly painful!
Taking the Pain out of choosing paint colors by Christopher Muther, Globe Staff, is a great article of how to get rid of that anxiety! Christopher interviewed David Oliver, a color guru from London, and author of a gorgeous coffee table book: Paint and Paper: In Decoration!
You can find the article at www.boston.com/lifestyle
Some of David's advice:
Test your shade: 'Don't just look at paint colors on a flat surface. Paint the inside of an old shoe box. That way you can see where shadows fall or how light behaves with color in a room.
Tart up hidden spaces: Paint the inside … (8 comments)
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staging: Just say NO! - 12/10/07 11:09 AM
We all have a generous and caring spirit because here we are in the Rain!
But remember, it is okay to:
And there is
Sometimes our clients have
And they definitely have
Which is why they need us!
Remember: The word No is a complete sentence! Practice!
PS - check out http://www.seoconsultants.com/just-say-no/03.asp for these images and more!
… (14 comments)
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staging: What not to Wear! - 12/10/07 09:50 AM
Let's go from dowdy to dashing!
What Not To Wear is a television show that takes a lucky participant on a makeover journey with a team of experts!
Stacey London - Fashion Expert Clinton Kelly - Fashion Expert!
From trash barrel
to conversation and commitment
shopping
And Finetuning with Makeup by Carmindy - Makeup Artist &Hairstyling by Nick Arrojo - Hairstylist (with a hug)!
The participant is successfully presented to their family and friends at a "coming out party!"
Hmmm - does this sound familiar?
A makeover journey
A team of Staging Experts:
Junk Removal:
Conversation and Commitment:
Shopping:
Finetuning!
The participant is successfully presented … (20 comments)
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staging: Nuts & Bolts in 2008 - 12/09/07 10:24 PM
Hard to believe 2008 is here! Have you been filling in your calendar for January and February already! It is fun to schedule networking opportunities and conventions!
Have you scheduled any time for the nuts and bolts of your business? Of course we are creative geniuses - however if you are like me you probably have to be disciplined about the "nuts and bolts" of building your business.
Do you need a business plan? Do you know what is involved in business financing? Have you thought about investors? Sounds scary but it doesn't have to be!
Ed2Go is an online ed resource site - www.ed2go.com/mcc They … (15 comments)
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staging: Carpet discounts to the trade - 08/17/07 07:27 AM
When Staging - remember that the path your buyer follows is key to their impression of the property.
FlorTiles allow the opportunity to create a unique area rug or runner, and pull it up the next day.
These tiles can be used for wall to wall, area rugs and runners. Their size is a godsend! ~20" square!
When your layout changes - aka a new Staging job - you can change the pattern and create a new design by simply pulling up the tiles and changing placement.
A few weeks ago one of my clients had a minor disaster in their family room - … (14 comments)
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staging: Kiss in the Kitchen! - 08/03/07 07:10 PM
Staging in the Kitchen is a lot of fun. So much fun you have to KISS! Keep it simple and Stop!
The kitchen is worth more than any other room in the house. More money is invested here than any other part of the home.
NAR's recent survey says that the average kitchen renovation is $44,000.
There are many appliance trends too! Winecoolers, stacked dishwashers, espresso machines, warming ovens, convection ovens, plasma tvs.
So please don't hide these beautiful appliances behind a $1.99 towel from Target
Left & Below: MLS Active Listings Andover, MA
Right: $919,000 Active MLS Listing in Andover, MA
You can't sell it if you can't see it!
KISS … (21 comments)
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staging: Staging Mistake #10! Carpet Tip! - 08/03/07 06:36 AM
HGTV had a terrific special on the 25 worst decorating Mistakes - and Mistake #10 floating rugs happens to many Stagers!
Floating Rugs - Many of us use an easy to handle 5x8 size for our Stagings. However, the rug is not anchored by the furniture (sofa & chairs).
HGTV says Floating area rugs are a big mistake people make. They're very distracting for the eye because they chop up a room and could be dangerous if you trip over them.
Use a measuring tape to create an outline to get a feeling about where you want the rug actually placed before going to … (44 comments)
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