"What Happens in Vegas May Stay in Vegas,
But What You Learn Goes Home with You!"

In celebration of our rapidly growing membership and industry,
 the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) is holding its International Conference on
January 24 - 26, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada

We are very close to hitting our goal and selling out this conference. If we still have interest in attending I will do my best to get the Treasure Island Hotel to increase our number of attendees. The good news is that after Nov 25th the prices for RESA members only goes up $325.00. You don't have to be a RESA member to attend the conference.  

Early Bird- Good until Nov 25^th

RESA members $299.00

Non-RESA members $375.00

After Nov 25^th

RESA members -$325.00

Non-RESA members $400.00

After Dec 15^th

RESA members -$350.00

Non-RESA members $420.00

Note:  Registration fee includes admission to conference, (2) Continental Breakfasts, (1) Lunch, and the Awards Dinner.  Hotel, gratuity, transportation and additional meals are your responsibility.

www.RESAConference.com

Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) is now accepting nominations (deadline for submission of nominees is November 3rd) for the RESA Staging Industry Awards in the following categories:
 

• RESA Professional Stager of the Year
• RESA Rookie Stager of the Year
• RESA Staging Innovator of the Year
• RESA Staging REALTOR® of the Year
• RESA Product of the Year

Winners will hold their titles in their category for 2010.
The following provides the guidelines for submission to each of these categories. Please note: Nominations will be accepted from October 21, 2009 until November 3, 2009.
 
RESA Professional Stager of the Year  The RESA Professional Stager of the Year is a professional home stager that has been in business more than two years and is demonstrating professionalism and excellence in staging.

Nomination Guidelines:

• Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 5 home stagers for this category
• Only RESA members may be nominated.  If you're unclear as to whether or not the professional stager is a member of RESA, please use the following set of directions at the bottom of this document or ask the nominee
• Last year's winners are eligible to be nominated in the same category
• Last year's nominees are eligible   
• Self nominations are not allowed 

Finalists:

• Nominees who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified.
• Nominees must be a RESA member in good standing
• The top 5 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 5 finalists.
• Finalists will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Professional Stager of the Year. Submissions can be up to 5 pages and submitted as a PDF.

Finalist will be judged on the following:
20 Points- Branding (website, logo, etc...) 20 Points- Education through marketing, workshops, blogs, etc...  

30 Points- Before and after examples 20 Points- Support to other stagers 10 Points- Overall appeal of entry  

Judging:
 
The top 5 finalists will be reviewed and voted on by a panel of REALTORS® and two celebrity judges. 

RESA Rookie Stager of the Year
The RESA Rookie Stager of the Year is a professional home stager that has been in business less than two years and is demonstrating professionalism and excellence in staging.

Nomination Guidelines:

• Self nominations are allowed. However, if self nominating, you may only nominate yourself once
• Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 5 home stagers for this category
• Only RESA members may be nominated for this category. If you're unclear as to whether or not the professional stager is a member of RESA, please use the following set of directions at the bottom of this document or ask the nominee
• The top 5 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 5 finalists
• Must be in business less than 2 years as of January 2010

  Finalists:

• Nominees who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
• Nominees must be a RESA member in good standing
• The top 5 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 5 finalists
• Finalists will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Rookie Stager of the Year. Submissions can be up to 5 pages and submitted as a PDF 

Finalist will be judged on the following:

30 Points- Branding (website, logo, etc...) 30 Points- Education through marketing, workshops, blogs, etc...  

30 Points- Before and after examples 10 Points- Overall appeal of entry  

Judging:
 
The top 5 finalists will be reviewed and voted on by a panel of REALTORS® and two celebrity judges.  
 
RESA Staging Innovator of the Year
The Staging Innovator is a service provider who is providing innovative solutions to home stagers and/or the home staging industry.
 
Nomination Guidelines: 

• Must be a service provider to the home staging industry. Examples are: Furniture Rental Company, Home Staging Training Providers, Social Networking Sites, Marketing Tools and Resources for Stagers, etc.
• Self nominations are not allowed
• Nominees that are RESA members who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
• Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 3 choices for this category
• Nominations must include a link to the company website
• Last year's winners are eligible to be nominated in the same category
• Last year's nominees are eligible   

Finalists:

• The top 3 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 3 finalists
• Finalists will be asked to submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Innovator of the Year. Submissions can be up to 2 pages and submitted as a PDF

 
Finalist will be judged on the following: 

• How the provider delivers excellent service to the home staging industry/home stagers
• How they are contributing to the growth of the home staging industry

Judging: 
The top 3 finalists will be reviewed and voted on by the RESA membership.  
  
RESA Staging REALTOR® of the Year
The Staging REALTOR® of the Year will be a REALTOR® that collaborates with professional stagers and fully endorses the staging profession.  
 

Nomination Guidelines:

• Both RESA members and non-members may be nominated
• Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 3 REALTORS® for this category
• Last year's winners are eligible to be nominated in the same category
• Last year's nominees are eligible   
• Nominee must be a REALTOR®

  Finalists:

• The top 4 nominees will be determined by RESA leadership
• The top 4 nominees will be the finalists
• Nominees that are RESA members who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
• Finalist will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Staging REALTOR® of the Year.  Submissions can be up to 2 pages and submitted as a PDF

Finalist will be judged on the following:

• How they think staging has increased their overall business
• How staging has improved their listing presentation
• How they work with professional stagers
• Why they think staging is important when selling real estate

Judging:
Judging will be voted on by the entire RESA membership   
 
RESA Product of the Year
The Product of the Year is a product that professional stagers use in their day-to-day business.   

Nomination Guidelines:

• RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 3 products for this category
• Self nominations are allowed. However, if self nominating, you may only nominate your product once
• Last year's winners are eligible to be nominated in the same category
• Last year's nominees are eligible   

Finalists:

• The top 3 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 3 finalists
• Nominees that are RESA members who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
• Finalist will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Product of the Year.  Submissions can be up to 2 pages and submitted as a PDF

Finalist will be judged on the following:

• How well their product relates to a home stagers business
• How easy the product is to use
• Overall customer service of product provider

Judging:
Judging will be voted on by the entire RESA membership

   
Important Deadlines:
October 21st, 2009 to November 3rd, 2009- Nominations Accepted
November 4th, 2009 to November 6th 2009- Finalists Notified Via Email
November 18th, 2009- Submissions due from Finalists- Late submissions will be disqualified
November 30th, 2009- December 14th, 2009- Judging
January 25th, 2010 Winners Announced at the Awards Dinner and Ceremony at the RESA International Staging Conference

Directions on how to determine if the professional stager is a RESA member:   Click here to do a search for the member by their last name.  If their name comes up they are a member in good standing.   If you are still unsure please ask the nominee.  

Important Note: We have noticed people bypassing the security system and voting multiple times. Please note IP addreses are being tracked and multiple votes for same the person with the same IP address those multiple votes will be disqualifed.   To further support the growth of the home staging industry, RESA will be recognizing leaders within the staging industry for their outstanding contributions and personal accomplishments. 
 
Click here to begin the nomination process

RESA is gearing up for the very first International Home Staging Conference that includes ALL Stagers. The Convention is January 24-25th 2010 in Las Vegas Nevada.

We are very proud to announce that HGTV's Designed to SELL   Real Estate Expert Bethany Souza  will be joining us. Bethany will share how her experience with representing Las Vegas Boulevard hotel owners, land developers and coastal estate buyers in multimillion-dollar transactions helped her build a thriving business. Sign up today and come on out to meet Bethany.

Have you been a victim of copyright fraud? Do you have trademark questions? Erik Pelton  Trademark and Copyright Law- How it Affects Your Staging Business   Erik Pelton will speak and take questions on the value and importance of trademark and copyright protection for members, focusing specifically on brand names, logos, copyright protections for advertising materials, websites and photos; and intellectual property clauses in contracts with independent contractors.

Come learn and network with home stagers from all over North America. The conference is being held at the Treasure Island Hotel. We have an amazing menu planned and fabulous speakers. The conference kicks off with our networking mixer Sunday night January 24th.

The RESA Staging Industry Awards will be announced and handed out at the Awards Dinner on January 25th.

Early Bird- Good until Nov 15^th

RESA members -$299.00

Non-RESA members $375.00

After Nov 15^th

RESA members -$375.00

Non-RESA members $400.00

After Dec 15^th

RESA members -$400.00

Non-RESA members $450.00

Note:  Registration fee includes admission to conference, (2) Continental Breakfasts, (1) Lunch, and the Awards Dinner.  Hotel, gratuity, transportation and additional meals are your responsibility.

visit www.RESAConference.com to see all the speakers

Great news!  We have secured the Treasure Island Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas Nevada January 24, 25, 26 2010 for our National Staging Conference.

We are sensitive to the economic situation of our membership and we would like to get some feedback on exactly how long you would like your convention to be. In addition we need to know if there is still enough interest in order to organize an event of this size and expense.

Please click here to answer a few questions that will help us determine where we go from here. You will not have to be a RESA member to attend.  Thanks so much,

Feel free to post comments on the blog but please use the survey link to give your input on the actual conference.

RESA Convention Committee

Climate change is one of the most serious problems facing our world today. On Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm, tens of millions of people throughout the world will turn out their lights to make a statement of concern about the future of our planet as part of Earth Hour, an event led by the World Wildlife Fund.

RESA has pledged to support Earth Hour and are inviting all our members to take part in this historic and inspiring event.

Earth Hour got its start just two years ago and is now the largest event of its kind in the world. Last year, more than 50 million people participated and the lights went out at the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Coliseum in Rome, just to name a few. Even Google's homepage went black for the day! In Israel, President Shimon Peres personally turned off lights in Tel Aviv.

This year, Earth Hour will be even bigger-nearly 2,000 cities in over 80 countries have agreed to take part including Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and Nashville with more signing up every day. Around the world cities like Moscow, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai and Mexico City are among the many cities that will turn out their lights.

Participating in Earth Hour is easy, fun and free. It's also a wonderful opportunity for friends and families to gather together and think about the issues confronting our planet and the ways that we can work together to make a positive difference. Please join us in taking part in this inspiring event.

We want North America to turn out more lights than any other country in the world during this historic event so please pass this note along to anyone you think might want to take part. Let's all turn out and take action on March 28 at 8:30 pm. Click for more info

StagingTrends.com is the Staging Industries first e-Magazine brought to you by the Real Estate Staging Association in partnership with Commercial Net, Inc. a private label magazine publisher for HomeOwnerTrends.com.

HomeOwnerTrends.com has been re-labeled as Staging Trends e-Magazine and is the ONLY online magazine for the homeownership marketplace that you can re-brand to your company. We manage the magazine's core content and give you the ability to personalize it with your content through personal pages and other features. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that can help your business thrive.

You can use your Staging Trends Online Magazine to effectively "build your brand" with clients and prospects, differentiate yourself from your competitors, and reinforce the value of your company's services. After all, who else in your industry's local market do you know that has their own online magazine? If  Martha Stewart can have her own online magazine, why can't professional stagers?

Staging Trends Online Magazine is unique. For less than the price of most online electronic newsletter services, we provide you with your online magazine PLUS an HTML e-Newsletter generator and content library, among many other features! Our client support services are also outstanding.

The Next Generation in Online Marketing Has Arrived

Staging Trends Online Magazine is a progressive online publication created for the homeownership marketplace. The magazine offers homeowners timely, informative, and entertaining content related to the homeownership  experience. Homeowners can use Staging Trends Online Magazine for a variety of reasons, including:

• Understanding more about how their homes work
• Gaining insight on products and services used in the home
• Learning tips and techniques to create a better homeownership environment;
• Learning various home maintenance tips to create a safer home
• Gathering information from local experts in various home service industries

Staging Trends offers a wide variety of content for consumers that covers nearly every aspect of the home-ownership lifestyle.

Article sections include:

Other features include:  

STAGING TRENDS ONLINE MAGAZINE - MAKE IT YOURS

STAGINGTRENDS.com/YourCompanyName

• Fully Managed Content. We aggregate, assemble, and publish the online magazine, and you personalize it with your content.
• Personalize It. Using our integrated editing features, you can insert your own text, images, video, and widget applications in 6 designated personal pages.
• Progressive Updates. New content is added on a regular basis so that your readers always have something fresh to enjoy.
• More Bang for the Buck. You receive an online magazine and HTML newsletter.
• Superior Support. We've got plenty of easy-to-use online support tools, and we provide email and phone-based support, too!   

PERKS

• Sell Ad space on your own magazine and not only have your magazine pay for itself, you can EARN a passive income from local vendors.
• RESA members have the ability to write articles for the Real Estate Staging section of the magazine which is distributed to over 65,000 readers each month through HomeOwnerTrends.com.
• 10 FREE Guest Accounts. Gift these to your best clients or use it as a value added service to seal the deal with a new client.  Guest accounts can be branded to your clients company.
• RESA members that have a Staging Trends account  will receive a free listing in "Staging Magazine", the new  Industry Specific Magazine coming in the next 60 days. Staging Magazine also posted an annoucement on Acitve Rain click here to see that post
• You will also get a FREE website and ad directly listing on StagingMagazine.com
• RESA Members can purchase the Staging Trends e-Magazine account for only $289.00 per year. NON-Members pay $360.00 per year. That is a $71.00 SAVINGS!!

Visit

www.StagingTrends.com to see the online magazine.

Ready to sign up? Click here

This service is for ALL stagers, at this time RESA members get the discount. If other orgnaizations are interested in the discount being extended to their membership please call 888-201-8687 and speak to Shell.

MirrorMate Wins over North America's Real Estate Staging Trade Association

Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) announced that MirrorMate® frames is the winner of the "RESA 2009 Product of the Year Award."Next to paint, one of the most inexpensive, high-impact changes a homeowner can make to update a bathroom is adding a MirrorMate® frame to the bare, plate glass mirror found in so many suburban homes.  It can give the entire bathroom an updated, finished look with character, style and ease - at a price that is affordable. 

Professional Real Estate Stagers take on huge goals to get a property prepared for sale in a short period of time and they do it on a budget.  MirrorMate frames are the perfect product for Professional Stagers to use to spruce up a dated bathroom.  MirrorMate custom cuts each frame to any mirror size so it seamlessly fits any mirror in any space. Just like a frame for a piece of art, it features mitered edges that give the mirror an authentically framed look.  "This product is creative, affordable and simply brilliant. We love MirrorMate and are more than pleased to bestow the honor of the RESA 2009 Product of the Year", said Shell Brodnax, RESA's President/CEO.

"A MirrorMate frame is an easy do-it-yourself project for any homeowner, stager or designer looking to add character to a bland bathroom or update the look of an older room," explained Lisa Huntting, president of MirrorMate.LLC  "For those looking to sell their home, it can also give that wow factor home buyers are looking for. 

 "We are thrilled to receive this recognition from RESA and look forward to continuing our work with the professional real state staging industry," said Huntting.

The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) is the trade association for Professional Real Estate Stagers. The organization provides business support services for professional stagers in addition to providing vital information on the benefits of staging to Realtors and home sellers. For more information about Real Estate Staging, the RESA Endorsement Program, or to find a professional stager call 800-201-8687 and speak with Shell Brodnax, or visit the RESA Web site at www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com  

About MirrorMate

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, MirrorMate, LLC was founded by Lisa Huntting, who invented the product as a design solution for the four bare mirrors in her own home.  As the original and industry leader, MirrorMate^® frames are patented in the U.S. with additional patents pending in the U.S. and Canada.  For product and company information, as well as a demonstration video, please visit www.mirrormate.com, the company's retail Internet site.

 RESA congratulates and recognizes each person for their contributions to our industry.  Our Industry Awards are a wonderful way to give back to the Staging Industry as a whole and to recognize some amazing people.

RESA also is proud to honor some of our leadership that particulary stood out this year. We offer a very sincere thank you. Without our leadership and membership RESA would not be possible. Thank you for your time, energy, ideas, committment and passion. 

This year we did our Rookie Stager and Professional Stager of the Year awards a little differently. We had a panel of some AMAZING Realtors and leaders in the Real Estate Indsutry voting. We also extend a HUGE thank you for taking time out of your schedules to tend to this very important task. These women were WONDERFUL!!! I many of them were attending the Women's Council of Realtors State Event in Calfifornia and took our information with them in order to be able to participate. That's COMMITTMENT!!  

Please visit RESA to see all of the winners and our amazing judges!

Be sure to listen to "Stagers in the House" live on KFNN 1510 AM and KFNN.com, airing today at 12noon during the ‘Talk Real Estate' hour! So listen, call in, and learn more!

Today we have Shell Brodnax, President/CEO of RESA, Real Estate Staging Association reflecting on how the Staging Industry has grown and helped Realtors make more sales and more money in a very sluggish economy.  We will also discuss the plans for an even more successful 2009!  Call in and give us your feedback on how successful staging is working in your market.  1-800-293-5366

Click here and listen on line http://www.kfnn.com/ListenLive.asp

12:00pm MST,  11:00AM PST, 1:00PM Central, 2:00PM EST

"Stager in the House" on Talk Real Estate, KFNN 1510AM offers the real estate community an inside look at the current housing market and the importance of ‘presentation marketing' -  focusing on the trends and value of home staging to help you work through your listings and inventory. New general-credit continuing education opportunities for Realtors will also be discussed, including a Certified Staging Professional (CSP) Realtor Elite program and the new Green Build Science course for Realtors

---------

Suzette Smith, CSP, ASP, RESA, LGLS CT

Castagio Staging & Training

suzette@castagio.com

480-239-8561

The Nominees for RESA Rookie Stager of the Year are:

The Nominees for RESA Professional Stager of the Year are:

The Nominees for RESA Staging Realtor of the Year are:

The Nominees for RESA Staging Innovator of the Year are: 

RESA congratulates and recognizes each person for their contributions to our industry.  Our Industry Awards are a wonderful way to give back to the Staging Industry as a whole and to recognize some amazing people.

The Nominees will be reviewed by a panel of Industry Professionals and the winners will be announced at the end of January 2009.

Industry Awards-2008 Winners