Carmela Abella's (staginglongisland) Blog

Home owners, did you know it's spring cleanup season? Now I know that in certain parts of the states there is still snow on the ground. Here in Long Island New York, we still have snow. But in a few weeks the snow will melt and it's the perfect time to clean up your yard. March is notorious for h...

It isn’t staged or is it? When staging a home on Long Island NY you don’t want the potential buyers to even consider that. Your goal as a stagers is to make the house look warm and inviting. Not staged. If the buyers think that the house has been staged, they’re going to question the fact that y...

  Painting your home, does it really matter? When meeting a client for a staging consultation, they may not be open to the idea of painting their interior walls. They start to think about the cost and the inconvenience of moving furniture around. Their mind set is that the buyers can change the ...

The RESA convention, it was awesome! I know that many people have probably written blogs about it. But I wanted to express my thoughts on it as well. Nancy Maurer said it best when she said, we hit the "jackpot". It wasn't just the networking but the incredibly information that was freely given o...

Raincamp New York 2010, what an experience it was. I live on the Island, so getting to Manhattan wasn't easy. Taking the Long Island train, then walking 11 blocks on a brisk January day Burr. it was cold. But I would say it was worth it. I realize that ActiveRain has a lot of real estate agents b...

House market and staging, how does it affect you? Well, you can't properly stage a home if you don't know the current house market. There is no end to the changes you can recommend staging a home. But the question here is: What is the client's budget? And what target are you marketing? This is wh...

Should you use stock photos in your Home Staging portfolio or website?  It can be a difficult question to answer. I don't' think you should ever use stock photos for your portfolio. It gives a false impression of your work. There is nothing worst then when a clients asks you about a (stock) photo...

Having your own staging business and the massive mistake first timer make can cost them dearly. When you first decide to go into business you get the initial euphoria, as though you could conquer the world or at least your little niche. Being able to do what you love and get paid for it. What bet...

These past few months, I've worked on a project with Habitat for Humanity on a home located in Bay Shore, Long Island NY. It was a rewarding experience to say the least. It all started with an idea based on the Bloomin' House that was staged in New Jersey by members of RESA. This was to be a grou...

Organizing your kids toys when selling your home can be a huge problem! Trying to sort out what to keep and what to throw away can have a traumatic effect on kids, especially young ones. But there is an easier solution. Instead of taking it upon yourself to sort it out, get your children to help....