Growing your business in a down economy is possible but you better be using great business concepts such as:
Marketing your Staging Business- Staging Business Concepts, business plans, business names, branding, trademarks, logos
Grow your Staging Business-How to develop a staging team and find new revenues for your business
Inventory Investment- Determine if renting or owning products is best for your company
Creative Ways to BOOST Your Inventory-How to build inventory on a shoe-string budget
Creating Visibility- Marketing ideas and systems. Pitching to the media and repeat and referral business strategies Presentation Skills-How and what to present to a handful or a roomful of clients Technology- Websites, yours and others, e-newsletters, blogs, database programs. systems for efficiency Digital Photography-How and Why perfect pictures are critical Mindset Motivation- How to stay motivated, on track and focused
Staging for Vacant Homes-Create strategies to appeal to homeowners, Realtors, Investors and Builders Staging for Occupied Homes- how to approach clients in furnished homes and provide a unique staging service to them
Alliances-Who they are and why you need them
Smart Growth- When and how to add help, rent space, buy new equipment and more services and sources Staging Business Concepts- Solid business concepts including forms, documents, contracts, insurance, time management and more for a small business. Customize your business to fit your future goals
Okay.... we all know there is a lot to do when you own and operate your own business. I'm sure that some of these ideas and concepts you are already doing and others you haven't started for many reasons. That's where a business coach can help. Hi my name is Karel Rogers. I am the founder of Real Estate Staging Unlimited the largest home staging business in the Reno area. When I started my business I hired a coach to help me start my business -it was money well spent. I knew that having a good foundation for the skyscraper (my staging business) that I was hoping to build was critically important if it was going to stand erect, be unique and tall enough to stand out from the rest and not topple down from some strong storms.
For most stagers you get your training, open your business and depending on many factors you either experience success or not. Starting a business or keeping one running successfully requires a lot of planning. It's not just being creative, having an idea, getting a license, business cards and opening your doors for business. If it were that easy there would not be the high failure rate seen in the first five years of business. Not to mention the huge debt that often follows due to errors made in the early years of establishing a business.
If your business is new or established, business coaching can be a very affordable growth opportunity. I started Staging Business Solutions a few years ago and it is designed to help home staging professionals by providing business tools to help grow a healthy-happy business that will stand out and above the home stagers in your area. We guarantee it!
If you want to take your staging business to the next level call us @ 775-828-1133
With spring lurking in a few months this is a great time to start thinking and purchasing items for your outdoor living space. In Nevada because of our beautiful warm weather our outdoor areas are seen as an extension or another room to our home.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to outdoor spaces. It can be another eating area, lively gathering place, calm refuge or a place for our children to play all without leaving your backyard. Choose a theme that reminds you of a favorite setting or vacation destination. Then get started on creating a wonderful space that you will love to be in.
Personalize your outdoor living space with items such as: Statuary Yard art (fountains. unique walking stones, stakes, sculptures, wind chimes, weathervanes, flags and colorful windsocks. Use trellis and garden arbors or Stepping-stones to break up and to connect other areas of the space. Welcome birds by utilizing birdhouses and decorative feeders. Don't forget to use colorful plants in the ground, pots, railings, window boxes, and/or hanging baskets.
Hang outdoor fabric to create walls and help to define space. Paint a rug pattern onto your cement or deck, or cut out a square piece of your cement and plant a garden of flowers. Another way to give your drab cement a new look is to stain or paint it. It can also have an overlay of a thin layer of cement and then use a stamp to make it look like brick or pavers.
Invest in comfortable furniture including chair cushions, pillows, tablecloths, and umbrellas that establish the theme you have chosen. Mix in wood furniture to add interest. Then add non-breakable dishware that will make eating outdoors safe. Other items to consider are a swing or glider loveseat, hammock or even a gazebo to add additional seating and interest to the space.
Evening lighting will always add interest and drama so use candles throughout your seating space and string lights to accent an arbor, railing, umbrella, or put them in your trees for light and sparkle. There are solar lights that can be used as a floodlight to highlight trees or garden statuary or fountain. Also use solar lighting to line a walking path, pathways, around gardens, railings and window boxes. These are inexpensive and free to operate.
Fireplaces help to warm the space in many ways and are available in many different styles, from built-ins to small mobile types. These help to extend your comfort into the evening hours and add a lot of ambiance.
Start now and plan your space, then start to pick up items as you see them. That way when spring has sprung your pocketbook won't be crying the blues. Have fun and be creative to create a space you will love to be in!
Today when I was returning items with my receipt to TJ Max Department Store that I had purchased for a design project a couple of weeks ago I was told by the clerk because I was a "stager" I would only be allowed to return items within 30 days of my purchase. Now I think this is reasonable for a store to ask this of their clients because they do not want "old" products but their other customers are allowed up to 60 days for returns.
I asked to speak with a manager to whom I know very well to find out more about this "new" policy. Because of the large volume we do with this store the manager was very apologetic and told me that because of several stagers in our area that were DISHONEST they had to implement this policy. That was a strong word... I asked for more information and she told me that several home stagers use the products and then return them for a full refund many up to 6 months.
DISHONEST...I couldn't have agreed more!!! I was appalled that our staging profession is being brought down and questioned by our vendors through this wrongful practice! When you buy something you own it, you are not borrowing it to use it...you own it! If you buy a blouse and wear it you don't return it...you own it and the same goes when using products in any staging projects.
This was the second time in 3 months that a store the other one was ROSS that had spoke to me about this dishonest practice by home stagers. I was angry that my profession has been discussed in such a negative way...DISHONEST! My advice to home stagers that are involved in this wrongful and dishonest activity -If you cannot afford to be in the business go do something else and quit disgracing our industry.
My mother taught me as a child your integrity is worth your weight in gold. Integrity is what you do when no one is watching...the right thing and then you never have to have regrets!
Growing your business in a down economy is possible but you better be using great business concepts such as:
Marketing your Staging Business- Staging Business Concepts, business plans, business names, branding, trademarks, logos
Grow your Staging Business-How to develop a staging team and find new revenues for your business
Inventory Investment- Determine if renting or owning products is best for your company
Creative Ways to BOOST Your Inventory-How to build inventory on a shoe-string budget
Creating Visibility- Marketing ideas and systems. Pitching to the media and repeat and referral business strategies Presentation Skills-How and what to present to a handful or a roomful of clients Technology- Websites, yours and others, e-newsletters, blogs, database programs. systems for efficiency Digital Photography-How and Why perfect pictures are critical Mindset Motivation- How to stay motivated, on track and focused
Staging for Vacant Homes-Create strategies to appeal to homeowners, Realtors, Investors and Builders Staging for Occupied Homes- how to approach clients in furnished homes and provide a unique staging service to them
Alliances-Who they are and why you need them
Smart Growth- When and how to add help, rent space, buy new equipment and more services and sources Staging Business Concepts- Solid business concepts including forms, documents, contracts, insurance, time management and more for a small business. Customize your business to fit your future goals
Okay.... we all know there is a lot to do when you own and operate your own business. I'm sure that some of these ideas and concepts you are already doing and others you haven't started for many reasons. That's where a business coach can help. Hi my name is Karel Rogers. I am the founder of Real Estate Staging Unlimited the largest home staging business in the Reno area. When I started my business I hired a coach to help me start my business -it was money well spent. I knew that having a good foundation for the skyscraper (my staging business) that I was hoping to build was critically important if it was going to stand erect, be unique and tall enough to stand out from the rest and not topple down from some strong storms.
For most stagers you get your training, open your business and depending on many factors you either experience success or not. Starting a business or keeping one running successfully requires a lot of planning. It's not just being creative, having an idea, getting a license, business cards and opening your doors for business. If it were that easy there would not be the high failure rate seen in the first five years of business. Not to mention the huge debt that often follows due to errors made in the early years of establishing a business.
If your business is new or established, business coaching can be a very affordable growth opportunity. I started Staging Business Solutions last year and it is designed to help home staging professionals by providing business tools to help grow a healthy-happy business that will stand out and above the home stagers in your area. We guarantee it!
If you want to take your staging business to the next level call us @ 775-828-1133
Passwords for the Internet can be impossible to remember. SO MANY! I have at least 30 sites that I am involved with and I can not have the same for each site so this is my tip...
Use the name of the site somewhere in the body of the password and then add your code. This can be characters,letters and numbers.
Example: 123activerain987 or activerain1987 or activerain**6546 use can use any of the characters- letters or numbers to add to the site name but make it so you can remember - then use this series with every site you go to.
TIP- use the name of site and series of numbers-letters-characters that you made once for all your log-ins. This should not be used in High Security accounts such as Banking but it is great for all the other internet sites.
It's wonderful...because you will never have to remember another password!
So after you decide that you are going to stage who will pay for it? I would say that about 70% of the time the homeowner pays for the service. After we build a relationship with a Realtor we find that they want every house staged because they see the benefits and then they pay for the staging or share the cost with the seller.
We encourage Realtors to have the client pay for the service up front and then reimburse the seller 50-100% on closing. This becomes a win-win for both the seller and agent because they save money on marketing because the home is in showcase condition so pictures and presentation come across excellent. And time is money so with the use of staging the property usually stays on the market less time and everyone gets paid faster.
Savvy Realtors and homeowners understand that staging a home really helps them to get the sold sign posted! So if you're not using a stager on your team do some interviewing of the companies in your area...it will be time well spent.
We have the largest staging company in Reno so we can provide a higher level of service and products than most other staging companies. We own all of the furnishings and accessories and we have a lot of them. And it's our products that always makes a house beautiful and unique. Best wishes for getting the SOLD sign posted!
I'm sure you have heard from buyers that they hate the "color" of the room or house. Why can't they just see past the color? Why can't they see how great the house could be if they just painted it themselves? Why even try and figure it out...they just can't . So make sure you have your sellers paint all areas that are dirty, bright or odd colors to in a warm neutral color.
A color expert is your best bet when making color suggestions. The investment of fresh paint will pay off in more ways than one..how about more money and a quicker sell!
Don't try to sell the concept to your seller by yourself ...Hire an color expert, many stagers and redesigners provide this service. If you don't have a stager on your team now is the time to set yourself apart from other Realtors because they will help you to get the sold sign posted!
Answer: Probably not and the house will probably fall under the fixer up category.
When we are called to do a report for the realtor and homeowner on how to get the home ready for sale we often see a dirty home. This doesn't mean necessarily that the house is cluttered it can just be dirty. We recommend that if you want to list this house you better plan to pay for an outside service to come into the home and put the sparkle back into the home. But don't stop there make sure just like a gardner for a yard be prepared to pay for additional cleanings. If the house has great possibilities it's worth this expense. No matter how much you advertise for the home if it's dirty it will bring less money.
If you are not using a home preparation service find one today in your area. Many stagers and redesigners offer this service.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.