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AMAZING week with Industry's top Home Staging Training Professionals!

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team

AMAZING week with Industry's top Home Staging Training Professionals!

I sit here exhausted and thrilled to death over the week that I just had.  If you've been watching on facebook, you might have realized that many of the Industry's top staging professionals have joined our newly revamped Home Staging Training Company - SAR.  I thought since many of you know and love them, you might want to share in some of the fantastic moments that I've shared with my friends this week....

First, we rented a beach house in Isle of Palms, SC.  It was pretty cushy with an amazing backyard, screened porch and scenic views.....

 

Now you would think we wouldn't get much done with this back yard and the beach to go hang around... but believe it or not we got some pretty incredible things accomplished.... 3 full days of Instructor Training and Marketing workshops helped make sure that we are all well versed in the course, where the industry is going and where we want to move the industry. 

The point of getting together was team building (there's no I in team) and making sure that our newly revamped re-written cutting edge course is building on industry trends - looking forward to tomorrow's needs, not yesterday's standards.  The top goal, of course, being that we would make sure that we did whatever we could to ensure the success of our students - giving them the tools that they need to suceed in TODAY'S market. 

Now of course, there would be no point in getting a beach house without at least taking some time out at the beach.... all work and no play makes for tired and grumpy instructors...

In attendance we had (left to right) Me (First Impressions - Charleston, SC), Bernadette Flaim (Attention2Detail - Leonia, NJ), Michelle Molinari (Feature This - Lafayette, LA), Karen Otto (Home Star Staging, TX) & Jessica Pirone (below right) (Just Perfect & More - Wilmington, NC), Linda Barnett (top top photo right) (Home Matters - Indianapolis, IN).

Ah.... but the beach needed to be put aside for a little while with some additional work.... since our classes are newly renovated and different from every other home staging training & certification company - focusing on intensive marketing and business skills - offering the only hands-on vacant training in the industry.  This meant working through new processes and possible issues to ensure that each of our students gets the best experience possible....

Of course you have to eat... so why not enjoy the pool and porch... and of course the good company....

Working from morning till night can be mind numbing, but it is worth it when you know that you are moving the industry forward....

Now, you would think that the beach, the pool and good company on a South Carolina porch would be enough... but what's a trip to South Carolina without a good Charleston Ghost Hunt?

(I have no idea what I was doing.. probably laughing at Michelle who was taking the photo)... You know though... when you are walking through dark alleys on a Charleston ghost tour you have to watch out for suspicious characters.... like this guy who kept following us around...

Before we separated ways, it was important to share with each other how we make our businesses successful - helping to improve each other's local staging businesses - since each Home Staging Training Professional at SAR has their own successful business - even to each other we have a lot of information to offer.  I loved that despite how successful each of us already is that we learned new things to implement to make us even more successful. 

Finally though - it came time for most of the new instructors to go back home..... but we will see everyone again in RESA!   

 

Posted by

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 Author Bio: Melissa Marro, Home Staging Industry leader, Realtor, and entrepreneur offers a unique perspective on New Home Construction, Resale Residential Real Estate, and Home Staging

For more information on buying or selling in the Fleming Island, Orange Park, or Jacksonville, area, visit StageListSellNEFL.com or call Melissa Marro (marro.melissa at gmail.com), Keller Williams First Coast Realty, for more information (904-466-2093).

 

Comments (18)

Karen Otto
Home Star Staging - Plano, TX
Plano Home Staging, Dallas Home Staging, www.homes

So excited to be a part of the amazing SAR program to help new and seasoned stagers move their businesses forward! 

Texas are you ready?

Oct 14, 2010 03:30 PM
Tori Toth
Tori Toth, International - Howard Beach, NY
888.667.6643 NYC & Beyond, HSR, SAR, RESA, LIBOR

Melissa, I've never heard about this before, where have I been?? maybe under a rock, I'm going to check out SAR, looks like you all had a great time.

Oct 14, 2010 03:33 PM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

Karen - you KNOW how excited I am to have you on the team!!  I think if Texas isn't ready they better get ready.....

Tori - We DID have a GREAT time!  It was great to take a few days off of staging, even if we were still working....

Oct 14, 2010 04:01 PM
Cathy Lee
CL Design Services Home Staging - Danville, CA
ASP, IAHSP, RESA Danville, CA

How fortunate SAR is to have Karen on board!! Congrats to all! Looks like you all had an amazing planning retreat~thanks for sharing your photos. Can't wait to see you at RESA Conference in Jan. :)

Oct 14, 2010 05:51 PM
Anonymous
Annette Smith

Oh yes Karen! Texas is definitely ready!

Oct 14, 2010 10:08 PM
#5
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

Wow!  What a great group of instructors, Melissa!  That's awesome.  Thanks for sharing these photos with us. The Ghost Tour photo is so cute and so is the Candy Man photo.

It looks like everyone had a great time.  

Kathy

Oct 15, 2010 01:00 AM
Birgit Anich
Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors, 203.807.4040 - Norwalk, CT
CT Home Stager Fairfield & New Haven County

Wow, what a great group!!!! you guys rock! Congratulations!

Oct 15, 2010 02:34 AM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

Cathy - Yes we are - as well as all of the other stagers on the team.  We are all excited to get together and see everyone again at RESA!

Annette - I somehow figured Texas might be =)

Kathy - Michelle put those photos together (candy man & ghost tour)... she's very clever like that.  We had such a fun time it was sad to be over.

Birgit - Thanks! 

Oct 15, 2010 03:01 AM
Karen Hubert
Center Stage Design-Home Staging - Brantford, ON
CSP, Brantford, ON

Hi Melissa,

Congratulations on your new staging training company. Looks like you have a very talented group of trainers there.  See you in January at the RESA convention.  First time for me and I am really looking forward to it.

Oct 15, 2010 04:16 AM
Michelle Molinari
FEATURE THIS... Real Estate Staging & Interior Decor - Lafayette, LA
Feature This Real, Estate Staging & Curb Appeal Concepts

I am so very excited to be a part of this staging and training team! So progressive, so much REAL experience (30+ cumulative years between us), and the introduction and instruction on how to use today's technology (an Asus PC and Kindle is provided with tuition for the 5-day Course!). This is a relevant, living staging course by folks with their fingers on the pulse of today's industry direction.

As Karen Otto said to us..."Rising Tides Raise ALL Boats."

I concur completely...COWABUNGA... Surf's UP!

~Michelle

Oct 15, 2010 07:24 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

You all looked like you were having a great time.  So much experience all under one roof.  Charge on!!!

Oct 15, 2010 09:54 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Looks like so much fun!  That's a lot of talent and creative brain power in one location!

Oct 15, 2010 01:17 PM
Wanda Richards
Shows Great Home Staging and Web Solutions - Roanoke, VA
Shows Great Home Staging

Loved following your fb updates about the retreat.  I really would have loved to be there with all of you.  Looks like you had a great time.

Oct 15, 2010 02:14 PM
Janice Sutton
1st Stage Property Transformations - Murrieta, CA
Home Stager - Temecula Murrieta

How wonderful that you were all together! Everyone looks so happy! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the RESA convention in January!

Oct 15, 2010 02:35 PM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

Karen - how awesome!  It was phenomenal last year!!  It is a great group of professionals.  I'm thrilled!  It's my 'dream team'!

Michelle - favorite quote of the week!  Thanks for everything!

Kathy - had a wonderful time with these amazing women (and Gary - really need to add some more gentlemen to the team)... Our students will definately benefit from the fact that all of our instructors are actually working in the industry - it's real life, not theory!

Sharon - Charleston is lucky we didn't take the town - there was a beach house we saw in MLS just down the street that we had to resist the urge to enter and stage... lol

Wanda - I'm glad you had fun with that... we had fun posting them!

Janice - a lot of the instructors had not met before (of course I knew them all well) and the friendships were fast and deep.... that's what happens I guess when we all have the same ideas and goals!

Oct 15, 2010 04:27 PM
Luci Terhune
Bungalow Home Staging & Redesign - Nutley, NJ
NJ Home Stager 973 896-6489

Wow Melissa, it sounds so great and I can't wait to see Bernadette at our local Resa Mtg this week so I can hear more about it!

Oct 17, 2010 03:00 PM
Karen Dembsky
Peachtree Home Staging LLC, Home Staging in Atlanta, GA - Peachtree City, GA
Atlanta Home Staging

Melissa -- I enjoyed this post immensely!  You have a fabulous team!  Best wishes as you move forward.  There is no doubt that you and your team will be a great asset to new and upcoming stagers.   Can't wait to get info to pass on to my many inquirers!

Oct 18, 2010 10:56 AM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

Luci - I know she is excited to share it with you too!!

Karen  - thanks!  I'm happy to get you any additional information that you need, or of course you can contact any of our instructors for more info.  We plan on being completely transparent about what we teach and how we are different - so ask away!

Oct 18, 2010 11:03 AM