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Why RESA? How the Real Estate Staging Association is different from other Associations

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

Today I sat in the Home Matters office after teaching a segment of our SAR Home Staging Training class pondering the outline of a blog that I want to write.  (WHY SAR provides a membership to RESA with our new home staging training class.) It occurred to me that I had so many reasons as to why RESA is the right choice for home stagers that I probably should sit down and write a self standing blog about it....

1.  RESA is governed by the leaders in the home staging industry - RESA leadership is elected by its membership.  

2.  RESA Leadership works to better the industry as a whole.  I know there are other associations out there - most others represent their training companies.  As the owner of a training company, I get it.  You do want a voice in the industry and a standard in your own organization.  Some of those training companies also promote RESA as another option and another resource in their student's businesses.  While still other training companies solely promote their association - advising students to avoid other associations.   I can't help but wonder why any reputable training company, advising in the best interest of their students, wouldn't want them to have access to other possible business models, networking and ideas.

RESA

3.  RESA is not-for-profit.  RESA leadership doesn't receive a paycheck.  While there are staff members and employees of RESA, membership dues help to run the association, help to create programs and awareness of the industry, as well as helping to fund programs to help stagers be successful!  What about the other associations out there?  What's their goal?  Is it to create more awareness in their particular brand to help sell more training seats, help you connect with other similarly trained stagers in your area (networking) or is it to help you grow your business and awareness of the industry as a whole?

4.  RESA provides local and national networking & educational opportunities - Not only do chapters routinely meet locally, but with the RESA Convention, stagers from all over the world unite to network and share information.  So many of our stager friends are from diverse backgrounds and varying training groups that we have real information to share with each other about what we've found effective, what we are struggling with and how the industry is changing/growing.   Don't hide your light under a bushel, right?  With RESA we openly share our successes and failures to grow and unit an industry - to raise the bar - to help each other succeed ACROSS THE LINES OF DESIGNATION - creating TRUE UNITY!

5.  RESA raises the bar of professionalism - If you only learn one way of doing things and never venture out, then you'll never know what you are missing and you'll never learn if there is a better and more effective way.  What if you only ever ate dinner at home, never tried a new recipe or only ever watched one TV show?  Trends change - information changes - the value of hearing diverse opinions and not just a single minded way can open up new opportunities as well as help improve your business and design skills! 

I know there are more reasons why so many stagers, regardless of original training are choosing RESA to represent them as THE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION - these are my top 5 - what's yours?  

 

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(15)

Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

Great post about the benefits of RESA, Melissa. In addition, RESA provides a baseline for ethical behavior for home stagers. I like knowing that an organization like RESA is watching my back and raising ethical standards for the whole industry.

In addition, RESA provides a common basis for friendships and networking. I've made many friends and had a great deal of networking opportunities because of my involvement in RESA.

Thanks for being such a strong supporter of RESA, Melissa.

Dec 12, 2010 10:28 AM
Michele Kurelich
Triangle Home Staging & Design/Lasting Impressions - Raleigh, NC
Raleigh Home Staging and Design

Joining RESA was a no brainer for me, even though I belong to other home staging associations.  For me RESA stands for moving the industry forward as a whole, regardless of one's designation. 

High standards of ethical behavior is a biggie for me.  I have found from firsthand experience that some associations don't hold their members accountable for their unethical behavior. 

I look forward to joining with other Home Stagers from around the country at the RESA conventionin January.  I love meeting Professional Stagers with all sorts of training backgrounds and business structures to learn from in one place.

Dec 12, 2010 11:12 AM
Heather Cook
Beyond the Stage Homes - Kitchener, ON
Delivering beautifully staged spaces

Great post Melissa on the benefits of RESA. Its so important for home stagers to understand why RESA sets itself apart from other associations and how it provides a level playing field for them. I really love how RESA upholds a strong position on ethics and professionalism. It's something the industry needs and all the stagers who are a part of RESA benefit from continued support and education which is offered to them.

Dec 12, 2010 11:59 AM
Shirin Sarikhani
Seattle Staged To Sell www.seattlestagedtosell.com - Seattle, WA
RESA-Pro

Great Post Melissa. I will re-blog it. I agree with Michelle that the code of ethics is really important. I just found a hobby home stager, who used some of my pictures from my website to create a flyer. This would not have happened by a RESA member.

Dec 12, 2010 05:59 PM
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

What a fantastic post regarding RESA. As a professional home stager, I couldn't imagine NOT supporting my trade association.

RESA, as the trade association for the home staging industry, understands the importance of having a high standard of ethics that every member agrees to follow. These standards help protect the homeowner as well as the home stager.

Combine that with the variety of initiatives and tools that RESA has developed and it's simply a winning combination.

Kathy

Dec 12, 2010 11:34 PM
Ashley Whittenberger
Ashley Whittenberger Fine Art - Austin, TX

My top 5 Reasons for Joining and Being an Active RESA Member:

1. I personally know and respect many of the professionals in leadership positions and RESA has allowed me to get to know them better, and work side by side with so many fabulous professionals!

2. RESA welcomes stagers of all designations or no designations while also supporting our industry (not a particular training program or designation) in a myriad of ways.

3. RESA Leadership and Members have always been supportive of my businesses -- as a solopreneur, it's important to have as many kind & supportive people in your corner as possible! 

4. Our local chapter is AWESOME and I always look forward to our meetings (not to mention we just had a fabulous holiday party!) We lean on each other for resources, ideas, support, friendship and networking. 

5. The organization has brought me together with many staging friends in my market and across the country who I truly feel are friends and "staging sisters/brothers from another mother!"  :-)

Oh, and one more!

6. RESA Convention is the must attend event of the year for our industry! (Just had to just stick in that little reminder b/c tickets will sell out soon!)

Dec 13, 2010 01:09 AM
Gary Barnett
Home Matters - Indianapolis, IN
Home Matters Property Stylist Group, Indianapolis

Melissa, you have done an excellent job here of outlining the importance of RESA.  To Michele's point, some orginizations are no more than chargingfor a listing on a web site and they frankly could care less about the poor behavior of those on their list.  RESA on the other hand is rooted in ethics.  And, when Linda and I go the the yearly conference we get to see not only all of our staging friends but we get to meet the movers and shakers in the industry.  Again, excellent post.

Dec 13, 2010 01:32 AM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

What wonderful additional reasons to belong to RESA!!  I can't believe I didn't list ETHICS!! Of course - and with some of the things that I've been through with unethical people creating all kinds of issues, this should have been top on my list (apparently I'm just trying to forget about all that ugliness)... all very good reasons... keep them coming!

Dec 13, 2010 04:25 AM
Patricia Ebrahimi
SHOW SMART! HOME STAGING & Color Consultant - Rockville, MD
Home Staging the Washington DC Area from Rockville MD

I'm late to the party, having been a Professional Home Stager for 5 years but a RESA-Pro for only the last week or so, but the reason I joined is all of the above.  And, I am glad I did.  I used to belong to ASID at a high cost to no real benefit, I have been side-swiped by other designees of seemingly highly acclaimed stager designations, I have witnessed unethical behavior by stagers from various backgrounds thankfully not involving me, and the answer in my mind to all of these situations is RESA, our trade association for the betterment of the industry as a whole on so many fronts. 

Dec 14, 2010 02:08 AM
Karen Dembsky
Peachtree Home Staging LLC, Home Staging in Atlanta, GA - Peachtree City, GA
Atlanta Home Staging

Melissa, this is a wonderful post.  I love the way RESA can pull stagers together.  It's not quite so lonely out there!  I love my RESA staging pals!

Dec 14, 2010 09:49 AM
Craig Schiller
Trempealeau, WI

For MANY years I kept "neutral" on such topics as Staging Associations. But time has marched on and a leader has emerged... and that is RESA in my opinion. Why? For me it is because they open to all. They aim is to lift up and include for the greater good. Seems so easy to me.

Me

Dec 15, 2010 04:51 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

RESA is leading the home staging industry because it's open to everyone in the industry and offers educational benefits among other good things for stagers!

Dec 15, 2010 05:58 AM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

Thanks everyone for your comments - Craig, great to see you back in the rain again (love to keep saying that!) - RESA is THE organization in my opinion.  And now I"m going to work on that blog that started this one......

Dec 16, 2010 03:26 AM
TERI LINDSAY
Reno, NV
STAGELIGHT HOME STAGING CO.

Melissa.... again, a real education for me on RESA. I understand the benefits and how having RESA association will be important for me once I qualify.  Thank you for taking the time to write such informative posts that benefit newcomers to the industry.  I am learning something EVERYDAY.  This will be my first year as a stager (we all had to start somewhere!) and I really appreciate the support I have recieved here at AR. Going to RESA  site now for further information to help develope my Business Plan!

Dec 17, 2010 10:56 AM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

Teri - You only have to "qualify" to be a RESA Pro member. If you are a stager or real estate professional, you can become a member of RESA.  We are there for the entire industry....  

Dec 18, 2010 04:55 PM