Earlier this month, professional Home Stagers from the Gulf Coast of Florida met in Tampa to discuss hot topics in the real estate staging industry.

This was the premier meeting of its kind in Florida and I invited professional home stagers in our area to join together for this event.  During this time of economic uncertainty for everyone, I know that Florida home stagers must rise above the stress of the real estate business and make the effort to have their voices heard. Additionally, Akanke Cadden held a meeting the following week in Miami for the South Florida stagers. She told me it was very successful as well.  Yeah Florida home staging!

We discussed an agenda which was formatted similar to 27 other Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) & Stage it Forward (SIF) gatherings across the US and Canada.  I asked the real estate staging professionals to state their thoughts as they felt them and to discuss their ideas.  By creating a friendly and non-competitive ambiance, the collective open attitude remained full of energy and positive comments throughout the day.  AR folks pictured below include St. Pete's Judy Kincaid (to the right of me) and a newcomer to Active Rain, Laurie Calhoun from Seminole, FL.  Stagers visited from Naples to north of the Orlando areas.

Bravo to CORT-Tampa Bay Gloria Rose for arriving early that morning, hands stacked full of my special request: fresh, warm Krispy-Kreme donuts at the waiting. Yum! Additional Kudos to PODS National Sales Manager, Joey Interrante for trusting my judgment with ordering the delicious Cuban lunch fare from nearby Mandy’s. He thought the food would be similar to the tex-mex food from his recent stay in Texas, yet I assured him that tasting Cuban specialties would be much different.  Joey agreed and was grateful for the introduction to the always popular Tampa-Ybor City specialty.

I figured that if I was going to drive over 325 miles round-trip to moderate the meeting, I was going to need some major fuel! (In more ways than one!)  With my sugar levels on over-load combined with the excitement of meeting other professional stagers from across Florida, I felt that mountains could be moved by this group! (OK, granted, Florida is a flat state....so please go with the idea here…lol!)

We discussed the home staging issues and how they related to our business here in Florida, which unfortunately leads the nation in foreclosures and defaults galore.  Many homes in Florida are vacant and are often secondary homes for our Northern part-time residents.  It places us in an even more unique position than the average home staging company as the economy slumps and causes further pain for our clients and our businesses.

    Avowing to continue to educate Homeowners and Real Estate partners alike, the professional Home Staging community wishes to work together with collective intention.  We recognize the important need to support one another and to focus our strength as ONE VOICE in this growing Real Estate Staging industry, rather than as segregated factions, which merely serves to weaken the roots of professional progress.

We offer our sincerest gratitude for the combined efforts of RESA, ASHSR, IRIS and CSP for their continual leadership and support of this grand effort to work together as one.  The support from many corporate sponsors such as CORT, PODS, BROOKS, 1-800-GOT JUNK and others, demonstrates that combining resources and energy is integral for the continued growth and future of all of our businesses. 

***Special thank you goes out to Sherwin-Williams Matt Leeds for providing our professional real estate stagers with new Sherwin Williams Color Decks and the latest 2009 Color Trends information.  I wanted Florida Home Stagers to walk away from the RESA-SIF meeting with tools as well as ideas which will continue to help them excel in their businesses. 

  Additional door prizes were supplied by CORT and it gave me great pleasure to present a large piece of artwork to Carol Berman from Design Savoir-Faire located in Seminole, FL.  Carol provided huge background support for me, so I was thrilled when her name was randomly drawn as a winner! Congratulations also goes to gift card winners:  Leticia Lawson of The Staging Stylist and Jane Xiques of Rooms for Change by Jane, both located in the Tampa area. 

The meeting feedback has been outstanding with many professionals ready to meet again soon.  It was very gratifying to know that the success of our meeting has created more excitement for the home staging professionals in the state of Florida.  Good job everyone!

Warmest Regards,