Home Stagers Story – Pursuing Her Dream

Is It Time to Choose Yourself?

I love this email I just got from Sharon Rapp, of Rapizazz a Charlotte, NC home stager…

When I decided to quit my job working for a Fortune 100 company, I knew this could be the opportunity for me to pursue my life-long dream to have my own business. I always loved decorating homes and had successfully staged several homes to sell. I knew it was something I would love to do but didn’t know where to start…

I think Sharon is very common of a lot of people who work in “Corporate America”.  Statistically, most people know they are not doing what they really love…yet are fearful of stepping out on their own as an entrepreneur.  I get that because I was the same way until I got laid-off.  When I got laid-off, I was crushed…you see I thought if I did a good job, I would always have one…but in Corporate America, that’s just not true.  Getting laid-off was the best thing for me because it changed the way I felt about business.  I realized that no matter what, you have to produce.  You can either produce for yourself (be an entrepreneur) and reap the full benefits of your hard work, OR produce for someone else (be an employee).  I say “choose yourself” which is what Sharon did!

I found HSR’s training program and was pleasantly surprised to find that the training included the A-to-Z’s of starting up a home staging and redesign business. What a windfall of a find! I especially loved the marketing training to “Bling Your Brand”. Audra is so insightful!

It’s not easy to choose yourself and not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, so you should always do your research and do some serious soul searching.  Finally, this is what Sharon had to say about where she is now…

Thanks Sharon!

Here’s a few more recent testimonials from HSR members who have chosen themselves…

3 Ugly Truths About Home Staging

3 Ugly Truths About Home Staging

I wrote an article recently in the National Association of Realtors, Styled, Staged and Sold blog that got a lot of interesting and conflicting comments from agents and stagers.  In the article, that you can read here,…I talked about the importance of being of honest with sellers in the 2015 real estate market and to tell the ugly truths about staging and selling.

The comments came fast and furious.  One of the commenters didn’t like the “angle of the before photos” because it wasn’t EXACT, so she did not think she would use a stager…huh?!!  This kind of nonsensical thinking is still out there when it comes to understanding what staging does and does not do for a home.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

Home staging is not rocket science, it’s pure economics…when you use an expert to improve the look of a product, the demand thus price goes up.

The article was a follow-up on my 3 Ways to Start a Bidding War Through Staging article that has been shared a TON by stagers and agents, so thanks so much!  I’m reminded that I need to educate sellers and agents like never before about home staging!   Together, we can do so much!

This season’s real estate market promises to be an exciting one, so buckle your seat belt folks…

4 Steps to Finding Your “Calling”

4 Steps to Finding Your Calling

Another year went by in a flash and I’m taking a moment reflecting on what can help me to slow down time, be very intentional in my planning and focus on my “calling”.  The reality is that everybody has a “calling” and your job should be finding out what that “calling” is for your life.  In Stanford’s graduation ceremony this year, Nike founder Phil Knight said something very profound to the young, excited new grads:

You see, when you find what you were meant to do, what gets your blood going and keeps you up at night thinking excitedly about…you will succeed.  Money usually always follows passion because it doesn’t become “work” at that point and training yourself daily in your passion helps you be become “the expert”.  A key to finding a calling that can become a career is following these important 4 steps:

Step One – Identify Your Core Competencies and Strengths

What is it that you know about and are good at?  What is it that people are constantly complimenting you about? Make a list, if you need to organize your thoughts.  For some ideas, consider your ability to achieve, adapt, analyze, arrange, communicate, compete, connect with people, develop, empathize, focus, learn, etc…Knowing your strengths will help you to understand how to pathway your career.

 Step Two – Identify and List Your Interests and Passions

What is it that you love to do?  What really gets you excited about life?  What gets your blood boiling?  Make a list of the things that you do in your free time, when nobody is watching, and consider whether or not there may be something deeper to that desire.  Many times the things you love to do, correspond to the talents that you have, so look for connections between what your talented/strong at and how it corresponds to what you are passionate about.

Step Three – If Fear and Money Were Not A Factor What Would You Do?

Okay, here’s the tough part…taking fear out out of the equation.  How do you do that?  You need to face the fears and break them down in you mind.  What is the worst that can happen if you pursue your “calling”?  Is the consequence of inaction, better than the risk of trying?  I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Step Four – Take Action and Get Busy!

Just sitting and dreaming does not make things happen.  Take the first steps you need to move closer to your calling for 2015.  The good news is that you have the Internet and so many ways to explore and learn about new things.  Make this year the year you grow, learn and create!

If you love design, know that there is a home staging industry that would love to take that talent and help you do something GREAT with it!  At the Home Staging Resource, we are focused on giving you the tools, strategies, forms and training that allows you to never reinvent the wheel and focus on what you’re great at…staging and design.

I just got this email from Pramiti of BlueGrape Staging who has just been nominated for the RESA Rising Star Finalist of 2015:

Pramiti just took the plunge and followed her calling LESS than a year ago by becoming a home stager!  Don’t let another year go by to follow your calling.

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!
1-888-563-9271

Not all professional stagers are equal! Our HSR Certification training was the first and one of the only staging and redesign training programs that has been third-party, accredited by the Real Estate Staging Association, so invest in the best!

Ready to Become a Successful Home Stager and Redesigner?

3 Ways to Start a Bidding War Through Home Staging

3 Ways to Start a Bidding War Through Home Staging

2014 was a good year for the real estate and home staging industry!  On average, homes that were professionally staged by an HSR Certified Professional Home Stager made over 10% more than homes that were not staged*.  As we get ready to gear up for an even hotter Spring 2015 home selling market, I wrote down 3 ways to get a bidding war on a home for sale.  Within my tips for getting a bidding war, I feature an amazing home transformation that you will not believe!  This article is featured in the National Association of Realtors, Styled, Staged and Sold Blog which you can view by clicking on the link below:

Read my 3 Ways to Start a Bidding War Through Home Staging Article!

RESA Awards 2015

RESA Awards

I’m truly honored and excited to be nominated by RESA as the Most Innovative Product or Service of the year for our Staging Mentors program!  What makes this RESA Award nomination so special  and unique is that it’s not about me…

This nomination is for the many, wonderful, successful, veteran stagers in our industry who generously give their time and knowledge to new stagers in order to elevate the industry as a whole.

I truly believe in learning from those who have tread that path before you and networking with mentors in your field.  The many mentors who I have worked with through the Staging Mentors program have gone “above and beyond” with the insight and knowledge they provide to new stagers while walking them through their staging process.  I have a partial list below of the Staging Mentor I would like to thank but unfortunately cannot list them all since we have so many!

Here’s a recent email I received from a new stager who just got mentored from Sherry Castaldi (who is also nominated for Occupied Stager of Year through RESA!):

Hi Audra, I’d like to take this time to tell you that I had the most fantastic experience with Sherry Castaldi of Organized By Design.  I was able to meet with her on Thursday November 29th to shadow her on a Townhouse occupied  consultation.  Before we met with the homeowner, Sherry and I  were able to meet for coffee to go over her process and what to expect.  Sherry has a proven technique that is simplified, organized and effective.  It’s no wonder her clients refer her to so often.

I can not say enough how helpful this was to me as a new stager.  Sometimes as “newbies” we can feel a bit overwhelmed and alone out there.  Having the opportunity to have someone like Sherry guide me through, show me how to simplify things and more importantly show the value of what we do to the client was invaluable.  I am so glad that when I signed up for the HSR course that I decided to include the additional option to shadow a stager.  It was money well spent.  Thank you for Audra for offering this option to your students. – Susan Thompson, www.ready-set-stage.com

So…a huge THANK YOU to all the Mentors below who made this program possible…

Arizona

Phoenix and Surrounding Areas – Barbara Hutson and Joellyn Machnics

California

Los Angeles Luxury Home Staging – Michelle Minch

Roseville/Granite Bay/Sacramento – Lori Polk

Sacramento/Roseville – Ryan Dressel

San Diego Area – Yvonne Marquez

Florida

Tampa Bay Area – Veronica Ortiz

Georgia

Atlanta Area – Paige Earles

Illinois

Central Illinois/Peoria Area – Tracy Molendi

Chicago Area – Kathleen Sarrett

Chicago NW Suburbs Staging Mentors – Shelly Brucki and Tammy Shimp

Chicago Western Suburbs – Margaret Gehr & Kathy Lobkovich