Staging Diva Dispatch Oct 2014

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Issue 95: October 2014

To Set the Stage

Backstage with Debra

Is a Staged Home Realistic?

My Cat Blew My Real Estate Deal

How Would You Paint These?

Success Spotlight
Naomi Pena

Let's Talk About Staging
Oct 6 and Oct 16

Did You Get Your Gift?

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To Set the Stage

"The goal in life is not to attain some imaginary ideal; it is to find and fully use our own gifts." - Gay Hendricks

Backstage with Debra

With my 55th birthday just around the corner, I decided it was time for some new head shots.

The photo shoot was fun, despite spending days and sleepless nights worrying about it. What to wear? How to hide my newest wrinkles? Will I have a good hair day?

Working with a professional is nothing like having friends and family point a camera at you. For example, did you know your face looks slimmer if you push your head forward in the shot? The photographer called it "leading with your temples."

Have you had professional head shots taken?

This month, I write about whether home staging is realistic (or if it's even meant to be), how my cat blew my own real estate deal (and how to save your clients from the same fate), and explore whether to paint a stairway.

You'll meet a stager who discovered how to take her natural talent and turn it into a business that has her looking forward to each new day.

Please join me for one of my live events this month. No travel necessary. I'm hosting two different conference calls and offering recordings of them for anyone who is pre-registered.

To your success,

Debra

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Voice of Possibility™ Group Inc.

P.S. Are you interested in the latest color and redesign job I posted on my blog?

Is a Staged Home Realistic?

One of the things that inspired me greatly when I started my own home staging business was a Forbes Magazine article that referred to home stagers as the "dream weavers of real estate."

I was so passionate about real estate, having flipped 4 houses in quick succession, but I had no desire to be a real estate agent. Home staging was the perfect solution, since I was also passionate about color and decorating.

This raises the question, if we're "weaving dreams," does this mean that home staging isn't realistic?

>Read my thoughts and share your comments too.

Design ideas for every room and curb appeal too

In the Staging Diva Ultimate Design Guide for Home Stagers, I've gone room by room with home staging tips, tricks and floor plans. You'll see great photos and learn how I approach all my home staging projects.

> Learn more about using the Ultimate Design Guide to boost your home staging confidence in any situation.

My Cat Blew My Real Estate Deal

Even before I'd heard the phrase home staging, I repeatedly bought the ugliest house I could find, in the best neighborhood I could afford. I would get busy decorating my house to sell (always on a tight budget because I was a single mom). Then I would move onto my next project.

What I didn't count on the first time I sold a house with a pet, was how badly they can sabotage a house showing.

I had obsessed over every detail in every room. Furniture was carefully placed, accessories carefully chosen, and clutter eliminated. How could a buyer not fall in love with this house?

I took my 4-year-old out for the afternoon and left the lights on for the real estate agent.

I didn't worry about our cat because she wasn't even home. At the time we were living in a rural setting and she would disappear for many hours in the woods.

> Read more about how my cat blew my real estate deal and other things you should know about staging a home with pets.

How Would You Paint These Stairs?

Paint is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to turn ugliness into beauty. Even when you're only considering a flight of stairs down to the basement.

The steps don't have to be the same color as the "risers" (the vertical surface). Really anything goes.

A puzzled home stager sent me this photo for ideas on colors and what finish to use. How about semi-gloss, she wondered.

> Read my specific color and sheen recommendations and see if you agree.

Success Spotlight

Congratulations to Staging Diva Graduate Naomi Pena of Stage with Style (Toronto) on using her natural decorating talent to create a business she loves.

She wrote in and asked me to share her story with you:

"Becoming a home stager is my dream job, after years of decorating my home and helping friends. Hearing so many times 'you are so talented you should do this for a living', I decided they were right.

The Staging Diva program taught me so much about the business of home staging. I already knew decorating and that I had the talent, but I had very little knowledge on how to start and run a home staging business. Debra's program gave me step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Staging Diva is practical, easy to follow and fun. I love how Debra shares her experiences so we don't make the same mistakes.

Being a home stager gives me an outlet for my creativity. Being able to use my talents to help homeowners is a wonderful feeling. I am so happy I took the leap. I look forward to everyday with enthusiasm.

I had a call this week from a lady who wanted home staging information. When I asked how she got my name she said her real estate agent told her to stage her home, and to look for a stager in the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers."

> Are you ready to take a leap into your dream job like Naomi did? Learn how.

> Do potential clients have an easy way to find your business? If you're not listed in our Directory of Home Stagers, what are you waiting for?

Let's Talk Home Staging - Oct 6 and Oct 16

Oct 6 (8 PM Eastern)
5 Simple Secrets to a Home Staging Business: How to Make Money Doing What You Love
(Free Live Teleseminar + Recording)

During this 90 minute mini-course you'll learn how to avoid the 5 traps that most home stagers fall into.

> Sign up here FREE if you've never taken Staging Diva courses (otherwise you already know these 5 secrets!)

Oct 16 (7pm Eastern)
Staging Diva Dialog Coaching Call
For beginner and established home stagers. You don't need to be our student.

Ask me questions and get semi-private coaching in a small group for only $47. This is an interactive session where you can participate as much as you like.

> Join us this month + get the recording too

You're guaranteed to make $500 when you implement the ideas from a single session.

Debra Gould has been a serial entrepreneur since 1989. She is president of Voice of Possibility Group Inc. with a mission of helping entrepreneurs create their ideal businesses and lifestyles.

An internationally recognized home staging expert, Debra created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 8,000 students in the U.S., Canada and 20 other countries. She is the author of 5 guides, offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help home sellers and agents locate stagers in their area and is frequently profiled in the media.

Direct inquiries to: info@stagingdiva.com

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