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Greetings Friends, Family and Staging Fans,
The longer I am involved in this industry, Home Staging, the more I realize that it is defies definition. Even as a local spokesperson, I am now aware that you cannot just put staging in a box and say ,”This is what it is”, or “This is how it works”. It is much bigger than we all thought. I am constantly measuring and updating our MOD (method of operation) in Transformations Staging School by evaluating client and student response, as well as, engaging in communication with local and national leaders in the staging and real estate world. Two recent encounters have caused me to adjust my perceptions from just a month ago…
1. I had the privilege recently of speaking to the Watson Realty Corporation general sales meeting about R.E.Staging. Locally, Watson is the leader in virtually every category in the real estate community. Over 500 agents listened as I presented the benefits of staging.
The CEO of the company, Bill Watson, sat next to me during the lunch. What a down-to-earth genuine nice guy! After listening to the upbeat meeting and then getting stampeded with agents signing up for my seminar, I am convinced that Watson is interested in staying on the cutting edge of innovation in providing world-class customer service. They are welcoming the staging world with open arms. No wonder their sales volume is consistently over the top. I am encouraged that the more progressive companies are now embracing the importance of staging. This is good news!
2. My June class, a total blast, by the way, included three ASID designers. They were also involved in real estate at differing levels. A fourth student was an empty-nest Mom. My fifth student, a Transformations grad from a year ago, is an experienced stager who received her initial training from a popular redesign company. She was acting more like a consultant to help me improve on structure and order in the class. She has been a guest speaker at many of my meetings. We are a good team…Left Brain(her) vs. Right Brain(me); By-the-Book vs. Free Spirit. This assignment would have been a challenge to any organized teacher… Take a giddy group of over-enthusiastic decorator/stager wannabes into a client’s home and get them to follow the procedure. Ha!
This lovely, more contemporary home on the intracoastal waterway was already filled with great accessories and furniture…they were just not in the right place. Those ASID gals who were currently working in real estate, had been starving
for a design “fix”. After about 15 minutes in the house, it became obvious I had lost control. My “consultant” friend had made several attempts at explaining the “rules”. It was useless. The Transformation was in full-swing. It was almost like we had let a trio of wildcats out of a cage. I just decided to let them have fun.
The gracious homeowner loved the ensuing chaos. She, as a teacher of gifted students, understands the creative process:
”After assigning my students the lessons for the week, I give them the freedom to learn ‘outside the box’.”
After awhile, she opened a bottle of wine to celebrate a fabulous room and an exhilarating process. Much laughter and girlfriend bonding bubbled forth all afternoon, as the principles of good design were brought to life.
My notes on this day’s class… You can’t put a lid on the design process. Having fun releases that inner child-like creativity in all of us. Yes, you must have respect for a client’s belongings, but sometimes you should not be afraid to “color outside the lines”.
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The June 1-day staging seminar in Queens Harbour was once again sold-out. It was 90% Watson agents. The group was enthusiastic and anxious to learn ways to better serve their clients. The overflow will be plugged into the July 25th 1-day staging seminar. Call about special Watson pricing. There is still space. For anyone considering the certification class, the 1-day seminar is a good way to get a feel for our method of teaching. Anything you spend on the seminar will be deducted from the cost of the certification class. For more details, go to the class page on the website.
The seminar is normally $500. Now, it is half price or $250. We take Visa/MC. Agents are still being offered a special price of $125.
Call for details…904-945-0093
Testimonials:
“After attending the seminar I believe all of my doubts are gone about starting a new career in real estate staging. The wheels are in motion and I can’t wait to get rolling!”
Karen Gallisath
“Today’s class more than met my expectations. Was already excited about going forward but wanted to check it out to see if there was any doubt….There isn’t!”
Ellen Izard
“We thoroughly enjoyed the seminar. We enjoyed learning about color, furniture arranging and hitting the highlights of the staging and redesign industry. It was a great way to give an overview of what is involved in the classes.”
Sondra Fennel and Nancy Heiges
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Chicken Soup Encounter
Con’t.
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As I mentioned previously, My brother, John Morgan, and I were in Washington, D.C. in April at an event hosted by Mark Victor Hansen. He is the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He also authored, along with Robert Allen (of the No-Money-Down real estate empire), the “One-Minute Millionaire”. John Morgan, the George Bush Impressionist you may have seen on TV was hired to surprise the attendees with a Presidential performance. After the performance, MVH wrote a wonderful unsolicited endorsement calling John “The Next Best Thing”. He must have been prophetic because John has just been selected as one of the 10 finalists on the ABC show of the same name. There were originally 600 contestants to try out.The show is on Wednesday nights (except July 4th) at 8:00pm. He will be on again around the middle of July…the 18th, I believe.
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From My Heart, con’t.
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 Closing remarks on beauty. excellence and taking care of yourself…
Most of the students in the certification class go home exhilarated and start decorating their own homes before the class has even ended…often into the wee hours of the morning. Something magical has happened in them that I, as of yet, have not been able to define. A quote from Oprah in her ‘O’ at Home magazine comes pretty close… “As we begin to recognize ourselves for who we really are—thinkers, leaders with limitless potential to transform not only ourselves but also the world around us—chaos in the car, at home, or at the office becomes the exception and excellence becomes the rule. When we speak, we are the first to hear our words, to feel their impact. What we say and think manifests itself as the life we create one choice at a time. And when we fill our lives with things that uplift us, we become a product of that environment. We want to give the world our best, and we want the best in return. Maintaining a gorgeous home or apartment is about respecting the very important person who lives in it…YOU.”
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Till next time…
Sincerely,
Becky Harmon
Transformations
becky@beckyharmom.com |
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