Stager of the Week - Feature This...

I’m all about cross-promotion! As a result, I have a new cross-promotion project called "Stager of the Week." Each week, I'll showcase a Professional Stager so that you can "meet" them. Stagers are an excellent way to not only help a property look its absolute best, but to get that property sold as quickly and for the highest price possible.

This week's featured Professional Stager is Michelle Molinari of Feature This…Interior Decor and Virtual Staging in Abbeville, Louisiana. Here’s my interview with Michelle:

How did you initially get into staging?
I grew up in the Design field. My mother graduated from The Interior Design Guild in California when I was very young. My earliest memories are literally of being in an upholstery shop, stroking fabric samples. I was painting custom artwork for her clientele at the age of 14. I started to work with her as a young adult, and now, we are partners in our staging business, Feature This... Interior Decor and Virtual Staging.

What is your most effective marketing strategy to get realtors or sellers to use your services?
We just show them our portfolio. Seeing is believing - that's what staging is all about and we have a stunning portfolio if I do say so myself. And, we are priced affordably. We believe staging benefits everyone, but especially those who have the most to lose. We like the tough assignments, when the house is seriously in need of a better public image.

What is one fun thing about yourself that most people don't know??
I love to karaoke.

Are you involved in any social media marketing other than Active Rain (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, RealTown, etc.)? If so, how do we connect with you?
I wish I had more time to get into some of the other social medias, but we tend to stay pretty busy. We do blog on www.energizedseller.com. It's a great resource for the motivated homeowner who really needs to get informed and ask questions about today's real estate practices.

What is your favorite computer application?
Right now I am madly in love with WEBEX. We have several team members over a large area, I love having conducting meetings with them with my cat on my lap.

What is your favorite food?
Hands down, Cozy Shack's Rice Pudding! Second runner-up - Thai Food!

What one piece of advice would you give someone who is hesitant to utilize the services of a professional stager?
If your time is a valuable commodity, hiring a stager is the only way to go. Our sourcing abilities are our greatest asset. We not only know what to do with a budget, but how to get it done.

If you could be a made up super hero, what would you be called and what would your super powers be?
Well, we were actually talking about that this week, beleive it or not. Ok, not in the superhero capacity exactly, but we do call my mother and partner, Carol, the Fairy Godmother of Decor. She's just a get-it-done type of person, and it amazes me how quickly she can affect change. It's like, you walk out of a room, and when you come back in, she's done something miraculous to it!

What one piece of advice would you give someone who wants to become a professional stager?
Don't go it alone! Marketing, , consulting, designing, sourcing, execution, and de-staging all take VAST amounts of time and resources, just to stage even one listing. Having committed and talented partners is the only way to stage for a living and "have a life" at the same time.

Thanks for taking some time to get to know Michelle Molinari. Now, go learn more about Michelle and the entire team at Feature This…Interior Decor and Virtual Staging!

Michelle Molinari
Feature This…Interior Decor and Virtual Staging
Company Website
E-mail Me

 

Want to be an upcoming featured Stager of the Week? Just e-mail me! Use a Stager! What are you waiting for?

~Renae - Market 4 Real!_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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