DesAnn Collins

By DesAnn Collins~Design By DesAnn & ODDAA Master Professional

There is definitely a connection to being "positive" and homes that sell quickly! Not only does your home need to evoke "positive" feelings but it really improves our "sale-ability" when the SELLER is positive too!

It breaks my heart when the seller isn't committing to the hard work, YES hard work, that it takes to achieve our desired achievement of SELLING under 50 days! Sometimes homes sell in under ONE WEEK. These successful seller's made sacrifices and worked hard....and it paid off$$. Many of my clients feel that the Staging of their home BEFORE it was marketed to sell was one of the main reasons for their success.

You too can do it! THINK POSITIVE!

First understand the magic of a "list". It can be overwhelming to try and remember all the "details" that need to be done. You will also experience the POSITIVE feeling that you will have as you valiantly cross-off your items. One at a time! How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time!

Okay, let's start outside. Does it look warm and inviting? Tidy? Is it crisp & fresh? Make your detailed list of what should be done. NO cheating...DETAILED list.

Is your main door inviting? Add a simple splash of color to your door to greet a perspective buyer from their car. 86% of buyers today go "Home" Shopping 1^st. on the internet and 2^nd. They will do a "drive-by".

Homes that "show" well on the internet will attract the most perspective buyers for that location and price range.

In the word's of Paula Henry of Simply Put Interiors..."Do you have them at HELLO?" Open up your front door and take a picture. Digital cameras are wonderful for this exercise. What do you see? Is it open and bright? Can you see any open space along your walls? If you can not see any open wall-space you need to remove items. Remember what you are selling........the actual physical building itself. Is your family room so full the fireplace gets lost? Not sure...take a picture and really LOOK at it....like a buyer would.

Could a buyer who is not handy move right in? What if they like Traditional furnishings? Contemporary/Organic? Make it as simple to move in as possible. I often I hear "easy fix..let the buyer do it". What if it isn't "easy" for most of today's buyers?

Go room by room and take pictures followed up with a DETAILED list for each room. Commit to at least 2 hours a day of packing and/or Staging.

YES start packing. If you have made your home, inviting, clean, bright, odor-free, spacious and it represents a POSITIVE lifestyle....you could be moving in 30 days! Please store off premises. Nothing screams "We have NO space here" quite like a storage container parked out front of a home on the market.

There is definite power in "positive" thinking and discipline. I believe that a perspective buyer can "feel" the energy in a home. Could it be possible that for many of the homes that sit and languish on the market , are sending out the message of "Desperation" or "This home has problems"?

BE POSITIVE! Staging WORKS!

Call a professional certified Stager to help you. We really are quite reasonable folks and our past clients say it was the best investment they could have made in preparing their home for the market!

One-Day Decorating, CHF Academy & Certified Home Staging Academy Certifications

CHSA

What It's Not
This is not your basic, "clean off the counters and empty the closets" staging class. This fun and exciting three-day workshop blends classroom learning and hands-on experience to help you:Assess client personalities to best present your message
Leverage the Psychology of Color and Art when staging a home
Learn our proprietary Action Scoring System
Take advantage of tools that no other staging class provides. Gain instant confidence when dealing with realtors and homeowners.

Come One, Come All
Our classes are designed to fit a variety of learning styles - part textbook, part discussion, part real-life, hands-on experience (did we leave anyone out?).
You'll receive a comprehensive manual, and a classroom workbook that accompanies our Power Point Presentation.


Taking It To The Streets

You'll get double your money's worth as you apply what you learn in real homes - each offering a different staging challenge in real homes for real people. Some will be fabulous and some will be much less than fabulous...that's the "real" in "real world."


Minding Your Business
We won't just teach you staging, we'll get you up to speed on developing business skills such as:

How to begin
Basic business principles
Public relations
Marketing
Advertising
Additional ways to add to your income

Our training course includes:

Lunch, & snacks each day
Comprehensive training manuals with workbooks
Template for the Action
Scoring system and other forms
Free one-year listing on http://www.oddaa.com/
Free one-year membership in RESA
Hands-on experience in homes
Certificate on completion
On-going mentoring and support
Weekly Newsletter The ODD-Mopolitan

Class dates 2009

July 28, 29 & 30th
September 21, 22 & 23rd
November 9, 10 & 11th
December 2, 3 & 4th

Classes are 8am to 5:30pm (may be longer on Field Day)

Classes held at
Westlake Ohio Holiday Inn
1100 Crocker Rd.
Westlake, Ohio 44145


For those of you needing a room please call
440-871-6000 mention this class for a discounted room.


Those of you flying in please let us know at 440-324-1957 so a shuttle service from the Holiday Inn can be provided if you are staying there, for transport from and to Cleveland Hopkins airport.

Class Agenda

Day one-Staging Professional
Learn how to implement the ODD proprietary scoring system, ACTION©, a numerical evaluation to establish the preparedness of a house for sale. This unique scoring system will have you talking confidently about the staging process with both sellers and Realtors as it gives you an edge that is not just based on your subjective opinion. Learn the "Secrets that SELL"

Day two, Field trip -
Each aspect of the class will provide you the pleasure of learning in real homes to hone your skills and showcase your talents. This will also launch your portfolio to share with your future clients. You may also be part of a shopping experience if a client provides a budget. Not only is shopping fun, but you will learn how to make it lucrative. Then it is time for the "Bus Driver, Move that Bus" moment when the homeowner returns to see the result of your hard work. Be prepared for jumping up and down and sometimes, even tears of joy.


Day three, Business of Business-
Wrap up your learning with the ODD Business in a Box, which will provide you with a guide to launching and marketing your business. Continue your learning with the BONUS follow-up webinars, which will review what you learned and focus on advanced business and marketing skills. Be prepared for an exciting, exhausting, and empowering experience.

What You WILL Learn~

Staging
ACTION^TM System -The ODD Numerical Scoring System
The What, How, and Why of Staging
Staging with a Decorator's Eye
Ten Steps to a Perfect Staging
Selling Point versus Focal Point
Selling Wall, Floors, Windows, and Doors
Perception versus Reality
Color and Staging
Client, Realtor, and FSBO Relationships
Writing Staging Proposals
Contracts and Pricing
Benefits of Realtor and Zillow.com
Business and Marketing
Business Start-up Guide- licenses, tax id, insurance
Naming your Business
Identifying your Target market
Pricing your Services
Fitting your Business to your Lifestyle
Additional Revenue Streams

Meet your Trainer



DesAnn Collins of Design By DesAnn, Certified Home Staging Academy & One Day Decorating of Ohio

CHSA

DesAnn Collins, owner, has been featured in international decorating DVD's, national webinars, The Decorating Voice, Cleveland Magazine, The Plain Dealer, 2008 & 2009 Home & Garden show, WKYC, FOX8, "That's Life" with Robin Swoboda, SUN NEWS, The Chronicle Telegram, The POST and a speaker for The Society of Decorating Professionals annual conventions. Real Estate Staging Association,RESA ,Professional of the year 2009 finalist. RESA-RVP and a Certified One-Day Decorating Home Staging TrainerPlease contact us for class availability or any questions at 440-324-1957, you may also email us at info@DesignByDesAnn.com

ATTENTION:
Call 440-324-1957 for availability--max 12 students per class, your balance will be due one week before your class begins. A reminder email will be sent to you using the email on your account at DesignByDesAnn.com
A deposit of $500.00 must be made to secure your class reservation and the balance of ALL classes due ONE WEEK prior to class dates.

Make checks payabe to: Design By DesAnn LLC, if paying balance by check it MUST be received by us TWO weeks before class. Mail to: 2001 Ford Rd., Elyria, Ohio 44035

Cancellation policy:cancellation must be made TWO WEEKS before class date for a full refund of deposit.

Thank you for selecting The Certified Home Staging Academy & One-Day Decorating of Ohio, we promise you have made a good choice.


Mission

I have gathered all that I have learned, from a successful "family" owned business and my equally successful Decorating/Staging business, and married that knowledge with my desire to motivate others to found The Certified Home Staging Academy in the hope to further the success of the Staging Industry and those who pursue their passion for it.~~DesAnn Collins

WOW, what a phone call! Staging homes as a profession is such a great and fullfilling life. Mike from Ohio just called me, "I'm so excited I had to call......we just sold the house....I know you told me to be prepared for a quick sale but WOW".
You see this really isn't magic. It is "Planning the work AND working the plan".

• Be the Top of Mind House(TOMA in marketing, TMH in Real Estate)
• Best looking house, PRODUCT, in your location and price range
• Have them at "HELLO"
• Neutral in color and Style
• CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN
• Space, Space, Space

Before After

The Staging industry is a viable business because IT WORKS!

The seller had taken the closet doors off and replaced them with matching curtains. I had the doors put back on and used the curtains as a Headboard.

Staging your home in this economy is a must. We, Design By DesAnn of Ohio, have Staged and SOLD 10 homes in less then one week in the last 6 months.
If you are looking to sell please find a professional Stager. The seller also needs to be committed to make changes. Yes it is a lot of work but IT WORKS.
There were a few of these homes that only had made a $250.00 investment with us. Some invested 1%-3% of the sales price. Staging is affordable.

Let us help you sell!

My best,

DesAnn

www.DesignByDesAnn.com

I wanted to say thanks for my amazing life. The SDP, Society of Decorating Professionals, has helped me on my journey. For those of you considering a career as an Interior Decorator or a Home Staging specialist, I wanted to share with you the bounty of greatness that may occur.

I have been literally "showered" with abundance. My hubby and I were discussing how fantastically "lucky" I am. You need to understand that the "luck" has come from hard work, dedication, passion & education.

You see, in the past few months, I have hardly had a day off. I have been privileged to be a part of my client's lives. I have helped to "Stage To Sell" and have done several "Decorating" projects.
I came home Saturday and announced to my hubby, "I am THE luckiest person on Earth". I do not know very many people who get to:

DO WHAT THEY LOVE
BE PAID, (handsomely)
BE HUGGED
BE A PART OF THE FAMILY
BE FED, (fabulous lunches-proudly served & prepared)
BE THANKED

Now of course my hubby is paid well for what he does but how many of us are treated like Royalty and are paid?

JoAnne Lenart-Weary is my Mentor & Teacher. She taught us that if we did our "job" right we would become more then just another "Service" provider. We become a part of their family.

The SDP's first conference in Erie had Stan Hustad as a speaker. Stan told us that if we as Decorators/Business owners could:

SAVE people money
SAVE people time
MAKE them HAPPY

The people would commit an un-natural act of handing us money & hugging us at the same time!

Well Stan was right. WOW how Blessed & joyful is that??

My commitment to be a member of The SDP since April of 2006 has not only provided me with the education that I needed but they also provided me the opportunity to learn just how AMAZING of a business I could actually become.

Today I feel amazingly BLESSED.

I hope that you too will be "SHOWERED" with greatness.

DesAnn Collins
Design By DesAnn of Ohio
http://www.designbydesann.com/

I had the most wonderful experience in Pontiac Michigan. Myself and many others were truly in the Christmas Spirit on Monday December the 8th.
We helped Terry Grahl, fellow SDP member, bring her vision of a homeless women's shelter makeover to fruition. Words really can not describe the rich reward we received from giving of our time & talent to others. The generosity of others was overwhelming. Comfort Inn & Suites even donated a room for me. My sister and I enjoyed our little trip from Ohio, little did we realize how much the trip would mean to us. I know the women felt that they had been given a "GIFT", but really it was us.
Terry's dream of enchantment came to life before our eyes.
It was amazing to see so many donations from people all across our country assembled in one room waiting to be dispersed through-out the building. Hundreds and hundreds of items. New Robes to large items of furniture. AMAZING!
Terry's army of volunteers never complained and worked like elves to help the "MAGIC" happen.
Before I left on the trip some friends and family were concerned for our safety. I can honestly say that non of us ever felt more SAFE.
Many of the shelters male inhabitants helped us make the magic happen. I'm certain that some of them hadn't felt how truly they were needed and respected in a long time. Watching Scott weave his many talents of "Jack of All Trades" was inspiring to me. I don't know what we would have done without him.
The shelter laid out a fantastic & delicious lunch for us. Many of the men brought us hot meals to our tables and insisted on giving Terry & her "Elves" a standing ovation.
One of the women was awe-struck over the transformation of the rooms and cried on my shoulder for helping. She was distraught over the idea of not being able to repay me for my long drive from Ohio.I told her that all I want her to do is to realize that there are folks out there who really do care about them and the way she could repay us was to realize her dreams. This shelter is beautiful but is only a stepping stone towards her living her dreams. Mere words can not explain the joyous feeling that permeated that building.
On my journey I was also privileged to meet so many great people from all levels of our society working together towards a common goal.
I know that I and my sister will definitely be there again for Terry and her "Enchanted Cottage" makeover next year.
Christmas is about giving to others and instead of us giving to them...they had actually given to me.
Thank you Terry!
May all of you have a joyous and magical Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas,
DesAnn Collins
Design By DesAnn of Ohio
http://www.designbydesann.com/