Karen Otto, Home Stager, Plano, TX 469)964-0516 www.homestarstaging.com

One of my favorite resources in all of Collin County is the North Texas Small Business Development Center located at the Preston Park Campus of Collin College. I received this invitation this week due to my being out of town last Friday (originally it was scheduled for Weds. 1/28/09 but due to ice was postponed so now I can make it!).

They are hosting a

• Thrive, Not just Survive workshop for individuals and businesses on
• Wednesday, February 4th at
• 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

I registered today for the Business Track.

I've taken a bit of the email and pasted it below. This is a FREE Event but limited seating. For more information please visit: www.collinsbdc.com/Thrive

Even if you can't make this event please check out the SBDC website. They are a wonderful, FREE resource for all North Texas business owners - no matter how small!

Choose your track:

For Individuals

For Businesses

Space is limited for
this complimentary event.

Click here for more information on the speakers for this event.

Visit our Thrivival blog at www.thrivival.blogspot.com!

Lisa Hale, Director, Plano East Senior High School Theatre has been recognized by the Texas Educational Theatre Association as the State High School Theatre Teacher of the Year 2009. This year the TETA Convention was held in Houston,Texas January 22 - 25, 2009.

Ms. Hale's commitment to her students, colleagues and the fine arts program at Plano East has always been unparalleled. Her dedication and love for the arts is apparent in her teaching style, her students and the quality of productions the theatre department consistently puts on. Recognized by the state has now brought her 25 years of teaching excellence to the forefront. An honor truly deserved!

Approximately 100 students from around the state of Texaswere invited to attend the 2009 TETA Convention "TheatreFest" and audition.

Three seniors from the Plano East Theatre Major Studies program were chosen to participate at this year's convention. Lindsey Kite, Jeffrey Moffitt and Karsten Otto. Each student had the opportunity to audition for colleges around the country and be invited for a chance at scholarships at participating schools.

Plano East senior Lindsey Kite was selected as the TETA Founder's Award 2009 recipient, a prestigious title which carried with it a $2,000 scholarship towards the school of her choice.

As a Founder's member Lindsey also had the honor of attending a closed workshop with none other than Jason Alexander, best known for his role as "George Costanza" from the hit comedy, Seinfeld.

Angela Lansbury, famed actress of stage and screen, and Jason Alexander were the convention's keynote speakers.

Along with theatre and technical workshops ranging from; stage combat, African dance, monologue, lighting, costumes to make-up techniques, TETA provided a variety of choices for the young actor and theatre teacher alike to sharpen their skills and hone their craft bringing back with them new ideas and information to their respective fine arts programs. It was a remarkable experience for all who attended.

The highlight of the event, at least for those representing Plano East Senior High, was the recognition of some of Plano East's own. Congratulations Plano East!

As a Professional Home Stager who consults with many home sellers, I've been continually reminded that it's important to keep your house's mouth shut.

"Houses can't talk!" you say.

Oh yes they can.

And you'd be surprised just how much they're revealing about you to potential buyers.

Top 5 Secrets to keep from buyers

1. How much money you make and what bills you owe
   • Notoriously found in home offices on desks or kitchen counters when you run out in a hurry for a showing or just take for granted no one is snooping.
2. The state of your physical health
   • Any medical equipment you have in your home may reveal a number of ailments or the thought of them to prospective buyers
3. The state of your emotional well being
   • Self help books, videos, DVDs, CDs from divorce recovery, grief, addiction, depression (or even what movies you enjoy of the horror or adult nature) are common things found in many homes on shelves, racks and side tables. These give away a lot of information most would rather keep to themselves
4. The prescriptions that you take and what ails you
   • With the advent of TV commercials and magazine ads touting the benefits of medications for a variety of conditions from male "ED", depression and high blood pressure to name just a few, most people readily know what medication treats what ailment. I say, "Viva the sale of your property not Viagra"
5. A new home you purchased or want to purchase
   • Photos and brochures of the new place or information on it or the development you'd like to move to should be out of sight while showing

Can you see how these things can pose a variety of potential problems when it comes time to negotiate the sale?

Think of it as a game of poker and you want to make sure you've got your hand covered. Buyers can and will use these things against you when it comes time to negotiate.

Keep your poker face and make sure the house is on your side too.

Proudly helping keep the house quiet for Home Sellers, Realtors and Investors in the competitive Texas real estate market, Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

Service areas include Collin County & North Dallas County

Copyright 2009 Karen Otto, Home Star Staging

Are you selling a home in North Texas in 2009 or thinking about it?

Are you a North Texas Real Estate Professional who wants to learn more about helping your sellers achieve maximum results?

Are you a Real Estate Investor who wants to know how to stage your investment properties?

Then North Texas Home Sellers, Realtors & Investors (or anyone interested in learning more about home staging) it's not too late to enroll in the fun and informative Home Staging CE Course offered by Collin College from February 2nd through February 11th, 2009.

Offered Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM this course is:

Designed for the home owner or the professional real estate agent to prepare a home for resale. Learn the benefits of home staging and how staging a property for resale can help you achieve a faster sales time and top dollar.

This course is taught by Karen Otto,a North Texas Home Staging Professional and owner of Home Star Staging, a real estate staging and consulting company located in Plano, TX. Karen is an expert in the field of home staging and is passionate about educating others about the benefits and value that staging a home can bring to the home selling table.

Karen's Home Staging Course offers;

• her expertise in the field of home staging
• helpful tips
• easy to understand information for you to apply
• real life situations and before & after results
• practical affordable advice for preparing a home for sale

Get a head start on the competition!

Proudly educating Home Sellers, Realtors and Investors on the benefits of Home Staging for selling a home in the competive real estate market, Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!

Today I did my thrift store roundup to shop for some inventory for my home staging prop library and hit my local Salvation Army, Goodwill and Habitat ReStore. Some great deals were to be found!

At my Habitat ReStore stop in South Collin County I found a great deal on new plastic storage bins for what else, storing inventory! Problem was, they were in a tight space and stacked about 4 feet high and I only needed 6.

As I was thinking about how to get them one of the staff was walking towards me, a young woman, and I started to tell her the situation - "I'd like 6 of these but I can't get them easily."

As I was speaking with her in the hallway, out of the room I had just been in pops a young man with a mohawk and some piercings. I didn't even see him while I was in the little room with the bins but I did hear someone doing something with metal around the shelving units.

He immediately offered to help get them. And I of course said, "great!".

I continued to shop for a little while. When he had gotten them he came and found me to tell me that they were up by the register and did I need anything else? Before he had come back though, the manager had said they'd just gotten the bins in and they were a great deal (yup $3 for bins worth at least $6) and he got me thinking that I better get more or they'll be gone when I need them. So, "yes, I said to mohawk man, would you mind getting me six more?"

"No problem!" he said and quickly went back to the little room.

When I was finished shopping all 12 bins were already at the register. As I was paying, I see mohawk man standing near the bins - I thanked him again and with that he said, "I'm going to help you carry them to your car."

"Great!"

As we walked outside I asked if he was an employee or a volunteer as most who work there do so on a voluntary basis. He said, "volunteer."

I commended him and told him it was great that he was doing that and how much I appreciated his help. He said, "most people are surprised that I volunteer."

I said, "why's that?"

"Well, you know... the hair...the mohawk..."

I proceeded to tell him that my own son, who often has a head full of uncut and untamed hair was told once by a staff member at his school who did not know him but saw him carrying his viola that, "you don't look like you play in the orchestra" and she was wrong.

Not only does he play the viola but also the bass guitar. He's an award winning high school actor and in the top 10% of his class not to mention a fine young man. So don't be fooled by outward appearances.

We laughed said goodbye and I thanked him again.

Real men do have mohawks.

Check this out for more real people - please give the video the whole chance it needs to tell the story - a real estate professional was a key : I am Second.