Kathleen Garvey - Stager Idol - Florida Home Staging in Naples Ft. Myers

After reading a few different blogs about ‘specialization’ in your market, I am wondering if this business model is still considered a good choice in today’s economy. When consumers have less money to spend, why would they choose to hire three different people instead of one person who can handle all the details?

Businesses are struggling to explore new ways to earn income. I believe in the 'perfect world' that specialization is KEY to being successful as a stand-out in your particular field. Yet, when dollars are being carefully weighed and doled out with measured moderation, I wonder if the quality of services provided is strengthened or weakened when one person provides too many 'specialized services'.

Ahhh....therein lies the rub.

For my taste, with many details to manage in daily work and life, I prefer to work with business services which can deliver top-notch results. The question is whether to rely on the Jack of All Trades or the Master of One. In the end, QUALITY of work DOES MATTER.

What do you think? Who is more successful today: A business-person who specializes in multiple services or the business-person who simply provides the best quality with mastering one service?

Warmest Regards,

Each year, new trendy colors are introduced to us and often influence our choices. Sherwin Williams presents an exciting fanfare with their annual color trend release. I enjoy checking it out and want to share the trends with you!

Though I may tend toward Benjamin Moore as my usual selection for a premium brand of paint, I can certainly appreciate the array of new 2010 top color picks from Sherwin Williams.

One important fact about color is that it has the power to influence our emotional well-being. When we are looking for peace and calm in our lives, overly bright colors will often produce the opposite effect of 'serenity'. Softer colors will provide a gentle quietness more so than an electric lime-green choice. Does that make sense to you?

This year’s trends appear to guide us toward the softer edges of color. These colors offer solace within the chaos of the nation's current challenges....affecting every one of us. Take a look and observe the difference in how you feel when viewing these choices. Remember, surrounding colors strongly influence our moods and can make an impression in varied unconscious and subtle manners.

Simplified, Refreshed, Treasured and Rooted are the themes of the SW 2010 color trends.

Our world has been rudely awakened to an unconscious 'throw-away mentality'. The awareness has been heightened and now focused on appreciating that which is old, worn and still usable. Instead of replacing, use paint as an artful way to update items. Choose colors which breathe new life onto a white wall or even a worn bookshelf...

If your life is as stressed and crazy as mine seems to be of late, I hope that my info on Sherwin Williams 2010 paint color trends offers you some creative ideas for your own personal space...including how color can influence and support your needs. Click on the above highlighted link to view the rest of the 2010 color trends!

Choose color as a way to celebrate a refreshed outlook within your life. Paint your space with thoughtful and well-chosen colors. And make no excuses for enjoying tender color….because your need for balanced serenity is too important.

Simplification is the IN choice for 2010.

Warmest Regards,

KATHLEEN GARVEY, National Award Winner of Stager Idol 2008.

State President of RESA-Florida

2009 RESA State President of the Year

ENHANCED INTERIORS & HOME STAGING is located in the Fort Myers - Naples, Florida area. Serving real estate staging needs in the following cities: Naples. Bonita Springs, Estero, Sanibel Island, Ft. Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral and Punta Gorda, FL. (239) 849-6009

Please visit my website: ENHANCED INTERIORS

If you have been keeping up on the trend to HOME STAGE as a way to better market real estate properties, you may have wondered if home staging still makes sense in 2009.

Questions you ask may include:

• What if my house for sale is empty? Should I have it professionally staged?
• What can I do to create more appeal to buyers? Does staging make a difference?
• Is there another idea to help a listing sell quicker other than dropping the price? How else can I impact more buyers?

One of the newer trends in the real world of staging homes is focused on Staging the IMPACT ROOMS.

What this means is that the main living spaces are the showcased areas.

Because the economy is on everyone’s mind, I am often asked about the best way to spend wisely and incorporate the important elements of home staging. (All areas of the house do not need to be staged/furnished.)

In order to create an effective ‘Wow’ factor for buyers who view your home, staging the impact rooms of an empty house is key. Ask Realtors what they think about the difference in showing potential buyers empty houses versus those which are tastefully staged. Which ones create more traffic for the homeseller? Certainly not the empty house.

Impact staging usually includes the initial room a buyer may see as they cross the threshold into the home. Perhaps they first walk into a Living Room space and/or sometimes, a Dining Room. Whichever room is the first one you see, remember that creating a positive initial impression is all important.

By staging simply with a seating group, artwork, lighting and a few decorative items, the space is further defined to a buyer. It feels like a home. Empty rooms feel...well, empty!

The Family room and Kitchen are also two main areas where buyers want to feel ‘connected’ to when they walk through the rooms. One of the goals in staging a vacant home is to add interest and warmth to rooms which otherwise might feel rather lackluster and cold. A professional stager is knowledgeable about where to add proper furnishing placement and where to enhance with decorative touches.

Home Staging is all about creating a more appealing atmosphere so the buyers can picture themselves living in the home.

For example: Which Master Bedroom would you rather BUY (sleep in)?

(Hint: All three photos are the same room in a $700K listing!)

Whenever economically possible, I try to also include the Master Bedroom in the home staging budget. The way I see it, the buyers who are agreeing to purchase the home will be sleeping in this personal space so I want them to connect to the bedroom too!

It doesn’t have to be fully decked-out and designed….yet, the impact of beautiful linens, headboard and end tables with lighting works well together and often seals the deal! Adding few staged items in the Master Bath offers the finishing touches to the Master Suite.

The professional Real Estate Stager will know how much of a balance your IMPACT rooms will need. Real estate staging makes a difference in the buyer’s experience when viewing your home….and the difference in buyers choosing your property versus the other empty house down the street. This is the REAL DEAL in Home Staging trends for 2009 my friends!

Warmest Regards,

KATHLEEN GARVEY, National Award Winner of Stager Idol 2008.

State President of RESA-Florida

ENHANCED INTERIORS & HOME STAGING is located in the Fort Myers - Naples, Florida area. Serving real estate staging needs in the following cities: Naples. Bonita Springs, Estero, Sanibel Island, Ft. Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral and Punta Gorda, FL. (239) 849-6009

Please visit my website: ENHANCED INTERIORS

Let’s face it, our parents always told us growing up that it doesn’t matter how we look on the outside, what matters most is whats on the inside. While this adage may be standard guidance for one’s overall character, the reality in our daily living is quite different.

Whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not, LOOKS MATTER. They matter to each of us every day and in more ways than we realize. Perhaps it is the quality of nicely packaged merchandise or the way food is arranged on our plate, most everyone tends to be attracted (or not) to visual presentation.

Notice that the word present is in the word presentation. We all love presents don’t we? So…think about why your excitement begins to rev up if you are celebrating an event and eyeing the gift with your name on it.

• Does the exterior wrapping appeal to you?

• Are you excited about opening the present to see what it contains?

• When you un-wrap the package and discover what’s inside, what do you see? Do you feel even more excited and lean to take a closer look?
  

Now imagine the same scenario if you are trying to sell a house in today’s real estate market. What does your property’s looks say to potential buyers when they are shopping and first view your listing online? Ask yourself these questions:

• Will your packaging attract a buyer’s attention OR is the packaging dull, dented and lack-luster?

• Do your online property photos create excitement so that buyers want to see more OR are you simply showing an empty brick and mortar box?

• Will your property presentation capture enough attention from buyers to keep your house in the running for offers?

If buyers have a choice between your house and real estate around the corner, make sure your house shines brighter than the competition. Real Estate Staging creates the necessary appeal which will attract waaaaay more potential buyers than if you did nothing at all.

Go ahead and test it out. Click on Realtor.com (a site where 90% of today's buying public searches for property listings) and see for yourself. How many of those listing photos make you want to run out for a closer look-see??

Selling most anything starts with the present-ation, yes? Hire the best home staging professional in your area and make sure your house-for-sale is properly dressed in order to turn buyers' heads and grab their attention. Doing so will give you the leg-up on the competition and attract more buyers.

Old adages are important to consider. Yet...sometimes, REALITY will trump ideals.

When selling your real estate, LOOKS MATTER.

Warmest Regards,

KATHLEEN GARVEY, National Award Winner of Stager Idol 2008.

State President of RESA-Florida

ENHANCED INTERIORS & HOME STAGING is located in the Fort Myers - Naples, Florida area. Serving real estate staging needs in the following cities: Naples. Bonita Springs, Estero, Sanibel Island, Ft. Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral and Punta Gorda, FL. (239) 849-6009

Please visit my website: ENHANCED INTERIORS

Earlier this month, professional Home Stagers from the Gulf Coast of Florida met in Tampa to discuss hot topics in the real estate staging industry.

This was the premier meeting of its kind in Florida and I invited professional home stagers in our area to join together for this event. During this time of economic uncertainty for everyone, I know that Florida home stagers must rise above the stress of the real estate business and make the effort to have their voices heard. Additionally, Akanke Cadden held a meeting the following week in Miami for the South Florida stagers. She told me it was very successful as well. Yeah Florida home staging!

We discussed an agenda which was formatted similar to 27 other Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) & Stage it Forward (SIF) gatherings across the US and Canada. I asked the real estate staging professionals to state their thoughts as they felt them and to discuss their ideas. By creating a friendly and non-competitive ambiance, the collective open attitude remained full of energy and positive comments throughout the day. AR folks pictured below include St. Pete's Judy Kincaid (to the right of me) and a newcomer to Active Rain, Laurie Calhoun from Seminole, FL. Stagers visited from Naples to north of the Orlando areas.

Bravo to CORT-Tampa Bay Gloria Rose for arriving early that morning, hands stacked full of my special request: fresh, warm Krispy-Kreme donuts at the waiting. Yum! Additional Kudos to PODS National Sales Manager, Joey Interrante for trusting my judgment with ordering the delicious Cuban lunch fare from nearby Mandy’s. He thought the food would be similar to the tex-mex food from his recent stay in Texas, yet I assured him that tasting Cuban specialties would be much different. Joey agreed and was grateful for the introduction to the always popular Tampa-Ybor City specialty.

I figured that if I was going to drive over 325 miles round-trip to moderate the meeting, I was going to need some major fuel! (In more ways than one!) With my sugar levels on over-load combined with the excitement of meeting other professional stagers from across Florida, I felt that mountains could be moved by this group! (OK, granted, Florida is a flat state....so please go with the idea here…lol!)

We discussed the home staging issues and how they related to our business here in Florida, which unfortunately leads the nation in foreclosures and defaults galore. Many homes in Florida are vacant and are often secondary homes for our Northern part-time residents. It places us in an even more unique position than the average home staging company as the economy slumps and causes further pain for our clients and our businesses.

Avowing to continue to educate Homeowners and Real Estate partners alike, the professional Home Staging community wishes to work together with collective intention. We recognize the important need to support one another and to focus our strength as ONE VOICE in this growing Real Estate Staging industry, rather than as segregated factions, which merely serves to weaken the roots of professional progress.

We offer our sincerest gratitude for the combined efforts of RESA, ASHSR, IRIS and CSP for their continual leadership and support of this grand effort to work together as one. The support from many corporate sponsors such as CORT, PODS, BROOKS, 1-800-GOT JUNK and others, demonstrates that combining resources and energy is integral for the continued growth and future of all of our businesses.

***Special thank you goes out to Sherwin-Williams Matt Leeds for providing our professional real estate stagers with new Sherwin Williams Color Decks and the latest 2009 Color Trends information. I wanted Florida Home Stagers to walk away from the RESA-SIF meeting with tools as well as ideas which will continue to help them excel in their businesses.

Additional door prizes were supplied by CORT and it gave me great pleasure to present a large piece of artwork to Carol Berman from Design Savoir-Faire located in Seminole, FL. Carol provided huge background support for me, so I was thrilled when her name was randomly drawn as a winner! Congratulations also goes to gift card winners: Leticia Lawson of The Staging Stylist and Jane Xiques of Rooms for Change by Jane, both located in the Tampa area.

The meeting feedback has been outstanding with many professionals ready to meet again soon. It was very gratifying to know that the success of our meeting has created more excitement for the home staging professionals in the state of Florida. Good job everyone!

Warmest Regards,