My husband and I recently returned from a trip to visit our families. We began at 5 in the morning and headed our car north on I-95 from Delray Beach, Florida, which if you don't know is on the southeast coast of the state. It would take us twelve days and almost 5000 miles covering 13 states outside of Florida. The trip took me to Kansas City, Omaha, parts of Colorado, Houston (my hometown) and then back to Florida.
What's all this got to do with what ActiveRain means to me? Sitting in a car gives you a lot of time to think, as well as look at maps. (and I Love to study maps). As we entered a state or city, it occurred to me that I "knew"someone in the Atlanta area, and hey, I'm sure I've read the post of someone near Nashville, and that I subscribed to posts from ActiveRainers in Houston. What it made me realize is that being a Rainmaker on ActiveRain has expanded my range of "friends" as well as my knowledge of blogging, real estate, staging and anything else related (and unrelated) to the real estate industry.
I've learned how to write a blog and how to use Tags; that I can get Google juice without paying someone $100 a month; that Points DO matter, and yet they don't; that "C" writes some of the most interesting and fun posts I've ever read and I felt like the new kid on the block who finally gets invited to the "kool kids" party when invited to join Club Chaos. I learned that Brad Andersohn knows all I need to know about SEO's, widgets and blogs; that if you're not subscribing to Katerina Gasset's blog, you're missing out and that Maureen Bray is our rock when it comes to Home Stagers.
As I passed through all the cities that you cover in 5000 miles I wished that I'd had the time (and temerity) to stop, introduce myself, and say "hello" to people I already "knew" .
So, what does ActiveRain mean to me? Take a look:
And, trust me, these are just a few of the ActiveRainers whose city I passed through on my trip. I've subscribed to and/or read all of their blogs; commented on and/or have received their comments on mine. I'm planning on having my map covered with red arrows by next year.
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An Accredited Staging Professional offering Staging Consultations, Team Staging, ReDesign, Home Readiness Service Teams and eStaging.
Room Service! Home Staging's goal is to help each seller maximize their homes "sale-ability" by showcasing its best features. I'll do one room or the whole house. . . your choice; always trying to incorporate as much of my client's own furniture and accessories as I can. Or, in the case of the unfurnished/vacant home, I can coordinate the selection and placement of furnishings to set the mood for the Buyer. I view my role in working with Real Estate Agents as a marketing resource for them as well as their associate in getting their listing sold quickly and for top dollar.
For the homeowner not ready to sell but wanting to put the "wow' back into their home, I work with them in Re-Design, often using most of the owners' own furnishings, re-purposing and re-positioning what they already have.
Getting a house ready to sell isn't just about moving sofas and packing up pictures. With more and more foreclosures and distressed properties on the market and with people being pulled in many different directions, our Home Readiness Service can also coordinate any repairs, inside and out.
South Florida is my Home Stage, but I have worked in Virginia as well as Texas and Kansas. And, in this internet age, my alter ego, eStaging online, can accomodate those with little time and a need to get the job done.
For more information please see me at Room Service!HomeStaging.
I am a tranplanted Texan living in Florida and love what I do. My training was in Virginia under the tutelage of Barbara Schwarz, the creator of Home Staging and the StagedHomes.com website. My memories of playing with dolls was spending hours building houses for them using whatever was at hand; creating for them a space that would befit a BARBIE or Chatty Cathy. I'm still in that mode, attempting to utilize exising objects and furnishings to create or enhance my clients' home; whether it be getting it ready to sell or turning it into the haven they call home.
"I did not know what staging meant, until Kathy staged our house. It made our house more presentable and open. We liked the way it looks now and we would like to maintain it that way, until the house is sold.I would very strongly recommend all sellers to stage their house."
Raj
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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