Sharon McConnell *Bucks County Home Stager*

4th of July at Lake Wallenpaupack in the Pocono Mts in PA is a moving and patriotic experience. The high light of the holiday is always the fireworks display which are launched near the dam. They can be viewed from the high school bleachers, from the shore line, on the top of the dike, from the top of the mountain at Tanglewood ski slopes and, from your boat. It takes your breath away to see hundreds of boats anchored waiting for the show to begin. Some boats parade, showing their patriotism with flags. lights, and decorations in red, white, and blue.

As the sky line dims, the lights from all the boats reflect off the water. What a site to behold.

Area businesses contributed to give locals and tourists alike a spectacular fireworks show. The colors of each burst mirrored off the water. The sound of the booms echoed off the mountains. This year in particular, the fireworks were incredible. There was not only one finaly, there were 3 finalies. The crowd cheered, and the boat captains tooted their horns in appreciation.

I am already looking forward to attending next years show. Is it possible to out do the fireworks from this year? As we wait in anticipation, be sure to make arrangements to visit Lake Wallenpaupack for your 4th of July Holiday. Visit the dam and walk atop the dike. See you at the lake!!!'

Personal footnote; This year my husband and I invited his aunt and uncle to join us on the boat to view the fireworks. They have vacationed at the lake since 1952 and now are retired there. They agreed that this was the best fireworks that they had ever seen. "Unc" is 90 years young - that's a lot of memories.

Attention Bucks County Realtors … let your sellers know how they can

get the best return on investment and help the homeless at the same time.

The spring selling season has begun. It is time for spring cleaning. Sellers need to get ready for that all important open house, making their listing sparkle and shine. Cleaning and de-cluttering is the first step in preparing your house to be staged and listed. What to do with all that stuff you don’t want, use, or need? You don’t want to be bothered moving it into your new home. The answer is to donate it. Deserving Décor needs your donations to continue furnishing the transitional shelter apartments for the Bucks County Housing Group. (bchg.org)

Sharon McConnell, Park Ave Home Staging & Redesign, is a founding

member of the non profit, Deserving Décor. Sharon, along with the other

volunteers; clean, and decorate the shelter apartments before each new

family moves in. They use donated furnishings, accessories and household

items. Then, when the family moves out, will help them again, to set up and

furnish their “new home” as they restart their lives on their own.

Yes, this is a shelter bedroom decorated completely with donated items!

Seller’s ROI for Home Improvement Projects

The #1 do it yourself home improvement project for sellers nationwide is to clean and de-clutter, according to Home Gain.com in their 2009 survey. The average cost is $100.00 to $200.00. And the average increase in home price is $1,500.00 to $2,000.00. That is an 872% return on investment, and 98% of agents recommend it.

In the same survey, the #2 home improvement when selling is Home Staging. The average cost for a Professional Home Staging Consultation is $300.00 to $400.00, which also increases the homes price from $1,500.00 to $2,000.00. This is a 586% return on investment and 82% of agents recommend it.

Realtors … Encourage your sellers to do some spring

spring cleaning, before staging and listing their property.

Their donations will benefit those who need a home.

Sellers … help yourself to get the best return on your

investment by cleaning, de-cluttering, and a professional

home staging, before listing. By donating, you will also be

investing in the future of homeless families in Bucks County.

To schedule an appointment for a volunteer to pick up donations, or, to drop off donations at the NEW Deserving Décor Restore in Pipersville, Pa. Come and check it out and do some shopping, Proceeds from sales benefit the homeless also.

See the Deserving Décor Website for Restore hours and location, or, to donate items.

Donations are tax deductible and so are the stager’s services.

(Check with your tax professional).

.....the lottery of friendship and support that is.

I was priveledged to meet and make more new friends, some of them are members of AR. Thirteen Home Stagers met at the Stage It Forward Round Table at Cort Furniture Rental in King of Prussia, Pa. With respect for our differnt training associations, we shared opininons, experiences, tips,marketing ideas, and so much more. We had such a nice time.We have so much more to share and learn.We are planning to meet again in the near future. If you would like to be part of future meetings, email me at Sharon@HomeStagingOnParkAve.com and I will forward your information to Linda O'Neil, our wonderful facilitator.

Friendships and support are a winning combination. I am the lucky winner, you can be one too.

More winners!

Linda O'Neill, Laura Olejniczak,Sheri Walker, Wendy Kokinda, Colleen Stasinchak, Lin Wetzel, Lori McHale, Jill Kearney, Norma Braccia, Chere Sullivan, Dawn Fedorawicz, Jennifer Samsel

Last week I met some old friends from Active Rain for the first time. Even though they did not know me, I knew who they were. Secretly, I’ve been reading their blog posts since I joined Active Rain in February 2008. We shook hands at RESA’s First Annual Tri-State Staging Expo in Secaucus, NJ. I knew their faces, now they know mine. I hope they enjoy getting to know me as much as I did them.

Now we are new friends. They have voices and personalities. They are genuine, caring, hard working, and have a sense of humor. They are passionate about staging and promoting the staging industry. The Tri-State Expo was a wonderful experience, totally organized, full of fun, expert advice and inspiration. They encouraged me to jump into the joy of blogging and enjoy the growth of my business.

It was so nice to meet you in person.

Shell Brodnax – Real Estate Staging Association

Kym Hough – Staged to Sell

Kate Hart – Hart & Associates Staging & Design

Juliette Johnson – Stagomg – Home Staging NJ

Mellisa Marro – First Impressions Home Staging & Interior Redesign

Phylis Pafumi - Restyled to Sell

Here is another secret. I love real estate staging as much as they do. Kim and Kate, here is my first post. Thanks for the encouragement!

Sharon McConnell,

Park Ave Home Staging & Redesign

Founding member BCSA (Bucks County Stagers Association)

Founding member Deserving Decor