About Roanoke County, VA

The Roanoke Market has been a bit rocky this year. Unfortunately it appears to be that way because of outside forces (media) and not the area itself. Roanoke has a fairly stable economy. The major employers are still safe and sound with no threat of closing down or laying off. The housing prices have stayed remarkably stable with slight increases in a couple of areas with only the Smith Mountain Lake area suffering from what the national news would term as a distressed market.

In the past several weeks we have seen an increase in showings and in purchase offers. Buyers seem to be losing several deals before they get realistic with purchase prices though.

With our stable economy, the $8,000 tax credit and the large inventory it really should be a great time to buy. Interest rates are holding fairly stable for the time in the low 5% range. It looks to be a strong third quarter for buyers and sellers in Roanoke!

Magnets USA^® specializes in personalized Real Estate Magnets. Our personalization is quick and easy. There is an initial setup fee of $18 for personalization. After that your information is kept on file so that when you order a different personalized item, your information is ready to be used again with no setup fees, unless information or your picture changes.

To personalize a product all you have to do is add that item to your cart on www.MagnetsUSA.com and checkout. After checkout, you can begin personalizing your product by entering text information and uploading the required artwork for your proof directly onto our site.

You can submit your own artwork as well. Your artwork can be used as a background or to create your own design to fit one of our products. Please contact our Customer Service Department at 800.869.7562 for additional information or click here to visit our design assistance page.

Once all of your elements of personalization have been received, we will prepare a full-color digital proof for your review and approval.

Interested in personalization?

Magnets USA^® has two different products made for personalization:

Our QuikMag™ is a magnetic business card attached to the top of a calendar or notepad. Products with QuikMag™ personalization arrive printed with your contact information on the topper magnet.

All 'n One refers to Magnetic Sports Schedules, Magnetic Cards and Magnetic Door Hangers. Your business information is printed directly on the card. All 'n One products arrive ready to distribute.

Customer Service Representatives at Magnets USA^® are here to help make your online shopping experience easy and enjoyable. Our representatives are experts in our products and in the personalization process. They are happy to help guide you through your purchase.

Check out our FAQ section for answers to general questions you may have.

If you still have questions after reading through our FAQ section, don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Service Department at 800.869.7562 or fill out the form at the bottom of the FAQ section.

Our Customer Service Representatives are available Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.

For the last few years I've been enjoying the business of Home Staging, Redesign, and Home & Office Organizing. I will admit that this business hasn't come without its small and large hurtles. But no matter what size of hurtles I've encountered; I seem to get over them by using my creativity and determination. But weekly I get calls from a number of people new to the industry who feel as if they are reinventing the wheel with each step they take. It can be difficult and exhausting learning how to make a successful business in Home Staging. This is where I would like to help.....

My goal is simple, but I need your help. I'd like to collect your five most common "hurtles" that you as a home stagers ran into when you begin your business. In other words, what were the missing details your training did not cover or details you ran into that you didn't expect to encounter? Then, how did you overcome those challenges or fears?

I hope most of you will help me to compile this list of challenges and solutions that we have all faced in this industry. After a few weeks, I will then put together the ten most common hurtles and their solutions, to share with people who are just getting into the industry. Of course those who've been in the industry for years might also benefit from these new ideas. This list will hopefully give home stagers a peace of mind and help them know they are not alone out there.

This industry calls for us to work together to help each other, to creatively and successfully tackle a variety of different situations, and to provide standardization for the industry. The more tangible information we have available, the better equipped we are to educate homeowners.

Possible hurtles you had to overcome:

•- Pricing

•- Making the "sell" over the phone

•- Approaching real estate companies

•- Creating/managing your website

•- Consultations - free or not too free

•- Marketing challenges

•- Working with, not against other home stagers

•- Offering too many services

Thank you in advance for your time in reflecting how you got to be where you are today. I look forward to your comments, ideas, stories, and strategies.....and know that others will enjoy and benefit from them!

Cathy Dick

Final Touch Designs, Inc.

http://final-touchdesigns.com

Today as we celebrate Mother's Day I would like to thank my 4 wonderful children for all they have endured through the years.

For all those years that I would drag them around with me to preview and show homes while bribing them with the promise of ice cream and Taco Bell for their patience and good behavior.

For all the weekends that I had to work because weekends were usually my busiest.

For understanding that although it could be really annoying, the cell phone ringing was a good thing. It meant we would have money to pay the bills next month.

As my career took a turn and I began to offer staging services, I would like to thank my sons for helping me move furniture from place to place.

And thanks for understanding that if there was no furniture in the house when you came home...it meant business was good not that the furniture had been repossessed :-).

For all the things I have done and been through the years...being your Mother was truly the best!