Day 1 Speakers Include:

Christine Rae, Keynote Speaker, 2008 RESA Innovator of the Year, Trainer, author of Wiley Publishing’s Home Staging for Dummies

Christine Rae is an expert in her field. Described as “an inspiration to her protégé’s”, since 2003 she has empowered people as they embarked on an exciting career of home staging. Christine has also been featured on HGTV’s The Decorating Adventures of Ambrose Price as a Staging Training Expert.

Christine will be presenting Five Mistakes Stagers Make, Five Steps to Turn Your Business Around, Five Market Driven Trends to Build Revenue.

Alexis Summerfield, MA, Feng Shui Consultant, featured on HGTV’s Sleep On It

Alexis has a Masters in Teaching and Consciousness studies from JFK University and over 17 years as a Feng Shui Consultant working with builders, corporations, real estate and title companies and home staging and design professionals.

Alexis will be speaking about Feng Shui for Home Staging, Selling and the Laws of Attraction for Home Stagers and Everyone.

Terrylynn Fisher, Realtor for 30+ Years who has been staging her listings since the late 1980s. Terrylynn has been featured on the CBS5 News and Channel 2 News as a Real Estate Home Staging Expert.

Terrylynn will be speaking about Unlocking the Mystery with Realtors, Why Collaboration Works.

Service is a good thing, we all need services and call for service WHEN we need it. Do you want to be a service or collaborator with your Realtor clients? A collaboration can bring more for both of you. Terrylynn talks about collaboration and what realtors say to sellers in a listing presentation…How do you know when you are part of the team, a collaborator with your realtor team?

Visit StagersLIST Expo to view the full agenda and register today!

- offering website design, redesign, hosting, mainenance and virtual assistance (and providing a workshop at the StagersLIST Expo in Indianapolis)

Got Curb Appeal?

You know what they say about first impressions… The first thing a potential buyer sees is a visual of the home curbside. House Hunters make up their mind within 10-15 seconds of pulling up to the curb whether to go into your home or not. You have to make an inviting impact within seconds, so don’t neglect the outside of your home when it’s time to put it on the market. How to get started? First step back and look at your home with the eye of a critical buyer and then follow our tips.

Tips to increase your home’s curb appeal

• Replace a rusty mailbox with a new one that fits the look of your home

• Replace old, ugly or outdated house numbers

• Clean and replace if necessary, exterior light fixtures, ensure maximum wattage to keep your home as bright as possible at night

• Remove any security door or storm door, remember you are selling!

• Clean, paint or replace front door as necessary

• Cean, clean clean!!!!! Clear out all cobwebs and get rid of any rust, if you can see it a buyer can see it!

• Clean door and windows, trim, steps, railings, the patio or deck, everything you view on the home, as necessary

• Clean or better yet replace the welcome mat, you can always take it to your new home once you sell)

• Consider replacing door hardware if outdated or in poor shape. Ensure door hardware, kickplate, number sign and mail box all match an dmake sure the house numbers are visible from the road.

• Make sure your landscaping is up to date, lawn mowed, bare spots covered, rock replaced were needed, you want everything looking fresh and new

• Powerwash the exterior of the house and drive way along with sidewalks or paths leading up to the home, add an eco- friendly green cleaner, you can actually wash your house believe it or not, and make sure any rust spots are removed.

• Cracked or stained cement should be repaired

• Consider using plants at your entry way or fresh flowers in the window boxes to make the home more warm and inviting……………….It can be hard to be objective about your own home, in fact once you have lived in your home longer than 6 months you lose your own objectivity and that’s where hiring a professional home stager can really pay off.. Staging your home can increase the value by thousands of dollars and staged homes sell faster in any market. Check with the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) for an accredited home stager in your area and get started on improving that curb appeal today!

Sue Geurs and Laura Harvey
Property Stylists
The Property Promoters

July 15, 2009
Dublin, California

StagersLIST has talked with approximately 500 home staging professionals so far in our 2008-2009 Expo tour. We bring you the experts with the know how to create a competitive business model that works in your market.

Don’t just survive, thrive

Expo Includes:

• Dynamic Industry Speakers including Christine Rae, author of Home Staging for Dummies
• Education in Business Building and Staging Topics
• Workshops to build your business & income
• Vendor Faire – Meet with the vendors that want to earn your business and meet your challenges
• Lunch workshop with Alexis Summerfield, who has been featured on HGTV’s Sleep On It!

Learn how to triple your revenue by adding additional streams of income, how to successfully market your business online, update color concepts for staging, design and to add balance, and more!

Click here for more information and to view the agenda.

For more information contact:
Local Coordinator
Terrylynn Fisher
925-876-0966, Terrylynn@StagersLIST.com

Venue Sponsor
Welcome Home Furniture Rental
925-828-3463

Sponsors include:

You don’t have to spend a fortune to design a creative space, nook or cranny. Recently, I was invited to be featured on a few segments of Fox 7′s Good Day Austin. For one of the segments, I decided to do an experiment to help show people that there are literally hundreds of thrift store and flea market finds ready and waiting to be made over. You just have to look for them. So, I grabbed some “spare change”, and went to Goodwill. After spending about $150 on a bunch of gently used items, I returned home and set all of my new finds out on a table so I could assess my loot and begin this “Eco-deco” challenge. I must admit, the display table looked more like a garage sale than the makings for a TV segment. (Honestly, it resembled some form of a “Where’s Waldo” game except instead of finding Waldo, the challenge was to pick out the junk with makeover potential.)

After a bit of brainstorming, I became inspired, and let the makeovers begin.You can see some of the pieces that ended up “making the cut” for the Fox segment by clicking on the photo.

{By the way — the producer and show host kept referring to these tips as staging related when the segment was in fact, supposed to be on DESIGNING on a budget – not staging! (Like I’d really put tennis rackets on with earrings on them for a staging?? Or whacked out lamp shade covers? HA!) Oh well, any of you who have done local media shows will understand what a challenge it can be in pulling off one of these programs.}

And, a side a note on the sea shell lamp… on a recent beach trip I was perusing through one of my favorite resort furnishing and interior design shops on the island. I came across a lamp almost identical to the one I had made over. The look I created cost $5 for the lamp and $20 for the Frockz lamp shade cover. The seashells were free (my son has collected hundreds after many, many beach trips.) On the contrary, the lamp I saw at this high-end design shop was $365!

I hope after seeing the segment you’re inspired to help your clients take on an Eco-Deco Challenge. Re-using, re-purposing and recycling items will make less of an impact on the environment and your wallet! Plus, purchasing items from a nonprofit like Goodwill Industries helps hundreds of people. Goodwill is North America’s leading nonprofit provider of education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages, such as welfare dependency, homelessness, and lack of education or work experience, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities. Last year, local Goodwills collectively provided employment and training services to more than 1.1 million individuals.

Goodwill believes that work has the power to transform lives by building self-confidence, independence, creativity, trust and friendships. Everyone deserves a chance to have these. Now that’s pretty cool!

Visit Ashley’s Blog

Visit Ashley’s Website

We were very fortunate that our online friend Karen Otto brought Karen Eubank, who writes for Examiner.com, to our Houston expo. They were both lovely to talk to and get to know, and Karen Eubank wrote a review of our event for her column! Karen Eubank has a staging column on examiner.com and other articles include Staging to Stay, Staging for Divorce and Staging for Safety.

From Karen’s Article:
“The StagersLIST Expo in Houston was a great opportunity to learn from stars in our industry about ways to take my business to the next level,” Dallas stager Nancy Robertson of Signature Style Staging said. “I walked away with several ‘ah ha’ moments and ideas for increasing business and enhancing the service I provide to my clients.”

Click here to read the full article.

Thank you Karen Eubank for reviewing our Houston Expo! Our next expo will be local for us in Dublin, California.

We’d love to meet some more of our Staging and Real Estate friends!

- offering website design, redesign, maintenance, affordable hosting and virtual assistance.

On a side note: While in Houston we were assured we should visit Dallas, Austin, and many other places. I liked Texas quite a bit and think someday it would be a great idea to take a vacation just to explore this lovely state!

I just returned from Houston where I attended the StagersList Expo.  If you haven’t attended one of their expos, you need to SIGN UP for the next one!  The money and time spent were well worth it.  The sessions were interesting, informative, and relative to your staging business.  You will definitely walk away with several "ah ha" moments that you can immediately apply to growing your business.  I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I won’t say anything specific, but you should go!

In addition, it was a great opportunity to spend time with experts in the staging and real estate industry, plus network in person with fellow stagers (many of whom I know from ActiveRain)!

A special THANK YOU to CORT Furniture for hosting the Expo at their facility and for providing lunch!

- Nancy Robertson, owner of Signature Style Staging
From Nancy’s Blog

Houston StagersLIST Expo… See what you missed!

Home stagers, design professionals, real estate agents, business owners, and people interested in learning more about the Real Estate Staging and Home Staging Industry came from all over to the Houston Stagers List Expo at CORT, 6/2/09.  A one-day expo with lots of information for all.  We had a lady from Florida, Louisiana, Beaumont and several from Austin, and the Dallas-Ft. Worth Area in attendance.

Everyone took away something, it was jammed packed with information, and the turnout was great.  I got to meet so many new people in our industry.  Everyone enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to Lisa Bradley, and Amber Dorn from CORT for being great hosts, providing a location and lunch.  And to the ladies of StagersList.com Terrylynn Fisher, Kym Hough, and Chris Fisher for bringing the event to Houston.

Also, a big thank you to  the sponsors, CSP from Canada, Interiority Complex from Austin, TX, The Dewey Color Program from Dallas, TX, Bekins Truck Lines and RESA.

Thanks to all that came, especially those outside of the Houston area!

Angela Brooks at the CSP table, where attendees could learn more about furthering their education.

CSP on left, Interiority Complex, on right behind table, Ashley Whittenberger (L), and Karen Otto, owner of Home Star Staging (R) from Plano, TX.

Kym Hough and Terrylynn FIsher of StagersLIST.com giving introductions.

Getting ready to start… Home stagers in attendance.

- Cindy Bryant, owner of ReDesign etc.
From Cindy’s Blog

Click here for a GreenWalk Registration Form.
Click here for a GreenFest Sponsorhsip Form.

Expect fun, camaraderie, sunshine, a lovely setting, and exercise at the CCAR GreenWalk5K! Participation fee is $20. Registration is at 8am, with snacks, water, a t-shirt and group photos provided for the walk, which begins promptly at 9am.

Organize a team for your organization, prizes will be awarded!

The CCAR GreenWalk5K benefits the Moses Guillory Perpetual Scholarship Fund.

Location: Heather Farms, 301 N. San Carlos Drive in Walnut Creek, California.

8am Registration, 9am GreenWalk Begins! GreenFest immediately following.

For more information about the GreenWalk5K, email joel@ccartoday.com.

Register online at http://www.ccartoday.com/797.

Platinum Sponsors include Diablo Realty and Oakhust Properties.

10am – 4pm

After the GreenWalk5K, attend the first ever CCAR GreenFest from 10am-4pm. This FREE event will feature food, music and green vendor sponsors who will provide rebates, incentives, money-saving products and free green products! Art Thomas Locker Room will conduct an auction of Raiders memorabillia, with a share of the proceeds going to the CCAR Scholarship Fund. Learn the benefits of going green, including how to make homes healthy and green.

Vendor sponsors receive a 10′ x 10′ booth and event directory listing.

We will be accepting donations for the Contra Costa County Food Bank!

For vendor and sponsor information, email terryshomes@astound.net.

Sponsors and Endorsements:
Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce
Pacific Gas and Electric
Bay Area Green Business Program
Contra Costa Water
City of Walnut Creek
Concord Disposal

- Terrylynn Fisher
Contra Costa County Realtor
Terrylynn-n-Team.com
terryshomes@astound.net
925.876.0966

I work very hard on this step of the creation process.  Why?  Because I think it’s one of the most important components to a successful website.  We are marketing to people with a wide range of internet experience.  I believe a visitor to your site should be able to get to any page on the site from any page on the site.  I think that if you make it to hard for people to find things, they leave.  We have to realize that many people have short attention spans when it comes to browsing the internet. We can create a site that is clever and beautiful, but if we cannot keep a visitor to explore the content we have not created a successful site.

One thing I like to do is get a clear idea of ALL content that is going to be included on the site so I can create a coherent “map” or flow chart.  If this structure is in place before you begin on design, it makes everything flow better once you get to the content phase.  Keeping the content flow in mind during the creation process keeps things from getting muddled down the line.

The steps in a website creation process for me are:

1. Content flow
2. Design to client’s satisfaction (look and feel of site)
3. Add all content
4. Test the site to make sure all links and elements are functioning
5. Launch the site

While working on Step 1 I often have a client say, “Can’t we just decide this later?”  I can’t stress enough that completing this step first makes the rest of the process flow more smoothly and creates a more successful end result.

- Offering custom site design, template sites, re-design, hosting and virtual assistance.

My Texas friends, if you had one day to play in the Houston area, what would you do?  Please let me know, as we have been working very hard and are choosing to take a day of fun before or after each expo as a reward.  We’d LOVE to meet some of our online friends while we’re there!

StagersLIST Expo in Houston, Texas, June 2, 2009
Cort Furniture Rental 5757 Richmond Avenue in Houston, Texas 77057

REGISTER TODAY

Morning Agenda for all Attendees:
8:30     Check in and Networking
9:00     Expo Begins – Introduction
9:10     Terrylynn Fisher and Kym Hough – Realtors & Stagers Collabrating for Success
10:30   Sponsor Passport Program
11:00   Christine Rae – Understanding Communication Styles to Overcome Objections
12:00   Lunch Provided
            Workshop Session #1
            Choose Triple Your Income With Window Treatments OR Websites/Blogging/SEO
1:30     Sponsor Passport Program
2:00     End of Basic Package

Afternoon Agenda for Premier Package Attendees:
2:00     Workshop Session #2
            Choose Dewey Color Program OR Marketing Your Business Through Networking
3:30     Workshop Session #3
            Out of the Box Networking Opportunities OR Websites/Blogging/SEO
5:00     $200 Grand Prize Raffle

Click here to view photos of our Orlando Event in March
Click here to view reviews of our Orlando Event in March

Click here to see one of the things we did for FUN in Orlando

Okay, that was a lot of links!  Hope to see you in Houston & look forward to getting some ideas about what we should do for fun (well, the expo is actually fun too, but you know what I mean) while we’re there!

 Some of our fab sponsors:


 

What you should know about the Staging Industry

STRONG INDUSTRY GROWTH
Staging is now an essential marketing tool – no longer a “nice to have”. In the current economy, homes must be in top condition to attract buyers. Professional Stagers ensure that properties make the right first impression.  The products and services that they recommend to their clients and use in their businesses gain exposure in homes across North America every day!

INFLUENCE
Every Stager influences hundreds of Realtors, Homeowners and Business Owners each year.

OPPORTUNITY
- Tie-in for product placement
- Stagers have more opportunity to be in homes than almost any other service providers
- Stagers not only prepare homes for market but have access to homes and homeowners for everyday living
- Stagers are considered the Expert when making recommendations for homes on and off the market
- Stagers build teams of professionals and recommend those service providers from 2-7 times per week
- Stagers recommend only the best products to their clients to use in their homes and do so on a daily basis

STAGERSLIST EXPO DEMOGRAPHICS
New Stagers                0-2 Industry Years                   70% of Attendees
Mid Stagers                 3-5 Industry Years                   20% of Attendees
Seasoned Stagers        6+ Industry Years                    10% of Attendees

CUSTOM SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES
National Sponsorships – Local Sponsorships – Product Sponsorships – Online Promotions
At StagersLIST.com we design Sponsorship Programs that fit every budget and need. We have a unique opportunity to customize a package that includes in-person, grassroots marketing through our StagersLIST.com Expo Events and a dynamic Online Presence with 10 websites that will be launched in 2009. Our marketing experts ensure that our National, Local and Product sponsors have the exposure it takes to raise awareness of their product or service for the entire Real Estate Staging Industry. Call Kym Hough at  925.212.1833 or email her at Kym@StagersLIST.com for more information.