If you are a home stager, and want to add some visual appeal and variety to your blog, you should take a look at posting appropriate YouTube videos.
It’s really very easy to do.
First step is to search YouTube for videos relating to Home Staging. You will find a fair number, although not as many as there should be. (Hint – You really should be creating some of your own!)
Second, you will note a button under the actual video on YouTube called, < Embed >
All you need to do is click on that button, and copy the code that will appear.
Then on your blog or website, you would go to the HTML or Source Code part of your page and paste that code in, and your done.
Now you may want to add introductory comments and/or closing comments after the video to explain why you choose it.
In my case, I am using a very professionally done video, featuring Celebrity Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs, who is featured on the nationally syndicated program “Black Enterprise Business Report”. The quality of the video is quite high.
Don’t let the quality frighten you away from doing your own videos. With an inexpensive Flip Camera which you can get from your local Best Buy or probably even cheaper on Amazon you can be creating high quality videos in no time.
And let me tell you, videos on your website will help lift your ranking in the search engines. Google loves video, and it’s becoming the name of the game. So get out there and use the ones that you can from YouTube and start creating some of your own.
Your before and after pictures will mean a lot more once you’ve taken the time to learn how to do video.
Setting up a web page is only the beginning to online marketing. Now you need to get it seen by potential customers. This used to be challenging in many markets, but there has been a big change in what matters. Today, what matters is being seen on the Google Places Page, and you don't even need to have a web site to do that. (although you should.)
The good news is that its free, and if you know what you are doing, you can maneuver yourself to the top listing in many markets.
That's one of the skill sets I bring to the table. If you would like to get your Google Places Page properly set up send me an email at enetwal@gmail.com and put "Free Initial Evaluation" or something similar in the subject line.
Be sure to include your current web site and contact info.
As the real estate market has cooled and many Real Estate Professionals and home sellers are struggling to sell their properties quickly, many think the best way to survive is to cut their budgets for staging their listings.
“Studies show that pulling back on staging your listings during a recession actually hurts, rather than helps with home sales. Listings that are staged and priced competitively sell in half the time that non-staged properties do.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t find lower cost options to help you prepare your properties for sale.
I decided to create the Do-It-Yourself Home Buyer Attraction System to meet this need for valuable information at a lower cost than traditional staging services. The system provides real estate professionals and home sellers with the knowledge and skills that I have acquired working in the field over the last few years. These tools and strategies are proven to work in a seller’s market and they will work in a buyer’s market to make your property truly stand out in the marketplace and draw buyers to you.
So, over the next few days I’m going to lead you through a short, but information packed series on how you can start transforming your listing or home into a home buyer magnet.
Let’s start with a very important distinction: What is Home Staging and What is it Not?
Home Staging (House Staging, House Fluffing, House Primping, Real Estate Staging, Staging Design) is the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for TOP DOLLAR. It is the most proven way to get top dollar for your home as you prepare it for sale.
What Home Staging is NOT…It’s not just decorating. It needs to be strategic. An important thing for both Real Estate Agents and Home Sellers to remember is that before you start the staging process, you need to identify who is most likely to buy the house, otherwise known as your target home buyer.
Staging is not just about hanging up some art, sticking a tree in the corner and adding pretty pillows to the sofa. This seems to be the misconception many times. By knowing who the target buyer is, you will be able to design a lifestyle to appeal to that specific group of prospective buyers. As a real estate agent, you can then design a marketing plan to attract those same people.
I remember a particular property that I was hired to “stage”. It was for a Realtor client of mine. The interesting thing about this property was it was a job that was going to be a favor to him since the original Stager he hired for that project flaked on him at the last minute. I usually don’t work on properties that I haven’t had a “relationship” with, meaning I haven’t seen the property and the sellers have not gone through my staging consultation process so that they fully understand what needs to be done in preparation and shown how they were going to live in their staged home. Well, to no one’s surprise, when I arrived to do my ‘thing”, the house was NOT READY. It was a small house, but it was a family house with parents and a couple of kids. There were shoes and dirty laundry all over the house, the small kitchen and bath were cluttered and dirty, beds were not made, it was NOT READY! When I spoke with the owner, their comment was “well, can’t you just stage around me?” The answer to that was a resounding “NO!”. I left that property, unstaged. My mistake was agreeing to do the job in the first place. I thought I was doing the agent a favor, but really, I wasn’t doing anyone any favors.
I understand that real estate professionals and home sellers are anxious to start marketing their properties as soon as possible, BUT take a moment to consider what you’re allowing to be marketed. REMEMBER, you only have ONE chance to make a FIRST impression, make it the best one possible!!!
Want To Use This Article In Your E-Zine Or Web Site? You can, but here’s what you MUST include with it: Alice T. Chan, the Staged Home Lifestyle Expert helps Real Estate Professionals and Home Sellers create irresistible, market ready homes that SELL. Alice’s “Do-It-Yourself Home Buyer Attraction System” empowers home sellers to stage their own homes so they STAND OUT from the crowd and make buyers STOP and TAKE NOTICE! For FREE Home Staging tips and to get your free e-course “8 Steps to Creating an Irresistible, Market Ready Home that SELLS”, visit http://www.AliceTChan.com.
Setting up a web page is only the beginning to online marketing. Now you need to get it seen by potential customers. This used to be challenging in many markets, but there has been a big change in what matters. Today, what matters is being seen on the Google Places Page, and you don't even need to have a web site to do that. (although you should.)
The good news is that its free, and if you know what you are doing, you can maneuver yourself to the top listing in many markets.
That's one of the skill sets I bring to the table. If you would like to get your Google Places Page properly set up send me an email at enetwal@gmail.com and put "Free Initial Evaluation" or something similar in the subject line.
Be sure to include your current web site and contact info.
If you have been following my home staging business tips blog for any length of time, you will know that I am an advocate of article marketing as one of the most effective ways of building your business standing in the search engines.
Effective article marketing can be a major source of traffic to anyone’s website or blog.
In an effort to assist as many people as possible to learn the basics of article marketing I have released a free report called Article Power.
In the report I discuss the two key ingredients of an effective article marketing campaign, namely Quality and Quantity.
I point out that articles generate traffic directly from people who read your articles and also discuss how backlinks from article directories and the republishing of your articles serves to drive search engine traffic to your site as well.
In fact, it’s this backlink power that I appreciate most, as it effectively builds traffic over the long haul.
Of course an effective article marketing campaign needs to be focused on appropriate keywords so I do discuss a bit about keyword selection as well.
The trickiest part of article writing for many people is the creation of their resource boxes, which is the paycheck for an article marketing campaign.
To finish up I list some of the top article marketing sites or directories, and provide a page of resources that could be of value to anyone seriously pursing an article marketing strategy.
As I said above, I am interested in sharing the message of article marketing near and far, so I have included giveaway rights to all who download it. That means you will be able to share it with your friends, your twitter or facebook followers etc.
The resource page includes a variety of affiliate links, so I do hope to make a few bucks here and there as well. But I have also made it possible for you to re-brand this report so that you can earn those commissions.
Setting up a web page is only the beginning to online marketing. Now you need to get it seen by potential customers. This used to be challenging in many markets, but there has been a big change in what matters. Today, what matters is being seen on the Google Places Page, and you don't even need to have a web site to do that. (although you should.)
The good news is that its free, and if you know what you are doing, you can maneuver yourself to the top listing in many markets.
That's one of the skill sets I bring to the table. If you would like to get your Google Places Page properly set up send me an email at enetwal@gmail.com and put "Free Initial Evaluation" or something similar in the subject line.
Be sure to include your current web site and contact info.
Home Staging courses have been popping up online, in chat rooms and classrooms throughout the nation.
The home staging training industry is growing even faster than home staging itself. The economic downturn has greatly expanded the number of people interested in pursuing staging as a career. It is after all a low cost, relatively easy entry business, unless you get into buying and warehousing furniture and accessories.
The pay is good, (if you can line up enough clients consistently), and more importantly for many, it is a flexible business that allows you to integrate your business and family life as necessary. The opportunity to express oneself creatively is certainly another of the aspects that appeal to many.
Whatever your reason, it’s clear that home staging has established itself as a hot new home based business opportunity, that’s open to anyone who wishes to establish themselves and to work at it.
The recession and snail slow recovery have generated a lot of training programs. Some charge hefty fees for courses that aren’t always taught by active stagers who are doing the job day in and day out in the field.
This seems questionable to me. If I were to seek out training in a new field or continuing education in an existing field I would want to know my instructors were belly to belly with real clients in real situations on a regular basis and not just teaching theory.
This is particularly true in a field like home staging which is at least partly an art rather than a science.
Now I am not in a position to evaluate all the different training programs out there. But I am convinced of a couple of things. You do not need to be certified by XYZ or anyone else to be a home stager.
When I first started exploring the field as an outsider, I was sideswiped by a group of women who thought only their high and almighty leader was the legitimate source of accreditation.
While they took some pot shots at me on Active rain and left me Zero Stars on one of my Squidoo pages, their outrage that I would dare comment on the field actually helped generate interest and lead to additional sales of my home staging survey results. (See sidebar – they are still available)
I mention this, because I see some of the various training programs selling their designation more than the quality of their home staging training course.
When you evaluate staging courses, consider the practical experience of the actual instructor who will be leading the class. Are they experienced? Are they actively staging themselves today? Not all are.
Will the course cover both home staging topics and business topics, such as how to set up your marketing plan, and run your business?
Will you be one of 30 in an overcrowded environment, or part of a compact personalized class where you have detailed conversations on the “how to” aspects of home staging.
And finally, shop price. The most expensive courses are not necessarily more expensive because they are good. Often they are more expensive, because they have high marketing costs or profit margins.
In the final analysis, what you really want from your training is access to a highly experienced and knowledgeable instructor who not only knows the topic inside and out, but is able to teach it effectively and who you can relate to.
Ideally, you want to find a person with whom you can develop a long term personal relationship with that will last beyond the last day of your class.
Within the home staging training field there are dozens of such instructors, perhaps hundreds, so take the time to find a good one.
One possible resource I can recommend is Allegra Dioguardi. I mention her, because I am familiar with her and have taught a segment on internet marketing for her students. She offers a choice of day and evening courses to accommodate people’s schedules. The only problem is that she severely restricts the number of students she allows into her course at any time.
She is an active home stager in the Hamptons of NY, and has more experience staging and training than virtually anyone else out there.
Her next opening for students is Sept 13 for morning classes and Sept 14 for evening classes. For more information on her home staging courses go to Home Staging Training by Design
The fall is a great time to take a home staging course.
Setting up a web page is only the beginning to online marketing. Now you need to get it seen by potential customers. This used to be challenging in many markets, but there has been a big change in what matters. Today, what matters is being seen on the Google Places Page, and you don't even need to have a web site to do that. (although you should.)
The good news is that its free, and if you know what you are doing, you can maneuver yourself to the top listing in many markets.
That's one of the skill sets I bring to the table. If you would like to get your Google Places Page properly set up send me an email at enetwal@gmail.com and put "Free Initial Evaluation" or something similar in the subject line.
Be sure to include your current web site and contact info.
If you have a flair for decorating and an interest in real estate, Home Staging could be the right career for you. This service business, also called Real Estate Staging, is based on the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for top dollar.
Home Staging is a great service business to run from a home office for these 10 reasons:
1. It is a low cost business to start.
You can work from your own home office. You don’t need a store front or inventory. You also don’t need expensive advertising to grow your home staging business successfully.
2. There is no need to invest in inventory or recruit others into the business. Home Staging is not a multi-level marketing scheme.
If you’ve researched the subject of home-based business, you’ve probably encountered lots of schemes that want you to buy inventory and recruit others into the business too. These are multi-level marketing businesses. Home Staging is not a multi-level marketing business. You don’t have to buy anything and you don’t have to recruit anyone else to join the business. This is something you can do on your own without any recruiting pressures. You aren’t expected to pester every friend and casual acquaintance you’ve ever had to invest in your “unique opportunity.”
3. It has been recognized as one of the best growth businesses.
Entrepreneur Magazine identified home staging as one of the hottest growth businesses, and the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program is the ONLY home staging business opportunity recognized by the magazine for the last three years in their business start up guide books.
4. The financial rewards are there if you work hard to build your business.
Home Stagers create real wealth for their clients by effectively decorating their homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. Once clients realize the significant return they can make on their investment in home staging services, they don’t feel it’s unreasonable to spend several hundred dollars for even two hours of a stager’s time. In other words, working only half a day, you can make what many people take a whole week to earn. If you have five clients in a single week, you can earn more than you did in an entire month of working full time.
And with real estate markets slowing in many parts of the US, the demand for (and interest in) staging services will continue to grow as desperate home sellers look for an alternative to the costly price reductions their agents recommend.
This business can also thrive in a hot real estate market as savvy home sellers realize the greater profits they can make when they have 10 or 15 buyers bidding on their homes, instead of the two or three they might have had before staging.
5. You can still have time for your family or other demands while running a your business.
You control when you meet clients. If you only want to work during the day when your children are at school you can arrange it that way. “I have an opening for you on Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM works well!”
Or, if you want to start this business on the side while you already have a full time job, then you can meet your clients on evenings and weekends. Many of them will really appreciate it as they work themselves.
6. You will have daily opportunities to be creative and meet interesting people.
Home Staging projects very much depend on the creative solutions you develop for your clients, and each one is unique. You get to see the end result very quickly and meet lots of different people as you deal with real estate agents and homeowners.
7. You will enjoy variety and a sense of adventure in a Home Staging business.
Home Staging projects are very short term in nature, lasting days or a couple of weeks. Each house is different and you’ll be visiting streets and neighborhoods you didn’t know existed as you build your home staging client base.
8. You decide who you want to work with and what kind of projects you want to take on.
Since a project is short term in nature, if you find yourself with a “client from hell,” you know they won’t be in your life very long. If you find there are certain real estate agents that don’t share your approach to business, or treat you with less respect than you deserve, don’t work with them again. There are thousands of real estate agents to choose from in most markets. Did you know that in California alone there are 200,000 agents? Clearly not all of them are equally good or equally pleasant to be around.
9. Since you visit clients in their homes, you do not need to worry about what your own home looks like to run a successful staging business.
Nobody needs to know where your home office is and they certainly don’t need to visit your home. So, don’t worry if your house isn’t a reflection of what you want to present to Home Staging clients. The most important thing is to always present yourself in a professional manner.
10. It does not require specialized training or official credentials.
Despite what some organizations claim for their own marketing reasons, there are no official credentials to be a Home Stager. You can call yourself a Professional Home Stager today and no one can say anything about it.
Of course calling yourself a Home Stager doesn’t mean you’ll automatically know how to price your services, build your business and get clients. These are important skills to acquire if you want to be financially successful. The main point is that you don’t have to undergo years or even months of training to get into this business.
Entrepreneur and Home Staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, knows how to make money as a Home Stager. Discover her secrets to business success in the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Free quiz to see if a home staging business is right for you at http://www.stagingdiva.com
Setting up a web page is only the beginning to online marketing. Now you need to get it seen by potential customers. This used to be challenging in many markets, but there has been a big change in what matters. Today, what matters is being seen on the Google Places Page, and you don't even need to have a web site to do that. (although you should.)
The good news is that its free, and if you know what you are doing, you can maneuver yourself to the top listing in many markets.
That's one of the skill sets I bring to the table. If you would like to get your Google Places Page properly set up send me an email at enetwal@gmail.com and put "Free Initial Evaluation" or something similar in the subject line.
Be sure to include your current web site and contact info.
Allegra Dioguardi’s well regarded skills as a housing marketer date back well before Home Staging emerged as the hot trend of the last decade and permanent feature of the next. Today in addition to continuing her career doing home staging in the Hampton’s, she is leading a series of staging courses.
Her skills and knowledge grow out of decades of experience training others to stage model homes and her refined sense of style and design. A Parson’s graduate, Allegra brings not only practical business sense to her new staging course - she brings a flair for design. A flair that can ignite a room’s warmth and glow, and set buyers emotions on fire with desire.
Her next class opening is coming up very soon. (August 6 for AM Classes and August 10 for PM classes) You want to hurry before they fill up. Allegra only takes a handful of people at a time. All the better to provide intense and personal attention.
The course consists of three weekly modules with three sections each. See Allegra’s Site for more detail. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is.
Use the dog days of August to hone your skills for the fall real estate season.
Setting up a web page is only the beginning to online marketing. Now you need to get it seen by potential customers. This used to be challenging in many markets, but there has been a big change in what matters. Today, what matters is being seen on the Google Places Page, and you don't even need to have a web site to do that. (although you should.)
The good news is that its free, and if you know what you are doing, you can maneuver yourself to the top listing in many markets.
That's one of the skill sets I bring to the table. If you would like to get your Google Places Page properly set up send me an email at enetwal@gmail.com and put "Free Initial Evaluation" or something similar in the subject line.
Be sure to include your current web site and contact info.
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Marketing Tip
Setting up a web page is only the beginning to online marketing for a home stager or any other local based business.
Now you need to get it seen by potential customers. This used to be challenging in many markets, but there has been a big change in what matters. Today, what matters is being seen on the Google Places Page, and you don't even need to have a web site to do that. (although you should.)
The good news is that its free, and if you know what you are doing, you can maneuver yourself to the top listing in many markets.
That's one of the skill sets I bring to the table. If you would like to get your Google Places Page properly set up send me an email at enetwal@gmail.com" and put "Free Initial Evaluation" or something similar in the subject line.
Be sure to include your current web site and contact info.
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August 31, 2010 
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