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Now that we’re into September, while the weather may be cooling down, the fall real estate market is heating up! There couldn’t be a better time to take a good look at your home staging business and make sure your image is polished to perfection for the (potentially) busy months ahead.

Have you been in the business long enough that you don’t feel you need to do anything different? What a shame! All home stagers should do a bit of maintenance on their businesses regularly no matter how long they’ve been in the industry.

The following is a classic 5-point “Are you ready?” list to help you prepare for the fall real estate market whether you’re a new or more seasoned home stager:

1. What are you wearing? No, I won’t get into wearing white after Labor Day here, but you should go through your wardrobe and make sure you have some appropriate, fashionable items from last fall that are not out of date and that still fit. Make sure your shoes are in good shape and your jackets have been dry-cleaned. You should invest in a few new pieces now as well to help get you through another season. Treat yourself to a new hair cut. Besides giving yourself a new look for fall, you’ll feel great and get an instant confidence boost.

2. Spend some time on your website. If you’re like most people who have a website, it’s never going to be finished, and it shouldn’t be! You should constantly be adding new content and updating your photos and testimonials. As your business evolves your website will too. If you don’t have a website, how are homeowners going to find you? Graduates of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program are given the option of adding their profile to an exclusive Directory of Home Stagers. It acts as an instant web presence and allows homeowners and Realtors® to find an expert home stager in their city very easily.

3. How current is your portfolio? If you’ve been busy and haven’t had time to update your portfolio with all the great before and after shots you’ve taken over the summer don’t put it off any longer. With fall being such a hot time for homeowners to list their properties you can’t afford to have a home staging portfolio that’s less than perfect.

4. Are your marketing materials current? When did you last give your marketing materials a facelift? Do you think it’s time? Did you get some cheap business cards when you first started your business and feel ready to upgrade to something nicer? Has any of your contact information changed? When you have your business cards all ready to go, you have to use them in order for them to do you any good! Get out and network. If you haven’t already, join your local Chamber of Commerce or referral group and start getting connected.

5. Do you have a plan? Do you have a marketing plan for your home staging business? You don’t have to invest 40 hours creating a big fancy marketing plan. Spend focused time at your computer or sitting down with a pen and paper to make a list of marketing goals along with a list of specific steps you will take to reach those goals. The more specific you are the better, and keep it simple so that you will take action rather than feeling overwhelmed. Fall is the perfect time to do this. Staging Diva Sales and Marketing Secrets to Boost Your Home Staging Business includes a handy list of inexpensive marketing tactics you can start using right away.

So, are you ready? Because ready or not, the fall real estate market is creeping up behind you! Don’t make the mistake of staying in your comfort zone. Try something different in your marketing or add something new to your website. Make sure you’re at the top of your game for this season and you will be rewarded for your efforts!

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, president of Six Elements and creator of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program has trained 900+ Graduates worldwide on the business of home staging. Debra is the author of two home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar.

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Staging a home can be a lucrative task, if done correctly. However do not feel discouraged if you do not have enough funds in the bank to cover a full on home renovation. Home staging is a technique used to make a house on the market look more appealing to buyers. Staging makes the potential buyer envision living in the space. The buyers will be under the impression that they are in control but, quite the opposite is true. With playing up the key features and downplaying the not so complementary features in the home all work to your advantage and work to put the exact image you want the prospective buyers to perceive of your home.

The most inexpensive thing you can do is paint. Painting the walls with a neutral color scheme is not only visually relaxing and warms up the interior, painting in a neutral color scheme emanates a sense of luxury. That luxury came to you at the mere price of a few cans of paint at the local Home Depot. Not a bad exchange at all.

Cleaning a filthy worn carpet is a money saving strategy most home sellers overlook. Just because a carpet is worn and torn, does not mean it can’t be revived back into the beauty it was in its previous years. Stripping flooring and re-staining is generally a cost effective alternative to an all out extravagant purchase of a brand new floor for the entire home. Why spend thousands more on something when you will not be living there. You may be influenced to think that replacing flooring in your home will boost the appraisal price that is true and false. It may or may not boost your appraisal price, that is a gamble you will have to take. Let’s say it does boost your appraisal price, fantastic. However, the bottom line is you will not get 100% return on this investment. So therefore it is not profitable and not worth your effort.

Make a cramped floor plan look open. Play with the placement of your furniture until you get a seating arrangement that flows from one space to another. Nothing can hurt a sale as bad as clutter and buyers being under the impression that the property is lacking in space. This is crucial to selling your home, and requires no investment. Lastly make sure everything is clean. At an open house, tidy just won’t cut it. Buyers will notice the spider web at the far back corner of your attic, they will notice the chipped paint on your windowsill, and they will even notice the oil splatters on your kitchen stove. Buyers are like food critics, at an open house they feel it is their right and duty to criticize the home, its condition, the home owner’s cleanliness, and the maintenance that is put into the property. Combining all of the inexpensive staging techniques will make for a faster more profitable home sale.

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Several years ago I sat listening in disbelief and horror as one of my students recounted her sister’s experience with hiring a home stager. Before the consultation was complete, the rudeness and arrogance of the stager had caused the client to dissolve in tears.

This story has inspired me to always be very aware of how I conduct myself and how I train other stagers to conduct themselves during staging consultations. Always treat the home seller with kindness and respect.

Handle those sticky situations such as smelly kitty litter odor with tact - don’t simply state that the house SMELLS!

You don’t want to put your client on the defensive, make them angry or make them feel like they are complete slobs.

There are a few simple ways of addressing issues that will keep everyone happy while still making your point!
An example of this is to always tell your client how critical it is to have a clean home - make sure they understand that this is something you talk to ALL your clients about- and do this immediately upon entering the home. Don’t move forward until you have stated this fact!

Don’t wait to remember how important a clean home is until you happen to see unbelievable grime ringing the tub! Stating that information at that time only makes the cleaning issue “personal.” Now your client feels accused, judged and found guilty!

Another issue I have is the stager that puts the seller on overload with their rapid litany of all the substandard things going on in that home - and in addition, adding the things the seller must do in order to get the home in a more saleable condition.

Reassure your client that you are going to submit a written report which will highlight all the things that need to be addressed. This also alleviated the fear that they are going to miss some valuable information during the consult and it will also save you considerable time!

Put your report in a bulleted format under separate headings and avoid any extra verbiage. If presented in such a format, the sellers can use this as their check-off list as individual tasks are accomplished. An abbreviated example follows:
Living Room
• Carpet needs stretching
• Replace broken blind
• Remove broken ceiling fan and replace with new
• Create better traffic flow (as discussed)

Billy’s Room
Using their child’s name in lieu of referencing it as “the little bedroom” adds that personal touch - you cared enough to remember their son’s - and honestly, how hard is that?
• Paint walls and woodwork
• You get the picture

Educate your client so they understand that the maintenance might be the hardest part of the staging process. Living in a staged home is NOT a natural lifestyle!

Assist them by providing a courtesy “Daily To Do List.”

By setting the alarm only 10 or 15 minutes earlier, each family member can contribute to tidying the home before leaving for work and school.

A top-notch stager is going to go the extra mile for his or her client and realtor-and this is what will bring you future staging opportunities.

So again, just remember, don’t make your client cry!

Victoria Palmer is the director and founder of National Redesign Institute which gives career training in Interior Redesign, Home Staging and Interior Decorating. Most recently she has launched the more cost-effective long distant programs for her student’s pocketbooks and convenience.

Victoria also strives to offer members of the National Redesign Institute ongoing opportunities to grow their businesses through related resources, newsletters, conferences and professional listings. Victoria is also the owner of Urbane-Interiors, a full service design firm servicing the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. She has recently been invited by the Kansas City Home Builder’s Association to speak at the annual Fall Home Show, Bartle Hall, KCMo.

Visit Victoria at http://nationalredesigninstitute.com or http://urbane-interiors.com

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Many of today’s top real estate agents understand the power that the internet has when it comes to bringing together buyers and available inventory. With recent estimates being that over 80% of home buyers starting their search for properties online, it’s imperative that real estate agents take advantage of the latest trends in technology.

One of the trends that has emerged recently has been to showcase homes online using virtual staging techniques rather than traditional in-house staging. Using a computer program, virtual home stagers are able to take a picture of a home and alter it any way they like. This can involve everything from changing wall colors to moving around furniture.

Fans of this technique say that virtual staging is far more cost-effective than traditional home staging, which can be expensive and time consuming for sellers. With a few clicks of a mouse, a room can be transformed from dingy to delectable.

Properties that benefit the most from this technology are the vacant homes that have no furnishings or personal touches. Empty houses can prove difficult to promote via photographs. All that buyers see in the pictures are four white and carpeting. It’s very difficult for potential buyers to visualize themselves living in the property because it appears so cold and uninviting.

In addition, many empty houses look alike when photographed. Architectural features can get overwhelmed by the lack of personality in the room, and buyers can’t see the home’s true potential.

With virtual staging however, you can easily add elegant furniture and area rugs in order to personalize the space. Buyers will see a home that is welcoming and homey, which is exactly what they’re looking for.

Opponents say that virtual home staging is deceptive and unethical. A buyer sees a perfectly staged and decorated home on the internet, but when they see the property in person, they’re disappointed. It is then up to the real estate agent to explain that the listing showed only a computer-generated version of the home–essentially showing the home’s potential rather than its present reality.

But if virtual staging is seen as deceptive, is it really any more misleading than traditional staging techniques? When you hire a home staging professional, they come to your home and either rearrange your items to make the property more appealing, or else they bring in their own furniture–props if you will–to make the space look its best.

Another part of the debate is where do you draw the line? If it’s okay to change the window treatments to something nicer, is it all right to erase wall cracks and other flaws? What if you want to add virtual furniture to a room? If the furniture you select isn’t to scale with the true dimensions of the house, you could make the rooms appear to have more space than they actually do.

It’s important for agents who decide to use this technology to be very aware of how they use it and what their intentions are. If adding faux furniture to an empty room can get buyers to view the property in person, then that’s fine. When you start to alter the image of the house itself in order to make it look like something it’s not, that’s when you’re crossing the ethical line.

For great information on the Atlanta real estate market and for incredible Intown Atlanta real estate listings, and to browse homes and properties for sale, visit RealSourceBrokers.com. This site is easily the most developed and useful Intown Atlanta real estate resource online.

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From the home inspector’s point of view there is always a VERY different approach to the meaning of this title phrase than from the seller’s position. And for a very simple reason - “we” (the property owners) tend to forget about areas in our homes that don’t (at least not immediately) impact our daily routines. For as long as we don’t feel any dramatic changes in our surroundings, everything is assumed to be alright. We adjust and fail to notice small, gradual changes, and because, over the years of living in the house, it was decorated (in and out) to please our personal senses, we think that everything is in a good shape, and the property will sell quickly, just because “we” love it so much.

And this approach, or rather this natural human behavior, worked perfectly for the past few years. Unfortunately for the sellers, with the currently unstable real estate market, preparing your house for sale might need that extra ingredient to help successfully complete the entire transaction.

During the recent months, I’ve had several clients using my inspection services 2 or 3 times each (it never happened that often during my 10 years of being in this business). I’m not sure if the sellers of all those properties searched the Internet for home selling tips, or preparing their homes for sale guidelines, but if you’d only look at those houses appeal, most of them were pretty much ready to move-in: clean, de-cluttered, de-personalized (so the buyer could easier picture himself as the owner), rearranged, with a perfect curb appeal … yet that did not sell. Why?

- Because the current market buyers’ approach (at least my clients) changed dramatically, they seem to be more interested in what they can’t see (behind the wall and under the floor) than how neatly your house has been arranged or how clean it is.

- Because the sellers didn’t check the attic and crawlspace area, heavily contaminated with black mold.

Don’t get me wrong - so called “Staging” or “House dressing” (preparing your house cosmetically so it appeals best to the broadest amount of potential buyers) is still very important, it’s the bait! And that first impression may give you the signature on a contract, but if your potential buyer brings a home inspector, that signature might start fading extremely fast. You can, of course, keep gambling because not every buyer hires a home inspector, but if he does, it might be already too late to save the deal.

Wouldn’t it be better to check a few critical items before you put a property on the market? - recognizing those major issues is simple and you could do it yourself, or have a friend checking it for you. What you might gain, for just a few minutes of your time, is avoid a lot of frustration, aggravation, and eventually, a canceled deal. If you have a critical issue, it’s much better to have it taken care of before listing your property for sale, and even add credibility to your offer by providing a buyer with warranty papers from any performed repairs. During negotiations, you’ll often end up paying much more for the repair because it is driven by emotions, time limitations, and just wanting to get it over with. And even if you fix it, the deal may simply fall through - buyers often loose trust to the sellers because according to the disclosure, the problems discovered during the home inspection should not exist (at this point it doesn’t matter for the buyer if you really didn’t know about the problem).

The critical and usually the most expensive issues to correct are: mold, roofs, cracked / leaking foundations, and heating systems.

1. For the house heating system, it would be a good idea to get it checked and certified by a licensed HVAC contractor. Than you can provide a potential buyer with a proof of such service (make sure it is a recent one).

2. Cracked / leaking foundation - don’t mark the disclosure sheet that you don’t know anything about it, unless you’re sure that it is not leaking. Just take a walk along the foundation exterior and interior, look for cracks and stains / discoloration on the finished walls along the base. It’s a mental approach - a lot of the buyers are scared of cracked foundations, they don’t know if a crack, even a small one, could become a disaster in the future. As a seller, you’re not in the position to make such a guarantee. But, the scenario changes if you hire a professional (it’s a good idea to use an established company like US Waterproofing or Perma Seal) and present the buyer with a warranty documentation - the responsibility for the foundation condition just shifted over to the hired contractor (this works for every type of repair as long as you can provide sufficient paperwork, and believe me, it makes the buyer happy).

3. Crawlspaces - most of the time, they’re not a pleasant place to visit, but are often responsible for many surprises. If you have never been there and are selling a house with one underneath - shine your light under the floor, and at least make sure that is dry, well ventilated, and has no leaking plumbing.

4. Roofs - it is very important and most of the “home selling tips” have it listed as one of the top priorities. A new roof adds value to the house (make sure that you have no more that 2 layers installed), secures everything within your property, but it might be a waste of money if you fail to check what’s underneath. It seems like nobody does it - if you have an attic under the roof, that short trip to evaluate it might be worth somewhere around $3,000.00 - $10,000.00 … for the mold cleanup - that’s just doubled the roof replacement cost! If you just did the roof without checking what’s underneath, and you do have a mold problem, replacing the contaminated decking (plywood sheets) at the time of the shingles (or other material) replacement could be cheaper than the mold remediation process itself.

5. Mold - again, check the attic; the critical areas are usually located above the bathrooms and bedrooms. Lack of or inadequate attic ventilation is the most common cause. Check the foundation surface for moisture and stains or growth of any type, look inside the basement closets, cabinets on exterior walls, or any other poorly ventilated areas.

Depending on your abilities, checking those few items shouldn’t take you more than 15 - 45 minutes, but it might save you precious time and tons of money when it comes to deal negotiations - Good Luck.

Get more valuable information about preparing your house for sale, maintaining it and correcting most common problems the right way from the beginning. Learn how to personally inspect the most critical areas of your property, and let Dariusz Rudnicki to be your guide at http://checkthishouse.com

Dariusz is a licensed Illinois home inspector who has been in this business for ten years, crawling through the areas you’d newer expect that even exist in your house … just to let you now if everything is working properly.

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The home staging industry is alive and well and full of opportunity for anyone wanting to profit from their creative talents with a fulfilling career decorating homes to sell; that includes women and men! Yes, there are men working in the home staging industry even though they are dramatically outnumbered by their female counterparts. However, there is no good reason why the ratios are so unbalanced.

There are plenty of men in the real estate industry. Male interior designers are not difficult to come by either. Just look in the media - can you think of a designer with a better career right now than Nate Berkus? He’s probably one of the world’s most easily recognizable decorators and by the way…did you know that he doesn’t have a formal education in interior design?

There’s proof that the lack of a degree in interior design shouldn’t hold anyone back from pursuing their dreams of working as an interior redesigner or home stager; it’s about knowing how to capitalize on your talent by turning it into a viable business.

Once you start looking for men in the design industry in popular media you’ll see lots of them. You may have heard of a little show called Extreme Makeover Home Edition. As of this writing, seven of their eleven designers are men including the very manly Ty Pennington.

One of the most entertaining real estate reality shows on television would have to be Flipping Out featuring Jeff Lewis, another successful male designer. His university degree is in legal studies not design. Did you know he bought, renovated and sold 45 properties in 9 years!

It’s puzzling to me why only a handful of the more than 900 graduates of the Staging Diva® Home Staging Training Program are men, especially since these male graduates are so successful. One of these men is Gary Baugher of An Eye 4 Change in Nashville. Gary made a scary decision when he left a secure management position he had held for 15 years at a car rental company to pursue a career in home staging - but he hasn’t looked back since.

Another man who has graduated from the Staging Diva Program, Ken Sater of Creative Home Visions in California, has a very similar story to Gary’s. Ken came into home staging after working for 14 years in the insurance industry followed by an 18 year career in mortgage banking. Making a cool six figure income in his first year as a home stager, I know he’s not trading in being his own boss staging homes for a return to the corporate world anytime soon.

What could have prompted two men in such non-creative fields to get into home staging?

Both discovered through the purchase and sale of several of their own homes that they were able to significantly increase a home’s value with their innate ability to make their properties universally appeal to buyers. Gary and Ken were asked repeatedly by neighbors how they were able to sell their homes so quickly and they each realized that they had a very valuable and marketable skill. They each went on to profit from that skill after breaking away from their stuffy desk jobs and into the creatively fulfilling field of home staging.

Another very successful Staging Diva Graduate, Adam Luttrell of Tasmania, Australia has made a booming success of his property presentation company Shift by Design. His background is in advertising, multimedia, business management and creative development. He eventually discovered that by blending these skills with a passion for real estate he could really make a difference in peoples’ lives by starting a home staging business.

That’s another trait these three men share; besides a keen focus on turning their talents into successful staging businesses - they all sincerely love being able to help others in such a positive way by dramatically increasing the value of their clients’ properties.

If you’re a man who has been putting off starting a home staging career because of the stereotype that only women can do this, or because you have no formal decorating training, no more excuses. Go for it!

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

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A common question new and experienced Stagers ask is how much should I charge for my services? Most people come up with pricing by looking at what the competition is charging and using that as a baseline. They either charge the same, less or maybe a little bit more.

Now just because this is what everyone is doing, doesn’t make it right. You have to ask yourself what type of customer and business you want to attract and package your services accordingly. Your ability to sell your services and its perceived value is really the key. Studies have shown that individuals do not buy based on price. As a matter of fact, price is one of the least important things in terms of dealing with an individual or a company. What people find important are confidence, selection and convenience. So, if you can confidently offer your menu of services and make it easy for them to buy, you’re set.

An analogy I use a lot is, if you want Wal-Mart pricing, you’ll get Wal-Mart service. If you want Nordstrom service, you must be willing to pay Nordstrom prices. Does that make sense? If you think you can offer Nordstrom service at Wal-Mart prices, you’re kidding yourself. And by service, I don’t just mean customer service. Service includes the whole staging design package - consultation, moving services, delivery, implementation, inventory, administration - the entire experience and the quality of that experience. When I started getting the reputation of being “expensive” or “pricey”, but “she’s good”, I figured there are worse things to be known for. I never wanted to be known as the “low price leader”. One thing I readily admitted to inquiring prospects when they said that my prices were high was that I’m not known for low prices. If that was their basis for choosing a staging service, I was not going to be a fit for them. I stood by the fact that I provided a quality service at a fair price. Now, what’s fair? Fair is a price that I felt good about receiving for what I provided.

Are you happy with the price you are charging? If not, change it. Don’t complain that clients only want to pay low prices or that your competitors are forcing you to lower your prices. Your competitors are not lowering your prices and neither are your customers. You’re the one doing it. You bid on the project, you publish the prices (I never published prices on my website), and you provided the quote. Remember that if everyone only wanted to pay low prices, we’d all be driving the same cars, living in the same houses, eating at fast food restaurants, and wearing the same clothes. Since the luxury market is the fastest growing retail segment out there, this is obviously not true.

The thing I learned in my many years in sales was that whenever I cut my prices to “be competitive”, I always regretted it. The client never appreciated the discount and I didn’t enjoy servicing the account. I felt robbed and that’s not how I want to feel when I’m working with clients.

You want to have the type of client who you enjoy working with, where you can deliver the type of value you want to deliver and get paid well for it. Stop trying to work with people that you don’t make a profit from. You’re not a non-profit organization nor are you in the charity business. If your customer truly needs a low price, you really can’t afford to sell to them.

Two common objections that you’ve probably heard:

1) “Your prices are too high. XYZ Stager is only $XXX”, i.e. “I can get it cheaper somewhere else.”

I used to laugh when they would call and during the pre-qualification stage of the conversation when we’re trying to figure out what their budget is, they almost always thought that the price we would quote will somehow be less than the number they had in their mind. If their number was way off base, I would encourage them to go with the low quote they supposedly received, then slip in the “buyer beware” to create doubt in their minds. The best thing for you to do is acknowledge the claim and tell them you cannot meet or beat the price, so they should GO FOR IT and GOOD LUCK! Sometimes just doing this was simply calling their bluff and they would go with your services anyway at the price you quoted. If not, you still win because more than likely, they would have been a nightmare customer.

There are usually 3 reasons why they really can’t get it cheaper somewhere else:

a) They’re lying about the price. They’re really just trying to

negotiate with you.

b) The same stuff is not available right now. Maybe they

can get it for a lower price but the service is not available

for 3 weeks and we know that real estate is very time-sensitive.

c) It’s not the same stuff. If they honestly believe they can get

the same Staging for $500 that someone else quoted $1500,

I need to work with the $500 Stager to help her raise her

prices!

2) “If you give me a good price, I have X number of other properties for you to stage.”

Don’t fall for this one. I know it is a tempting offer, but it’s usually just a negotiation tactic to get you to discount your prices and once you do, they’ll keep asking for additional discounts. Here’s what I would recommend you say, “Mr./Ms. X. Thank you for your interest in our Staging Design services and the opportunity to work with you. Since we have not had the chance to work with one another yet, why don’t we start with one property and see if it’s a good fit before we discuss other projects. If it works out, I would love to work with you on all your future projects and I always take care of my loyal customers. Does that sound fair?”

How can anyone object to that? You’re being gracious. You’re giving them an out if things don’t work out. You’re not offering a discount, but it is understood that if you work with one another regularly, over time, you will take care of them (however you choose to, i.e. squeezing them in at the last minute, complimentary consultations, etc.). Everyone wins.

Save yourself time and aggravation by avoiding these types of customers and focus on the “good” customers. In closing, keep the following reasons in mind why you DO NOT want to deal with price buyers:

o Price buyers take up all your time.

o They do all the complaining

o They “forget” to pay you.

o They tell other Customers how little they paid you and brag about it.

o They’re not going to buy from you again because the only loyalty they have is to the price -

they’ll always be looking for a lower price.

© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

© 2008 AKC Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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 Staging Designer’s Success Coach, publishes the bi-weekly ezine “Set the Stage for Your Success”. If you’re ready to skyrocket your Staging Design business and gain credibility in record time, get your FREE tips now at http://www.SuccessfulStagingBiz.com

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Being a professional home stager, you know the end goal of your projects is to make home buyers fall in love with the space you are decorating. Wall art plays a large role in creating an environment that a potential buyer will feel comfortable and content in by enhancing the home’s beauty and giving each room a polished look.

Art should make a room feel inviting and warm but it should not distract homebuyers by becoming a focal point. You also don’t want to offend or upset buyers by using religious art, nudes, or anything else that could potentially put someone off. It’s not about your taste or the homeowners’ taste, but what will appeal to the largest amount of potential buyers.

While most home stagers know how important art is to their projects, several things make it difficult to obtain great art to decorate a house to sell. First of all, many home stagers don’t have the time to travel to numerous stores or galleries to build up a collection for different staging projects. Real estate stagers also find that it’s often quite expensive, especially when you add in framing costs. Then there’s the whole issue of finding staging-appropriate pieces.

It can be very challenging to find a nice painting that will not steal center stage and work against you by distracting the home buyer. Yet another challenge is finding pieces that will work in several different homes. Besides these points, there’s the hassle of selecting frames and arranging for delivery. After all this trouble, many home stagers second guess their selection and wonder whether it will actually look right when it’s set against the room’s paint color.

The Staging Diva Art Shop was developed by seasoned home stager and founder of Six Elements Inc., Debra Gould, to make the art search easier for home stagers. At one convenient web address, you can purchase art that has been pre-selected by the Staging Diva herself. Searches can be conducted by room type and each piece is available in a variety of finishes and sizes with multiple framing options. Many stagers opt for ordering canvas art prints through the Staging Diva Home Staging Art Shop. These maintain all the sophistication of framed art, but are simpler to handle, easier to ship and less expensive than a heavy frame with glass.

The virtual aspect of purchasing art this way gives home stagers an interesting option which isn’t available at traditional art shops. When the art and frame or canvas wrap style are selected, you have the option to view on screen what it will look like with different wall colors before you buy.

Each piece of art you add to your inventory can be purchased from the comfort of your own home office and delivered to your door. When the art is delivered, it’s yours to rent over and over to your home staging clients, giving you a nice stream of residual income throughout the year.

As the fall real estate market gets underway, it’s the perfect time to start a new season with some fresh pieces of art in your inventory. Being perceived as an art expert will up your credibility in the eyes of your home staging clients. The intimidation factor and hassle that come with selecting art the old fashioned way will be removed and you make more money at the same time. Win-win-win!

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements Inc. and creator of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 900+ Graduates worldwide. She is the author of “Staging Diva Ultimate Color Guide: The Easy Way to Pick colors for Home Staging Projects”, and “Staging Diva Ultimate Guide: Creating The Perfect Portfolio to Sell Your Home Staging Services”. Debra created the Staging Diva ArtShop and has also developed a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. To learn more visit http://www.stagindiva.com.

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In Dubai there are now strong signs that the government is getting some sort of grip on the excesses of the Dubai property market - and about time too. We have long viewed the market as quite high risk. The market has an unusual set of drivers and is not exactly the most transparent place to buy property.

The huge amount of building there inevitably raises questions about oversupply, but seemingly so far demand has outstripped supply.

Price growth in some parts of Dubai has been reported to be an almost unbelievable 79% in 2007, that is on top of already impressive growth figures in the previous years. High growth is continuing in 2008.

Now in mid-2008 the government is stepping in to to regulate off-plan purchases, mortgages and are implementing a whole raft of measures to cool the market. These are likely to do the job they are intended to do.

Like some of the buildings in Dubai the property market has seemed to defy gravity. With high prices and more heavy government intervention I would be even more wary of investing in Dubai than I have been in the last few years. It remains to be seen where the Dubai property market will head next and whether the Dubai government can really use their oil money to turn a patch of desert into one of the world’s true commercial and financial centres.

Overall, I would avoid Dubai as an investment location, high investment returns can be made elsewhere for much lower risk.

Simon Tweddle is Managing Director of an international property investment company based in Prague, Czech Republic. http://www.propertyinvestmentinternational.com

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I am excited to bring you the news that - in the short term, at least - the nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that happened over the weekend is having the desired effect.

The result of the nationalization, or conservatorship? Mortgage rates closed Friday at 6.25%, and opened yesterday morning at 5.5%. Why? Because the Nationalization of Fannie and Freddie caused MBS (mortgage backed securities) to look very similar in stability to a Treasury Bill. Now these bonds are (implicitly) backed by the full faith of the Federal Government. So, money went pouring into these securities.

And that has spelled some good news for you. Action Items:

1. Contact all the prospects who are fence-sitting. They want to buy a home - someday - but are waiting in the wings, either because there is just no urgency, or out of nervousness about the market. Tell them what rates are doing, and put them under contract.

2. Call your past clients. Tell them what rates are doing, and invite them to a refinance feasibility analysis, FREE!, with your lender. Oh, your real reason for calling? Tell them about the $7500 tax credit for First Time Home Buyers and ask them to rack their brain and refer anyone they know who is considering buying their first home to you.

Going forward, I would expect volatility in rates as the market digests this unprecedented move by the government. Initially, at least, it has been very good in stepping out to accomplish what the Fed wanted - to spur the housing market to find stable ground.

Nothing so momentous as righting the housing slump happens overnight. But remember, that in spite of all the numbers, and the belief held naively by some that the hard numbers dictate the market, it is not true. Sentiment dictates the direction of the market - a Bull or Bear market in stocks, just the same as a buyers’ or sellers’ market in housing. And, as sentiment shifts, the move will be rapid and buyers will jump on the bandwagon, and sellers will begin to stand firm on their price again.

At first glance, the take-over is working. So, jump out in front of this wave and ride it high!

Jim Duffy is a Mortgage Banker with Phoenix Global Mortgage in Atlanta, GA, and has helped thousands finance their homes over the years. Check out his blog, and leave a comment, http://www.MortgageLenderAtlanta.com

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