In the hurly burliness of life, we often do not pause long enough or often enough to take a look at what we are really doing with our life.
We live as if we will always have time to do the things we want to, hoping we will eventually “get to it”.
Linda Ellis wrote a wonderful poem called "The Dash". The Dash refers to the time in-between the date we were born and the date we die representing all the time we spend here on earth. It matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash. What matters most is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
Think long and hard.
Are there things you would like to change? You have no idea how much time you have left so are you living the life of your dreams?
Truly, at the end of life you will only care whether you loved and were loved in return and if what you did mattered.
Many people are taking the sour economic challenges of today and turning them into lemonade by striking out to open a business of their own. The dream of financial freedom and independence is what motivates them. Sadly, more than 90% of new entrepreneurs fail to reach their true potential. Most work hard, some work smart and some follow a plan. Great business and financial success comes from not creating a job for yourself, but rather it comes from building a business which makes money even when you are not there.
The CSP® program is designed as a blueprint for success; building a business by working with teams then expand to be like a broker in real estate. Step by Step you build the business.
There is a CSP® class coming to you soon. Let us help you live the life you are dreaming about...
Save Money By Spending Money – Hire a Home Stager
This is not a typical discount or coupon deal. Many people who are in the market to sell their home are in dire straights with today’s saturated market and tightened credit qualifications. With real estate prices and market trends as they are, sellers run a serious risk of suffering a loss at the closing table, after long periods of time trying to sell their home. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By investing a small amount of money, up front, for a professional home staging company, the perceived value of your home increases – driving a faster sale, with a price that’s closer to what you’re asking. Let’s get specific.
CSP International philosophy is to always look at home staging from the business perspective. Graduates care significantly, analyzing the real estate market and factoring it into the equation, for every client to position the property for a successful sale. A recent study by HomeGain illustrated the average cost investments of certain home staging projects, and the subsequent return of that expense, once the home sold.
Among other savvy tools for home staging, the study took a look at costs related to clearing space. The average cost for moving extra furniture, kitchen countertop appliances and abundant accessories into a storage unit is $290.00. However, this study showed the return on investment (ROI) once the home sold was about 586%!
Once you’ve cleared extra items away, consider toning down your personal touches. For example, pack away the family photos, the children’s artwork from the fridge and bulletin boards. The purpose is to make the space move in ready in order to secure a fast sale at a high price. Prospective buyers have a difficult time envisioning themselves living in your house if they don’t have kids, or if they are highly organized people.
Another great way of minimizing personal style is to repaint walls with bold colors, with more neutral tones like beige, taupe or honey. The cost of painting, depending on the size of your home, can vary. However, the study indicates the average cost was $1,012, with a ROI of 109%. The home sellers surveyed all received the costs of painting their home back when they sold the house to their buyers. Even more promising – we found that showcasing the home with targeted and, inviting bedding, diverse furnishings and accessories is about $550 in costs, with a 299% return! If these simple efforts will more than reimburse the costs, we say that’s a great deal.
The key to success with these money saving methods is to put the money in the right places. CSP’s know how to maximize budget for the highest return. How well will your property compete with the house down the street? By staging your property with the help of a professional home stager, buyers are able to envision their lives within the rooms of your space. From there, it is just one decision away from a signed contract! Staging your property with a certified staging professional is the best investment you can make in the journey of securing a buyer for your property.
Work with a Certified Staging Professional to gain The Sellers Edge™ Find a stager near you at www.findyourstager.com.
If you are searching for your dream job, we encourage you to start your own business. Don’t leave your future in the hands of another person – embrace a life of entrepreneurship, in which you can be your own boss. Real Estate staging is one of the fastest growing industries, but good business training is essential for success. To learn the essentials for building a profitable, professional home staging business, go to www.stagingtraining.com or call 1-888-STAGING.
Featured Stagers
"I Am A Successful Certified Staging Professional!"
This month's Featured Stagers share what being a staging professional means to them!
Angela Jenkis
CCSP, Chain Department cubicle worker... now a stager!
"The old cliche' of 'good things come to those who wait' is true. Work hard, network and continue to believe in yourself and your business. One day you will wake up and realize it was all worth it."
"What I think of as my claim to fame is my part in the huge growth in awareness and appreciation of staging in my marketplace. No one knew what staging was in my marketplace when I started, and I know I have been very instrumental in telling and showing its benefits."
Real Estate Market Data: We’re in the Real Estate Business, Not Decorating
Unlike other staging companies, we take the business side of home staging very seriously. In addition to design and decorating acumen, real estate business expertise is pivotal for successfully staging homes to sell. Regardless of current economic conditions, it’s this business-oriented philosophy that has brought success to our real estate clients and our trained staging professionals. As a result, we don’t neglect to stay very current on the housing market and its activity, to maintain the high-level perspective that’s critical for the business that we’re in.
Today’s current economy is still in flux, with an optimistic outlook. According to a release by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), existing home sales rates are higher this year than last. While June was a more successful month than July, this annual increase indicates a hopefulness of housing recovery. Despite this long term growth, the short term indicators appear disappointing. According to the NAR, “The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $174,000 in July, down 4.4 percent from July 2010.”
However, the numbers are not all bad. “Existing condominium and co-op sales were unchanged at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 550,000 in July, and are 17.3 percent above the 469,000-unit pace one year ago,” reported NAR.
It’s our belief that any home staging professional can work their way out of a recession by building and investing in his or her own business.
Real Estate Staging Expert Christine Rae To Be Honored With Golden Quill Award in Hollywood
Christine Rae, author and home staging expert, will receive a Golden Quill Award from The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ at the Second Annual Best Seller’s Summit and Awards Gala.
Orlando, Fla. – October 18, 2011 – Christine Rae, President and CEO of CSP International™ Business Training Academy, will be recognized at the Second Annual Best Seller’s Summit and Awards Gala hosted by National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™. The event will be taking place October 20-21, 2011 at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.
Christine Rae will be honored for becoming a best seller with the book Trendsetters: The World’s Leading Experts Reveal Top Trends To Help You Achieve Greater Health, Wealth and Success!. The book features top advice from leading entrepreneurs, business owners and marketing experts from around the world. The authors tackle an array of subjects ranging from health, wealth, marketing and business success. Trendsetters was released on Thursday, October 6th, 2011 by business book publisher CelebrityPress™. On the day of release, Trendsetters reached best-seller status in two Amazon.com categories: Entrepreneurship and Direct Marketing.
Christine is well known and respected for her work as a successful international trainer, speaker, entrepreneur and author of Home Staging for Dummies (Wiley.)
For more information on how you can earn your CSP International Masters of Real Estate Staging – Read More.
From Robert Kiyosaki, Author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"...
"The problem is most people don’t build the business; they build themselves a job. They’re self-employed and that’s the problem. Businesses by definition must have integrity. Integrity means it just holds its shape and it can operate without you. If the business needs you, it doesn’t work. If Donald shut Trump down today, it would still work. If I shut down Rich Dad today, it would still work."
Certified Staging Professionals who follow the CSP process succeed. Michael E. Gerber says if you are always doing, doing doing you have a job not a business. Work on the business not in the business is key to success.
Subscribe today and have the Staging Standard Magazine delivered to your door today!
Note: CSPs and CSP International Masters visit the CSP Business Resource Centre to learn how to customize the magazine with your photograph, logo, and have it delivered directly to your potential clients.
Share the News...
I invite and encourage you to share this month's newsletter with your friends, colleagues and clients.
Sincerely, Christine Rae
President, Founder
CSP International Business Training Academy
"Forget what you thought you knew about decorating! From colour theory to working with fabrics and integral elements of design, Cheryl delves deep into the concepts and gives you tools you can put to use immediately; an excellent educational experience and a great foundation for expanding your business into restaging!" Sandra Porter
"Cheryl Cousin's CSP Staging For Living class is a must for anyone wanting to expand their staging business to include decorating and redesign. She is an exceptionally talented decorator with a wealth of knowledge of her industry. Cheryl made the classroom instruction and field trip fun, challenging and rewarding, and the tips and ideas she shared were invaluable. I was in total awe of Cheryl's skills as a decorator, and I'm convinced there is not a single room she can't make beautiful!" Susi Pereira - Well Dressed Home
Upcoming Webinar Classes
Create A Weblog
October 26, 2011
Greening Your Business Will Improve Your Bottom Line
November 2, 2011
Color Clinic
November 3, 2011
Is Home Staging The Path For You
November 6, 2011
Mastering The Art of Difficult Conversations With Sellers
