Top Tips For Staging Bookcases + Big News

Bookcases can be intimidating to tackle at times. Most of the time, my students are hesitant to start working on a cluttered display. 

This bookcase was styled by a recent class. An easy way to do it quickly, is to keep removing things till you have only the most striking items left.

We like to also "zig zag" the plants or greenery and color. Focal point pieces can be centered.

In the "before" picture (below), you can see that too many things make it difficult to enjoy the more special pieces. Less is more, as they say.

The best way to start is to remove everything and start fresh. If you are limited on time, just keep removing things till you have a few nice pieces.

There are some rules about com-
position that we teach in the class, such as, texture, color and height. But they are a bit too time-consuming
to explore here.

When there are books, we like to cover them with pretty paper, if practical, and put 1/3rd of them on the horizontal. 

Display collections and pictures, of course, if you are not selling. 

Put the tallest books and accessories on the ends and pull the books level on the front of the shelf.

The question always comes up, "Should we remove the family pictures?" For staging, we do remove most of them but I like to leave some pictures if they look professional and the family is a nice-looking, 

                                                  typical demographic for that neighborhood. If they look like the Addams Family or a biker gang, LOL, we tell them to remove all the pictures. I am serious, though.

People are curious about who lived in the house before them. They are superstitous and looking for signs that it is the perfect place for their family... or not. 

Also, minimize religious or political objects on a bookcase or coffee table. Maybe even consider removing football team memorabilia. People are so sensitive. My hubby loves his Florida team but HATES the rival team.

Thank you for joining us again. We always try to add value to your business or lifestyle.
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If you haven't been following us on FaceBook and Instagram, you are missing amazing tips and beautiful pictures. Lots of them come straight from the training. Join us and comment. We would like to get to know you better.

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If you have been thinking about taking the new, updated online class, now is the time. We have extended the sale price. The details are on the website. 

Online Class Info

We do still have space available for the July and August classes. Starting the 18th - 20th. Email us ASAP. Ask about our BOGO. Email

A HOUSE is not just a HOUSE. It's a Living, Breathing Thing!

A House is not just a House... It's a Living, Breathing Thing! It has a Soul. 

One topic not mentioned often enough in the ever-changing world of home staging... I'll call it the x-Factor. It's emotion. How can we engage the emotional part of the decision-making process? 

We are not just talking about the staging touches, although that is important also. We ARE talking about making your property irresistible by by creating an invisible connection to the the seller, the neighborhood and even the neighbors. How do we do that? 

When my son and daughter-in-law were house-hunting in the downtown Jacksonville historic area, they ended up with 2 equally qualified house options. Both were the right size, the right school district, same features and fenced backyard. 

But one house had a distinctive edge... a "Why We Love This House" home-made brochure. The cover was a black and white photo of the homeowners strolling the baby to the beautiful nearby Riverside Park. There was an immediate connection with the owners. 

The list inside the brochure included right-brain things like, 

1.        If you are upstairs and all the doors are open, you feel like you are living in a treehouse. (The house is surrounded by live oaks.)

2.       The 100 year-old house was owned by one family for most of the 20th century and the builder/owner was a master carpenter. (My son started to envision decades of Christmas celebrations and Thanksgiving dinners in the living room and dining room .)

3.         There are several secret passageways behind the closets. (The kids were thrilled.)

4.        Every 4th of July, the neighbors all walk down to the river to watch the fireworks together. (They are almost looking forward to meeting the neighbors.) 

Etc. Etc. You get the idea. 

We have incorporated this concept in our general recommendations to our staging clients. Only the homeowner can create this list. It's personal.

Now, as you know, in staging circles, we always recommend depersonalizing the house. We are not changing that advice. 

But we do like to see a few pictures of the homeowners (GASP), especially if they are enjoying the amenities of the neighborhood. We ask them to share their favorite unique features of the house and the location. 

Another homeowner's "Why We Love This House" list described the lovely resort-like setting in the backyard. They described having a glass of wine every afternoon on their comfy porch overlooking the quaint lagoon that was connected to the IntraCoastal Waterway. 

 

The list mentioned the grand kids who were able to fish on the edge of the water and even catch beautiful blue crabs certain times of the year. A blue crab motif was used in staging the kitchen. Don't you love it! 

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 "It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Elliot

*We have an opening in next week's class, the 23rd - 25th. Let me know if you can jump in at the last minute for a big discount. 904-945-0093

*Also, we are planning an Advanced Class in the fall. More info to come next month.

*Take the online class while it's on sale. ONLINE CLASS INFO

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Thank you for joining us. 

Becky

www.stagehappy.com

becky@beckyharmon.com  

Left Brain or Right Brain Home Stagers

Transformations Grad on HGTV

LEFT-BRAIN vs. RIGHT -BRAIN 

Which one are you?   

Actually, it takes a little of both to be a successful stager/re-designer. Learn why here.

I am totally right-brain, through and through. Right-brains love color and they are not afraid to tackle Home Goods and Ikea. They can be messy but are spontaneous, fun-loving and able to visualize the color/style solution. They are patient and compassionate with emotional home sellers. They are not good time managers.

Thankfully, God gave me three left-brain friends. They have been a stabilizing force for me as this business grows and evolves. One of them recently organized my accessory storage space. It's a beautiful thing.

My LB friends see a problem right away when it comes to balance and room arranging. They are good at creating order and calm in a space. De-cluttering is easy for them as they can visualize the result. They are organized, prepared and see the plan before it's even on paper. They like scaling out a room on graph paper. The room rendering exercise in the staging class doesn't intimidate them. They don't deal as well with undecided, wishy-washy or emotional clients. And they are not as likely to enjoy creating visual marketing images.

Cassandra Crosby, a retired veteran of a left-brain career has enjoyed immense success as a stager and redesigner in Montgomery, AL. She questioned her ability to change gears and do something she loved. They just finished an HGTV designer showhouse. The program aired several weeks ago. Yay!

Her success proves that you can leave a totally serious corporate position and change direction completely. You can engage a different part of your brain, learn new skills and flourish in one of the fastest growing segments of the real estate industry. Cassandra, we are so proud of your success!!

I am offering free coaching and career strategy sessions for the next week. I have a limited number of slots available, so call ASAP. I want to hear about your plans or dreams.904-207-7527 How can we help you get started?

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Elliot

More info...

Curb Appeal for Dummies 2 + Sale on the Online Class

Avondale Porch  Curb Appeal analysis has become a major part of our staging evaluations. We pay more attention to things like house color and condition, not to mention the need to fill in missing or dead shrubs. Balance, color, symmetry all get a grade. Exterior color selections can be tricky with roof style and paver colors complicating things. Raise the canopy and lower the shrub line. Leave a visual opening to the front doorway area.                  I always enjoy styling and staging houses in the historic neighborhoods. One of the problems I run into frequently is overgrown shrubs and outdated plant selections. Newer varieties perform better and don't take over the visual space that we call Curb Appeal. When these homes were planned many years ago, a certain budget was spent on landscaping. The builders had to supply an abundant selection of prime plant material. Now, many years later, those plants have taken over the lawn. One of my clients who could not sell her house asked my opinion. The interior of the home was absolutely gorgeous. That was not the problem. I asked her to walk outside and look at the house from across the street. "Now describe what do you see?" I asked as she turned around. "I see what you mean. The curb appeal and front of the house doesn't begin to tell the story of the beautiful space beyond the front door. In fact, there were times people made an appointment and didn't get out of the car." Riverside Historic District The old overgrown azaleas and junipers dominated most of the front yard and covered the quaint front porch. I recommended that she pull them out completely and plant low-growing plants next to the foundation. Then sod the space where the large plants had been. This added some extra real estate. After the changes were made, the home sold overnight. Curb Appeal isn't just an afterthought. It's the pretty face that gets the date to the prom! Who cares that you spent a fortune for the dress and shoes. Since 95% of home buyers look online before deciding which homes to tour, the first picture, the front of the house, may be the most important one. I bumped into one of my resort gated neighborhood staging clients awhile back and she said the house had not sold after a long time on the market. I was shocked since our average DOM - Days on the Market - is about 2 to 3 weeks. She remarked that the online stats revealed that 1500 people were looking at the first picture, the front of the house, but only 500 opted to look inside. The interior was beautiful and updated. After reviewing the online link, I realized what caused the problem. The hedge around the house had obscured the photographer's view so he walked up the driveway to get the whole house into the picture. It appeared like the property was tiny when in fact, it was huge. An aerial photo fixed the problem and the house sold right away. Drone photography is fast becoming a solution for expansive properties. How can you judge your property for Curb Appeal? Look at it through the lens of a camera from across the street. This is a powerful tip to objectively view your most important picture.           HGTV Smart House in Jacksonville Beach Obviously, a manicured lawn, fresh mulch and annuals go a long way to freshen things up. One of our "tricks of the trade" is to use Design Master acrylic floral spray in green to camouflage a brown spot on the lawn. Sometimes the shutters or front door need a coat of fresh paint or a color change. And obviously, everything must be immaculate. Several owners of red brick homes in my intracoastal neighborhood have painted their homes white for a more coastal look. Beautiful! Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper would approve. The decorators of the HGTV Smart House added 2 comfy chairs and a tray table with iced tea glasses and a pitcher. We call that Life Style staging. So, put on a pretty face to get that date to the prom. All of your efforts will pay off in getting that property sold in record time for more money. Yay!!!      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Picture of students in the lobby of the Yacht Club where Jacksonville, Fl.classes are held. "It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Elliot More Info         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Testimonials about the new updated online certification class:  Becky,    I just completed the home staging courses last night.  Thank you for offering the class online.  My heart's desire was to come to the classes in person and I thought surely they were not going to be nearly as good online.  I am happy to report the online courses were really great! I especially liked the videos. It was just better when I could see you when you were speaking.  I am certain I will be referring back to my manual again and again.     Thank you for your entrepreneurial spirit and heart for wanting to share your talents to help other people grow!      Here is to happy home staging for years to come!  Sincerely,   Tawnya Langston Columbia, South Carolina Special for Summer Only: Online Class is $250 off. Link to online Class Info      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meet my sisters, Kathy, Mary Ann & Janice (Yes, I'm the bossy one.)

Staging Hacks and More...

Living Room, Dining Room in Beach House Budget Staging Encouraging story for homestagers, agents and homeowner's... We recommended some inexpensive updating for this 70's style house in Atlantic Beach. Original everything! White 12"  floor tile throughout the downstairs. Let me start at the beginning. The homeowners initially declined updating and staging because they thought their proximity to the ocean, a few blocks away, would more than make up for it. After many months on the market with NO offers, they called me back, thanks to a pro-active agent.  Kitchen and baths had not been touched in years, so you can imagine... orangey oak cabinets, formica counter tops and the white 80's tile flooring. For the kitchen, we did a white marble subway back splash with white granite. The cabinets were painted SW Panda White. The cost and mess of the floor tile removal was avoided by choosing the new Luxury Vinyl Planking in a wood style that matched the existing wood floors upstairs. It's thinner and can be installed over the tile. It was a fraction of the cost of tile removal and replacement with wood.  After updating and staging, it went on the market at a higher price and sold in 11 days. Yay!! Video of project...Beach House Video      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some of my favorite hacks: 1. Look through a camera lens to determine if the curb appeal is going to need enhancing. Spend $50 on annuals so the first picture pops. 2. Check under sinks in baths and kitchen for clutter. Use baskets to contain any products. 3. Use Design Master floral tint to camouflage a brown grass spot on the lawn. Get it at Michaels. 4. Nature's Miracle is a wonderful pet stain remover.  5. Cedar blocks will deodorize closets. Cedar shavings in a zippered dog bed will deodorize the dog and repeal fleas. 6. Flavored coffee beans in a decorative container will make the kitchen smell like cookies are baking. The fragrance lasts for months.      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Testimonials about the updated online certification class:  Becky,    I just completed the home staging courses last night.  Thank you for offering the class online.  My heart's desire was to come to the classes in person and I thought surely they were not going to be nearly as good online.  I am happy to report the online courses were really great! I especially liked the videos. It was just better when I could see you when you were speaking.  I am certain I will be referring back to my manual again and again.     Thank you for your entrepreneurial spirit and heart for wanting to share your talents to help other people grow!      Here is to happy home staging for years to come!  Sincerely,   Tawnya Langston Columbia, South Carolina Good-morning, I just completed the Staging and Redesign online course. I want to tell you that I was a little concerned with getting the online course being I am a visual and hands on person however, you were very detailed and answered every question I had about staging! I enjoyed watching the videos as well Thank you Becky,  Jasmine Graham  Link to Online Class Info      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Calling all former Students and Class Graduates... So many of you have called about access to the new, updated online certification class with all the newest forms, videos, business info, etc. Lots of changes are in the business section, social media, marketing. Yes, any former student grads can have lifetime access to our new online portal. Whenever a new webinar or video is created, it will be on the site. It's $100 one-time payment. Most of the other trainers in the US charge an annual fee to have permission to continue to use their logo and have access to updated curriculum. The price will increase in a few months. You will be given a code to gain access. Graduates Online Lifetime Access $100

Happy Valentine's to my Sisters

Color Forecast for 2017, HGTV Dream House

St. Simon's Island Lighthouse I am so excited about 2017!!! We had our biggest year ever and reports from our staging network of grads is very encouraging. Many are expanding, hiring more stagers and designers to be able to keep up. One of our young success stories you may remember is Kristy Anderson from Tampa. She is speaking at the RESA convention and is the proud winner again of the Top Five Stagers in the US. Many are finding Redesign to be their money-making niche. Becky Robbins Designs from St. Louis is hiring designers and moving into new offices this year. So proud of all of you out there. One thing these two super stars have in common is frequent posting on Social Media.  As for color trends, I have been browsing the new forecasts available online and through my ASID resources. Here in the south, we are slow to embrace new trends. I hear things like, "I just can't let go of gray and light blue."  Some of the newest colors won't make it to our conservative city, I'm sure. The color of Mac and cheese.... Please. Not in my house. And deep violet purple, I don't think so. I do like the movement toward deeper, stronger hues. I have my favorites and they can all be seen on the HGTV Dream House for 2017. Find it On Demand or online. This year it is located at nearby St. Simons Island, Georgia.   You will see shades like the color of the year, Poised Taupe SW 6039 and accents of shades like Manea Baja SW 9685, a darker, muted teal. Yum! These colors and lots of exposed wood and texture with white sofas can be seen in the family room. The kitchen backsplash is a deep Coke-bottle green subway tile. I like it! Neutrals and browns scattered around seem to make it work. The forest greens and textured whites together are making me happy. Dreamy! The indigos leaning into soft navy make the pool/game room come alive. There is a bit of deeper muted periwinkle in the house also.  Yes, there's wallpaper (silent scream). Just when you think you've removed that last little bit of wallpaper from the planet... It's baaack! Actually, it's been back for awhile in designer circles. So different, though. Go see the HGTV House in St. Simon's Island if you are in our area. I can't wait to see it in person. Add intensify your colors at home. It's about time!              Picture with my sister from my class reunion this summer. Thanks for joining us. I will end this newsletter with some unsolicited testimonials that just came in the last week from several of our new online format attendees.  Also, we still have space in our January local class starting the 17th. Email me to hold you a spot. Email Becky Becky,    I just completed the home staging courses last night.  Thank you for offering the class online.  My heart's desire was to come to the classes in person and I thought surely they were not going to be nearly as good online.  I am happy to report the online courses were really great! I especially liked the videos. It was just better when I could see you when you were speaking.  I am certain I will be referring back to my manual again and again.     Thank you for your entrepreneurial spirit and heart for wanting to share your talents to help other people grow!      Here is to happy home staging for years to come!  Sincerely,   Tawnya Langston Columbia, South Carolina Hey there Becky,   I am all finished taking the course as well as the self assessment ;) What a wonderful course, it truly helped me get my business up and running...   Be on the look out for my business, we are going to be amazing.  Sun and Splendor Home Staging  Tag line: From staged to sold...  I am also a licensed Realtor  Katie Roddy  Berkshire Hathaway Home Services  Florida Network Realty Good-morning, I just completed the Staging and Redesign online course. I want to tell you that I was a little concerned with getting the online course being I am a visual and hands on person however, you were very detailed and answered every question I had about staging! I enjoyed watching the videos as well Thank you Becky  Jasmine Graham Online Class Info

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If you are an existing student grad of any of our certification classes, you can attend the new online class with all the new forms and content. The whole class has been videotaped, so it's more like being there.  It's $100 for grads for lifetime membership with unlimited access to everything that's new and updated now and in the future.  Send the date you graduated.  Email Becky    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Also, let me know if you are interested in any of our early 2017 Jacksonville classes. They are filling up quickly.   DETAILS Our local RESA meeting is Wednesday, the 11th at 10:30 to 11:45 AM.. 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Jax. FL 32216 Our meeting agenda is the Sherwin Williams Color Forecast for 2017. Plan to join us. RSVP decoratingdelight@gmail.com All are welcome. Happy New Year to you and yours. Have a Beautiful Day, Becky " It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

Merry Christmas Gifts for You

Merry Christmas and Happy 2017

Is your spouse looking for a life-changing gift for you? Do you need a significant discount for this to be an option for you?

I have a gift for you. A box of our newest manuals came back with a couple of typos not corrected. I can't return them. We are getting rid of them with a crazy half-price sale on the online certification Staging/Redesign class. See sale details below...

The entire class is now accessible through a Members Only portal. The $750 regular price is reduced to $375 till the boo boo manuals are gone. (Unless you are an English teacher, you might not even spot the typos.) 

The class includes a download of our CD Power Point presentation for realtors or homeowners and all the latest contracts and invoice templates. We are adding the latest 2016 (with a few typos) copy of the manual till they are gone. 

Also, the entire class has been video recorded, so it's like sitting in the actual class. 

We also have an option for former students to take advantage of this new, easy online format to brush up on skills and see all the new videos and download all contract and form updates for $100. If you took the class before this January 2016, a lot is new. New videos and advanced material will be added as we develop it. This will pay for your membership for the next 2 years. ~ That's about $4.50 a month for complete access to all things new, now and in the future. Email me for the Pay Pal invoice form to pay for access.

becky@beckyharmon.com  

 SALE - 1/2 off Staging/Redesign Online Class - Value $750  

$375 total price (Yike! No Kidding!)

    

   * Complete Online Staging/Redesign Certification Class value - $750

         Instant access to all but shipped items 2016 Manual

     - (Price applies till we are sold out of manuals)

Email me for the Pay Pal invoice to order your certification class. Pay Pal has an option to finance the charge for 6 months without interest.

BECKY'S EMAIL

$375 for the Online Certification Class till the manuals are gone. Does not apply to previous orders.

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Also, let me know if you are interested in any of our early 2017 Jacksonville classes. They are filling up quickly. The students are coming from as far away as California, Idaho, Bermuda and Canada.