Online Class Sale + New Student Pictures

Beware! Staging Class will make you a shopaholic!!!

BEWARE!!!! Staging Class will turn you into an accessory shopaholic!! These student grads from our November class that ended last Friday discovered At Home before driving back to North Carolina. They nearly filled up the Suburban. What fun!!  We toured my storage facility during the class and it inspired a shopping frenzy the day after graduation. The Vacant Staging section of the class has been completely updated. Just in time... vacant staging business for home stagers everywhere has been outrageously profitable... for stagers and the homeowners. 90% of our staged homes sell within 15 days.  And to answer the question I get quite often from potential students: No, you don't need to own furniture to make money doing Vacant Home Staging.  Connie Bolen and Tonya Robbins of Holden Beach, NC... you win the award for a FAST START race to the finish line.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ See sale details below... The entire class is now accessible through a Members Only portal. The $750 price is reduced to $500 plus for a short time, we are adding a 7 piece set of professionally produced audio CDs of the entire class, valued at $150. These recordings can reinforce your training as you listen while in your car. The class includes a download of our CD presentation for realtors or homeowners and all the latest contracts and invoice templates. $100. We are adding the latest version of the manual that includes all the newest forms, etc. Also, the entire class has been video recorded, so it's like sitting in the actual class. Value $1000. 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 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 form to pay for access. becky@beckyharmon.com    SALE - 1/2 off Online Class plus amazing extras - Value $1000   Class + Extras =  $500 total price         * Complete Online Staging/Redesign Certification Class value - $750          Instant access to all but shipped items            + EXTRAS    * 7 Hours of Class Recordings in CDs, Shipped UPS - value $150    * Newest Manual, Shipped UPS value $50    * Newest Contracts, Forms and Invoice Templates    * CD Download of Realtor/Homeowner Presentation value $50    * Updated Vacant Staging Presentation    * Limited Quantity - (Price applies till we are sold out)  Pay for Class     Specials are not mentioned on the payment page but will apply till supplies are gone.    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and yours. Have a Beautiful Day, Becky Contact Us " It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

Preferred Vendor Keith at the Carpet Man for Flooring Installation in 24 - 48 Hours 904-803-7825 1988 Wells Rd., Orange Park

Transformations Staging & Redesign| 904-945-0093 | becky@beckyharmon.com | WebSite

Black Friday Sale + New Student Pictures

DECEMBER 2016

THE STAGING NEWS by Becky Harmon

BLACK FRIDAY SALE - 1/2 off Online Class plus amazing extras - Value $1000   Class + Extras =  $500 total price         * Complete Online Staging/Redesign Certification Class value - $750          Instant access to all but shipped items            + EXTRAS    * 7 Hours of Class Recordings in CDs, Shipped UPS - value $150    * Newest Manual, Shipped UPS value $50    * Newest Contracts, Forms and Invoice Templates    * CD Download of Realtor/Homeowner Presentation value $50    * Updated Vacant Staging Presentation    * Limited Quantity - (Price applies till we are sold out)  Pay for Black Friday CLASS     Specials are not mentioned on the payment page but will apply till supplies are gone.      See details below in red text...

BEWARE!!!! Staging Class will turn you into an accessory shopaholic!! These student grads from our November class that ended last Friday discovered At Home before driving back to North Carolina. They nearly filled up the Suburban. What fun!!  We toured my storage facility during the class and it inspired a shopping frenzy the day after graduation. The Vacant Staging section of the class has been completely updated. Just in time... vacant staging business for home stagers everywhere has been outrageously profitable... for stagers and the homeowners. 90% of our staged homes sell within 15 days.  And to answer the question I get quite often from potential students: No, you don't need to own furniture to make money doing Vacant Home Staging.  Connie Bolen and Tonya Robbins of Holden Beach, NC... you win the award for a FAST START race to the finish line.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ See sale details below... The entire class is now accessible through a Members Only portal. The $750 price is reduced to $500 plus for a short time, we are adding a 7 piece set of professionally produced audio CDs of the entire class, valued at $150. These recordings can reinforce your training as you listen while in your car. The class includes a download of our CD presentation for realtors or homeowners and all the latest contracts and invoice templates. $100. We are adding the latest version of the manual that includes all the newest forms, etc. Also, the entire class has been video recorded, so it's like sitting in the actual class. Value $1000. All of our contestants in our stager scholarship will get this special deal... no limited quantities for you. We are offering a limited quantity to others on a first-come, first-served basis.  Our Grand Prize winner was Sue Bittner-Grassmid of Zeeland, Michigan. Congrats Sue!! We also have an option for former students to take advantage of this new, easy format to brush up on skills and see all the new videos and contract and form updates for $100. If you took the class before this January, 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 form to pay for access. becky@beckyharmon.com      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and yours. Have a Beautiful Day, Becky Contact Us " It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

Preferred Vendor Keith at the Carpet Man for Flooring Installation in 24 - 48 Hours 904-803-7825 1988 Wells Rd., Orange Park

Transformations Staging & Redesign| 904-945-0093 | becky@beckyharmon.com | WebSite

5 Things Realtors Hate about Stagers

The information in this post is a combination of notes taken from a presentation at a recent Real Estate Staging Association seminar by Adrienne Lord, of Sell or Dwell, who is both a stager and an agent with Coldwell Banker. She completed a 2 year survey of realtors in our area. I added my own observations from 12 years as a stager and 10 as a certification trainer.

Some stagers are:

1.      Vague about pricing, options too confusing, easier to reduce the price
2.      Not savvy on electronic contracts and payment options
3.      High maintenance about access to the property
4.      Not reinforcing to

the homeowner that it's their responsibility to pay for the staging

5.      Not certified and insured

 ~ Before you go any further, be sure to read down to the bottom to find out more about our much anticipated Newest Online Format. The entire class is now instantly accessible in a beautiful... see below for more details. ~

1.  Agents seem to be fuzzy on our pricing and the advantages of partnering with a stager. Otherwise, they would be recommending us to every client. Last year, I was invited in to speak to a local RE office. One of their agents lost a million dollar listing because she hesitated when asked by the homeowner, "Do you have a stager?" Realtors... always say, "YES, we have a stager on our team!!" You need to have a stager's cards in your pocket at all times.
2.  Stagers, pay attention: Get up to date on electronic contract signing and invoicing. Many of my clients who are homeowners and investors live in other parts of the country. I have 2 right now from California and Colorado. It's all in our training.
3. Whatever you do, make it easy for the agent to give you access to the property. Go out of your way to get the key, if needed, and get gate access directly from the homeowner. If dealing with a stager is a hassle, guess what?? You will never get that 2nd job.
4.  It's absolutely critical to let the homeowner know it's their responsibility to pay for the staging. In my opinion, this is the number one reason agents don't send stagers to all their clients. HELLO!! Stagers beware!! If your agent gets stuck with the payment, you'd better do the job for less if you want repeat business.
5.  Stagers, pay attention: Get certified and insured, for crying out loud!! Please don't be a Debbie Decorator with no credentials. Anyone can get a business card and call themselves a stager. Homeowners beware; they're everywhere!  Agents today know they should ask about your training. Agents will not recommend an uninsured stager because the homeowner would have to make a claim on their Homeowners insurance if you get hurt while on their property. If the stager is not certified, they are mainly just de-cluttering. Anyone can do that.

Hopefully, this clears up any misconceptions and frustrations for stagers who are perplexed why agents are slow to embrace them. Let's be professional and become their best partner to becoming successful.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GREAT NEWS ~ The entire class is now accessible through a Members Only portal. While we are tweaking it, the $750 price will reduced to $500 plus we are adding a set of professionally produced audio CDs, valued at $150, of the entire class. These recordings can reinforce your training as you listen while in your car. Also, the entire class has been video recorded, so it's like sitting in the actual class. Value $900.

All of our contestants in our stager scholarship will get this special deal. We are offering a limited quantity to others on a first-come, first-served basis. Watch for more about the scholarship in a few days. The winners of the free classes will be announced in just a few days.

We will also have an option for former students to take advantage of this new, easy format to brush up on skills and see all the new videos and updates for $100. If you took the class before this January, 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. ~

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 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. 

DETAILS

For Real Estate Staging Association info, go to Facebook RESA-Jacksonville. Our next meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 16th at 10:00AM till 11:45AM. The SE branch library on Deerpark Blvd., next to the Sheraton off Gate Pkway. The meeting is all about personal security. Agents are welcome to attend. So plan to join us. RSVP here Open to anyone interested in staging. 

Vacant Staging is Killing It

Vacant Staging, Dining Room  I don't want to brag, but we've been killing it in our vacant staging department. Two problem houses were staged recently with our minimum priced packages. One was in San Jose and had 11 different types of floors. The other one was in Queens Harbour right next door to Wonderwood Expresway. :(                                              Living Room Even great staging can't camouflage these serious challenges. They had both been on the market for a very long time before I got the call. I was sure these two houses would wreck my stats. But, they both sold within a few weeks.                                                 Kitchen  I am continually amazed at the value of our services. The agents were at the end of the listing period and we saved the day. Yay!! And kudos to agents who recognize the value of staging. Another house, got 5 offers the first day, 2 for full price and one person offered to go up to $15,000 over asking. Two people wrote sob story letters why they had to have that house. Are people BEGGING to buy your house??                                                  Guest Bath AGENTS: Please send us out on a free staging consultation! 90% of the time, our presentation will sell the homeowners on our services.                                              Master Bathroom Someone once said that house hunting is a lot like speed dating. Singles meet 10 or more potential mates in an evening by having 5 minute dates with them. They start out with a list of "must-haves", such as: 1. College Educated 2. Good Value System 3. Animal Lover But when the chemistry and emotional connection are there, the list goes out the window. We follow our hearts. If you've been house hunting, you know what I mean. When relocating, you may have three days to find that dream house. You must see 5 to 10 houses in a day. You have your list of "must-haves", such as: 1. 3 BR/2 Baths 2. Fenced Yard 3. Near the Beach Again, when the chemistry and emotional connection are there, the list (or part of it) sometimes goes out the window. Such was the case when my husband and I first moved to Jacksonville in '93. The agent had finished showing us all the houses on her list for the day. Then we spent some time site seeing around the city. We drove past one lovely house for sale that was outside our desired area and a good bit above our price range. It also had a pool which we did not want. Guess what! We bought that house! It had what I now call "Wow-Factor" appeal. I was attracted to a 16 ft. fireplace wall with French doors on either side. The homeowner had placed just the right accessories to highlight the home's best features. We decided in about 5 minutes to buy that house. The reason I'm telling you about this...YOU CAN CREATE THAT "Wow-Factor" APPEAL IN ANY HOUSE!!! It's called staging. You only have one opportunity to make a first impression. Go for it! Also, let me know if you are interested in any of our fall classes. They are filling up quickly. The students are coming from as far away as California, Idaho, Bermuda and Canada. Also, the online class has undergone some cool updates and is back on sale for a short time. $500. Yay!! For Real Estate Staging Association info, go to Facebook RESA-Jax. Our next meeting is in Queens Harbour CC on the Friday, August 12th at 10:00AM till 11:45AM. Presentation by Adrienne Lord. What are Realtors Looking for in a Stager? Open to anyone interested in staging, Email for reservations. Have a Beautiful Day, Becky " It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

Celebrating 10 Years + the Transformations Story

Trip to St. Simon's Island  A lot of people, including clients and students, have been asking about the background story of Becky Harmon and Transformations. Who is Becky and why should I be listening to her? What preceded the birth and expansion of one of the top 10 home staging and redesign training centers in the USA? Looking back now, as a 4th generation entrepreneur, I never quite fit into a traditional job. I tried bookkeeping and administrative work before taking 10 years off to get married, have kids and get them into school. In 1980, a friend and I pioneered one of Florida's first balloon bouquet delivery businesses in Tallahassee, Florida. Everyone thought I was crazy because we were in the middle of a recession and gas crises. ALERT: When your neighbors and friends think you're crazy, that's a good sign you are on the right track.                      Students at the Clubhouse Working from home, we delivered bouquets of helium balloons and gift baskets for birthdays and special occasions dressed in various costumes. I was Chiquita, the Banana Lady and my partner was Magic Wanda, the Good Fairy, until we could afford to hire employees. Darth Vader, Miss Piggy and Zorro joined us later. We threw confetti on our recipients and kazooed a song. Our "I've Been Ballooned" bumper stickers went viral. By the way, I am the shy person in my family. What happened to me! I had to get outside my comfort zone to be successful. Costumes, confetti and clowns, oh my! We added party planning in the later years and became a well-known legislative event decorating source. Yes, we "ballooned" many famous people, including the governor, Bob Graham and many celebrities, such as Barry Gibb and Elton John. We eventually sold business opportunities in other cities. With almost no overhead costs, our 1st year, we grossed quadruple an average full-time salary, just selling balloons part-time. The home-based business bug had bit me and started changing my desk job mindset. In 1990, after selling the business, we moved to South Carolina and for 3 years, I managed a small retail design center. It proved to be the hardest job for me, a right-brain dizzy blonde, but it covered every aspect of running a business and I grew to love it. It was an important stepping stone and my introduction to design.                          Lunch with Stager Friends When we moved to Jacksonville, I worked as an interior designer on a team with 12 talented people for 11 years. I earned my ASID design affiliation during that time. It was a great experience. This, I thought for many years, was my dream job. It was another stepping stone. My AHA moment came when I could not get off work to attend a family reunion event that was important to me. As I started evaluating my real priorities, I realized I wanted 2 things more than anything... control and freedom.             The Whole Family at Christmas, I'm in green on the left. I began to hear about 2 new industries... home staging and redesign. I spent quite a long time researching and talking to existing stagers and re-designers around the country. In 2003, there wasn't much information online or anywhere, no HGTV shows and no one was talking about any of this. The Leap of Faith: One day, I asked God for a sign whether or not I should leave my safe, predictable and profitable job to strike out on my own. The next day, early morning, I was walking a familiar route on the golf course cart path where I lived.  This particular day, I noticed some unusual new flowers blooming right around the ladies tee on hole #17. As I approached, I saw something I must have walked past 100 times before but never saw. The cart path was across the fairway.  A large engraved stone had been placed on the ground in memory of a lady golfer who had died of breast cancer. It said, "Don't lay up. Go for it!" In golfer's language, that means take the riskier shot. She was always encouraging other lady golfers to swing for the green and don't worry about possibly losing your ball in the massive lake/marsh.                             Dinner with Good Friends I felt like I had been sprinkled all over with fairy dust by my fairy godmother. It was my sign! I cried! In 2004, I left my favorite boss and the coolest designer friends to begin Transformations Staging & Redesign. I guess you must let go of something first to embrace the more important reality...  Time for family and friends, hobbies and travel. I still miss those days. The school was born in the summer of 2006, exactly 10 years ago, with a full class of eager students who were mostly local. Now they come from literally every state in the US and beyond. The online class has now gone viral.                     Three of the Grand Kids I love staging and redesign but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE teaching the class. And I have to say, my fairy godmother shows up by the last day of each class and I witness tears and euphoria every time. I can't take credit for it. It's the beautiful new industries of staging and redesign creating hope for a better life and making dreams come true for women (and men) from every conceivable background. I haven't looked back. And so for you, what is your dream job? Write it on a goal list or vision board, put it on the fridge and ask for a sign. Habakkuk 2:2 has become one of my favorite scriptures. "Write the vision and engrave it plainly upon tablets (or a stone) so that everyone who passes by may be able to read it easily and quickly as he hastens by." I ask that you feel hopeful today, that your dream job is within reach and that fairy dust is falling all over you right now. My wish for you today as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary is, "Don't Lay Up. Go For It!"       ****************************************************************** If you need an incentive to leap into that desire to work for yourself and decorate for profit, I am once again offering the online class at a reduced rate. 33% off for a short time. $500. Most other online certification classes are over $900.  One of my online students from 2014 has recently been named one of the top 5 stagers in the country by the Home Staging and Redesign Association. She has 3 employees now and is currently doing the styling and decorating for an HGTV special. Kristy, I am so proud of you!  Remember, it is always Money-Back Guaranteed. Why not now! Why not you! It's time to push through the fear and leap.

Vision Boards

You need a vision board! There is power in visualization to help shape a positive mindset. 

I attended an all-day event yesterday, and 3 of the speakers talked about the importance of a visual image of your goals and aspirations. People who do this and define their desires clearly will enjoy 3 times the income. Wow!! That's amazing!

You can start with a corkboard and magazine clippings. Here, 

you can see a small portion of one of my boards. Add paint color samples, words that inspire, vacation destinations... anything that motivates you.

My main vision board is always right next to my desk. It is a visual reminder of why I do what I do. Why do you get up each day and work diligently at your job?

If you are not working for yourself yet, what image would motivate you to make that happen in your life?... a picture of you with your laptop on your patio with your favorite coffee mug? Take that picture and print it now. 

If you need an incentive to leap into that desire to work for yourself and decorate for profit, I am once again offering the online class at a reduced rate. 33% off for a short time. $500. Most other online certification classes are over $900. 

One of my online students from 2014 has recently been named one of the top 5 home stagers in the country by the Home Staging and Redesign Association. She has 3 employees now and is currently doing the styling and decorating for an HGTV special. Kristy, I am so proud of you! 

We are also offering a bonus gift worth $100 to the first 25 sold. Remember, it is always Money-Back Guaranteed. Why not now! Why not you! It's time to push through the fear and leap.

Are They Cheating on You?

  

                    Picture from Better Homes & Gardens

Are They Cheating on You?

A number of years ago, I attended a continuing education class for designers where I learned the shocking truth that after 5 years, over 50% of our loyal clients end up leaving us to go to a competitor. GASP! For realtors, 80% of people say they would use their realtor again but only 20% actually do. Why is that!!

The survey/study results indicated that 68% of people who leave their designer, stager or realtor are choosing someone else because of perceived indifference. That is certainly not the impression we want to leave with our clients.  How do we keep that from happening? 

TOMA- Top of Mind Awareness

Business stats tell us that the cost is 5 times greater to acquire new clients than it is to keep our existing ones. What can we do to keep our valuable relationships flourishing and thriving?

We teach our staging students to write thank you notes and call their clients every 6 months. "I was driving through your neighborhood recently and thought of you. Let's have lunch sometime." We also encourage everyone to send out newsletters or blog posts. You are reading this, aren't you? Constant communication tells the recipients that you care about them. I do love you all, by the way!!!

Are you sick of hearing about Face Book engagement? Get over it! FB has never been more relevant. One of my realtor friends, who crushes it in Jacksonville told me recently that FB was her only marketing plan. She has 1500 friends and posts about fishing, boating and life in Jacksonville. That's pretty easy.

                       Picture from Better Homes and Gardens

Personally, I recently started doing occasional FB boosts and ads for my business page. I like to talk about coastal decorating ideas. The ads are really reasonable. After spending about $75 on 2 $25 ads and several $5 boosts, my likes went from 250 to 750. Isn't that crazy!! You can target your ads to the perfect audience.  I still don't post as often as I should but it's so worth the time it takes.

Another tip... use pictures and videos on posts and newsletters. People are lazy and don't want to read a lot of text. Are you still there? I hope so. Post pictures and stories about your area. 

Please like us on FB (link under my picture on the left) and watch for the kind of posts we create. I hope I am creating TOMA - Top of Mind Awareness- because I truly value and appreciate each and every one of you.

 

                             Picture for Better Homes and Gardens

   ******************************************************************

Thank you for joining us on this adventure. The world of staging is exploding all over the country.