Summary

Staging Diva, Debra Gould, announces a new free resource for home stagers, the Home Staging Glossary. Stagers are invited to search the glossary’s 100+ industry-specific phrases and terms to expand their knowledge of their field. 

Home Staging Terms Defined in Home Staging Glossary by Staging Diva

(United States) July 26, 2010 – Anyone working as a home stager or wishing to become a home stager has a new website to add to their list of recommended reading. The Staging Diva, Debra Gould, has put together a home staging glossary which she’s filled with easy-to-understand definitions for home staging and real estate terms and phrases.

Gould states, “My goal in creating this free home staging glossary is to raise the level of awareness and understanding in the staging industry and to give people a place to turn when they’re unsure of something they’ve read or heard mentioned by a real estate agent, client or website. I don’t want terminology to get in the way of someone building a successful home staging business and reading through this glossary is one more way to gain confidence in talking the talk of a professional home stager.”

The Home Staging Glossary by Staging Diva is made up of more than a hundred terms and phrases that will benefit home stagers— whether they need more help in understanding decorating terms, staging terms, real estate terms or even concepts to help them with the Internet-side of building their home staging business.

“Stagers shouldn’t expect to find standard dictionary-type definitions in this glossary,” states Gould, creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. She adds, “The Home Staging Glossary by Staging Diva explains things in simple language and includes business tips and links to free articles I’ve written for further learning.”

Some words and terms in the Home Staging Glossary by Staging Diva include: focal point, SEO, bidding war, buyer’s market, free estimate trap, virtual staging, web host, market niche, FSBO, tweet and target market. More terms are being added regularly.

More than 4000 individuals worldwide have been trained by Gould since 2004, through the Staging Diva® Home Staging Business Training Program which focuses on how to grow a profitable home staging business. Staging Diva Students benefit from Gould’s extensive marketing background and real-life experience as a home stager through her successful staging company, Six Elements Inc.

Home stagers are encouraged to search through the Home Staging Glossary by Staging Diva today to search any terms they’ve been curious about. Visit http://www.stagingdiva.com/glossary/index.php

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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Summary

Staging Diva, Debra Gould, announces a Summer Sale with prices slashed on home staging courses, guides, coaching and Directory listings.

Staging Diva Sale Offers Savings on Home Staging Training and More

(UNITED STATES) July 20, 2010 – Anyone with a dream of starting a home staging business may wish to stock up on some summer reading during the Staging Diva Dive into Summer Sale happening now through July 30, offering up to 60% off staging courses, ebooks, coaching and more.

“There seems to be more downtime in the summer with vacations and long, holiday weekends, making it the perfect time to work through a home staging training program so that by the time the kids go back to school in September, you have something exciting and new for yourself to be doing,” states Debra Gould, founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program.

The Dive into Summer Sale offers significant savings on all home staging courses, four home staging guides, listings in the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers and one-on-one Accelerator Business Coaching with Debra Gould.

“Anyone identifying this promotion as a good time to get a listing on the Directory of Home Stagers or to enroll in a home staging course should act quickly because there is limited availability of these items during the sale. In order to continue delivering quality customer service to Staging Diva Students, only 80 people worldwide will be able to purchase courses or coaching and only 30 listings on the Directory will be sold at these prices,” cautions Gould. She adds, “Even though the sale officially ends on July 30, these items could easily sell out within the first days of the promotion.”

More than 4000 people from around the world have been trained by Gould since 2004, through the Staging Diva® Home Staging Business Training Program which focuses on how to grow a profitable home staging business. Staging Diva Students benefit from Gould’s extensive marketing background and real-life experience as a home stager through her successful staging company, Six Elements Inc.

For full details about the sale, visit http://www.stagingdiva.com/store now and dive in to summer savings!

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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Summary

Expert home stager Debra Gould, shares a story from Maryland home stager and Staging Diva Graduate, Holly Battaglia, proving that home staging works.

Maryland home stager takes property from stale to must-see

Credit: Danielle Arcilesi Photography

Imagine the case that could be made for home staging if an offer came in from a buyer who had seen a property prior to staging without having any interest in purchasing it at that time.

That’s exactly what happened when home stager and Staging Diva Graduate, Holly Battaglia transformed a Maryland property.

Her clients hadn’t received a single offer on their property despite having been on the market for most of 2009 and part of 2007. After finding Holly online, they hired her to stage their home.

They had 7 showings in as many days – one resulting in an offer.

The sellers didn’t accept that offer because it was too low. They knew with all the activity happening on their property thanks to Holly, they wouldn’t have trouble selling it this time around.

Credit: Danielle Arcilesi Photography

Holly thinks the offer was a result of the prospective buyer feeling the need to take action since the property improved so much after home staging, out of fear someone else would buy it first. This was a person who had been through the property prior to staging without having any interest in buying it.

“That’s what home staging is all about,” states Debra Gould, founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. She adds, “It’s about the perception of how desirable a property is. And that’s why it works.”

“Holly, besides working full time as a home stager, works part time as a nurse and is a busy mother of four. With a hectic schedule like hers, it makes perfect sense to market online because she’s able to promote her staging business 24/7 while she carries on with her full life,” says Gould.

Holly says the fee she made on this one project, a direct result of her online marketing efforts, covered the cost of her home staging training program and her listing in the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers.

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Summary

Home stagers needn’t be intimidated by the perceived “high-tech” nature of downloadable home staging courses, explains expert home stager Debra Gould.

Downloadable home staging courses for home stagers

The cheapest way for aspiring home stagers to get the Staging Diva home staging courses is by buying the downloadable version of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Anyone intimidated by the “high-tech” factor of this type of program can rest assured that such training is not as technical as it sounds.

Staging Diva, Debra Gould, says, “The courses are downloadable but home stagers don’t actually do the program online.” Gould explains, “You simply download audio recordings and printable study notes, so you can sit at your desk with a cup of tea and pore over the material. You don’t need to do something complicated with your computer in order to participate, you’re really just reading and listening.”

If an aspiring home stager is able to download a file then there isn’t a technology barrier to worry about with the Staging Diva Training Program. “Download” simply means you click the link you receive as soon as you order, and when you click, the material will automatically be transferred (downloaded) onto your computer. You then open those files from your computer and the audiorecordings will play or you can read and print the course notes and checklists.

Anyone concerned about the lack of one-on-one attention along the way of listening to the material in a self-led home staging training program like this will appreciate the option to purchase one-on-one coaching with Debra Gould at a discounted price when they order the full Staging Diva program.

Gould explains, “You’re going to be given the option when ordering to also get an hour of staging business accelerator coaching with me for 50% off.” Gould adds, “You’ll have six months to use our time together and you can split the time up into 15-minute sessions, 30-minute sessions or one-hour sessions – whatever you like. You’ll be given access to my online calendar and you can book your appointments when it’s convenient for you. Then I phone you at the appointed time.”

During the coaching calls, stagers have an opportunity to discuss whatever challenges they’re facing during their home staging courses. Gould says most students don’t have questions about the course material itself so they use their time for help coming up with their business name, advice on combining staging with an existing business, or help with their website or other marketing materials.

Gould acknowledges that some people can’t get past the technological aspect of the less expensive version of the Staging Diva home staging courses which is why there is a home study version that’s mailed directly to an aspiring stager’s door – no computer required. It does cost more than the alternative option.

“However,” states Gould, “if you can figure out how to order a product online, you’re tech-savvy enough to handle the downloadable version!”

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Summary

Home staging statistics are not as powerful in selling as the use of staging stories, explains expert home stager Debra Gould.

Staging Statistics Not as Powerful as Home Staging Stories

Home stager, Debra Gould, recommends to students of her Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program that rather than throwing home staging statistics at people, they use a story to reel their audience in.

“When I say ‘stories’ I’m not suggesting making anything up,” Gould explains to  home stagers. She adds, “What I am saying is to use real life examples of what home staging has done for real home sellers who have had trouble preparing or selling their home on the real estate market.”

Gould believes that while it’s okay to quote studies that say the average staged homes sells x number of days faster or for x number of dollars more, it’s difficult for the listener to apply those numbers to their own situation.

“If on the other hand,” explains Gould, “You share a meaningful home staging success story, especially if it’s one that relates to their situation, a person will connect with the power of what you do.”

This Google ad about what their search engine can do demonstrates Gould’s point perfectly:

The Staging Diva advises you to, “take note of how you feel after watching the video. This could have been an ad where Google told you how they dominate the search market or how many seconds it takes to get a result after typing your query into the search box. But would that have had the same effect? Would you remember the statistics an hour from now, or would you remember the story? What about later when you’re trying to decide which search engine to use?”

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Summary

Home staging expert, Debra Gould, shares her thoughts about virtual home staging.

Virtual Home Staging Misses the Mark

Some home stagers are starting to receive emails promoting virtual home staging software. Home staging expert, Debra Gould, has heard from many stagers curious about her take on this new practice.

“In my opinion there are two types of virtual staging,” states Gould, founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. She explains, “The first type I practice myself and I consider it virtual because I don’t actually go into a client’s home but I give them staging advice by phone based on photos they send me to analyze. This allows clients to have my staging advice and do the work themselves at a lower cost than if I were to do an actual consultation in their home. It also allows me to offer specific staging advice to clients outside my geographic area.”

Gould neither practices nor recommends the second meaning of “virtual staging” because she believes it to be a misuse of homeowners’ money in most cases.

“Some companies have entered the field of home staging using virtual staging software,” states Gould. She explains, “This software allows you to load photos of vacant rooms to a computer and manipulate them to make it look like the rooms are furnished. The goal here is to sell attractive listing photos to real estate agents for them to use on their feature sheets and on MLS.”

In this scenario, no stager goes to the home and no real furniture goes in the house.

The software (used by a stager, decorator or interior designer), is doing the “home staging” by creating images of fully-furnished rooms to show online. Gould says that while she can see the application of this software as a way to simulate what a decorator or interior redesigner is planning to do in a home to get a client’s approval for a decorating project where they’re asking them to buy new furniture, for example, she doesn’t believe it has any place in staging in the way it’s currently being promoted.

“I feel virtual staging using software to manipulate listing photos is a waste of home sellers’ money because potential buyers are going to be quite disappointed when they arrive at a showing and see that the house looks nothing like the photos they viewed online. And everyone knows a buyer in a bad mood is not a buyer that makes an offer,” states Gould.

In a property like this, potential buyers might find themselves wandering through the empty house wondering why the owners had to move out so suddenly. Sensing desperation, this might attract a low-ball offer, which is not the goal of home staging.

A home stager’s job is to romance potential buyers and while photos count for something (considering 90% of Canadian buyers and 70% of US buyers look online for a home before ever calling a real estate agent) they don’t count for everything.

The Staging Diva says, “The buyer needs to be romanced when they pull up to the drive and take in the view from the curb. They have to fall in love when they walk through the front door and they have to fall deeper in love with every single room in the home they look at until they have the feeling that it’s the property they’ve been looking for. That’s why I believe virtual staging software misses the mark and it’s not something I promote.”

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Summary

Home staging expert, Debra Gould, shares a story about a real estate agent who was given proof that home staging works in an unexpected way.

Real estate agent proven wrong by home stager

Home stager Fabia McNair of Styling Spaces received a call from a homeowner last December who was listing his home and despite the fact that his real estate agent did not feel the home needed to be staged, he called in Styling Spaces to do the job.

Founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program, Debra Gould says, “After being a home stager for 7 years, I can assure you what happened to Fabia in this case is common. Savvy home sellers use their own common sense even if their Realtor® isn’t a believer in staging.”

When the agent came back and saw the transformation she was “wowed” and immediately hired Styling Spaces to stage four of her other listings.

One of those listings had been on the market on and off for a year before staging and it sold that same weekend.  Two of the homes sold same day and one that had been overpriced for its market sold for $15,000 over market value.

That skeptical real estate agent became a big fan of Styling Spaces and spread the word around her office leading to lots more work for Fabia.

Gould says, “This story proves you cannot depend on real estate agents for your business. Obviously the homeowner in this case had been educated about the value of staging and look at the snowball effect that followed.”

Having two very young children at home to take care of, it was quite a risk for Fabia McNair to take when she decided to quit a good job in the residential development field to start up her own home staging business full time. But it’s a risk that continues to pay off for her and her family as her company continues to grow.

Having given up a steady job, Fabia was very motivated to make her business work and put to use everything she learned in the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program into practice. She has even been mentioned in her local newspaper after giving a staging seminar to local members of the community.

Fabia writes, “The Staging Diva Program, hands down, has given me the answers I need to run my business. My class notes still guide me when I am stuck. Debra Gould is very knowledgeable about this industry and is willing to teach it. When you have spent enough time with those other courses and you are ready to get to work call The Staging Diva.”

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Summary

Staging Diva, Debra Gould, announces the release of a free special report to inspire potential home stagers with proof that regular people can become successful in a home staging career.

Staging Diva Releases Free Inspirational Report for Home Stagers

(UNITED STATES) June 2, 2010 – With vacation season right around the corner, many aspiring home stagers are finding themselves counting down the days until they can take some extended time off from their unsatisfying job. Some won’t take the plunge into self employment for fear of giving up a full-time job to do so, others are lacking support from loved ones to make the move while others still are convinced that a regular person can’t find great success in a staging career.

Because of her high profile in the home staging industry, founder of the Staging Diva® Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould, receives emails on a regular basis from aspiring stagers wondering if someone like them has what it takes to build a successful staging business.

Today Gould is announcing the release of a new Ask Staging Diva® report which answers the question, “Can a regular person like me become a successful home stager?”

This free 35 page report includes inspirational behind-the-scenes stories from regular people who found the courage to follow their dreams of becoming home stagers.

“I know what it’s like to feel professionally unsatisfied and how easy it is to keep talking yourself out of doing something that could really improve your future because you’re simply unsure of how it might go,” states home staging expert, Debra Gould. She adds, “This collection of home stager success stories is going to help people block out that voice of negativity and finally believe that anyone who has the desire can make their dreams come true with a bit of hard work and determination, because these stories prove it.”

Since 2004, more than 4000 people from around the world have been trained by Gould through the Staging Diva® Home Staging Business Training Program. The focus of the Staging Diva® program is on how to grow a profitable home staging business. Students benefit from Gould’s extensive marketing background and her experience in starting and growing her own successful home staging company, Six Elements Inc.

“My hope is that after reading this report, aspiring home stagers will feel confident in their decision to start a home staging business, and that they will pass the report along to anyone who is reluctant to give them the support they need to go ahead and do it,” says Gould.

To learn more or to order a copy of the free Ask Staging Diva® Special Report: “Can a regular person like me become a successful home stager?” visit http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagersuccessstories.html

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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FSBO is an acronym for ‘For Sale by Owner.’ These properties are sold without involving a real estate agent so the owner can keep the 5% or 6% commission for themselves. Needless to say, this type of client is interested in maximizing their selling price, making FSBO clients an excellent target audience for stagers.

Staging Diva Graduate and Omaha home stager, Dolly Dewald has witnessed for herself the benefit of staging for FSBO properties.

When a busy couple with three young children planning to sell without an agent had completed their home staging consultation with Dolly, they hired her to do the staging.

“The owners spent weeks painting and cleaning while Dolly helped them select rental furniture and shopped for bedding and accessories,” explains founder of the Staging Diva Program, Debra Gould. She adds, “The actual home staging took Dolly one full day to complete. Every Sunday the couple had an open house and they ended up receiving multiple offers which is quite a unique situation for a FSBO property. They ended up selling for 96% of their asking price.”

These clients were ecstatic with the results and told Dolly later that the buyer told them the staging sold the house.

About her home staging training, Dolly writes, “My goal was to have a job I loved. The Staging Diva® Home Staging Courses gave me the structure and know-how to create a business and make it work. With Debra Gould’s help I now have an outlet for my creative juices and a job I love.”

About the author

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained thousands of home stagers to start and grow their own businesses. Gould created the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers to help home sellers and real estate agents locate staging services in their area

Summary

Staging Diva, Debra Gould, announces a huge Mother’s Day Sale at StagingDiva.com where prices have been slashed on a wide range of home staging courses and training resources. The event is happening May 3-14.

Home Staging Courses on Sale During Staging Diva Mother’s Day Madness

(UNITED STATES) May 4, 2010 – In an effort to inspire positive change in the lives of mothers who dream of becoming home stagers, Debra Gould, is throwing a big Mother’s Day Madness Sale from May 3 through 14 at the Staging Diva Store. Prices have been marked down on home staging courses, ebooks, reports, business coaching and more during this special sale.

Mother’s Day has special significance for Gould. In addition to the pride she feels raising a child, it was because of her role of mother that Gould decided she had no choice but to follow her own dreams if she wished for her children to do the same one day.

“I was doing well as far as providing for my family, earning a six figure salary from a business I’d built myself. But I had this intense ache from not using my creative talents in a more meaningful way,” states Gould, founder of Toronto home staging company Six Elements Inc. She adds, “It all changed when I was asked by a new parent what I’d most want to teach my children and I instinctively answered that I’d want them to follow their dreams. I knew then I had no choice but to follow my own. Within six months I’d closed the doors to the business I built from nothing ten years before and I walked away. The rest is history and I’m not sure where I’d be today if it weren’t for the fact that I’m a mother and that I take that job so seriously.”

Gould, who is more commonly known as the Staging Diva, says, “There’s something for everyone during the Mother’s Day Madness sale with significant savings on home staging courses and resources for all stagers no matter where they are in their business so for anyone trying to start a staging business or grow an existing one, this sale shouldn’t be missed.”

Home Staging is the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for top dollar and it’s an ideal home-based business start-up option for mothers wishing to be more available to their families while earning a good income from their natural decorating talent. Home staging is a low cost business to start as no formal education in interior design is required, there’s no need to carry inventory or lease a ‘storefront.’

“For anyone thinking of starting a home staging business, there couldn’t be a better time,” states Gould. She explains, “Home sellers desperately need the help of stagers in the current housing market and as a home stager you’ll have the security and independence of knowing how to make a living without depending on an employer.”

To learn more about the home staging courses and other training resources for sale and details about the sale, visit www.StagingDiva.com before May 14.

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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