WEST COAST GREEN 2008 – 400 miles for $1.00!!!
Posted on October 9, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized, ecostaging | Terrylynn Fisher | Leave a Comment
The conference was amazing, oppoprtunities for entrepreneurs, vendors and the public to see, touch and feel green products and hear speakers who have been making HUGE strides in the Green technology and awareness on the West Coast and around the world. I’ll review other things in other blog posts but today just was thrilled and astounded at this adorable vehicle. Just check this out:
ELV Motors offers “Fleet Certified” electric bicycles, scooters and hybrid motorcycles for personal and corporate use. This scooter gets 400 miles per $1!
This would make a huge difference in your commute costs. The local ELV motors is in Santa Clara, California. I am sure they offer this car in other places around the country, although I could not find others on their website. I am sure they’d be happy to sell one to you too.
Terrylynn Fisher, Realtor
www.Terrylynn-n-Team.com
www.StagersLIST.com
Terrylynn has been a realtor in Contra Costa County for over 31 years and has been staging her listings since the late 1980s.
West Coast Green 2008 - What did you do with my cactus plant?
Posted on October 9, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized, ecostaging | Terrylynn Fisher | Leave a Comment
The West Coast Green 2008 conference in San Jose this week was full of exhibits, speakers and wonderful ways to make a difference in the future green efforts for our planet earth.
As you know, Carbon dioxide is generated as a by-product of the combustion of fossil fuels or the burning of vegetable matter, among other chemical processes.
Wikipedia says - Carbon Dioxide
* In the recent past, transfer rates due to photosynthesis and respiration and including decay, were just about even. However, more carbon dioxide is being deposited in the Earth’s atmosphere, than is being removed.
* In 1850, atmospheric carbon dioxide was about 280 parts per million (ppm), and today it is about 350 ppm. This increase is believed to be due to the burning of wood and fossil fuels and the destruction of forests to make way for farmland and pasture.[3]
Plants are living things and as such promote the exchange of Carbon dioxide is used by plants during photosynthesis to make sugars which may either be consumed again in respiration or used as the raw material to produce polysaccharides such as starch and cellulose, proteins and the wide variety of other organic compounds required for plant growth and development. It is produced during respiration by plants, and by all animals, fungi and microorganisms that depend on living and decaying plants for food, either directly or indirectly. It is, therefore, a major component of the carbon cycle.
This beautiful backdrop or room divider is actually a living wall. It is framed in redwood and the color and variation you see is all succulents. Cactus in pots installed horizontally in the framework to make a beautiful visual living wall. The purpose of living walls is to add life to a space. And along the way mitigate some of the excess C 02 in our atmosphere. What a practical and beautiful way to take baby steps in our journey to keeping our planet Green!
West Coast Green 2008 - How many soda cans???
Posted on October 7, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized, ecostaging | Terrylynn Fisher | Leave a Comment
West Coast Green 2008 was an amazing and out of the box experience. It is so much more than a conference for all who attend. One of the speakers for the opening session was Chris Jordan, lawyer turned artist, photographer and perhaps eco activist.
Chris puts a face on our overconsumption. He says we are much like a family of alcoholics. We are all alcoholics, sitting around with empty vodka bottles everywhere and eventually don’t notice the empty vodka bottles. Our over consumption is just so overwhelming that we don’t see it anymore.
In North America we discard 106,000 aluminum soda cans every 30 seconds!!! Chris’ illustration is a photograph of 106,000 soda cans. From a distance it is an interesting looking piece of art, colorful, it compels you to look closer. When you get closer you see the individual cans of soda all lined up. YES it is overwhelming. The number (106,000) every 30 seconds sends astonished gasps through the audience as Chris shows the photo and relays the information. He is a charming and compelling speaker. He feels his value to this effort is that he puts a face on our over consumption. The other message is that only 50% of those 106,000 every 30 seconds is recycled.
Can we do better? As Maya Angelou says “…and when you know better, you’ll do better”. YES we can, I know for one, everytime I go to throw one away I’ll be reminded by this thought and recycle. Soda isn’t good for us anyway, so probably we should drink more water, but that’s another blog post.
See below for Chris’ statement as per his website. AND, visit his website for more information. He’s inspiring to say the least. On the website home page you’ll see a few examples of his work.
http://chrisjordan.com/
Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption
Exploring around our country’s shipping ports and industrial yards, where the accumulated detritus of our consumption is exposed to view like eroded layers in the Grand Canyon, I find evidence of a slow-motion apocalypse in progress. I am appalled by these scenes, and yet also drawn into them with awe and fascination. The immense scale of our consumption can appear desolate, macabre, oddly comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful; for me its consistent feature is a staggering complexity.
The pervasiveness of our consumerism holds a seductive kind of mob mentality. Collectively we are committing a vast and unsustainable act of taking, but we each are anonymous and no one is in charge or accountable for the consequences. I fear that in this process we are doing irreparable harm to our planet and to our individual spirits.
As an American consumer myself, I am in no position to finger wag; but I do know that when we reflect on a difficult question in the absence of an answer, our attention can turn inward, and in that space may exist the possibility of some evolution of thought or action. So my hope is that these photographs can serve as portals to a kind of cultural self-inquiry. It may not be the most comfortable terrain, but I have heard it said that in risking self-awareness, at least we know that we are awake.
~cj
Terrylynn Fisher, Realtor, Walnut Creek, California
What a Team!
Posted on October 5, 2008
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Training | Devin Khuu | Leave a Comment
Thanks to all.
Team CSP™ Niagara recently attended the Niagara Real Estate Association trade show on October 02, 2008 at the Americana Resort and Spa in Niagara Falls ON.
CSP™ Team Niagara – Golden Horseshoe – alphabetically
Devin Khuu – dk design studio / dk transitions
Mara Snider – New Leaf Designs
Pam Culp Blanchard – Pamela’s Home Staging
Adrainne Halliday – Stage List Sold
Stacey Haluka – Staging Spaces
What a great opportunity to meet so many wonderful real estate professionals under roof. Not to mention the industry related partners, like Go- Minis, Inspector Homes, Cornerstone to name a few.
One of the many reasons we choose to limit our group to CSP™ members was for events and marketing such as this. As a group who are all CSPs™ we were able to utilize the CSP™ Corporate logo and banners to our advantage.
Thank you to our team member Stacey Haluka who designed a brochure highlighting the benefits of staging and a small profile for each company. Kudos, to the rest of the team who helped throughout the months of planning and sourcing; It truly was a team effort!
Working together as a solid unit rather than one another’s competition was really noticed by those in attendance. Agents/Brokers are looking for a marketing edge just as any other business. However the impression the guests left with was that of team work and support. So no matter what size or type of job a client through their way, it will get done.Trade shows are all about networking and building. Although some are more work than others, I have never come away empty handed.
Kind thanks goes out to the Agents, Brokers and industry partners who stopped by our booth. The Niagara Real Estate Association trade show was a success for us, because of you! Thank you also to Diana Graham CPS/CAP Executive Assistant for all the hard work you put into the show.
The CSP™ team looks forward to seeing you again next year!
Wishing you great success,
Devin, Mara, Stacey, Pamela, Adrianne
Working as a team!
Posted on October 5, 2008
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Training | Devin Khuu | 1 Comment
Working as a team in Niagara offers our real estate partners a solid resource for all their staging needs. I have heard some disappointing stories about stagers battling it out for the real estate agents in their area; which is just crazy. There are more than enough agents, homeowners and network support groups to get your name out there without the cat fights.
CSP™ Team Niagara – Golden Horseshoe – alphabetically
Devin Khuu – dk design studio / dk transitions
Mara Snider – New Leaf Designs
Pam Culp Blanchard – Pamela’s Home Staging
Adrainne Halliday – Stage List Sold
Stacey Haluka – Staging Spaces
I am very happy to say we have an amazing networking group here in Niagara ON. Our group was started to support one another in all aspects of business. We share our ideas, our marketing strategies and we respect one another’s real estate contact list-(the agents who already use staging). For those who are newer to the industry or feel disconnected, we as a group set goals and hold you accountable for your monthly to do list. Your goals must be completed by our next meeting, example: book and visit five agents by next meeting.
The team gives you the push you might otherwise lack when working alone. It’s like reporting to the boss again. You know if you didn’t meet your deadline you better have a good reason. For us, it is all about a helping hand. Whatever is lacking for you in your business, we find a creative solution.
RESA – Real Estate Staging Association offers the same type of industry support, however RESA is a non profit organization and their membership is open to anyone who has a staging business regardless of the type of training you may have had. Unlike RESA our networking group wanted to be smaller and limit the members in our group to those who have taken the CSP™ staging training program.
CSP™ offers entrepreneurs a solid program in which to launch a staging business and international branding recognition. CSP™ members are often asked by others in the staging industry if they would allow job shadowing as the program they had taken has left them looking for more and offers no support after the initial course was taken.
Our advice, invest in your business and take the CSP™ program; our group is open to CSP™ active members and we would be more than happy to welcome new members to our group.
Wishing you great success
Devin Khuu
dk design studio
Renovation a good investment
Posted on October 3, 2008
Filed Under Press Releases, Staging Articles | Aurora Villaraus | Leave a Comment
The Metro Homes October 2nd edition issued the following article regarding investing in renovations when putting a property up for sale.
Houses in tip-top condition often attract top dollar from buyers, and if you’re trying to sell a home that may not be in the greatest of sape, it may behoove you to invest in a fix-up before you put it on the market.
Christine Martysiewicz, spokesperson for Re/Max Ontario and Atlantic Canada, Inc., says in today’s competitive marketplace, a renovation is money well-invested. There are more properties for sale and a well-maintaned house leaves a good impression with the buyer.
Real estate agent Mark Albert says a fix-up begins in the kitchen and then the bathroom for good measure, typically the two areas in the house shoppers consider most important.
Martysiewicz advises considering an upgrade to hardwood flooring and new energy-efficient windows among your touch ups, both popular and energy-efficient selling points for the buyer.
We all know that renovations even the most basic one can easily reach $10,000 with most renovations averaging $21,000 according to a recent survey by Re/Max.
As a Home Staging Consultant I believe an alternate choice is to go with an approach on de-clutter, change some of the appliances, put on a fresh coat of paint, arrange furniture, replace handles and doorknobs and create a space where the buyers can envision themselves living their dreamed life.
Urban Encounters follow up
Posted on October 3, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | Aurora Villaraus | Leave a Comment
Hello Fellow CSP Stagers,
I was happy to see familiar faces at the Urban Encounters in Calgary. It was a great opportunity to view new and existing product lines and connect with industry suppliers and resource specialist in a relaxed environment.
Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres were served, door prizes and the admition was free!
For those in the Edmonton area, don’t miss this event next October 7th! Remember, if you want your business to grow, you have to network.
Aurora Villaraus
Urban Encounters -Table Top Trade Show in Calgary and Edmonton
Posted on September 30, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | Aurora Villaraus | Leave a Comment
A fellow Interior Decorator passed this information on to me about an Interior Design Exhibition show called Urban Encounters that is coming to Alberta. I have never attended this event, but from what I’ve been told, this is a show you will not want to miss.
Urban Encounters is a table top trade show held in two locations (Edmonton and Calgary). The main focus is two-fold. Firstly, it is held to showcase the latest products and services for commercial and residential suppliers to the Alberta Interior Design community. Secondly, it is an opportunity to bring the design and supply community together in an informal, social atmosphere to help in the establishment of mutually beneficial client-vendor relationships.
The Urban Encounters 2008 schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Round-Up Centre, Stampede Park, Calgary
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Delta South, South Ballroom, Edmonton
Over 200 interior designers, architects and product specifiers attend Urban Encounters in each city. These events represent a valuable opportunity to network with industry professionals and showcase your product lines.
So for those of you interested, let’s make some time available from our busy schedules and mark this event down in our calendar. Meet you there!
Aurora Villaraus
Home Staging and Interior Decorating
ADORE your DÉCOR
www.adoreyourdécor.ca
info@adoreyourdécor.ca
(403) 319-0737
Appreciate Your Home Before You Sell
Posted on September 29, 2008
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Articles | Janet Wormitt | Leave a Comment
Thinking of selling? Step back and take a good hard look at your home. Separate yourself from your house. You can’t be forgiving because potential buyers won’t be. Why should a buyer pick your resale home over a new home or the one down the street? Condition is critical.
First, a home owner must understand the difference between updating and retaining the value of a house verses making value-added improvements. Real estate is an investment. Its appreciation is dependent on its condition. If carpeting is stained or worn and it is replaced with new carpet, you are keeping your home investment value intact. If you take the same worn carpet and replaced it with hardwood floors, you’ve made an improvement and added value. If you’ve decided replacing the carpet is too much trouble or cost, you have just lowered your investment’s value and made it harder to justify your selling price to a potential buyer. This is the challenge and the opportunity for a resale home.
The hot seller’s market has ended its long run and now the buyer is getting the upper hand. With economic slowdowns buyers hard-earned dollars won’t buy as much as it used to. They expect a lot of value for their money. They also value their time more. Forty percent of buyers are first-time buyers. They expect something contemporary and most aren’t as handy or DIY oriented as the generation before. They want it all, for as little as possible – it’s human nature.
Determine why someone should buy your home as opposed to the one down the street for sale. What differentiates you from your competition? The home must be very competitive and show off its best assets. Daily condition issues we often become blind to or learn to live with can be immediate deal breakers for buyers. Just because a home is in a desirable neighbourhood does not entitle the seller to the average selling price if its condition has not kept pace with its neighbours.
To get top dollar value for your house it must be in great retail condition. You’re probably thinking it’s not that bad, and I’ll just put it on the market and see what happens. You might get lucky if the market in your area is hot, but the market everywhere has cooled. Buyers can pick and choose. Why take the chance of languishing and depreciating your asking price while on the market? Your greatest activity will occur during the first week on the market. Don’t put your best opportunity to sell at risk with a flat delivery.
A recent seller commented that they knew their house was outdated, but it wasn’t as outdated as some other homes they’d seen. The seller didn’t understand that to a potential buyer there isn’t a different between being 15 years outdated or 30 years outdated. It was out-dated. A potential buyer would still be mentally adding up the cost of replacing flooring, appliances and fixtures to bring the home up to speed. It’s not uncommon to spend money to improve the value of the home only when we’re ready to sell, rather than make the updates ongoing and enjoying the benefits.
If a home has condition issues, the seller has to be realistic in their expectations of selling price. A realtor will give you the expertise you need. No one buys an end of year model or something with obvious flaws in a retail market without asking for a discount. Selling “as is” will greatly limit your market and price potential. As an expert in your market and neighbourhood, your Realtor will recommend a realistic and competitive selling price.
There is good news if you’ve been living in the same home for a while. You have the advantage of built-in equity. Consider using some of the equity to update and freshen before you sell. Not only can a mortgage broker provide additional help with equity, they can also help you get prepared for the next home purchase.
If you’re thinking of selling or have been on the market for a while, get professional real estate advice. Be very strategic on where to spend your money to retain value and where it may be better to make improvements. Get a professional home stager involved to help you “up” your market appeal and make a splash in presentation. Your don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
The Art of Ordinary
Posted on September 24, 2008
Filed Under Certified Staging Professionals - Company, Stager Blogs, Staging Articles, Welcome | Shayla Noel | Leave a Comment
There is one word that is often used to describe EZ Design Staging, and that word is “Unforgettable!”
When working with Shayla Noel and Sherrie Robinson, the mother—daughter team who recently launched EZ Design Staging, it is quickly apparent that this dynamic duo know the business of home staging. EZ Design Staging is turning the ordinary process of selling a house into an art form. As accredited Canadian Staging Professionals TM, EZ Design Staging is emerging into the Real Estate and design world with flair, changing the way that houses are being sold.
Why would you want to have your home professionally staged?
Because the art of home staging is proven to sell houses faster in a slow paced market and help sell houses for more money when the market is faster! In short, home staging is about speed of sale and getting the most equity for your house.
And why not hire someone with flair, personality and the professional training do just that for you? That is where EZ Design Staging comes into the picture!
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