Consumers today are smart, confused, busy, stressed, suspicious and or numb. Pick one.

Consumers today are really all this and more. Never before in history have they had an explosion of information so readily available to them yet frequently feel so helpless in making a decision. Helping the consumer buy is what you need to do if you are to overcome the two primary challenges that every business faces which are to get noticed and make a profit.
When you wake in the morning the difference between “oh god its morning” or “thank god its morning” may depend on whether your business is getting noticed and making a profit or not.
Tack that onto all the positive thinking in the world and the bottom line is still “it’s up to you” whether your business sinks or swims. However your day may go more smoothly if you relish figuring out the puzzle. The puzzle is “how can I attract more attention and still achieve my financial goals”. The good news is that consumers are emerging from a long hibernation in “lowpriceville” and they are moving on up to value city.

Service providers are starting to take a leaf from retailer business models and are redefining themselves. According to Wall Street Journal, “consumers are being lured away from low price by the promise of greater convenience, more selection, greater quality and better service”. So if there was ever a time to gain more market share now is the time. Learn from mistakes the big box stores made. Consumers today are willing to pay more for convenience and knowledgeable service providers, who help them make informed buying decisions in a non harried environment. Dan Kennedy said “people are silently yearning to be led”. “When people call you it’s because they have a need; your job is to explore the need, provide solutions and charge good money for it”. The Certified Canadian Staging Professional program has always taught its graduates the power of value selling. When you decide to optimize your business results by maximising the ROI for your seller, staging will have to be one of the four pillars of a successful sale. Skimping on this service forces the staging service provider to compromise the integrity of the work and the results. When selecting a stager for your team re-shift your focus away from price to value. What additional value does the stager bring to the table? Skills and excellent work should be a given – what else? Value is usually a consideration. Working with a graduate of the CSP program provides preferred pricing options to help save $$ for your client on services they will use anyway. Paint, lighting, movers, trash disposal, furniture and appliances, home equity loan, and much more. CSP authority credibility is enhanced by the National companies who have chosen to work with CSP™ like Aeromove, ICI, United Vanlines, Sherwin Williams and many others. One of the values is we pass the preferred pricing to your clients; the specialty options and exclusivity CSP™ provides its graduates gives you marketing edge leverage. Recently I spoke with 50 CSPs across North America who are thriving in down markets. Two reasons they all cited as contributing success factors were their availability and being a total solution provider. Value becomes priceless when the stress of handling the staging process from start to finish dissolves. The proof is in the RESULTS: time and again regardless of market condition I hear staging success stories where property sold at asking or more in a few short days. It all comes down to Time, Work and Money how they are used, leveraged and valued. Think about it.

“The era of procrastination is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of
consequence.” —Winston Churchill

In contemplating content for this article I pondered a while on the power of one. One idea, one person, one small step, one action, one will and the effects those things can have on the world – ONE-DERFUL.

We hear many stories over the centuries of people who believed so passionately and spoke so strongly about an issue that they were able to raise the awareness of the social consciousness until everyone cared enough to help make strategic changes of significant proportion to help make the world a better place. Now the power of one is making a huge difference again. This time not only will it change the world but its goal is to save it. For decades groups of concerned people have been scoffed at as “tree huggers” or activists have been considered weird by some are finally having their day.

People in general are waking up and noticing that the latest environmental movement starts with them; they are taking notice and more importantly starting to care enough to do something to help, however small the action may be.

I am of course talking about the power of the GREEN movement.There is a growing belief by many that we as an individual power of one can make changes to our day to day environment at home, at work and at play which will contribute significantly to this universal quest of saving the planet and its resources to ensure the sustainability of the earth for generations to follow. Pretty powerful! I believe the power of Al Gore movie “An Inconvenient Truth” can really help raise the social consciousness.

Although some people look at the huge mess we have created by lack of good stewardship and perhaps think someone else will take care of it, or that it’s too big of a problem for one person to make a difference…. But they would be wrong.

There are many small actions you can initiate in your life to help save a lot. Check out
www.davidsuzuki.org to see what you can do to help make a difference where you live.
One person who changed the world was J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska. As pioneers to Nebraska from Detroit he and his wife discovered it was a treeless plain. After building their house they quickly planted trees, shrubs and plants. He also encouraged his fellow pioneers to plant trees as well. The trees were pleasant to look at but more importantly, trees were needed as windbreaks to keep soil in place, for fuel and building materials, and for shade from the hot sun. Morton not only advocated tree planting by individuals, he also encouraged civic organizations and groups to join in. His prominence in the area increased, and he became secretary of the Nebraska Territory, which provided another opportunity to stressthe value of trees.

In 1872 National Arbor Day www.arborday.org was established; a green movement which has spread across the world and one which encourages the planting and nurturing of trees. One man certainly made a difference. This Spring you can make a difference by planting a tree or a bush. Amazingly this one small action will not only help reduce your own carbon footprint on this earth but over its lifetime a tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide (which thins the ozone layer), help control soil erosion, generate oxygen, and the shade it provides will reduce your air conditioning costs by 15%. Also in a 50 year lifespan a tree will provide over $62,000 worth of air pollution control. Think of that….The power of one tree!

Manufacturers, stores, services, products, etc. are all racing to claim the green label and be adopted by the general public at large. Green is the in word if you want to sell anything. Little did we know back in September 2007 when CSP™ launched an initiative called “EcoStaging™” how timely and needed this would be. Contact a CSP consultant to find out more about the difference working with a CSP™ staging consultant makes, about our EcoStaging™ certification program and how the CSP™ initiative can provide you as a real estate agent with a marketing edge. The process of EcoStaging™ will save energy for sellers and buyers and together we will green the planet one house at a time.

7 EASY THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SAVE THE PLANET:
• Keep the tires on your car at the proper pressure to improve gas mileage by 6%
• Insulate and weatherise your home to save up to 25% on heating bills
• Closing your drapes at night to conserve heat and using a programmable thermostat
can save $150 in energy bills
• Turn out lights when you leave a room
• Use sleep mode for your computer when it’s not in use to save a powerful $75 a year
• Unplug all electric devices when not in use – as they are energy drains even when
not in use
• Plant a tree

Everything is GREEN…And It’s Not Even SPRING!

Have you noticed all of sudden how “Green” is in? Green everything, save the planet, save energy, save money, save your health, green your pet—just everything. AL Gore’s movie has really started something. Well, contrary to what “Kermit the Frog” said—apparently, it IS easier than you think, to be green.

Hippies and flower children of earlier times are today’s aging baby boomers but it must make them proud to finally see the “greening” awareness rise so much in peoples’ consciousness. While it maybe easier today to make small changes to your lifestyle and help the environment, there are some with a concern that there is so much publicity now that people will tune out the message, just like white noise, and eventually become “de -sensitized to the real issues.

Green encompasses everything from turning lights off to recycling and reducing your carbon footprint. When a business claims to have green credentials, how do you know they are actually true and/or worthwhile? Retailers are spending millions promoting their green credentials; but is it a genuine effort to become green, or a marketing ploy to attract savvy consumers like you? Can profit driven companies actually be beneficial to the planet? Or at the very least, less harmful. Truly, it is very difficult to get it completely right and there are no easy answers to these complex questions.

With all the talk about green energy, green flooring (Bamboo) and even green detergent it’s easy for a lay person to get confused and miss the point. For example most detergents aren’t too bad for the environment and are definitely much better than they used to be, however everyone has a “new clean green label.” Turning your washing machine thermostat down to 30 degrees Celsius will have a much bigger impact than changing your detergent. Bamboo flooring is definitely more sustainable than hardwood but the energy used to transport it from the place of origin to North America, cancels any “green” effect.It is complicated for sure.

Before you become jaded and too desensitized to the impact greening will have on your day to day life, we wanted to bring to your attention the CSPâ„¢ green initiative Eco Stagingâ„¢. As
you know already, CSPâ„¢ consultants provide a very comprehensive staging consultation and
may choose to provide it in the CSP™ Room Ready Handbook™. Now we have taken the handbook a step further to include a four page checklist to enable a review of a property’s ‘green” situation. CSP™ consultants are not energy efficient experts and we don’t profess to be home inspectors either. We understand not all of the CSP™ Eco Staging™ checklist will apply to every household; our work will help save energy, one household at a time and every small effort, moves us in the right direction.

What Eco Staging™ will do—is provide a simple review of everyday savings which you as an
agent or home seller can use as marketing edge when selling the property. At a recent CSPâ„¢
conference in Toronto, Ontario a representative of the Canadian Federal Government applauded and supported the efforts of CSPâ„¢ with the Eco Stagingâ„¢ initiative. The
representative also spoke about the Natural Resources Canada program—EcoENERGY
Retrofit for Energy Efficiency. The program provides grants of up to $5000 for Canadian
home owners. The grant is per address so it benefits the seller and the buyer by identifying
the energy leaks in the house and providing the seller and homebuyer a window of time to
retrofit to qualify for reimbursement. A seller would also be aware of the program for any
property they purchased.

Across North America communities are waking up to the fact they have to do something.
Perhaps in your community there are similar initiatives. We know in Ontario, for example,
there is a mirror grant available from the Provincial government, which mean Ontario home
sellers and buyers have access to up to $10,000.

In the United States you can consult www.EnergyStar.gov, a program of the US
Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy helping everyone save
money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Energy Star® has partnerships with manufacturers that meet strict energy efficiency
guidelines set by the EPA and Dept of Energy. If you are a new home buyer, look for an Energy
Star® compliant builder; it will save you $$$ on your utilities in your new home. For existing
homes, there are retrofit and rebates for upgrades to your home in almost every area of your
home. The rebates are 10% to as much as 30% depending on the upgrade and product.
Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved enough energy in 2006 to avoid greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent to those from 25 million cars—and saved $14 billion on utility bills.
The CSPâ„¢ Eco Stagingâ„¢ initiative will raise awareness across Canada and the USA as to what
can be immediately assessed to reduce, reuse and save money and energy.

We hope that “green fatigue syndrome” as some may call it, doesn’t affect many people and
we trust there will be a day when everyone is doing all they can to reduce the impact on the
environment and planet. If people like YOU support companies that do respect and support
the place in which they live, then maybe one day we will get there.

Concern: Home staging is an unregulated field.

The truth is it is an unregulated field, however it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be alarmed. It is all the more reason, to take care, when choosing the home stager you want to work with.

Most emerging industries are unregulated at first, for instance home inspection industry only started in 1995. History shows eventually regulations and standards evolve. In the meanwhile,when the time is right for you to hire a home staging consultant, look for people who belong to an organization that is leading the field in standards and professionalism. The CSP(TM) program was birthed as a result of the need for regulation,standards and procedures. The CSP(TM) program is the only home staging training program to require examination, standards for completion, standards and tools for work,provides apprenticeship opportunities, and requires continuing education.

There are people who attempt to cast aspersions about those who have certifcation, but really it is an attempt to have you buy into their program. The truth is you really do have to do some research. Even though the practice of home staging has been utilized for thirty years on the West coast- home staging really is a new market. It is gaining popularity and acceptance largely because of media exposure but also because more and more people are recognising home staging is a viable business opportunity and as a result they are driving the need for regulation, sooner rather than later.

People who attend the CSP(TM) home staging training program learn how to start and build a home staging business “ they already have skills to do the staging/decorating work “ usually they have been doing it for years they just need a vehicle to turn their skills into a business.

What qualifies someone as a credible source for developing a training program? Is it someone who has sold their own house? Or someone who has been decorating homes for many years, is it a real estate agent or is it someone who recognises home staging to be what it is:- an extension of the real estate business, and someone who studied and worked in the field of home staging for many years throughout North America? Ask yourself who would you want to be trained by?
More importantly who would you want training the consultant you hire?

The growth of the CSP(TM) network (almost 500 in one year) necessitates the evolution of standards, policies and procedures which will pave the way for the industry as a whole to follow.

Graduates of the CSP program have attended an intensive, immersion-enrichment program, studied extensively and passed examinations with 75% or more and as they build their own business they agree to adhere to a professional code of conduct – which will revoke their designation for non compliance.

If you are a real estate agent or a homeowner looking for a credible professional home stager near you Chose one of our free home staging directories: In Canada www.findastager.ca In the USA click here or call 1 888 STAGING.

Quick Links:

home staging for real estate professionals

home staging for builders

home staging for home owners

looking for a career in home staging

Everyone is talking about it. Some people are doing something about it and many people are thinking what can I do – I am only one person. I recently saw the passage below on a website for Parkinson’s disease and was moved to think how one person can really make a difference
to anything. I thought I would share it with you.

“The Difference of One is really the difference in everything. In every struggle, every battle, every search and every dream there comes a moment when the outcome is decided. There are countless things that may have occurred leading up to that point, that moment, but something trips the forces in play and the scale tips to one way or another. That something is The Difference of One.

“Every person knows or has felt the difference that just one thing can make and has made in her/his life. One goal made, one appointment missed, one date made, one job completed,
one wrong turn, one dream realized, one piece of homework lost, one hug, one lie, one apology, one smile.” (www.thedifferenceofone.org)

Everything we are, everything we do or want to do begins with one small step. I am forever motivated by remembering when President Kennedy said, “Within ten years we will put a man on the moon and safely return him to earth.” They didn’t even have a rocket ship plan at that time. They had a goal and they achieved it one step at a time.

So if the goal is to save the planet for our grandchildren, great grandchildren and all the generations to come, we all need to do our part – one small step at a time, but do we
must. I have been inspired by Al Gore’s movie “Inconvenient Truth.” If you have not seen it yet, consider doing so. Sit down with your pre teens and older children and start thinking
about the small steps your family can take. If we each do a little it will eventually mean a lot.
In the process of getting a property ready for sale, CSPâ„¢ consultants remark frequently that the work they did in preparation for that house sale was the catalyst for that home
seller to change the way they lived. Comments reverberate around the continent – “I didn’t know how much stuff I had accumulated”. “I am amazed at how great the house looks
with less ‘stuff’ in it” or “I am inspired to live like this all the time; less is definitely more”. The CSP™ organisation will be involved in special projects with Habitat for Humanity beginning Sept 07 and CSP™ consultants recommend clients consider donating to the “Re Store” any household items they are replacing; another small step to reduce waste in the landfill sites.

In July 2007, the CSPâ„¢ organization is introducing eco friendly products which the graduates of their program may choose to use in the work they do. Another small step towards a cleaner planet. This research motivated me to find some ideas that you can implement at home for
little to no cost.

KITCHEN:
• Install a faucet aerator to reduce the flow of water by 25% – 50%.
• Use leftover cooled boiled water from vegetables, eggs etc to water house or garden plants.
• If you use a teapot and have some left over – pour into a container in the fridge – enjoy as a refreshing ice tea later.
• Consider upgrading appliances to “Energy Star” quality. Save hydro, water and money.
• Only run the dishwasher when it is full. If you don’t have a dish washer or you prefer the “old fashioned” way remember to fill the sink rather than run the water – saves 94 litres per wash, a recent Home Dept article stated.
• Repair faucets throughout the house. A leaky faucet can waste more than 25 litres a day, which is 9,000 litres a year.

BATHROOMS:
• Toilets are the biggest water wasters in the whole house. Try a low flow appliance which uses less water per flush but still maintains the force. Look for a model which uses 6 litres or less. Or you can insert a water filled plastic bag or bottle into the toilet tank to displace the water.
• Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth to save 5 litres a minute and encourage you to brush longer.
• Shave with a half basin of water; by not running the tap you save 10-20 litres a day.

GARDENS:
• Water the garden between 7am – 10am, when temperatures are low and evaporation is low. A soaker hose can use up to 70% less water.
• Use garden solar lights. Install time and motion sensors on other lights to conserve energy.
• If using fertilizers be sure it’s an all purpose organic brand that releases slowly.
• The rain barrel has returned! A great “yester year” standby. Today’s models have a spigot for easy hose connection and a screen so debris is filtered out and mosquitoes can’t breed there.
• Use a broom on your driveway instead of hosing down.
• Wash the car using a bucket rather than a hose. 300 litres
per wash are wasted hosing the car down.

After months of planning we are proud to introduce the Staging Community Blog to the public. We have asked Home Staging Experts to begin their bloggers in this Home Staging Community Weblog and to write informative articles, press releases, how to’s, tips…and more. Our goal is to create a resource for Real Estate Agents, Homeowners, the media and those with a general interest in the staging industry.