Hey guys, hello from Napa valley! I am in Napa this week for our second annual retreat for stagers who are in the advanced level of their businesses and we are having a great time learning from experts and frankly my mind is exploding with ideas and more ideas about how to improve my home staging business. I think most Californians who are listening are also very thrilled about the rain yesterday. I feel like it’s been years since I’ve heard a thunderstorm. As you may know that we have a serious drought going on in California, so it was super exciting to see the rain. If you have been listening to the show for awhile and like the show, please take a minute to rate and review The Home Staging Show on iTunes. That will be super helpful because that will help other people to find this show and allow me to keep finding great guests and keep recording. Today’s show is brought to you by EcoJoe, the eco-friendly St Joseph statue home selling kit. In real estate, there is a tradition of praying to St Joseph for good luck, and we made an eco-friendly statue made with clay. EcoJoe is 100% natural, he won’t harm the earth. To find out more about the product, visit ecojoekits.com Today’s episode for me is a very special one. I interviewed Angie Roberts, who is one of our students from our home staging course Stage Your House Like A Pro. She had successfully staged her own home and I invited her on the show to share her home staging experiences on how she pulled her house together, the challenges she had faced and what was her process like staging her home. I didn’t realize this that Angie had rehabbed homes in the past, so it was interesting to listen to her perspectives about getting her home ready for sale, the investment she had put in, the work they had done themselves. I especially love what Angie had shared about the pricing differences before and after staging. I always think this type of interviews are very valuable, especially if you are a home seller who is going to put your house on the market. I think it is incredibly helpful to hear others’ experiences and learn from them. On today's show, we talked about: -Angie's experiences with rehabbing houses -Why they decided to sell -What changed her mind about selling her house vacant -How Angie targeted her potential buyers -The differences in pricing before and after staging -Work she had done to stage and prepare the home for sale -What were her home staging strategies -What she did to prepare her home for sale -What was some of the surprisingly lessons that she had learned in this process -What were some of the challenges that she had faced -How her family dealt with the staging -Her tips for other home sellers who are thinking about staging their own homes for sale

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! If you have been listening to the show for awhile and like the show, please take a minute to rate and review The Home Staging Show on iTunes. That will be super helpful because that will help other people to find this show and allow me to keep finding great guests and keep recording. Today’s show is brought to you by EcoJoe, the eco-friendly St Joseph statue home selling kit. In real estate, there is a tradition of praying to St Joseph for good luck, and we made an eco-friendly made with clay. EcoJoe is 100% natural, he won’t harm the earth. To find out more about the product, visit ecojoekits.com This special episode is all about haunted real estate. Today’s show is also a bit longer than our normal show. We have 2 guests on the show today. The first guest is Susan Powell, who is a home stager based in Chicago and has worked with haunted houses in her staging. She will also talk about what she now carries in her staging toolkit now that she has come in contact with a few haunted houses. The second guest is a good friend of mine, Diana Mercer. She had worked closely with Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are the subjects of the movies The Conjuring and Annabelle. She has a LOT of crazy stories about haunting, possession and I also asked her to share advices if you are suspecting hauntings in your home or what to look for in a potential house that you are thinking about buying. She actually was an atheist, she is going to share the story of why she now is made a believer. Here are some of the stuff we talked about on the show today: -Working in haunted homes -The differences between ghosts v. evil spirits -What are ghosts -When you see your dead grandmother or white apparitions appear vs. dark shadowy figures and foul smells -What may cause a ghost -#1 cause of bringing in evil spirits in your home -How Annabelle got started -Diana’s firsthand experiences and stories from working with Ed and Lorraine Warren -What to do with elemental and fairly harmless ghosts -Not every state has law that requires homeowners to disclose hauntings, so what should you do if you were a buyer? -The Amityville Horror -If someone got murdered in the house, does that make the home haunted? -Spirit photography

Hey guys, welcome back! If this is the first episode that you are listening to, the Home Staging Show is all about learning how to create a beautiful home, whether it is for selling or for living. On today’s episode, I interview a veteran home stager and a leader in the home staging industry, Karen Otto. She is the owner of Home Star Staging in Texas and she started her business around the same time I did. If you have been listening to the show for awhile and like the show, please take a minute to rate and review The Home Staging Show on iTunes. That will be super helpful because that will help other people to find this show and allow me to keep finding great guests and keep recording. Today’s show is brought to you by EcoJoe, the eco-friendly St Joseph statue home selling kit. In real estate, there is a tradition of praying to St Joseph for good luck, and we made an eco-friendly statue made with clay. EcoJoe is 100% natural, he won’t harm the earth. To find out more about the product, visit ecojoekits.com So I just love the way Karen mixes different colors and textures, as well as mixing in vintage pieces with her staging. She also uses materials and props in creative and unexpected ways, which we will talk about on the show today. We also chatted about business a little bit. I know sometimes, when home stagers get together, we can’t help it but chat business. But I think it is also important for you guys, even if you are homeowners who have no interests in ever owning a home staging business to hear the behind the scene stuff since then that gives you a better understanding and perspectives on what to look for when you are hiring a home stager, or if you are a new stager wanting to build a better business. Because that is important too. Great staging is not enough, you also have to have a solid business that fuels your passion and serves your purposes, on top of that, you are providing a valuable service to others and helping them sell their homes. We also talk about the design process of pulling a home together, sourcing and shopping, and the importance of getting a great photographer.

If this is the first episode that you are listening to, this show is all about learning how to create a beautiful home, whether it is for selling or for living. On today’s episode, I’m going to talk about the design process of pulling a home together and talking about artwork, which is something I think a lot of homeowners get stuck on. They are not sure what to put on their walls. So I’m going to talk about that today, and give you a few ideas on what to do.

Michelle Finnamore has an amazing business, which you will hear about in today’s show. She is also one smart businesswoman. Michelle has a background in construction, so she brings in a lot of unique insights and knowledge about ROI to her home staging work. She has also done thousands of home staging consultations to date, so I’m super excited to bring her on the show. Michelle's staging and design work has been featured on HGTV, Fox TV and CBC Radio One. Identifying the ideal client was a key factor in creating a home staging company that has attracted sellers and agents and led to her moniker of being named the Go To Girl when you are looking to sell a property. She also has some very impressive accolades. She is 2015 & 2013 RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) TOP 10 Stager Canada 2015 CSP (Certified Staging Professionals) INTERNATIONAL MASTERS OF STAGING 2015 MARIA KILLAM TRUE COLOUR EXPERT

Hi guys! Today on the show I interviewed personal stylist and author Rayne Parvis. I always think of styling principles as very interchangeable. How you dress is very much how you would styling your own home. I am very excited to get Rayne on the show today. She is very personable, great energy and knows her stuff. I hope you had gotten some great styling tips from today's show and be sure to check out Rayne's amazing website and get her weekly Rayne checks.

On today's episode, I talked about some recent issues I've observed from a lot of new home stagers entering the market without proper business training, and what are some of the right questions homeowners and real estate agents can ask to make sure they are hiring someone who is a professional home stager that will be ethical and do a great job to help them sell the property.

In today's episode, I discuss Feng Shui, energy clearing and decluttering in depth with UK Feng Shui Expert Cathi Hargaden. We also discussed in depth how energy and the way you arrange your interiors can affect your health and the mood and feelings of your visitors. I personally believe in Feng Shui, having grown up around it, and I apply some of that in my staging and styling approach as well, which was also discussed on the show. Cathi Hargaden is an internationally acclaimed expert in the ancient art of Feng Shui. She has 20+ years experience consulting and teaching and has worked with over 1,000 clients around the globe. Cathi's work has helped clients increase revenue, reduce stress, resolve conflicts, build health and more. She is the host of the Feng Shui Mastery Show podcast. Cathi’s expertise is right for audiences in the health, wealth, business and personal development arenas. Her message of being aware of and modulating the energy of places and spaces we live and work in to assure health and good fortune is fresh and timely. Energy marketing!

In this episode, I answer your questions about home staging! We also announced our Stage Your House Like A Pro self-study, video ecourse! In this episode, I answered questions about: -How much furniture is enough in the room? -Do I have to use a coffee table? -What are your thoughts on dressers for staging? -Do I need to set dining table for staging? -How to stage little kids' room and with a lot of pink? -What to do with outdated paint finishes and furnishing? -What kind of fridge should I buy?

Today on the show, I'm interviewing Kirstie Dempsey, who is a stay-at-home mom and one of our #30DayHomeStaging Challenge home sellers. During the show, you will find out how the home staging process was for Kirstie, working with real estate agents and buyers' needs, and what is the number one tip she will give to other home sellers.