Month: August 2018

Decorating your kitchen backsplash can be a fun and exciting weekend project. Kitchen backsplash tiles fit right into that special space between your upper kitchen cabinets and your kitchen counterop.

They are usually 18 inches high and 12 to 20 feet wide. Because your backsplash is a small area, it’s a relatively affordable place to use the pricier tiles, and also the place to get a little fancier with laying them. It takes a lot less time to tile your backsplash. This makes installing kitchen backsplash tiles the ideal weekend project for the do it yourself tiler. In one weekend you can transform your backsplash into a beautiful eye catching kitchen focal point.

There are many beautiful decorative tiles available to use as your kitchen backsplash tiles, and they are also fairly easy to install. There’s the ever popular glass wall tile which is impervious to stains and moisture. Some of these glass tiles are even strong enough for floors, but due to their expense they are usually used as an accent tile for walls. Glass tiles come in a wide variety of beautiful gleaming colors and textures.

Mosaic tiles are small tiles to 3 inches in size. They come in just about any shape you can imagine, such as fish, circles, stars, squares and the list goes on. These tiles may be glazed ceramic, marble, glass, natural stone or even metal, and these decorative patterns come already assembled on 12 inch square sheets with mesh backing, making for a quick and easy weekend tile installation.

Then there’s metal backsplash tile which can be made up of stainless steel, copper, brass or iron. These tiles offer a very up to date look, especially for kitchen backsplashes. They may be smooth, mosaics, cast in shapes or even stamped with patterns, and they are perfect to use as a backsplash tile, because they’re perfectly sized to fit the common 18 inch backsplash.

You can also use decorative accent tiles to dress up your kitchen backsplash. Simply choose a handful of dressy tiles that have painted or ingrained images you like, or are embossed with fish or palm trees or any other shape that suits your fancy. You can even use tiles that are glazed in bright colors and sprinkle them throughout your backsplash.

Continue your backsplash designs all the way to over your range, or create a different design for this area. Turn your backsplash tiles on the diagonal and frame the design with picture frame tiles and create a tile mural, or create a color collage using decorative color tiles that compliment the color scheme of your kitchen.

The designs you can create for your kitchen backsplash using decorative tiles are endless. All you need is a little imagination. The tiles will take care of the rest.

It seems like we get so caught up in our everyday lives that we rarely take the time to focus on building something that is really near and dear to us, such as our Home Staging and Real Estate Business. We take care of everyone and everything else, but fail to give our business the attention it needs to sprout, grow and thrive.

As we start off this new year with a bang, I decided we should start off our Home Staging Business with a bang as well.

I think that in order to get your Home Staging Business off the groundand then some, you have to have a specific plan in place. During my APSD Property Scene Designer Training, I actually do a business blue print with each PD so we can specifically create a 12 month plan of success. Needless to say, the PDs that follow the plan have a booming home staging business.

But, it is one thing to say you have to have a plan and another to actually understand how to do one and figure out what goes into your plan.

That is why this year, I am going to do an APSD 12 month Home Staging Blue Print with every single one of you that joins me for our ONLINE STAGE EVENT because that is how strongly I feel about you having a specific vision and plan of action to carry out the vision. (By the way, all the details are at www.APSDmembers.com/OnlineSTAGE -hurry it starts next week!)

The important thing though, is to start now. Dont wait because we all know how quickly time passes us by right? So please, I am asking you, encouraging your, willing to support youmake the choice right now, to be a success in the home staging industry!

First of all, there are several factors to consider when you decide to run and effective Home Staging and Real Estate Business:

1) Vision. Have you stopped to decide specifically what you want from this business? Are you looking to niche a specific service like Curb Appeal. Color Analysis, High End Homes, etc.? Or, are you happy to just set a goal, like 4 stagings a week and take what comes? I find by starting anything with a very clear vision, you are far more likely to quickly achieve your goal.

2) Momentum. Once you decide what you want, you need to build momentum by taking massive action. I know most of you work other jobs or take care of your children (many of you do both!) so the thought of massive action could stop you in your tracks. But stop to think about what massive action could be. Maybe you decide that you can make 10 calls every Monday to local real estate offices. Then, on Friday, you send out follow up emails to the same 10. If you are not doing anything right now, that is Massive action. When you do it consistently, you will get results which leads to momentum. It is like losing weight, drop a pound or two in the first week by saying no to sweets and yes to a daily walk, you get results, which leads to momentum and before you know it you are in week 4 and have lost 10 pounds. Massive Action leads to Momentum which leads to results.

3) MindSet. Now that you have a little momentum going, you may start to second guess yourself. Maybe it is because of how you were raised, or you dont have enough support at home or you simply lack confidence, but I find that in order to have continued growth, your head needs to be in the right place. Normally, we call this mindset and during my recentAPSD Stager Pro and APSD Certified Trainers Program, we talked a great deal about confidence and mindset. It is a special session that I will be teaching during ONLINE STAGE.

I am a big believer in putting yourself in the right frame of mind, and keeping it there, in order to achieve the success you deserve. I know when I first started out on my own home staging business, I lacked confidence in my ability, did not think I could succeed, had a wonderful husband that didnt understand what I was trying to do and was a very well conditioned mid-westerner that kept thinking work harder and I will be fine. WOW! Did I ever have a great deal to learn. Mindset is one of the biggest keys to success which is why I am devoting an entire session to it at our ONLINE STAGE training.

As women (and a few really cool guys) we have to put our mind in the right place for ourselves and our family. Otherwise we will live a life of poverty mindset and even worse, pass it along to our children. Wouldnt you prefer a mindset of abundance?

4) Extraordinary Skills. When my APSD Certified Home Staging Professionals ask me how to compete, or blaze the home staging trail, I always tell them to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. The funny thing, is that I tell my small business consulting clients the same thing, so it works for every industry. It is easy to just look at what others do and do the same. What takes a little more effort is to be better. One of my mentors, Dan Kennedy, says look around at your competition and whatever they are doing, do the opposite.

I took this to heart when I created APSD. I looked around at everyone and I did the opposite. I created an association that supported our members. Also, I assumed you were already smart and talented, so instead of showing you how to create a trilogy of candles (because I assume you already know how to put 3 candles on a plate), APSD gave you a proven Home Staging system; a model to follow so you can yield specific results. Then, and this is the best part, APSD came out with specific trainings that spoke to our members and their bottom lines. I think you should make a bunch of income with your Home Staging and Real Estate business and be able to help your client in the biggest and best way. In order to do that, you have to offer multiple services which yield you multiple streams of income. In the APSD ONLINE STAGE training, I will introduce you to 25 streams of home staging income. Everything from Color Analysis to Curb Appeal to our propriety programs like Bang for the Buck and Estage!

But it doesnt stop there. We continually differentiate ourselves from any other program by offering courses for todays Home Stager such as Vacant and Distressed Property Staging which we will be doing during our ONLINE STAGE event. This is a hot button across the globe and once you learn to effectively stage Vacant and Distressed properties, you will have every real estate agent in your market place knocking down your door for help.

The new APSD Certified Trainers have already had a sneak peek into the program and you will have your chance to do so as well at ONLINE STAGE. Make sure you have the best skills possible and that is what will differentiate you in your Home Staging Market and get clients rushing to you vs. you having to chase them down.

5) Marketing. You knew I would get there, right? This has to be one of the biggest parts of your plan. During the point on Momentum I talked about setting a marketing schedule such as calling 10 real estate offices on Monday and following up with the same 10 on Friday. Believe it or not, if you just did this, and did it with good marketing, like that which you receive in How to Market Your Home Staging Business after a short time, you would have enough business.

Imagine if you added a postcard to the mix! Whoo Hoo! Now you may have to hire someone to help you! Okay, okay, I know I am being a little sarcastic but most home stagers dont market. Part of the reason is they just never get organized enough to do so and the other part is that APSD is the only Home Staging Training Association to offer REAL WORLD home staging Marketing. The important thing is that you set up a marketing schedule and follow it. The more aggressive you are, the better your results. But there is one result that I know for sure, and that is if you dont do any marketing, you will get zero results. So, set a schedule that you can manage and follow it. Your 12 month home staging blue print will be a step by step process to help you with this for every single month in 2012.

In the Home Staging and Real Estate Industry, there are at least 19 ways to effectively market your business and during our ONLINE STAGE event I am going to go through each way with you, step by step so when you leave, you have a MARKETING PLAN! It doesnt have to be hard, but you do have to do it!

By simply following these 5 steps, you will find that your Home Staging Business is doing far more than just getting off the ground in 2011.

And because we are going to cover so much of this during our ONLINE STAGE training I wanted to give you an opportunity for you and a friend to come at our 2 for 1 pricing! Just check out my special offer below!

Log on http://www.apsdmembers.com/ for more details!

Home staging is one of the keys to increasing the value of your property so you can sell it a higher cost. Staging experts can be employed for a level-headed fee to evaluate your home, highlight assets and play down imperfections. These options may include doing minor fixes, furniture arrangement, adding accessories, tidying up closets and buffing up decorations. Some home stagers may recommend room-by-room evaluation, offer pointers regarding paint colors, and modifying traffic patterns. Regular consultations last for a maximum of two hours and rates are relatively cheap.

Professional stagers also provide a lot of tips to savvy homeowners. The first is to make sure that all nooks inside the house are in excellent condition. Mend all tattered screens, broken plaster and busted light bulbs. Take away all personal adornments such as family portraits and art frames. Maintain the cleanliness of your kitchen and remove unnecessary items from the counter tops. Put the small appliances inside the closets. Update kitchen embellishments by investing in elegant-looking tiles or galas mosaic pieces.

It is possible to save by using granite tops which are really beautiful investments. The material is expensive but you can actually reduce expenses by purchasing leftovers from past projects Renovate worn-out cabinets with brand new designs. Use clean linen for chair foams and tea towels. Get professional cleaners to make sure that all alcoves of your kitchen are spic and span. The key is to look for budget-friendly decorative items so it will not be difficult for you.

Renovate your outdoor spaces. The beautiful outdoor deck is a main selling point for homeowners who plan to resell property. Give your backyard a novel look. Paint your porch with light shades to give the area a bucolic appearance. Furnish the gazebo for entertainment purposes especially during family get-together parties. Add life to the washed-out patio by painting the bricks with a buoyant coat of paint.

Highlight individual rooms to display the true potential of your house. This is important if you plant to resell your abode. Remove all the disorder that tends to sidetrack prospective buyers. Paint your dividers with a neutral tint and put in furnishings to accentuate functionality. Remember that dilapidated wooden partitions do not make up a solid selling point. Try to cover this imperfection and make use of wooden fillers to plug all crevices between the walls.

Opt for vinyl tiles because these are fairly inexpensive. However, take note of the proper and incorrect ways of doing this. Stay away from patterns that may seem to be picture perfect. Instead, intersperse tile placement and directions to blend the designs. The floor will end up with a natural look which makes it more attractive to likely buyers. Unfurl your window blinds to let in natural light. People will always go for well-ventilated living rooms and dining areas. Go for light paint shades instead of artificial illumination. Get rid of disagreeable pet smell because this will create a negative impression. Your carpets should smell fresh and be free from unpleasant stains.

To learn more about tips in Home Staging Brisbaneh, just click on the link. Or visit http://www.castlehire.com.au/ to to visit Castle Hire.

The process of staging your home for sale is very much like preparing the set of what will be an Award winning movie. You must set the scene and atmosphere with the props and lighting before you begin filming. When you have attended to the behind the scene details you can then call for Lights, Camera and Action!

A properly staged home can maximize your selling price and minimize time on the market by standing apart from the competition. Potential home buyers need to see your home as a place where they could live. Home staging facilitates this by creating a mood in which the buyer can envision living in your space by removing clutter, dirt and over-personalization. Professional home stagers live by the motto of de-clutter, de-personalize and clean, clean, clean!

Home staging taps into the proven psychology of selling. Car dealers allow you to test drive a car so that you can experience what it would be like to own and drive the car daily. Clothing manufacturers allow you try on clothes so that you can see yourself in the garments. These experiences create an emotional connection with the product and set the stage for a sale. While potential home buyers cannot take your house for a test drive, or try it on (move in for a day), you can engage their emotions by properly staging your home so that they can visualize what it would be like to call your house “home”.

Step 1: De-clutter

We never seem to realize how much we have accumulated until it is time to move. The good news about de-cluttering your home is that you can begin to sort through what you truly need and want to move to your new location. The bad news is that you have to be the one to sort through it! People that are buying a home are typically looking for more space. Clutter eats space and can make rooms feel cramped and small. Remove excess furniture, knick knacks and items that are not being used. Remember to ensure that the cupboards and closets only house the essentials. Sort everything into three piles, garbage, good will or garage sale, and those items to be packed and stored ready for the move into your new home. If youre not sure what to pack, ask yourself this simple question. Am I going to use this in the next 1 2 months? If no, package it up for the move. Not only does this actively get your house in tip top shape for the market, but you can use the money from the garage sale to buy things for your new home.

De-cluttering can pose special issues for children. Children may find it difficult to part with toys or clothing. Everything is special even if they have not used or worn it in a long time.

Step 2: De-Personalize

This part of prepping your home for sale can turn into a special trip down memory lane. All those pictures and memorabilia are always in view, but people seldom take time to reconnect with their meaning. This is one of lifes opportunities to smell the roses, so go ahead, and take a few moments to enjoy! But make sure in the end that you do pack your personal mementos, family pictures and miscellaneous memorabilia. Generally, its an excellent rule of thumb to pack religious items, knick knacks, and small to medium pictures and items. Larger accessories and art work should be placed to one side for consideration when the home is later staged. Remember that you are showcasing your home as a canvas to which the buyer can insert their own style.

Step 3: Clean, Clean, Clean

Unfortunately for most home sellers, cleanliness is a major factor for buyers since other peoples dirt registers much higher on their ick radar. Theres really no way around it, to sell your home quicker and for the best possible price, it needs to sparkle. Buyers will pay special attention to the kitchen, bathrooms and windows. The following guidelines are recommended to get your home thoroughly clean.

Start at the top of your home and work down
Clean bedrooms, studies, and seldom used rooms first, the bathrooms, kitchen and utility rooms next. Save the porch, garage, shed, and attic for last.
Pull all furniture and appliances into the middle of the rooms that you can clean behind and underneath
Clean each room starting at the top and working down (ceiling, walls, trim and floor)
Do the wet work first Washing paintwork, windows, laundering and shampooing
Do the dry work next dusting, polishing, waxing
Save the vacuuming until last this step removes all traces of dust and debris

Once your home has been thoroughly cleaned, set a cleaning schedule that will allow you to maintain the look on an ongoing basis.

Home staging is catching up as a necessary process before your home is put up for sale in the real estate market. It involves setting up your home so as to appeal to your buyers and aids you in the sale of your home. A quick sale at the price that you decide is obviously beneficial to you as it is like a return on your investment.

However, most people have a wrong notion about home staging. They are either misinformed or uninformed about the whole process of staging your home.

This article aims to debunk some of the common myths that revolve around home staging.

Myth 1: Home staging can cost you a lot You cannot use a generic term like ‘a lot’ when it comes to home staging. Home staging costs differ from home to home based on the size of your property and the way you want it to be staged. Also, professional services are available to suit all kind of budgets. Professional home stagers offer you consultation and then provide you with a DIY list or get their team to stage your home depending on your budget.

Myth 2: Every room should be painted white or beige It is not necessary that every room should be painted white or beige. Only the main living room and the entrance should be painted in a neutral color. However, neutral doesn’t mean white or beige; there are other neutral colors that can be used that do not make your home walls look drab and dull. Besides, you can make up for the neutral walls by adding colorful rugs, cushions, wall art and accessories.

Myth 3: Home staging is not necessary if your home is well designed and decorated You may have used the best designer to conceptualize and design your home but when you put it up for sale on the market, you still need to stage it. The need to stage your home is not a criticism of your taste; your home needs to be staged because it has to have a wider appeal and should be able to attract a larger set of people so as to ensure that it sells quickly.

Myth 4: It is better to leave a house on sale vacant as it makes the space look larger This is a completely wrong notion. Usually, empty spaces look smaller and you do not understand the potential that a room holds when it comes to furnishing. Also, some rooms tend to have an odd layout and such spaces become questionable unless you can actually see how that space can be used up. Also, furnishing a room allows you to compartmentalize it thereby making it look larger than it is.

Basically, you need to remember that it is essential that you make a good first impression if you want the house to be sold quickly. A person needs to be captivated by your house and should instantly feel at home there. Home staging will enable you to do this and will ensure that your house is sold as quickly as possible.

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