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Thankful………Even if it was never a Norman Rockwell Celebration….

Thanksgiving, marked as a day for giving thanks, has always been my favorite holiday. It’s true, even more so than Christmas, or any summer fun celebration day! And the reason has always been simple and pure. It’s a time when you choose to spend time with family and friends, for the only purpose of sharing their company, good food, in a warm home surrounded by people who mean so much to you. No pressure in having to buy gifts, to see the joy or lack of joy in the recipients face, no pressure in depending on circumstances outside your realm of control including weather, travel, etc. , no pressure in having to “dress up” for the celebration. It’s a day, simply a day that you can just be, for the sake of connecting with not only yourself in remembering the reasons you are grateful and thankful for the blessings in your own life, but connecting with others, simply by sharing the same space as them. Listening to stories, telling stories, playing games, watching movies…surrounded with constant chatter and laughter, and sometimes emotional moments that are felt deep into your heart. I always thought the world slowed down on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a time to reflect and be still. Be still in knowing what is truly important in your life is already within you, within your heart and home.

As a child, I remember Thanksgiving Day as a relatively small family celebration. It was usually my mom and dad, sister and brother and many times, my Grandmother. Things were peaceful in the house. Looking back, I think that’s the reason it became my favorite. For a time, at least during the daylight hours it was peaceful. Oh, we had the hustle and bustle in the kitchen, cooking, peeling potatoes, cooking the “turkey parts” that always grossed me out, pots and pans piled up in the sink that needed to be washed all day long! All for the intended purpose of sitting around the table and sharing that time, that connection with those who were part of our lives. The people that became a part of my life, the part that really mattered.

So for a time, I honored that peace, what became my escape from the routine, the escape from the daily life that truly existed outside that day. What I’ve learned is that the world doesn’t stop on Thanksgiving Day like I always wanted to believe it did, it just slows down, it allows us to connect on a deeper level of living and just being. It was never a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, but in my heart, I wanted to believe it was.  It was a real family, coming together with real life issues but never forgetting the core of what family really means.

So as I am reminded of the many reason that I am thankful, that I am grateful for the life, the family, the friends and everything and everyone who has become a part of my life, I hope you too can find that connection, that stillness that brings the focus in your life to what really matters. It doesn’t matter that technology has taken over our lives, that stores are now open on Thanksgiving Day because you still are in control over the way you choose to spend the day. If you’re upset about stores being open, don’t shop. If you’re upset that your children can’t look up from the table without keeping their phones nearby, have them turn them off for the one day, and if not for the day, at least for an hour while you can talk face to face, looking into each other’s eyes, making that human connection which we all still crave. Our own world needs to slow down for us all to recognize and see the blessings we have as we celebrate a the day that reminds us of just that I wish everyone the joy, peace and stillness in recognizing how much you have to be thankful for not only today, but everyday. Happy Thanksgiving!

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When you’re getting ready to sell your house, there are some people who think they don’t need to work with a home stager because their house has been decorated, either by themselves, or by a professional designer.  The difference in decorating vs home staging as I explain to people is that decorating is all about the people who live there, their lives, their hobbies, their interests.  Home staging on the other hand is actually about the “house” and not the people who live there.

By investing in home staging, a homeowner will benefit in many ways.  The three top reasons to hire a professional home stager are as follows:

1.  A home stager can look at your house with an unbiased and professional eye to help create a space that shows the architectural features of the house, shows the best floor plan and layout of the furniture creating a flow through the space, and understands the demographic buyer of your house.  They will make suggestions on the current trends including colors, furnishings and lifestyle that today’s buyers are looking for.  The staged house allows the buyer to focus on the house, and not the personal collections and lifestyle of the current owner. (more…)

5 Reasons why an Owner Occupied Home can benefit with Home Staging.

Some people think home staging is about bringing furniture into an empty house.

That’s only part of it. Homes that are occupied with sellers can benefit equally as much if not more. And the cost to stage an owner-occupied home is often less because there is a “base” of furnishings to work with. (more…)

We are all told, and taught that successful staging is all about knowing who your demographic buyer is.  Not only who they are, but what is their lifestyle, how do they want to live in the house and what is important to them or their family.  Knowing that information, allows you as the home staging professional to appeal to them on the emotional basis that they need to connect with a house.  I recently was Read more…

Did you know what if you can show a buyer the potential or purpose of a space, they will see that as added value in the home they are considering to buy. Staging finished living spaces allows the buyer to see the full potential in how they can live in a space. The return on investment is high and the impact it makes on a buyer is even higher! Make your home memorable and stand out! When a buyer can visualize living in your home, they are interested in living there! Statistics have shown that staged homes sell quicker and for more money! Home staging is a powerful marketing tool! Make it part of your marketing plan in selling your house! (more…)

RESA-PRO™ Designees have met the following 5 mandatory requirements:

1. Passed the RESA-PRO™ Ethics Exam.
2. Have agreed to follow the RESA® Code of Ethics.
3. Have had a minimum of 1 year in business as a professional home stager (They have proved this by supplying either a, Business License, DBA, LLC, CORP, or Legal Partnership)
4. Have Home Staging Business Insurance
5. Have a Business Checking Account

Hiring a home stager with a RESA-PRO™ designation is important for homeowners and real estate agents because: (more…)