Actively Raining Thoughts-Room Service Home Staging: February 2012

The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships- thru March 4, 2012!

This is the 20th year for the International Tennis Championships in Delray Beach and you won’t want to miss it.  In attendance will be past champions and current contenders... Andy Roddick, Carlos Moya, Michael Chang, Ivan Lendl and many more.  

The Delray Beach International  Tennis Championship

is the only combined ATP World Tour and ATP Champions

Tour event in the United States!

There are day and evening sessions so you can take in the event and then head over to Atlantic Avenue for some shopping and dining.  

The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships

 Delray Beach Stadium and Tennis Center
201 W. Atlantic Avenue
Delray Beach FL
 561-243-7360

 

 

 

 

 

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Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

The Puppetry Arts Center of the Palm Beaches in Delray Beach

There’s a Puppet Theatre and Museum in Delray Beach just off Atlantic Avenue!   If you’re looking for something that everyone in the family can get involved in then head to downtown Delray Beach and the popular Pineapple Grove area.  

The Puppetry Arts Center is a non-profit organization that strives to “use the art of puppetry to educate, inspire creativity and imagination and to enchant the diverse population.”

It’s located on NE 2nd Avenue, north of Atlantic Boulevard on the street level of the Old School Square parking garage.  There is a large 180 seat black box theatre, a museum with many puppets that have been donated,  and a museum store.  As I wandered through the museum I saw Lamb Chop, Liberace, an assortment of “pets”, Santa and Carol Channing.

Want to know more?  The Puppetry Center....
*gives 200 performances annually
*has received 2 Grants from Target to sponsor Saturday family performances
* Has 3-4,000 low-income admissions annually for Head Start and other programs
*is on the Palm Beach County provider list for field experiences
*Has Youth and Teen  programs for performance and construction.

The Puppetry Center is also in need of volunteers to help with administrative duties, fund raising and special events.   

Performances are $6.50 for Adults and children.  All donations are greatly appreciated!

The Puppetry Arts Center of the Palm Beaches

94 NE 2nd Avenue

Delray Beach, FL. 33444

561-243-4330

See if you can find Liberace!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

I've Always Said I Learn Something New at ActiveRain Every Day and It's Time I Showed You.  February 19-February 25, 2012

I learn something new every day at ActiveRain!  With this series I try to highlight one post per day that gave me that “lightbulb” moment.  
It may have been about something techie... about blogging and SEO.... anything having to do with Staging or Real Estate... about the world or even about the Blogger.  


February 19-   Roy Kelley - Pinterest has been on everyone’s mind this week but Roy brought up a good point.... what of the copyright issue.   Are there risks when you pin a product you like that is not your own photo?

February 20- Rebekah Radice-and to continue with the subject of Pinterest, which I am on,  Rebekah offers up 20 easy ways to use Pinterest.   Just as in a successful blog, it’s important to let yourself come through.  If you’re just pinning your listings up, people will only know your listings... not anything about you.

February 21-Virginia Cheezum - I read somewhere that the consumer-friendly digital cameras’ sales have been hurt by smart phones, such as the iPhone.  Read about this application that will allow your iPhone to take panoramic photos.  Great for your listings and our Staged properties.

February 22- Steve Bachman- how consistently are you blogging, and are they content rich?  Steve tells how easy it is to fall off the wagon and off of page one of Google.

February 23-Debbie Gartner- What haven’t we learned from Debbie about flooring?  In this post she tells us how we can change the color of our hardwood flooring.

February 24 -Amy Hahn- As a Home Stager I’m always encouraging/telling my client to edit what they have.  Amy’s post points out another reason of just why you’d want to do this. It just may help you get your sellers to pack it up!

February 25-Charlie Dresen-Thank you to Rebecca Gaujot for reblogging this.  If you’re considering using video on your blog or site to show your listing, look at this amazing video oif Charlie’s post.  He has definitely set the bar  pretty high.

Thank you for letting me do what I love to do each day... learn something new!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

15th Annual Delray Beach Craft Festival is this weekend, Feb. 25th and 26th!

I love the season here in Delray Beach... there’s something fun to do every weekend and this weekend is the 15th Annual Delray Beach Craft Festival, being held in the famed Pineapple Grove District just north of Atlantic Boulevard.  

Pineapple Grove is known as the Arts District of Delray Beach.  Formed in 1987 by a group led by Norman Raiden, NE 2nd Avenue, now known as Pineapple Grove Way has grown into a thriving arts, dining and shopping area  destination.  

The Delray Beach Craft Festival will have all sorts of crafts such as pottery, jewelry, paintings and many more hand made goods.  Bring your “green” bag because there will also be a farmer’s market with fresh orchids and plants.

15th Annual Delray Beach Craft Festival

February 25-26th

10am-5pm

Admission-FREE!

200 NE 2nd Avenue

Delray Beach

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Home Staging... We’re Redesigning Our Own Profession!

Even Home Staging needs a little Redesign.  I began my Home Staging career about 5 years ago and I’ve watched as we’ve grown and continue to Update, Refresh and Redesign what we do.  

1.  We were taught to rid our properties of all personal photographs.   They were thought to distract buyers from seeing the home as their new home; instead personal photographs were reminders that the Buyer was indeed in someone else’s home.

I have recently seen discussions which suggest that leaving some personal photographs actually helps a Buyer relate to the home and also keeps it from being cold and sterile.  In fact  for years builders have placed framed pictures in their model homes of “model” families.

I like to treat photographs much as I do anything else in the house... if it is detracting or distracting it needs to be removed, especially the huge portrait photos that seem to be watching a Buyer as they walk through the house. Having a few well placed family photos won't break the deal.  I do continue to suggest that photos of children be packed (for a security reason).  

2.Keep everything neutral.  Beige paint, beige sofas, beige.. beige beige.

We’re still keeping it relatively neutral but there are a lot of colors that are
neutral and not white or beige.  I think a neutral color acts to give balance  to the room and the other colors in it, it can also make a room warm and inviting.  It doesn’t distract from someone viewing the room as a whole.  

 3.  Make it appeal to everyone.. a broad range of possible buyers.

That can often translate into boring and lacking in personality.   
Many Stagers are now targeting their staging to potential buyers.  For example, with so many 55+ communities here in South Florida,  we may show a 3rd bedroom as a possible office or study.  However in a community that attracts families with children, you’re going to want those bedrooms to show as such.  

4.  Don’t be too taste specific.  

 Well to some extent that still holds true.... you don’t want to be so specific in your taste that your field of potential buyers is smaller and smaller.  But as we move to enhance our appeal to a large number of buyers adding a little touch of whimsy (see a recent post by fellow Vancouver Home Stager, Sally Weatherley)  can help your property be memorable and stand out.  

If it’s been a while since you’ve spoken to your local Home Stager, why not give them a call and check out how we’re redesigning what we do.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Social Media and a Cautionary Tale

We all use it... Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, Google+ and now Pinterest.  Most everyone uses some form of Social Media.  It is how we communicate in the 21st Century.

But just how far have we come from when our ancestors drew paintings on cave walls to depict animals and other scenes to Pinterest where we “Pin” objects we like on Boards.

And just as those pesky cave paintings are still around for us to examine, our Tweets, posts and other messages we put in cyberspace will linger for others to read.

We... the current incarnation of cave men... do have the benefit of history to know that once we press that “SEND” button.. it is out there and we’d better be prepared to own what we’ve written... own it and be responsible for the consequences.  

I was speaking with a friend today who relayed to me this sad story......

She and her fiance learned of his son’s death from a drug overdose

while they were on Facebook.  

It seems that word of the young man’s death spread as his friends got on Facebook before his mother could contact the boy's father.  Imagine learning of your child’s death not from a family member but from the Internet.  

Last year when my friend’s house burned his sister learned of it after her niece posted it on Facebook right after the fire.

Don’t misunderstand..... I love all of the social media. But with 24 hour news and text alerts, we’re all becoming spring loaded to shout it out to the world often before we take a breath to think about the consequences of our message.  

Please just take some time to think

before you press “SEND”.    

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

It’s National Margarita Day!  February 22....Celebrate the Day!

What better way to celebrate the middle of the week than with a margarita!  Yes there is a National Margarita Day... I have no idea how this came about but if there can be a National Blueberry Pancake Day, then why not a day to celebrate one of best things to go with chips, salsa and Mexican food since Dos Equis!

No one is quite sure who invented the margarita but it seems to have been concocted somewhere between 1938-1949.  Some take theirs with salt on the rim, which is how it has traditionally been served, but one Tequila expert feels that salt is used when inferior products are used in the Margarita.  

How do you take yours?  Straight up?  On the rocks?  Some like it kind of slushy.  And, there are as many recipes for Margaritas as there are bartenders!  

Of course the ultimate National Margarita Day would be to have yours at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville where there will be Margarita specials all day long and you can try the winning recipe from this year’s Margarita Day Recipe contest.... a Raspberry Lemonade Margarita.

Here are some of the different Margarita recipes:

Beer Margarita

Chocolate Margarita

Redneck Margarita

Avocado Margarita

Bloody Margarita

Smoky Margarita

And Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville with Alan Jackson video!

If you decide to celebrate the day

Please drink responsibly!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Why’d You Have to Bring That Up Again??  Because You Didn’t Hear Me the First Time!  (or Why You Might Want to Rewrite that Old Post!)

A few weeks ago Bob Stewart encouraged us to revisit some of our old posts and consider rewriting and reworking them (I’d like to think of Redesign) for another chance.  I love this idea because as Bob said... sooner or later you’re going to hit a brick wall and just can’t think of anything to write.  Since I’ve been here for 4 years and writing daily for over a year, I can tell you sometimes the ideas just flow like water... and at other times you feel as if your mind is just blank.

You don’t want to just copy and paste an old post.  That would be like putting the same color of paint over an already out-of-date color.  Think Fresh!

Tammy Emineth followed up with another one of her great informative posts about just why you’d want to “redesign” some of your older posts.  Go and read her explanation but in a nutshell, Google looks for fresh material.  So giving an older post a “face-lift” (and goodness knows I’m all in for face-lifts) can help Google find you again.

So here’s what I did... I found an old post on “What to Do Before Your Stager Comes to Your house- 8 Helpful Tips” that I did just over a year ago.  I freshened it, redesigned it and gave it a new title.... “Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County-4 Things to Do Before Your Staging Consultation”.  

Here are the results:

Now they may not be monumental but my post has been given more exposure to not only those here but perhaps through Google.

Why reinvent the wheel when you don’t have to?  

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

It’s President’s Day...Let Me Tell You How I Had the Honor of Meeting President George HW Bush Before He Became “Bush 41”.

First.. this is not a political post.  I don’t do those.   However inasmuch as this is President’s Day I wanted to tell you my story of when I met then Congressman George HW Bush.   

In 1966, George HW Bush was elected to the House of Representatives from my home state of Texas and represented  Houston.. my home town.  The following year I graduated from high school and as was tradition went on a senior trip with my drill team ( yes, in Texas drill teams and football went hand in hand) to Washington DC, Philadelphia, NYC and Boston.  

We spent 3 days in DC and I loved every minute of it. But the most memorable time for me was being “treated” to lunch by then Congressman George HW Bush.  We were met by him outside the Capitol and had our group photo taken with him.   He seemed genuine and glad to “show off” our Capitol to some home town girls.  

But that wasn’t my only “meeting’ of President Bush.  By the time I’d graduated from college, George Bush was now Ambassador to the United Nations.   My mother wrote to him when the United Nations was taking a vote to seat the People’s Republic of China.   He wrote her back.. and it wasn’t just a 1 paragraph “Thank you for writing... yada yada” letter.   It was several pages long with a detailed explanation of why the US was voting as they did.   (Needless to say I did save the letter.)

George HW Bush has served his country many times over.... he was the youngest aviator (at the time) in the US Navy, postponing his college education.... US Congressman..... Ambassador to the United Nations....Chairman of the Republican National Committee.....Envoy to China....Director of the CIA.....Vice President and then President of the United States.

One of my “bucket list” items is to read about all of our Presidents.   And, beginning with President George H W Bush is a great way to get started.

(As I mentioned, this is not a political post so if you have an issue or disagreement with President Bush, that is your business... take it up with him or your bartender, but not here!... Thank you)

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

I've Always Said I Learn Something New at ActiveRain Every Day and It's Time I Showed You.  February 12-February 18, 2012

I learn something new every day at ActiveRain!  With this series I try to highlight one post per day that gave me that “lightbulb” moment.

 It may have been about something techie... about blogging and SEO.... anything having to do with Staging or Real Estate... about the world or even about the Blogger.  

February 12-   Charles Buell -  Like Charles, I use my camera on Staging consultations or when I’m out to give a Staging Bid.  But I not only take photos of the rooms but also areas that need to be addressed, such as spider webs in corners, water stains in the ceiling, stains in the carpet.  But Charles showed how using a video helped to illustrate what a still photo just can’t.

 

February 13- Ben Kinney and the IMSD Team-  Who knew about Wufoo.  No it’s not the latest singing group but a way to embed a form in your blog or website.  I’ve checked it out and it’s easy to use.  

February 14-Cameron Novak - I thought we were getting great mileage with our Prius at about 45 miles a gallon but had no idea there was a car out there that gets 71 miles per gallon!  Now if we could only get it here.

February 15- John McCormack- one of my favorite bloggers here, John writes about New Mexico home styles.  I had no idea that Hacienda was different from Northern New Mexico.  Now I may never need this information in South Florida but isn’t it interesting to know that there are so many different styles.

February 16- Melissa McKinney- All the talk in the last few years has been about using video on our blogs and website.  Melissa gives us a site for Video Email!  Instead of our e-Newsletters we send out you could send out some information via a Video email.  We all know most of us are auditory anyway!

February 17 -Nico Hohman- Nico gives us the top 3 remodeling tips for a Master Suite.  One of his tips is not to overwhelm your Master Bath with design features but strive for bold yet subtle.

February 18- Tammy Lankford-Tammy gives us all a reminder of the warning signs of stroke... one that affected her personally (don’t worry, she’s not the one).  Something I learned that is very important is that if a person shows signs of TIA but they go away, you still need to take that person to the Emergency Room.

Thank you for letting me do what I love to do each day... learn something new!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com