Home Staging. Designs. Life.

Halloween Special Sale for EcoJoe// $3.1 St. Joseph Statues!

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:26:32 -0500

Hey Active Rainers

We are doing a SUPER special deal for EcoJoe for Halloween!

**Who is EcoJoe?

In real estate, there is a popular custom of burying St. Joseph statues and pray to him for having good luck in selling the homes quickly. However, most products on the market are made from plastic, which are toxic to produce and toxic for the environment to be left buried in the ground. EcoJoe is a GREEN alternative to those plastic St Joseph statues. He is bio-degradable and eco-friendly!

EcoJoe is also a great green marketing tool and promotional product for real estate professionals to break the ice and get the conversations going. Better yet, instead of burying plastic Joes and increase demands on plastic, you can now have an eco-friendly alternative!

To thank our awesome fans on Facebook and their amazing support during our first 3-month launch (can you believe it’s almost 3 months???), we are running an ONE DAY ONLY special promotion on Halloween for our Facebook Fans!

(If you are not a fan yet, no worries, just head on over www.facebook.com/ecojoe to join!)

Here is the juicy 411:

On Halloween morning 12am EST (or 9pm PST on 10/30/2009), we will send out a Facebook page update to all our fans with the special Halloween only promotional code for you to use at check-out. This code allows you to buy an 10-pack of EcoJoes for $31. That’s $3.1 per EcoJoe!

If you are already a fan, pass on this great deal to your friends!

If you are not yet a fan, no worries, just become a fan at www.facebook.com/ecojoe

*please note, shipping will be calculated separately.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

What's Up With Cindy Lin Nowadays???

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:50:49 -0500

I must say that although I've been away from the Rain for a period of day, there are just days I feel like I've never left the Rain. When I go to real estate events (stagers or real estate in general), there are still people coming up to me and say hello. That is always an amazing feeling!

I think the last year for me has been fairly challenging and at the same time amazingly exhilirating. There are a lot of changes that occured in my business that sometimes I still cannot believe what had happened?? A lot of things changed since I moved my business out of my house last summer:

Staged4more moved into a commercial space
which allowed a lot of new opportunities to open up like retailers, more inventory, etc. (then again, more maintainence and overhead...)
I won a business competition that basically changed my business and my life (check: http://www.countmein.org)
I think my most challenging aspect for sure: launching a new business venture: EcoJoe, the Original Eco-Friendly St. Joseph Statue Home Selling Kit) (see: www.ecojoekits.com and www.facebook.com/ecojoe) which literally launched last month, and took roughly 9 months to make the actual thing happen!
And yes, I'm still staging!

All and all it has been amazing and makes me feel incredibly grateful. A lot of it frankly has to do with Active Rain opening up my world 3 years ago. If I didn't start blogging and subsequently get involved with social networking, I wouldn't have this many amazing friends all around the country who continue to support me during my business ventures.

I may have been in and out of the rain, but please keep in touch!!!

Where do you link to get leads/sales?

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:24:13 -0500

(you may have noticed that this blog does not link to my normal staging blog. I now write a tech topic only blog at www.smallbizgurltalkstech.com)

milano stazione centrale ferrovie - milan train station / italia, italy / hdr by paolo margari on Flickr

I get asked that questions all the time now since the real estate market had slowed down. I meet a lot of people who are not working as much as it used to be, or just plain desperate for work.

Frankly, that’s like asking me “What bar do you go to to find a husband?“ or “What diet do you do to lose weight?“ There are just no magic bullets in any types of networking, whether it is online or in person. What works is persistence, consistency, and being geniunely caring to your sphere and friends. It never hurts to have a bigger sphere, in real estate (or small busienss for that matter), you never know where your next referral will come from or if you will meet a potential business partner.

There are tricks to get you there quicker: Continue reading

Top 10 Ugly Listing Photo "Trends" That Need to Go With 2006

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 21:48:06 -0600

10. The listing photo is crooked: Why is the house tilted? I personally prefer my home level and my pens won't roll down the table when I set them down (it can be quite a hassel!) I feel like I am on the Titanic... Leo, where are you?

9. Taking photos without turning on lights/flashes nor opening the blinds: Everyone wants to buy a bright and airy room, very rarely someone would prefer a cave.

8. Reminding your buyers of their own clutters: clutter eats equity!

7. Forgot your yard is on sale too: Come on, it's not so difficult to put the trash can in the garage! Also just because the agent layed down the broom "neatly" doesn't mean we won't notice. It doesn't count as a plant nor splashes of color sellers should opt for.

6. Featuring an unattractive view: I found this photo on MLS as the featured photo for a property. Really? This one? There wasn't a better one? And guess what kind of property the agent was selling? A Single Family Home! Who would've guessed?

5. Losing the architecture focal point to something else overwhelming: In this particular case, all buyers can see is the oversized tree and it becomes difficult to see the fireplace. There are also too many things going on. I didn't even see the piano when I first saw it. Or the view! Did you see the windows at the first glance?

4. Forgot the exterior is on sale too: How can we sell the listing if it's hidden behind trees? Don't let the buyers play peekaboo with the house.

3. Photos not available: Why isn't it available? It's part of an agent's job to present his/her product well. In the internet buyer's age, this laziness needs to die. I see a lot of this "photo" on expired listings, which I am not too surprised.

2. You didn't stage! However if you are in an area where vacant inventory still moves fairly quickly, it's fine to not stage. In areas like mine (San Francisco Bay Area) where it is competitive, then you would need to if you have the budget. If you have financial concerns, talk to a few accredited staging professionals. I have written about how to hire a stager before, feel free to check it out. Here is an example of before & after.

See Before Staging

See After Staging

1. Instead of actual staging, the seller or agent half bakes it: Sometimes what is worse than not staging is put random things in the room and call it "staging." This still does not give buyers the correct spatial relations of the room. The next owners are not just going to have a side table, a tree and a TV in the room. It will be easier if there is a couch there to have a better sense of the space and will be easier for the buyers to imagine their belongings in the room. Just half-fake the staging like this will still make people feel like they are walking into someone else's space -- someone who forgot to finish packing.

If you have financial difficulty, talk with your accredited staging professional. A good stager knows how to work with your budget and to achieve the best results. But do have reasonable expectations. Afterall, champagne taste on a beer budget is just not going to work. Just talk openly with your agent & accredited stager to sort out your concerns. It is their job to assist you in the selling process and to ease your stress. ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My First Flip Adventure

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:36:16 -0600

Hey folks!

So I have had my flip cam forever and I have just been recording random family stuff and traveling stuff for my own amusement. I finally put it to good use for my business last night for recording a 90-sec video pitch for one of my business partner Edith Yeung's new pet project: bigsuccess.tv

Using flip is super easy, but I must say recording is hard. After an hour of bumbbling and mumbling, I finally had a decent sounding video to show the world. It was very difficult for me, because I was not happy with the way the lighting worked in my house or how I looked on screen. After 30 minutes fiddling around, I decided to screw it and take a less formal approach by sitting down and propping the camera in my face. Because the more formal sounding I am, I think the more boring I sound.

I was 20 secs over, so I had to edit everything done and cut out the unnecessary sentences. I was clueless since it was very first video recording E-VER! But luckily the amazing Mike Mueller came to rescue via twitter. (@mikemueller or http://areweconnected.com/) 3 hours later fiddling around Window Movie Maker, I was able to upload it to Youtube (first time too!!!)

Please take a look and give me feedbacks: http://apps.facebook.com/bigsuccess/watch?contestant=35

I think it's a little boring, but it's my first video (ever!) editing and filming, so I welcome any suggestions to spice it up.

Also feel free to vote for me: http://apps.facebook.com/bigsuccess/watch?contestant=35
and connect with me on facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3jryvf

My first video was not too bad of a disaster, but it was actually pretty fasinating and fun. Now I know how to put my flip video to use better, I will definitely record many more. No longer a video virgin....

Cheers,
Cindy

Use Facebook to brand yourself and expand your business network

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:34:35 -0500

(This is a guest blog post on 3 Ocean)

I have to honest. I have been reading Kevin’s posts on social media and blogging, I am itching to write one on the topic myself since internet & blogging has done tremendous for my business. So here it is! (We will continue the regular programming on staging for next post I promise.)

I have been toying with Facebook a lot lately because I am intrigued of how this thing can work for my business (since I am spending a ridiculous amount of time on it) and how fun it actually can be even for work. Facebook has exploded on the business sphere lately largely because of its user-friendliness, much more professional look than myspace, and easy to network quickly with a string of people in a more relaxed atmosphere (they now even added a People You May Know section, which is frankly scary how they know I know these people).

At first I only used Facebook for contacting old college classmates & long lost friends, ~~secretly comparing~~ looking where they are working now ~~how much weight they had gained~~, but lately I am finding a lot more business applications being developed and used, as well as an increased number of contacts in both staging and realtor fields. (Finally, no more of those invites of “Are You a Vampire?” but “Have my online business card.”)

I also read Guy Kawasaki’s 10 Things You Don’t Know About Facebook: “the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is those ages (READ MORE AT 3OCEAN)

Active Rain Love is There, No Matter How Long You Have Been Away

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:23:12 -0600

I had a chance recently to go to LA and spoke at local stager's event (graciously hosted by the Brooks distribution center) about online marketing (we also now offer trainings, if you are interested, visit Staged4more's Training page). I was really pleasantly surprised to get emails from people before the event on them looking forward to me speaking about online marketing and looking forward to finally meet me since they have been seeing my photos around on Active Rain. When I got to the event, I was really taken aback by how many people remembered me from Active Rain, even if I had never met them before.

("Hello! Hello. Hello?)

That's what I really love about Active Rain, I have made so many cool and meaningful friends on an online real estate community. THEN the most awesome thing is that when I go to real estate events that I meet people in person, it's like we have been friends for years. People even come up and say "Next time you come to LA, you can come and stay at my house." How amazing is that? Active Rain not only has given me education from my peers, knowledge from senior stagers, encouragement and lots of love both online and in person. If it weren't for these amazing friendships developed over the internet, I would've never have so much fun owning a staging business!

Come see me speak at Brook Furniture Los Angeles Home Stager Appreciation Event

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:23:32 -0600

I was very honored to be invited and got invited to speak. The most incredible thing is of course visiting seeing friends in the staging industry and meet new ones.

If you are coming to see me speak, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THIS WORKSHEET:handout-los-angeles-stagers-appreciation-event

Brook Furniture is generously hosting a day of networking, learning and lunch for all Los Angeles Home Stagers. And the best part? Its FREE!

Who? All professional home stagers are invited

Where? Brook Furniture Distribution Center

18960 E. San Jose Ave.

City of Industry, CA 91748

When? Monday February 9, 2009, 10:00AM

The Agenda:

10:00 - 11:00 AM Networking and socializing

11:00 AM-12:00 Noon Presentation about SEO (search engine optimization) by Professional Stager Cindy Lin of Staged4more

12:00 - 1:00PM Lunch and presentation about adding custom window treatments to your offerings for additional income, presented by Ashley Whittenberger from The Interiority Complex. Lunch is generously provided by Brook Furniture.

1:00 - 2:00 PM Tour of the Brook Furniture Distribution Center. A behind the scenes look at their warehouse facility.

2:00 - 3:00 PM Presentation about Feng Shui and how it applies to home staging by Feng Shui Expert Sharon Ball

3:00 - 4:00 PM Additional networking and socializing

This event is free, but please RSVP so we can get an accurate head count. Here is a link to the Evite:

If you have any questions, you can email Michelle Minch at Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com or contact Connie Tebyani (805)553-9952 or Connie@PlatinumHomeStaging.com .

I look forward to seeing you all there!

It's SCHEDULED! The next SIF Round Table in SF bay area!

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:39:18 -0500

Contact Real Estate Staging Association for event and ticket information.

LETS GET TOGETHER, MINGLE, GREET AND CHAT!

RSVP HERE

Stage It Forward: San Francisco Bay Area Stagers' Get Together

Thursday, November 13, 2008 from 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM (PT)

South San Francisco, CA Share this event

November is "Home Staging Awareness Month"

November is Home Staging Awareness Month

Professional Home Stagers Gather to Discuss Industry News and Promote Home Staging

The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) the Trade Association for Professional Home Stagers has announced that November is Home Staging Awareness Month.

RESA along with IRIS and ASHSR is proud to announce that we are National Co-Sponsors of Home Staging Awareness Month.

During Home Staging Awareness Month the popular “Stage it Forward” (SIF) Round Table Meetings will be taking place all over North America. SIF originated from a powerful internet blogging community that is hosted by Real Estate Blogging website called Active Rain.

The meetings will focus on the Staging Industry, creating standards, ethics and the wants and needs of the Professional Stager. You ALL can have a voice in creating standards and choosing the direction you want your industry to take.

Keeping with the tradition of SIF and RESA ALL Stagers are welcome to attend or facilitate/moderate a meeting. You do not have to be a member of RESA to attend or facilitate the meeting nor do you have to hold any particular designation.

LIGHT LUNCH WILL BE SERVED. RSVP HERE!

When

Thursday, November 13, 2008 from 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM (PT)

Add to my calendar

RSVP HERE!

Where

Staged4more Warehouse
390 Swift Avenue #6
South San Francisco, CA 94080

Yahoo | Mapquest | Microsoft

Hosted By

Real Estate Staging Association

The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) the Trade Association for Professional Home Stagers has announced that November is Home Staging Awareness Month.

	View other Real Estate Staging Association events
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RSVP HERE!

Home Staging Success Stories Needed for BOOK

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:58:44 -0600

Hello ladies & gents

I am in the process of finishing up my book on real estate marketing that is set for publishing this spring and want to incorporate a few more case studies.

Please email me cindy@staged4more.com if you are interested. I am looking for case studies of agents who:
*transformed their businesses after incorporating home staging as selling strategy
*have successes of selling homes after the properties are staged:
if this is the case, please share the details of the listing: listing price, sold price, days on market, sellers' comments, etc.

These interviews will be done via podcasts or blog formats and will be incorporate into the book as well (double exposure!) I am looking to incorporate success stories nationwide.

Cheers,
Cindy

cindy@staged4more.com

A New Year Gift For You (Free Download)

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:11:50 -0600

Hello Staged4more community!

Thanks again for your amazing support in the past few years. I know I have been quiet on the blog lately, but with good reasons. Staged4more had received great press opportunities in 2008, such as staging for HGTV and awards (2008 Make Mine A Million competition winner in Micro category and Sam Walton Emerging Entrepreneur Award). All these are very exciting. What is even more exciting is what I have in store for you in 2009!

*2 real estate marketing books will be published this year
*an eco-friendly real estate product line
*a home accessories product line
*new website (yes, we are growing out of this one!) that will have online shopping capabilities and more free useful content for you
*trainings in areas like green training, color designs, redesigns, etc.

As a token of appreciation for all your wonderful support since I founded Staged4more, here is a 2009-staged4more-real-estate-goals-calendar. You can print on any letter size paper of your choosing. All you need to do once you printed is cut them up and put them in a CD case for your desktop. (see photos below) I have also letterpressed these calendars and gave them out as gifts to clients, vendors and some of our Facebook fans. If you would like a letterpress copy, please email me directly at cindy (at) staged4more (dot) com. We have very few copies left.

Here are some photos:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! enjoy the calendars!

MMM my first podcast on Home Staging!

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:25:38 -0600

Whew!

I know, I know, I haven’t written blogs for awhile (you will see why in 2009! I have books and courses for training companies being written & published right now, so all the writing juice went that way… You will definitely be the first to know when the first book hit the market in mid-spring next year)

I have always wanted to do podcasts for awhile, so here was my first try today! I interviewed TerryLynn Fisher, who not only gave me lots of words of wisdom when I was a newbie stager, who is also a wealth of sources for both real estate industry and staging industry. She has been incredibly active in real estate circles with her green initiatives, she also co-founded Stager’s List, which is a community dedicated for stagers to buy, sell their inventory.

The topics were very broad. I have decided for the podcasts, we are not going to do any formal Q&A, but more of a chatting format. I personally think it is also easier to listen to. Our topics included are:

*Top producers’ secrets even in down economy
*Staging industry
*Stager’s trainings
*Realtors who stage properties themselves vs. Realtors who work with stagers as a team together -> what are the differences and how that has changed Realtor’s business (TerryLynn has done both)
*Green initiatives in our industry
*Economic benefits of staging
*Being realtor/stager is a small business
*Profitable & sustainable business models
*Return on investment of staging & stats
*First LEED-H house in Northern California (Margarido House)

To listen, go to TalkShoe to either join stagingbabe’s community or just to listen.

Entertain Your Guests With Napkin Folding 101 & 201

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:49:25 -0500

Whether you are staging homes or just entertaining guests in your home, a little bit elegant and fun presentation can go a long way. It not only makes the table looks nice, adds points of interests, it can also be a great conversation starter if you are strapped for topics (This post is a tribute to Angel Walker's napkin folding workshop at my first IAHSP conference) :D

The Easiest Folds
- Scarf Fold
- Traditional Fold
- Rolling Fold
- Goblet Fan Fold
- Knotted Fold
- Tailored Fold
Complicated Folds
- Pocket Fold
- Stand Up Fan Fold
- Three Point “Hat” Fold
- Cuffed Roll Fold
- Tulip Fold
- Cat’s Paw Fold
- Triangle Pocket Fold

Here are some more resources (there are a few repeats here, but sometimes it’s easier to see from different diagrams):

new blog just devoted to staging tips

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 14:21:14 -0500

so for awhile i have been comtemplating about WHY i blog? what is the purpose of ME blogging? while the iheartstaging blog has turned into a brain dump, a fellow ar stager points out, it is borderline professional. at the same time, when i was reviewing the blog, i found that there is not a central theme to this blog. it is too random and all over the place. so i have decided to get a new blog. starts a new and just devotes on writing about staging tips and staging education. i will keep the old one as my brain dump and relief, but for the customers it's probably not relevant for them to read about my vents. (and they probably don't care) :) also it was great to experiment, but now if i want to be a more serious blogger, i should take it more seriously :) just a thought.

cheers,

cindy

here is the new blog: http://stagingtipsandmore.blog.com/

A little preview of my speaking engagement at Hire A Businesswoman Week Presented by IVWCC

Cindy Lin // Staged4more & EcoJoe (Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:36:25 -0500

It’s so cool that I got invited to speak at the first semi-annual Hire-A-Businesswoman Week (September 17 - 21, 2007) presented by the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce for women who have been in business for 5 or more years that are looking for business support and new clients to guide their company through the growth and expansion stages.

I am on schedule for Wednesday, 9/19/2007, The ABC’s of Moving Out, Moving Up, or Just Plain Moving to present the segment “Staging Your Home to Make it Sell Quicker.” During the segment, I plan to touch on important ideas behind staging, share my real life experiences working in the trenches and examples of staging to counter some common staging myths on the current market.

Here is a little preview on slideshare. Just click on the slideshow....