Speaking Up about Home Staging

Melissa Marro & Andrew Mayon Complete A Magical Transformation! Home Staging + Professional Photography = Paradise

I love what Andrew did with my design work.... he certainly made sure it polished nicely!

Via Andrew Mayon (Triad Real Estate Photography):

Well, here it is! My first of three projects with Melissa Marro of First Impressions that were completed last weekend in Charleston, SC. It was a LOT of fun going to a new place, and working with such a talented person like Melissa whose expertise allows my photography to shine.

I know the homeowner was very happy with what Melissa did, and hopefully, my images will help push her investment property over the top with bookings. This property is located on Folly Beach, so if you are looking for an awesome beach rental, this one is it!

Well, there you have it, the perfect synergy of a talented stager and professional photography. We welcome your thoughts.

Greensboro Photographer | Andrew Jay Mayon | Triad Real Estate Photography

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL

April 10-12 Knoxville, TN

May 4-6 Covington, KY

May 18-20 Charlotte, NC

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12 Charleston, SC

0 comments • Melissa Marro www.StagingAndRedesign.com www.WeStageSC.com • March 10 2010 09:23PM

The first quarter is nearly over - how is your business doing?

Like good little business owners, we usually sit down and think out our business goals at the end of the year, or at the very beginning. Unfortunately, like New Years Resolutions, many get so busy just 'trying to get by' that they forget what their goals are, they forget what direction they are suppoesd to be heading and we just 'keep plugging along' certain that eventually 'if we work hard enough' we will get there (wherever that is)....

I'm here to remind you that in order to actually get there (wherever that is) you really do need to keep your goals and business plan in front of you.... Here are some basic questions to help keep you on track...

Do you have a written goal list? Are you using visual cues (photos, etc) to help inspire you?

Do you have a plan of attack? It's not enough just to know what you want, you have to figure out how you are going to get there! Knowing you want to go to New York is great, but if you live in Omaha, do you know how to get there before you get in the car? If not, you may end up in Dallas!

Have you compartmentalized your goals into smaller chunks? Looking at them as a whole can be overwhelming. If you've got a plan of attack you can break them into smaller goals which makes it far more doable. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!"

Have you created exciting rewards for yourself? For the women reading this, chances are if that is $$ then you better figure out a new reward. We rarely actualy work for the money, regardless of how much we need/want it. We will work for purses, shoes, perfume, vacations, jewelry, etc however.

Have you figured out what you'll have to give up to get there? Oh come on, you don't think you can get there without giving up something do you? We will all have to give up something - time, chocolate, shopping, dinners out, yoga - something.... are you willing to give up what you have to give up to get what you want? If not, then figure out a new goal because you probably won't achieve it!

Do you have a support system? For some this means that you need people around you who will help pick you up when you fall. For others that may mean someone you can run around yelling, "na na na na... Ha! I told you I could do it!" and proving them wrong. Depending on your personality type, one works better than the other for you. Having both is really great! (but maybe just do the dance in your head... My best motivation in this business has been my ex-boss - everytime I succeed I know she sees it and it annoys her to no end.... that pushes me harder and harder! sad, but true)

I'll ask again, How is your business doing?

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL

April 10-12 Knoxville, TN

May 4-6 Covington, KY

May 18-20 Charlotte, NC

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12 Charleston, SC

3 comments • Melissa Marro www.StagingAndRedesign.com www.WeStageSC.com • March 10 2010 03:13PM

Melissa Marro and Andrew Mayon team up to make this Folly Beach, SC Beach Penthouse show it's inner beauty

I've only personally gotten a sneak peak at the amazing work of Andrew Mayon's handiwork from the condo that I designed in Folly Beach. I wrote about the work and process in Waiting for Andrew Mayon to do his magic, now that I've done mine... Finishing in Folly Beach, SC. Last night, on Facebook, Andrew shared the sneak peek of this unit and I want to share it with you!

This is what the unit looked like when I first saw it. What my client wanted was a high end beach rental. This 3 bdrm, 3 bath unit rents for $1500 a week (a real steal) and had a budget of $20,000. Because the furniture was a tenants, that had to include everything in the unit.

Here is what the after photo looks like (thanks to the stunning photographic work of Andrew Mayon)

By the way, that's the ocean out those windows...

The last of the 'teasers' that Andrew has shared so far is the after photo for the master bedroom... Here is the before (after the tenant vacated)

It is an awkward narrow room. Rental regulations require a certain amount of furniture (dressers, TV, seating, etc). The homeowner and I agreed that this room needed a king bed to really work as a luxury unit.

Now I just can't wait for the rest of the photos!!!! Don't worry, I will be sharing!

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL

April 10-12 Knoxville, TN

May 4-6 Covington, KY

May 18-20 Charlotte, NC

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12 Charleston, SC

12 comments • Melissa Marro www.StagingAndRedesign.com www.WeStageSC.com • March 09 2010 09:35PM

Live Webinar, Wednesday March 10, 7pm with Melissa Marro - Marketing for Consistent & Explosive Growth

What separates top performers from those just getting by? Having staged over $120 million dollars in real estate since 2006, Melissa Marro knows how to get an agent's attention and keep business moving. In this live webinar you will learn the marketing techniques that Melissa Marro & First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign uses to achieve their high volume success.

This session has been presented at several of the Stagers List Expos and here is what audience members had to say about it:

"Hi Melissa. I didn't get a chance to meet you at the expo in NJ last week but I wanted to send you a quick email and let you know how much I enjoyed hearing you speak. I agree wholeheartedly with your way of doing business and marketing. As a new stager and a start up small business owner I look up to successful entrepreneurs in our industry like yourself and Bevin. Again, thank you for sharing your story and motivating me to work harder. Best of luck "

Amanda Alligood ,
Sunflower Creations
267.402.7782
www.sunflowercreationsonline.com
'Creating A Sunny First Impression'

"I've had the distinct pleasure of hearing Melissa speak on two separate occasions. She is the consummate professional not only in how well she speaks to an audience, but also in terms of her expertise and preparedness. I can't wait to have another opportunity to attend another of Melissa's presentations in the future as I know she will never disappoint."

Nancy Maurer
Whitehall Interiors
Sparta, NJ

When? Wednesday March 10th at 7pm and Wednesday March 24th at 10am
Cost $35

Here are some of the topics that will be covered:

* Creating a process
* Gathering information & what to do with it
* Marketing techniques
* How to make farming work for you
* Affiliate Programs
* Lunch & Learns

Finally - a program that teaches you exactly what steps you should be taking on a daily basis to increase your business....

CALL 888.STAGING to register for your class today!

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL

April 10-12 Knoxville, TN

May 4-6 Covington, KY

May 18-20 Charlotte, NC

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12 Charleston, SC

2 comments • Melissa Marro www.StagingAndRedesign.com www.WeStageSC.com • March 09 2010 07:45PM

Waiting for Andrew Mayon to do his magic, now that I've done mine... Finishing in Folly Beach, SC

So, you may have seen Andrew Mayon's blog CATFIGHT!!!!! Charleston (Melissa Marro) vs. Atlanta (Kathy Nielsen). While it was all in good clean fun there was a little truth behind it all... the part that both Kathy and I have been chomping at the bit to get Andrew to come create some magic in our areas. His real estate photography is some of the best I've seen.

Recently I had the good fortune (combined with some great referrals and model staging) landing a design project for an investment property/second home. The homeowners were more hands on than I'm used to, but this unit will be their second home along with being put on the weekly vacation rental circuit in Folly Beach, SC.

When the homeowner bought the unit it was rented to an individual. Their lease ran out in November and I was charged with the task of turning the unit into a high end rental beach condo (it was the penthouse of a beach front complex). Here is what it looked like when I walked into it for the first time....

With the renter leaving my project became a shell of a unit - completely vacant - not a single piece of anything to work with.... my budget was a meager $20,000 (3 bdrm, 2 bath).

After sitting with the homeowners and discussing what they wanted out of this unit, it became clear that mango wasn't really an option... We needed restful, beachy, tranquil and chic.

Starting with a base of "sedate grey" from Sherwin Williams, we began the transformation...

Shopping was next on the list....

After a couple of months of shopping and sending photos back and forth with the clients (they were VERY involved in this project), we had a completed unit. In order to maximize exposure, we felt it was important to have the best photos possible - along comes Andrew....

Now... I'm just waiting, waiting for the finished finished project... Sure, I know what the room looks like in person, but I want to see Andrew's magic!

Don't worry - you'll be one of the first that I share it with!

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL

April 10-12 Knoxville, TN

May 4-6 Covington, KY

May 18-20 Charlotte, NC

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12 Charleston, SC

9 comments • Melissa Marro www.StagingAndRedesign.com www.WeStageSC.com • March 08 2010 09:28PM

AND THE WINNER IS ... ME!! ....CATFIGHT!!!!! Charleston (Melissa Marro) vs. Atlanta (Kathy Nielsen)

and the winner is.... ME! Andrew mentioned it on FB this morning so I feel perfectly OK in announcing that I won this little 'catfight'.... btw, I encourage everyone to go back and look at the comments in Andrews original blog....

Via Andrew Mayon (Triad Real Estate Photography):

Hey Gang:

For those of you who have been following my posts for the past year, you may have caught onto a little friendly "rivalry" between Melissa Marro and Kathy Nielsen regarding relocating me from Greensboro, NC to either Charleston, SC or Atlanta, GA, respectively. Well, while I have no plans to move from Greensboro to either spot (too South for me), the gauntlet has been thrown down!

I am very excited to announce that my photography services have been retained by ONE of these two amazing Home Stagers. I will be shooting three properties this weekend, and will be posting those images sometime next week. So stay tuned!!!!

If you care to guess who fired the first shot, please provide your guess here. Melissa and Kathy and Chrissie Sutherland (she already knows) are ineligible to vote (or post about this).

While I am extremely excited about this opportunity, I also look forward to the day where I can work with the other stager to capture her incredible work as well. It is always a joy to work with some talented and amazing home stagers like Chrissie, Kim Lee, Michelle Kurelich to name a few...

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL

April 10-12 Knoxville, TN

May 4-6 Covington, KY

May 18-20 Charlotte, NC

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12 Charleston, SC

3 comments • Melissa Marro www.StagingAndRedesign.com www.WeStageSC.com • March 08 2010 03:14PM

Charleston Home Stager sets a record - staging the same property 3 times (for the same client)!

Some of you may remember that about a year ago I wrote a blog called Deja vu?? What happens when two of us do the same house two years apart? Here are some excerpts from that blog:

Last week I received an email from a past client. Two years ago we staged a downtown Charleston loft and in less than a month it went under contract. The deal was supposed to be a lease to own, but apparently things didn't go exactly as planned with the economy and banking being what they are. Recently the tenants moved out and the home was ready to go back on the market. The email was on Thusday of last week and the new open house was scheduled for Thursday of this week.... with no time to spare and my calendar being completely full, I turned the staging job over to one of our experienced team members, David Moon.

I had no doubt that he would do an amazing job - he always does! I was curious how it would differ from what I did 2 years ago. Leaving him completely on his own to do what he does best, I waited until today when I could see the completed project. So.... how did they compare?

(Mine) (David's)

Now, I confess I think he did do a better job on this unit than I did way back when.... in my defense, we certainly have a broader selection of inventory than I did.... anyway, that's my excuse and I'm sticking too it.... lol!

I am curious what the homeowner will say having seen both....

Well, recently this homeowner has called us again letting us know that the tenants will again be vacating and wants us to recreate this fantastic job. David has already been notified that it's up to him to wow our client again! I wonder what he'll create this time!

How often do you get to stage the same unit, for the same homeowner 3 times?

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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as an instructor for Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.

For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com

If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.

For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:

March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL

April 10-12 Knoxville, TN

May 4-6 Covington, KY

May 18-20 Charlotte, NC

July 5-7 Memphis, TN

July 10-12 Charleston, SC

13 comments • Melissa Marro www.StagingAndRedesign.com www.WeStageSC.com • March 05 2010 05:46PM

Live Webinar with Melissa Marro - Marketing for Consistent & Explosive Growth