The Real Estate Staging Association™ (RESA) 2009 Real Estate Staging Industry Award Nominees

The Real Estate Staging Association™ (RESA) announces the 2009 Real Estate Staging Industry Award Nominees.

The Trade Association for Professional Real Estate Stagers once again acknowledges the outstanding efforts of the Industries Top Professionals in the Rookie, Professional Stager, Staging Realtor and Staging Innovator categories.

The Nominees for RESA Rookie Stager of the Year are: Wanda Richards with Shows Great Home Staging in Vinton, VA, Ryan Dressel with Staged Right Design in Roseville, CA, Donna Schoby with Ready! Set! Stage! In Fayetteville, AR and Kristy Bowen-Morrison with Capital Home Staging & Design in Kanata, Ontario Canada.

The Nominees for RESA Professional Stager of the Year are: Melissa Marro with First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign located in Charleston SC, DesAnn Collins with Design By DesAnn in Solon, OH, Cindy Lin with Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns in the SF Bay Area and Michelle Minch with Moving Mountains Design Home Staging in Pasadena, CA.

The Nominees for RESA Staging Realtor of the Year are: Matt Poole with Charleston Pier Partners in Charleston SC, Michele Reneau with Carolina One in Mt. Pleasant, SC, Susan Peters with RE/MAX Mutual realty in Seattle, WA, and Tim Thompson with MKB, Realtors in Roanoke, VA.

The Nominees for RESA Staging Innovator of the Year are: Melissa Marro with First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign located in Charleston SC, DesAnn Collins with Design By DesAnn in Solon, OH, Cindy Lin with Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns in the SF Bay Area, Terrylynn Fisher and Kym Hough of StagersLIST.com out of the SF Bay Area and Sandy Dixon with Interior Arrangements and the Executive Director of IRIS (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists) out of Evergreen CO., Lori Kim Polk with Artful Journey in Sacramento, CA.

“RESA congratulates and recognizes each person for their contributions to our industry. Our Industry Awards are a wonderful way to give back to the Staging Industry as a whole and to recognize some amazing people” said, Shell Brodnax, President/CEO of RESA.

Last year’s winners were Kate Hart of Hart & Associates of Radnor PA was selected as RESA Professional Stager of the Year. Bevin Googer of First Impressions Staging & Redesign of Summerville SC was selected as RESA Rookie Stager of the Year. Christine Rae of Certified Staging Professionals Ontario Canada was selected as RESA Staging Innovator of the Year. Terrylynn Fisher of Diablo Realty in Walnut Creek, CA was selected as the RESA Staging Realtor of the Year.

The Nominees will be reviewed by a panel of Industry Professionals and the winners will be announced at the end of January 2009.

Interior Arrangements Leading the Way with Responsible Re-design: Going Green

Some believe the Green Movement is just a trend. However, the majority of the population realizes that if we don’t make change quickly and efficiently, we could be in for uneasy times ahead.

"Seven in ten Americans said they are trying to reduce their carbon footprint mainly by driving less, using less electricity, and recycling." -- Annie Bell Muzaurieta, The Daily Green

Companies and individuals alike are tapping into green resources and techniques. Not only is it the right thing to do globally, but people feel good about working with companies that are focused on taking responsibility for the environment. The Green Approach is one that can easily be integrated with the home staging industry. Home staging or re-design is the process of improving flow and space within a home to prepare it for sale. Going Green is not only important for the outset of the real-estate process, but also the finished product.

Sandy Dixon, owner of real-estate staging, consulting and training company, Interior Arrangements, strongly believes in using the Green Approach, which her students appreciate. Sandy teaches people to increase the value of their home by using “debt-free decorating,” – the technique of using furniture and décor the home owner already has to re-design the living space. Sandy emphasizes that unnecessary buying and costly renovations are not essential steps to selling a home. Especially in times of economic troubles, she encourages her students to focus on cost effective methods to get the job done.

The green movement is becoming a crucial part of all aspects of our lives, and Dixon’s company, Interior Arrangements, is aligned with that vision.

"Even though it's easy to say [climate change is] coming up so quickly on us, a little step by everyone is what's going to make a big difference,” says Novacovici, a living-green guru. -- Christine Dell'Amore, Washington Post.