When I went to de-stage this property, was I suprised when I walked into a "Dust Bowl".  I didn't know that the ducts were going to be cleaned after the staging.  As you can see the dust was quite thick, and was everywhere.  Yet, another lesson for stagers and homeowners when you get this service done.  This was obviously not done properly.  But now I will have to have linens and furnitiure cleaned as to not saturate through the materials.

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.  We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

This was a dog that was paralyzed from the waist down.  He wasn't adopted and is still looking for a home.

These two little pups were the last two that weren't adopted.  They had a long weekend!

These happy young ladies adopted two little puppies from The Texas Home and Garden Show in Houston.

A no profit/no kill shelter for animals is run by donations from private individuals and businesses.

Pet adopotions for Mr. K's Halfway House for Hounds & Kitties Too!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.  We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

I've been seeing these products and similiar ones everywhere. In magazines, on TV and in homes.  Now we can buy them for ourselves.  They are not that expensive.  This website also has murals for childrens rooms, quotables, sports teams, decor wall, and movie and comic themes.

Great, because they can been taken off, they are not permanent. 

Room Mates Peel and Stick.com

"A February face, so full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness"

                                                   --Shakespeare

In Houston, and around the Gulf Coast February 10th is approximately the last day of a frost threat.  Freezing can come later so don't plant anything in danger of getting ruined.

Seeds that can be planted now:  Alyssum, Babysbreath, Calendula, Calliopis, Candytuft, Coreopis, Cornflower, Cosmos, Dahlia, Daisy, Feverfew, Larkspur, Marigold, Petunia, Salvia, Verbena, just to name a few.

Plants which can be planted now:  Ageratum, Alyssum, Arctostis, Bluebells,Calendula, Chinese Forget-Me-Not, Columbine, Cornflower, Daisy, Delphinium, Four-o'clock, Fruit Trees, Gerbera, Hollyhock, Honeysuckle, Larkspur, Lemon Balm, Lupine, Mint, Oregano, Pansy, Petunia, Phlox, Rose, Rosemary, Sage, Salvia, Shrubs, Snapdragon, Sweet William, Trees, Verbena, Violets and more.

Bulbs, Tubers, Rhizomes that can be planted now:  Agapanthus, Allium, Ginger, Amaryllis, Calla, Canna, Cooperia, Dahlia, Gladiolus,Iris, Liriope, Oxalis, Ranunculus, Scilla, Tuberose and more.

Plants that Bloom in February:  Alyssum, Azalea, Bougainvilleas, Calendula, Calla Lily, Camellia, Candytuft, Cornflower, Daisy, Gerber,Heather, Honeysuckle, Hyacinth, Iris, Jasmine, Lantana, Oxalis, Pansy, Petunia, Phlox, Verbena, Vinca, and more.

Azaleas:  May be moved, make sure they have good drainage and keep watered.

Bulbs:  Now is the time to plant summer bulbs.

Fertilize:  Trees, shrubs with a complete fertilizer, keeping away from trunks.  You can also use slow release fertilizer.

Lawns:  St. Augustine should be treated for fungicide to take care of brown patch if it appears.

Perennials:  They should be divided, separated and transplanted.

Pruning:  First remove any disease or rotted wood.  Prune now so they will bloom in summer.

Maison belle is eco-friendly and bio-degradable, bottled in PET recycled bottles, with natural fragrances, and essential oils.

These fun cleaners not only work, but smell fantastic, and are irresistibly packaged.  Danish company Isabella Smith's new line launched in 05' is called Maison belle, and are not available everywhere, but you can find their products in certain stores.  They make everything from cleaners, to air fresheners, lime scale removers, lotions, wash, and floor cleaners.

Order directly from the Isabella Smith company. 

Maison Belle products are also available in Anthropologie stores, Sur La Table and beautyhabit.com

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.  We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

To the Houston RESA members of Houston and surrounding area.  How about a meet and greet?   I was thinking a central location at a restaurant (Tex-Mex?) for dinner.  What do y'all think? 

It would be an informal meeting, casual, no suits.  Just a get together to meet the members in this area, and talk about Home Staging, RESA, and well, whatever we want to talk about.

I am open to suggestions, comments, times, places, months, weeks, days, etc..

If you haven't joined RESA, and are a Home Stager please visit the website and look around.  There are so many exciting things happening, it's really a great organization to be a part of.

As the Regional VP for this area I would like to encourage you to join by signing up on the website and adding my name Cindy Bryant in the sponsor box, so I'll know you're in my region.

Looking forward to everyone's comments!

Also, feel free to contact me via email Cindy@RedesignEtc.com or phone 281-748-2170.

Cindy Bryant

RESA RVP Region 10

 I am passing this on because I can't imagine that too many people know this.  What a great thing. Somebody should let the companies know that it needs to be  advertised as a feature.  I had to go into the kitchen and check this out for myself. Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil  or plastic wrap box? You know when you try to pull some foil out and  the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and  start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.  Well, I would like to share this with you.  This was brought to my attention a while back and I couldn't believe it.  I turned the plastic wrap on it's side  and written on the end it said, Press here to lock end. Right there on   the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little  locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of plastic wrap and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Reynolds wrap and it had one too! I can't count the number of times the Glad wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying  to cover something up.   I'm sharing this with my friends. I hope I'm not the only person that didn't  know about this.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.  We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

Over 600 exhibits & 100's of Experts!

Special Appearances by: 

Michael Graves-Master Faux Finisher

Robert "Buddy" Lee-Encore Azalea/Azalea Society of America

Jim Dutton-Texas Home Improvement

Paul Wishnow-The Antique Man

Clive Berkman-Cooking with Clive

• 1000's of Ideas, Products & Services
• Vacation, Leisure & Outdoor Show
• Live Auction For Furniture & Decor
• Over 60 Free How-To Seminars on 4 Interactive Stages!
• Health, Fitness & Beauty Expo
• Home Remodeling Experts & DIY Ideas
• Ask the NARI Experts
• Garden Experts and Landscaping Displays
• Outdoor Living, Pools & Spas
• Green Living Products & Services
• Kitchen, Bath & More!
• New Products, Show Specials & Discounts!
• Over 45 complimentary seminars
• Live auctions of furnishing, accessories and décor for the home
• The newest "As Seen on TV" products
• Adopt a pet
• Hurricane Preparedness experts
• Breathtaking landscaping, pool and garden displays
• Green Living Idea Center featuring energy efficient products and ideas
• Gourmet Foods Pavilion with live demonstrations
• Outdoor Living Showcase
• Home Decorating and Design Center
• New Home Building Center
• Remodeling Advice
• Financing and Insurance Experts
• Garage Storage Solutions
• Designer Showcase and Flower Market

Don't forget to visit "The Trip Treasure Chest", new to the Vacation, Leisure and Outdoor Show, gives show visitors a chance to win one of many vacations to great locations throughout the U.S.

Come to Texas biggest home show in Texas learn, and explore...fun for the whole family!

I plan on going Saturday & Sunday, can't wait to see all the information.  And finally pick up one of those steam irons!!

When:   February 13^th-15^th, 2009
               Friday, February 13: 2pm - 8pm
               Saturday, February 14: 10am - 8pm
               Sunday, February 15: 11am - 6pm

For more information:  Visit the Website www.texashomeandgarden.com  or  Jola's show blog at www.TheShowDiva.wordpress.com

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.  We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

Paneling above fireplace before painting

Paneling above fireplace After

An example of how painting outdated paneling can not only update your room, but it will make it look larger.  In this case it draws you in to the room, and gives it a newer fresher look. The walls were painted also, making the white beams on the ceiling stand out. 

This was a fixer-upper and sold around 60 days on a small budget.

************************************************************************************** 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

                                             Valentine's Day Gift Certificates

Give your Valentines a gift that they will never expect!  A gift certificate for one room redesign/home staging  a whole house design.  Instead of the traditional roses, and candy which die and get eaten, give a give that will take your sweetie by suprise.  Show them that you really do care and they will be thrilled that you had the great idea to have this done.  They deserve to let someone create a whole new look!

Let us redesign your rooms using your existing furnishings, and accessories and give your home a mini-makeover.   It only takes a few hours or a day depending on how much there is to do.  If you have been needing a make-over, but just don't have the budget, try our redesign service.  You'll be suprised at what we can create in such a short amount of time.

Please contact us for details.

************************************************************************************** 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

The biggest Home & Garden Show will be at the Reliant Center February 13-15.  This is your one-stop shopping for the inside and the outside of your home.  Whether you are just looking for a few specialty items or building or remodeling, this is a must do in Houston.  There will be demonstrations, new products, ideas, exhibits, services and how to clinics, and landscaping.   Just about everything you can think of and more will be showcased.

There will be vendors handing out samples, brouchures, and answering questions.  There are so many exhibits plan on making it a weekend venture.  There is a lot to take in!

Don't forget to make it to the auction, where they'll be 100' s of great items up for bid.

See ya'll there!

The Texas Home and Garden Show in Houston.

2  for 1 tickets - Friday and Saturday after 6 pm
Purchase tickets online at TexasHomeandGarden.com
$1 off Discount Coupons also available at TexasHomeandGarden.com
$1.50 newspaper coupons

************************************************************************************** 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

One Man's Idea of a Backyard Paradise  "The Budget Pool"

Want to win free tickets to the show?  Here's how.  Submit a story of the most insanely crazy D-I-Y Home Improvement or Gardening story.  This can include any tips on how to or how not to do things.  Use your imagination, feel free to exaggerate or make it a Texas Tall Tale.  Use those stories you heard as a kid, or from relatives, that have been embellishing for years.  The more imaginative, and funny the better chance you'll have.

But play nice, and don't post anything that would embarrass anyone, and no profanity.  You can post your blog anonymously, but you must include your email address or phone number as a way to reach you.  Posts will be chosen for the entertainment value and tips.

Just for posting a blog you will recieve a discount coupon for the show!!

Winners will be chosen February 13, and the tickets will be for the show for Feb 13-15 at the Reliant Center.

This is a great show, the biggest in Texas, so come on, give it a try. 

For more information click the following link:  The Show Diva's Blog

The Texas Home and Garden Show

************************************************************************************** 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

Sunday, Februrary 8 will be the last day for The Urban Market in the Heights.  This is a market not to be missed.  Some of the most unique and unusual items can be found here.  The event will feature over 40 antique shop dealers and designers with their goods.  It will be outdoors in a tented area.  some of the items there are home furnishings, some designer imperfect goods, home decor, artwork, interesting fabrics, outdoor itmes, and even some unusual items. 

Everyone will find something here, even food!

The event is from 9:00am - 4:00pm at the  Knights of Columbus Fields and Hall in the Heights at 607 E. Whitney Dr.  The show is $5 for adults kids are free.

For more information : http://Theurbanmarkethouston.com

 ************************************************************************************** 

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.

 Before

 After

Which Photo Would Capture Your Attention...It's The Same Room!

This was a very modern home.  But the before furnishisings didn't reflect the type fo house that it really was.  If a homeowner had been looking for a contemporary look, they wouldn't have stopped here!

 The National Association of Realtors (NAR) Sellers Survey for 2008 showed that:

• Buyers used a variety of resources in searching for a home: 87 percent used the Internet.

• Fewer buyers rely on a home book or magazine, home builders, television, billboards and relocation companies. Buyers most commonly start their search process online.

• When asked where they first learned about the home they purchased 32 percent said the Internet; 15 percent from yard signs; 7 percent from a friend, neighbor or relative; 7 percent home builders; 3 percent a print or newspaper ad; 2 percent directly from the seller; and 1 percent a home book or magazine.

• Local metropolitan multiple listing service Web sites were the most popular Internet resource, used by 60 percent of buyers.

• Buyers searched a median of 10 weeks and viewed 10 homes.

What do these statistics say?  They say that the majority of home buyers, (87%) are starting their search on the internet, as their main source for buying a home. A picture is worth a thousand words, and if your photo's don't reflect warm and inviting, picture perfect home on the internet, buyers won't even make it to your front door.  It also means there is a short timeframe they are looking and a small amount of homes that they are viewing.  Why?  Because they have already looked on the internet and ruled out the homes they weren't interested in.  This means you have to be the most competitive and aggressive with how your home looks.  If home buyers are only looking at a total of 10, odds are if your house is not picture perfect, it won't even get the chance of a walk-through from a buyer.

Home sellers can't afford not to be ready for the selling season; you have to be show ready when buyers are out looking.  When you miss that short period of time, your house becomes a stale listing, and  real estate agents don't show it as much, because it has lost its appeal, they will show the newer fresher listings.  It also shouldn't stay on the market a long period of time, this tells the buyer, that a price-reduction is probably imminent.

Don't think that de-cluttering, cleaning, picking up all of the toys, and straightening up will do the trick either.  That is not home staging, and don't be mislead that it is.  That is getting your house clean, and ready to be staged.  Home Buyers are looking for their perfect dream home, they want to imagine what it would be like to live there.  If  it's vacant, your chances are even worse, buyers want to see a homey place; they want to see livability, functionality, and use of space.  Not poorly rearranged mis-matched furniture, that is outdated and thread bear. 

This is probably your biggest investment; spend a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to not only get your home sold, but to get it sold fast.  Make your home the stellar stand-out in the area that outshines all of the others you are competing with.

We highly recommend a home staging consultation for any home, no matter of age, size or condition.  It will be the least amount of money for your biggest investment to merchandise your property, which is unfortunately mandatory in this economy being a buyer's market.  Home buyers have a mass amount of homes to choose from. 

Make yours stand out!

© 2009 Redesign Etc., Inc. All Rights Reserved

Cindy Bryant is the owner of Redesign Etc. Home Staging & Redesign Specialist in Houston, Staging Your House To Sell By Professional Home Stagers! Our goal is to get your home sold for top dollar in the most cost effective way!

Contact Cindy today for a Home Staging Consultation.  Please visit our website for more information.

Areas Served:  Houston, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Piney Point, Mid-Town, The Heights, Montrose, Texas Medical Center, The East End, West Loop/Galleria/Memorial, Downtown, Museum District, West University, Spring Branch, Royal Oaks-Lakeside, League City, Clear Lake City, Friendswood, Kemah, Seabrook, Pearland, Sugar Land, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands, Kingwood.   And all areas down to Galveston Island.

We also have a location for the Houston Bay Area- League City Home Staging.