Can you imagine hiring a home stager with zero creativity?
I couldn't. Not if I were a homeowner, an agent, a Realtor, or an investor. A home stager should, in every sense of the word, be one of the most creative people you ever meet. Why? Because you're entrusting them with a valuable asset, your home. You'll need to trust that they have the capability to set your home apart; that they have the skill set AND the creativity necessary to do so.
I suppose I should take it as a compliment when I find web sites of other stagers that have the exact same layout (from the revolving pictures on each page to the side by side pictures of the before and afters nestled nicely by the testimonials). It's almost like they took my web address and passed it over to their web master and said; "Duplicate this, please. See, she's one heck of a successful stager and I want to be just like her." My take - this individual lacks the ability to be creative and left with no recourse, makes it easy by simply duplicating. Shameful!
Sure, I can and have been inspired by many other stagers here in Active Rain and elsewhere. However, I have enough confidence in my abilities that I don't need to duplicate what others have done.
So... finding myself a little blown away by the nerve of it all, I went over to Copyscape, which is a site you can use to see if anyone has duplicated the verbiage from your site and lo and behold, there are two other less-than-creative-and-think-it's-okay type individuals that have copied, verbatim the words off of my site. It's not the first time and I know it won't be the last.
But for the record, it's not okay to duplicate my work. Whether you're just starting out or have been at it for two years and are still struggling, it's NOT okay to copy.
So for the home stagers out there that need to rely on others for their creativity - time to find yourself another profession.
For the home owners, agents, Realtors, investors, etc.... the work you see on my web site is mine. The layout, the words, the pictures, they're all mine. I'm proud of what I do and put an incredible amount of effort into each of the staging projects I've had the good fortune of staging.
Kathy Nielsen - The Atlanta Georgia Home Stager who takes pride in her work!
P.S. And if you're truly interested in seeing who was nervy enough to duplicate, please feel free to email and I'll gladly provide you with the names.
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About the Author: Kathy Nielsen, a RESA 2010 Home Stager of the Year Finalists is a nationally recognized leader within the home staging industry, offers affordable home staging solutions to help sell your home more quickly. Kathy can be reached via email at info@homestagingatlanta.com or by phone at 678 522 8392. Their Atlanta Home Staging services offer a variety of options to accommodate all budgets. To view examples of their before and after pictures, visit their portfolio at Home Staging Atlanta Gallery.
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