Mary Ann Benoit of Northern Lights Home Staging and Design shares tips on how you can spend a little but make a lot with home staging when selling your home on Seward Public Radio’s “Market Minute” with Nicole Lawrence.

Nicole and Mary Ann discussed how home staging can be used as a marketing tool for your home sale.

They discussed some of Mary Ann’s home staging projects, the cost of home staging, why home staging works even in a seller’s market, how a seller can make more on their sales price with staging than without.

They discussed some of the various report and statistics about how home staging affects the sales price and time on the market.

They discussed some of the details on how spending a certain amount on home staging can reap the benefit of selling your house for up to 20% more.

Nicole Lawrence of Seward Properties “Market Minute” show is a wealth of information for home buyers or sellers on the Seward Real Estate Market. You can hear her show every Thursday on Seward Public Radio on 91.7 KIBH-FM, Seward, Alaska.

To learn more about home staging and how it can help you market your property, give Mary Ann a call at 907-362-0065.

Call 907-362-0065 today

 info@northernlightsstaging.com

Mary Ann Benoit was honored to be asked to do an interview on Seward Public Radio last night with host Beck Dunn. She was the first guest on the “Knot so Fast” radio show. They talked about a wide range of topics including bats, wildlife, home staging and design, using home staging to increase your bed and breakfast income and bookings, dance, art and more!

Mary Ann has been a wildlife biologist for over 25 years, as well as an artist, dancer, musician, performance artist and teacher. She owns two businesses, including  her Bed and Breakfast, Arctic Paradise Bed and Breakfast, Jewelry and Stained Glass which she started in 2002, and Northern Lights Home Staging and Design, started in 2014.  Becky asked her about all different aspects of her life and businesses.

They discussed bats, bat research in Alaska, how to attract bats to your property with a bat box, what to do if you find a dead or sick bat and more. They discussed her Bed and Breakfast and home staging and design business and how she used home staging to increase her own bed and breakfast income and bookings. They also talked about her other interests such as teaching and performing different styles of dance, and creating beautiful stained glass and jewelry as an artist.

It was a fun interview!  For those of you interested in getting to know Mary Ann, and if she might be the right person to work with you on your project, this is a good one to listen to.

It was also a fun and quirky broadcast that gives a good feel for life in our beautiful little town of Seward Alaska:)

Call 907-362-0065 today

 info@northernlightsstaging.com

I got a call from Empire Radio Now in New York to do a live interview on their online radio station for the “Professionals Roundtable”.  Exciting!! Here is a transcript of the broadcast, I hope you enjoy it.  You can hear the broadcast here.

Please give a description of your company and the products/services you offer.

Company: Northern Lights Home Staging and Design provides Home Staging, Interior Design and Social Media Advertising for homes and vacation rental properties. We serve south-central Alaska but also do virtual consultations nation-wide.

We offer:

• Home Staging for homes and vacation rentals-Decorating for sale homes to appeal to buyers and help sellers sell their house faster and for more. I also offer this for vacation rental properties to help owners attract their ideal clients and increase their bookings and income.
• Interior Design and Redesign-Whether you are starting fresh in a new home or working with what you already have, I love helping the average home owner make their space something special that they love and works with their lifestyle.
• Color Consulting for Interior Design as well as home staging projects. Whether it is paint, furniture or finishes, I can help you pull it all together.
• Social Media Advertising- Once I have staged a for sale home or vacation rental, I help advertise the property by creating Facebook pages, video and ads to get the word out on what makes the property special.

Tell us about your background of your business and yourself.

My Background

• Many years ago I received a BA in Interior Design in Washington DC. While I did some design work and enjoyed it, I was young and wanted to travel and explore the world and other options.
• I worked a variety of jobs as a fire fighter and fire lookout for many years in Arizona. Then I took another path and followed my love of animals, and got a second degree in wildlife biology.
• In 2001, I came to Alaska to work as a Wildlife Biologist.
• In 2002, I also started a bed and breakfast, Arctic Paradise B&B.
• I have always been an artist and create Jewelry, stained glass and do performing arts such as dance and music.

Business Background

• I started Northern Lights Home Staging and Design 3 years ago.
• I took the name Northern Lights because I want to inspire that feeling of awe and sense of magic that people experience when they see northern lights in my Interior Design.

What inspired you to pursue your profession?

Childhood love of design

• I always loved the idea of transforming a space and making it beautiful. I dreamed of designing and building my own house even as a kid and used to endlessly sketch my dream house.
• Over the years even though I was working in another field, I still loved Interior Design and indulged my passion for it in my own home and for friends and family.

A Facebook Quiz- “What is your true profession”, changed everything. The answer was “Designer”.

• I considered the path not taken and wondered what life would have been like if I had taken my first path.
• Then I decided I can just do it now! Why not? It did not have to be one or the other.
• In researching how to start an Interior Design firm, I discovered home staging which seemed really fun. I took a home staging training program and then started my Home Staging/Design business.

What advice do you have for people considering starting their own business? 

Just do it. Follow your passion. It is never too late to start. Starting a business is easy; it just takes time and hard work to make it successful. Dont give up. Your turning point could be tomorrow!

Where do you see yourself in the near future?

I plan to highlight some new exciting additions to my business including:

• Vacation Rental Staging– I realized by experimenting on myself and my Bed and Breakfast, that home staging and design can have a dramatic impact on increasing bookings and income and attracting ideal clients. I have started offering consultations and social media advertising for vacation rental property owners.
• Color Consulting– I have always loved color and the magic it brings to a space. Recently, I went through training and became a certified color expert. I look forward to helping home sellers and home owners pick paint colors as well as use color to pull their design projects together.
• I will also be promoting my services for nation-wide virtual consultations for staging, design, and color. So wherever you are, I would love to help you. Just visit my website, give me a call or send me an email and let’s get going on your project!

Call 907-362-0065 today

 info@northernlightsstaging.com