President's Note...

You never know what shoes someone else is walking in.

President

Kimberly Cash, ASP™ Master Stager

When Tidewater Home Staging was created now several years ago, it would not have been remotely possible without the devotion and support of my loving husband and young son. Being a wife, a mother and a real estate investor already consumed all my time. But, when I staged my own vacant investment properties and they SOLD, I knew there was something to it. I never really intended to build a home staging business, only to further set my vacant rehabbed homes apart from others then on the "hot" market. Even after my initial ASP, Accredited Staging Professional, training, I still didn't intend to stage houses for a living. A few yard sales, thrift stores and furniture auctions later (gathering furniture on a budget) with a full garage to which my husband surrendered his car, I found myself enjoying shopping (what girl wouldn't) and transforming houses through staging. I needed to explore home staging further. It was in that exploration that I found a new love and a new purpose. ASP Master training with Barb Schwarz forever changed my life. Meeting Barb changed me and I will forever be a better person having met her. And, as if that wasn't a great enough experience, another was waiting for me on the second day of training. 

We, as part of ASP training as a class, stage an actual house on the market. Ok, you might say, so what? You know the lightbulb you get sometimes when everything is right in front of you? Well, I got it. It was a great day practicing staging along with classmates at a rather large home. We each were assigned a room. Mine was the "office". In staging this home, we were not allowed to spend any money or buy anything and could only use the homeowner's belongings. Here is where I learned to be creative. Anyway, long story short...the homeowner was a lovely, petite elderly woman whose husband had recently passed away. The house was full of her life's experiences with pictures and treasures alike. It likely would have taken a long time to sell in its existing state (just dated, lived-in). When our staging work was complete, the homeowner came home, along with her life-long best friend, to see the transformation. We all followed her room by room as she was silent for a moment, taking it all in, and then exhibited surprise at how some things had been used. Like a vase upside down, a rug for a window treatment and so forth. Several rooms later, she arrived at my room. The office which really wasn't an office at all, but it was now. She stood in the room quietly looking around. Barb asked us to explain was we did. As I was explaining somehow I was holding the hand of the woman. It's fuzzy to me now. But, I am a touchy-feelie person so it wouldn't be against my nature to have taken her hand if she offered it or took mine. Anyway, something happened. I felt her energy as she cried explaining a bit of the history of the room with her and her husband, how different it looked and how she needed to sell the house and didn't know how she was going to do it, but that she could now. I cried, too. We all cried. It was in that moment that I understood more about staging than any class could ever teach me. It's about people. We never know why a person needs to sell a house. We won't always understand what we see or hear. But, there is a need there. If staging can help get a home sold faster or for more money and I know how to accomplish that so that the homeowner gets what they need - by gollie I'll do whatever I can. My motto has always been you never know what shoes someone is walking in and on this day I took a few steps in someone else's shoes.

I thank my husband for the countless times he's moved my inventory - from home garage, to out building, to mini storage facility to warehouse and in the beginning from house to house, for the countless late nights hanging curtain rods and the like, for the numerous "builds" for special events, for all the lamps, beds and everything else he's ever fixed, and so much more.  I thank my son for his support as a little boy carrying my business cards around in his pocket and for just being excited for me.  As a young man for all his support and understanding of the long hours, longer than expected appointments, not to mention the muscle work moving furniture and sweeping up countless houses.  You are both the sunshine in my life and have helped make my dreams come true.

Our commitment to you:

We will be professional, courteous and will stage your home with sincere personal care and concern for your valued possessions.