This is such a great post about dressing up a vacant property and making buyers feel at home. Selling vacant properties is difficult since they feel empty without feeling and life.
Are you looking for a Home Staging Professional? We currently home stage in Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Winchester, Escondido, Oceanside, Fallbrook, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Corona, Anaheim Hills, Banning, Yucaipa, Palm Springs and all other surrounding Riverside & San Diego County cities.
Home staging services included Vacant, Occupied, Model Home, REO & Bank Owned Home Staging.
Contact us at 951.704.0597 for a free vacant home staging estimate!
I am so happy to report that one of the agents I work with on a regular basis and have built a partnership with has won the RESA Realtor of the year award for 2011. Doug Folsetter from Remax Escarpment Realty Inc. in Hamilton Ontario. The winners of the 2011 RESA awards were announced at the 2011 RESA Convention in Las Vegas January 23, 2011.
Congratulations Doug!!!!!!! Way to support home staging as a valid addition to your business.
I had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Staging Professionals Conference in Las Vegas as an extra day after the Real Estate Staging Association Conference.
It was a fabulous day of people sharing their expertise.
Teresa Robertson of "Design to Go" winner of the CSP mentor of the year for 2010. Teresa shared with the group her ideas "to help grow and manage a successful staging business."
Nairn Friemann, president of "Ingenuity & Pizzazz, Inc." shared "Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations with sellers in 10 simple steps."
From the "Social Media Academy For Women".
Francine Allaire shared steps for "using Flip Video's and some simple scripts to increase your visibility on Social Media".
Forbes called Francine one of the "Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs" to follow on Twitter for advice on business,marketing and technology.
Cindy Ratzlaff guides us through "the steps of using Twitter lists to increase your visibility on Twitter.
Lisa McKenzie guides us through "the steps of creating powerful, targeted Facebook ads."
Other guests included
Tara Savelle, owner of "Home on Display" shows us her "secret formula to securing lunch and learns in Real Estate Offices.
Kelly Ralph talks about team building in your business.
Jackson West of "Revealestate" and one of our own Activerain friends shows us "How to Write an Attention Grabbing Professional Bio."
Kimberley Seldon, well known interior designer spoke about the "Business of Design". She has written a book and she did a book signing during the conference.
I learned a lot from Kimberley and during her whole presentation I was sure she was talking about me. Highly motivating us to take care of the business part of home staging. She says "80% business and 20% design".
Christine Rae, President of Canadian Staging Professionals had her sister, Lynne Corfield, speak to us again. I have heard her speak 3 times now and she is always an inspiration.
Our keynote was Bodine Balasco - Focusing on "The Master Method for Creating Desired Results in Challenging Times".
I really enjoyed Bodine. He is a magician as well as a wonderful speaker and presenter.
Take a look at some of his presentation on this video.
I enjoyed the conference very much and can't wait until the next one. I flew over the Grand Canyon via Dallas to Toronto.
The Real Estate Staging Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas was a huge success. The RESAconference was held in January and approximately 400 stagers from all over North America were there.
Although there were many hi-lights from the RESA conference event the top three for me were:
Jackson's presentation for the RESA conference was "How to Close More Sales and Raise Your Profits by Perfecting Client Proposals". I learned a great deal and am now putting together a template for my own Client Proposal.
Christine is very passionate about going green and especially being green in your home staging business. Some things Christine shared about the state of our water here on the planet was eye opening.
There is an organization called "One Drop". They are working hard around the world to make our water safe and to preserve our earths water supply.
3. Key-Note Speaker Matthew Finlason from "The Stagers"HGTV was very entertaining to listen to. He taught me to tell a story about who would be a buyer for a property. His humour was greatly appreciated.
A great time was had by all and I can't wait for next year.
To view the video of the RESA Home Staging Conference follow this link
Thank you to all who shared. I took something away with me from everyone. I couldn't get enough. Thank you to the panel of experts for sharing their experiences and helping me to realize I am on the right track with my home staging business.
In one of my previous posts, I shared Hamilton/Halton Real Estate Staging Association Chapter's Charity of choice "Wall's of Hope".
Sera Mansueto, the founder of "Wall's of Hope" was being honoured by Debbie Travis as an unsung hero in Oakville for her generous and hard work in helping families in the Oakville area.
The show "All For One" was taped at the end of August and aired on October 31.
Many of our RESA chapter members were part of the 5 day project honouring Sera .
It was an exciting, exhausting, and educational 5 days.
Here are some pictures of some of our RESA Chapter members. You might recognize some of them.
Linda Graydon from "Soulscape Interiors" was chosen by Debbie Travis as the Design Crew Leader. It was a very stressful 5 days.
Here I am Karen Hubert from "Center Stage Design" being wired for sound by the crew. Debbie is checking out our work. The guys stole our nail gun so back to basics.
I am painting a trunk for one of Sera's daughters room. What do you think of this colour? Allison Roberts of "Burloak Home Staging and Decorating" gives Charlene a hand making the bed.
Anne Vernon from "Rooms 'n Blooms" gives Linda a hand. Luisa Giaitzis from "Absolute Simplicity" enjoys painting and Patrick Fornasari from "Studio Linea' was a big help during the project. All members of our Hamilton/Halton RESA Chapter. Thank you for giving of your time for someone very worthy.
Some carrying on with Debbie. Charlene, myself and Allison. Debbie thinks I am short.
The finished product.
The Reveal
Check out Debbie Travis's website to view the episode if you missed it. This was definitely a "stage it forward" project for the Hamilton/HaltonRESA Chapter members.
Hamilton/Burlington Real Estate Staging Association October Chapter Meeting was a big success.
We had many in attendance and some very good presentations.
Linda Graydon shared some photos with the group of our "Wall's of Hope" project.
Linda also shared a slideshow of the "Debbie Travis" project some of us also participated in. Debbie Travis's new show is"All For One".
This is me listening intently to what Debbie is telling me.
Also during the meeting I shared the picture hanging tip I learned here on Activerain via Kym Tarr's blog post.
Laurie Carther from "Silklauer" Designs also shared a picture or mirror hanging tip.
Our guest speaker was Anthony Giaitzis from "Stoneridge Insurance Company". He is husband of Luisa Giaitzis who is one of our members.
He has come up with a RESA Group Insurance Plan for our Hamilton/Halton RESA Chapter stagers. Many of our stagers are not CSP's having access to an already great insurance plan. Many of our members are Haverhill, ISP, ASP, and Staging Divas.
Anthony hopes to offer this great deal to other RESA Chapters in Ontario in the hopes of getting the numbers needed for the group plan.
Our sponsor for our meeting was David Hills from "Signaids". He shared with us his business of Estate Mailboxes and glow in the dark house number plates. This service can also be offered through our businesses as a resell program. His giveaway was a number plate. Congratulations to Mara Snider who won this great prize.
If there is an issue with your home, don't hide it fix it.
If you can't afford to fix it, disclose the problem.
Your Realtor can help you with this.
The home in the picture had a crack in the wall that was letting in moisture. That moisture had damaged the flooring.
The seller did the responsible thing and had a specialist come in and fix the wall. That gave them a certificate to show the buyers. The seller then replaced the damaged flooring.
As a Home Stager I see homes with varying issues.
I always advise my client to take care of the issue before they go on the market. If they do not have the budget to fix the problem I advise them to at least get an estimate on the work to show thebuyer.
The cost of dealing with the issue is probably less than the reduction the buyer will make to their offer.
Some think Staging is about hiding things - that we stage over problems.
NO!!
Staging is about highlighting the architectural features of a home.
During a consult we identifythe features that should be highlighted and the negative features that may slow the sale of the home.
If there is a window that looks in a neighbor's window we do not hide the view. We show the buyer they can have light and privacy by, for example, tilting a blind or hanging a sheer. The window is still there and visible but the buyer knows how to deal with it.
We do not hang pictures to hide a dent in the wall. A picture is placed to accent a fireplace or sofa or table or just add colour to a room.
Staging shows off the great things about your house.
Staging shows how to live with the so so aspects of your house.
Staging does not hide things from the buyer!
Serving Burlington,Oakville, Milton, Hamilton & surrounding areas. 905-467-5353
I believe paying attention to your front door when selling is very important since curb appeal is what will draw buyers into your home to see more. Thanks Valerie for a great post.
What? Paint wood? Most men will think that you will be struck dead from painting a wood door (or any wood in the house for that matter) but...
Consider painting your front door. When I was in Ireland I fell in love with the doors painted in high gloss primary colours. What a treat!!!! You are going to or living in the house with the yellow (or red, or green or blue) door. From a long line of homes on a street, it will be apparent which one is yours by the colour of the door. Where the same builders have built every house on the block or in the neighbourhood, you might want a way to distinguish your home from others.
Get together with your neighbours and think of painting each door a different colour. Imagine the impact! Think of what fun it would be to take your door to a new level of interest with bright red or yellow or green. The Irish have it right - houses with each door painted a different colour.
All right, maybe the primary colours are not going to work but... you can step away from the white metal door or bland wood door and into a world of colour. The people at the paint shops can help you make a choice. Take in a photo of your house. Remember the colour of your shingles / tiles on the roof. Remember, if you are going to paint your door, be ready for comments from your neighbours and do as professional a job with the primer and paint as you can. Have some fun. After all, it is just a door to your house and not the entrance to the Louvre.
(Okay, one caveat, if you are living in a house with an historical designation you may not be able to apply your creativity to colour choices but then, you already know that.)
Last week I went for a walk with my camera looking for my favourite doors in my neighbourhood. Here they are:
The Hamilton/Burlington RESA Chapter met on September 27 at Tansley Woods Community Centre.
Our guest speaker was Laurey Fawcett from Sherwin Williams Paint. Laurey had a lot of information to share about paint and how to pick the right paint for your project. She taught us how to read the fan deck properly and the types of finishes were discussed. Unfortunately we were unable to have Laurey complete her whole 1.5 hour presentation due to the time allowed for our meeting. This was a little disappointing.
Each member attending the RESA Chapter meeting will be getting a free fan deck.
Laurey shared a website to our Hamilton/Burlington Chapter members to receive free paint chips in large sizes to use for our businesses. I am unable to share this website unfortunately.
Our Hamilton/Burlington RESA Chapter Charity "Walls of Hope" has completed the home for the family chosen for help.
Many of our RESA Chapter members pitched in to help on many levels. In June it was started by decluttering and organizing and getting together all the help necessary to complete the project.
The last week of September the job was completed. A new roof, new kitchen, new bathroom, floors, painting, landscaping, are just some of the projects taken on. Of course staging at the end for the reveal. The President's Choice charity will be funding the remodel of the main floor bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible for one of the children.
A special thank you was given to Linda Graydon, Soulscape Interiors, home staging for all her hard work with the charity. Linda is heading our "Walls of Hope" charity committee. Other Hamilton/Burlington RESA Chapter members sitting on the committee are Allison Roberts (Burloak Home Staging) and Kim Abraham (Harmony Home Staging). They did a lot of work for our Charity.
I have just earned the RESA-PRO™ home staging designation.
For Immediate Release
Karen Hubert of Center Stage Design earns Prestigious RESA-PRO™ Home Staging Designation
Ancaster, Ontario, September 27th,,2010.Karen Hubert of Center Stage Designhas earned the RESA-PRO™ designation.
RESA-PRO™ designees must meet the following 6 mandatory requirements:
Must pass the RESA® Ethics Exam.
Must agree to follow the RESA® Code of Ethics.
A minimum of 1 year in business, as a professional home stager (proof by either a Business License, DBA, LLC, CORP, Re-sale license or Legal Partnership,)
Proof of Home Staging Business Insurance
No lawsuits pending against your staging business
Business Checking Account
The RESA® Ethics class and exam is an extremely important factor in raising the bar for the home staging industry. RESA-PRO™ is the only designation governed and regulated by the Real Estate Staging Association®. RESA® ensures that RESA-PRO™ designees uphold the highest ethical standards possible.
Karen Hubert of Center Stage Design offers Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management in the (Hamilton, Burlington and surrounding areas ).“Preparing your property to compete can make your property a winner”, said, Karen Hubert of Center Stage Design.
RESA® recently released statistics on the benefits of home staging. RESA studied 410 properties in North America and found on average staged properties are on the market 78% less time. “There is no doubt staging benefits buyers, sellers and agents. We strongly recommend anyone considering selling their property to work with a professional stager in their local area,” said Shell Brodnax, RESA’s CEO.
Center Stage Design has been certified by Canadian Staging Professionals.We know what buyers are looking for and what sellers need to do to sell.We offer hands on services to help homeowners and real estate professionals sell properties.For more information about what we offer please visit www.centerstagedesign.ca or call 905-648-7010.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
;)
;)
