It is telling that these days the majority of calls I get for Montreal home staging come in the form of home stagers looking for work.  I know home staging in Montreal has yet to really kick off.  We Montrealers are not at all impressed with, nor do we feel the need to follow, what our fellow citizens in other parts of the country nor the continent are doing.  It's part of what makes us unique.

But it's also part of what makes it tough if you're a Montreal home stager looking for work.

I went from being a Montreal home stager to a Montreal real estate broker who stages for my sellers...and I have not regretted the decision for one moment, though during the transition the pocketbook was very lean and my energy reserves completely depleted.

Having just completed my second full year in real estate, however, and having reached my lofty business goals for the year, I humbly offer struggling Montreal home stagers the following suggestions:

1. Get a website and a professional-looking business card.

These are your "credibility" essentials, and you can't go anywhere without them.  Make sure you've got loads of befores and afters on your website. If you need some work to get these befores and afters, ask your friends and family if you can transform their spaces for free. 

If you're a Canadian Staging Professional (TM) or CSP like me, as part of your training fee and CSP membership, you have pages on the CSP website that you can use as your own personal website.  I did this for the first two or three years with great results.  The CSP website has truly awesome SEO power for google searches related to "home staging" and "home stagers."  This alone is worth the price of the training, truly.

2. Do consultations with real, live results. 

When we start out, often our biggest source of business will be in the form of staging consultations for homeowners getting ready to put their home on the market.  Sometimes when I'm doing these consultations, there comes a point where I can see the homeowners' eyes glaze over.  It's just all too much, and up to this point it's been all talk - good, important talk, but still talk nonetheless.

It is at this point that I roll up my sleeves and say to the homeowners, "How about we transform a room right now?"  I get them to help me (if they are physically capable), and together we transform one space such as the master bedroom, the entry or the living room.  I declutter, open curtains and blinds, move furniture around to create a better flow, and I rehang art -- and all the while, I am talking to my clients, educating them on why we are doing these things and doing them in this way.  They are truly amazed at the end of the process and they end up taking my recommendations for other areas of the house a lot more seriously.

3. Get to know your local real estate agents, and be flexible in your offerings to them.

I got to know many Montreal real estate agents by going to their open houses and making some simple suggestions related to the home, respectfully presented of course, and always out of earshot of potential buyers.  Most important, I explained to them why I was making these suggestions in particular.

One agent had taken on a hardship case. I did a hands-on staging for her, using the client's belongings.  And then I came back and lent to them a few key pieces from my inventory at no charge. The goodwill this generated was astounding.

I was once hired by a real estate team for four hours: "Tanya, we've got a $400 budget for staging. Go to the house and do what you can please." That was enough for me and an assistant to work for four hours.  What an adrenaline rush!  And the results were amazing.  We went in, sight unseen, and transformed every room using what they had.  Both the agents and the homeowners were delighted, and the house sold quickly.

The key is to be open to working in different ways and to working quickly.

4. Build your own inventory.

OK, I know this is hard to do when you're struggling, but you can gain a lot of credibility and a lot of traction with the words, "I have my own inventory of accessories, art, lighting and bedding."

5. Leave your staging perfection at the door.

I know this one will raise some flak, but the fact is that I became a better Montreal home stager after I became a Montreal real estate agent.  I just became more realistic and had more experience in terms of what buyers expect...and what they don't really pay much attention to. 

Kids' bedrooms, for example?  Unless the rooms are extremely small, buyers don't really care if there are 30 stuffed animals on the bed.  A home office?  Again, unless the space is really small and cluttered, buyers will forgive you the full shelves. 

The key is to do your craft justice, but at the same time to do what you can to ensure the homeowners aren't so overwhelmed and find your suggestions so over-the-top that they end up ignoring everything you've said.

Good luck to you. It isn't easy, but when you find what you love and get to make a living at it, it's heaven.

I've been working with buyers for a couple of months now, a lovely couple merging two families.  I spent many Sunday mornings with them touring Montreal West Island homes for sale, looking at comparables, discussing neighbourhoods vs price vs features.

We had an appointment scheduled on Monday to write up an offer on one particular property, a great home for sale in Beaconsfield, Quebec.  It was going to be a great start to my week.

One hour before the appointment, she called, her voice breaking, to say that they would not be coming to the appointment, that they were putting off their home search until next year some time, and that the house in question was definitely out.

I know this happens, but still I was devastated - after all that work, all that energy, all that excitement, all that time away from my own family.

I called her later that afternoon to see how she was doing.  She was still in tears.

And that's when I was blessed with perspective.  I had lost a deal (and perhaps a surprise Christmas vacation for my family), but these people had lost something much more significant.  I don't know whether it was their relationship, or a job, or financial security, but it was enough to bring them to tears and to put their future together on hold.  And it was definitely more significant than "a deal."

And with that, I'm off to count my blessings...

OK, I'll confess: That title was a shameless effort to grab your attention because I need your advice on something.

I have a potential client who will be listing his house in the next few months.  He's asked me to do a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA).  I do a two-step CMA with the first step being on-site information gathering.  The property is a three-bedroom split-level home in the beautiful city of Baie d'Urfé, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec. 

During my visit to the property, I discovered that he has a full bathroom off his kitchen and that he has plans to make this bathroom bigger by stealing some space from the kitchen.

"What the dillio?" I find this very strange, and I think buyers will too.  By the way, in addition to the "kitchen bathroom," there is also a full bathroom upstairs although it currently only has a bathtub (no shower).

I have suggested that he add a shower head to the family bathroom, convert the "kitchen bathroom" into a simple powder room, and add a full bathroom in the basement laundry room which already has some plumbing and plenty of space. (Note that he had already bought everything for his kitchen bathroom remodel.)  My hesitation here is that the basement does not currently have a bedroom nor does it have space for one.  But it does have plenty of space for the bathroom.

So, do you agree with my suggestion?

Or do you think it's fine to have a bathroom off the kitchen?

Is it worthwhile to move the kitchen bathroom into the basement even if there is no bedroom down there?

What say you, oh wise ones?

Here's a rare one: fully renovated, updated, high-end but affordable Canadiana home for sale in beautiful Baie d'Urfé, Quebec, on a child safe-crescent.

Located within walking distance of German, French and English schools, this home features four bedrooms upstairs plus one in the basement, and a main-floor office or den just off the front entrance.

The best thing about this house? It’s been fully renovated and updated without losing any of its charm. It’s a Canadiana but still has lots of natural light. And it’s been designed for how most of us truly live, so you aren’t paying for real estate that never gets used.

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home. Well, this one runs across the entire back of the house. Gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances (think Sub-Zero, Miele and Thermador), thick granite countertops, wood cabinets with beautiful detailing. Huge adjoining dining area with built-in hutch and cabinetry, big windows onto the backyard, and French doors to the deck.

Can I paint a few scenes for you?

How about serving up a delicious cup of cappuccino from your built-in Miele cappuccino maker and enjoying it on the deck in your private backyard. Too sunny out there? No problem - just press a button for instant shade with your remote-controlled awning.

Feel like cozying up? Enjoy your extra-large wood-burning fireplace in the living room, with plenty of room for guests or the kids.

Movie night? Let's head to the basement with its exposed staircase and wood beams, plenty of natural light, and extra bedroom for guests.

Time for R&R? Welcome to your huge master suite where we find beautiful hardwood floors, gas fireplace and seating area, large walk-in closet, ensuite bath with whirlpool tub and separate glass-enclosed shower, and an exposed brick wall.

Well that all sounds nice, but what about the guts of the building? Furnace, oil tank, and hot water tank - 2000; Roof and insulation - 1999; Central air conditioner - 2001; Canexel siding and insulation – 2000-2001; Plumbing and electrical - 2000-2001; Windows and doors – 2001-2001.

Priced at $795,000. Municipal evaluation: $734,600. MLS 8586047

Open house this Sunday, September 25, 2011, from 2-4 pm. Or call me for a private showing: Tanya Nouwens – 514-919-8468; tanya@readysetsold.ca

I'm feeling confessional...again.  So here are 3 things I thought I knew about selling real estate...before I actually started selling real estate.

#1 - Before

"There's no excuse for a house not looking great in MLS pictures.  And seriously?  You couldn't get the cat out of the bedroom long enough to take a picture?"

 After

Sometimes real life gets in the way of a home looking smashing in pictures.  And while it is certainly the real estate agent's job to make sure the quality of the pictures is stellar, and the photo of the bathroom features more than the toilet (with the lid up), sometimes the way a home actually looks simply reflects the reality of the people living there.  And that's life.

Furthermore, despite our best intentions, somehow, somewhere, the cat's tail, if not the entire cat, will end up in at least one shot of the home. It's Murphy's Garfield's Law.

#2 - Before

"Real estate agents should preview all homes before they show them to their buyer clients."

 After

Sometimes, previewing makes very good sense.  Other times, you get a very hands-on client who wants to see and touch and feel and smell what is on the market (within certain parameters of course) before they can hone in on what moves them to move.  And if we're smart, we'll know how to adjust our modus operandi to suit our clients' preferences.

#3 - Before

"Showing homes - that's basically what a real estate agent does."

 After

Showing homes is just the showy part of our work.  The less glamorous stuff - continuing education, marketing, networking with colleagues, training, staging, previewing new listings, maintaining hands-on knowledge of the market, on-line background research, contract management, project management - is what allows us to do the showy stuff.

How about you?  What did you think you knew about real estate before you actually started selling real estate, or before you actually bought or sold a home?

Inspired by a recent post from Susan Mangigian. Originally posted at www.readysetsold.ca

Have you got clutter?  A linen closet that takes a full-on tackle to close?  A cabinet under the kitchen sink that looks like a product testing lab for household cleaning products?  Bin upon bin in the basement that may or may not contain your grade 7 report card?

Well then, it might be time to move!

I'm only partially kidding here.  A friend of mine is getting ready to put her Baie d'Urfé home for sale (with me as her listing agent - hooray!).  I was at her house on the weekend and she showed me the work she and her daughter were doing to purge, organize and give away the clutter that accummulates after 10 years of living in the same house.

It got me to thinking about all the stuff taking any and all available space (and more) in my own house.  It used to be that I moved A LOT.  When I was in university, I moved every year.  When I started my career, I moved every two years.  When I started my family, it was every four years.  Well, now that I'm living in the most wonderful neighbourhood in Kirkland, Quebec, it's been seven years and counting...and I've got the clutter to prove it!  I don't plan to move, but I do plan to behave like I'm getting ready to put my home on the market.  So I'm strapping on my body armour and heading to the linen closet this afternoon. 

How about you?  Have you got clutter?  Then maybe it's time to move!  If you'd like to know what your home might be worth, I know just the person to call.  She lives and works in Montreal's West Island, selling great homes and helping people find a place to call home. And though she may be lost under an avalanche of pillows at the moment, she'll be out soon enough.

Originally posted at www.readysetsold.ca/blog

Did you consider location before your flip flopped?  I didn't think so.

When you first saw the house on MLS, it was probably too good to be true.  Or rather, it was so bad it was good.  But here's the thing: Even when you flip houses, the 3 most important things in real estate are still location, location, location.

So it doesn't matter how well you did the wood floors.  It doesn't matter that you put in new bathrooms.  And it doesn't matter that the paint is fresh and lovely.

What matters is that you invested all of that time and energy - and your MONEY - into a house that sits on a busy street and faces the highway.  And that's why it's been on the market for months and hasn't yet sold.

Home buyers will pay a premium for homes that are move-in ready.

Home buyers will deduct a premium - or worse, not even come to see your project at all - if the location sucks.

Next time, ask a Montreal real estate agent to guide you through the process and to help keep the big picture in mind.  It's what we do.

I've been reading a lot of Seth Godin lately, in particular his blog.  Lately, Seth has been pushing us to push ourselves - not to work harder or faster, but rather to work on the things that matter, the things that can make a difference to the way we, and the world at large, think, feel and do.  He encourages us to take the risks that must be taken to create "art."  

I've also been watching American Idol with my 9-year-old.  Again, artistry has been the theme, and in this case too, the judges have been pushing the contestants to create art, to take risks, to find their true voice or their "lane".

Artists put themselves out there.  Painters, singers, musicians, writers, poets, sculptors - they all dig deep, expose the fleshy parts of themselves, not knowing how their audience will react, who their critics will be, and whose lives they may change.

In fact, we are all artists.  Our works of art are ourselves.   Every experience we have, every emotion we feel, everything we learn, moulds us, creates or softens our edges, adds contours to our being, paints us with brilliant colour in some places and with shades of pale in others, making us absolutely unique and uniquely beautiful.

Never stop creating your art.  Be who you are meant to be.  Be brave enough to stay true to your inner voice, to show the colour that wants to shine through, to flow into the shape you want your life to take. 

You are a work of art, and as with any piece of art, not everybody will like you.  But critics be damned.  Greatness never comes from playing it safe ... nor does it come from pressing the inner mute button.

A funny cute charming annoying thing has happened as I age [ahem] "gracefully": I have developed a mid-day shine on my forehead.  Call it the development of combination skin commonly associated with women of a certain age, if you must.  Better yet, just hand me a napkin and tell me to wipe it off. 

Which is exactly what I'd like to tell homeowners who paint their ceilings in a high-gloss paint.  

I can imagine how it happens.  You scrape the Christmas tree across the ceiling one year, leaving a nice stripe, and then you suddenly notice scuff marks where the outdoors-only street-hockey ball hit the ceiling, and where you tried to wipe off what you thought was dust but was really an incubating insect.  Then you realize you might as well paint the whole ceiling and - Hey! You just happen to have a can of leftover white paint from the trim you painted last year!  How handy!

STOP!  Put down that can, mister!

That paint you have in your hand has a gloss to it, because this is typically what we put on trim.

But high-gloss paint on a ceiling does the exact same thing as oil on my forehead: it accentuates every single nook and cranny, every ridge, every less-than-perfect surface.  And ceilings are full of them.  As is my forehead - at least in the magnifying mirror (which, in my opinion, is the cruelest gadget ever made...but I digress).

Ceilings should have matte paint.  Only.  That's it.  What you save by not purchasing a can of matte paint you lose when a potential buyer walks in, looks up, and thinks, "Our ceiling doesn't have all those waves and stuff.  Maybe they have a leak somewhere?" 

Every ceiling has some imperfections, as does every complexion.  No need to accentuate them, dahling.

Warning: This is a bit of a rant.

My son lost his iPod Touch on the bus yesterday.  Today, the bus driver returned it to him.  I was not surprised - I was happy, but not surprised.  Others were surprised. 

I absolutely refuse to expect the worst in people.  

"Ha! Poor girl. Is she ever gonna get used!!"  Anyone thinking that? 

And sure, I have been used from time to time.  But I'd much rather get bamboozled, stepped on, disillusioned, or used once in a blue moon than to go through my life with every encounter tinged with cynicism just so that I can avoid that rare time when someone may pull a fast one on me.

This is not to say that I don't try to "read" people and ensure I act accordingly.  (My background in criminology helps me here.)  It's absolutely critical to read people, both in real estate and in life in general.

But what I won't do is expect the worst from people as my starting off point.  I cannot imagine how having that starting point must limit possibilities and relationships and horizons...and how it clouds our ability to see the sun that is in all of us. 

I refuse to limit myself in that way...and to limit others' potential too by pre-determining a cynical motive and just waiting to be shown that I'm wrong. 

I believe the world is full of mostly-good people just trying to find their way.  I'm one of them.

And yes, my glasses are rose-coloured.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Originally posted at www.readysetsold.ca