How I became a Home Stager/Senior Move Manager by Carolyn McShane, Winnipeg

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How I became a Home Stager/Senior Move Manager

 After Serious Consideration, I have decided to be a Home Stager after my own Experiences as a seller. I have heard it all, “your house is too messy”; “it’s too cluttered”, “untidy”.  I thought my house was perfectly fine.  I did not see the mess or the clutter; I thought most people live like this don’t they. Why can’t buyers just imagine their own stuff in here? And see the outline of the house not my stuff, not to realize most buyers don’t have a good imaginations .

And I thought why isn’t my house selling quickly, why did I have to lower the price. Sheesh. I wanted to make a profit, and why didn’t my agent guide or advising me on what I should do.  Why?

Well, the reason why is because back in the early part of the 2000 to mid 2005 a home stager was not heard of. Yes, there was interior designer but they are mostly to design a home your living in and wanting to upgrade not to sell.  Back then the Real Estate markets was different. Housing was more affordable. Although we do not make much more in salary then we did back then the houses have tripled. The vacancy rate here in Winnipeg is 1% so Shortage of home dictates the market.

I have a very good imagination so I do see the potential in properties.  Although at the time I sold my properties I was uneducated on the market and have made huge mistakes and I could have had more money in my pocket.  So, live and learn as they say. Now I’m a homes stager, just after buying my property just last year, I gave up on my properties years ago after the company I was working for went under bankruptcy protection, we took pay cuts and I had to claim bankruptcy myself.  I moved around every 1 to 1.5 years finding cheap enough places to afford, (I moved a lot and quickly learned to downsize), I when into rentals for a few years till my daughter was old enough, figured I’d meet a man along the way that had a house or even wanted to settle down but that was not the case back then. I bought my house again 7 years later and now with the bankruptcy behind me, I have re-establish my credit and grown stronger .

All I watched was the home HGTV and got my inspiration from within my soul to maybe buy a house again, I have been renting and putting my money towards someone else mortgage, I thought why not buy my own place. I was renting a very small house for almost the price of a decent home for my daughter, and I, she is quickly becoming a teenager and in the future a university student, and we will need space.

Shopping for my new home I received pre-approval from my bank but realize I encounter bidding wars here in Winnipeg, although I am not sure if the rest of the country has encounter bidding wars because of our market with vacancy rate at 1%. I realize I had to change my search; I was not going to get my house in the area I wanted. The bidding wars were making my dream house unaffordable for me, so I changed my search and found a much bigger home in another area. Although I really had to use my imagination as the homeowners smoked in the house, the colors were dark and dreary did I mention dark, and the carpets were in bad condition, very old and ineffective lighting and the windows in poor conditions with only one pane, some did not even opened, now I was ready to overlook this house and move on with my search but then when no one put an offer on the property, I went to look at it again and I had to rethink of what I could do this house to make a home.  And put in an offer (only because the other house I was going to put an offer already had like 15 offers) not that I love the place as it was but saw what I could do to it.

Unhappy with my job , I really wanted to have a career I had passion and get fulfillment and gratification, I was my own General Contractor, my own Designer, I had a budget and I love it.  I found great satisfaction in working with homes and gardens. (Upcoming Article)?

So I found my passions HOMES.

I want to help Sellers such as Senior’s and Families or even you to get every penny out of their homes so you can move on with your life and know they got their dollars worth out of you homes. I know whole-heartedly what that means.

I am now a Certified Staging Professional, Senior Move Manager and I am now a Certified Eco Professional as well. Thanks for Certified Staging Professional for making my dream come true. I am now ready to working in Winnipeg in the Real Estate Market.  Just recently applied to join The Winnipeg Realtors Association as a partner. (Hope the board approves my application).

After Seeing Mike Holmes here at the Winnipeg Convention Center, I am ready to learn more about not just home inspection, I want to go into more of Energy Audits of our homes and help us save money (not to give it to greedy Corporations) and help save the our animals and our mother Earth.  Let’s make it right.

My Company is Homelicious Staging and More and Carolyn’s Senior Move Management Company.

www.homeliciousstagingandmore.com 

By Carolyn McShane

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