Last December a Realtor I had met, while Condo shopping for friends in from London (UK), was explaining to me how hard a time she was having finding a stager that could do a job on short notice, due the boom happening in Toronto at the time. After a bit of discussion I agreed to "help" her out.
FLASHBACK: Over my lifespan I had been an agent in the UK and Canada, an Equestrian in NYC and Palm Beach and most recently, (after breaking my hip riding), I had worked in the Hedge Fund world of finance in the UK, NYC and Toronto, (Thank the heavens for getting a university education all those years ago i hadn't ever used!). All during that time I had helped people furnish and decorate their Condo's and Homes and had seriously been thinking about Home Staging... especially as I was a casualty of downsizing in the finance world.
Back on track... I had no budget (well very little), and no personal inventory for the vacant, renovated semi, but I really wanted to make a good impression and see if I could actually do this. I moved out of my own condo and in with a friend to gather up some cash to get the job done and continue to live on the small amount of money I was collecting on Unemployment insurance. How was I going to do this and not end up with Mud on my face???
Then it dawned on me, I had just put a huge amount of inventory into storage... i quickly found "Two Guys & a Van" and moved my belongings from storage into the house. For a bed i used a futon platform with an airmattress on top and a piece of foam on top of that to get the height, my own bed was the only thing I had kept when I moved in with the friend and decided that getting some sleep on something comfortable was the best thing! I bought a few extra pieces from Ikea and borrowed some other pieces from my agent... talk about multiple trips back and forth and all over the city... thank god I had the trusty "Wilson" the 11 yr old Volvo station wagon to load everything into!! (This car can hold the 3 seater sofa pictured below).
The days were long, as I was working alone, save for my sister and a friend that came over to help do the final cleaning.
The result is below... I've learned a lot since then, (like renting furniture... getting help... taking before shots... and getting help), but I will always remember how I got into this great business and the fantastic feeling I had at the end of the project. Especially during the agents open house when the feedback was great. The agent that got me started has become a great friend and refers me lots to other agents.
Even better news is the house sold in 7 days at 40K over asking! I did actually make a bit of money on the deal too!
I have "lots" still to learn, but having the support of other stagers here on AR and the other organization I belong to has been great and not something I would have expected.
Flash forward... my furniture, and some new pieces are now happily sitting in my new condo and no longer used for staging... FOR NOW!
Duncan Scott is the Founder and Owner of The Scotts Group inc., A Toronto Based Home Staging Company
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