Many of my clients comment that they have absolutely no difficulties understanding the concepts involved in Staging a Home for sale when they are in the midst of watching a television show.

They will also state that if they are viewing someone else’s home, it is monumentally easier to pin-point issues that could make or break a sale. But, where my clients have difficulties is within the confines of their own personal properties.

Have no fear. This is absolutely normal. You ARE human. When we live in our home day to day, our surroundings become habitual and comfortable. The way we arrange our furnishings and accessories end up staying static, sometimes for years. Everything we bring into our homes becomes part of our scenery. It is just that familiarity that we become so accustomed to. Our scenery becomes our definition of “Home”. This makes it very tough to step back and look at our own property through a buyer’s eyes. We love our home, so why wouldn’t everyone love it, right?

This is where the Canadian Certified Staging Professional comes into your successful Listing/Sales equation. We come in as an impartial, unbiased professional who is only interested in one thing. That one thing that we want is for you, the client, to succeed. We want you to make the most money possible in the shortest amount of time possible. When you win, the Certified Staging Professional also wins. This is because a Home Stager simply will not be able to sustain a successful business without documented results realised from services they perform. Also, if the client is happy, he/she is likely to tell at least one person about the stellar service received from the Home Stager.

When my clients express any confusion about the concepts involved in Home Staging, I continue to re-visit one of my favorite, most universally understood comparisons.

Home Staging is very similar to what one does in order to prepare a used vehicle for sale. If you have ever sold a personal used vehicle in the past, follow me on this one.

You have decided that you need to sell your used car. You know that in order for the public to see that it is available for purchase, you are going to first need to photograph the car. You are also aware of the fact that once it is advertised with photos, you will probably have browsers do a “drive-by” to ensure that the actual product matches your ad accurately. So, you also know that it has to be completely presentable in person.

You also know that when a buyer contacts you to make an appointment to come and view your car, that it would be best to have the exterior and interior showing flawlessly. You are also aware that it would be best to have your car in a condition where the buyer could simply test-drive it, make an offer, and simply put their own license plate on it, and drive it away, right?

Let’s take a look at the list of preparations we take when selling our car, and think of the direct relevance to what needs to be done in order to sell our home:

1. Wash, buff, shine exterior of car (curb appeal)
2. Ensure all of our exterior instruments are in good working order. Windshield wiper assembly, turn signal indicators, head-lights, brake-lights, back-up indicator lights, etc. (maintenance related curb-appeal)
3. Vacuum and shampoo all interior carpet and upholstery (interior flooring in house)
4. We stop smoking cigarettes inside the car (at least we should) as non-smokers will be among the buyers looking at your car for sale (should do the same in our home for sale)
5. Detailing of all nooks, crannies, vents, knobs, dash instruments, gear shifter, ashtray, etc. (fine detailed cleaning of house interior for positive impact)
6. Empty all garbage and refuse out of vehicle (de-clutter home for sale)
7. De-personalize inside of vehicle including the trunk so that the buyer can envision driving the vehicle away as their own new car with little to no hassle. De-personalize so that buyers are not seeing confidential items of yours laying around.
8. De-clutter AND De-personalize the interior of the vehicle so that the buyer can quickly determine whether this car will provide enough space for their individual needs. Will their car-seats fit into the back seat, as well as some groceries? (maximize your floor space within your home for sale)
9. Remove any bumper stickers or ornaments possessing any bold, religious, or controversial statements, as not all buyers will share the same views or beliefs as you (inside your home for sale, try to eliminate religious symbols or controversial art and accessories to avoid turning off the “right buyer”).
10. Lastly, now that the car is perfect inside and out, we do thorough homework to determine our optimal pricing. We must price our product properly because the market simply will not pay more than it is actually worth. (we must do the same with our home for sale).

Now that we have put in the prep-work and have priced our car reasonably, we will now experience a speedy and profitable sale.
We can follow a similar to-do list to prepare for the sale of any product, including our “Home”. Your home is now a product that needs to be merchandised effectively for sale.

Take a look at the following two pictures of two separate 2000 Ford Focus cars currently for sale.

If you were in the market for a car, and had $2000 to spend, which ad are you more likely to reply to?
One car seller did their due dilligence and ample prep-work, and one seller did not. Who loses here?

If you among the majority of humans, are selling your home, and would like some assistance in preparing your home for a quick and profitable sale, contact a Canadian Certified Staging Professional near you.

If you are considering a career change, and have been wondering which Institute will provide you the highest quality training in the dicipline of Home Staging, you definitely need to consider Canadian Certified Staging Professionals!

It is true that there are a phenomenal amount of animal lovers out there. I also love animals of all shapes and sizes.

It is also true that many buyers out there already have pets, or plan to adopt animals once they find their new “home”. But, strangely enough, this doesn’t mean that buyers are okay with purchasing a home that has already had animals living within its walls.

As a Canadian Certified Staging Professional, I am seeing that many home sellers have been very well educated to a point. They really seem to grasp the fact that any and all pets need to be absent for showings when their home is for sale.

What I really think we all need to understand is that the buyer’s psyche is in a fragile and impressionable state. Buying a home is possibly the largest, most emotional purchase a human will make in their lifetime. So, their minds are on high-alert when assessing a potential property. What most sellers don’t realize is that buyers are creating their “short-list” mostly from the photos on-line or in printed material. If something triggers the buyer’s psyche and indicates that there may be a lot of work to do to a property in order to be able to move in, guess what? They are going to pass right by your listing.

The key to remember here is that buyers want, and will pay more for, properties that are “Move-in-Ready”.

So, while it is incredibly important to ensure that Fido and FeFe are out on a car-ride with Aunt Ethel when your home is being shown to a potential buyer, we HAVE to remember our photo composition for our listings as well.

It is not enough to make sure that our pets are absent from the home whilst being shown, we also have to ensure the pet’s paraphenalia is also safely out of sight. Due to the delicate nature of the buyer’s psyche, the mere sight of a pet food-dish, a soggy t-bone, or a pet bed can trigger imaginary smells in the buyer’s mind. If someone has animal allergies, even if you have thoroughly cleaned all of the pet hair, psycho-sematic allergic reactions are also not uncommon.

Also, because the buyer has now spotted our pet’s food dishes on the kitchen floor, they have made an immediate connection, have realized that your pet resides inside, and are immediately searching for and expecting to find pet related damages, animal waste stains on floors, scratches on door-ways, and the list goes on. This, obviously, is a terrible foot to start out on, and it can, indeed, break a sale.

All of that said, we tend to overlook the initial composition of our listing photos. This is also sometimes the fault of your listing Realtor(R). Whatever the case, it is incredibly important to check out your photos thoroughly. If you do end up finding one that is displaying evidence of your furry family friend, my suggestion is to have that photo replaced.

We are all human, and when photographing a space, it can happen so quickly that Fido will literally sneak into the frame for his big “photo-opp”.

I have taken it upon myself to simply contact Realtors(R) regarding one of their listings where a pet or their paraphenalia is in a photo. I explain to them the negative impact it will end up having on the overall interest in the property, and suggest they either return to the property to take a fresh photo, or just photoshop the animal out of the photo. The Realtors(R) who have accepted my guidance have seen an immediate improvement in buyer interest.

As a Canadian Certified Staging Professional, it feels like Christmas morning when I get to post these stories. Success stories are the stuff of dreams for me! Passionate about my career? Perhaps.

This 1080 sq. ft., 3 br, 2 bth, bungalow in Westlock, AB, had been sitting on the market for 6 weeks (42 days) with little to no buyer response, when the owner contacted us, Revealing Assets, to provide a proposal for having the property Professionally Staged. We quickly accommodated her request, and she hired us to Stage the entire main floor for her. She also agreed with our opinion on the condition of the front exterior screen/storm door. It had seen much better days. We had recommended removing the door altogether, and giving the remaining door a fresh coat of paint. Chili Pepper Red was the mutual color of choice.

We also took it upon ourselves to weed and till the flower beds outside, as this also makes buyers see that this is a cared-for and maintained property. It just simply looked a lot better as well. We also placed an attractive, colorful basket of flowers outside the front door, which also makes the exterior “pop”!

According to Realtor(R) and buyer feedback, the improvement in the exterior (Curb Appeal) of the property, in itself, brought a huge and immediate increase in viewing traffic.

Back to the point of this success story. We are currently in a situation in Edmonton, AB and surrounding areas where the average days on market (DOM) for active Real Estate Inventory is sitting at 47 days. This listing had already been on the market for 42 days, with no bites. Due to the fact that the property is vacant, Professional Home Stagers know that buyers have a difficult time envisioning their own belongings within the walls without having a sense of scale, or points of reference. They are also craving a sense of warmth, and a feeling of “home” when they view the property on-line in photos and in person.

We went in and Staged this property on Saturday, June 19 (yes, we always work weekends in this industry), and the Realtor(R) came in on the 20th (following day) to take fresh photos. Those new photos were uploaded to the renewed listing on Monday, June 21. So, now with the improved exterior and the interior looking great and homey, buyers seeing this listing on-line are convinced that it is a new listing.

13 days later, a buyer submitted an offer. Negotiations ensued and lasted for 2 more days. The seller ended up accepting an offer that was 98.7% of original asking price. Needless to say, she is one happy camper right now.

She also owns 2 more properties in Edmonton, and has now asked us to Stage both of those for sale, due to the fact that she is now certain that Staging produces undeniable results!!

We are in the latter part of July in Edmonton, Alberta. Our temperatures reached daily range between 15 and 30 degrees celcius. Also, we have definitely not had any snow on the ground now for more than a couple of months.

It is summer time and Edmonton generally boasts lots of green grass, beautiful flowers, and blossoming foliage of all sorts.

As a Canadian Certified Staging Professional who is quite active in Edmonton, I get many cold calls from Realtors(R) who request that I quickly take a look over the listings they personally have on-line. They are absolutely lost, and floored regarding the fact that their listings are just not moving. They ask me to take a look and see if there is anything glaringly obvious jumping out at me that would be deterring buyers from calling. Of course, as Stagers, we don’t always have the extra time to do these favors, but when I do get spare time, I Love doing this for them. After all, Home Staging is my passion!

So, Realtor(R) “Bob” calls me a couple of days ago, and asks if I wouldn’t mind taking a look at his inventory of listings as his phone just does not seem to ring anymore. Here are two of the main exterior photos of just two of his listings. Given what I have written above, and what you see below, do you see any issues with trying to attract the masses?

Ever since I started Staging, I have witnessed no end to this exact issue. I call these photos “Season Inappropriate”. If I had a dollar for every time I have simply suggested to a Realtor(R) or a FSBO client that they simply go outside with their camera, take a new photo and ensure that the current exterior photos on their listing are replaced with the new ones, I would be one rich woman!

I also end up getting a lot of feedback from my FSBO clients who received this advice from me, as they see almost immediate results of the change. I almost never get feedback from the Realtors(R) who recieve this advice from me. Who knows, maybe it is due to pride getting in the way.

There are over 9400 active listings in Edmonton, AB right now, and sales are way down from normal. So, I find that I am spending a lot of my time these days educating people on the importance of being competitive. There are so many listings out there, and that means that each buyer has quite a few options to choose from. Buyers are simply seeking a home that is “move-in-ready”.

Plain and simple, if a listing has a photo of the exterior that is not season appropriate, the first question that naturally enters their mind is, “Wow, this one has been sitting on the market for a long time. I wonder what is wrong with it. Why is it not selling?”

And, because buyers want a home that is “move-in-ready”, they are very likely to browse right past this listing, as people are generally time-deprived these days. They do not have the energy or time to dig deeper and determine why this listing is not selling.

The key here is, make it look like a current listing to ensure you are still attracting buyer attention. And, if there are still no phone-calls or viewings, it is now time to look a little deeper. Could it be the pricing? Or is it something to do with the presentation of the interior?

Canadian Certified Staging Professionals are there to help you get to the root of your listing stagnancies. We not only fully understand the Real Estate Market at all times, we also know exactly what buyers are looking for in a new “home”. If you would like to read more about, or contact a Canadian Certified Staging Professional in your area, go to “Find a Stager”.

So, by now, the buzz-word, “Curb Appeal”, is one we have all heard a million times.

We all know that when we are selling a property, the exterior presentation is as important (sometimes more important) as the interior. So, when selling a detached dwelling or a townhouse/row-house with a secondary entrance and/or mini-yard, buyers are becoming more educated and mindful regarding exterior details than can either make or break a sale.

Now, rather than reviewing a list of important maintenance/cleaning of the exterior of detached dwellings and townhouses, we are going to shift our focus to CONDOS.

On a daily basis, as an active Canadian Certified Staging Professional, I hear similar concerns from sellers who are listing condos. Many condo owners seem to take a “hands-off-the-wheel” approach to exterior maintenance. When they originally bought the condo, they were told that their condo fees would include full and regular maintenance of all “common property”. So, the tendency of condo owners is to sit back and just accept what they get.

I am going to digress a little here, and tell you a little story about my own personal condo. I know full-well that I do not intend to live here for the rest of my life. So, I, just recently, decided to take a very pro-active approach to the presentation of the exterior of my building. I approached my property management company and had a long discussion with them. We collectively decided that the landscaping company employed by the board was not holding up their end of the relationship. They were relieved of their duties. I took it upon myself to buy some flowers, plant them, and maintain them on a regular basis. Whenever I come home at the end of the day, I do a walk around the building and pick up any garbage or refuse and dispose of it. In general, I look it this as doing my part to maintain my “house”. And, I notice as I do these things, other owners take notice, and they start doing their part as well. It is all about taking pride in where we live, and encouraging others to join in.

As a Certified Staging Professional, I am trained to know that when a buyer comes to view a property, or views photos of it on-line, its appearance is incredibly important to them. I know for a fact that when a buyer drives up and starts seeing issues with up-keep, landscaping neglect, or structural issues, they will automatically start worrying about the strength of the condo’s reserve fund, whether or not there is an on-site resident condo board in existence, or whether the property management company employed by the board is any good.

Not a good start to the buyer’s viewing experience.

We have to remember that, even though your property is within a condo building, buyer’s still want to feel proud and happy to come “home” at the end of a day. There are many steps you can take to improve your condo’s curb appeal when selling. How much you actually take on is all dependent on how quickly you would like to sell.

Take a look at these two photos of condo buildings in Edmonton, AB within which there are units for sale. What are your impressions of these two buildings?

1. Is a buyer or Realtor® going to be able to determine if they are at the right building? Where the heck is the address on this building?
2. Wow, there are quite a few of these suites not getting any natural light through their windows.
3. Those are very large trees. I wonder if the in-ground root systems are crowding or growing into the foundation anywhere.
4. If there are exterior lights, are they at all effective with those huge trees in the way?
5. I would be worried about the security of entering my building. Anyone or anything could be hiding in those trees/bushes, and no one would see the event occur due to the foliage shield created here.

1. Again, this building has no visible address. You WANT buyers and Realtors® to be able to find your condo! This is a very common faux pas, and is very easy and inexpensive to remedy. Home Depot, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Zellers, Rona, Home Hardware, or any store that carries hardware…..they all carry address numbers in all different colors, sizes, fonts, and materials. Just ensure to call your property management company to request your formal permission to make the building identifiable.
2. This is mid-summer in Edmonton, AB, and the grass at this building is obviously sparse, spotty, and generally ill. Here, I would suggest picking up a $15 bottle of “Crazy Amazing Grass Doctor Seed”. Okay, so that is not an official brand name, but Miracle Grow will do. You can even sneak out in the late evening and distribute this miracle stuff around the lawn areas, and then water the lawn. You will be amazed by how quickly the lawn is rejuvenated! And, it will look so much more welcoming also!

Many of our clients will say things such as, “you make it sound so easy, but what if we just don’t know where to start?” This is an excellent question. We fully appreciate that not everyone does know how to begin tackling these types of issues, or even where their time, money, and efforts would be best spent.

This is where contacting a Canadian Certified Staging Professional will be your most valuable move. We are extensively trained and experienced in exactly what buyers in today’s Real Estate Market want and need to see in order to be motivated to make you a healthy offer on your property.

Here is an excerpt from the custom “Condo Curb Appeal Checklist” we, at Revealing Assets have created for distribution to all of our clients:

Condo Exterior (Curb Appeal)

o As exterior maintenance is the responsibility of the property management company and their contractors, you don’t have as much control over the curb appeal, unfortunately. But, there are a few things you can do.
o Have a walk around your condo building and pick up any garbage or debris laying on the premises.
o If it is Spring/Summer/Fall, check to see if there is any over-growth of weeds anywhere and do some quick weeding, disposing of the weeds.
o How clean is the glass/door on the main entrance? You could grab some glass cleaner and some paper towels and give them a clean.
o Have you checked lately to ensure that your suite buzzer system is in good working order? If it isn’t, it is a good idea to make that call to your property management company to have that repaired as soon as possible.
o Are the building address numbers clearly visible from the street/avenue, making it effortless for Realtors(R) and buyers to find?
o Is the sidewalk up to the building clean? Does it need sweeping or washing? If you have time, this can also make a huge impact.
o Are there any broken fixtures on the exterior of the building? If so, look into the cost of repairing or replacing them, contact your property management company, let them know it needs to be done, and if it won’t be taken care of in a timely manner, think about offering to take care of it yourself, and negotiate a reduction on your condo fees in return for your efforts, and ask for reimbursement for any receipts you will have.
o Also look for any light bulbs that are burnt out and replace them.
o How tidy and clean is the common area in your building? Are the carpets vacuumed? Are the walls clean? Is there any re-painting required? Are there flyers or junk-mail scattered all over the mail-box area? Are there any odours? Are there any decrepit/broken/damaged mailbox doors?
o What is the condition of the hallways leading up to your particular suite? What is the condition of the exterior of your suite door?
o For showing purposes (many condos won’t allow you to keep it out all the time), you could put a decorative welcome mat outside your suite door.
o The state/appearance of the exterior and common areas in a condo building creates the curb-appeal and makes a dramatic impact on buyers. These things will describe to the buyer the quality of the property management company, and get them wondering about the health of the reserve fund and the physical make-up of the existing condo board. Anything you do in these areas to put the buyer’s mind at ease will be well worth your while and will yield you a hefty return-on-investment.
o Try to remember back to when you first came to view this condo to purchase. Do you remember walking up to the exterior, and then walking through the common areas? Did anything jump out at you as being either pleasing or worrisome? What were those things? What were the thoughts you had at that time? This helps to identify now, when you are selling, what will be important to buyers. Be pro-active here.

So, EREB (Edmonton Real Estate Board) recently released their statistics for June, and we are currently sitting at an average of 47 DOM (days on market) in Edmonton, Alberta.

There are also currently over 9400 listings on our fairly saturated market, and sales are down dramatically.

What does this mean to the seller? It is time to put on our game faces! Competition is fierce.

This is not meant to scare anyone. In fact, there is a very simple way for you to stand out above your competition. It is now time to emotionally detach oneself from one’s “home” and view it as just a product that one needs to sell in order to achieve the next big goal in one’s life. So, your task is to now merchandise your product for sale in such a manner that is is showcased in its absolute best light. The way to achieve this end is to enlist the services of a Certified Staging Professional to come in and apply their expertise, knowledge, passion, and current market aptitude to make all changes or adjustments necessary to attract mass attention from buyers.

Now, if the property you are selling is vacant/unfurnished, this makes the marketing and showing a little less fruitful, as buyers crave a sense of warmth and a feeling of home when they view a property. They also want to be able to quickly determine whether or not their existing belongings will fit into the available space within your property. Without anything in the spaces, they have no point of reference or sense of scale. Take a look of some of the Before and After photos on the CSP website to get a feeling for difference in presentation.

There are many vacant/empty listings sitting on the market, and that is exactly what they are doing….sitting. These listings are a large reason the average DOM are sitting high at 47 days. You are guaranteed to make more money in a shorter amount of time if you have your property Staged by a Certified Staging Professional.

Also feel free to take a look at our CCSP(TM) Stager Profile for examples of our work here in Edmonton, Alberta.

I am a Certified Staging Professional, CSP(TM), and the quality of my workmanship and the level of impact it makes are incredibly important to me. Why wouldn’t I put the very best of my creativity, resourcefulness, and expertise into all projects I complete? As a Home Stager, I would be out-to-lunch if I didn’t strive to provide my clients (sellers and the Realtor(R)) with my best. After all, if I do a lousy job of Staging a property, it will continue to sit on the market and continue to drain everyone’s pocket-books.
Wouldn’t that be a great way to make a name for my business? Ummmm, NO. Word of mouth is absolutely the most powerful form of advertising. My company would die a quick death if I didn’t put effort and care into my projects.
I want to tell a story about my dealings with my last Realtor(R). I am sharing this story in the hopes of saving some of the Professionals out there from going through the same situation.
In this story, I will not use names at all. We cannot get through life successfully by spreading pointed defamation. This is negative, and I refuse to do this to anyone.
So, I get a phone-call from a Realtor(R). He would like to meet with me at a 700 sq. ft. vacant condo he has listed. He would like me to provide to him a proposal for the investment required to Stage the whole condo.
Okay, so I start building a respect for the Realtor(R), right away, because he obviously understands how important it is to Stage the empty properties. Awesome! Now, I don’t have to educate him.
I show up to our meeting, and am ten minutes early as always. He rolls up in his vehicle approximately 17 minutes past our meeting time. He saunters up to me, makes no eye contact whatsoever, and starts fumbling with the lock-box. He introduced himself to me. Yet, there was no explanation or apology for arriving late. This makes a very bad overall impression. The professionalism is already lacking. But, I remain positive and open.
We go up to the unit. I take all my measurements, record all interior colors, and do up my sketch of the layout. I have compiled all that I need, and I explain the process to him. I let him know that I was heading out to prepare the proposal for him, and that I would have it sent to him by early afternoon. We part ways. I spend my usual full hour on creating the proposal for him, and send it off to him.
A couple of days later, I noticed I hadn’t heard anything from him, so, being concerned, I e-mailed him and left him a phone message. I asked that he get back to me to confirm that he had received the proposal. In this electronic age, it does sometimes happen where e-mails and their attachments get lost in cyber-space.
A few more days pass, and I have still heard nothing.
In the mean-time, I am watching the particular listing on the internet to see how it is all going. It is still sitting empty/vacant. I find this unfortunate, because it is at a competitive price-point, and it was fairly spacious in person. But, because it is vacant, the photos make the unit appear very small and dark. This is obviously deterring many buyers from being interested in the least.
So, two days ago (the 20th day since I had met the Realtor(R)), I opened up my internet browser and went to the listing once again.
Well, looky here! The condo is now “Staged”. I put the quotation marks around the word, Staged, because of the fact that I was literally appalled at how the condo is set up. Bright red sofas, huge dark area rugs, huge dining table, crazy mismatched throw pillows, odd placemats on the dining table, and the list goes on. Clicking to open the photo literally made me gasp aloud.
Now, my first feeling was sadness for the Realtor(R) and the seller. I went on to look at the rest of the photos, and it just got worse. It truly appeared as if someone went to the Clearance area of a big-box store, and bought the last one of every item, in every clashing color you can dream of, threw it into a truck, and stuffed it into this poor little condo.
The result here is that the condo looks even smaller now. It also appears cluttered and confusing. It now appears as if it is being lived in by a couple of college roommates who have pooled together all of their hand-me-down belongings just for the sake of being able to “crash” at their pad.
So, there are a few morals to this upsetting story.
The property is still not moving, and it will now probably sit on the market for much longer, and may even need a price reduction at some point.
The Realtor(R) was not professional or amicable in his meeting with me. Nor did he even take the 30 seconds it would have required in order to let me know that he was not going to use my services. Instead, he ignored me altogether.
I, at this point, have to assume that he received a lower quote from another Home Staging company, causing him to jump and go with them.
He has now completely burnt his bridge with me as a partner. But, not only that, he is now stuck in a monthly contract, with a condo full of large, chunky, vivid, awkward furniture pieces that do not work together.
Most importantly, either he, or the seller, or both have literally thrown their money into the toilet. Now, do they leave this sub-standard “Staging” job in tact? Do they contact said “Staging” company and demand that the items are all removed from the property and the contract is eliminated? How quickly now do they realize they have to start from scratch, now that they have literally wasted 28 days being on the market with no offers?
I can safely estimate that the investment involved in Staging a 700 sq. ft. condo ran them around $1200-$2000. Money gone, wasted. Not only that, but now they have to spend the money all over again in order to seriously attract any buyers’ interest.
So, how can the Realtor(R) avoid this type of mess? This is where the “Buyer Beware” comes in, once again.
* Ask any Stager you consider for proof of their credentials and/or Education (Look for the CSP(TM) designation).
* Then, further to the last point, ask for their Stager ID #. All credible Home Staging Training programs provide successful graduates with their ID #. This # is also verifiable on the various Academy websites. Make sure that they are in “Good Standing” with their academy, as this can also be very telling of their character, intention, reliability, and level of capabilities. (Our Stager ID# with Canadian Certified Staging Professionals is 1712)
* Demand to see their portfolio of completed projects. You shouldn’t have to demand this, though. Credible, talented Stagers will tend to bring these out without being prompted. Ensure that the photos are not “Stock Photos”.
* Ask the Stager where they plan to acquire the Rental Furniture and Accessories from for the project. If they say that they have their own inventory, and demand that you see photos of a sample of their inventory. You want to ensure that they are using quality furnishings. If they tell you that they rent from The Staging Warehouse in West Edmonton, this is a good thing, as they have nothing but stellar quality pieces.
* Do NOT be afraid to test the Stager to see how in-tune they are with the current Real Estate market. The Great Stagers out there LOVE to talk about this, because they are actually passionate about what they do, and they are the ones who actually care whether or not their Staging work sells a property.
* Ask them for details on their previous successful projects with measurable time-frames. How long had the listing been sitting on the market before they got their hands on it. How did the process play out? What impact did the Staging have on potential buyers? How quickly did it sell afterwards, and for how much in relation to asking price?
You, the Realtor(R), or client, absolutely have the RIGHT to know all of the above. And, any Stager who hesitates in readily providing any documentation you wish to see is not worth your time or investment.
The reason I want to post these warnings as they come up is the fact that the Home Staging industry is still un-regulated. This means that there are still too many people out there deciding that tomorrow, out of the blue, they are going to be a Stager, with no experience and/or education. They have watched shows on t.v., and their mom has assured them that they have a talent for it. Well, this doesn’t cut it, as we all know.
I am just trying to protect those of us out there who ARE credible, who have experience, and who excel at what we do. I am also attempting to protect the people who realize the value in Staging, but experience uncertainty in choosing who to trust.

I am confident that we have ALL come across this dilemma at some point in our Real Estate dealings. The property you are about to list has awesome bones! The location is great and the client is going to approve a greatly attractive price point. Heck, your client has even eliminated all of the clutter and excess furniture in the home. They even understood how important it was to depersonalize as much as possible to appeal to more buyers and create less distraction during viewings and in photos.

This is your ideal client. And, to even go a step further, they seem to understand some of the major concepts behind Staging, how to maximize the available floor space, and how to effectively neutralize the decor without going overboard.

Now, just one last thing. There are a few major walls covered with dated and/or wild/bold coloured wall-paper. Or, the home seems to have those lovely wall-paper borders in every room.

Yes, the home-owner has heard through the grape-vine that wall-paper is once again “chic”.

Great! Dandy!

When designing a home for living, owners can go with any old pattern or colour when choosing wall-paper. The main difference here is that we are trying to design for selling. So, we all know, leaving wall-paper in tact is allright, provided it is in good repair, applied professionally, and is neutral enough that any new owner could live with it, or at least tolerate it until they had time to change it.

Ok, so now, we are all on the same page. We have successfully educated the client enough to agree that the wall-paper has to go (because it is hot-pink with metallic lightening bolts throughout). And, the end result will be a property that absolutely appeals to the masses.

So, now we have to embark apon the journey that is wall-paper removal. This can be an absolute disaster. And, if not done right, this can mean way too many man-hours are wasted. We also want to save the integrity of the wall behind said wall-paper.

So, out there, we have all seen and read many different tips and tricks to easily removing wall-paper. And, maybe you have already found your preferred method. I just thought I would share with everyone, two more tips to alleviate some headaches for all parties involved in this unfortunate hurdle.

Wallpaper Removal Method #1

Add a heaping tablespoon-full of baking soda to each bucket full of warm water when stripping wallpaper to make it much easier.

Wallpaper Removal Method #2
Mix 1 part Laundry Fabric Softener with 1 part warm water in a spray bottle. Spray evenly over wall and make sure all parts of wallpaper are moist with the mixture. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. You will find that the wallpaper lifts a lot easier, leaves less residue behind, and makes the job a lot quicker.

This is an on-going debate for which we see great arguments on both sides of the coin.

We, of course, are passionately in favour of Professionally Staging Vacant properties. And, no, we are not just saying this because we are Professional Home Stagers. We are saying this based on market research and/or examining behavioural tendencies of home-buyers. This may sound like something from the National Geographic channel….”we like to observe the creatures in their natural habitats”. Funny.

The fact is that the majority of humans are very visually driven. Decision-making for most people is based on real, tangible characteristics. These are factors that can be seen, felt, heard, smelled, or heard.

When buyers are searching for their ideal/perfect new “home”, they look for a property that creates a feeling of warmth within them. Welcoming, warm, inviting, cozy, homey. These are all obvious adjectives describing the epitome of “home”.

No matter how splendid a photographer one is, there is just no way to create these emotions in photos of a vacant property. Keep in mind that the buyer needs to have the ability to envision moving right in. This is tough when there are no items instrumental to living existing within the property.

Also important to remember is that as soon as the buyer opens that front door, and takes that first step over the threshold, there is literally only 4-6 seconds in which that first impression hits them and is imprinted permanently in their memory. So, we need to ask ourselves, what can be seen and felt from that front door as the buyers’ eyes pan the space. Can they see into the living room, the great room, a sitting room, or maybe the kitchen as well?

We need to ensure that the scene from the buyers’ perspective at the front door entices them and encourages them to take off their shoes, feel comfortable, and continue on with their tour. When a buyer walks into a blank, empty, cold space full of echoes, they instantly have to actually work at trying to determine if they could possibly make this property into a home. As soon as the buyer has to expend any energy on their part, or do any work (the worst 4-letter word of a home-purchase decision), they are turned off and discouraged.

Much like people who have navigational/directional struggles in life, most people struggle with determining size of a space or what can fit into a space without free-standing items for point-of-reference. Buyers want to know if their sectional will fit into the living room adequately, while leaving room for their entertainment center. They NEED to know if their new dinette set will be too large for the dining room. But, without an existing table in the space, they are at a loss for purposes of comparison in their mind.

Don’t get me wrong. You WILL find the odd buyer who is very creative, imaginative, and resourceful. This buyer is able to, and maybe prefers to, envision their furnishings in an empty space. And, if you have found this buyer, lucky you. They are rare, but they are out there.

We always harp on the need to keep decor neutral. This is created by use of a warm neutral color palette in the combination of walls, floors, furniture, and soft furnishings. We stand behind this because of the need to provide the buyer with a blank, but warm canvas to them to put their own signature on. But, when we say blank canvas, we do not mean empty. There is just no way to create a warm atmosphere or ambiance in an empty property.

When we strongly suggest having a Vacant property Staged for sale, one does not necessarily need to furnish the entire property. The key is at least Staging all spaces visible from the main entry to the property. We, as Real Estate Professionals, all know that first impressions are absolutely paramount. We NEED that buyer to FEEL the NEED to come in further and view the entire property. So, let’s give them reason to want to see the rest. Let’s create interest, ambiance, and a feeling of “home” to the widest possible audience, in photos and in person. If the buyer has at least a couple of spaces within the property to use as reference-point for an accurate idea of size, they are much more likely to maintain interest. They are able to recollect the available space in their mind once they leave. This is mandatory available criteria/info when making a decision on whether or not to make an offer.

As for required investment involved in Staging a Vacant property, the dollars put in are still far less than the first required listing-price reduction made in order to draw interest. You would actually be quite surprised to learn how little investment is actually required. A vast array of furniture/accessories/lighting/floor coverings/soft furnishings/linens are now readily available for rental/showcasing purposes. And, provided you are enlisting the help of a CCSP(TM) – Canadian Certified Staging Professional, such as ourselves, your manpower/labour investment is also very reasonable for this service.