PRES home stagers and redesigners offer their clients a wide variety of services. One of them is called ’sourcing’ (seek out) rental furnishings. PRES graduates will source the best rental furnishings to give broad buyer appeal to their sellers’ target markets. Many clients will use rentals if their property is vacant, or their existing furnishings do not quite give the WOW look.

In the Lower Mainland of BC we are fortunate to have many rental furnishing companies to choose from. In other parts of BC and Alberta there are a few rental furnishing companies but not as good or as large as a company such as Fluff Designs in Vancouver. Most home stagers have their own small inventory and rely on rental stores to provide larger items such as sofas, desks, beds, etc. Many home stagers in smaller locations have larger inventory especially when they know they can provide better quality and styles of furnishings than local suppliers. Kym Tarr of ShoeString Interior Staging in Kelowna has great furnishings she offers her clientelle.

Here are a few TOP SECRETS about the process and how it works best:

1) be OPEN to what the PRES stager has to say about your furnishings whether you need some or have a vacant home – we are the experts here
2) the PRES stager will go to the rental furnishing store that they believe will have the best product/inventory to meet your needs. They may go to several stores before they finally decide on the best one for you. This can take up to 8 hours if it is a very large property.
3) PRES stagers will work within your budget to meet your needs. Once we have a quote we will review it with you for your approval.
4) Many PRES stagers have some of their own inventory and may choose some items of their own to use, and, some from a rental furnishing company
5) PRES Stagers know the best colour schemes for selling and will select product to work best with what you have or what they need to create for you.
6) Once PRES stagers have selected the appropriate inventory arrangements are made for delivery and they are there ready to go with the installation/staging set up
7) When the property is sold the seller notifies the stager and the stager comes to destage and the movers come for the pick up back to the rental furnishing store.

We make it seem ‘easy peasy’ but it takes a lot of skill to be a versatile PRES STAGER!!!

If you are still unsure about taking that ‘leap of faith’ and living your dream of becoming a Home Stager, then please join me LIVE for the PRES Staging Webinar on Thursday February 18, 2010 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. I will go through the PRES home staging AND redesign course and answer any questions you may have!

You will also receive a SPECIAL OFFER just by joining the webinar!

All you need is your computer and your phone. Make sure all your programs are closed except your internet and you will get a better connection.

FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1. On Thursday night go to your computer and CLICK or Cut and Paste this link in your internet browser:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/575894843

2. Phone in to get on the webinar call and listen to the prompts:

Dial +1 416 900 1165

Access Code: 575-894-843

Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting (if you are calling in my phone you just press #the two digit pin number#)

Meeting ID: 575-894-843

On the webinar you will have an opportunity to ask questions and find out answers to any questions you may have. I look forward to talking with you!

You will only receive a SPECIAL OFFER by joining the webinar!

FRASER VALLEY REAL ESTATE TRADE SHOW

Mila Herenda of MIZO DESIGN SOLUTIONS coordinated a booth at the Fraser Valley Real Estate Trade Show held in early February with Nancy Glover of MIND YOUR MATTER. Other PRES members participating were Yvonne Swain of HINT OF ELEGANCE and Sally Weatherley of EXIT STAGE RIGHT.

They all had a great time collaborating for this event, and enjoyed meeting real estate professionals. It was interesting to learn that some realtors already had strong affiliations with staging companies, while others were just starting out and were just learning about staging. Some didn’t believe in staging, while others embraced our industry.

We were fortunate to have the support of READY, SET, SHOW of North Vancouver, who were very kind in supplying furniture rental at a generous discount. Yes, the rug you see is from 18 Karat and part of READY, SET, SHOW’s inventory.

Louise Henry-Backstrom and her husband/partner Joseph of Pair Home Design have done some fabulous kitchen and fireplace renovations for their client. Pair Home Design offers a variety of services other than just home staging. Be sure to check them out.

Here is a testimonial from their happy client:

Louise and Joseph have transformed my kitchen.  It was small, outdated
and virtually non-functional.  With Louise and Joseph’s help, it’s now
open, light, and a delight to cook in.

The renovation was done with a fixed budget and Louise and Joseph
worked with me throughout the process to ensure I got excellent value
for my investment.  I couldn’t be happier with my new space – thank
you Joseph and Louise!

GreenApple Staging & Images at the Calgary Real EstateBoard Tradeshow

The Calgary Real Estate Board Conference and Tradeshow event was held on January 20th.  GreenApple Staging & Images was proud and excited to be an exhibitor, among approximately 100 others, all contributing to the theme, “A Brave New World”.

The GreenApple team had a great time mingling with both the attendees and other exhibitors. We had tons of traffic at our booth and got a chance to meet so many hardworking and forward thinking Realtors.

There is definitely an increased interest this year in Home Staging, professional Real estate Photography, and pre-market Consultations as part of an individual Agent’s marketing package. All part of the new economy. I believe these strategies are not just trends — they are definitely here to stay as our society continues to emphasize visual media.

It wasn’t all business! We had some fun, too, with our visitors . . .

Oh, and would you believe that every single lunch kit at the event contained nothing other than a green apple?!

Our booth was staged with our brand colors — black, white and apple green, of course — and we were happily surprised that GreenApple was declared one of the top 3 Staging Exhibitors! All were tied with an Honorable Mention for booth design and service. I was told by the judges that they just couldn’t choose between us.
Not bad for our first showing — we’ll take it!

We also held a draw and have given away a Pre-Market Consultation package and an MLS Photography Package. When I called the winners today, they were thrilled and are eager to apply these services to their next listing.

It’ll be all work and no play for awhile, as the “Spring” real estate season seems well underway already in Calgary. But that is exactly what we bargained for!

Thanks to everyone who visited us at the event, and all of those others who supported us in other ways.  We appreciate it!

Deena Cottingham & her team of GreenApple Staging

The Designing Spacez team felt the tradeshow went really well!  Lots of interest in real estate staging which is great.  They received a lot of postive feedback about what they offer for services, booth presentation, etc…

This was Designing Spacez 1st year in the CREB Forecast.  Designing Spacez is a Calgary based company and is a one stop shop, offering a varitey of services that include real estate staging, interior design and redesign, color consultation- provided by Janet Voth and her team and full construction Divison which is ran by Mike Voth (owner).

Designing Spacez a local Calgary company.  Please check them out at www.designingspacz.com

Home Staging is still relatively new in Canada and we are making major inroads to having both realtors and home sellers realize the value that we bring to the selling of their home. It is a proven statistic that staged homes do sell SOONER and for MORE MONEY than unstaged homes. We know this to be true.

But to see the leading lady (Amy Adams)  in a first run Hollywood movie LEAP YEAR, staging a vacant condo in Boston this says to me we have finally made it !!! We are considered bona-fide professionals.

In a local radio station was running an ad for a software accounting package and they used a home stager as an example. This is very very good news – the word is getting out there. !

Throughout the year many of the PRES members are participating in industry related trade shows. Here are a few TIPS for anyone who is participating in a trade show:

Stay tuned throughout the year as we post photos of some of the 2010 trade show successes with our PRES members.

• Set up a budget for the trade show which includes the booth cost, advertising in the show directory, your stage set up costs, electrical costs, internet connection costs if you are using this,  some shows you need to purchase carpet, some you need to do flooring and walls so make sure you know what is expected of you – read over the contract carefully
• Make sure there are at least 2 people in the booth so that you can spell each other off for dinner or other breaks
• Wear really comfortable shoes and bring a few pairs to change into – most flooring is concrete so that is not so good to stand on all day
• Create a stunning vignette in your booth that represents your ability as a stager to stage this scene – do a cozy living room vignette with 2 chairs, lamp, table, small carpet, cushions, accessories, or try a bedroom look that says WOW!
• Stand in front of your booth never inside so people have to come in to you – be very approachable and chat with people as they come by
• Have lots of wrapped candies (chocolate seems to be the favourite) to give out
• Have plenty of small give-aways like nail files, measuring tapes, pens, etc
• Have 1 GRAND PRIZE DRAW and make people fill out your entry form – be sure to ask for their name, phone, address, email and what their biggest challenges are in their homes
• You can also add a request for them to check off if they would like to receive your monthly emails – this way when you follow up they will know who you are (privacy issues)
• FOLLOW UP is the name of the game here – after all your time, money and energy that you will have put into the show you want to get clients from it – so follow up with a phone call to them (email 2nd but phone first)
• FOLLOW UP you can offer specials to people who attended the show in a variety of ways: 20% staging their home, 10% off product if they buy your inventory, Special Show Promotion $200 off their redesign or staging job, etc etc – be creative
• HAVE FUN while you are doing this and make notes after about what worked best, what you would do differently next time

Trade shows are a great way to market your business and they provide the opportunity for the public to get to know you and your company. Choose ones that attract your target market.

Many people wonder how a 5 day PRES professional home staging & redesign course can prepare a home stager and/or redesigner to help them with selling their house. Well the answer is simple – the majority of new stagers and/or redesigners have been doing staging, redesign, decorating for years either for themselves or for friends.The difference is – up to now they have done it for FREE!

PRES stagers & redesigners just starting out may be new to seeing themselves as highly successful business women or men, but in fact this is the goal. Taking a professional course is a way of showing the public that they have invested time, money and energy into themselves to get credentials to do the work. They have taken written and hands-on tests to become certified and must uphold the PRES code of ethics when working in the industry.

So if you are looking for a great stager to help you sell your house, you have come to the right place! If you are moving in or just need to refresh the look of your home then check out our fabulous PRES stagers and redesigners.

Other services and experience some of the PRES stagers have could be in the areas of home renovations, home remodelling, home improvements, home decorating and home styling, colour consultations, sourcing for purchasing new furnishings or rentals.

Check them out under our Locate A Stager page www.PresStaging.com.

Stay tuned as we will be featuring our PRES Stagers throughout the year!

One of the resources that I use to keep updated with the real estate market, and what is going on with the NAR (National Association of Realtors) is through a website called Active Rain. It’s a blog site so there are thousands of members, thousands of articles and lots of great topics.

I just read a blog titled: It’s Time For Realtors to Stand Firm on Not Doing Open Houses written by Lee Morof, Associate Broker/Attorney in Birmingham, Michigan. He is with Re/Max Showcase Homes. You can read the full article from this link

It’s a great article and while he does have some very good points we know that not all areas in North America face the same concerns about Open Houses as others. You can read more about the CONS in his article.

What I found really interesting are these statistics:

Every year I order the results of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Survey of Home Buyers and Sellers. I am particularly interested in How the Buyer Found His or Her Home in the last year because that determines where my marketing efforts will go to sell the homes that I list. Because the numbers pertaining to open houses are so dismal, it is no longer a category in the survey results. I do understand that open houses were more successful before personal computers and the internet but now, approximately:

• 90% of buyers begin their home search on the internet
• 36% will find their home on the internet
• 36% will find their home through the help of a realtor,
• 12% from a yard sign
• 6% from a friend, neighbor or a relative.

That covers ninety percent. Another 5%, will purchase new construction from a home builder or the builder’s agent.

And because of the internet availability as a resource this is precisely why homes need to be staged so that the MLS photos look FANTASTIC! That is what will attract a potential buyer. As PRES home stagers it is critical that the realtors we have strategic alliances with know the value of a staged home.