Stagers are like apples & oranges

Every stager in every city will be different! Each one will have a different business model, different styles, skills, level of service, connections, etc etc. So when clients (realtor & home owners) receive multiple quotes from stagers you are essentially getting quotes that you CAN NOT compare! They will not bring in the exact same inventory, they will not have the same set up time, they will not give you the same results compared with each other!!

So how do you hire the right company? interview them and see what their skills are, view portfolios, talk to past clients, learn about their company! Do they have certification or are they hobby stagers, do they have any awards? what is their level of service? are they consultation only or will they go in and get things done? Their are so many factors that you must research before hiring! Just because they are "cheap" doesn't mean they have the skills to get the home ready effectively for sale!! "buyer be wear" you get what you pay for! We are called in frequently to "fix stagings" from the inexpensive "dirt cheap" stagers so why waste the initial money on doing it wrong!!??

It's your money and time! We just want to save yours!

Kristy Morrison
CEO & APSD Certified Master Trainer
613 832-8958 / info@chsd.ca www.CapitalHomeStagingAndDesign.ca
www.StagingCareersCanada.ca
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STAGE Canada is HERE!

I am VERY excited for #STAGECanada to be here! Staging is a wonderful industry and we don’t get enough support up here in Canada.

Most events are in the US and it is quite hard to get there every year. Which is why when I went to #STAGE in Denver Colorado in June I approached Karen Schaefer
(founder of APSD the world leader in home staging training) and asked….has this ever been done in Canada!? She replied that it hasn’t been but she was thinking about us

Up here!! So after some discussion Karen & I have come together to launch #STAGECanada.

I am so excited that this is happening at the end of the summer not only is Ottawa a great place to live but it is also one of the best to visit! What better place to launch

#STAGECanada than Canada’s capital…OTTAWA! I am frequently asked what is STAGECanada so here is a breif overview of what you will learn!.....

Real Estate Home Staging Marketing

                -19 ways to market your Home Staging or Real estate business.

Business Building Strategies

                -25 streams of income to add to your existing business

Income Wealth building Strategies

                -Step by step systems that remove the guess work, tiem and frustration out of building a lucrative business.

As a special bonus all attendees will have a chance to win prizes valued at over $1000.00

For more information and to register CLICK HERE

We hope to see you at CANADAS FIRST STAGING EVENT #STAGECanada

Kristy Morrison

CEO, Founder of CHSD & APSD Master Trainer -Canada

(613) 832-8958 / info@chsd.ca

Capital Home Staging & Design

-2009 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Winner

-2009 & 2010 RESA Rookie Stager of the Year Finalist (top 5 stager in North America)

STAGECANADA is finally here August 27th 9-5pm in OTTAWA for more info & Sign up CLICK HERE

Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter

Want a career in home staging? Click HERE to find out more about Staging Careers Canada –Teaching APSD world leader in home staging training & certification.

SIGN UP to our STAGING NEWS LETTER Here.

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TRUE Home Staging Success Stories -Capital Home Staging & Design , Ottawa Ontario

Hi val I would like to participate! Photos attached.

I recently had a client who was in the unfortunate position of selling their parents little town house as they were appointed legality and became an estate sale. Meeting with the saddened clients I evaluated the property and let them know that their agent can sell it “as is” at the recommended list price of $220,000g’s and it may sit on the market for a little bit because of the poor condition the home was in. The smell was horrible, all the carpets were blue and caked in dirt and stained with massive stains, walls were dirty and scuffed up with marks as well as had lots up updating to do AND it was vacant so all the bad aspects stood out more than it should.

So I advised the client as to what we should address in the home in order to make it more appealing to buyers. I suggested to remove the carpet in the living room and refinish the parquet floor in the main area as it was highly damaged, remove and install carpet on stairs and whole upper level, paint through out, as well as STAGE with a few staging items. They didn’t want to spend much money as it was a tough situation so I brought in some trades and they suggested $5,000 investment and based on that evaluation the real estate agent said he would like to then list at $240,000.00 which is instantly AMAZING to increas the price that much!

Once the above tasks were done the agent listed the home at the $240,000g list price and it just so happened that the market here was very HOT HOT HOT properties were flying off the market faster than they were being listed. At the open house they had 30 people through and obtained multiple offers that day and finally sold at $260,000.00

WOW AN AMAZING $40,000 OVER the original as is listing price all because they staged and invested $5,000 based on our evaluation! The clients were happy that the sale ended quickly and they can move on with their own lives.

THINKING OF Becoming a professional home stager? Get your FREE CD here https://pkm.infusionsoft.com/go/APSDHSCDOptin/Kristyct/

As an APSD Master Trainer for Canada I would love to help you build a successful career like I have.

Kristy Morrison ISRP, IDDP, IOP, PCC, VT

Property Stylist & CEO

(613) 832-8958 / info@chsd.ca

Capital Home Staging & Design

-2009 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Winner

-2009 & 2010 RESA Rookie Stager of the Year Finalist (top 5 stager in North America)

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CMHC Market forcast May 2011 & what does that mean for staging in Ottawa?

CMHC Market forcast May 2011 & what does that mean for staging in Ottawa?

The CMHC has released their spring 2011 Ottawa Housing Market Outlook. I receive many questions how this affects the staging market so I figured I would take the time to explain how staging could work for you in the predicted markets.

"Current demographic trends will continue to put first-time homebuyers and downsizing empty-nesters at the forefront of Ottawa's housing market activity, thus raising the popularity of more affordable housing types such as condominium apartments, townhouses and semi-detached homes," said Sandra Perez Torres, CMHC's Senior Market Analyst.

This means that home owners that are selling the above type of homes are in the perfect position to make the most money from their homes when they are selling! Buyers whom are downsizing as well as first time home buyers typically have one of the following issues/ thoughts a) limited funds or b)  lack of desire to fix or address things prior to moving in.   Now how dose this thought pattern affect sellers? Well first-time home buyers as well as downsizing / empty nesters do not want to find a home they have to invest additional money into after the initial purchase of the home. They are typically looking for “move in ready” homes where they do not have to wait for a year to be built.

          Professionally staging in this market will help home owners maximize the value of their home by having it evaluated in a way that assesses ROI (Return on Investment) resulting in quick sales attracting multiple offer situations. Staging is not just setting up a home so it appears attractive it is MUCH more than that. Staging is effective marketing of a property. We assess many things that affect the purchase of a home such as: lighting, traffic flow, room sizing, focal points, cleanliness, inviting touches, and ways for the home owner to invest a small amount of money to result in a greater return. 

Majority of home owners turn a typical $225 consultation into thousands of dollars of savings BACK into their pocket. One home seller of ours last year turned their consultation suggestions into an additional $40,000.00!!

100% of our clients have either saved money or made more money through staging their home prior to sale!

For mor information on CAPITAL HOME STAGING & DESIGN, visit www.CapitalHomeStagingAndDesign.ca or call 613-832-8958

For more information ON CHMCH, visit www.cmhc.ca or call 1-800-668-2642.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 30, 2011) - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released its latest forecast for the Ottawa Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) today in the Ottawa Housing Market Outlook, spring 2011 edition.

Kristy Morrison ISRP, IDDP, IOP, PCC, VT

Property Stylist & CEO

(613) 832-8958 / info@chsd.ca

Capital Home Staging & Design

-2009 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Winner

-2009 & 2010 RESA Rookie Stager of the Year Finalist (top 5 stager in North America)

Services we offer:

Home Staging, Interior Redesign, Colour Consultations, Furniture & Accessory Rental, Home Flipping Consultations, Interior Decorating Guidance, Organizing.

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Should you used a Decorator or Stager to get your home ready for sale? -Capital Home Staging & Design Ottawa

This is a question that is frequently asked who is better to get a home ready for sale a “Stager” or a “Decorator”! well let’s first start of by outlining the DIFFERENCE between decorating and staging.

1)      Decorating: Is making a home a reflection of what you LIKE and putting a stamp of YOU on your home. A decorated home says “HI! I live here and this is what I LOVE!”

2)      Staging: is making the home a house. Removing aspects of who lives in the home and preparing it so the home doesn’t have a statement of “I LIVE here” its more “Don’t YOU want to live here”

With those two guidelines I hope it is obvious now that a professional Stager is best to hire when getting a home ready for sale. Not saying a decorator cant do it but they should ALSO have their diploma in home staging as it is completely different! As a professional stager we know our ROI (Return on Investment)! We know that in a certain price point of home WHERE to invest your money so it results a HIGHER return on investment! A client I recently had was selling a $400,000 home in Dunrobin and her real estate agent hired us for suggestions. We did our tour of the home and determined that at that price point, location, and target market that replacing their well maintained laminate counter to a granite would NOT give them a return on investment as their “Decorator” friend had suggested few weeks prior! She said it is a MUST because the kitchen is the main room in the home! Although I do agree with her statement that kitchens are quite important when selling I DON’T agree that investing $5,000 on granite would result in getting the $5,000 back at the time of sale. If you are NOT going to make money by doing certain things then DON’T DO IT! it’s not worth it!! Instead of putting in granite take that money and repaint the dark walls or add carpet to your unfinished basement THAT is a better return on investment!!

You can find a professional home stager on the Real Estate Staging Associations web page www.realestatestagingassociation.com they are all listed there and if you DON’T see them on the list then maybe they are not the right company for you. I can talk about the benefits of using a RESA stager but that’ll be another blog! In short…..stagers that are a member of RESA take this industry seriously. They are held to specific ethics and standards as well as being deemed a COMPANY not a hobby stager.

Its your home, ensure you are making the right decisions prior to sale by working with a professional that has real world experience and know’s when to invest and when to save money with in your home.

Above you can see a DECORATED dining room is made to reflect the home owner. The STAGED dining room is more neutral and can appeal to many types of buyers.

Kristy Morrison ISRP, IDDP, IOP, PCC, RESA-PRO

Property Stylist & CEO

(613) 832-8958 / info@chsd.ca

Capital Home Staging & Design

-2009 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Winner

-2009 & 2010 RESA Rookie Stager of the Year Finalist (top 5 stager in North America)

Services we offer:

Home Staging, Interior Redesign, Colour Consultations, Furniture & Accessory Rental, Home Flipping Consultations, Interior Decorating Guidance, Organizing.

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RESA 2011 Staging Confrence -Attended Kristy Morrison of Capital Home Staging & Design

I just got back from the 2011 RESA (Real Estate Staging Association –North America) annual home staging conference. The conferences started in 2010 and doubled in 2011. It was such an exciting experience to meet stagers from all over North America (AND we had some from Europe!) I wasn’t able to find any other Ottawa stagers (but I hear their were 3 others) at this event but their was a ton of Canadians! (Shout out to Laurie Cole in Fredericton! And the team of Toronto stagers too many to list!!)

The first night of networking and food was a nice way to meet the other attendees. I was also floored when people started coming up to me and saying how excited they were to meet “THE Ottawa Stager”….it was kind of fun being given that title I do have to say!! (Thanks for that one Cecilia Cannon –Chicago!) I felt like a mini celebrity! LOL

This 2 day packed event was completely mind blowing! I think I’m a learning junkie as I am so focused on learning all that I could possibly learn! Here’s what was on the agenda:

-Wealth Building Strategies for Stagers
-How to close more sales
-Building a dynamic repeat & referral business
-Inventory Management (THIS was quite exciting to find a program that me and my team can use efficiently!)
-How to effectively use accessories
-Growing your business by bringing on other stagers
-How to use your own staging statistics
-Staging your business……interesting right!?
-and much much more!

Then the awards ceremony in the middle served a buffet style dinner (you know I sat near the food!)

Now that I am back I am ecstatic to see that my team of exceptional girls were able to continue our appointments and got us to our JANUARY MONTHLY GOAL already!! Way to go girls! This dedication from my team members allows me to focus on rewriting my notes and starting to implement things in areas I feel we need to expand on.

Kristy Morrison ISRP, IDDP, IOP, PCC, VT

Property Stylist & CEO

(613) 832-8958 / info@chsd.ca

Capital Home Staging & Design

-2009 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Winner

-2009 & 2010 RESA Rookie Stager of the Year Finalist (top 5 stager in North America)

Services we offer:

Home Staging, Interior Redesign, Colour Consultations, Furniture & Accessory Rental, Home Flipping Consultations, Interior Decorating Guidance, Organizing.

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White or off white which is the right choice?

I recently attended a paint seminar with a local painter and many local decorators and the white paint debate came up. Many designers were on board with a "famous tv designer" who says pure white is "wrong" and should NEVER be used. They all said that an off white is the best choice like "designer white" or "cloud white" for trim and doors. Well I STRONGLY disagree with the "never" aspect of the statement! Their is a place and time / situations where tinted whites are appropriate and when a pure off the shelf white is also appropriate.

Tinted whites are great when you want to lessen the intensity of the trim work when it is up against the coloured wall. But this is a VERY expensive way to go as all trim, doors and ceilings (unless they are painted a Colour) should match. This will take 2-3 proper coats of paint on every inch of space to the proper colour. Changing a door from white to tinted white can also ruin the look of the door as factory painted doors look better than a home painted door (spray painting them can also increase the price though they do look good when finished) Decorators really need to consider the home owners budget as changing the pure white trim to a tinted trim is it REALLY conducive and necessary to the design or is it a ploy "up sell" and get a bigger referral fee from the painter?
If the room would benefit from a tinted paint and you can afford it them go for it! I do agree that it does change the look of the room. 97% of people can't tell the difference between pure white and tinted white so is it worth it?

I do love pure white for many reasons and here are a few:
-Allows for easy touch up and spot fixing if you don't have a "tinted" white -save thousands of dollars by spot touching instead of full base board cutting in & painting.
-makes a great baseboard or crown moulding stand out as crisp, clean
-highlights architectural features

Now I am not saying your decorator is wrong but they and you need to evaluate your design concepts (ex: are you highlighting, hiding or minimizing the baseboards?) your budget, time frame and purpose. If you are SELLING do NOT waste time and money changing it into a tinted paint colour keep it simple.

Kristy Morrison
Capital Home Staging & Design
613 832-8958 / info@chsd.ca Www.CapitalHomeStagingAndDesign.ca

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