1)     Home stagers are in high demand. With the current state of the housing market, sellers are having a difficult time selling without drastically cutting their asking price. Obviously, no homeowner wants to sell their home for less money—so, as a result, sellers are turning to home stagers to provide the solution.

2)     Starting a home staging business requires relatively little overhead. At its simplest, home staging requires an individual with a great eye, drive, ambition and the contacts necessary to make a property look great. While having capital to invest is a sizeable advantage, it’s not required. Many successful home stagers started out with low capital investment and working from their home—and some of them still do! If you’re looking for a business idea that is recession proof and doesn’t require a massive startup cost, home staging may be the answer!

3)     In today’s world, independence and self-reliance is more valuable than ever. In the “good old days”, individuals worked for companies for decades and decades. They had a steady income and good job security. Nowadays, unfortunately, that type of security is hard to come by. Layoffs are common in seemingly every industry, from finance to auto manufacturers, and just about everything in between. As an independent business owner, you partner with real estate professionals, sellers, builders and investors.  Piloting your income stream is a great feeling, trust me!

4)     The need for home staging won’t disappear. A great question to ask yourself, before starting any business, is “will the demand dry up in the future?” The answer for home stagers is clearly no! As long as there are homes to be sold, staging will remain a valuable tactic for every seller regardless of the market.

5)     With the right strategic approach, the opportunity exists to earn a six+-figure income. I’ve personally coached countless home staging professionals, many were just getting into the business, but also some who had been struggling; It takes the right approach, processes and pricing—if you’d like to learn more, join me on a free webinar see details on this website or call us!

The process of starting a business can be intimidating, but I’m available to help you every step of the way. There is no better time than right now to take the plunge if you are interested in starting a home staging business.  Contact me today to learn more!

The fixation of the media on investment options recently brought an important question to my mind: how many home staging professionals are investing in their most valuable asset… themselves?

While investing into a mutual fund or a stock may net you a 10% return if you’re lucky, resources that you invest in your own knowledge and education will repay you hundreds, if not thousands, of times over.

As a home staging professional, you ultimately create the ceiling for the success of your career. How many clients you acquire, how many employees you hire, how dominant you are in your market, how much money you make… you are the only one who has the ability to limit yourself.

If your knowledge and understanding of the industry is constantly growing, so is the potential for your business.

On the other hand, if you keep doing the “same old thing”, why would you expect your results to change?

If you’re serious about succeeding with a home staging business, you need to invest in yourself. Here are three ways to begin:

1)     Create a reading list—and read on a daily basis! There is an incredible amount of information available if you are smart enough to look for it! Whether its books or blogs focused on business, sales, marketing, strategic planning, or tactics for the home staging industry specifically, I guarantee that you will be able to find valuable information that will have a real impact.

2)     Seek wisdom from experienced professionals who have found success. There is no substitute for experience—and whether we are talking specifically about home staging or about business in general, those that have found success are invaluable resources. Seek out professionals who are willing to share their knowledge with you. Ask them what contributed to their success. Ask them to share some of the lessons that they learned the hard way. Ask them what they would do to grow their business, if they were in your shoes. You will find some aren’t interested in sharing their secrets—but you’ll find plenty who are thrilled to share their knowledge  with you. At CSP International the apprentice and mentor program provides that foundation and resource.

3)     Take courses to increase your knowledge. Courses such as the CSP International Real Estate Staging Certification will fill in the “gaps” of your understanding of the home staging industry and provides a platform to take your business to the next level. At CSP, we utilize a combination of classroom, applied learning, home study and live coaching giving graduates the tools necessary for success. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity— Call 1 888 STAGING for more information!

There is no better investment that you can make than in yourself. As a home staging professional, your success is virtually unlimited. Investing into your own education and ability will allow you to grow your business and to truly live your dream. So forget the stock market—invest in yourself!

But what about the seller? Surely, there must be some tactical factors for them to consider too. Here at CSP International Business Training Academy, our students are taught the ways to maximize a seller’s chance of selling their property as quickly and profitably as possible. HomeGain released stats supporting a 569% ROI from the investment of professionally staging your property.  Again, some things go without saying – you should clean your house prior to potential buyers coming, and make repairs to faulty fixtures – and then there are some factors which are not so obvious. For instance, flow, maximizing sif rooms AND the day of the week you put your house on the market is also significant, according to a recent study in the Redfin Blog. Who would have thought!

The people at Redfin noticed listings were dispersed fairly evenly through the week from Monday to Friday, but with a noticeable drop-off on Saturday and Sunday. So far, nothing too remarkable. They  conducted further research to see whether there was any correlation between the day a property was first listed, and how quickly the property was actually sold. After analyzing more than one million listings, from across the country, spread over the last twenty-one months, the main conclusions are:

• Homes listed on Sunday get marginally more online views.
• Homes listed on Friday are toured 19% more.
• Homes listed on Friday or Thursday sell for slightly closer to original list price.
• Homes listed on Friday are 12% more likely to sell in 90 days.

So, although those properties listed on a Sunday get “marginally” more hits online, it seems like Friday is the best choice. Friday listings get toured more often, and that leads to the increased likelihood of a sale.  Redfin has some suggestions as to why this may be the case, they mostly focus on the fact that the majority of house touring is done on Saturdays and Sundays. (There are two and a half times more tours on the weekend than during the week). So, it stands to reason that the most-recently listed properties will be freshest in the memories of potential buyers. If you’ve ever been to the website Craigslist, you’ll know that listings move very quickly. Something that’s at the top of the page one minute may be bumped off the page hours later. The real estate listings sites are similar – something that’s listed on a Monday will have pushed back from page one by the end of the week, and that’s when more people are looking at the sites.

Another explanation for the increased likelihood of a sale is that, since more people see a property after it’s listed on a Friday, there is increased competition amongst interested buyers, and this leads to both a better price, and a confirmed sale within that three-month window.

So next time you want to sell a property, be sure to plan ahead, hire a Certified Staging Professional on your team so the property is market ready by Friday

‘Niche marketing’ is a phrase one hears a lot in business circles these days, but sometimes it can be a little confusing to figure out what niche marketing actually is, and how it can best be used to build a business. The phrase refers to targeted advertising, and it makes sense that it’s a fairly widespread practice. An automobile manufacturer, for example, has different target audiences for its different kinds of vehicles. The high-end, luxury sedans aren’t aimed at suburban soccer moms, just as the heavy-duty pick-up trucks aren’t aimed at the suit-and-tie-wearing professionals. Accordingly, marketing for each of these types of vehicles is very distinct.

Carefully targeted marketing is very popular these days, and is regarded as the most efficient, and cost-effective, method of making sure your product or service connects with the right people. Going niche is far preferable to going broad. Being as specific as possible is an incredible asset, especially in an economy like today’s.

It’s one of the reasons we expanded in 2009, to open the CSP International Business Training Academy to all stagers around the world. After honing my own skills as a property stager, I saw a niche not being addressed in the marketplace – that of a credential with merit married with sales, marketing and business skills required for successful enterprises. We have trained thousands to start from where ever they are in their business and move to profitability. Regardless of how the housing market is doing, people are always going to be selling property, and so those people will always need  the strongest competitive edge to do so. The people who complete the CSP program have unique skills and expertise to offer, and there is an established track record that shows on the bottom line to property sellers.

Entrepeneur.com has a list of its “3 Rules for Niche Marketing”, and I can proudly and honestly say CSP International™ adheres to all of its rules. Firstly, we meet a unique need: A well-staged, move-in ready property is demonstrably more likely to be purchased one which is unstaged and disorganized. Our target demographics are real estate professionals and property-sellers, and as I mentioned, it is a market which will never dwindle. As long as there are determined sellers who seek to optimize their property’s sellability, there will be market for highly skilled certified staging professionals.

Secondly, the people we train know to say the right thing. CSP International is proud to have proven successful staging business owners as certified trainers who are constantly in the field; we know and teach exceptional communication skills; knowing what to say is one thing but delivering the message without offending the client is a totally different skill set.

Finally, we are successful because we constantly test-market. We keep an eye on the real estate industry, keeping tabs on what does and doesn’t work. This is a constantly evolving industry: staging and décor are two different things and techniques for the targeted lifestyle selling we teach ensures that a property doesn’t get left behind

CSP International Business Training Academy provides a niche service in that we serve all stagers who have a desire to achieve top skills to excel in a growing industry.  Within the discipline of real estate staging are a myriad of complex specialty niches which we have also developed a market for.  We know it isn’t for everyone; what matters is that some people care enough to want the very best and those people find us and appreciate us. Contact us today if you want to learn skills to take you to untold heights!

CSP International philosophy is to always look at home staging from the business perspective. Graduates care significantly, analyzing the real estate market and factoring it into the equation, for every client to position the property for a successful sale. A recent study by HomeGain illustrated the average cost investments of certain home staging projects, and the subsequent return of that expense, once the home sold.

Among other savvy tools for home staging, the study took a look at costs related to clearing space. The average cost for moving extra furniture, kitchen countertop appliances and abundant accessories into a storage unit is $290.00. However, this study showed the return on investment (ROI) once the home sold was about 586 %!

Once you’ve cleared extra items away, consider toning down your personal touches. For example, pack away the family photos, the children’s artwork from the fridge and bulletin boards. The purpose is to make the space move in ready in order to secure a fast sale at a high price. Prospective buyers have a difficult time envisioning themselves living in your house if they don’t have kids, or if they are highly organized people.

Another great way of minimizing personal style is to repaint walls with bold colors, with more neutral tones like beige, taupe or honey. The cost of painting, depending on the size of your home, can vary. However, the study indicates the average cost was $1,012, with a  ROI of 109%. The home sellers surveyed all received the costs of painting their home back when they sold the house to their buyers. Even more promising – we found that showcasing the home with targeted and, inviting bedding, diverse furnishings and accessories is about $550 in costs, with a 299% return! If these simple efforts will more than reimburse the costs, we say that’s a great deal.

The key to success with these money saving methods is to put the money in the right places. CSP’s know how to maximize budget for the highest return.  How well will your property compete with the house down the street? By staging your property with the help of a professional home stager, buyers are able to envision their lives within the rooms of your space. From there, it is just one decision away from a signed contract! Staging your property with a certified staging professional is the best investment you can make in the journey of securing a buyer for your property.

Work with a Certified Staging Professional to gain The Sellers Edge™   Find a stager near you at www.findyourstager.com .

If you are searching for your dream job, we encourage you to start your own business. Don’t leave your future in the hands of another person – embrace a life of entrepreneurship, in which you can be your own boss. Real Estate staging is one of the fastest growing industries, but good business training is essential for success. To learn the essentials for building a profitable, professional home staging business, go to www.stagingtraining.com or call 1-888-STAGING.

References:

http://signaturefurniturerental.com/blog/2011/06/30/home-staging-tips-5-ways-to-sell-high-fast/

People recognize the value and know the worth of  difference when deciding on a car for instance; all cars have four wheels and get you from point A to point B so why do some cost three and four times as much as others and why do people buy them? They buy the value and perceived benefits vs the price. Let’s think about a staple in North America like coffee; many of the price leaders are loosing market share to gourmet coffee houses and their subsequent brand; why? Because a higher value is placed on the experience and taste vs. price.  What about cleaning and health products? Do we scrimp when it comes to the health and welfare of our family?

At CSP Internationl, we pride ourselves on the quality of our products and services. Over the last six years we have focused our marketing strategy on differentiation, and superior product/delivery – not on positioning ourselves at the lowest price. Although other staging training competitors battle for cost leadership, we stand firmly behind our position of upholding our training standards and growing the industry with quality educated professionals. We are successful because we know what we offer provides a higher return for the staging professionals’ investments.

Enduring an economic downturn will make almost any shopper scope out a bargain. Television and print media coupled with the onslaught of group coupon marketing mania are making shopping cheaply a highly acceptable practice. But when consumers focus on price rather than value, they miss out on experiencing a product or service that is a step above the rest. They don’t get to enjoy the differentiating factors which provide a more satisfying result. We have all I am sure, realized the impact of the “Second price tag” when buying a low priced bargain option led to disappointment and frustration when we found the parts to sustain it were cost prohibitive or it didn’t live up to our expectations.  Warren Buffet said “Price is what you pay; value is what you get” and starting a business in any industry is tough; but starting out with the lowest price education puts you in a precarious situation because you don’t know what you don’t know. Struggling and sustaining your business with out vital best practices makes success almost impossible.  What I’m encouraging you to evaluate is value over lower price when it comes to investing in your own future.

I would easily make a fortune if I took what I know about home staging, and sold my knowledge online.  I don’t do that because I believe in the value of a hands-on experience by a successful, proven in the field instructor, who is held accountable for results. When you review home staging training companies to harness your dream to.. be careful NOT to simply choose the most cheaply priced look for the qualities you deserve, measure results and service to the industry, then refuse to participate in the race to the bottom.

According to the National Association of Realtors® “Existing-home sales declined in July from an upwardly revised June pace but are notably higher than a year ago. Monthly gains in the Northeast and Midwest were offset by declines in the West and South.” Some regions have improved home sale conditions, while others have a continued instability.

The report asserts that while there appears to be a decline in the rate of sales in a short term monthly perspective, the rate is an optimistic increase in comparison to the 2010 average for the same month. “Completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, fell 3.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.67 million in July from 4.84 million in June, but are 21.0 percent above the 3.86 million unit pace in July 2010, which was a cyclical low immediately following the expiration of the home buyer tax credit.”

The real estate market’s tug and pull is a result of numerous factors. U.S. buyers are compelled to purchase homes because of low interest rates, but mortgage loans are difficult to secure with today’s banks only offering credit to the most highly qualified candidates.

So, when it feels like the sky is full of looming Wizard of Oz monkeys, and all you hear is a taunting loud voice of negative economic news coming from behind a big curtain, buck up. There are ways to battle the difficult marketplace. Through real estate staging, sellers can transform their property into an attractive and marketable product for sale. This is the new normal – competitive real estate home sales.

Just like merchandising products in a retail store, proper home staging techniques will display the product that is your home in a way which will strategically position it for sale. Through the use of professional staging techniques such as furniture positioning, color stratification, organization, and more, any property can be set apart from the competition. Despite the slow flow of qualified prospective home buyers, property gets a distinct marketing advantage. Many factors sell a home, location, price, size, condition and the missing piece of the puzzle is staging. Selling real estate is serious business; it is serious time to invest time and money to maximize opportunity. What are you waiting for? Take a stroll down your yellow brick road to success in today’s marketplace.

Professional staging is fast becoming an integral part of the real estate scene. Consider this:

You’ve decided to buy a home, and you’ve narrowed down a location and your price range. Now, it’s time to find that perfect place. You may be surprised to learn that those two factors – location and price – represent 78 percent of a buyer’s decision. As a homeowner, you cannot change your location and to a great extent, price is dictated by the market. The focus has to be on the other 22 percent of the decision.

That 22 percent comes down to two simple words: first impression. It takes just a few minutes to form an opinion on everything from the cleanliness, functionality, ambiance, and potential for making a certain place a home. The professional stagers at Canadian Staging Professionals (CSP) have built their reputations by helping their clients make the best impressions.

CSP began as the brainchild of its founder and president, Christine Rae. A long-time corporate executive, Christine began CSP with the goal of bringing her penchant for high standards and business ethics together with her knowledge of design and the real estate industry. Having done extensive training in New York City, Seattle and in North Carolina, Christine knew there was a need for a distinctly Canadian approach to staging. Now, CSP is Canada’s leading source for finding highly trained stagers across the country, is the primary destination for anyone wanting to become a stager, and it is the company more real estate agents turn to, on behalf of their clients. They are a Canadian success story, and they’re expanding into Australia, Germany and France.

What can a CSP stager do for you? For home owners wanting to sell, it begins with an in-home consultation. From there, your stager can help identify those things that can be done to maximize your home’s appeal. This might mean creating more space, improving lighting and improving the flow of your home. Even if you’re savvy with design, an expert opinion might help. A shocking 42 percent of global paint sales come from buying the wrong colour first! Whether the improvements you make are subtle or substantial, getting things right the first time saves you time, money and stress.

Why choose Canadian Staging Professionals?
• CSP stagers are independent business owners with deep connections in their communities. They are certified, have passed rigorous examinations, and because they are part of the CSP family, they receive continuing education that sets them above their peers.
• They do home staging and much more! Stagers also work with builders and investors, focus on vacant properties, luxury homes, and coordinate executive moves.
• CSP has developed and trademarked an additional specialization, known as Ecostaging™. A CSP stager with an Ecostaging designation has particular skills that can help improve your home’s first impression, while making a commitment to protecting the environment. A recent survey published by the Green Building Council indicated that 92 percent of buyers would pay up to $11,200 more for an energy efficient house.

Of course, because CSP is now an Aeromove partner, you also gain the added value of receiving Aeroplan® Miles!

As CSP’s Christine Rae says, “wherever the eye rests, the sale begins”. For a smoother, more successful move and Aeroplan Miles too, make CSP your choice for staging.

Hippies and flower children of earlier times are today’s aging baby boomers but it must make them proud to finally see the “greening” awareness rise so much in peoples’ consciousness. While it maybe easier today to make small changes to your lifestyle and help the environment, there are some with a concern that there is so much publicity now that people will tune out the message, just like white noise, and eventually become “de -sensitized to the real issues.

Green encompasses everything from turning lights off to recycling and reducing your carbon footprint. When a business claims to have green credentials, how do you know they are actually true and/or worthwhile? Retailers are spending millions promoting their green credentials; but is it a genuine effort to become green, or a marketing ploy to attract savvy consumers like you? Can profit driven companies actually be beneficial to the planet? Or at the very least, less harmful. Truly, it is very difficult to get it completely right and there are no easy answers to these complex questions.

With all the talk about green energy, green flooring (Bamboo) and even green detergent it’s easy for a lay person to get confused and miss the point. For example most detergents aren’t too bad for the environment and are definitely much better than they used to be, however everyone has a “new clean green label.” Turning your washing machine thermostat down to 30 degrees Celsius will have a much bigger impact than changing your detergent. Bamboo flooring is definitely more sustainable than hardwood but the energy used to transport it from the place of origin to North America, cancels any “green” effect.
It is complicated for sure.

Before you become jaded and too desensitized to the impact greening will have on your day to day life, we wanted to bring to your attention the CSP™ green initiative Eco Staging™. As you know already, CSP™ consultants provide a very comprehensive staging consultation and may choose to provide it in the CSP™ Room Ready Handbook™. Now we have taken the handbook a step further to include a four page checklist to enable a review of a property’s ‘green” situation. CSP™ consultants are not energy efficient experts and we don’t profess to be home inspectors either. We understand not all of the CSP™ Eco Staging™ checklist will apply to every household; our work will help save energy, one household at a time and every small effort, moves us in the right direction.

What Eco Staging™ will do—is provide a simple review of everyday savings which you as an agent or home seller can use as marketing edge when selling the property. At a recent CSP™ conference in Toronto, Ontario a representative of the Canadian Federal Government applauded and supported the efforts of CSP™ with the Eco Staging™ initiative. The representative also spoke about the Natural Resources Canada program—EcoENERGY Retrofit for Energy Efficiency. The program provides grants of up to $5000 for Canadian home owners. The grant is per address so it benefits the seller and the buyer by identifying the energy leaks in the house and providing the seller and homebuyer a window of time to retrofit to qualify for reimbursement. A seller would also be aware of the program for any property they purchased.

Across North America communities are waking up to the fact they have to do something. Perhaps in your community there are similar initiatives. We know in Ontario, for example, there is a mirror grant available from the Provincial government, which mean Ontario home sellers and buyers have access to up to $10,000.

In the United States you can consult www.EnergyStar.gov, a program of the US
Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy helping everyone save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Energy Star® has partnerships with manufacturers that meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and Dept of Energy. If you are a new home buyer, look for an Energy Star® compliant builder; it will save you $$ on your utilities in your new home. For existing homes, there are retrofit and rebates for upgrades to your home in almost every area of your home. The rebates are 10% to as much as 30% depending on the upgrade and product.

Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved enough energy in 2006 to avoid greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent to those from 25 million cars—and saved $14 billion on utility bills.
The CSP™ Eco Staging™ initiative will raise awareness across Canada and the USA as to what can be immediately assessed to reduce, reuse and save money and energy.

We hope that “green fatigue syndrome” as some may call it, doesn’t affect many people and we trust there will be a day when everyone is doing all they can to reduce the impact on the environment and planet. If people like YOU support companies that do respect and support the place in which they live, then maybe one day we will get there.

For more information about Eco Staging™ and how it can benefit your marketing efforts contact the person who sent you this magazine or check www.ecostaging.com.

Published in Staging Standard Magazine January 2008

In the world of real estate, it’s not just about “location, location, location.”

A house-hunter’s first impressions can mean the difference between a home closing fast at a good price or languishing unsold for weeks.

And there’s nothing harder than trying to sell a pad littered with distractions and disrepair.

Just ask Christine Rae, 52, the St. Catharines owner-operator of two-year-old Decorating Solutions. She has yet to see a residence that can’t be tweaked to become “top drawer” in the eyes of homebuyers.

Rae — a certified interior refiner and accredited “staging professional trainer” — is at the vanguard of a niche service called “staging.” Put simply, professional stagers believe home vendors have “one clear shot” to woo a buyer into snapping up a good offer.

By shuffling that misplaced couch, depersonalizing the kitchen and emptying closets, a 2001 realtor’s study of eight California cities suggested a staged home can sell faster and at a higher price, said Rae.

The study showed on average, unstaged homes were on the market for 39 days, and staged homes for 13.

“It’s like merchandising,” she said. “Just like you merchandise your store product — say, repackage that video — you are merchandising your home for sale.

“If you don’t do anything, you shouldn’t be surprised if your realtor brings you an offer less than what you expected,” said Rae.

Today’s homebuyers are often two-income families in their 30s, who aren’t thrilled by the prospect of spending ages making a new home livable, she said. Staging to ensure it is maintenance-free after the move can be a big selling point.

Rae left a 20-year career in the corporate world two years ago, having no idea staging would be her next turn.

But she knew she had a flair for understanding decor. “It’s something I always wanted to do — I’d done it for family and friends,” said Rae. “‘Usually, someone bought their stuff already, and it just wasn’t coming together.”

A few hours on the Internet led her to the world of staging, which was making inroads out west and elsewhere.

She honed in on Barb Schwarz, a U.S. real estate veteran who seemed to Rae to be the only one at the time with staging accreditation.

After completing Schwartz’s 82-hour course two years ago, Rae developed a two-pronged focus to her new business.

Part of it is decorating and staging; the other half a two-day program to teach real estate agents, decorators and others who want to learn staging principles or to start their own business.

The two-day course includes a lecture, role-playing discussion and actual staging in a home. She teaches across Canada and the northeast U.S., for fees ranging from $375 US to $1,250, depending on whether or not a “staging” trademark is intended to be licensed as a new business.

Either Rae, or one of her team of Carole Zwiers and Andrea Meyer, will also do a one- to two-hour walk-through and/or a consultation.

The process also incorporates oriental principles of Feng Shui, which stresses the placement of things to create harmony and balance.

The service includes a report for the homeowner or real estate agent preparing a home for sale, with most suggestions being low cost. Staging services are paid by the real estate agency, the homeowner or a combination of both.

They’ll even do the staging themselves. Depending on the consultation and work required, total fees range from $150 to about $1,000.

Rae recalled her first St. Catharines client last July, who made use of these painstaking techniques. It was a huge success, she said.

After an intensive week’s work following up on recommendations such as repairing wall cracks and doing a garden cleanup, the homeowners sold their house to the first walk-through. It sold at the highest price ever for the neighbourhood, she said.

Often, however, they’re called when that For Sale sign has become a neighbourhood fixture. The suggestions Decorating Solutions gives can be wide ranging, but more often than not it will be Rae’s advice: “This has to go.”

“It’s not meant to be offensive, we just have to make it more neutral,” Rae explained.

“The better it works for a prospective buyer, the slower they’ll be in their tour through — the more they visualize living there.”

In one instance, a couple had a backyard filled with grapevines, cherry trees and vegetables. A little patio set beneath the vines made the setting perfect.

Last summer, one home was discovered to be both pretty in pink and filled with sports memorabilia. That had to be neutralized.

Elsewhere, traces of pets and nagging odours caused by a sickness or painting have to be eliminated. Here, an ozone machine used by Rae can help sanitize the home.

Still, in much of Niagara’s current real estate market, homes are selling pretty fast. Third-party fees such as title searches, lawyers and movers can take a chunk out of home equity.

Given that, is staging really a needed expense?

“What would you do before selling a car,” Rae responds. She suggested that detailing and throwing on new tires were two examples.

“Now, where do people have the most equity? Their house or car?” she asked.

“And have you ever sold a house for too much money?

At first, realtors were also skeptical about the need for a service they thought they provided, until they saw results, she conceded.

Some realtors confessed their biggest challenge was getting the homeowner “on the team” and making changes needed to sell a home faster at a top price.

While a realtor’s advice was typically viewed as a “tip,” third-party staging offers professional advice to be taken seriously.

“They listen and they do it,” said Rae.

In Ontario, realtors have to take 26 hours of approved continuing education every two years to keep their realtor’s licence. Rae’s accredited staging professional course is now among those approved programs.

Phyllis Lottridge, who has been a realtor for 25 years, has taken the new staging course and found client sellers to be receptive to staging techniques.

“We used to think ‘add a flower pot here, a quilt there,’ “said Lottridge, who works for the Royal LePage Niagara Real Estate Centre in St. Catharines.

“Well, we’re taking it away — we’re only using props if we absolutely need them.”

The process also emphasizes to home sellers that staging is not meant to be an invasion or a lifestyles insult.

“It’s to make it into a model home,” she said.

Still, staging has not exactly caught fire in Canada, although Rae expects it will soon. And she’ll be more than happy to fill that void as she cleans out someone’s living room.

“Whether you like it or not, staging is a happening thing, the new thing,” she says confidently.

“It’s changing the way real estate is being sold.”

Decorating Solution’s Web site is www.decoratingsolutions.ca