My Latest Occupied Home Staging Project

What a pleasure it was to stage this extra large one bedroom condo, in Dartmouth Nova Scotia, because the client, who hired me after hearing one of my presentations on the benefits of home staging, truly inderstands that staging is an INVESTMENT and NOT an expense. She has very current furniture and her condo decor demonstrated that she has quite the flair for decorating but she understood that her well put together living space was 'decorated' and not 'staged'. When I first arrived on the scene the condo was overcrowded with furniture and the seperate dining area served as an office. Both of these conditions met my clients living needs but would not allow viewers to see its true potential and how large the condo really is.

Just listed with John Linders of RE/MAX Nova, it is located at 77 Russell Lake Drive. Not only is this condo extra spacious inside, but it has an oversized patio, a built in murphy bed, a custom designed breakfast bar and it's in mint condition to boot!. Check it out. mls # 41173089

You can count on Rave Re:view when you enlist our help to stage or redesign your living space.

My Latest Vacant Halifax Home Staging Project

Anyone who purchases this incredible home, located at 19 Wyndrock Drive, gets the best of both worlds. Lakefront living right in the city of Halifax. Newly renovated, it's listed with Domus Realty's Brenda MacKenzie. Check it out. The mls # is 00310219.

I didn't want to leave once I had finished staging the property, but couldn't stay because I wasn't included on the list of rentals .

The incredible photos were taken by Chris J. Dickson of Digital Imaging Halifax. You can't beat a professional when it comes to both the staging and photographing of a property that is listed on the real estate market.



You can count on Rave Re:view when you hire us to prepare your house for the real estate market.

RESA Finalist for Professional Home Stager of the Year

Great news! I'm a finalist for an award given to a Home Stager who has been in business for more than 2 years. RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) is a North American organization that works to strengthen the Home Staging industry. Every year RESA honours stagers with vaious awards. I'm a Canadian finalist for the Professional Stager of the Year award. The winner will be announced at the annual convention on February 1st in Las Vegas. Proud to be from Halifax Nova Scotia, I'm thrilled to have been selected by my peers in RESA, who hail from all over the continent, as a finalist for Professional Stager of the Year. Members choose finalists based upon annonymous photos of entrants' work. Now it's in the judge's hands.

You can count on Rave Re:view when you hire us to stage your property for the real estate market.

How Do I Know When To Stage A Room?

Here in Halifax Nova Scotia the vast majority of listed properties have not been staged. Because 90% of buyers search the net prior to contacting a real estate agent, enticing online photos are a must. I get soooooo frustrated when I view mls listings because I know how much better these homes can present themselves if a professionally trained stager is brought in to help prepare each and every one. Sometimes it is pretty obvious that a home requires staging. One need not be a trained stager to know that the room above is in dire need of help. Left as is, buyers aren't going to give it a second thought but believe it or not I have seen online photos that market rooms in this state of affairs.

In most cases, to the untrained eye, a room such as the one just above will look 'ok' when in fact a professionally trained home stager knows how to bring it to another level. This room is the family living space which is open to the kitchen. It lacks sofa seating and the fantastic built-in bench is functioning mainly as a place to display accessories.

Warmed up by the brown and rust colour palette and with the addition of pillows to let buyers know that the built-in can act as extra seating, the room is not only more functional after staging but has a higher end feel than it did in its original state.Today's buyers are a generation or two younger than the average seller. Many homes in Halifax / Dartmouth/ Bedford and surrounding areas present as does this next property. Today's buyers don't want to purchase homes that remind them of their parents' or grand parents' homes. No, they want current flooring and light fixtures and rooms that are spacious and airy feeling. Don't you?

The highly determined 70 plus year old home owner who was desperate to sell her house heeded my every word. She purchased an up to date fixture (sorry it's not visible in the photo) and a smaller dining room set which she planned to use in her new home. After the consult I returned to showcase the property. With some rentals, some furniture rearranging, some accessories added and some taken away there was an accepted offer less than 3 weeks after the house was listed.
With it's dated light fixture and an oversized table that dwarfed the dining room, had the photo on the mls site been that of the room before staging do you think the viewing traffic would have been high? Rooms appear to grow in size when they house furniture that allows a space to open up. Professionally trained home stagers know how to enhance the size of any room. That was my goal when I staged the tiny den below. My clients were told by their agent that the services of a home stager were not needed-that the house showed well .In a panic to sell, after the house was on the market with no offers, I was hired. The agent was right in that the house was move -in ready but staging isn't only about move-in ready. Staging is also about opening up spaces. By removing a couple of pieces of furniture - voila- this small room appears to be much more spacious both online and in person. The entry way ( below) was also made more spacious when furniture was removed. And much to the delight of my clients, they had an accepted offer 4 days after the staging took place.

I've seen countless rooms online that resemble the rooms I've presented in their 'before' states. They're 'o.k.' but 'o.k.' is NOT good enough for me. Is 'o.k.' good enough for you?

So the question is ....How Do I Know When To Stage A Room?

It's really hard for the untrained eye to see what a professionally trained stager can see. My advice ....hire an expert in the field to ensure that your home is not just 'o.k'....to ensure that it catches the attention of every potential buyer in your target market and keeps them wanting more once they enter the front door.
Ciao

Modern Stone House Staged By Rave Re:view in Halifax

It's been quite some time since I last wrote a blog entry. My staging/redesign/decorating business Rave Re:view Home Staging & Redesign which is located in Halifax Nova Scotia has really taken off. I'd like to thank everyone who has entrusted me to stage or redesign their living spaces and for passing my name on to others. I was lucky to have been given the opportunity to stage one of Halifax's most architectually interesting properties this past week. Thanks to the listing agent Ethan Michaels of Bryant Realty Atlantic for hiring me to do the initial consult and to the owner who subsequently enlisted my help to project manage and carry out the Showcasing. When I first arrived on the scene the house, in spite of its incredible bones, presented as the minimalist bachelor pad that it was. While the owner has very current cool furniture, accessories and area rugs- more was needed to warm up the space. In today's blog I just want to show you the end result. In entries to come I'll share some of my staging strategies with before and after pictures. For now, enjoy the photos and if you're looking to live in an incredibly cool, one of a kind house both rustic and modern in character with a 30 foot massive exposed beam in its main living space; a cozy panelled den with built in book shelves surrounding a designer fireplace; a huge family room with a bed sized window seat and exposed stone walls; and a master suite hide away with an over sized walk in closet, multiple skylites , a balcony and an extra large outdoor deck; check out both the Bryant Realty Atlantic web site and the Mls listings. (#34o562). And remember you can count on Rave Re:view when you enlist our help to stage or redesign your living space.

902 440-4676 ravereview@eastinlk.ca