Why do I need a staging consultation? My home is already beautiful and I followed the Calgary Real Estate’s home staging checklist found online.   If you’re a proud home owner who often receives compliments on your beautiful space, you may be wondering why it’s of any value to pay for a home staging consultation first before you list your home for sale. As a professional home stager in Calgary, I understand how you feel.   In fact, many of my clients felt the same when we first met. Then they learned the added value of how staging could turn their already beautiful home into a gorgeous show home that makes potential buyers say, “This is the one. I must have it”.

Before: Calgary living room before staging.

After: By angling the sofa, your eye is drawn to the beautiful fireplace.

A professional home stager does not have an emotional attachment to you or your space and can therefore provide an unbiased perspective – based on proven results – on small tweaks that can lead to a quick sale for top dollar.   Strategically re-arranging existing furniture is a quick fix that can highlight special features you want potential buyers to notice. Take a look at what one of my recent clients accomplished after following through on the recommendations from a Set Your Stage consultation.   Your personalized home staging consultation includes a complete walkthrough of your property and a detailed step by step guide on how you can best stage your home for sale. It’s ideal for a property that doesn’t need much to take it from good to great. It also works well for the do-it-yourself-er, since Set Your Stage does not perform the actual staging (although we can if you prefer). That’s up to you.   Set Your Stage properties sold over two times faster on average than the homes in the same areas! Are you curious how your property – and wallet – can benefit from professional home staging? If so, please contact Jen directly at SetYourStage.com! You can also follow me on Twitter @setyourstage!

Staging your property for sale doesn’t always mean that you have to pay extra for props. Sometimes the everyday items that you already have can be used to create home staging accessories. It’s a matter of knowing how to use them as effective tools rather than creating an eyesore for potential buyers.   I wrote about how to Profit from Props in an earlier post. It’s a fine line between having enough accessories to stage a home to feel comfortable and too many items to create a feeling of clutter. That said, sometimes all you need is already within reach.   Kettle as an Unlikely Tool You might not have considered it, but a simple kettle can do double duty as a staging prop. Placed on a burner, a nice kettle will highlight a high end stove. The buyer’s eyes will be naturally drawn to the stove which might otherwise be overlooked. Point the kettle spout to a window with a pretty view or to a door to the backyard (maybe a BBQ is conveniently placed there) and it will also draw a potential buyer’s eyes to those areas. Do you have some stylish tea/coffee cups? Arrange a setting for tea on a table or corner of your countertops. Not only does this look nice, but it gives a mental note to the buyer: this would be a relaxing place to live.

After: The stainless steel kettle draws the eye to the high end stove in this Varsity property.

Take a look around your space. Where do you want a potential buyer’s eyes to look? What items do you already have that can be used to focus their attention on those key areas? Using those everyday items strategically to appeal to potential buyers can put money in your pocket!   Do you need more staging help? If so, please contact Jen directly at SetYourStage.com to arrange your free home staging assessment in Calgary today! You can also follow me on Twitter @setyourstage!

My first trip to Sunnyside/Kensington was in college, when a friend invited me to their BBQ/smore camp fire. I knew right away, this was a unique neighbourhood. Years later, my boyfriend moved here when he decided to go to SAIT to start a new career. When we finally decided to get a place together, we choose to look specifically in this area. One of our top choices to purchase was a heritage building along Memorial Drive over 100 year old. Just before our second showing we decided to meet for a coffee at Vendome Café. Everyone of the 3 people who I walked by greeted me with a welcoming hello – I knew Sunnyside was home.
 
I didn’t really realize how much this community meant to me until late June 2013. Heavily following and posting on Twitter to the hashtag #sunnyside I was able to connect with many neighbours via social media and when it was safe to help clean up, we connected with them in real life.
 
It was depressing to see items like brand new Urban Barn sofas (especially since that is one of my favourite shopping stops), full libraries to wine being discarded from homes along with drywall, insulation and carpets. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost any part of their home from the flood – especially the heritage building we didn’t end up getting. As devastating as it was to see all the destruction, it was heart warming to see so many pitch in. Home owners along with volunteers of every age helped with cleaning, destroyed items outside, demolishing, loading and driving the loads from homes listed at the Crisis Café to the dumpsters at the Sunnyside/Hillhurst Community center. Calgary and Edmonton Police cruising around making sure everyone was hydrated. New moms with their kids walking along offering volunteers snacks, sandwiches and cookies. Vitamin Water was at the community center giving bottles of flavoured water to volunteers. Everyone pitched in. One home owner said it best “even though is a tragedy, I have never felt so proud of my community and how we all pulled together.” This is why I love Sunnyside.
 
If you are considering moving to Sunnyside; it feels like a small town here. People care, they pitch in and not to mention there is amazing cafes/shopping. If you decide to sell, I would love to help you prepare your property for resale!

Yes, homes can and do sell during the Calgary Stampede.   When people put on their cowboy hats in July to enjoy the “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”, it doesn’t mean that houses won’t sell in Calgary during the Stampede. In fact, it’s an opportunity to reach a broader market when all eyes are on our great city. Professional staging can get the attention you want.   Rodeo, fireworks, art, music, food and fun. No wonder the Calgary Stampede is a huge draw for people across the globe. From July 5 to 14, 2013, Calgary will host more than 700,000 guests for the annual event. Just as people are looking forward to the big show, you should be staging your property for maximum impact.   Last year around this time, Set Your Stage used its expertise to stage a vacant property in Bridgeland that had already been on the market for almost three months. Anticipating that new mortgage lending rules would make it more difficult for buyers, the goal was to sell as soon as possible. The owners were worried about the Calgary Stampede starting and one of the real estate myths that said it would be impossible to sell during that time.   Not true. We staged the property on June 26. It sold July 4. The Calgary Stampede ran from July 4 to July 15. It goes to show that you can sell your house any time of the year. What makes the difference is highlighting the features (like the amazing views of the city from this property) in a way that really speaks to potential buyers.

After: This cozy open concept living room/breakfast bar is the perfect space for entertaining or relaxing.

After: This simple, yet stylish bedroom is the perfect retreat for any homeowner.

After: This cozy open concept living & dining room is the perfect space for entertaining or relaxing.

If you are preparing to list your property for sale, avoid delays by professionally staging it in a marketable way right from the start. For more information on home staging in Calgary, contact Jen. I’m in the business of helping home owners prepare their property for a quick sale.