PRES Staging & Redesign Training was taking place in Victoria last week and as part of the course we do makeovers in 2 real client’s homes. Through networking with a fellow Active Rain member, Fred Carver a realtor with Re/Max Camosun/Oak Bay, he found 2 homes for us!

The PRES Staging Resource Centre does not charge for the work we do in a training home, but we ask that the realtor or the client makes a donation to their favourite charity. It’s a WIN-WIN situation for all concerned.

One of the challenges with one of the homes was the home owner’s bedroom – it had SAMURAI SWORDS and other deadly weapons in it! Not so good for staging! The living room was clearly not been utilized as a living room so that took some creative work from the PRES team. The rooms we did were totally transformed and the home owners still have a bit of cleaning up and decluttering to do.

PRES stagers are brilliant in using trade shows as part of their marketing strategy! Trade shows are a great marketing strategy and while they do take time, money and energy the pay off can be huge IF you follow up! The best time for trade shows is in the spring and fall. There are industry specific trade shows with realtors and stagers and then the Home & Garden shows are a terrific way for PRES stagers to promote their business.

Earlier this year PRES stagers Deena Cottingham of Green Apple Staging and Janet Voth of Designing Spacez both servicing the Calgary area had a tremendous response with visitors to their booths.

PRES stagers on the West Coast have been active in a number of real estate trade shows and Sally Weatherley of Exit Stage Right was involved with the BC Real Estate Convention trade show held April 8th & 9th. She set up a fantastic looking booth and had a colleague Gita Wood help her out one morning.

Lois North of Lois Interiors attended the trade show and passed out her marketing materials such as her information packages and business cards. That’s a terrific strategy and one that is ‘FREE’. It involves your time and energy and is well worth it.

The key to any successful marketing strategy like a trade show is of course FOLLOW UP! PRES Stagers will have a draw for a ‘free’ staging consultation or perhaps a ‘free’ power stage or even as much as a ‘free home staging job’!

What a fantastic opportunity to stage a brand new vacant home that is also part of the new ‘green home’ movement across Canada. An architectural masterpiece! Contemporary design and the highest quality, concrete, glass, wood and steel construction. Distinctive in all respects, this clean, contemporary, environmentally-sensitive, new, spacious home is located in the heart of Vancouver’s prestigious west side.

Thanks to the PRES members Yvonne Swain of Hint Of Elegance, Lois North of Lois Interiors and one of our newest members Yoshi Haraguchi we turned this vacant house into a home people can see themselves living in! Rental furnishings came from Fluff Rentals of Vancouver.

For a virtual tour just click on this link

Now is the time to take your ‘leap of faith’ and sign up for this intensive 5 day professional staging and redesign course offered March 22nd in the Vancouver area. A tentative class is scheduled for late April in Victoria BC with instructor Dana J. Smithers.

The prestigious PRES course teaches classroom theory AND hands-on staging and redesign in real client’s homes. This is a must-do to gain your confidence and validate your abilities!

Graduates of the PRES program love what they are doing and loved the course, support and follow up they receive. Here are a few testimonials:

“I have known Dana Smithers for over two years through her Interior Redesign & Home Staging program at PRES Staging Resource Centre. When I first met Dana I was really taken back with the support that I received. Taking this program, I was now entering a new part of my life and it was a little scary, but the support I received from Dana and some of the other students was wonderful. I have continued to get education on Home Staging and Interior Redesigning from PRES with the monthly meetings. Dana has kept me up to date with the new trends and continues to educate me with these monthly programs offered through PRES.

Dana will always be on my speed dial. I remember when I had to do my first empty Home Staging quote I phoned Dana………”what do I do” she said to me Dianne first of all breathe…..you can do this your a “Great Stager”. Thinking to myself, yeah why panic, I sat back in my chair and thought Dana is right “I am a Great Stager” and thanks to Dana I know I am a “Great Stager” she gave me the confidence I needed to follow my dream.
I AM NOW DOING MY DREAM JOB… and I’m a GREAT INTERIOR REDESIGNER & HOME STAGER Thanks Dana
Dianne Boutilier of Focal Point Redesigns

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!!!

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!

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!