Author: Christine Rae, President, Canadian Staging Professionals
While crude oil is predicted to soar to the $100 a barrel mark, and interest rates predicted to rise closely behind, the real estate market is expected to flip from the sellers to the buyer’s market- which for many Canadians will mean less money for their homes. In a country where we can be nomadic, changing dwellings every 3-5 years, this may mean less money for our homes on resale.
Canadian Staging Professionals™ aim to change that. Homes which are staged have been known to sell on average three times faster than un-staged homes and bring as much 15% more on selling price on the average $200,000 home. Unlike interior decorating and re-design, staging prepares a home for sale- it involves depersonalizing it, broadening buyer appeal through maximizing space and lifestyle selling.
As the first all Canadian Staging Professionals Certification Course nears completion, the average Canadian home seller will benefit from 20 newly trained Staging Experts, trained especially for the real estate agent and home seller north of the border. They graduated Thursday, September 29th. Another two certification courses planned for October are already almost sold out.
Christine Rae, President of Canadian Staging Professionals Association, and experienced staging professional has instructed and certified stagers in Canada for the last 5 years using American teaching philosophies and statistics. Rae, President of Canadian Staging Professionals Association won the Barb Schwarz 2004 Staging Award of Excellence for her work in staging and training across North America.
“Canada is not the United States, we have our own identity. People living and working in Canada want to know the professionals providing service in this industry understand the Canadian marketplace. Our laws are different, and I believe the industry is more sophisticated” says Rae who has developed the program to meet the needs of the Canadian Staging Professional, Realtors and Home owners.
Some of the participants in the course have been staging homes prior to taking the specialized training and wanted the designation as a mark of excellence in the Staging Industry. It is believed homeowners and agents will want to hire CSP graduates. Included in the course are hands on training of communication, consultation andpractical staging of a residence being listed for sale. Home staging has become a topic of great interest to TV audiences across North America with shows such as ‘Take this house and sell it’, but again is representative of the American market.
Canadian Staging Professionals provide a variety of services from consultation to fully staging an occupied or vacant property. Suzanne Ethier- Canadian Staging Professional who is being trained as a CSP Trainer, recently consulted to a bachelor in the Kitchener Waterloo area for the small fee of $175.00. After implementing her all of her suggestions, the house went to bidding and sold for $5,000 over asking price.
