The way you live in your home and the way you sell your house are two different things.
As you live in your home from day to day, you are surrounded by your personal items, your favourite pictures, the things that are meaningful to you and your family. Rooms are decorated according to your taste and how the space will be used by you and your family.
When your home is listed for sale, however, it becomes a marketable product. The focus changes. You now want your home to appeal to a broad range of prospective buyers, whose taste and needs may be very different from yours. A professional Stager will look at your home with an unbiased eye, recommending needed repairs, updates, and improvements to show your home to its best potential. This may include removing personal items which distract the buyers, or using more neutral decor colours and accessories.
The members of Home Stagers Atlantic are accreditied professionals with the training and experience to help you receive the greatest value for your property in today's real estate market.
Events, News and Blogs
HSA REACHES OUT TO COMMUNITY
(Reprinted from The Halifax West Weekly News, July 3, 2009. Article by Lindsay Jones)
Revamped centre 'welcoming, safe and comfortable'
A west-end community centre just got an extreme makeover.
The Bayers Westwood Family Resource Centre got a fresh new look last week as more than a dozen volunteers of Home Stagers Atlantic rolled up their sleeves to paint, reorganize and redesign the non-profit agency on McAlpine Avenue in Halifax.
The big reveal took place June 26.
"I'm speechless, I'm stunned," said Melissa Hum, the centre's executive director. "It's so warm and inviting. It feels like another home. It doesn't feel like another centre where things have just been slapped up on the walls...I can't stop smiling. It's fantastic. It's like (ABC's) Extreme Makeover:Home Edition. I can see why people cry."
Melanie Orr is the membership chair and a founding member of Home Stagers Atlantic, a group of accredited home staging professionals. She says the group wanted to reach out to the community, so she went to the United Way of Halifax to find out who in the community was in most need of its services. The Bayers Westwood Family Resource Centre was on the top of the list.
When she first saw the centre, Orr says, it was overwhelming.
"It wasn't pleasant and warm." she says. "We had originally hoped to do both floors, but we narrowed it down to one so we could have a little more impact."
Thanks to the countless hours of volunteers and $3,200 in donations, the walls were painted a fresh, airy grey and storage benches that double as window seating were built. New countertops were installed in the kitchen and a new coffee station and downstairs children's play area were added. The rooms were also completely reorganized.
"We're hoping this will make people smile and feel good." Orr said. "We wanted it to be very useful and functional, but at the same time welcoming, safe and comfortable."
The resource centre offers parenting and health and wellness programs to families with young children. It services 150 families in the area each year, many of whom are newcomers to Canada.
MEMBER EVENTS: CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR HSA MEMBERS
Each month, HSA members are given the opportunity to attend educational events, as well as hands-on workshops, to keep abreast of products, trends, suppliers, and the tools of our trade. Speakers are selected from experts in our own and related industries, so that we are continually updated on information and opinions pertinent to Home Staging.
Sessions this year include member networking and services overview at the Halifax Club, product & services information at Floors Plus Bayers Lake store, Bellissimo, Metro Windows and Doors, Living Lighting, Props Floral Design and Enviro Medic Countertops. As well, we enjoyed presentations by Peter Brouwer of Royal LePage, and Alex Waite, a Stager whose family owns a home staging company in Toronto.
The HSA Leadership Team is pleased to be able to provide these informative sessions to HSA members. HSA recognizes the importance of on-going education, as our accredited members provide a much-needed service to the public and the Real Estate industry.
April, 2010
We're starting off the fall with a pot-luck event, which will bring together our members for networking and brainstorming for the future. Our accredited members look forward to showcasing homes, helping to sell them faster for a greater return on the homeowner's investment.
September, 2010
ATLANTIC CONNECTION REAL ESTATE CONFERENCE
Home Stagers Atlantic is exhibiting at the Atlantic Connection Real Estate Conference, October 5-7, 2010, at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel. It's the perfect opportunity for our accredited professional Stagers to meet Realtors and Brokers, to let them know how we can help them to do their job. HSA Accredited Stagers prepare properties to sell faster, for more. We're there, for you.
October, 2010
