I have been away from Activerain for a while, but I have had a very busy month of January.

I am working hard on my website, which is my main marketing tool, always expanding it and making it better for my visitors. One client recently hired me after a 10 minute conversation over the phone (after finding me on the Web) and told me that I was not the first Stager she contacted. Why me? Because she LOVED my website and felt that I could answer any of her questions and concerns. I have helped these sellers establish a marketing plan for their home and will even get a Video out of it (more on this in the near future). Not only have I been working, Staging homes and shopping for clients, but I have also been away on a Western Carribean cruise (sorry, I keep getting off topic).

I have seen a significant increase in awareness, understanding and interest in Home Staging over the last eight months or so and it makes me particularly happy when realtors contact me. Sometimes they call me because a client of theirs asked them to find a Home Stager and sometimes they want to be proactive and see me as an added value they can bring to their clients. Whichever it is, I am always pleased - it allows me to demonstrate my trade, show them the benefits of Home Staging, establish a relationship with them and grow my future business through their client referrals.

But it's not a one way street and I don't expect something for nothing. I am happy to recommend good, professional realtors whom I know and trust to my Home Staging clients. I think it makes a lot of sense for everyone involved and creates a real partnership. I want the house sold as soon as possible and at the best price possible, as it makes me look good!

So, one client at a time - a seller, a realtor or a person wanting to improve their living quarters on a budget - I am growing my business and having lots of fun doing it!

Home Staging starts with good quality real estate portfolio.

Since the Internet became readily available in North America, more and more home buyers use the Web to shop for properties and select the ones they want to visit. The latest statistics indicate that over 85% of the potential buyers for YOUR home will use your pictures to make a decision whether to visit based on what they see. So, if your pictures are out of focus, blurry or unclear, you'll likely lose many of those potential visitors....

One important question to consider for best quality photographs is the number of megapixels your digital camera should have. (A megapixel is a measure of how much detail a digital camera can resolve and record.)

The answer to this question depends on where and how you are planning to use the photos you take of a property or listing.

If your photos are only going to be used online (such as for the MLS or an FSBO site, for a realtor website, or for a single-property website), any digital camera with at least 3 megapixels is perfectly fine for real-estate photography. Actually, more megapixels may work against you because the size of the resulting image file becomes larger and takes more time to transfer. For example, pictures taken with my backup 3-megapixel digital camera generally are only about 2 MB, while pictures from my digital SLR camera are around 4-6 MB each (at least)! Although you wouldn't be able tell the difference between these images if you viewed them on-screen, you WILL notice a difference in the time you'll wait for the pictures to appear, especially at their full size!

On the other hand, if you are planning to use these photos offline (to print a flyer, brochure or handout, for example), then a digital camera with more megapixels will allow you to print larger images from a file. For example, an image from my 3-megapixel backup camera, I can create good 4" x 6" prints and O.K. 5"x 7" prints, but not 8½" x 11" prints. On the other hand, my digital SLR camera produces very good 4" x 6", 5" x 7" and 8½" x 11" (or even larger) prints. This is very important if you want to use a full-size print for the cover of a home's brochure or in a handout, as well as if you plan to use the image within an online video tour or slide show.

So, depending on your real estate marketing plan, decide where and how you are going to be using the images you capture with your digital camera. If you are shooting online images, your current camera might just do the job. If not, you might want to invest in a new camera or consider hiring a professional real estate photographer, who will take the BEST quality pictures for your home selling project.

The content of this blog was contributed by Home Staging Montreal's partner, Justin Soles. Justin is the owner of JustSo Photography, Montreal's only real-estate photography boutique studio. To reach Justin or read all about Home Staging, please visit www.home-staging-montreal.com/activerainnov07.

I have recently helped a client prepare his house for sale. Before the renovations and staging, the realtors told him that he would be lucky to get $350,000 for it. Not only did he implement all of my recommendations, he actually did more - he built a room in the basement and then we furnished it to make it a playroom/TV room.

I used mostly his furniture, added some inexpensive furnishings from Ikea for the playroom in the basement, changed and added light fixtures, had the house repainted, decluttered and cleaned, changed handles and towel holders, and accesorized with new towels and bed cover.

It made a BIG difference, as the house sold in less than 3 weeks and for over $80,000 more than the initial estimate! Here is what the client had to say:

"While recognizing the need to stage the house to appeal to the widest possible range of buyers, Sveta was able to understand my tastes and set up a plan that addressed both needs. I am very happy with the result of our work - the house sold in under 3 weeks and for > $80,000 above what brokers had estimated six months earlier." Testimonial from J. Hass - July 2007

That shows how much of a difference Home staging can make!

PS. Too bad we don't work on % from a sale!

Good morning to all,

I am just bursting to share with you some great news - how AR has led me to a new Home Staging buddy and a beginning of friendship. I was sort of feeling lonely by myself, with tons of ideas and things to get done, but also some frustrations...I am noticing several new Home Stagers appearing in the Montreal region, but it seems that each one is on her own (so far, I have come across ladies only), doing her own thing. Everyone seems to have the same problems - not enough clients and jobs...(YET)

So, I have been thinking that two (or three or even more) brains, eyes, and hands are better than one and there is strength in numbers (and experience). I have seen a few websites and a few profiles in my area and came across Mary Seferian (Diva Decor Design) on AR. Turns out she is also a graduate of Debra Gould's Staging Diva program - another thing we had in common. And I liked her smile, profile and energy on AR. I contacted her a few weeks ago and offered to meet for a coffee to chat and share ideas.

We finally met yesterday and it turned into a 3 hour lunch marathon session. Boy, did we have things to share - personal and professional! It was amazing how we clicked and how similar our opinions and strategies are. We decided to look for a way to mutually help each other, support each other, learn and work together - maybe share some expenses, inventory, etc...The details are to be worked out in the next few days/weeks but we both know that this will be a WIN-WIN strategy and will help us to grow bigger and better!

So, if any of you have done this before and have advice, suggestions and ideas on what type of association works best, please let me know.

In the meantime, I want to thank Mary for being so open, energetic and fun and I look forward to developing a new friendship and a Home Staging buddy!

I have been thinking that having a group of people with complementary skills and who I can call upon for help in different situations will boost my confidence, will make me appear more professional (and bigger) and will provide better service to my Home Staging clients. All the things I want...Plus, as Debra from the Staging Diva has taught me, I can also make extra money by referring them to my clients.

So, I set out to find these people and the funny thing is that they have started finding ME (but more on that a bit later). I have talked to an Interior Decorator and an Interior Designer, a handyman, a painter, a landscaper, a cleaning service, a Professional organizer and others. All of them have agreed to an informal collaboration, referrals and mutual help/support! I continue to search for opportunities to expand my network and I believe that knowing these people will bring good things to them and to me.

As I mentioned on my previous blog, I am working really hard on my Website, doing it myself. Even if my site is not 100% to my liking from the visual point of view (sorry, Craig) as I am still learning, I focus on making it optimized for Search Engines and it's starting to work. As my traffic increases steadily every month, more people contact me and that brings me back to the topic of building a team of good associates/partners. In the last week, I have had 3 requests from people interested in working with me - two of them are graduates of an Interior design school and one lady would like to be my general help (on call basis) - whatever the client might need doing (such as cleaning, decluttering, organizing, packing, painting, organizing junk removal, shopping for items....).

I am a bit surpised at this - is it a sign that Home Staging is taking off in Montreal as well?

Now, all I need is hundreds of realtors and home-owners knocking on my door - I'll be ready with a great team to back me up!!!!