Janet Wormitt, CCSP

I have to give more than kudos to two amazing women, Natalie Maione and Buffey Cassidy, they have become my heros and role models within the community. These women not only run their own daycare business, but also founded the charity Helping with Furniture. Located in Ottawa, the nation's capital, each Wednesday night these two ladies commandeer a donated moving truck from Penske and collect unwanted furniture to furnish homes for newly arrived refugee claimants.

When establishing my business, I wanted to give back to the community who supports me. I found the perfect fit. I provide services for clients who are selling and moving. They often had furniture they just didn't need or want anymore. Rather than taking to a landfill, or pay to have the pieces hauled away, I recommend donating the unwanted furniture. It is collected at no charge and finds a more meaningful new life. It makes my clients feel good, and it makes me feel even better. I also donate a percentage of my total revenue and I try very hard to volunteer some time on Wednesday evenings to help.

The charity in its three short years has grown by leaps and bounds and its biggest challenge is to keep up with demand for adequate storage facilities for all the furniture donated and a growing waiting list.

It is a very gratifying, hands-on organization. Within an evening you lug furniture, organize packages of linens and household items and turn a family's empty shelter into a home. For the children of these families it is beyond Christmas. They suddenly have a bed to call their own and toys. If you ever want to feel your heart swell to three times its size, spend an evening helping make a home for families who have left behind everything they knew. The gratitude is overwhelming and life changing.

Last night was Helping with Furniture's very successful third annual fundraiser with about 200 people in attendance. It was a fantastic evening, a warm gathering of volunteers and supporters. The mood was that of a big family, with a mariachi band, belly dancer, and singer songwriter for entertainment through dinner. Some of the refugee claimants were in attendance. The generosity shown to them here in Canada has in turn inspired them to volunteer to help other refugees from all over the world.

Natalie and Buffey's selflessness acumen is inspiring and deserves recognition. They already had busy lives, but they recognized a need to help and made it happen. Their example to their children, their friends, and all of us is stellar. They established connections, global networks and made life-long friends. I'm very thankful our community have people like Natalie and Buffey.

To read more about them please link to: Media

A little over a year ago, you could price a property, call in your stager, then up the price a little more. It would be snatched up. Now the game has changed.

The real estate market is currently like the end of season sale at the mall. Buyers are savvy, picky and looking for the perfect fit at a bargain price. And just like at the mall, shoppers check every possibility to make sure they haven't missed something better lurking just around the corner.

Buying is an emotional impulse -the "it's perfect!" reaction that comes from our unconscious Id level of the brain. Id doesn't care about reality; it just wants to satisfy its needs. We then have to use our logical side, the superego, our conscious, to justify our emotional buying impulse.

To satisfy both its critical to put together the best marketing and presentation strategy possible. This needs the collaboration of the home seller, Realtor®, and property stylist.

The onus is on the Realtor® to really know their market and determine a very sharp price point when the property is first hits the open market. Pricing with a cushion to see what will happen and then ponder a price reduction is not an effective strategy. There just isn't enough qualified buying, or quality selling, traffic to go around.

Buyers are shopping, believing something better is still out there. Like an end-of-season sale, people are expecting designer sheets at K-Mart prices. Can you afford to hang onto your stock with its overhead costs when it's not moving off the shelves. Can anyone predict when the demand will justify former pricing? How much can you afford to lose every day?

The buyer's perspective is your reality. Not only are buyers are frustrated with the quality of selection, sellers are worried that there aren't enough buyers. They're both right. So what's the remedy?

Once you have a sharp competitive price point set, then stage it. Your property will immediately stand out as having the best value in its price range. Home sellers cannot afford to do less. Well priced, well presented homes are competitive and still selling fast. The trick is to use staging to get the buyer's emotional reaction that your property is "it" with a pricing to satisfy Superego's need to look any further.

Home owners should always interview a few potential professionals when deciding which consultant to help them sell their home. Aside from asking about experience and accreditations, there are some other questions you should ask.

•1. May I see your portfolio?

A good professional stager has a portfolio readily available of their own work to show you. Ask about specific challenges they faced staging certain rooms in the portfolio. Pictures can be copied and falsely attributed.

•2. How will your presentation plan suit my needs?

More specifically, what market segment will you be targeting to sell my home to? Can you show me a similar example from your portfolio?

•3. What is your average list-to-offer ratio?

A competent home stager will keep track of how long it takes for properties they've staged to sell and be able to compare it to the local average.

•4. Can you provide private and/or professional references?

Ask if you can call the references or whether any of the references are related.

•5. Can you help me find other professional services?

Most professional stagers can provide a written list of vendors they use as business partners, such as movers, handymen, cleaners, etc. Ask why they prefer the vendors on their list and whether they receive any compensation or preferred pricing for their affiliations.

•6. Is it possible to review any documents I may need to sign in advance?

A professional will have forms available for you to review that details information like liability, permissions, payment schedules, subcontracts, cancellations, and privacy policy.

•7. What sort of guarantee do you offer?

Is there any guarantee that the home will sell? What are the limits or restrictions that may apply?

•8. How much do you charge?

Is there a consultation, or hourly fee? Is there a fixed price for larger full staging projects? Can they work within your budget?

•9. What is the average time of a staging project from consultation to staging?

Specifically, can they work within your target time frame? How much access do they require?

10. Are you insured?

Home stagers may be moving your belongings around. They should ask you in advance to remove or pre-pack any valuables. Find out what type of insurance coverage their business has and what their liability limit is. Although professionals make every effort to be careful and respectful, accidents do happen.

Selling Real Estate is Like Dating

Selling real estate is like dating. To get ready for the open market you have to address the condition issues, pack up the baggage and dress for success.

Curb appeal is house sex appeal. It's catching attention the imagination of potential buyers. When it's time to move, you need to step back and take a hard look at what you've got to offer. You want to create some interest by attracting the widest potential market so you can generate the best offers. What's your curb appeal?

Let's address condition issues first. The trees and bushes are overgrown; there are piles of off-season items, toys or construction material piled around the yard, and your house wearing a coat of paint that was fashionable in 1980. You have maintenance issues. Sounds like you need a fresh trim, a few pounds shed, and an updated look. Taking care and pride in appearances gives you higher perceived value.

Without curb appeal, you'll be a drive-by. Buyers assume that if the exterior's neglected, the interior will be no better. Be sure to groom the exterior. I'm sure you're familiar with the thrill of "love at first sight". You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.

The inside condition is your baggage. If your closets and cupboards are overflowing then you've got more stuff than you can carry. If the counters and desktops are hidden from view, there are a lot of things you haven't been dealing with. Is your oversized furniture blocking throughways and doorways? You've got flow and energy stagnating. You need to unburden yourself.

Open some windows, clean, organize, and create space. Show you have room to spare. In other words, pack up your baggage either by getting rid of it, or storing it. The harsh reality is no one but you can deal with your own mess. Did you really want to carry all that stuff to the next place?

Take a hard look on the inside. Would a visitor feel welcome enough to want to linger? Do the surroundings excite their curiosity? If not, create some. Anticipation is a powerful thing.

Dressing to successfully appeal to the right market is crucial. Start by knowing who your target market is and how they think. Know who you're you dressing for. If your market is young professionals, you won't be a standout if you're in Grandma's clothes. If you're marketing for a family, you want to emphasize the qualities of family spaces and bedrooms even though you may be a confirmed bachelor.

Knowing how to dress is about understanding your square footage and what its assets are. You need draw the eye away from detractions and highlight the best features with a bit of colour.. Don't overdo it. Strong colours are like strong personalities. Neutral colours are safer and less offensive, but too much neutral is downright boring. Find a balance which exudes confidence, not chaos.

The preparation work is done. Now you need to find your market. The internet is the tool for buyers prescreening homes to view. Make sure your photos look great and are effective. Professional photography can be a worthwhile investment.

When buyers start arriving be sure to let them know their presence is welcome even though you're absent. Fresh smells, flowers, hors oeuvres, beverages (you get the idea), will encourage them linger. Lingering will fire up their imagination and create a favorable and lasting impression, and this will hopefully create enough interest to lead to the all important, second showing.