SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2018
She’s a CCSP (a Canadian Certified Staging Professional). She’s a member of RESA (the Real Estate Staging Association). She operates under the former’s internationally recognized Code of Ethics. She’s fully insured via Jones DesLaurier Insurance Management Inc., a leading business insurance and risk management brokerage firm in Southern Ontario. And when she spoke with Spotlight on Business in early October, the Founder and Owner of the Flair Style Company, Julie Brown, spoke with the same artful purpose with which she stages homes for private clients and realtors alike. “When I decided to pursue home staging, I knew that meaningful certification and proper training would be important,” she explained. “But creating appealing spaces,” she continued, “was already in my blood. I had the pleasure of being raised in a creative environment surrounded by family members who routinely engaged in handmade and home decorating projects. Creating appealing living spaces was always important to me personally so it was my hope, my dream, to pursue a career in interior design.” Now she assists homeowners and real estate professionals in the Grey County and Southern Georgian Bay regions gain a competitive edge in today’s market. And with the assistance of her creative mentors, her mom and sister, Flair Style Co. also offers a seasonal decorating service. Flair Style Co.’s handmade home decor items and cards are available at Etsy.com and to wholesale clients in Canada and the US.
By David MacDonald J ulie is well on her way to obtaining her CCSP Masters of Real Estate Staging designation – her meritorious completion of the initial Canadian Certified Staging Professional course provided her with 16 of the 28 required credits. On her march to 28 Julie has become an Occupied Staging Specialist, something that has allowed her to stretch her creative wings at new heights. “I prefer taking a vacant space, a blank canvas, so to speak, and transforming it into a warm and welcoming setting,” she explained. “But, both occupied and vacant staging projects provide me with the opportunity to apply and develop my creative talents and are rewarding in their own ways. I strive for each project to represent my work in the best way possible, especially considering how important referral business is in staging.” “When I stage either a vacant or occupied property, I have to take into account several factors,” Julie continued. “I need to consider who the target buyer is going to be; the style, design, and layout of the home; and what current trends would be appropriate in the space or spaces. My goal with any staging project is to showcase the property’s rooms to their fullest potential keeping in mind function, flow and focal point. The buyer needs to envision themselves living there, so creating
a neutral-coloured, non-personal, visually-appealing space is always key. I endeavour to approach each project in a professional, thorough and respectful way for all involved, including the seller and agent. This includes ensuring that everyone is aware of the process, timelines and end goals. I recognized early on, mostly with occupied staging, that the process can be very difficult for some sellers – respecting that and learning how to work with them is critical to the project’s success.” “My goal with any staging project is to showcase the property’s rooms to their fullest potential keeping in mind function, flow and focal point.” While Flair Style Co. often works closely with homeowners who have decided to independently list their home, the majority of Julie’s staging work comes from hard-earned business partnerships with local real estate agents. In the spring of this year, Julie secured her place as the team stager for the Kearns Paara Group of Royal LePage-Loca- tions North in Thornbury. “They are usually the first point of contact with the seller,” she said. “They obtain the listing and they have the initial discussion regarding the benefits of staging. After that, they refer me to the seller so that I can schedule an onsite consultation to begin the process.”
For real estate agents everywhere, the advantages of
Sutton-Sound Realty Inc., Brokerage LocallyOwned and Independently Operated.
ChrisWynn 519-379-1608 chris@annandchris.ca AnnMilne 519-371-0341 ann@annandchris.ca
Chris &Ann Sales Representitives www.annandchris.ca
1077 2nd Avenue East, Owen Sound
find other niche markets where staging and styling can be applied like rental properties, retail storefronts and vignette settings – that sort of thing. The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA®) was formed in 2007, as the industry’s first trade association to advance excellence and professionalism in the real estate staging industry. I joined RESA in 2016 as a way to add credibility to my business but, more importantly, to network and keep abreast of industry trends via ongoing education and their annual convention. They provide excellent training opportunities via routine webinars and online courses. There are approximately 50 local chapters across both Canada and the US; however, currently no chapter in my area. I anticipate that this will change over time as staging becomes standard practice in real estate and the number of local stagers increases. I’m confident that the staging industry will continue to grow as buyers demand aesthetically-pleasing, move-in ready properties.”
having a home staging professional as a part of the team are palpable in today’s media-driven marketplace. Julie explained that her real estate partners “all include my home staging consultation” as part of their service. “It’s similar to how they include professional photography and video tours as part of their marketing package,” she said. “This allows the seller to benefit from an initial visit from me where I determine the condition of items that need to addressed – sometimes it’s painting, cleaning, decluttering, that sort of thing. Then I work with them and put in place a plan for how to proceed. I also present the seller with a proposal for having me showcase – or “stage” – their home once the conditions have been met.” Sometimes meeting the conditions for Julie’s vision requires her to take an extra step. She explained how a stager in a city centre “like the GTA” has at their disposal “maybe several companies dedicated to servicing the furniture rental needs of stagers” for vacant – and oftentimes occupied – staging projects. “However, in our smaller region, there’s no such luck,” Julie said. “It isn’t practical for stagers to purchase large items for their inventory such as couches, dining sets, consoles, and all that – and why not? The furniture itself is costly to buy and store; it means additional costs to trans- port the furniture each time in terms of drivers and vehicles; and most importantly: design styles come and go quickly, so you would need to rotate the inventory routinely. And obviously you want each stage to be unique, so using the same items over and over simply doesn’t allow for that. That said, I had to find a solution.” “It’s similar to how they include professional photography and video tours as part of their marketing package.” Julie approached several rental companies outside of her staging area. Executive Furniture Rentals, a family-owned, pioneering force in furniture rentals across Canada, was more than willing to help and at “reasonable delivery rates,” Julie said with gratitude in her voice. “Since one of their areas of specialty is home staging, they offer on-trend furniture and accessories that fit the bill for both Julie’s mid- range and luxury home staging projects,” she said. More recently, Flair Style Co. has partnered with Monarkey Furni- ture Rentals which is, Julie explained, operated by a fellow CCSP. “Monarkey also provides cost-effective rental and delivery to my area. The rental items that become staging pieces for Flair Style Co. projects are selected by me online via their websites. They are delivered by the rental company and paid for by the seller. Flair wouldn’t be what it is today without the assistance of its business partners. My hope is to continue to build these relationships so that there are ongoing benefits for all of us.” Looking forward, Julie sees the Flair Style Co. mission expanding. “I want to continue with both occupied and vacant staging projects,” she said, “but I also want to
Thank you to our advertisers:
Sutton-Sound Realty Inc., Brokerage LocallyOwned and Independently Operated.
www.annandchris.ca
Flair Style Co.
julie.b@flairstyleco.com 519-270-4482
ChrisWynn 519-379-1608 chris@annandchris.ca AnnMilne 519-371-0341 ann@annandchris.ca
www.flairstyleco.com
Chris &Ann SalesRepresentitives www.annandchris.ca
1077 2nd Avenue East, Owen Sound
as spotlighted in the OCTOBER 2018 issue of SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
www.spotlightonbusinessmagazine.com
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