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I Vii,’ V 7 |“ i H mm Hill)“ cunonicu - Wednesday. March 2. 2011 I Vflâ€"flâ€"W Big stage Waterloo home stager wins Canadian rookie of the year award [3ma MACDONALD She also recommends small renovation Chmm'tle Staff projects that could be done before the home . is sold. fter spending most of her working life 1 ‘~-‘~ ‘ “Nothing big that way â€" bathroom Ain automotive manufacturing, Chris -‘ " » . ' l ' updates. landscape updates. paint colours.” tine Bird's life changed drastically . . ’ ' .1 ' Once Bird hasfiled her report, homeown- when the industry tanked. y . g * ' ‘ ers have a couple of options Though her career was gone, the Water- - 7’ “ x . “They have a list of projects to tackle and loo resident has reemerged as one of the '1‘ a . .. i then they can invite me back to showcase area's top home stagers. "‘ _ ’ . % the house." Bird said. ‘Showcasing would be “Staging was a reinvention for me." Bird . ‘ a - working mostly with their own'furnishings said. ' Q. - ' and supplementing with rental inventory if ! Home staging is preparing a house for ' a I it needed it." i sale. It can range from suggestions about \ ' fl . And ifthe house is new or the occupants . how to make a house attractive to buyers to " ‘ have already moved. she mn tackle that too. { bringing in rented furnishings to make the ' ' “if the house is completely empty. I can I house look good. . ' , furnish a house from top to bottom.~ she i Though she's only known about home . ‘. said. ‘ staging for a couple of years, Bird was . ‘ . t. _ The best piece of advice Bird can give recently named the top Canadian rookie ' “ 7“ ~... someone looking to sell is to make sure the stager by the Real Estate Staging Associa- O " house has curb appwl. .. tion. .. t . A j “it's what the buyer sees the minute they It’s the cherry on top of what's been a \ ' a drive up toahouse," Bird said. 1 tumultuous couple of years for Bird. which :5 (a “First impressions start to get formed the I. included a move to a new city and starting a - i g: 0 minute they lay eyes on your house.” brand new career. 1 Q E. l Landscaping and the exterior of your “i didn‘t even realize this practice exist- ‘ 3 . «it- » house are just as important as the inside. ed.“ she said. ‘ . 5‘ . 4,-.. ~ â€" -~ . . Bird said. Bird discovered staging when she was . ‘ 1- One of the biggest obstacles that she preparing to sell her Bracebridge, Ont., ‘ ‘5' faces is staging‘s profile. Many sellers still home and make the move to Waterloo. .. . HQ ‘ don't know what it is. "I really just stumbled into it sort of back- ”It is more and more gradually under< wards from selling my house in Braceâ€" ' stood. but it's still quite misunderstood." bridge." she said. Bird said. ‘ “in Bracebridge at that time. there was no G “There's certain markets where they real practice of home staging." , won't sell without staging, but unfortunately I As Bird worked to sell her home. she had ' - . we‘re not in one of those markets yet," I an inkling that there might be a career $7 Staging has had an increased profile in ] opportunity for her. . 52’ recent years thanks to television shows on “I realized there was something here that ‘ '5" _ fig various home renovation television net- 1 would want to try." she said. 21‘ ¢ " “é works. \ When she came to Waterloo. Bird started ”a. ‘ \j " Bird isn‘t sure if those types of shows are New View Home Staging. x“. ‘ a, helping or hurting the business. Business has been growing steadily and K1 _. “ "They're not realistic to what a home . Bird has three or four appointments per ’ i 1 stager does onadaily basis, week. She's expecting that number to i‘ “We don't arrive with teams of 10 â€"-~ we ‘ explode in the spring. t . work more with what the homeowner has” There are a number of services that Bird " \ offers. The basic service is a consultation. ‘ Bird will go to a seller's home and give -â€"~..._ NEWVieW Home 8% ‘ tips on what the person could do to make Christine Bird the home wore attractive. I 519-505-0892 1 “It mig t be what I see as chal enges in . . ~ - I the house that might hold you back. or great Waterloo resident Ovistine Bird with her rookie of the year award from the Real Estate Stag- mffimmfigfigngm features that you might want to play up ing Association. ‘ more.” she said. “Gm-“mm \ .‘ zl‘ ‘ DR. TIM SEilllER ' DR. DOUG JONES '1 s ‘ " " C l D IC ‘ l DENTISTR amp ete enta are ~ ; . g Call for your free InVIsalIgn‘ consultation - j ‘ SM I I E WIT II c o N r I D E N (E hum" i the mvusnble way to straIghten yourteeth. www techtowndentIstrycom Your W0fld needs YOU! smfle- ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS {4-