TRB Interviews: Staging Expert Lucie Brand!

Renovation

< 1 minute read

January 20, 2021

Who doesn’t love looking at “Before & After” photos, right?

Whether it’s that half-naked fat guy that lost 200 pounds (and now seems really tanned and to have a different haircut…), or that out-of-date living room that was transformed into a modern masterpiece, before and afters are glorious!

Wait….maybe one of the two above aren’t glorious.  Vote to follow…

I should have done this interview a long time ago, but alas, here we are, January of 2021, with the Toronto real estate market on fire and staging playing a huge role: seems like the right time to me!

Ideally, I’ll do one interview blog per month in this busy spring market so the voice on Toronto Realty Blog is kept a little fresher than it is when I’m the only one talking!  Then again, if you’re tired of my voice, you know there’s always a comments section below for you to create your own topics, and engage in your own banter.  But I don’t need to tell you guys that…

Some of the questions that we will be answering:

  1. In a nutshell, what is staging?
  2. What is the difference between staging and decorating?
  3. Why would a person stage a vacant house?  Doesn’t the house look bigger when the rooms are empty?
  4. How has the pandemic affected your staging services?
  5. I’m planning to sell in the spring, what can I do now to get ready given the current situation?
  6. Why do stagers always recommend we paint everything WHITE when most new owners are going to re-paint?
  7. What does the staging process look like?

Enjoy!

See you Friday!

Written By David Fleming

David Fleming is the author of Toronto Realty Blog, founded in 2007. He combined his passion for writing and real estate to create a space for honest information and two-way communication in a complex and dynamic market. David is a licensed Broker and the Broker of Record for Bosley – Toronto Realty Group

Find Out More About David Read More Posts

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22 Comments

  1. Francesca

    at 9:21 am

    We sold our house in November and used my realtors stager. We were skeptics about whether it was necessary but wow what a transformation once she was done. I’m confident it helped us get a higher price than we even thought we would get. This wasn’t the first time we sold a property but first time we staged it and I can definitely say it was worth the effort and time it took to declutter etc. We would without hesitation do it again!

  2. Terry

    at 9:34 am

    What do you think of real estate agents who say they do their own staging?

    1. David Fleming

      at 2:24 pm

      @ Terry

      Great question! I could have included this in my interview with Lucie.

      I believe in specialization. I believe in being the best at one thing. So it goes without saying that I hire Lucie and her team for my listings rather than trying to do it myself, to save money.

      I can’t tell you how many agents try this. It’s pathetic, sorry to most agents out there – and I say “most” because some of the big agents have $2 Million in furniture in a warehouse, and that’s great! But the agents who pull into the parking lot with a headboard sticking out the side window of their Honda Civic?? Seriously?

      You can tell the difference between a true professional stager, and an agent that rented crap from “Rent Wow” and had her boyfriend help her drag it into the condo.

  3. Thomas

    at 5:33 pm

    Does staging really matter in the current market? A pile of bricks could sell quickly in this market!

    1. Thomas

      at 5:33 pm

      And over asking of course! And I am not being sarcastic.

  4. Jeremy

    at 7:14 pm

    Amazing hockey sweater collection in the video!

    1. Grant A

      at 8:58 am

      When does Alexander Ovechkin go up on that wall along with the others?

      1. David Fleming

        at 9:37 am

        @ Grant A

        First of all, I have no room for a 5th jersey.

        Second of all, Alex Ovechkin is currently in the company of Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne, and Mike Gartner when it comes to goals scored, which is what makes him an all-time great. But none of those guys get a sniff at the title of “greatest ever,” so nor should Ovechkin.

        My top-five is indisputable.

        Maurice Richard was Ovechkin before Ovechkin was Ovechkin! First player to score 50 goals, first 50-in-50, first to 500. Iconic and legendary. A saint in Montreal. The “Richard Riot” of 1955. Google “Maurice Richard eyes” and tell me you’re not scared.

        Gordie Howe is perhaps the greatest player ever, depending on who you ask. This needs no explanation.

        Bobby Orr is ALSO perhaps the greatest player ever, depending on who you ask. To call him “the greatest defenceman ever” is like saying that water is wet. He actually might be the “most skilled” player ever.

        Then, there’s Wayne Gretzky. He’s the most dominant athlete in his sport of all-time, if we’re acknowledging that Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones are cheats.

        Lastly, you have Mario Lemieux, who didn’t have the benefit of playing with Messier, Kurri, Coffey, and Anderson, and still put up the stats that he did. Wait, actually Mario DID play with Coffeey – in his 199-point season in 1988-89. Amazing that Coffey played with both Gretzky and Lemieux in each of their best seasons ever, but I digress. Mario put up 1,723 points in 915 games! The guy only played 915 games, that’s what people forget! Wayne played in 1,487. Howe played in 1,767.

        Ovechkin may finish his career as the 6th best player in the history of the NHL, but alas, I only have room for five…

        I’m happy to talk sports any time! I seriously need another blog.

        1. Jason

          at 1:27 pm

          No Way! 6th best player? A lot will depend on if he can catch Gretzky for most goals scored. If he can, then that will be quite the feat! I wouldn’t even have him in the Top 10 until he won his Cup. That helped him a lot in my eyes. If he passes Gretzky, he has a shot at 7 or 8 on my list.

        2. Professional Shanker

          at 2:06 pm

          Crosby has been a better player and more valuable to his team than Ovi over their entire careers, Ovi is a great goal scorer. 6th best player….that gave me a chuckle!

        3. Whaaa?

          at 2:17 pm

          “but alas, I only have room for five…”

          Unless you upsize to a larger house…

        4. Appraiser

          at 3:18 pm

          Mike Bossy may be considered the best goal scorer of all time. H still has a record that neither Ovi nor Gretzky has, which is 9 consecutive 50-goal seasons. He is also third all-time in points per game after an illustrious but shortened 10-year career boasting 4 Stanley Cups and a Canada Cup.

          He also played all of his career with the Islanders. No having to gag while watching Bobby Orr skate around in a Black Hawks jersey for the last 2 years of his career.

          1. David Fleming

            at 3:47 pm

            @ Appraiser

            Mike Bossy: 573 goals in his 10-year career.

            Second-best 10-year period to Wayne Gretzky, who scored 637 goals in his first 10 seasons. (Hull: 522, Mario: 494, Ovi: 475)

            Bossy still has the highest ever goals-per-game average in NHL history at 0.76.

  5. Condodweller

    at 9:12 pm

    Question 2 was interesting. Made me wonder though if you think so highly of Lucie as a stager why not use her services for your decorating needs. Especially as you had such a hard time finding the right person as described in a recent blog.

  6. Jason

    at 1:20 pm

    Good interview David. I’ve used Lucie to stage all my condos before sale and she and her team are great. Highly recommend!

  7. Kyle

    at 8:21 am

    I’m enjoying the interview series, David. I for one hope you continue them.

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  13. kelleyjames

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    Yes it’s all about the renovation and ideas that come to your mind when you are thinking of home remodeling or renovation.

Pick5 is a weekly series comparing and analyzing five residential properties based on price, style, location, and neighbourhood.

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