To stage or not to stage. For those of us who have staged a home or have seen a home that has had a major decorative face-lift, the answer is obvious: a big, fat, resounding “Yes” to staging.
I have recently discovered this new service called ‘staging’. At first, I thought it was some sort of means to ‘act out a pretend house’ – it has something to do with theatre, right? Looking further into exactly what staging a home really means, I thought, “I don’t need that – my taste is just fine. I can sell this house as-is with my own keen eye.” Then I saw a home that had undergone the magical transformation of staging. Wow, what a difference a service like this can make to selling (or purchasing) a home.
Andrea Foxman, CEO of “Home Ingredients” has been staging homes for over a year. Design and Interior Decorating are her passion and this naturally successful entrepreneur (she started, ran, and grew a highly successful talent agency business for 10 years prior to this endeavor) has the knack for good business, and more importantly, she knows how to make a home aesthetically brilliant.
A little known housing market fact: Homes that are staged sell up to 5-7% more. As Andrea sees it,
“It’s like detailing your car when you want to sell it…. a little curb appeal, rearranging your furniture and the flow of the house could make a big difference in your sale.”
Most home sellers don’t want to take the time and money to spiff up their homes. 5-7% more seals the deal for me. If you’re selling a home, “Home Ingredients” enables the seller a very large leg up when selling a home and provides the buyer the vision and incentive to purchase that perfect home. And they do it all: scope the project, bring in the goods, the set up, the strike down – et voila, a sold home!
Andrea has some unbelievable pieces in her jam-packed warehouse on the west side in Vancouver. Her unique and creative style is not the only aspect that gives her an advantage on her competitors – “Home Ingredients” rents furniture as well. So if you are a professional stager, you’d go to Andrea for her fine selection of rentals. Calling all Realtors and developers: you need this woman’s expert assistance!
My artistic ego has taken a hit: there’s plenty of good proof and reason to leave this role to the professionals and have Andrea continue to do what she delivers so brilliantly.
I’ve been working on this project since last November when I made my first trek back to St. John’s to begin the development stage. Now, a year later, quite magically (and through a lot of hard work by a lot of great people) 
