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What type of Designer are you?
I am a home stager which means that I help realtors and home owners prepare their properties for the real estate market to ensure they outshine their competitors.
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When did you start working in the Design industry?
I started working in the design industry in 2004 when I was living and working in Florence, Italy. I managed a real estate office that specialized in the sale of villas in Tuscany and Sardinia. We began staging the properties as part of an experiment and never looked back. As a hobby, I’ve been designing furniture layouts for 20+ years. I’ve loved arranging and rearranging furniture ever since I was a little kid. My family moved often and I was the ‘go to’ person when setting up our new homes from a very young age.
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What first motivated you to get involved in the Design industry and why?
After living in Italy for 4 years, I returned to Vancouver and re-entered the corporate world. Shortly after my return, the recession hit and I was laid off. I had been second guessing my decision to return to the land of cubicles and florescent lights and was reminiscing about my time in Florence where I spent my days inspired by my surroundings and letting my creativity prosper. After being laid off, I decided to take the opportunity to turn my hobby into my profession and launched my own company. It was hands down the best decision I’ve ever made and I couldn’t be happier.
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What past work experience did you have before becoming a Designer?
I spent the first part of my career as a corporate recruiter. I worked for RBC for many years and enjoyed every minute of it. I loved helping people launch their careers and watching them progress within the company. I left that position to pursue my dream of travelling and took a 6 month solo trip; I spent 4 months in Europe and 2 months in Fiji. It was the adventure of a lifetime!
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What type of education or training have you received for your profession?
Home staging is an unregulated industry; there are no specific requirements to become a home stager. I have, however, taken a certification program and continue to upgrade my skills on a regular basis. Home staging is a very unique industry in the way that you either ‘have it’ or you don’t. I am proud to be the appointed President of the Metro Vancouver Chapter of RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) which requires all members to comply with a strict Code of Ethics to build credibility in this relatively new industry.
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What type of service options do you offer?
I provide consultations, detailed project plans for DIY clients and complete on site home staging. This includes furnishing a vacant property or working with the existing belongings of a client and ‘redesigning’ their space to ensure the property shows in its best light. Nothing is written in stone; sometimes I will be called in to prepare a home for the filming of a virtual tour, on other occasions I am called to furnish key areas of a property. I am flexible with my services to ensure I can meet the needs of my diverse client base.
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What is your design philosophy and why?
My particular philosophy is pretty simple: to alleviate stress and to provide a fresh outlook on my client’s living space that sells quickly. My clients are often quite overwhelmed and under a lot of stress when we meet. My goal is to alleviate that stress and create solutions that allow for a quick and easy sale of their home.
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Do you work alone? Or are you part of a team and why?
I am technically a ‘one lady show’ but I do have a great team of people that I work with for my bigger projects. I love the camaraderie of being part of a team and seeing a big project come together before our eyes. Creating a well planned project is incredibly satisfying to complete with the help of great people.
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Where do you live and how long have you lived there?
I currently live in the West End of Vancouver and have been there since my return to Canada in 2008. I split my time between downtown and a farm in the Fraser Valley where my partner lives. I have the best of both worlds: a beautiful view of English Bay and a gorgeous farmhouse on an acreage!
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Where are you from and why did you move?
I was born in Victoria but have lived in many cities and towns throughout Western Canada. I was a ‘military brat’ growing up and moved every 4-5 years when my Dad was posted to different bases. I spent most of my youth in the Comox Valley where my family still resides.
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What geographical area do you specialize in and why?
When I first launched my Empire, I wanted to specialize in the downtown core but I’ve found that my projects have been anywhere from Yaletown to White Rock. I love the variety and have chosen to not specialize in a specific geographical area.
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How has your family life helped you in your profession?
There is no way I’d be where I am today if it wasn’t for my family, which consists of my parents, my partner, and my very close friends. I am so fortunate to have the most encouraging support system anyone could wish for and I am so grateful for them. My family rocks and that’s that.
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What aspects of your job are most pleasing to you?
That’s a loaded question! There are so many aspects of my job that make me happy but I’d have to say the most pleasing part of any project is getting ‘that’ phone call from my ecstatic client telling me that their property has sold. I love hearing the joy in their voice.
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How can working with you benefit a customer?
Working with Epic Empire Designs is beneficial in many ways, not that I’m biased or anything. I pride myself on creating solutions and plans that don’t turn the lives of my clients upside down. Selling a property is considered one of the most stressful times in one’s life and I take this very seriously. I gather as much information as possible about the lifestyle of my clients before I begin planning. I carefully consider their daily routines and incorporate them into my project plans to ensure I’m not adding to their stress but alleviating it!
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What are some of your favorite design tips you give to your clients?
There are two gems that come to mind. De-personalizing is key when preparing homes for sale. Most people have family photos throughout their home and a great way to utilize the existing photos is to place beautiful, decorative paper in the frames to tie in the colour theme of the room or introduce a splash of colour. Why cover up family photos you ask? There are 2 reasons: People are naturally nosy by nature and you don’t want buyers to be distracted by your ‘stuff’. Secondly, when buyers see family photos, they automatically feel like a guest in your home and have difficultly imagining themselves living there. Buying a home is quite a psychological and emotional decision; skilled home stagers realize this and know how to appeal to buyers and cause them to emotionally connect with a space.
The second tip I give my clients who are living in the home they’re selling is to pack up anything they can live without for 2 months. This helps declutter the space and, here comes the best part, gives them a head start on packing. Everything in the home will have to be packed anyway so by starting to sort the contents of each room, they will not only get some packing done ahead of time, they will also find things they are ready to sell or donate so they’re not moving unneeded items to their new home. Sorting through belongings and purging once in a while is good for the soul, in my opinion that is.
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What awards or achievements have you received in your profession?
Well, since you’re practically forcing me to blow my own horn, here goes nothing. I’ve recently found out that I’m a finalist for the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ via Douglas College’s Self Employment Program which I’m very excited about. I’ve appeared on Global News for a story about ‘Lipstick Entrepreneurs’ (I’m not crazy about that term, just for the record) and one of my projects was featured in Business in Vancouver as it sold in 6 days for $100K over the asking price after a very exciting bidding war. Lastly, and I will stop after this, Home Makeover Magazine has asked me to perform ‘live’ makeovers on their booth at the upcoming Interior Design Show West in October which I’m ridiculously excited about.
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What hobbies, sports, TV programs, or activities do you like?
Before becoming an entrepreneur, I had much more free time for hobbies! When I have time I love to go boating in the Okanagon, curl up with a great book or magazine and…here comes a confession…watch Coronation Street. There, I said it. It’s true. It’s my favourite show and I PVR it every day. I’ve also started running which has been an amazing addition to my days – it’s such a great stress reliever.
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What charities are you interested or involved with?
As part of our Metro Vancouver RESA Chapter, we are currently working on a project in the downtown eastside. The project is called Sereena’s House, a hotel that provides long term housing for women who live and work on the streets. We are in the midst of gathering donations of furniture, kitchen supplies, paint and flooring so we can turn the space into a comfortable home for the women. The generousity of the donors has been amazing to see; it’s been a learning experience and has made me realize how much we take for granted on a daily basis.
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What do you do in your spare time?
Spare time? It rings a bell but I am not familiar with this term.
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What is your best customer-related memory or experience?
That’s an easy one! In May 2010, we staged a vacant home in South Vancouver for a fantastic realtor who had never worked with a home stager. He came to the property when we finished the set up and literally jumped up and down and clapped his hands with a huge smile across his face. It was priceless, I’ll never forget it. The property ended up selling for $100K over the asking price in 6 days after receiving 12 offers after the first open house. Receiving his phone call once the bidding war completed was the icing on the cake; he was so excited and thanked me over and over again. This is the project that was featured in BIV a few weeks later.
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What makes you different?
My overseas experience makes me different. As a home stager, a big part of my job is to address awkward or delicate topics with our clients. For example, if you are a beer stein collector and they are on display throughout your home, I will likely suggest that they be packed and stored until you move. Having worked in Italy, with Florentines, who are incredibly proud of their families and heirlooms, I mastered the art of having these fragile conversations in my second language of Italian. Having these conversations in English is an art and one that I feel I excel in. When a realtor calls me to meet with their client, I am playing a big part in building their relationship and ensuring I provide an outstanding experience is imperative.
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How will you be able to help a new client?
I can help new clients prepare their property for the real estate market to ensure it outshines its competition. Budget is quite often a concern and I can work with all ranges while still making a huge impact. With over 90% of buyers starting their search online, having a listing that photographs beautifully is key. Our projects have high traffic open houses and are on the market for an average of 25 days, as opposed to the market average of 68. We can help our clients sell their properties quickly and for top dollar.
