home staging

10 Years Strong - What I Know For Sure

2026 marks a decade of transforming homes, supporting Realtors, and helping sellers maximize their return.

Like any journey, there have been some highs and lows but ultimately I’m grateful for the trust, partnerships and beautiful spaces that made these 10 years possible.

What I know after 10 years:

  1. Every occupied listing needs a pre-listing consult.

  2. Stagers are pre-listing marketing experts (who can also decorate).

  3. Sellers deserve the truth about their home’s condition.

  4. It’s never a good idea to list a vacant home.

  5. Today’s sellers appreciate Realtors who provide a FULL game plan (both before and after listing).

  6. Sellers never regret prepping their home.

  7. The staging process is an essential part of the home’s overall marketing strategy.

  8. Sellers never regret investing in styling their home for photos and showings.

  9. Not all Realtors fully understand the value of our role. Let’s change that :)

  10. Staging is here to stay.

2026 GOALS:

  1. Continue to help Realtors and their Sellers achieve their collective goal - a quick and profitable sale

  2. Add more Realtors to our Partners list - www.flairstyleco.com/partners

  3. Continue to expand our reach into the Bruce Peninsula

  4. Heather and I will continue to train Janice and Sarah so that they can confidently take on more styling projects (and we need a new team photo !!)

  5. Launch and expand on our ‘Homes Show Better Here’ campaign (stay tuned!)

 
 

What I've Learned About Staging This Year (#1)

Now entering my 10th year of staging provides me with some unique insight … the ability to look back over time to analyze many things staging-related - who embraces the process and why, who doesn’t and why, etc.

One very glaring observation has been the lack of pre-listing consults happening:

  • in any market condition

  • with all local Realtors (Grey County, Southern Georgian Bay and the Bruce Peninsula)

  • with even my go-to Realtors (eek)

I’m not going to lie … when I peruse Realtor.ca and observe the (really not good) state of many listings, I’m stunned. I always ask myself ‘how on Earth did that happen?’ - meaning, what events led up to the seller being okay with presenting their home that way? the Realtor being okay with presenting the home that way? And, I’m not talking about lower-end listings … it happens at ALL price points.

Presentation is everything in real estate.

So, why are pre-listing consultations NOT happening to make sure EVERY listing is consistently professional and polished?

Without surveying Realtors and sellers (which I would love to do!), one of the conclusions I’ve come to is that there’s a misconception that consults are just a nuisance - they take time and money, they delay the listing, they create an obligation to stage, they put more pressure on the seller at an already difficult time and create conversations Realtors just don’t want to have. The general concensus still seems to be ‘list now and we’ll figure things out later”. Here’s the truth:

“Pre-listing consults are, hands-down, the best investment any Realtor or Seller could make (and with very minimal cost). They provide genuine, expert help in the form of a comprehensive game plan which outlines what needs to be done to prep the home before listing. Completely pressure-free. No upsell. Just honest, neutral, professional guidance aimed at providing the best chance of selling.

There are no downsides for either the Seller or Realtor. Bottom line, a pre-listing consult should occur:

  • on EVERY LISTING

  • at ANY PRICE POINT

  • EVERY TIME

Let’s talk!

Julie Brown, CSP
email: julie.b@flairstyleco.com
519 270 482

Showcasing a Model Home

In September of 2023, we had the pleasure of being hired by Northridge Homes to showcase one of their newly-built designs in their Annex Georgian Bay development (just north of Owen Sound, ON).

The builder opted to purchase the inventory for this project with the intention of using it in future model homes. For us, this meant sourcing, purchasing and placing all items for this home including furniture, accessories, artwork, lighting and all soft goods (pillows, bedding, etc).

It was a labour of love spread out over a period of 5-6 weeks which gave us the time needed to bring all of the pieces together. Article furniture was sourced and delivered by Melanie and her team at Monarkey Furniture Rentals.

Special thanks to Dave & Calvin Rai at Northridge.
Realtor: Matthew Lidbetter @ Sotheby’s.
Photographer: Alan Shisko @ First Showing

Since 2016, Flair Style Co. has been providing home styling services for Realtors, sellers and builders in the Southern Georgian Bay, Grey County and Bruce Peninsula areas of Ontario. For more information on how our services can assist you with a quick and profitable property sale, contact us - we look forward to hearing from you!