We are excited to introduce you to the 2019 RESA Greater Calgary Chapter board members! Follow their chapter on Facebook to stay up to date with their meetings!
Rachel Borrelli: Chapter President
Rachel is the owner and lead Property Stylist of Diversa Designs Inc., serving Calgary and surrounding areas since 2010. A graduate from the University of Calgary in both the Business Management and the Visual Design program, specializing in Interior Design. Rachel is a Canadian Certified Staging Professional and Redesigner who believes that staying current matters in order to sell every home she consults and stages, to sell for top dollar and as quickly as possible! As the Chairman of the RESA Greater Calgary Chapter, her vision is to bring all local professional stagers together and have Realtors, Builders and Investors understand how having a RESA member on their team is a competitive advantage.
What is your favorite place to find inspiration for your staging projects?
I find inspiration absolutely everywhere, however, my favorite place is the Las Vegas Market, for me it’s creativity at its finest. I not only love beautiful things, but the way people bring things together in ways that are unique and new.
What is your favorite activity outside of staging homes?
My favorite activity outside of home staging is traveling with my family. I have so many wonderful memories of traveling the world, learning the culture, laughing over dinners or sitting on a beach. I feel truly blessed!
What advice do you have for someone starting out in the staging industry?
Join your local RESA Chapter. We are stronger together, so why be alone? We are so fortunate to stand next to a group of caring professionals who want to help you and grow together. By joining an association you are with people who have the same commitment and passion for excellence. Professional development, exposure, comradely are all reasons to join.
Yvonne Laanstra: Chapter President-Elect
Yvonne is an award winning home stager, CID and Certified Color consultant, who was born in the Netherlands and moved to Canada in 2001. With a strong passion for design, color and art, she started her Home Staging company ‘Staging Calgary!’ in 2006. Yvonne’s specialty is preparing clients and their properties for the Real Estate market, by offering them valuable and strategic advice during her Home Staging Consultations. Yvonne is known for her clear (and kind) communication skills, eye for detail and great customer service. She takes the time to educate her clients about the staging process, cheers them on when things seem overwhelming and is a source of information when clients have interior design questions. Yvonne received top 10 award 2017 for International Home Staging team and was awarded Professional Stager Canada 2018 for the occupied staging category.
What is the best part of being a business owner?
The best part of being a business owner is that I can be the creative force behind all the decisions made in my business, sculpting the company how I like it to be and be able to change it when needed, so I can serve my clients best and offer services that reflect who I am and what I stand for. Connecting with like-minded clients, offering fabulous and inspiring solutions.
What do you hope to accomplish as a chapter?
I hope the RESA Greater Calgary chapter will be an energetic and inspiring group of home stagers that will have the common goal of making the staging industry more professional, be seen as professionals in the Real Estate industry in general and learning together. I’d like for the chapter to be inspiring, uplifting and informative for all who join.
Who would you like to assist on a stage, and why?
I would love to stage a home with Sarah Richardson. She has been such an inspiration to me. Starting off at HGTV with her craft program, turning ordinary items into fun décor items, to being this internationally admired interior designer that still stays very true to herself and what she stands for. She seems very approachable and a lady you could have a great coffee with, yet she designs the most beautiful homes and makes it look so easy. I would love to work with her and love to learn from her.
Lori Dykes: Chapter Secretary
Lori Dykes is the owner and lead designer of Style Me Sold Home Staging. She is a certified Staging Professional & Vacant Staging Specialist through the Canadian Staging Professional Academy. Lori works collaboratively with homeowners and realtors to ensure each property she stages shows to its greatest advantage.
Blending her own love of interior design with expertise gained through training and experience, Lori is able to effectively highlight a home’s unique features to buyers. Lori has worked with reputable real estate agencies, including Century 21, and ReMax.
Style Me Sold is based out of Okotoks, Alberta and also serves Calgary and surrounding areas.
What part of the business is difficult for you?
Staging is a relatively new concept in the process of selling a home. It can be difficult to market staging services to some realtors and sellers who are unaware of the value staging can add to their property.
What advice do you have for someone starting out in the staging industry?
Networking is more than just a buzz word- it is an important skill that can make or break your success. Attend industry events, visit open houses, and drop by realty offices. You never know when a connection can be useful, and where a new client will come from!
What has been the defining moment in your business so far?
Completing my most recent vacant staging project, and seeing the shocked reaction from the realtor. This was her first experience using a home stager, and her response was overwhelmingly positive. It feels great to impress a client, and reaffirms my love for what I do.
Tricia Stojke: VP of Membership
Tricia Stojke received her certification for Home Staging from Canadian Staging Professionals in 2013. For the first 3 years she assisted other home stagers in and around Calgary, and surrounding areas on their projects to learn the business. In 2015 she took the big leap and started her own home staging company, Homes Scape Home Staging. In 2016 she became a staging mentor for The Successful Stager, where she mentors new stagers across Canada and the United States. In June of 2018, she was part of bringing a new RESA Chapter to Calgary.
What is your favorite meal after a long day of staging?
Wine and a bowl of popcorn, in my comfy clothes on the couch.
What did you do prior to staging homes?
Prior to staging I worked in the private mortgage industry, where I underwrote mortgages across Canada, and up to my leaving ran a funding team that consisted of 15 people.
If you could hire a personal chef, a maid or a driver what would it be?
Definitely a driver. I need a driver to run my 3 kids around to all of their sporting activities.
Creative Director at
RESA Felicia is the Creative Director for the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA®). Her goal is to promote those in the industry who advance professionalism and excellence in real estate staging and provide valuable resources for home stagers and real estate agents alike.
Felicia has a background in production design and studied at Academy Of Art University where she had a focus in Motion Pictures And Television. In her free time you can find her reading about the latest marketing trends or hanging out with her husband in Disneyland.
Latest posts by Felicia Pulley
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Rachel Borrelli: Chapter President
Yvonne Laanstra: Chapter President-Elect
Lori Dykes: Chapter Secretary
Tricia Stojke: VP of Membership
