Just a little over a month ago, the world fell apart. Since then our lives have changed drastically. At first, things didn’t seem so bad. Some areas shutdown for what would be a brief 2 week period. No biggie. It puts a bit of a damper on things, but life goes on….or so we thought. In a matter of days our entire continent was held hostage by the COVID-19 coronavirus. Borders closed, businesses closed with only essential services to remain. As for us stagers there was much discussion as to whether we are deemed to be essential services. Of course, in our minds there is no doubt we absolutely are, but at the time of a pandemic, we really aren’t.
Thankfully the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), has gone above and beyond in providing information for its stagers, 
recommendations, best practices as well as links to government agencies (both Canada and the US). At a time of uncertainty our trade organization has stepped up in providing direction for us. As the President of the RESA Ottawa chapter, I’m very grateful as this was helpful information I could pass on to our stagers.
During the past few weeks, it has been great to see how my fellow stagers pull together and are coping with our current crisis. Like many other chapters, our meetings are now held via Zoom. We’ve all been able to touch base with one another to see what we’re all up to, besides Facebook and wine.
Self Care
At a time of much uncertainty and heightened emotions, it’s essential not to neglect ourselves. There is no doubt it is a stressful time, so we must take the time for self care. Meditation is a great example. And because much of world has become virtual–virtual yoga classes are a thing. Take a walk, turn up the music and dance. Spend time outside. These are all great for our mental health. Also wine. The glue that appears to be holding all this together.
Never stop learning
For me this has been a great time to catch up on all the online courses that I signed up for, forgot about and never completed. If you’re not like me in having to play catch up, RESA has a great library of continuing education webinars that are free for members. Learning never stops and it’s always important to stay on top of industry trends.
Work on business
Necessity is the mother of invention. Many businesses have found a way to cope and go virtual. We can too. Many of our stagers are now offering virtual staging consultations. Not to be confused with virtual staging. Whether you decide to offer this temporarily or add it to your list of services, it is a great way to make a few extra dollars. Now is also an opportune time to work on your business. Review what is working, what is not; streamline your systems and processes. Catch up on your email newsletters or blogs.
Household Projects
Seeing as how we have nothing but time we can tackle spring cleaning, organize the office, declutter. You know, all those things you never seem to have time for except for when you should be doing something else. Times are definitely crazy when your 16 year old daughter takes it upon herself to clean the fridge and pantry. Yes, seriously. And no, she’s not available for hire. Because social distancing.
These are unprecedented times indeed. Stay healthy, stay well and look after one another. We are all in this together.
She helps clients stage their homes so they can sell them more quickly and for more money. She advises them on how they can achieve maximum results by applying such strategies as updating the colours, decluttering, and changing floor layouts.
- A Stager’s Response to Covid-19 - April 20, 2020
- Is Staging Practical? - February 28, 2019
