Self-employment
Small business rides real estate boomThe GTA is one of North America's hottest real estate markets. Although it seems like just about any property will sell, it may not fetch the desired price or move as quickly as owners would like. "You may think your home looks great, but buyers may think differently," entrepreneur Tammy Rafferty says. ROGER PIERCE |
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 [ 2006-05-03 ] |
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Nicki Manly (left) and Tammy Rafferty stage homes for quick sale through their company, StreamlineLiving.
Rafferty and Nicki Manley own StreamlineLiving (www.streamlineliving.com), a company that helps clients to prepare their home for quick and profitable sale through "home staging."
Staging is simply the process of preparing a home for sale by re-arranging furniture, adding furniture or making minor decorating changes. Staging usually refreshes the look and feel of a room by eliminating clutter, improving traffic flow and adding light.
Both entrepreneurs are accredited home stagers and professional organizers. "Staged homes simply show better and often sell for considerably more money and in substantially less time than non-staged homes," Rafferty says.
"Homes also look better in photographs used to market properties," Manley says.
In business for three years, StreamlineLiving also provides related services including residential organizing, event planning, senior citizen downsizing and SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) solutions.
STREAMLINING MISSION
"Our mission is to help our clients get organized by streamlining their surroundings or project," Manley says.
A great example of a business partnership where both people "click," Rafferty and Manley have definitely bonded. "We previously worked together in the retail industry, but it wasn't until we found out we were both pregnant that we started spending quality time together," Rafferty says. "We developed such a strong bond that our babies actually came into this world on the same day."
Rafferty and Manley have personally experienced the challenges of organizing hectic lives. "A well-organized and streamlined household certainly makes life management easier," Rafferty says. "It's a great feeling to help other busy parents to free up their time."
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