House Dressing
In-house design manager Sheila Shabsove knows what it takes to make any house present better, sell faster, and earn more money for the seller.
Making a house look its absolute best when it goes on the market can make a difference of literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to the final selling price. That’s where the expertise of Grace & Co.’s in-house design manager, Sheila Shabsove, can be indispensable.
As soon as you hire Grace & Co., arranging a walk-through with Sheila is one of the first steps in the process of getting your house “ready for its close-up,” so to speak. She’ll provide an honest assessment of what improvements will provide the biggest return on investment and help sell the home faster and for top dollar. It could be as little as a fresh coat of paint, some supplementary staging pieces, and maybe fresh flowers throughout. Or it may be more involved, from minor repairs right up to more elaborate renovations such as flooring or kitchen or bath upgrades.
As she explains, “It’s important to be able to look at the property realistically with a view to getting the best return for your money. Every house is unique, with great views, features, good and bad points.”
The kind of work that Sheila does relies on understanding not only what trends and tastes are likely to appeal to buyers, but which upgrades or repairs can’t be overlooked – and where she can save the client money. “Some people are willing to spend a lot of money to make their house look great, while others prefer not to; you have to be able to work with both equally well.”
That trained eye comes from a fascinating and varied background in both commercial and residential interior design. Sheila was born in Sarnia and grew up not far from Goderich, Ontario. While still an undergrad at Fanshawe College (where she would go on to earn a degree in commercial interior design), she landed a co-op job with Cineplex Odeon Theatres under legendary impresario Garth Drabinsky, and after graduating went on to work full-time there.
“They had a huge design department at the time, and we designed movie theatres all over the world.” It was here, she said, that she learned about flexibility, and fine-tuning a design to the precise needs and tastes of those who would later patronize the theatres – each tailored to the unique character of its region.
Eventually, of course, Drabinsky fell from grace in a spectacular and very public way, and Sheila went on to work for a local architect, where she gained her first real exposure to residential work. She discovered a real passion for this area of design, and more residential work followed over the next few years, until she decided to take time off to raise her growing family.
Once her kids were old enough to go to school, she returned to design work, and found herself gravitating to an even more specialized pursuit: real estate prepping and staging. She worked regularly with several local agents here in the Beach, while doing the occasional private commission on the side. Then one day, she received a call from Geoffrey.
“He had seen a post I put on Instagram of a reno I had done of a house on Sprucehill Road. I guess he saw something in it, because he said he was looking for a designer for the company and suggested we try each other out and see how it goes. Well, I guess it worked out okay,” she laughs, “because we’re coming up on three years this spring.”
Prepping a house for sale, Sheila explains, is a complex process that requires flexibility and empathy as much as great technical and communication skills. You are being called upon to objectively assess a home whose sellers may have strong emotional bonds to it, so a degree of tact is always necessary. At the same time, maximizing return on investment is paramount, whether the budget is generous or tight.
Then – sometimes together with Geoffrey, who she emphasizes is equally expert at assessing houses – she develops a detailed plan of everything the house needs to bring out its best, from basic painting to full-bore renovation. The assessment also includes a detailed cost breakdown and identification of must-dos and might-dos.
Even more than in regular residential work, she says, “You’re always working under time constraints, and you have to keep that in mind at all times.” As soon as she and her team get the go-ahead, it’s straight to work: ordering materials, scheduling trades, doing the measuring and spec-ing that are part of every design project. For the client, the process is virtually turnkey.
But sometimes, she admits, it isn’t always quite that straightforward. “When you’re under time constraints, sometimes you just do what you have to do to get the job done.” That might mean driving to pick up products herself, or, in at least one case, rolling up her own sleeves. “There was one job where we were almost out of time, so I changed into my jeans and the handyman and I finished up the painting ourselves. Often, it’s a stressful time for the owner, so you just do whatever you have to do to help out.”
With every job, there is always a lot of back-and-forth with clients and trades, and staying on top of it all is a challenge; it’s a difficult but ultimately gratifying aspect of the work. “That’s where having good communication skills is very important. It’s all about juggling different properties, and all the little stuff that makes a difference.”
What’s her favourite part of the job? Of course, it’s when the last tradesperson packs up, the furniture is in place and the house is finally ready for the opening.
“When all the clutter and mess is gone and you see the client’s reaction when they see it – that’s definitely the best part.”