Living in Your Staged House With Roommates

Recently I staged a house of a young homeowner who had roommates living in the house while the house was up for sale.  It can be kinda tough though on the homeowner who has a vested interest in selling while the roommate really doesn't sense the importance of having the presentation look just so. 

As the homeowner was preparing for an Open House that I was assisting with, the roommate decided it was a nice day to go out for a jog.  Fine and dandy, but her room was a mess and the bathroom had just been cleaned.  Well with only one half hour to spare the roommate came in wanting to shower etc.  Needless to say, there was a bit of tension.  To her credit, the roommate beat all odds and showered, dressed, cleaned up her room and the bathroom (again) and was out of the house in less than the half hour. 

The point here is that when you are selling your house that is staged, you live differently.  Yes, you must expect inconveniences temporarily, but all the effort pays off in the end when the presentation wows potential buyers and the house sells quickly.  Then you can go back to living in the house as you were or at least until you move. 
Oh, by the way, the house sold that day to buyers attending the Open House!

Dear Real Estate Agent

Dear Real Estate Agent

Hope your Valentine’s Day was filled with love and promise! I always find that Valentine’s Day is the turning point from our long winter with the promise of spring in the air as the days are getting just a little bit longer and the sun shining brighter. Of course, this also means that the Real Estate market is also picking up as homeowners think about selling and buying.


Home Staging, to enhance the presentation of a house in the real estate market so that it sells quickly and for the most money, is quickly becoming the way to successfully market a property. I hope that it is part of your marketing plan for your clients.

Real Estate Agents who incorporate Home Staging into their service to sellers benefit greatly. How you might ask? Let me tell you.

•  Staged houses present better than competing, non-staged houses. This means that pictures look better on MSL, websites and in print. We all know that about 90% of perspective buyers search on the Internet first, so do yourself a favour – offer Home Staging as a way to attract both the sellers and the buyers to your business.

•  Staged houses motivate other Real Estate Agents to show your properties, because they show well and are move-in ready! Anything to make someone else’s job easier benefits you!

•  Statistically* Staged houses spend about 78% less time on the market than non-staged houses. This means that you save in your overall marketing costs.

•  Your reputation as a “go-to” Real Estate Agent increases when you incorporate Home Staging as part of your marketing because you are successful!

•  Buyer confidence increases when you present houses for sale that have been Staged. They know that they are looking at something special. This continues to help build your satisfied client base.

•  And best of all, leaving the Home Staging to a Home Stager, frees you up to do what you do best – SELL HOUSES!

I could go on and on with the benefits for you incorporating Home Staging into your marketing plan. If you would like to continue this conversation and find out more of what I am now up to – give me a call – I’d love to have coffee with you (my treat). I can also help you know how to talk to your clients about Home Staging.
homeready@homereadyhomestaging.ca, 613-894-4155.

Hoping to talk with you soon!

Best Regards,

Kathryn Wilson,

Certified Canadian Staging Professional,  Professional Colour Consultant.

*RESA - The Real Estate Staging Association Statistics Report, 2010; http://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/

                      

New Mirror or Redesign?

I recently helped a client redo their bathroom and instead of taking down the old mirror which was steadfastly fixed to the wall, I used a edging product found at Lowe's to frame the mirror and WOW, a brand new mirror.  Much cheaper than purchasing a new mirror and very easy and quick to install.  Several different choices of frames too to suit any decor.  This one matched the new vanity and the look is totally updated.



The bathroom and mirror before Redesigning

The product is simply called "Mirror Edge" and all you need is a tape measure and utility knife to score where to snap it to fit around the perimeter of the mirror.  Double sided tape is included or you can buy a special glue as well for permanent adhesion.






The bathroom after the Redesign with the "MIrror Edge" 



Be Aware of Lurking Odours

Be aware of lurking odours in your house during the winter months especially when you are trying to sell it.  What you can't smell, others might, as all houses have their own particular odour as a result of how people live in them. 
With the heat on and windows and doors closed most of the time, cooking odours, pet odours, and (yes) people odours linger and get into the fabrics of the house.  This can be a real turnoff to prospective buyers and leaves an unfortunate negative first impression.
Tips to eliminate or even prevent nasty odours:

• Pets
• Change letter boxes for cats daily
• Change bedding for caged pets frequently
• Groom and bath pets regularly
• Better yet, send Fido or Spot to their local animal spa or relative for a short while
• Wash pet bedding and toys
• Carpets and Furnishings
• Have all carpets, drapes and cloth furnishings professionally cleaned
• Wash bedding linens and towels frequently (I am amazed how many people don't do this anyway)
• Clean, clean, clean
• Bathrooms need to be pristine
• Kitchens spotless
• Keep the laundry up (nothing worse than smelling someone elses dirty laundry)
• Use Eco friendly cleaning products with little or no scent
• Think about where you are storing stinky, wet boots and running shoes!  A container away from the main living area might be the answer or wear them when leaving!
• Watch out for mildew and mold formation as a result of too much moisture
• Change filters on your furnace as recommended by the manufacturer

Now is not the time to experiment with new exotic dinner recipes or cook highly odoriferous foods.  You don't want prospective buyers guessing what you had for dinner two nights ago!  If you smoke, do so outside and hide the evidence.  Also, if you like to have a before dinner cocktail, wine with dinner and beers watching the game, watch out (for many reasons) for the residual smells they leave behind.  Again having your house smelling like a tavern may be a deal breaker!
When you are selling your house at this time make a habit of airing out the house daily by opening a few windows and doors for about five minutes.  This allows all the stale odours to escape and fresh air to come in.  A fresh smelling house is worth the few extra dollars it might take in increased heating costs.  If you have a scheduled showing again air the house out for a few minutes before you leave.  Perfumed candles (never leave on when you leave for a showing), air fresheners and pot pourri are not the answer and sometimes leave the buyer wondering what you are covering up.  The baked bread and cookie smells are now a bit cliche and besides, they are a lot of work.  As a last resort use an electronic air cleaner, but this should not be necessary if you follow the above suggestions.
Our sense of smell belongs to the oldest part of our brain and can conjure up many emotions at the unconscious level so be very conscious about how you deal with household odours. 

If you want some more specific ideas about preventing or eliminating lurking (and not nice) odours in your house when selling contact HomeReady Home Staging for more ideas. 

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. . .

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. . . 

Mirrors have been used for centuries not only for practical reasons but for decorative ones in the home.  Many people hang mirrors like art - above a sofa, above a mantle or a sideboard and so on.  However, I wonder though how many people actually give thought as to what the mirror is actually reflecting besides their own reflection.  To be properly placed the reflection of the mirror needs to be looked at from different angles.  Is the reflection pleasing or is it reflecting a less than appealing view like the ceiling or an open storage unit or a cluttered corner?  Does the mirror's reflection allow you to "peak" into a neighbouring space or room?  Mirrors properly hung can open up a room giving the illusion of greater space.  As well, light reflected from the outside can brighten up a space adding warmth. Take care though not to reflect the light (and energy) back outside.
When Staging a home for Selling it is important that these details not be overlooked as the impression that reflections make are reflected back onto the owners and the presentation of the home.  To make sure that the mirrors in your home reflect the image you want others to see, contact HomeReady Home Staging.  Reflecting the best your home has to offer to propsective buyers is what we do!  613-894-4155, homeready@homereadyhomestaging.ca

The Quick Fix

The Quick Fix

It has become apparent that many homeowners don't want to spend too much money on Home Staging Show Casing.  I don't blame them as many have already spent a bundle on repairs, upgrades and painting.  So they may have their house well on its way to looking really good.  It just needs that "icing on the cake", so to speak, "the jewellery for the outfit". . . you get the picture!  What they really need then is to Show Case their house to attract immediate buyer attention so that their house sells quickly and they realize the most equity from this sale.  The Quick Fix is the answer.  Once all the work is completed and the house is cleaned, the HomeReady Team will come in to rearrange the house to show off the house's best assets using only the homeowners furnishings and accessories.  We will creatively get their house ready for picture taking and listing.  We can also take those great pictures too for marketing the house for sale.  This is a very affordable service.  Do contact HomeReady Home Staging for more details.  613-894-4155 or homeready@homereadyhomestaging.ca

Laundry/Powder Room Facelift Finally Finished

Finally, almost one year later, I have finished the laundry/powder room facelift.  It is now one of the most valued and most used (I must say) room in the house!  It seems amazing how much larger the space feels and how much storage there is.  Many thanks to John Manzo, Tego Bathrooms, for interpreting my desires into a formal design and to team for putting it together.  I painted and pulled it together in its final form. 
I love looking at the whole process!                                                





Before view 1





Some major plumbing had to be done





Before we got to this





Now what the laundry side looks like





Before View 2



Views 1 & 2 - The finished laundry side of the room





 Before View 3 - what a mess!



Before View 4 - More mess!



View 3 - Now there is a toilet and vanity with lots of storage



View 4 - Can't believe all the storage.  Now everything is behind closed doors!