Dramatic Spaces Home Staging and Design

Doesn’t everyone dream of making it BIG, winning the lottery and being able to retire at an early age?  I know I do.  Well, I know of a way to spend a small amount of money and get a big return, almost guaranteed (remember – nothing is guaranteed in life except taxes and dying some day).

Let me explain.  You go out and buy a lottery ticket and spend $1.00.  You may even buy several spending $10.00.  You hope that your numbers are called and you probably would even be happy with a partial winning, although everyone wants more than the $10 or $100 payout.

After the drawings for the winning number you find you didn’t win a thing and your heart sinks at the thought that it wasn’t your turn, but maybe next time.  If only you could win the lottery to pay some bills and have the life that you dream about. Read the rest of this entry »

I was visiting some open houses today and I wanted to share my experience.  As a home stager I have the distinct advantage of looking past the dated furniture and wrong placement of it, clutter, ugly wallpaper, poor workmanship of home improvements, cold floors and personal belongings.  As a potential buyer my instinct is NEXT!!

When looking for a home the majority of home buyers are looking for near perfection.  One of the thoughts I had from most of the homes was this place would need work. Now there were a few that could be move in ready, but for me as a potential buyer there were things I would need to do for it to stand up to my expectations.

In a 2 hour time span I was able to visit 5 open houses.   All homes were in the price range I was looking for, with the exception of one which I spotted on my journey and decided to drop in.

Read the rest of this entry »

I was reading a note from one of my mentors, Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, and it really struck a cord with me.  She pointed out a quote from an American Journalist Ellen Goodman that we walk through our rooms listing what needs to be done and cracks that need patching and that maybe this year we should look for the positive not the flaws.

What I find interesting is that as home stagers we walk through a clients home looking for its potential and ways to bring it out.  We have our checklist not to judge or criticize the home, but to find ways for it to look its best.  Our purpose is to ensure the buyer sees the home at its best and judges it in this light, not in its not so great state.

This is in high contrast to a home buyer who walks through a home with highly critical eyes, not setting out to look for its flaws, but if they find any, they are amplified.  We both have the same objective – to be extremely critical, but as a home stager I see a homes’ potential and want to uncover its beauty before it is showcased to the world.  In the end it saves the homeowner from the possibility of losing even one pair of eyes.

We want the best for our homeowners.  Anything we can do to ensure your home is operating at its peak potential is our mission.

Home buyers are very picky when choosing their new home and they can be with the abundance of homes for sale on the market. This means that they will be passing judgment. Are they looking for errors/needed repairs or are they looking for perfection?

Homeowners want the best their money can buy. And you can bet if they find anything wrong with your home they will knock a couple of $1000 off the asking price just because it isn’t perfect. At a blink of an eye they can discard your home from their list and move on.

Let’s take a look at all the tests your home needs to pass before the final score. Read the rest of this entry »

I was watching the premiere of The Bachelor on CityTv last night and I have to say the women were stunning. It got me thinking, how do they ensure that Brad Womack, The Bachelor, will keep them around for another night when there are 30 women for him to choose from. Especially on the first night when he has very limited time to spend one on one with any of them.

I was amazed at the creativity that some of the women had to make that critical first impression. There was one that wore sparkling ruby shoes like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, one lowered the window just enough to summons him over to open the door for her and another who ran to him as soon as she stepped out of the limo and jumped into his arms. And there were many more.

What is interesting is that if you go back to the very first episode the women stepped out of the limo, walked over to the Bachelor and introduced themselves. That was it!

Now that we have seen a few episodes, the women have learned that they have to do something original and different to get noticed. It doesn’t always mean that they stay for another night, but they do have a better chance than the women who are quietly hoping that the little time they have with him on that all important first night is enough to carry them through. There are just too many beautiful women, too many options.

This is no different when you are selling your home. The competition is fierce. It used to be that when you were ready to sell, you called an agent and the sign went on the lawn. Buyers were willing to put in the effort to improve their new home and they were staying longer.

Times have changed and now it is important that sellers change as well to meet the expectations of the buyer. Home buyers do not have the time or patience to have to think about what the home may look like if it had furniture in it or if the walls had a better colour on them. They have too many choices to even bother. They move on to the next house. They want a move in ready home, one that they could make changes to if they wanted to.

It doesn’t have to take a lot to get your home in tip top shape for buyers. Make sure it looks good overall, clean, spacious with all repairs done. It also isn’t about spending a lot of money, but it is about the details. You can be creative in making a lasting impression.

If you need to sell your home think about The Bachelor show and how on the first night so many women really put themselves out there to get noticed. You do not have a lot of time to capture your buyers attention so make it count!!

I was reading an article from the Port Jefferson Patch that caught my attention. It said that “for the serious home seller, December is becoming more popular“. In the past, the winter months, specifically around the holiday season, listing a home for sale has been a turn off for most home sellers. It can be viewed as a hassle and it is thought that not as many buyers will come to take a look at their home.

In reality though, if people are out looking for homes at this time of year, they really need to find one so they are in effect more serious about their home shopping. The article points out that “when selling your home, it’s the quality of the buyer you need for a successful sale, not the quantity“. I agree with this comment and if you set up your home to WOW viewers you will have a better chance of getting your home sold.

This is a different perspective to our common train of thought. The positive aspect of selling at this time of year is that you have less competition. If a buyer is looking for a home and they have 5 to choose from instead of 10 or even 15 you have a better chance of selling in these difficult months. If you also put your best foot forward and properly prepare your home to sell, by utilizing a home stager you increase the likelihood of your home being chosen. I think of the phrase “pick me, pick me” and the best of the bunch will be picked. It is in your favour that there is less to pick from.

There are always circumstances that force people to move and we can’t put off moving just because it is winter or the holidays. I think there is a misperception that moving during the holidays will be difficult. Sure there is the cold weather and snow to deal with, but you can make it work.

Here are a few positive reasons to buy and sell during the winter or the holidays:

• more moving companies available and for you to choose from and possibly a discount for moving during the slower months

• you can look at moving in December as a new start, a new year and a new house

• there are less homes on the market so less competition that you are up against

• the quality of the buyer is higher – they are more serious

• if you have kids they have a 2 week break in their schedule and it is a break that allows them to adjust to a new school

Moving is a pain, no matter what time of year you do it. It is a disruption in your life, but it is all in your perception. Selling your home in the slower months can be a beneficial and positive experience. Take a look at all the reasons that selling in the winter is a bad idea or a negative and turn them into positives – use them to your advantage. When you look at the bigger picture and you keep focused on the outcome everything will work out.

I hope this gives you a different perspective on what is thought to be a bad time of year to list your home.

I was watching Renovation Realities today, which is pretty unusual for me (to be watching television at all). I have never seen the show before and all I can say is WOW!

The guy on the show wanted a “man space” in his home so he decided he was going to take over the garage. I thought it was a great idea – until I heard he has never tackled a home improvement project before AND he doesn’t own any power tools. He called a friend to help and away they went (and the friend had no experience either – yikes!).

I was shaking my head in disbelief the whole time. The homeowner decided he wanted a window on one side of the garage. He purchased one, had two friends hold it up on the wall and he eyeballed where he wanted it. Then out came the power tool to cut open the wall.

They had no idea how to finish it once it was in so they called a friend. While explaining the next step the friend was talking about the stud and the homeowner had no idea what he was talking about and said – please speak english.

The other blunder I chuckled over was when they tried to staple the pink insulation to the wall. They were frustrated that it was too thick for the staple to go in. As far as I know insulation needs to placed gently between the wall studs in order for it to do the job it is meant to do.

Finally, they ran out of steam and did not complete the job. I think this is quite common when renovating.

So why am I commenting on this show? Well, with any home improvement project you do it is important to know your skill level. Know when you can do it yourself and when to call in the pros. I am all for saving money when making improvements to your home, but not at the expense of a lower quality job.

If you have no intentions of selling your home in the near future you end up regretting that you tackled the job on your own in the first place. You also don’t increase the value of your home. If you are selling, you either need to bring the workmanship up to a higher quality level or take an even bigger hit in a price reduction.

If you have had a similar do it yourself disaster or have seen the aftermath of one that someone else did, please leave a comment about your story.

ZipWall is a fantastic temporary dust control bar system. It can save you hundreds of hours (especially if you are a contractor), save you money and the frustration of dust floating around your whole house well beyond the completion of your renovation.

Zip Wall is quick and easy to put up, keeps dust in the area that you are working on and you can put a vacuum hose under the plastic, tape around it so that it vaccums up dust while you are working. It comes with a zipper that you can install to provide easy access to your renovation area. It can be reused over and over again.

I couldn’t do this product justice so here is where you can look at a Zipwall video of how this product works. It won the Editors Choice Award by Tools of the Trade Magazine and the readers of Buildings Product Magazine gave it the Readers Choice Award.

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The Earlex Spray Station Paint Sprayer is another tool that can save you time. When you are selling your home one of the common suggestions by a home stager is painting. It is the quickest and least expensive way to give your home a fresh and neutral look.

So lets say you decide to paint your walls that show your personal taste. With the Earlex Paint Sprayer you can paint all your walls without since it is faster that the roller method. You can buy large cans of one paint colour and use the Earlex Paint Sprayer to do a quick job. Time is always a factor when you are selling your home. With this system you don’t need rollers or paint trays and clean up is a breeze. Since the paint does not run through the hose it is super simple to clean.

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Screen Kleen is a screen door cleaning kit. It has micro ducts woven into the fabric that allow it to penetrate every hole. You dip the brush in a container of dish soap and water, run the brush across the screen like you are painting, wipe the screen with a dry cloth, then use a squeegee tool (which is included) to remove the dirt from the roller. Keep doing this until your screen is clean.

It cleans both sides at the same time and it even removes pollen and allergens. Screen Kleen is a cool tool to make the job of getting your home ready to sell a cinch (or your spring cleaning).
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The Magic Stud Finder is a great tool for finding your studs. It isn’t your ordinary stud finder. With this one you don’t need to mark up your walls. There is no mistaking where your studs are.