Why you should stage?

Let’s look at the facts:

1)Staging gives your property better value by eliminating the flaws of the home.

2)Staging allows for a quicker and more efficient sale.

3)Staging will maximize the positive features of the home.

4)Through Staging we utilize furniture, lighting, art, accessorisies, to draw potential buyers to the positive features of the home.

5)Staging targets to the widest prospective audience interested in buying your home.

Look at it this way, a lot of people don’t want to pay someone to come do something they feel is not necessary or they can do themselves. I have had many clients say, “I can do this, why am I going to pay you to do it?” Well because I am a professional. I look at the entire picture. I don’t just do the minimal; I make sure that every bit of your home looks brand new.

Do you know to look at your hot water tank or furnace and make sure there is not a pound of dust on top OR to make sure your filter is clean? Why am I asking? Well, a home inspector who sees a mountain of dust or a dirty filter is going to look more closely for other parts of the home that have not been taken care of. This could then lead to bigger and more expensive issues. A seller, who has lived in their home for a long period of time doesn’t see these imperfections. That is why professionals are brought in, to have a set of fresh eyes that are trained to see the imperfections that you as a home owner miss.

We do the homework and research so you don’t have to worry about it. We plan accordingly, we outline in our staging plan where we put our time, effort, and expertise for the best return on your investment. So, have I sort of convinced you as to why a stager is needed when selling your home?
Well if not, look at it this way, if you don't stage, you could be looking at a lower price in return, a slower sale, and most of all stress!!!

Half-Ass Reno....Deal Breaker.

So a few days ago, I went to this new restaurant which was just renovated, beautiful atmosphere, great lighting, and amazing food….the whole shebang. Well, that was until I went to the washroom. How is it that you can renovate an entire restaurant, but not fix up the bathrooms? I was mortified! A bathroom is an integral part of a restaurant (for obvious reasons). As a designer and knowing what I know, a bathroom should be just as clean and stylish as the restaurant itself. No one wants to walk into a dirty washroom. Are you kidding me?

This is how I look at it, you walk past a gorgeous guy, he stops and smiles, but when he smiles he has black crooked teeth...the package is no longer beautiful, it is ruined. Just like the restaurant, the bathroom is the deal breaker, and I can tell you now, I won’t be going back to that restaurant until something is done about the washrooms. Same goes with homes, lesson of the day, if you are renovating, do everything, don't do a half-ass job. Trust me; it will pay off in the end.

Interior Designer or Home Stager? Are they both the same? NO!!!

Now I have had many people come to me and ask;

“why should I stage when I paid a professional Interior Designer to design my home when I first moved in?”

Well there is a huge difference between the two professions and some people don't quite get it. An interior designers' purpose is to design your home to your liking and comfort. They design to the client’s needs and wants, while a stager does the opposite. Their job is to create an environment that appeals to the home owner's taste. Interior designers design for a client to create an environment that suites how they live. They remodel, rebuild, they work with the structure and architecture of the home.

A stager’s purpose is to take out the current home owners personal belongings, they will de-clutter, clean and make the space appealing for all future potential buyers. It is a great way to minimize and remove distractions that throw off a buyer when taking a closer look at your property. Their primary focus is to suggest furniture, art, accessories, paint color, light fixtures as well as flooring to create a new layout for the space. The end result of this process is to ultimately raise the value of the property by reducing the home’s flaws, or if staging a home that is new or unfurnished the purpose is to create a living space that buyers can see themselves in.

Now hopefully by the end of this little spiel, we can all understand the difference between an interior designer and a home stager.