Corrine Kibsey's Blog

Third time lucky? I doubt it......

Corrine Kibsey (Simply Chic Decor) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:47:58 -0700

Here we go again.......

I live in Calgary, and as most home owners I pay attention to what homes are going up for sale and have sold in my neighbourhood. As a Professional Home Stager I probably pay more attention to a FOR SALE sign than many of my neighbours and friends. Last year there was a home that went up for sale not far from where my children catch the bus. Each and every week day I would walk by and even though other homes in my neighbourhood were selling this one wasn't. I decided to leave a staging flyer in their mail box to which I had no response. Several months later the house came off the market and never sold. As spring came around the home came up for sale again. Same Realtor, same curb appeal nothing much had changed. After several weeks on the market I decided to leave them a personal letter which had sales stats for recent homes our company Simply Chic Decor Inc had staged and how long it took those homes to sell. I knew we could help them get this house sold. Again 'no response' to my letter. After months on the market the for sale sign was removed and I assume the homeowners took it off the market.

So here we are another school year and I'm walking to the bus stop with my children and guess who has a for sale sign up again? Yes, it's the SAME house and the same Realtor. Third attempt at a sale and it's now been over a year since the home first listed. When I returned home the first thing I did was check the house out on the MLS. Then it became CLEAR why this house was not selling. As a buyer, if I was looking at the photos on the MLS this home would not make my 'must see' list. There entire home is painted Rose Quartz & Old Glory Blue (see below). Instead of creating a neutral environment that the majority of the buyers could envision themselves living in, the homeowner has chosen a very personal colour pallet which unfortunately does not appeal to today's educated buyer. They created a master bedroom ensuite that felt and looked like a pumpkin massacre scene by painting the room a bright orange - Vermillion (see below). Master bedrooms and ensuites need to feel like a retreat, an adult space one that is calm and spa like. If I was a buyer going through this home I would turn the other way and make a run for it, and go look at the OTHER houses in the neighbourhood.

Finally, upon further investigation of the interior photos it was apparent that no one has told this home owner that 'Country' is not chic anymore. Country may be their personal taste in decor but when you are selling your home you need to appeal to the masses, and country is not the way to do it. Even if the buyer can get past the paint colours covering each and every wall of the entire home, I think it would be even harder for them to get past the hanging baskets, dried floral arrangements and the wicker furniture throughout the home. I can't help but feel sad for this customer. If their Realtor was keen on staging or if the home owner had paid attention to one of my letters or flyers I KNOW this home would have been sold - LAST YEAR! A simple staging consultation would have given these people the 'step by step' directions, paint colour suggestions and other decor input they needed to get this home sold. So now over the past year their home has been on and off the market multiple times and they have had to reduce their selling price. I think it would have been a wise investment to seek some professional help long ago and their home would now be SOLD. So do I drop off another flyer, business card, or letter or do I let it go? Here we go again...........

You CAN sell your home BEFORE the snow flies........

Corrine Kibsey (Simply Chic Decor) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:12:03 -0700

You CAN sell your home before the snow flies!

If your home is FOR SALE, you are more than likely aware of the dropping prices in many of the resale housing markets.  According to the data released by the Calgary Real Estate Board, the average MLS price of a single-family home in Calgary declined about 9% in August, compared to the prices from the same month last year.

The resale market has changed from what it was a few years ago, and so must your approach to selling your home.  Gone are the days where you just tidy up your house, pack a few things and put a sale sign in your front yard.  In today’s re-sale marketplace, buyer’s expectations are high.  A ‘buyers market’ generates an abundance of homes to choose from.  Our company has successfully staged several homes in the last month that have sold anywhere from 24 hours to 10 days – EVEN IN THIS MARKET!  Don’t despair; you CAN get your home SOLD before the snow flies.

We hear it all the time that people have 'staged' their own homes.  When a home isn’t selling quite often that's when our phone starts ringing. Realtors or Homeowners call us in to provide our Professional Staging Services.  Our customers learn quickly that there is a lot more to staging than watching a television show, de-cluttering their rooms, and removing some personal photos.



Our first recommendation to our clients is to really know your competition.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Attend open houses in your area.  Look closely at the photos of your competition on the MLS.  Ask your Realtor to take you through a few competing homes in your neighborhood.  Initially the listing price you and your Realtor choose for your home MUST be competitive and realistic.  Testing the market by slightly over pricing your property, will likely hinder the timely sale of your home.  Overpriced homes remain on the market longer and are faced with the dreaded ‘Price Reduction’ tag on their For Sale sign!  Your home needs to be comparable to the other homes in your neighborhood.  If not, you may need to do a few minor changes so your home is on par with the competition.  If this not feasible then you need to price your home accordingly.

Next you NEED TO KNOW your buyer.  Who is moving into the community?  What are the demographics of your neighborhood?   Who is buying the homes in your community, young couples, retired couples, single professional, or families?  Once you have that information in hand, you now can create a specific game plan. Target your home’s ‘PRESENTATION’ towards that specific buyer.  For example, if your target buyer is young families, you will want to create a child friendly happy home environment. A home that a couple can envision themselves raising their children in.

We always tell the buyer, “You want YOUR home to be in the buyer’s top three list.”  Create a lasting first impression on their first visit to your home.  There is more to this than tempting the buyer with fresh baking in the oven!  We like to do little touches in many of the rooms.  Yes you need to de-clutter pack up and purge, but be careful you don’t depersonalize your home too much.  It’s fine line between achieving a staged look, but still have a home that’s warm, cozy and inviting.  Be imaginative.  Reinvent old into new.  Take an innovative approach to your home’s décor. Appeal to the buyer’s senses. SMELL, VISUAL, AUDIO… Do little things the buyer will remember.  A little touch we like to do is leave a plate of decorative chocolates next to the real estate information packages.  Small little touches can make all the difference in your home’s appearance and ambiance.  You want the buyer to feel welcome and envision him or herself living in your home, from the minute they walk in the door.



A minimal budget for some new accessories (candles, towels, throw pillows, greenery, soaps, and bedding) can make a HUGE impact and influence the buyer.  Bathrooms should be transformed to feel like mini spas. Kitchens should evoke a feeling of gourmet delight.  Master Bedrooms need to feel like an adult retreat space. In many cases you don’t need to do full renovations, sometimes all it takes is a few decorative touches! With a little work, you can meet or beat the buyer’s expectations of your home!  Homeowners will reduce their list prices by thousands of dollars, but won’t invest a few hundred dollars in a few new décor items or a Professional Staging Company, in an attempt to avoid any possibility of a price reduction.    In the long run, the experience of a Professional Staging Company can save you thousands of dollars in price reductions and expedite the sale of your home.

Your home needs to appeal to your target buyer right from the curb, and carry through into the interior of the home.  Both the exterior and interior of your home have to be CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN.  If you have no space or storage in your home neither will the buyer. Pack, purge and give away items you no longer need.  If some rooms feel small or tight then they buyer will feel the same.  Make a list of all the things that bother you about your home and things you don’t like.  We are willing to bet the buyer will experience the same emotions as you do, when they go through your home.  If you don’t like your living room because it’s too small the buyer will probably feel the same.  What can you do to make the room feel bigger?  Taking this simple ‘Problem Solving’ approach to many of the undesirable issues in your home will help you get your home ready for sale.  Most of us are attached to our homes and our possessions so critiquing our home or our personal décor style may be difficult.  This is where a Professional Home Stager is most beneficial.  Professional Home Stagers can provide you with valuable  information, and a task list or what we like to call, ‘Emotionally Detached Staging Solutions’.   Following these steps will leave a lasting impression on any buyer that walks through your home.  They will leave your home with a welcoming FEELING, and EXPERIENCE unlike any other home in the neighborhood.

When it comes down to it, a spotless clean home and an unforgettable decorative viewing experience will RAISE the bar on your home. Your home WILL be in most buyers top three list and should sell sooner than the homes that have not done their homework and staging preparation prior to listing their homes.

Corrine Kibsey

Owner & Lead Stager

Simply Chic Decor Inc.

www.simplychicdecor.ca

Staging a High-rise Condo

Corrine Kibsey (Simply Chic Decor) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:03:49 -0800

Staging a High-rise Condo

My business partner and I just finished de-staging one of our high-rise condos. As the day went on the high-rise felt more like a skyscraper. As a stager it's hard to price out these types of jobs. If your quote is based upon merely the size of the condo itself you may be doing yourself an injustice.

Our company does quite a few condos. There's townhouse condos, apartment style condos, villa condo's, single family homes in a condo complex, walk-up condos, bungalow condos and then there's the HIGH-RISE condos. High Rise condos fall into a category all of their own!

When you are estimating a job in a High Rise complex you must take into account:

Elevators - which you need to book in advance.
Loading docks - check out where you'll be loading & unloading from.
Which doors can you enter and not enter through
Parking !
Condo By-laws - times you can physically move in or move out
Equipment - to move your accessories down the long hallways and into elevators
Security Office or Front Door Man
Security doors - that lock behind you !
Is your vehicle & accessories safe while you return for additional loads?

It's easy to forget when you are estimating a high-rise condo that these issues can really come into play. They affect both the staging and de-staging of the property. These few issues can add a significant amount of extra time to the job. They are issues that you don't typically run into on other staging jobs. As we do more of the high rise condos we become wiser and know what to LOOK for when we are pricing out the job.

You know that old saying, "I'm going to slip into something a little more comfortable". Well there's nothing comfortable about riding up and down in an elevator crammed full of your things. If you are prepared, have the right equipment and you know what the day is really going to be like than you can do like we do........ Make the best of it ! We have a few laughs; we tack on some extra time for the long ride up and down the elevator and let's not forget about having a few cocktails after the job is done! High-rise, house, condo, acreages etc......... It's always an adventure and there are always some challenges but best of all we can say WE LOVE OUR JOB !

Exterior Staging - The Snow is Melting !

Corrine Kibsey (Simply Chic Decor) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:16:58 -0800

Exterior Staging .... The SNOW is MELTING !!!

What is wrong with this picture above? For most of us I'm sure we can see a few things. For the trained eye of a Stager there are many things wrong! Whether you have already listed, or you are getting ready to list, or you are staying in your home and you just care about your curb appeal, it's time to address your home's exterior charm! As we say goodbye to old man winter we must not forget to remind him to take along his winter things when he goes!

Poinsettias in the floral basket arrangements are positively a NO, NO.
The ambiance of your Christmas lights now need to be unplugged, it's time to get back to your regular exterior lighting.
SNOW SHOVEL - get real! You're asking for it...... If there's a freak snow storm your neighbours will blame you because you didn't put away your snow shovel.
Your kid's toboggans and sleds need to be tucked away till next year.
The big thick winter ‘catch all' front door mat, just looks plain dull, dull, dull and not to mention dirty!
Thank goodness this homeowner took down their winter themed door wreath. No one wants to get poked in the eye with some old prickly pine bows.

With the snow melting and spring around the corner it's important to pay attention to your home's curb appeal. Your home's exterior can make a lasting first impression. It's not just the interior of your home that may need a ‘spring clean-up'. Impress those people who are walking up to your front door by creating an inviting walkway, front entry, front porch or deck space.

If the weather permits place a new potted shrub or plant. If it's still temperamental weather there are some awesome artificial exterior shrubs and plants available. Greenery will always enhance an entrance.
Try buying a ‘new' front door mat. One that has a bit of color will add some visual pizzazz as someone walks up to knock on your door.
If the weather permits give your front exterior a good wash with the hose. If not, get the broom out and sweep of things. Either approach will work!
Replace burnt out of dull light bulbs. The new exterior LED lights are great. Not only will you be saving money & the environment but you'll be brightening things up and have great evening curb appeal.
Take down and pack away your Christmas lights. Plastic storage boxes are on sale this time of year and are perfect for storing away your lights neatly till next year!
Repainting your front door is not expensive. Try painting it a complimentary eye catching color to your home's exterior. By doing this one simple thing you can change the entire look of your home's initial curb appeal.

By addressing a few simple exterior tasks you will improve your home's first "SPRING TIME' impression !

Gearing up for springtime Staging.............

Corrine Kibsey (Simply Chic Decor) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:29:35 -0800

Thank goodness Canada's own groundhog Wiarton Willie didn't see his shadow when he emerged on February 2^nd. Good news, SPRING is on the way.............. But before the April showers bring May flowers, it's time to start putting away the ‘winter décor' items and start bringing out the ‘fresh spring' accessories.

You can feel it in the air. Everyone is gearing up for the spring's fast paced Real Estate Market. Our company's phone is ringing off the hook. Everyone from home owners, investors and Realtors want to get the EDGE on their competition by investing in staging services. As Home Stagers we too are excited about the upcoming spring Real Estate market and are gearing up for some SPRING CHANGES & UPDATES!

In order to help our customer's gain the EDGE on their competition, as Home Stagers it's important that we keep on top of the design trends for the upcoming season. Nothing shows a home better than current colors and a few trendy décor accessories. As the door to winter is closing behind us, we are looking forward to accessorizing our staged homes with the fresh ‘new' spring color pallet.

When purchasing a few new decor items for your room why not try some vibrant greens, the soothing color of Mother Nature. How about some wonderful soft shades of blue that will generate feelings of calmness and tranquility? Be daring and had a pop of buttery yellow to exhilarate your spring time feelings and emotions!

Unfortunately for all you ‘neutral' lovers it's time to put away the ‘hot chocolate browns' and the winter beiges. Change out those ‘cranberry reds' for a new spring color burst. And yes, it's time to tuck away those fuzzy, furry throws and area rugs. Try adding some spring time pizzazz to your room's décor. Some potted plants in colorful pots or a spring bouquet bursting with vibrant colours will freshen up any room. Go to your local carpet retailer and select a carpet that will really give your room that trendy colour punch! It's really not that expensive to have a small piece of carpet ordered in and bound. When you keep your home's spring décor investment minimal, it makes it easy to do those few little touches that will seasonally update any room.

I assure you that doing a few little things to keep up with the latest spring designer home trends, will DRAW the BUYERS ATTENTION to YOUR HOME ! It only takes a moment to make that first impression. So make your FIRST IMPRESSION the BEST IMPRESSION on the block!