Dawna's Blog

Price Reduction Is NOT a Marketing Tool!

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:20:42 -0500

A price reduction is not a marketing tool it's a financial loss! Reducing your price gives buyers the impression there may be something wrong with your home or that you are in a desperate situation and need to sell now. While this may very well be the case the costly marketing campaign you've chosen has a poor return on investment and looks the same as every one elses. Marketing is about standing out from the competition to gain more exposure. It's a game too few really understand.

When you sell your home there are options you need to consider. Investing a few hundred dollars now could save you thousands in the future.

Option 1: Price it right the first time and according to your needs. Be realistic in what you want and expect from the sale of your home. Hiring a professional Real Estate Agent doesn't mean they decide your fait. The market assessment you receive from them is a guideline of current market conditions but ultimately you are responsible for choosing the asking price.

Option2: Have your home appraised. Getting a professional appraiser to place a value on your home is the best way to determine what it's really worth today. Doing this will make pricing much easier plus you'll have a legitimate report that shows potential buyers the real value of your home.

Option 3: Have a professional Home Staging & Redesign specialist to properly prepare your home for advertising online, print and showcasing. Marketing the appearance of your home is as important as the price itself. The way your home looks is the very first thing a buyer sees. If it doesn't look good it will quickly be dismissed by the majority of buyers leaving only investors and bargain shoppers waiting in the wings.

Option 4: Ask for increased advertising from your Real Estate Agent. Agents usually have set guidelines by which they advertise but may be willing to increase print size and sources for a nominal fee or in some cases for free. Use caution with this option! If your home isn't priced accordingly from the start or if it doesn't show well; this option is a waste of time and money. Agents will be reluctant to spend extra time and money helping home sellers who don't help themselves.

Option 5: Do nothing. By choosing this option you have decided to remove yourself and your pocket book from the equation for success. In the short term you'll be saving yourself time and money but having relinquished all responsibility will cost you thousands in the end.

Just because every one else is doing it doesn't always mean it's the right thing to do. Talk to your local Real Estate Agent or visit our website for more useful information on preparing your home for SOLD!

Call us at (780) 904-4647

email: info@rivercityredesign.com

www.rivercityredesign.com

This Certainly Isn't Home Staging Part 2

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:40:57 -0500

Hooray! We finally finished the Lois Hole Family Room at the Zebra Centre. This was by far one of the most challenging rooms I've ever designed. The Family Room is primarily used for ages 12 through 16 to watch their interview videos, discuss their cases with prosecutors and a special place to just hang out. When Barb (the director of the centre) and I first sat down to discuss the needs she told me the sky was the limit but it had to appeal to the teenagers both male and female and be welcoming enough for adults. Hmmm... That's a lot to ask for in a room that's only 15 x 10 feet!

I needed to think outside the box. I needed a solution for a multi purpose room that was age appropriate and gender neutral. After spending long hours sourcing, taking photographs and building story boards for different ideas, Barb chose the urban theme I proposed. After weeks of waiting for custom built shelves and art work, my team and I started working on the transformation last week, completing it on Thursday.

It's hard to see (literally impossible in the photo) but I had a local sign shop custom make me about 50 special words. The vinyl is clear adding only a shine to the painted surface. The great part is that as you enter the room it isn't noticeable but as you move the light catches the words and makes you discover what exactly it says. All of the words are inspiration for the teens - courage, strength, trust, love, compassion and so on.

This room was a challenge and a pleasure to create for such a deserving and truly courageous group of kids. I received a beautiful email from Barb the day after it was complete:

Good Morning Donna

Well - what can I say about the family support room? EVERYONE LOVES IT!!! ...oh my God; you are kidding me; it is beautiful, what an amazing space; is she a designer?; where did you find her? are some of the reactions YOUR room received this morning.

Thank you so very much.

I didn't take on this project and volunteer my time or my teams for any other reason than to give back to my community and to inspire the kids. Receiving such a great email was unexpected and only the tip of the ice berg of what Barb had planned. She invited me to join her and her team this past Saturday at The Edmonton Golf and Country Club. My company along with about 50 other businesses and volunteers where honored that night. It was amazing!

Giving isn't about getting back - it's a selfless act of compassion, love and respect for others. I love what I do and knowing that the Zebra Centre is that much more inviting for the kids who need protection makes me smile inside and out! That's all any of us need now isn't it!

(780) 904-4647

email info@rivercityredesign.com

www.rivercityredesign.com

Kitchen Craze

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:22:44 -0500

Kitchens are an integral part of the entire package for homebuyers. Not only are they looking for updated kitchens but space, functionality and great appliances. With all the competition in the Edmonton area it's more important than ever that your home looks it's best in print, online and during showings.

Updating a kitchen can be as easy as a new coat of paint, new door hardware and flooring. If you're considering remodeling your kitchen there are more cost effective options instead of the large expense of a complete makeover. With some professional advice, creative thinking and a little hard work a ‘new' kitchen is possible for a fraction of the remodel price.

The kitchen shown here was dated, dark and non functional. Some how while remodeling back in the 1970's the home owners forgot to make space in the kitchen for the appliances.

In the spring of 2006 River City ReDesign and its team transformed the kitchen to bring it up to date.

Here's what we did:

new flooring -$1500, custom built island for stove $1000, resurfacing of counter tops $300, tile backsplash $350, paint $75, lighting $150, cabinet hardware $175, sink & faucet $300 - total transformation under $3500 (plus appliances)

Even updated kitchens can be over run with daily life leaving them functional for the current owners but cluttered and unappealing for potential buyers. The photographs below are a great example of how River City ReDesign transformed another cluttered kitchen into a buyers dream.

We added art work ($35), accessories ($45), cabinet hardware ($135) and greenery ($35) for less than $300. By removing the window valances and opening up the blinds, the space instantly looked brighter and seemed larger. Putting away the clutter gave a true understanding of the mass counter space; the highchair was stored in the utility closet during photographs and showings making this kitchen a true winner in the eyes of a potential buyer!

Whether you're renovating, updating or looking for advice on properly preparing your home for sale, River City ReDesign has the knowledge, resources and customer service to help you through the process.

You can do it and we're here to help!

Call us at (780) 904-4647

email info@rivercityredesign.com

webpage www.rivercityredesign.com

The 'Master' of Disaster?

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:12:20 -0500

Master bedrooms are such important selling features you just can't afford to get them wrong! When a buyer walks through your home in anticipation of the master retreat a poorly showcased master bedroom can be disastrous.

The Master Disaster below shows zero appeal and major lack of inspiration for a luxury retreat.

We made the bed, used throw pillows and a chair from another room, added art work, greenery and window dressings all for under $200.00

This Master Bedroom is now a cozy retreat that inspires buyers to make an offer.

For more information on inexpensive ways to transform your home visit our website at www.rivercityredesign.com

Dining Rooms Are a Luxury!

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:45:38 -0500

Most newer homes today are open concept 'Great Rooms'. If you are one of the lucky ones to be blessed with a formal dining room be sure to play up the luxury factor! Too many dining rooms are being left in the wayside or converted to play rooms, den's or a second family room. When preparing your home for sale show your dining room as a cozy romantic entertaining area instead of a forgotten space. Buyers will see the value and fall in love with the luxury of great entertaining!

Before River City ReDesign

After River City ReDesign

For more information on Home Staging & Redesign services visit our website at www.rivercityredesign.com

This certainly isn't Home Staging!!!!

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:07:57 -0500

My team and I have had the pleasure of working with a local nonprofit organization called the Zebra Child Protection Centre. Instead of having to visit a police station, physiologist office, lawyer office, and so on, children of child abuse are able to come to the Zebra Centre. As soon as the kids enter the centre they realize they are in a safe environment that is catered to them and their sensitive needs.

We are in the process of redesigning three of the rooms at the centre with the first one called the Toy Closet completed last Thursday. The only guidelines for the room was that it needed a WOW factor!

Barb, the director was personally blown away by the transformation and I have had the pleasure of seeing a few reactions from the kids. This certainly isn't Home Staging but it sure was fun!

Before:

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

After

Just imagine being a child who's had such trauma, going through a day of interviews, medical exams and so on. It breaks my hart. This room has the door closed and as the children get ready to leave after their long day filled with emotion - a child advocate takes them down the hall and lets them open the door.... WOW!!!

All of the toys, blankets, hygiene products and clothing is donated from local businesses and citizens. Each child gets to choose one or two things to take home. What a great childish ending to such a political day!

Stay tuned for before and after photos of the other two rooms once they're complete!

If you would like more information on The Zebra Centre please visit their website.

www.rivercityredesign.com

Thousands of Edmonton and area homes for sale - How do you stand out?

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:50:38 -0500

With thousands of Real Estate listings in the Edmonton area it's more than likely there's a bit of competition on your street. Properly preparing your home for sale will bring it to a level playing field, if not a step above its competitors.

Home buyers differ in their priorities for their new home but they all have a few things in common:

80% of them view your home online or in print for the first time
Most make a priority list of homes to view based on how they look in the advertisement
They are looking for a great home at a great price and start looking for ways to justify a lower offer
They can view a number of homes in a day with showings lasting as little as 10 minutes
Most are looking for move in ready homes
They tend to lump homes with dated décor as fixer uppers
Regardless of age; cluttered homes look smaller and less appealing
Many will place their furniture the same way they see it displayed, so if it doesn't look right they assume there is a lack of overall space rather than a problem with the furniture placement
Only 10% of them can visualize a home's potential; if it doesn't look appealing they lose interest quickly
First impressions are formed in less than 60 seconds and can cause a quick decision based on visual appeal
It's hard for them to make an emotional connection in a home that showcases personal photographs and collections because it reminds them it's someone else's home
Their ultimate goal is to find a home that looks and feels better than what they have now

Don't leave it up to a buyer's imagination - show them how wonderful your home is!

As Home Staging & Redesign professionals, River City ReDesign's team of experts knows what it takes to properly prepare your home for sale. We offer a number of services that include in home consultations and rental furniture for vacant homes. Our room by room reports address what to add or remove, what may need to be repaired or replaced, how and what to highlight as the main selling features, proper furniture and accessory placement plus we have partnerships with local trades people and home improvement stores that offer special discounts and quick turn around times for our clients. Please visit or website for a complete list of services.

As the Edmonton Real Estate Market continues to have a record breaking number of listings, the need to impress your potential buyer is more important than ever. In 2007 many published Real Estate reports stated that Home Staging & Redesign added more value and buyer appeal causing homes to sell faster and for more money.

Remember that if a buyer can visualize themselves living in your home they may just fall in love with it. Price, location and your personal décor no longer becomes a factor once their hart takes over so take the time to get it right the first time. Your hard work won't go unnoticed and it will certainly make the selling process less stressful and in most cases much more profitable - exactly what you are looking for!

River City ReDesign Inc.

email: info@rivercityredesign.com

Telephone: 780-904-4647

website: www.rivercityredesign.com

Spring Fever!

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:55:14 -0600

Spring is fast approaching and here in Edmonton we are fortunate to have enjoyed beautiful weather for the last part of February. The snow is receding quickly and I can actually see the lawn now! Will it last? The weather network shows promise but we Albertans know it can change with the blink of an eye!

Regardless of where you live, spring really is just around the corner, the days are getting longer and more and more of us are venturing out to enjoy local attractions and activities. Home shopping is high on a buyers list and preparing a home is high on a seller's list. Spring cleaning is something most of us do every year (some of us do it every season) and for others it's never been done. Why - I'm unsure - lack of time, lack of ambition, lack of hygiene? Regardless of how or why, regardless of your homes age, size, state of repair or neighborhood - CLEAN IS KEY!

Buyers base a large part of their buying decisions on an emotional feeling they get from your home. Marks on floors or a stain on the living room carpet can interrupt a buyer's emotional process and draw attention to flaws. It may seem trivial to think that something as minor as a cluttered closet could make or break a deal but it can! That closet could give a buyer the impression there is a lack of storage space or that the house is not maintained well. These impressions are not necessarily the case so taking the time to thoroughly clean your entire home could actually increase its appeal to a broader buying range!

When a home smells and looks clean it tells a buyer that you have taken care of your home. Take action this Spring and go through one room at a time, pay attention to detail, de-clutter, dust, clean, wash and pack! Your hard efforts won't go unnoticed when buyers open your fridge to see what options it has or looks inside the spacious double garage that actually fits two cars! Clean is Key! It is the easiest, least expensive step in preparing your home for sale!

Happy cleaning!

Dawna

More Web Presence & Promotion for Canadian Real Estate Professionals

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:22:17 -0600

As a professional I am always looking for new and innovative ways to promote my business and my website locally. I've added my website to AR, Google, Yahoo, Naymz, and most recently LocalCanada.com I was surprised to see how many businesses from my area were listed and just as surprised to see how many Real Estate Professionals were not!

LocalCanada.com is a network of Canadian web sites designed to help Canadians find information on businesses and services in their community. More and more it's becoming evident that the World Wide Web is exactly as it states, World Wide. The LocalCanada series of web sites breaks it down to the local level to help businesses get an excellent, inexpensive web presence. They have perfected creating very attractive and effective web sites at the fraction of the cost of traditional web designing companies complete with your domain name registered. If you have a web site, they can also help in driving traffic to your web site. Having a web presence is crucial in this day and age, but without the proper promotion behind it, your web site can get lost, that's where they come in. Please see some examples of work that they've done:

Web Sites
www.lechateauapape.ca

www.monogramsunlimited.ca

www.ryjotours.com

www.amorepizzeria.ca

Links to LocalCanada.com

http://www.localedmonton.com/Index.asp?storeid=555

http://www.localmoncton.com/Index.asp?StoreId=534

http://www.localstjohns.com/Index.asp?storeid=538

http://www.localhalifax.com/Index.asp?storeid=545

Web Pages
www.ruthbarnes.com

http://www.localmoncton.com/Index.asp?storeid=495

They've created 200 of these types of sites for businesses across Canada.
They've been in operation for a number of years, primarily on the East Coast
of Canada. Their 2 main sites are www.localmoncton.com and
www.localhalifax.com. They've perfected their practices with these 2 web
sites and now they're taking these models across Canada with their 40+ local
web properties under the www.localcanada.com umbrella.

They currently get around 8,000 unique visitors a day which is over 2 times
the amount of visitors they were getting this time last year. This is a
company that is definitely on the move and is an excellent opportunity for
anyone who's reading this to get in on the ground floor.

If you're interested in speaking with them, contact the Vice President of
Sales, Brad MacDonald, toll free @ 1.888.632.7795 of via email @
Brad@localcanada.com. Please make sure you tell him you heard about them on Active Rain!

House Numbers

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:12:43 -0600

Many of my clients know how big I am on curb appeal. While visiting the Old Strathcona Farmers Market yesterday I came across some very unique house numbers that add the ‘WOW' factor to any home. I asked Steve the owner how his company was doing. He told me his one time hobby has now turned into a lucrative full time business mainly made up of online orders out of the USA! What a great accomplishment for a local artisan and his army of helpers! To view a complete list of services and portfolio of designs, please visit their website.

Living Green Pavilion

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:22:47 -0600

I just completed a lengthy entry into the 'At Home In Edmonton' blog about helpful sources for going green.

I'd like to make mention of The Living Green Pavilion at Edmonton's Home & Garden Show this coming April 3-6th having a wonderful array of green living ideas, sources and services available in and around Edmonton. Thier 'Its easy being Green at Home in 2008' list is a great source for easy how to's and ideas on making a difference every day.

Cheers to Green!

Update your Jewelry!

Dawna Graham, River City ReDesign (River City ReDesign Inc.) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:34:40 -0600

Many homes have dated kitchens and I often get asked - what is the best option for the least amount on money and time. Jewelry! What was old is new again - color anyways - my point is that rather than spending a weekend painting, staining or resurfacing old cabinets, why not start with the jewelry? Hardware is a kitchen's jewelry, its part of the sparkle and can be replaced in as little an hour and in most cases for less than $100.00. Dated hardware on dated cabinets equals dated kitchen. Modern hardware on dated cabinets equals updated. While the style may still be 1970's the hardware can certainly help mimic the look of a modern kitchen. I caution that this theory will not work in all cases but it's certainly worth the try! Whether you decide to go ahead with painting or staining you'll probably be replacing the hardware so try it out on a half the kitchen before you resurface to see what it looks like - you may have just save yourself a lot of unnecessary hard work!