Home stager, Karen Hubert-Center Stage Design

Homeless again! Can anyone help me out?

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:14:55 -0700

This is such a great post about dressing up a vacant property and making buyers feel at home. Selling vacant properties is difficult since they feel empty without feeling and life.

Via Janice Sutton - Temecula Murrieta Home Stager - Home Staging (1st Stage Property Transformations ):

I just don't get it!

You see, I keep getting kicked out of my house!

What's the deal?

Just as I am settling in "BAM!"

I'm moving out and on to look for another house to live in.

Oh, don't be sad for me.

It's all good!

You see, I am your Home Staging............. Gigolo!<----dare ya!

Yup, that's right! Don't be afraid.....

I move quickly and help you get the job done!

I help you market that vacant house so you can attract Buyer's and SELL your property fast!

Here's my MO....

I check you out.......

I move in and get all dressed up in my fine stuff.....if I do say so myself........

Here I am getting busy in Menifee..... and Murrieta...... and San Marcos......

Yeah, I know, I get around,

and then BAM! I get to work.......

"Hey there! How's it going?!"

"Let me show you around."

"Please, sit down, relax & stay awhile."

"Are ya feeling it?" :)

You get the picture, right?

Oh you wanna SEE more of me?????

SURE! I'd love to show you more of my stuff!

OK, so let's get serious,

Here's the deal......

I do not want to go back to live in the warehouse! :(

I REPEAT, I do not want to go back to live in the warehouse!

I am too good to live there!

No one can SEE me there! :(

People, please!!! There are houses to SELL and Buyer's to meet!!

So, let me HELP you!

I am sure you have a few spare VACANT rooms I can move into for a little bit.

Don't be shy....

Don't be afraid.....

I promise I won't crowd your space and will be GONE before you know it! :))

You see, I am your Home Staging Gigolo and I am here to help YOU!

Whatever I seem to GO turns to SOLD!!! ;)

So give me a call, let's talk......where you hiding the key??

------------------------------------------------

Blog posted by Janice Sutton, Murrieta Temecula Home Stager. Home staging & marketing homes for the Inland Empire/Riverside County & San Diego County.

Are you looking for a Home Staging Professional? We currently home stage in Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Winchester, Escondido, Oceanside, Fallbrook, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Corona, Anaheim Hills, Banning, Yucaipa, Palm Springs and all other surrounding Riverside & San Diego County cities.

Home staging services included Vacant, Occupied, Model Home, REO & Bank Owned Home Staging.

Contact us at 951.704.0597 for a free vacant home staging estimate!

Don't delay....Home stage today!

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Hamilton, Ontario Remax Realtor Wins Prestigious Award!!!!!

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:29:34 -0800

I am so happy to report that one of the agents I work with on a regular basis and have built a partnership with has won the RESA Realtor of the year award for 2011. Doug Folsetter from Remax Escarpment Realty Inc. in Hamilton Ontario. The winners of the 2011 RESA awards were announced at the 2011 RESA Convention in Las Vegas January 23, 2011.

Congratulations Doug!!!!!!! Way to support home staging as a valid addition to your business.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Canadian Staging Professionals Conference Hi-lites in Las Vegas

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:08:00 -0800

I had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Staging Professionals Conference in Las Vegas as an extra day after the Real Estate Staging Association Conference.

It was a fabulous day of people sharing their expertise.

Teresa Robertson of "Design to Go" winner of the CSP mentor of the year for 2010. Teresa shared with the group her ideas "to help grow and manage a successful staging business."

Nairn Friemann, president of "Ingenuity & Pizzazz, Inc." shared "Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations with sellers in 10 simple steps."

From the "Social Media Academy For Women".

Francine Allaire shared steps for "using Flip Video's and some simple scripts to increase your visibility on Social Media".

Forbes called Francine one of the "Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs" to follow on Twitter for advice on business,marketing and technology.

Also from the "Social Media Academy For Women" :

Cindy Ratzlaff guides us through "the steps of using Twitter lists to increase your visibility on Twitter.

Lisa McKenzie guides us through "the steps of creating powerful, targeted Facebook ads."

Other guests included

Tara Savelle, owner of "Home on Display" shows us her "secret formula to securing lunch and learns in Real Estate Offices.

Kelly Ralph talks about team building in your business.

Jackson West of "Revealestate" and one of our own Activerain friends shows us "How to Write an Attention Grabbing Professional Bio."

Kimberley Seldon, well known interior designer spoke about the "Business of Design". She has written a book and she did a book signing during the conference.

I learned a lot from Kimberley and during her whole presentation I was sure she was talking about me. Highly motivating us to take care of the business part of home staging. She says "80% business and 20% design".

Christine Rae, President of Canadian Staging Professionals had her sister, Lynne Corfield, speak to us again. I have heard her speak 3 times now and she is always an inspiration.

Our keynote was Bodine Balasco - Focusing on "The Master Method for Creating Desired Results in Challenging Times".

I really enjoyed Bodine. He is a magician as well as a wonderful speaker and presenter.

Take a look at some of his presentation on this video.

I enjoyed the conference very much and can't wait until the next one. I flew over the Grand Canyon via Dallas to Toronto.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Real Estate Staging Association Conference in LasVegas a Huge Success

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:30:11 -0800

The Real Estate Staging Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas was a huge success. The RESA conference was held in January and approximately 400 stagers from all over North America were there.

Although there were many hi-lights from the RESA conference event the top three for me were:

1. Jackson West from "Reveal Estate" home staging.

Jackson's presentation for the RESA conference was "How to Close More Sales and Raise Your Profits by Perfecting Client Proposals".
I learned a great deal and am now putting together a template for my own Client Proposal.

2. Christine Rae from "Certified Staging Professionals".

Christine is very passionate about going green and especially being green in your home staging business.
Some things Christine shared about the state of our water here on the planet was eye opening.

There is an organization called "One Drop". They are working hard around the world to make our water safe and to preserve our earths water supply.

To find out more and how you can help visit www.onedrop.org

3. Key-Note Speaker Matthew Finlason from "The Stagers" HGTV was very entertaining to listen to. He taught me to tell a story about who would be a buyer for a property. His humour was greatly appreciated.

A great time was had by all and I can't wait for next year.

To view the video of the RESA Home Staging Conference follow this link

RESA Conference Video

Thank you to all who shared. I took something away with me from everyone. I couldn't get enough. Thank you to the panel of experts for sharing their experiences and helping me to realize I am on the right track with my home staging business.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Debbie Travis "All For One" (Oakville) receives help from Hamilton/Halton RESA Chapter

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:32:33 -0800

In one of my previous posts, I shared Hamilton/Halton Real Estate Staging Association Chapter's Charity of choice "Wall's of Hope".

Sera Mansueto, the founder of "Wall's of Hope" was being honoured by Debbie Travis as an unsung hero in Oakville for her generous and hard work in helping families in the Oakville area.

The show "All For One" was taped at the end of August and aired on October 31.

Many of our RESA chapter members were part of the 5 day project honouring Sera .

It was an exciting, exhausting, and educational 5 days.

Here are some pictures of some of our RESA Chapter members. You might recognize some of them.

Linda Graydon from "Soulscape Interiors" was chosen by Debbie Travis as the Design Crew Leader. It was a very stressful 5 days.

Igor from "Restaurant Makeover" was there to lend a hand and he taught Charlene from "Dezigner Digz" and I how to use a Nail Gun.

Here I am Karen Hubert from "Center Stage Design" being wired for sound by the crew. Debbie is checking out our work. The guys stole our nail gun so back to basics.

I am painting a trunk for one of Sera's daughters room. What do you think of this colour? Allison Roberts of "Burloak Home Staging and Decorating" gives Charlene a hand making the bed.

Anne Vernon from "Rooms 'n Blooms" gives Linda a hand. Luisa Giaitzis from "Absolute Simplicity" enjoys painting and Patrick Fornasari from "Studio Linea' was a big help during the project. All members of our Hamilton/Halton RESA Chapter. Thank you for giving of your time for someone very worthy.

Some carrying on with Debbie. Charlene, myself and Allison. Debbie thinks I am short.

The finished product.

The Reveal

Check out Debbie Travis's website to view the episode if you missed it. This was definitely a "stage it forward" project for the Hamilton/Halton RESA Chapter members.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Hamilton/Burlington Real Estate Staging Association October Chapter Meeting

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:44:27 -0700

Hamilton/Burlington Real Estate Staging Association October Chapter Meeting was a big success.

We had many in attendance and some very good presentations.

Linda Graydon shared some photos with the group of our "Wall's of Hope" project.

Linda also shared a slideshow of the "Debbie Travis" project some of us also participated in. Debbie Travis's new show is"All For One".

This is me listening intently to what Debbie is telling me.

Also during the meeting I shared the picture hanging tip I learned here on Activerain via Kym Tarr's blog post.

Laurie Carther from "Silklauer" Designs also shared a picture or mirror hanging tip.

Our guest speaker was Anthony Giaitzis from "Stoneridge Insurance Company". He is husband of Luisa Giaitzis who is one of our members.

He has come up with a RESA Group Insurance Plan for our Hamilton/Halton RESA Chapter stagers. Many of our stagers are not CSP's having access to an already great insurance plan. Many of our members are Haverhill, ISP, ASP, and Staging Divas.

Anthony hopes to offer this great deal to other RESA Chapters in Ontario in the hopes of getting the numbers needed for the group plan.

Our sponsor for our meeting was David Hills from "Signaids". He shared with us his business of Estate Mailboxes and glow in the dark house number plates. This service can also be offered through our businesses as a resell program. His giveaway was a number plate. Congratulations to Mara Snider who won this great prize.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Don't Hide It! Fix It!

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 11:41:36 -0700

This post about not hiding problems but fixing them or disclosing them goes well with Brian Madigan's blog about the Legal Liability of home stagers

Good for you Janice!!!!

Via Janice Ankrett ASP (Janice Ankrett Home Staging):

If there is an issue with your home, don't hide it fix it.

If you can't afford to fix it, disclose the problem.

Your Realtor can help you with this.

The home in the picture had a crack in the wall that was letting in moisture. That moisture had damaged the flooring.

The seller did the responsible thing and had a specialist come in and fix the wall. That gave them a certificate to show the buyers. The seller then replaced the damaged flooring.

As a Home Stager I see homes with varying issues.

I always advise my client to take care of the issue before they go on the market. If they do not have the budget to fix the problem I advise them to at least get an estimate on the work to show the buyer.

The cost of dealing with the issue is probably less than the reduction the buyer will make to their offer.

Some think Staging is about hiding things - that we stage over problems.

NO!!

Staging is about highlighting the architectural features of a home.

During a consult we identify the features that should be highlighted and the negative features that may slow the sale of the home.

If there is a window that looks in a neighbor's window we do not hide the view. We show the buyer they can have light and privacy by, for example, tilting a blind or hanging a sheer. The window is still there and visible but the buyer knows how to deal with it.

We do not hang pictures to hide a dent in the wall. A picture is placed to accent a fireplace or sofa or table or just add colour to a room.

Staging shows off the great things about your house.

Staging shows how to live with the so so aspects of your house.

Staging does not hide things from the buyer!

Serving Burlington,Oakville, Milton, Hamilton & surrounding areas. 905-467-5353

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Knock Knock - On the Door To a Sale

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:42:25 -0700

I believe paying attention to your front door when selling is very important since curb appeal is what will draw buyers into your home to see more. Thanks Valerie for a great post.

Via Valerie Zinger (Royal Lepage Gale Ottawa-Ontario-Canada):

Paint your door.

What? Paint wood? Most men will think that you will be struck dead from painting a wood door (or any wood in the house for that matter) but...

Consider painting your front door. When I was in Ireland I fell in love with the doors painted in high gloss primary colours. What a treat!!!! You are going to or living in the house with the yellow (or red, or green or blue) door. From a long line of homes on a street, it will be apparent which one is yours by the colour of the door. Where the same builders have built every house on the block or in the neighbourhood, you might want a way to distinguish your home from others.

Get together with your neighbours and think of painting each door a different colour. Imagine the impact! Think of what fun it would be to take your door to a new level of interest with bright red or yellow or green. The Irish have it right - houses with each door painted a different colour.

All right, maybe the primary colours are not going to work but... you can step away from the white metal door or bland wood door and into a world of colour. The people at the paint shops can help you make a choice. Take in a photo of your house. Remember the colour of your shingles / tiles on the roof. Remember, if you are going to paint your door, be ready for comments from your neighbours and do as professional a job with the primer and paint as you can. Have some fun. After all, it is just a door to your house and not the entrance to the Louvre.

(Okay, one caveat, if you are living in a house with an historical designation you may not be able to apply your creativity to colour choices but then, you already know that.)

Last week I went for a walk with my camera looking for my favourite doors in my neighbourhood. Here they are:

Photo credit:   Strikingly painted front doors, Infirmary Road @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pnh/112184498/

Valerie Zinger email: vzinger@royallepage.com (613-723-5300)

Royal LePage Gale Real Estate,  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Hamilton/Burlington RESA Chapter September Meeting

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:37:15 -0700

The Hamilton/Burlington RESA Chapter met on September 27 at Tansley Woods Community Centre.

Our guest speaker was Laurey Fawcett from Sherwin Williams Paint. Laurey had a lot of information to share about paint and how to pick the right paint for your project. She taught us how to read the fan deck properly and the types of finishes were discussed. Unfortunately we were unable to have Laurey complete her whole 1.5 hour presentation due to the time allowed for our meeting. This was a little disappointing.

Each member attending the RESA Chapter meeting will be getting a free fan deck.

Laurey shared a website to our Hamilton/Burlington Chapter members to receive free paint chips in large sizes to use for our businesses. I am unable to share this website unfortunately.

Our Hamilton/Burlington RESA Chapter Charity "Walls of Hope" has completed the home for the family chosen for help.

Many of our RESA Chapter members pitched in to help on many levels. In June it was started by decluttering and organizing and getting together all the help necessary to complete the project.

The last week of September the job was completed. A new roof, new kitchen, new bathroom, floors, painting, landscaping, are just some of the projects taken on. Of course staging at the end for the reveal. The President's Choice charity will be funding the remodel of the main floor bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible for one of the children.

A special thank you was given to Linda Graydon, Soulscape Interiors, home staging for all her hard work with the charity. Linda is heading our "Walls of Hope" charity committee. Other Hamilton/Burlington RESA Chapter members sitting on the committee are Allison Roberts (Burloak Home Staging) and Kim Abraham (Harmony Home Staging). They did a lot of work for our Charity.

To see more pictures of the project visit the "Walls of Hope" Fan Page on Facebook.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Press Release for Center Stage Design-Home Staging

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:41:33 -0700

I have just earned the RESA-PRO™ home staging designation.

For Immediate Release

Karen Hubert of Center Stage Design earns Prestigious RESA-PRO™ Home Staging Designation

Ancaster, Ontario, September 27^th,,2010. Karen Hubert of Center Stage Design has earned the RESA-PRO™ designation.

RESA-PRO™ designees must meet the following 6 mandatory requirements:

Must pass the RESA® Ethics Exam.
Must agree to follow the RESA® Code of Ethics.
A minimum of 1 year in business, as a professional home stager (proof by either a Business License, DBA, LLC, CORP, Re-sale license or Legal Partnership,)
Proof of Home Staging Business Insurance
No lawsuits pending against your staging business
Business Checking Account

The RESA® Ethics class and exam is an extremely important factor in raising the bar for the home staging industry. RESA-PRO™ is the only designation governed and regulated by the Real Estate Staging Association®. RESA® ensures that RESA-PRO™ designees uphold the highest ethical standards possible.

Karen Hubert of Center Stage Design offers Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management in the (Hamilton, Burlington and surrounding areas ). “Preparing your property to compete can make your property a winner”, said, Karen Hubert of Center Stage Design.

RESA® recently released statistics on the benefits of home staging. RESA studied 410 properties in North America and found on average staged properties are on the market 78% less time. “There is no doubt staging benefits buyers, sellers and agents. We strongly recommend anyone considering selling their property to work with a professional stager in their local area,” said Shell Brodnax, RESA’s CEO.

Center Stage Design has been certified by Canadian Staging Professionals. We know what buyers are looking for and what sellers need to do to sell. We offer hands on services to help homeowners and real estate professionals sell properties. For more information about what we offer please visit www.centerstagedesign.ca or call 905-648-7010.

####

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Selling a Townhome or Condo: My Top 5 Tips for Making it Stand Out From the Competition

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 13:49:19 -0700

Michelle has chosen a great list to help homeowners stand out from the competition. Hiring a home stager can help you with all of these tips and really help you sell your property.

Via Michele Rose, Burlington County Realtor, RESA (Weichert Realtors, Rose-Colored Staging):

Townhomes and condos can be a bit more challenging to sell because often they look very much the same as many of the other homes in your neighborhood. One can easily blend right in with all the others-- not good when you're trying to attract buyers!

So how do you make your home stand out from the rest? How do you encourage offers on your home instead of the others? You've already heard the advice for homes in general-- declutter, clean, paint, and make repairs. But what specifically can you do in a townhome or condo that will make a difference?

Here are my top five tips:

1.  Spiff up your curb appeal! Within the limits of your home owner's association, add special touches that will make your home stand out. Add pots of flowers to the front step or just outside your door. Hang a wreath on the freshly painted door. Make your landscaping beautiful with color. When the buyers get out of their cars, help them to know that yours is the house to buy!

2.  Create as much space as possible. These are not usually large homes and the biggest complaint I hear from buyers is that the homes are too small. You may have outgrown the place but don't let buyers see that. Rent a storage for extra stuff that can be packed and for furniture that is too large. If you have a storage space attached to your home, don't pack it full. It's a selling feature-- let the buyers see how much space you have!

3.  Play up anything unique about your home! Do you have a gourmet kitchen? Do you have a fireplace when most units don't? Do you have a beautiful view? Use what you can to highlight those features that differentiate your home from the rest. When I sold my townhome, I focused on the view of a large pond. In fact the first photo in the MLS was of the pond. It caught a lot of attention.

4.  Update Standard Fixtures and Lighting! A lot of these homes still have the original builder's grade fixtures and lights. Add a more contemporary and "dressed up" look to yours by replacing dated shiny brass with black iron, burnished bronze, or polished nickel. Look through current home magazines to see what's in style. Don't think that just because your home store sells it, it's the "in" thing.

5.  Consider Your Customer! If someone is looking for a townhome or condo, they usually are looking for low maintenance, so do the repairs for them. Depending on your area, your buyers could be single, or young marrieds with no children, or older with no children at home. They may work a lot. Know who your target is. Consult a local professional home stager to make sure your home will appeal to the audience in your area. The cost of a consultation is a small investment and the return will make it worth every penny!

Follow these tips and you will be pulling ahead of the competition in no time! If you're in Burlington or Camden County and would like to schedule a consultation, give me a call! We are here to help you get your home sold!

Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager in Burlington County, NJ. She has been assisting both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs for the last 6 years. In 2007, she founded Rose-Colored Staging, a professional home staging and redesign business, to help sellers successfully market their homes with professional home staging.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Real Estate Staging Association Hamilton/Halton Chapter August Meeting

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 12:12:55 -0700

The Real Estate Staging Association Hamilton/Halton Chapter August Meeting was a great success. Even though it was still summer we had quite a few members show up.

We welcomed Sue Kowalski from "The Glass Candle" as our sponsor for the morning. Sue is from Brantford, Ontario but serves Hamilton/Halton as well. She shared how her candles would be an asset for staging homes since they do not melt in the sun. They are made from palm wax. She brought many votive candles with many different scents. They can be made scentless as well. Every member received two votive candles to take home.

Also visiting our RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter meeting was Julie Stobbe as our main speaker. Her business is "Mind Over Clutter". She is trained through the "Professional Organizers of Canada".

Julie shared how she could help stagers assist their clients with the de-cluttering process.

Julie also shared how she could help each of us with our home offices and inventory.

A couple of tips to our RESA Chapter members was

schedule anything that takes longer than 30 minutes
try to leave a room in better shape than when you entered it
take 15 minutes every day preparing for the next day

Excellent tips Julie.

Our RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter members really enjoyed our guests and what they had to offer.

As the RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President and owner of my own staging company Center Stage Design, I have been working with MacFrugals, a furniture rental company, in the Hamilton area to put together something specific for stagers. After meeting with them twice they have decided not to help us out. They will rent to us, however, the service would be the same as if you wanted to rent for your own personal use. Not ideal. Very disappointing.

I have used them twice already and the service was excellent by the way!!!!

The "Bagster" was also shared to the group as an alternative to the bin rental. Fill it up and then call

Waste Management.

See everyone at the end of this month.

Karen Hubert, CCSP

Center Stage Design.ca

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Home Staging Your Decks and Patios

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:44:08 -0700

Beth has shown how important not ignoring your decks and patios is. This can be what can sell the property. Almost everyone is looking for a great place to entertain.

Via Beth Lester Real Estate Staging & ReDesign (Home Staging Designs of California):

Last year Dan Eason interviewed me here for Energized Seller, highlighting Home Staging tips for outdoor living spaces. It's time to expand these tips and put them in writing!

Whether your property boasts a deck, balcony or patio, staging it for outdoor entertaining will be a boost to your potential buyers. After all, even though many people rarely entertain, almost everyone likes the idea of entertaining and is looking for space to do so in their new home. Here are some tips to highlight these important outdoor areas.

1)  Declutter by removing everything. By taking everything out to begin with, it will be easier to do the next two steps, and you may get a better vision for using the space when you put it back together. This will also ensure you don't include any unnecessary items.

2) Make repairs. Replace any broken or rotting boards. Patch holes in the concrete. Steps and railings must be appropriately placed and in excellent repair. Use fresh exterior paint to give a new feeling to the space (be sure to prime any new wood).   Here are specific directions on painting a deck.

3) Clean, clean, clean!   Pressure washing is best to remove all dirt & cobwebs. Jo Max outdoor house cleaner works well for removing mildew. Clean everything going back into the space as well - BBQ, furniture, flower pots, etc.

4) Make an outdoor eating area with table & chairs (whatever size will fit nicely). Bring some to the table with some a centerpiece of potted flowers or candles, placemats & dishes if you desire.

Redondo Beach Home Staging

5) Enhance. Bring color around the space using cushions, dishes and flowering plants in pots (keep them watered!) If you have an outdoor grill, stage with it BBQ utensils and a bottle of A-1 sauce - anything to help the buyer imagine themselves using it surrounded by friends and family.

If your buyers are on the fence, staging the outdoor areas could tip the scales - in your favor!

HGTV's Front Door has more advice on preparing your patios for sale.

Call me for your Palos Verdes Home Staging needs.

Beth Lester

Home Staging Designs of California

(310) 809-7467

www.hsdca.com

Serving LA's South Bay

Home Staging Designs of California works with home sellers and listing agents to prepare homes for sale - full-service vacant home staging, occupied real estate staging and Redesigns available.

View our photo gallery of South Bay Home Stagings.

For more formation about our Torrance, Palos Verdes & surrounding area home staging services, contact certified professional home stager Beth Lester at 310-809-7467, Beth@homestagingdesignsca.com, or visit our website at http://www.hsdca.com/home.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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You're right! Home staging doesn't help sell homes!!!

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:00:30 -0700

Just another example of why home staging works for vacant properties. Buyers can imagine the space as their own. Furniture placement is not a mystery to them.

Beautiful work by Janice Sutton.

Via Janice Sutton - Temecula Murrieta Home Stager - Home Staging (1st Stage Property Transformations ):

NOT! :)

Ok so have you ever heard that Home Staging Doesn't Help Sell Homes or perhaps maybe you have said Home Staging will not work for my properties.

Well, to be honest, after over 5 years in the Home Staging Business, I have heard those words again and again and again! Blah...blah...blah...blah...blah......

Who knew becoming a Professional Home Stager would be such an uphill battle. When all I ever wanted to do was help Home Owners, Realtors, Investors market and SELL properties!!

Well...its time I stand up for myself and my colleagues and let you all in a little secret that I and tons of other Professional Home Stagers know and that is.....................

Home Staging Helps Sell Homes!

The proof is in the pudding...I mean Home Staging!! :)

Woooooo HooooOOOOO! I am thrilled to let you know that our Home Staging Company has helped 4 Vacant Riverside County, CA properties enter into Escrow the 1st month listed! And I am talking this month....August 2010!

Staged and SOLD in 1 month!! Ummmmm it doesn't get much better then that!!

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Here are a couple of Before & After pictures of the properties.

Padaro, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!





Cottonwood, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!





Falconer, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!





Windsor, Murrieta CA SOLD!!!





Still don't believe me......Well ask yourself this "What makes my Vacant Listings better then all the rest?" Answer.....Home Staging!

Bottom line......Home Staging Works! Try it you might like it!

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Blog posted by Janice Sutton, Murrieta Temecula Home Stager. We home stage & market homes for the Inland Empire/ Riverside County.

Are you looking for a Home Staging Professional? We currently stage homes in Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Fallbrook, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Corona, Banning and other surrounding Riverside County cities.

Don't delay....Home stage today!

Blog posted by Janice Sutton, Murrieta Temecula Home Stager. We home stage & market homes for the Inland Empire/ Riverside County.

Are you looking for a Home Staging Professional? We currently stage homes in Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Fallbrook, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Corona, Banning and other surrounding Riverside County cities.

Don't delay....Home stage today!

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Is Your Home Overdressed? Maybe it needs a "Make Under"

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:07:15 -0700

Home Stager, Karen Hubert, Hamilton, Ancaster Ontario Canada. Thank you Tessa for reminding us that we can focus on our homes even while living in them.

Via Tessa Skeens - Hampton Redesign (Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign in Fort Worth TX):

Happened to be home when Oprah was on this afternoon. The topic was Makeunders. Women who needed less not more. But this also applies to homes. Nate Berkus did a room Makeunder and it inspired me!

Every home that goes on sale needs a makeunder. The less of you, the quicker your home will sell. The bigger and more spacious your home looks the higher it's perceived value.

This means it's really important to edit your stuff so what's really important greets you (and your buyers) when you walk in the door. You want your homes' features to shine, you want buyers to say AH!

The trouble is we tend to keep adding stuff to our homes and don't stop to edit.
I compare it to getting dressed. You've got a great look going but then you keep adding accessories to your outfit. A scarf or two. All of a sudden your great look gets lost. No one will be able to focus on that perfect necklace or pair of shoes because there's too much to look at.

The best outfits are the ones with a simple color palette. A nice pair of jeans, a contrasting top and jacket and some great accent jewelry and shoes.

Your home is no different. It's an extension of who you are but it shouldn't be the catchall for everything you've ever wanted to bring home. Layering is wonderful but you have to know when to stop before your look gets lost.

Start with one room. Treat it like an extension of yourself. How would you dress it?

10 Easy Tips to "Make Under" Your Home

1. Keep in simple, Pick one or two main colors for your walls and floor. The fewer colors the more spacious your home will look.

2. Pick a third and fourth (if desired) accent color . Use these colors sparingly.

3. Keep your surfaces consistent. Walls should be the same material if possible and painted or finsihed in the same color on all walls. Floors also. Keep flooring consistent throughout the house.

4. Group your family photos on one wall and use similar frames and mats to keep a unified look. Edit your photos first and keep only the ones you love.

5. Group your plants also. Your plants will thrive and it reduces watering time. Toss out any that are unhealthy or dying.

6. If a room has more than one use make sure there's a dedicated space for each use. Screens or dividers can help separate living from office or exercise space.

7. Keep your window treatments clean and simple. Heavy window treatments that cut down on light can overpower a room. Invest in some light colored curtain panels instead hung on a simple pole. These look great over inexpensive 2" blinds.

8. Remove area rugs on carpet. Visually they cut up the floor space and make the room feel smaller.

9. Edit your collections. Keep only pieces you love on display. Again grouping them will create impact and reduce visual busy-ness.

10. Keep it to 5. When in doubt, keep no more than 5 toys or 5 plants or 5 pillows or 5 frames or 5 lamps for example in a room at one time. If you want to add a new piece, take out an old one.

Remember keep it simple. Whether you are getting ready to sell your home or just want to live lighter, a professional home staging consultation can help you with your "makeunder".

Photos are not samples of Hampton Redesign staging but chosen to represent how a simplified color palette can makeunder a room.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Hampton Redesign 817-891-9563 www.hamptonredesign.com

Tessa Skeens | Owner & Lead Staging Designer

Professional Home Staging and Redesign Services Serving Greater Fort Worth TX Including Aledo, Willow Park, Benbrook, Keller, Arlington, Southlake, Colleyville, Hurst, Mansfield, Burleson and Tarrant County

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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The Top 10 Home Improvements That Could Devalue Your Home

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:23:52 -0700

Thank you Donna for worthwhile list for homeowners. There is nothing worse than wasting money when you are selling.

Via Donna Dazzo Home Stager in the Hamptons & New York (Designed to Appeal, LLC):

Sometimes, making an improvement to your home could actually hurt you when you try to sell it.

Here are the top 10 home improvements that can make your home harder to sell:

1. Kitchen Renovation. Any renovation of a kitchen that is too taste-specific or extreme in design. For example, a kitchen equipped with a restaurant-level stove or multiple refrigerators may not appeal to the buyer who is a simple cook. You want to appeal to the broadest range of buyers when selling a home, and if a buyer thinks they need to spend money re-doing what you've done, they will offer less.

2. Bathroom Renovations. The same can be said for bathroom renovations. Any design that is over the top could detract from the value of the home. It's best to avoid garish sinks, faucets, and tiles. And skip the heart-shaped bathtub!

3. Painting. Painting the walls is a great way to freshen up a space prior to putting your home on the market, but painting with bold colors such as red, orange, purple or even black (I've seen this) is a sure way to turn off a potential buyer. Buyers want to feel like they can move right in and not have to re-paint the walls to match their own tastes and their existing furniture. The same goes for painting the exterior of the home - no bright blues, yellows or greens please!

4. Water Features. Having an in-ground pool, hot tub, waterfall or pond can also devalue a home, as buyers may perceive these as extra maintenance expenses they don't want to incur. Also, buyers with small children may be fearful of these as well. The only exception of an in-ground pool definitely adding value is if the home is an investment property in a resort area where renters find homes with a pool to be more desirable.

5. "Wasted" Square Footage. Taking valuable square footage in a house and using it for a specific, personalized purpose can make the house harder to sell and/or detract from its value, for example, turning a garage into a gym. Also, on the Bravo TV show, Nine By Design, the hosts of the show were trying to sell their NYC townhouse. The ground floor was taken up by a basketball/squash court because the owners liked to play these games. However, most buyers would see this as wasted space and an expensive project ahead to change.

6. Redecorating. Redecorating in a highly taste-specific style, such as Asian, country clutter or extreme modern can turn-off potential buyers. When selling your home, you want to appeal to the broadest range of buyers, so it's important that the furniture and décor is neutral and broadly appealing.

7. Illegal home improvements. Decks, driveways, expansions, etc. not approved by the local town authorities can devalue the home as you will probably be forced to correct the situation prior to selling which could result in something as extreme as actually removing it.

8. Laminated Wood Flooring. Installing laminated wood flooring instead of solid wood in an upscale home can also cause a buyer to think "I've got to rip this out"! Better to refinish existing hardwood floors, if any, or cover floors with new but inexpensive wall-to-wall carpeting.

9. DIY Home Repairs. While needed repairs and maintenance should be done to a home before putting it on the market, doing these yourself could end up costing you money in the end as buyers perceive your shoddy workmanship as something they have to spend money correcting, and therefore offering you a lower price.

10. Gardens and Landscaping. A high-maintenance garden and landscaping could also lower the value of a home. If buyers are not avid gardeners or don't want to spend money watering or on hiring someone to constantly weed, trim and rotate your plantings, this could be a real turn-off.

So, before you decide to make that improvement to your home, stop and ask yourself: "Will most buyers find this desirable so that they would be willing to pay for it, or is it just to satisfy my own needs and tastes?".

Do you know of any home improvements that could devalue a home?

© Copyright 2010 Designed to Appeal, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Dear Seller - Ten Sure Fire Ways to Distract Buyers from Focusing on Your Home.

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:35:07 -0700

Thank you Noelle for a great post!!!

Via Noelle Blazevich (John L. Scott):

This may seem a bit harsh but it is just plain speaking honest commentary regarding my experience as a buyer's agent. The statements below are taken directly from the comments and behaviors of buyers viewing homes for sale. It not meant to be negative but rather is meant to give sellers a bit of a look into the buyer's head. A chance to see things from the buyer's perspective without the candy coating we agents typically put on things.

10) Leave your "friendly" dog roaming free inside the house when you know we are coming to see it.

Not all buyers are dog people.
Many whether they are dog people or not will actually be scared of your dog.
I have had clients refuse to go into homes because the dog was out. Or they go in but don't stay long because the dog is either scared of them or overly friendly. It's hard to pay attention to a home when your nether regions are being inspected by Fido.
If the buyers are true dog people they are going to focus on the dog not on the house.
Trust me I have seen it happen.
One way or the other your pet has effectively distracted the buyer from looking at your home.

9) Leave something aromatic cooking in the crock pot for your dinner that night

Not all buyers are going to be fans of your food choices. In fact if it is particularly aromatic and something the buyer's don't care for, they are likely to ask me if I think the smell will come out or leave quickly because they don't like the smell.
They were so focused on your food choice they didn't look at your house.

8) Keep photos of your family up throughout the house

Guess what, buyers are going to look at your family photos to try to figure out who you are, do they know you, how many kids do you have?

Guess what they are not doing? Looking at your house.

7) Keep all your nick knacks out

I know they are precious to you but honestly they are distracting to the buyer. Instead of looking at the fabulous mantle the buyer will be looking at all the items on the mantel. As with family photos, buyers will often comment on these items trying to form opinions on who you, the sellers, are rather than focusing on the home.

Pack them up in boxes so you have one less thing to do later on moving day.

6) Make it difficult for me to show your house

I know selling your home is a pain, that you have a life and the appointment time I'm suggesting might not fit into your schedule.
But, hey I have a buyer that wants to look at your house.
You want to sell your house right?
Know what happens when you can't make that appointment time work? The buyer goes and looks at other houses that are available to see at that time. Do buyers reschedule to see your house at a later date? Often times not. Many buyers find another home that they like or are just not interested in going back to see one they couldn't see right away. I am not saying that you have to turn your life completely upside down and backwards. I am just saying that if our appointment time does not work for you don't be surprised when we don't reschedule. The buyer is likely to have moved on.

5) To continue on the pet theme, leave your cat roaming free throughout the house with a note by the front door stating "Please do not let the cat out".

You are setting up a stressful rather than relaxing situation for the potential buyer and for me the buyers agent. Buyers are forced to dash in and out of doors rather than wander freely throughout the home and property. They miss out on the opportunity to call back into the house to their spouse or partner that "they have got to come see this garden, bbq area, hot tub etc" because they had to shut the door so the cat didn't get out. If they do get wrapped up in looking at the house and forget to shut doors I have to remind them instead of pointing out the features and benefits of your property. You just made me the nagging hall monitor instead of the helpful agent. When your pet does manage a jail break, as I swear 99% of them do, I am forced to give chase to Houdini the Wonder Kitty. Meanwhile my buyers are cooling their heals either irritated that we are off schedule or more likely worried that you are going to be mad if we don't catch your pet and get them back inside your home.

Again the focus has been shifted away from your home.

4) Don't replace burned out light bulbs or use low wattage bulbs.

Yes I know it's only the laundry room, a closet or the spare bedroom you never use but guess what? The buyer wants to see these spaces and when the buyer can't see it they can't form an opinion. Use a good high watt bulb that appropriatley lights the space. While the lower wattage bulb will save on your electric bill it will also make for a dark space. Dark spaces do not impress buyers. I will typically bring a flash light to help out when a bulb is out but it is still not the same as having a working bulb with the appropriate wattage to light the room to the best benefit. Buyers will focus on the burned out bulb instead of the space. Is it just the bulb? Is there something wrong with the fixture? If the bulb is dim buyers will focus on how dark the space is instead of how useful it might be.

Don't give them a chance to wonder and worry just replace the bulb and show off the assests of your home in the "best light".

3) Close all the curtains and turn off all the lights

When we walk into the house instead of immediately noticing the great things about the house we are going to be fumbling around looking for light switches. It is likely that either I or one of the buyers may stub a toe on a hall table trying to find the switch. Buyers are hesitant to enter dark areas. In a home that is dark the buyers tend to follow me around as I turn lights on instead of lingering in various rooms to focus on what they might like about a room. They feel more like they are intruding and less like they are welcome. Instead of paying attention to the homes benefits they worry about whether they remembered to turn a light off as they left a room. They also don't get as much of my attention because instead of being able to answer their questions about whether or not the fridge is included or what the square footage of the lot is I am running around opening and shutting drapes and turning light switches on and off.

I know it may not be practical to leave all the drapes open and all the lights on all the time. At least leave the drapes open on the windows with the best views and leave a few lights on so we can find our way around the house. If it was on when we got there I will leave it on when we depart. If it was off I will turn it off. Please at least leave the porch light on. I do carry a flashlight but it is just not the same as pulling up to a home with a welcoming porch light on.

2) Turn the heat down

I know especially if you have already moved out that you would like to save on that energy bill but if it is colder in your house than it is outside buyers don't want to linger. They don't get a warm cozy feeling from your home. They just feel cold and that feeling transfers to an emotional opinion of your home. If you can't keep the heat all the way up at least keep it at 55 so we are comfortable in our coats and for heaven sake if you are going to turn the heat down don't expect us to take our shoes off, leave some shoe covers.

One of the quickest ways to drive a potential buyer out of your house is to make them view a cold house in stocking feet. It is hard to admire the spacious kitchen when your feet are being flash frozen by the cold tile floors.

1) Stay in your home while we are showing it

This is the BEST most SURE FIRE way to make a large majority of buyers uncomfortable. Buyers don't even come close to paying attention to the features and benefits of a home if you are there. They are so nervous about offending you and so uncomfortable looking at your home while you sit in your living room or worse follow them around that they rush through. They will tell you thanks for letting them look and dash out. Upon leaving they can't begin to tell me if they noticed what colors the wall were, if there was carpet in the living room or if they liked the kitchen or not.

What they do tell me is "That was uncomfortable", "I don't like looking at homes when the seller is there" and "Can you make sure the seller will be gone at the next one, if they are there I don't want to see it"

Leave, even if you go sit in your car, take a walk around the block or dash over to your neighbors, just leave. The buyer will stay longer and pay more attention to your home then if you are there. If they are interested in your home and have questions I will call your agent and ask. Think about it. Would you feel comfortable wandering through someone's master bedroom and checking out the closet space while they were sitting in the living room?

If the buyers fall in love with you home and decide to make an offer there will likely come a time where they will want to meet you and discuss your home at length and in detail with you. Typically buyer's and seller's agents are more than happy to set up this meeting. It is just not the first time the buyers are viewing your home.

Again, Please keep in mind these statements are meant to be helpful to sellers and give them a chance to look at things from the buyer's perspective. These are just some of the things that may not typically be thought of as a big deal but do in fact distract buyers focus.

Noelle Blazevich
John L. Scott - North Bend
noelleblazevich@johnlscott.com
When you work with me it's about YOU!

Noelle Blazevich on John L. Scott.com
On Facebook
RealEstateByNoelle.com
On You Tube
Virtual Tours of My Listings

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter News

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:58:52 -0800

Hello Fellow Stagers,

The Hamilton/Halton Chapter is well on it's way to a great 2010. We have had two meetings that were well attended.

The executive is now complete with great members such as Stacey La Rocque from "Candid Home Staging"as our VP of Membership, Ellen Forbes from "El Egance Understated Interiors" as our VP of Education, Laurie Carther from "Silklauer Design" as our Treasurer, Anna Topolinsky from "Images Staged With Flair" as our Secretary and Lisa McIntee from "The Staging Professionals" as our VP of Public Relations.

We have many things planned for 2010.

During our first executive meeting held on February 2nd, we discussed many things for our year ahead. Very exciting.

We have decided to support two charities. It was decided by the members to hold a fundraiser to raise funds for "The Holmes Foundation".

It was also decided to support a local charity "Walls of Hope". This is a charity we can physically get involved with.

We have many ideas to continue educating the public about home staging and educating our members to help them in their businesses.

We hope to be able to get the word out about our chapter as well. We have many ideas for that also. We plan to actively increase our membership and continue to find ways to make being a member of RESA and our chapter a value to our members.

RESA held it's very first convention in January and a great time and learning experience was had by all.

HGTV's Matthew Finlason from "The Stagers" was there and also Bethany Souza from "Designed to Sell".

Hopefully more of our members will be able to attend next time including me.

Karen Hubert, Center Stage Design.ca

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Snow, Snow, and more Snow...

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:26:37 -0800

Snow, Snow, Snow and did I say Snow….

I just don’t get it. I hadn’t visited one of my staged new builds for a couple of weeks. I like to have complete access so I can keep an eye on things. A few snow storms later and in order to get in the door, I had to climb through hip deep snow. I guess being 5 foot 1 inch didn’t help.

The snow looked like it hadn’t been cleared for weeks. This tells me a couple of things. #1 No buyer footprints. They couldn’t get near the door and why would they work that hard. #2 How motivated are the sellers? I realize keeping a property ready for prospective buyers takes some work but it is necessary.

I shook my head and made my way back to my vehicle carefully so not to lose the snowballs I had collected in the cuff of my pants.

The agent for the property was also the builder and he had started a building project in another city and couldn't get to this one so after another couple of weeks, he got another agent to handle the sale. Very smart. The property has been SOLD.

Karen Hubert

Center Stage Design.ca

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Orange You Glad You Staged Your Home?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:17:42 -0700

Via Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design):

When I stage a property I always like to use a pop of the same color in each room to unify spaces and add more flow to the home. I also use a pop of color to direct the buyer's eye to which selling features I want them to notice- the great fireplace, the kitchen counters, the cozy sitting area in the master bedroom. Perhaps it is the season but lately I have been loving orange and how it adds warmth and sizzle to the spaces we stage. Take a peek and try it out in your own home. Add some perky pumpkin, mellow mandarin or calming homcantaloupe to give your rooms a kick that you can enjoy all year round.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Google + Tweets+ Local Info = BUSINESS for me!

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:56:33 -0700

Via Erica McClenny (eRealty Inc.):

Google, Tweet and find me faster!

Tweet, tweet says I! If you'd like to propose real time information to your clients, potential buyers and sellers or just reach out to folks who haven't embraced all that the social media world offers...your words will now reach people faster than ever.

Think about someone looking for a Foreclosure in (Your Area)...you can post a specific property and there's a potential that they will see a short Twitter post instead of that blog post, that takes you minutes (or hours for some) to type up. Quick info, quick response will equal an increased bottom line.

THIS IS BIG NEWS!

Official Google Blog

10/21/2009 02:09:00 PM

At Google, our goal is to create the most comprehensive, relevant and fast search in the world. In the past few years, an entirely new type of data has emerged — real-time updates like those on Twitter have appeared not only as a way for people to communicate their thoughts and feelings, but also as an interesting source of data about what is happening right now in regard to a particular topic.

Given this new type of information and its value to search, we are very excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results. We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information.

Posted by Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience

Follow me here for updated Raleigh, NC, Wake County, NC and North Carolina foreclosures searches. I offer FREE Foreclosure searches for all my home buyers looking for Raleigh real estate.

Follow my TWEETS @EricaMcClenny

Erica McClenny, Broker/Realtor

eRealty Inc.

o) 919-844-4686

Helping home buyers and sellers save $$$ in Raleigh, Cary, Wake County

& the Greater Triangle area.

Happy House Hunting!

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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I've Got A Feeling!!!

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:25:29 -0700

Home Staging is all about the feeling. The feeling or mood created for a target buyer.

I remember a few years ago, my children and I traveled to Ireland. The only experiences of Ireland I had up until then were pictures of the beautiful country and the Irish Rovers. I do remember how listening to an Irish Band in an Irish Pub, really added to the experience.

When we were traveling around Ireland, we visited some of the tourist places like the Blarney Stone Castle and yes we kissed the blarney stone. While we were visiting a gift store we decided to buy a CD of traditional Irish music to listen to in our rental car as we traveled around Ireland. It was amazing how different traveling felt while listening to this music. As we traveled the “Ring of Kerry” along cliffs and narrow roads lined with trees that joined above the road to form a tunnel, we listened to our music. Every once in while we had to stop to let the sheep go across the road. The hydrangeas were in abundance in all the gardens we passed and were the deepest blue I have ever seen and I didn’t know that yuccas grew as tall as the sky.

When we arrived back home and tried to listen to the same CD, it just didn’t have the same feel while sitting in the family room here in Canada.

Good home staging really creates a feeling for a prospective buyer. Whether it is a family feeling using toys or a DVD on a coffee table or even a game to represent family time together. Cheese and crackers, wine bottles can represent entertaining friends and soft music can represent relaxing in your home or give a spa feeling in a bathroom. All these elements help buyers emotionally move into a home for sale. The mood should appeal to the target buyer to get it sold.

Karen Hubert

Center Stage Design.ca

Home Staging Solutions

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Home Staging Stories From the Trenches: "Yes, we can work with your furniture!"

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:57:08 -0700

Great information. I enjoy working with homeowners things most. It is more challenging but very rewarding when it works. Thanks Annie for a great post.

Via Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager (Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging):

I often get calls from Realtors who say, “I have a family who is actually going to be living in their home while it’s on the market. They would like to use their own furniture. Do you do that?” It always amazes me that they have to ask whether a full service Home Staging company would be willing to work with (gasp) someone’s OWN THINGS?! But I know why they have to ask.

There are some Stagers out there who refuse to work with anything but a completely blank slate. I once did a consultation for a guy who had a beautiful view home and completely workable furniture. His place just needed some updating and new accessories to make it appeal more to today’s buyers. He told me that the last Stager he interviewed told him she’d only take the job if he removed ALL of his own belongings and let her start from scratch…to the tune of over $30,000 in Staging fees! No wonder there are agents and homeowners out there who have yet to hire a Stager to help them prepare their home for sale!

Not only is it bad business to waste someone’s money on unnecessary furniture rental, but in my opinion it’s just plain lazy for a designer to say that they won’t work with a homeowner’s own pieces. Of course it’s easier (and more lucrative) for us to start from scratch because we can pick every last piece down to the art, rugs and plants and know that it will all coordinate beautifully. But if a homeowner has furniture that’s in decent shape and is properly scaled for his home, why would we ask them to get rid of it?

Though my company does lots of vacant home Stagings and model homes, I work all the time with families who are living in their homes while they’re on the market. For these clients, we start with a Consultation. We spend 2-3 hours on site determining what needs to be done in order to get the property sold quickly and for the best price. Recommendations might include de-cluttering, rearranging, reconfiguring or repurposing some of the furniture, updating paint or light fixtures, replacing worn or filthy carpets, and reaccessorizing. After our meeting, the seller receives a written Consultation Report, which gives them a room-by-room check list of what needs to be done. Often the seller takes this list and runs with it and we never hear from them again (until they call to let us know how happy they are that the property SOLD)! Sometimes, however, the client hires us to bring in the recommended accessories or additional furniture pieces that we’ve noted in the report, and to put the finishing touches on the Staging transformation.

As an example, we were recently brought in by a Realtor to do a Consultation on her client’s 4-bedroom home in Tarzana, California. The client had a gorgeous home with beautiful furniture, but she had seen some Staged properties on the market and knew that her home had a couple of trouble spots that needed to be addressed before it could compete with those Staged homes.

Click here to see photos of her trouble spots and how Stage to Sell turned them into selling points!

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

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Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP Home Stager, a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times , Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine .

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website . There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos , as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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6 Reasons why your house won't sell.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:09:41 -0700

Via Alan May, Coldwell Banker Evanston Realtor, North Shore Realtor (Evanston Real Estate, Evanston, IL):

1. Your photos are unimpressive. The vast majority of home buyers start their search for a home on the Internet, your house had better look great in print. Not just nice... downright fabulous. Today we are considering internet views as a 'virtual showing'... if your house gets past that, then they might (just might) make an appointment to see it in person... We consider that your SECOND showing. Today's buyers are expecting good quality photos (and lots of them... just 1 shot from the street won't cut it!), a virtual tour, maybe even a floor plan, if applicable.

2. It's overpriced. You've got to view your own property as objectively as possible. Look at the home like a "buyer"... if necessary, go out with your Realtor and view other homes that are priced comparably to yours. Be objective. Given the other options on the market (and yes, you DO have to include short sales and foreclosures on your list... your potential buyers are!), would YOU buy your home, over the others on the market?

If no, then you either have to "update" your home to meet or beat the competition... or lower your price to adjust for it. if you can't afford to sell for the price, that you KNOW it sell for, you may want to consider just removing it from the market.

3. It shows poorly. This could mean almost anything... from the barky, barky dog, to the smell of the diaper pail. Maybe the carpeting is a bit worn, or the woodwork shows a lot of wear. All things that don't show up on the internet, but whoa.... once you get inside the house... they show up, like a cat-urine-smell on a 95 degree day in New Orleans!

4. You're invisible. Today's buyer comes from the internet, almost exclusively. Have you (or your agent) simply plopped the property on the MLS, and started praying? Are you on all the websites...(Trulia, Zillow, Craig's List, Google Base, etc...) all the places that buyers are searching? If not, you want to be.

5. Your listing is tired and stale on the market. Okay... yes, you overpriced your home initially when you first came on the market 2 years ago. But since then you have reduced your price almost monthly... constantly chasing the market down.... Now, finally you're truly priced where you should be... but your listing is tired and stale. Everyone looking for your type of property (ie: 3br/1.1 bath) in your area has already seen it, sometimes twice... and they remember that there was "something" about it that they didn't like... but what they don't remember is... what they didn't like.... was the price. Time to take the listing off market. Let it cool off (3-6 months), and bring it back on fresh in the Spring. Yeah, you'll have 6 mos. worth of holding-costs... but you'll more than make up for it in your purchase price.

btw... Avoid the temptation to bring the house back on at a higher price, than when you left the market. Just "don't do it"!

6. Your house won't appraise. The house looks great... you've finally gotten someone to bring you a bid on your slightly over-priced, but beautiful pied-a-terre. But the bank appraiser says it's worth $20,000 less than what they've agreed to pay. Heavy sigh... bite the bullet.... negotiate with them. If you have to drop the price $20,000 to make it work.... "make it work"... chances are, anybody else trying to buy your house will run into the same problem.

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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Brantford Home Sells in One Day!!!

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:13:48 -0700

Hello activerain friends,

It has been a while since I have done any writing here on Activerain. I have been very busy moving my business forward and things keep progressing. I have done more than twice as much work as last year so far, so things are looking up.

I staged a home last week that sold in one day and I just had to share. Most of my staging has taken at least a month in this market to sell so it was quite refreshing to finally be back on track. Everything was right with this project though. The home wasn't listed first. The homeowners did a lot of painting and carpet cleaning and preparing their property for two weeks. This makes all the difference. They did pretty much everything I had suggested.

After two weeks I went in and staged their property. I believe the selling price was right on the mark as well. The home sold before it hit mls. Can't beat that.

This is the second time these homeowners had hired a stager to sell a home. The last time it took 9 days to sell. YAAAA!!! Mine sold in only one.

They were quite impressed. But who wouldn't be if I do say so myself.

Here is a couple of pictures.

I still need a wide angle camera for better pictures. It is difficult to see the whole room. These are just a few.

Karen Hubert

Center Stage Design.ca

Karen Hubert

RESA Hamilton/Halton Chapter President

www.CenterStageDesign.ca

Full Staging Company serving Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Niagara, Brantford and surrounding areas!

Home Staging, Redesign and Senior Move Management

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