staging: Gild the Lily - Home Staging Gone Amok - 03/14/13 06:12 AM

Today I was looking at some MLS photos (none shown here) and noticed that some people just go one or more steps beyond the necessary.  This could be a case of more is more but sometimes it is just bad.  I took time to look up the meaning of 'Gild the Lily' as I use it often but don't know the source.   Interestingly enough, we have to thank William Shakespeare for originating this.  In King John:
"Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,  To guard a title that was rich before,  To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,  … (36 comments)

staging: Open Up Those Drapes and Let the Sale Shine Through - 12/29/12 11:23 AM
There are books and blogs galore with tips and hints about staging your home to make a sale.  Among the many many things that a Seller can do, one of the easiest, and maybe the cheapest, is to pull back the drapes to let the light shine in the house.
Better Homes and Gardens has a site with 10 ideas for inexpensive window treatments. Some of these will help snazzy up a room and not cost the Seller a bundle.  Notice that in the photos, the treatments are not drawn all the way across.  They border the windows.  It is like a … (19 comments)

staging: Paint Your Door A Different Colour Every Year - The Neighbours Will Talk. - 10/29/12 07:41 AM
Look at this lovely door in a Georgian row of homes in Ireland.  
I wonder what the neighbours would say if the owner decided to change the door colour every year.  
Personally, I think the 'classic' look is lovely but it is also predictable and a bit boring.  It does go with the style of the home.  
However, why not paint it in the bold colours rotating around the colour wheel every year.   Picture that door bright yellow or deep red or orange.    
It could be that the neighbours will call you crazy but you … (20 comments)

staging: Don't ditch the doily, just save it for the next house. - 08/28/12 05:21 AM

I have a friend who recently asked me to be brutally honest about the staging that she and her stager had done.  Her house is on the market and she is trying to do everything to make the sale.   Well, as I said to her, without intending to be brutal, sometimes I am too honest.  On the other hand, ask me to be brutal and I just clam up.  This person is my friend and there is no way that I am going to risk a friendship. 
So, it was a huge relief to see her home (which is now … (58 comments)

staging: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Each Morning Before Leaving for Work - 07/17/12 03:10 AM
Your house is for sale and you leave for work each morning.  What should you be asking yourself before you leave for the day?  

Why do so many people hate cats and dogs?  Well they don’t but they do hate smells, dander and hair.  Change the cat litter, vacuum the hair.   Maybe send the pets on a vacation.  Every realtor and every house shopper has experienced the unbelievable stench of cat litter left unattended; don’t let that be at your house.    Oops.  You have a dog but have never bothered to vacuum up the hair.  Yuck!
What is so … (64 comments)

staging: This is for the birds! - 12/05/11 09:11 AM

Yesterday I bought a bird. 
We went to the Lansdowne Market.  Normally, the market ends in the fall but the Cattle Barn has been let to the local producers for a few Sundays.  The guidelines for the market are locally produced goods and food within a 100 mile radius - with the exception of fruit from Niagara.  It was a bit of a surprise to see how many crafters have rented booths.  It was the best of both worlds - shopping for food and for gifts.  There is one more Sunday (December 18th) left to go and get your baking, … (31 comments)

staging: Beyond the Hooks and Knobs and Nails, Oh My! - 10/31/11 04:27 PM
We spend a lot of time talking about how Sellers should fix up their homes to make them more appealing to Buyers.  So true and yet.....
A few years ago, a house in my neighbourhood was falling apart.  The owner was suffering from very bad health and what appeared to be a drug dependency supported through sales at the back door.  Things in and around the house were falling apart.  Finally someone called the family and a relative flew in to get the status.  Now, I don't know the inside scoops on what took place but the owner was sent off … (20 comments)

staging: Taking You from the View - 10/03/11 03:20 PM

We have all heard the advice about taking down the family photos and university degrees that adorn the walls and book shelves in our homes.  Sellers want to know why.   You, the Seller, may have a very specific job that you do from the home.  Again, it would be wise to pack away as much about this work is as possible.
A few years ago, I had a Buyer who had very fussy tastes (and why not, houses cost a lot of money).  She looked at everything in a home, whether it was included in the sale or not.  At one home, which would have … (68 comments)

staging: Haunted House Sale - 09/26/11 08:02 AM

 
Halloween comes only once a year.Why would you leave squeaky doors and drafty windows for Buyers to see and experience the other 364 days?   If your doors slowly close themselves or don’t close even when you pull them shut, it will look like a haunting. This is likely a level problem and not the intervention of the spirit world.  Adjust the doors and seal the frames around the windows. If you think your home has shifted, you may want to get a structural engineer in to take a look and provide an assessment before your home is on the market.
… (19 comments)

staging: Jack of all Trays - 07/26/11 07:48 AM

If you have a counter in the bathroom or kitchen that has a lot of little containers, collect them and put them on a tray.  Your eye sees many little things such as tissues, cotton ball container and a soap pump as three things BUT if they are on a tray, they look like one item and less cluttered to the eye.
The photo was taken in my kitchen.  I put the paper towel holder, the kleenex container (see the black item on the left), salt and pepper grinders, the dogs' treat bowl and one or two little bags of … (27 comments)

staging: Staging Your Yard to Sell your Home - 07/06/11 05:40 AM
Depending upon your budget, getting your yard ready for a home sale can cost a little or a lot. 
1.  Assess where you live.  Do people spend a little or a lot of time outside, year round or just a few months every summer.  The more time people are outdoors, the more time, effort and money you need to consider to stage the yard.
2.  How big is your lot?  Can you locate a tennis court in the corner?  Is the backyard just a pool and a deck?  Are you in a tiny townhouse or apartment with a balcony sized exterior … (34 comments)

staging: Barney and Barbie - Together at Last - 06/02/11 06:55 AM

Sometimes you cannot eradicate Barbie pink and Barney purple when putting your house on the market.  The turmoil with the children may be too great.  I listed a home that had two little girls.  Yes, Barney and Barbie were cohabiting in that house.   OMG.   It would have made a home stager happy to get his or her hands on Barney's cave and Barbie's house.  It was difficult to look at those rooms (no photos were included in the listing) BUT we posted a little sign outside the rooms saying that they would be painted before the new owners' took possession. 
If this happened again, I … (66 comments)

staging: Is this a lemon? - 05/28/11 07:58 AM

When selling your house put out a big bowl of lemons or a big bowl of apples. Fruit lasts longer than flowers but still gives an organic impact.  Watch out that they do not go bad.
In most cases, painting anything a bright yellow is just not as good as adding a few touches.  A whole wall or room is just too much yellow.   A few cushions, table decorations or photos/wall art with yellow will add a cheery note and not overpower the Buyers. 
According to BBC Home the psychology of yellow:
Associated with: sunshine and energy, stimulates the intellect Best … (29 comments)

staging: As the curtain falls - 05/18/11 08:05 AM
It is spring moving into summer.  Now is the time to make your home full of light with a clean airy feeling. 
You want to get the final applause on your home.  It is time to sell, sell, sell.  Spring - peak market time. 
Take down heavy floral drapes and replace with sheers that will let in the light.  Update the window treatments at a reasonable price with ready made sheers, roman blinds or bamboo rollers.
If you are going to spend a bit of money to help sell your home, look for attractive rods and finials.  It is a small … (33 comments)

staging: Wired Up for a Sale - 04/18/11 06:39 AM

 
The challenge of flat screen televisions, especially those hung on walls and above the fireplace is what to do with all the cables.  You will have the electric cord, the cable cord and maybe the DVD player cord.  Okay, maybe there is the satellite cord with a PVR.  It is not a pretty sight.  Those cords dangle down from the TV cross the wall and snake over to the machines and outlets. 
Depending on your budget, the solutions include wireless cable, covering the cords by running them through a channel mounted on the wall, drilling into the wall and … (26 comments)

staging: Sunshine Yellow - 04/15/11 07:45 AM

Think New York City cabs and the Yellow Pages, hazard signs and emergency vehicles.  Now try to think like Buyers and see if they will want to be living in something as startling as sunshine yellow.  Chances are - not likely.  Do you really like bright yellow?  Add touches with daffodils, a yellow rubber ducky, a bowl of lemons, a bunch of bananas or a vase full of yellow and white daisies. 
When choosing paint colours to get your home ready for sale, it is best to stay with a more mellow yellow.
Quite Rightly
Photo credit:  New York Cabs
… (29 comments)

staging: Makin' beds in the hot sun. - 04/14/11 07:18 AM

Are you fighting to get a king size duvet in a duvet cover?  It is a Herculean task - too much sheet with too short arms.  Tempted to toss that duvet out the window?  Stop.  You too can have a duvet without the work. This tip will save you aggravation and minutes of time. 
To get that hotel look: 
Give away your duvet cover - you are never going to use it again. Buy 2 flat sheets bigger than the duvet and a fitted mattress sheet (plus any number of pillow cases that you want).  After putting the fitted sheet … (26 comments)

staging: Showered With Buyers - 04/04/11 07:53 AM



Curtains
 
Did you know that you can wash the plastic liner behind your shower curtain?  How about the plastic curtain that is currently on the outside of the tub?  Wash it in the tub on a gentle cycle with a few towels.  After washing it, rehang the curtain.  You know not to put it in the dryer.  Most mildew and spots on the curtain will be gone.  If not, an investment of less than $10 to buy a new liner will be well worth the money.  Boy can those curtains stink!
BTW  If your curtain looks like the one in … (28 comments)

staging: House Seller Mark - Chapter 11 - Was the Staging Going to Bankrupt House Seller Lou? - 04/03/11 09:02 AM
This is a fictional real estate and home staging story about House Sellers Mark and Lou.
Reorganizing and Staging for House Sellers Mark and Lou continued.   As we found out, Mark moved out but is still an owner.  His wife, Lou, has been busy with Judy Klean the Home Stager, her brother Lyle, and finally Lyle's son Robbie and his friends who have become the painting crew.  In a final push for completion, Lou's quilting group have been busy fixing things up as well. 
While this work has been going on, Agent Valerie made a visit to the house to measure … (21 comments)

staging: 3 Things To Do Today to Sell Your House - 04/02/11 07:51 AM

It is spring and you are thinking of putting your house on the market or your home is on the market but not selling.  Buyers are out there driving by listings and determining if they are going to call their agent for a showing.  Your curb appeal, all year round but especially in the spring, is vital to getting people in the house.  Here are three things you can do, right now, to improve your sale.
Remove all the debris in your yard including the dog poop.  Even if you don't have a dog, the dog walkers in the neighbourhood may not have done a … (32 comments)

 

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