home sold: Selling Your Kitchener-Waterloo Home over the Winter
- 12/03/11 12:44 PM
Selling your home is always stressful and inconvenient however selling during the winter presents its own unique set of challenges. Not only is the market typically slower during colder, winter months but the holidays can make it difficult to juggle the need to decorate with the importance to properly showcase your home. As there are less buyers looking for a home its vital to make sure your property shows beautifully so buyers will willingly – and eagerly – face winter’s cold wrath to preview your home.
Keep your driveway and walkways shoveled and accessible. The last thing a seller wants is … (14 comments)
home sold: The Buyers Didn't Want to Leave ...
- 04/23/11 04:17 AM
Last month, we were contacted by a new real estate brokerage to do a consultation for a client who was just outside town in a lovely area where the houses are larger and sit on huge grand lots. We had never worked with this particular realtor before and we knew this was an opportunity to really show him what we could do! The home owners were a lovely couple who had spent the few months leading up to this point de-cluttering, packing things away and generally getting into the mindset of wanting to sell. Their home was gorgeous with beautiful peaks … (15 comments)
home sold: Is Your Property Stigmatized?
- 02/15/11 04:30 PM
When we put our homes on the market, we all want two things: for the home to sell fastand for the most money possible. We start the selling process with such hope however when a home doesn’t sell or develops a stigma, sellers are often confused and unable to figure out what to do next. What creates a stigma? What makes a property sit and sit on the market, generating few if any visits and absolutely no offers? Well, I feel its all about denial. Denial about price.Denial about the appearance of the home. And let’s face it, denial can cost a seller a … (34 comments)
home sold: Home Staging isn't about Cute Gimmicks
- 12/11/10 10:34 AM
Home staging is a proven method of preparing a home for sale. Professional home stagers showcase a home’s architectural features and focal areas while at the same time, downplaying a home’s weaknesses. Home staging is all about adding ‘WOW’ to a property so that the house stands out and is memorable for buyers in a great way. Sunroom "After" Rooms in Bloom staged it. I’ve written and featured guest articles on how to choose a good home stager however its important to understand that when selecting the professional who will stage your home, that you do your homework. Some stagers will emphasize their … (48 comments)
home sold: Get Your Kitchener-Waterloo Home to Stand Out - In a Good Way - on MLS!
- 10/16/10 01:49 PM
All realtors want their listings to stand out to buyers online. At least 90% of buyers are shopping ONLINE first before they even make arrangements to visit a home so its vital that pictures stand out - in a good way - to buyers. I'm sure you can imagine how it works - buyers (most often the wife/girlfriend) is searching online clicking through homes going "ugly .. ugly .. ugly .. ooohhh this one's pretty, we need to see it!" vs So how do you get those visits and that positive attention? Well, here's a list of the top 5 things … (13 comments)
home sold: I'm Just Going to List my Kitchener Home and See How it Goes ...
- 09/27/10 02:47 PM
As a professional home stager, I can't count how many times I have heard this statement from home owners and realtors alike. They want to try to avoid investing in staging and they think if they have de-cluttered a little, set the table and mowed the lawn .. voila! They are good to go. Well sometimes that kind of gambling pays off, but most homes need a professional to go through them before they are listed for sale just so that the sellers can get a clear, concise list of things which should be done before buyers show up. The cost … (17 comments)
home sold: How Professional Home Stagers Help in Kitchener-Waterloo
- 09/05/10 04:26 PM
I was driving in the car today and listening to the radio when an ad came on for How Realtors Help homeowners sell their homes. I understand and agree that Realtors are excellent guides for the home selling process. They deal with people and situations that homeowners shouldn’t have to and they provide essential information which is crucial when it comes to getting the most money for your biggest asset – your home.
What I didn’t agree with and continue to have issues with is how these ads claim Realtors can help homeowners stage their homes. Professional stagers don't … (8 comments)
home sold: Home Staging Increases the Value of a Gorgeous Home in Stanley Park, Kitchener!
- 04/02/10 04:14 PM
Recently, my partner and I were contacted by a design savvy home owner who knew they would have to do some improvements and staging to get their home in the Stanley Park area of Kitchener, ready for sale. After an in depth consultation, we made a number of recommendations for their Kitchen, living areas and basement which they not only agreed to, they were excited about implementing. Rooms in Bloom was hired to come in after they were finished upgrading things such as the kitchen countertops, painting a few of the principal rooms and changing out some of the light fixtures. … (7 comments)
home sold: Adventures in Staging
- 01/21/10 03:03 PM
In our line of work and because we deal so much with people, we collect stories which we feature in our "Adventures in Staging" portion of our monthly newsletter. Our adventures detail our experiences and usually provide an underlying message for clients and REA's reading them. This actual event occurred last year and while at the time was quite disconcerting, now makes us chuckle because it contains so many elements of what we hope not to have happen during a consultation. So first of all, both my partner and I are asked by one of our REA partners to go and … (9 comments)
home sold: Kitchener Waterloo Realtors: Talking to Your Clients about Home Staging
- 07/27/09 04:34 PM
My last post was about home staging from the point of view of the seller. I tried to illustrate the fact that sellers while they might have a glamorized idea of what home staging is, they don't really understand how it works. In addition, it's vital that home stagers understand a seller's anxiety and trepidation on having professionals come through and critique their home. Putting sellers at ease is key to getting their trust and to ensure that they understand the stager's vision and be open to suggestions. Now its all about realtors. Currently, this is the toughest part of the … (42 comments)
home sold: Kitchener-Waterloo Vacant Home Staging Basics
- 01/08/09 01:52 PM
This is an article I wrote which is being featured not only in Rooms in Bloom's newsletter, but several other Realtor newsletters in our area. I just thought I would share. Also - if anyone else has any input on how they handle inquiries about the feasibility of staging vacant homes, I would love to hear what you say. For us, we get inquiries daily which is why I thought I would write this short article. Vacant Home Staging Basics Yesterday, my partner Alana and I received our third inquiry from a Realtor about what was involved in staging an … (21 comments)
home sold: Waterloo Vacant home staged and SOLD!
- 12/09/08 06:07 AM
Back in September, we were contacted by a realtor's office whom we partner with and told that one of their clients needed our staging expertise as he had a vacant home in the Beechwood area of Waterloo on the market and it wasn't getting much interest - and had in fact been up for sale since the beginning of June. We did a consultation and staged after some issues with the home owner (he was against staging as he didn't want to spend any money). We staged at the end of October and the house got three offers within three weeks … (7 comments)
home sold: Why should a Kitchener-Waterloo Realtor partner with a Professional Home Stager?
- 10/18/08 03:13 AM
Ever since we started our business, we have been very blessed in working with knowledgeable and really savvy realtors. From the start, these realtors weren't asking why they should use our services for their listings - they were telling US why! I find that incredibly refreshing after encountering other realtors who just can't see the merit in home staging. A lot of the realtors who don't see the merit, are also unable to see past the expense of hiring a home stager to do consultations for their clients. We offer special realtor rates to agents who use our services on a regular … (8 comments)
home sold: Lovely Kitchener Bungalow - Staged & Sold in under 10 days for 98% of Asking Price!
- 09/05/08 02:47 AM
This house is a lovely bungalow in Stanley Park, Kitchener which we were called in to help with before it went on the market. The home owner was an older lady who had moved to a nursing home and her relatives who lived outside the country were put in charge of getting the house sold. Our first impressions of the house were a lot of wallpaper, clutter and religious items. We were hired to stage but also to manage the wallpaper removal/painting project, general repairs and to de-clutter the house. Once done, the house was neutral and appealing to a wide … (3 comments)
home sold: Staged to Sell: Stunning Kitchener Century Home Sold First Day on Market!
- 08/20/08 02:26 AM
We were called in by the home owner to help get this beautiful home in the Old Westmount area of Waterloo, in tip top shape before going on the market. We were hired as project managers and home stagers so we have overseen every step of this process and both my partner and I are a little sad that it's over. We're wildly elated for the home owners who listed the property privately as within 24 hrs of their first open house they got an unconditional offer for full asking price - but we're sad to say goodbye to this labour … (5 comments)
home sold: "Blossom" Package made the difference!
- 07/17/08 02:12 AM
We were asked a little over three weeks ago to go in to a house which had been listed for over 90 days without selling and do what we term as our "blossom" package. Basically that includes 2 hours of our time and a set amount of merchandise - and we usually go into the house sight unseen. It's a great pick me up for houses which aren't selling and not expensive either for agents or home owners. For this particular property we moved furniture, took down family photos, de-cluttered and added splashes of color to otherwise bland rooms. The agent … (4 comments)
Blog written by Heather Cook, award winning home staging designer for Rooms in Bloom Home Staging & Design Inc. Great information on home staging & re-design for realtors, sellers and buyers!
Selling your home is always stressful and inconvenient however selling during the winter presents its own unique set of challenges. Not only is the market typically slower during colder, winter months but the holidays can make it difficult to juggle the need to decorate with the importance to properly showcase your home. As there are less buyers looking for a home its vital to make sure your property shows beautifully so buyers will willingly – and eagerly – face winter’s cold wrath to preview your home.
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