kitchener: 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)
kitchener: What Do Your Online Photos Say About Your Kitchener Home?
- 03/23/11 05:19 AM
It’s amazing how connected people are today with the internet, iPhones, blackberries (I call mine my crackberry), iPads and more. They want information to be accessible everywhere, instantly. Virtually everything in our lives is touched by this hi-tech vibe and its revolutionizing the way people buy and sell real estate these days.
Did you know that over 95% of buyers shop online first before even going to see a property? Whether they are browsing through MLS listings at home or viewing them on their iPhone while they are out and about, people are doing their initial search first without even … (32 comments)
kitchener: Top 10 Home Features Buyers Want
- 03/08/11 10:44 AM
It’s that time of year again and the spring market is ramping up with a lot of buyers out there searching for new homes. Several of our realtor partners have noted record numbers of buyers at open houses because people are once again shopping for real estate. So what are buyers looking for in 2011? Well, after reading a really great article from AvidBuilder.com called Designing for the 2011 Canadian Home Buyer, my partner and I noted trends which we had talked about previously, being highlighted. In addition to what is in the article, we have added the trends we have noted … (16 comments)
kitchener: Transformation of a Waterloo Home
- 03/03/11 10:50 AM
In December of last year, we were contacted by one of the realtors we partner with about a vacant property which needed some TLC and staging before being listed. We walked through the property and from piles of christmas lights to garbage bags and rooms full of clutter, we saw that with some hard work this property would really shine. It took some time but a few weeks ago we got the go ahead from the home owner to start working and we arranged for painting, repairs, new light fixtures and staging. The results are a charming Waterloo home which really … (19 comments)
kitchener: 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)
kitchener: Staging Transforms a University Residence into a Bright, Family Home
- 02/09/11 07:40 AM
A few weeks ago, one of our realtor partners contacted us to do a consultation for one of his listings which was located in a very family friendly neighbourhood. My partner Alana did the consultation and as it turned out, the home had served as a university residence for up to 20 university students in graduate programs over the course of the past five years. Painted purple, black and other vibrant colours, the home owners knew that when it came time to sell they were going to have to do some serious neutralizing. When Alana got to the home, she was … (16 comments)
kitchener: Top 10 WOW Worthy Staging Moments
- 01/08/11 08:00 AM
Well, Debra Gould inspired me to write this short blog article on the top ten moments which came from my job as a home stager. You can link to her blog post and read her top 10 list which is really entertaining and inspiring as well! I should also mention that both Alana and myself get VERY involved and passionate about each job we do. At some point in every job we are grinning at each other like crazy people, loving that we are getting paid to make these transformations.
So here we go in no specific order: Getting a call from … (11 comments)
Winners to Be Announced in Las Vegas at the industry’s yearly convention January 24th, 2011 Kitchener-Waterloo, ON – November 15, 2010 Kitchener-Waterloo home stager Heather Cook of Rooms in Bloom Home Staging & Design Inc. is named as a finalist in the Real Estate Staging Association™ (RESA®) Home Staging Industry Award™ in the Professional Home Stager of the Year Award for all of Canada. Home Stagers from all over North America submitted their before and after photos for consideration for the industry’s … (5 comments)
kitchener: 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)
kitchener: The Top 10 Home Improvements That Could Devalue Your Home in Kitchener-Waterloo
- 08/10/10 03:43 AM
I LOVE this post and feel its important for home owners who are going to be listing their homes for sale to read before they start renovations. Bottom line: whenever you're renovating to sell, you're doing so to appeal to a broad spectrum of people and not just to please yourself. Thanks Donna!
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 … (2 comments)
kitchener: 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)
kitchener: The Essence of our Kitchener Home Staging Services!
- 03/22/10 08:43 AM
Over the past few weekends, I have been travelling down to my hometown of Burlington to help my mom recover from major surgery. Amidst all the things I’m doing to help her, I have found time to go to a number of open houses – hey, its a passion of mine – and see what’s available. I’ve seen some great properties and been tempted by a few, but that isn’t the point of my blog post today. Today I want to talk about the essence of home staging. The reason I want to do this is because I think people … (16 comments)
kitchener: New Website and Logo
- 08/09/09 02:02 AM
I am very pleased to announce that my partner and I have a new logo and website! When we started our business just over a year ago, we chose a standard logo and I designed and wrote our website. It worked really well for us however over the past few months it has become more important to us to showcase our work with a more elegant and polished image. We are very proud of the new website and hope you will take the time to have a peek! www.homestagingdesign.ca
… (11 comments)
kitchener: 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)
kitchener: Home Staging: From the Client's Perspective
- 07/25/09 12:12 AM
Okay, so I thought I would write a few blog posts from the different perspectives of the people directly involved in the home selling process. This first one is going to be written from the perspective of the sellers - and trust me after talking to many of them and hearing their reactions (good and bad) and knowing how I would feel as a seller, I think I can make this believable. Why am I writing this? Because after listening to both sellers and realtors I realize there is a lot of miscommunication, misunderstandings, and trepidation which shouldn't be there when … (6 comments)
kitchener: Dealing with a "Dated" Home
- 07/07/09 10:18 AM
My partner and I were called in to do a consultation at a home last week. My partner's aunt raves about us (we helped her sell her home in less than a week) and the lady we were doing a consult for is a close friend of my partner's aunt. This lady was candid with my partner and told her several things: 1) Her home had gotten the feedback that it was dated and a lot of work. To be candid, it's a lovely home however its very personally decorated. From murals in the ensuite and main bath of a beach … (2 comments)
kitchener: Stratford Model Condo: Staged & Stunning!
- 07/07/09 09:26 AM
I just want to thank everyone who responded to my blog post about hanging things on exposed brick walls - they were all really helpful! The builder however was really against "anything" being hung there so we worked around it and here is the finished product! You can view more of the "Before & Afters" at our Facebook Fan Page @ http://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/#/pages/Kitchener-ON/Rooms-in-Bloom-Home-Staging/19265825355 This condo was just over 500 sq feet and when you have such a small space its vital to ensure that NONE of it is wasted! We were concerned because the living room space was tight and there was … (12 comments)
kitchener: Beautiful Cambridge Home - Staged & SOLD in 3 Days!
- 06/15/09 08:16 AM
We had the opportunity to work with some great sellers at a stunning home in Branchton. After doing a consultation for them, we advised them on everything from paint colours to new lighting for the dining room and powder room. We then came in and staged last week with some great rental furniture, our home decor accessories and combined them with the seller's existing furniture. The results? Spectacular! I have created a great slideshow on Flickr for anyone who wants to view it and here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roomsinbloom/sets/72157619783432236/
And the backyard is simply to die for ... I'm trying … (7 comments)
kitchener: Kitchener Home Staging Makes Online Pictures Stand Out!
- 03/27/09 05:47 AM
My partner and I recently did a presentation for a Home Buyers & Sellers Seminar this past week and one of the things we talked about seemed to resonate strongly with our crowd. That is the importance of home staging to a home's pictures online, which is the place to shop for a home these days. We call shopping for a home online "speed dating". Its very similar to going out to one of those speed dating events where you have only a certain amount of time to impress another person enough that they want to get your contact information in … (8 comments)
kitchener: Waterloo - Vacant Home "Before & After" Pictures
- 03/14/09 04:44 PM
Rooms in Bloom staged a vacant home in Waterloo this past week. We took an awkward layout and made it seem both cozy - and contemporary! We have contracts for five other vacant homes in upcoming weeks. After forwarding RESA's staging statistics to many Realtors, we have gotten a phenomenal response! Please let us know your feedback on our pictures!
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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