occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: Lovely Waterloo Home Showcases Modern Charm - 04/29/11 08:31 AM
Two weeks ago, Rooms in Bloom did a consultation for a client in Waterloo and it quickly became apparent throughout the course of the consult that the client was open to everything. The home was lovely however it needed painting throughout and we recommended taking up the carpet on the main floor and putting down walnut laminate in the front living/dining room and then replacing the white tiled floor with deluxe linoleum which looked like ceramics and which would ground the room much better.

Originally, this living area was stuffed with three huge couches, occasional tables and canvas drapes. After … (4 comments)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: Humbled and Awed by Our Staging Industry - 11/17/10 09:02 AM
This isn't going to be a long post but I need to say it after having the opportunity to read all the submissions for Professional Stager of the Year and Rookie Stager of the Year - this is for you:

Very succinctly. You guys rock. The things each and every one of you is accomplishing day in and day out is staggering. I am humbled and awed to be a part of such a group and I just want you all to know - win or lose - that you have all been recognized for a reason. I WISH I … (20 comments)

occupied staging: Kitchener-Waterloo Home Stager Heather Cook Announced as a Regional RESA Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year - 11/16/10 01:28 AM
Kitchener-Waterloo Business Woman Heather Cook NAMED AS FINALIST IN THE 2011 REAL ESTATE STAGING ASSOCIATION’S 2011 HOME STAGING INDUSTRY AWARDS

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)

occupied staging: Importance of Safety While Staging in Kitchener-Waterloo! - 10/18/10 09:08 AM

In recent weeks I have read many blog posts about realtors worried about their own safety while showing houses to clients and it got me thinking.
We often go into homes without knowing our clients well or what their personal situations are like. I have been in certain situations which made me both very uncomfortable and eager to leave. I wrote a post about one of those situations where during the course of a consultation, our male client proceeded to get quite drunk and follow us around making inappropriate comments both in regards to our appearance as well as making … (15 comments)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: In any good staging design .. let there be light! - 10/04/10 02:40 PM
Lighting is a vital part of any type of design. Whether its for staging or re-design, having adequate and style appropriate lighting is essential. You can create a beautiful design but if the lamps or light fixtures don't fit with the style of the space, they will stick out like sore thumbs.
This means all those lamps which have the bases styled as characters (Buzz Lightyear or Baseball players), animals, sports equipment or which are overly flowery or religious can really clash with the room's overall style. For staging those types of lamps have to be edited out but sometimes its … (13 comments)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: Professional Kitchener-Waterloo Home Stager offers Candor and Diplomacy to Make Sellers See the Light! - 07/26/10 03:23 PM
 
While its great that home owners are getting more savvy about my profession - home staging - its also made things more difficult. Sometimes, with the issues I have to address as part of my job, regardless of how I give the feedback, it’s not always well received.
What do I do?
I am a professional home stager in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario and contrary to the current trendy perception of my career, my job isn’t for the faint of heart. In any given week I can see between 5 – 20 homes and although the primary focus of my job … (12 comments)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: Interior Design is not the same as Home Staging - 02/12/10 05:05 AM

After being told several times over the past few months that one of the main reasons realtors opt to not call us is because their listings are already "nicely or professionally decorated", we decided to do some homework. Over the past few weeks, my partner and I have had the opportunity to go through many open houses and look at homes which were marketed as "updated and decorated beautifully throughout". We weren't sure what to expect and it became increasingly clear that the term decorated encompassed a wide variety of personal design styles, colours and even room functions!

Professionally Decorated Basement: … (22 comments)

occupied staging: 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)

occupied staging: Beautiful Cambridge Home Staged to Perfection! - 01/05/10 11:43 AM
Last year, we were called in by a savvy home owner to do a consult on her home before she put it up for sale. The home itself was impressive from the start and we knew with some simple changes, fresh paint and staging that house couldn't fail to wow buyers!
Today we staged the home and we are thrilled with the results! 


Living Room - Before & After Shots - In the bottom shot I do apologize for the fact that my camera did not capture the beautiful seafoam hue of the chairs and the corresponding hues pulled … (10 comments)

occupied staging: Staging an Impressive Kitchener Home on a Shoestring Budget - 12/23/09 02:20 AM
A few months ago my partner and I were asked to do a consultation on a large home in very exclusive area of Kitchener. The realtor who asked for our assistance said that while the home was impressive, the furnishings were not. It needed help. We recommended a lot of things from paint to rental furniture to create the lavish and stunning decor style expected by buyers in this price point. The sellers pared down our suggestions to the absolute bare minimum and at the end only agreed to allow us to bring in some art, accessories, a dinette table and upscale … (13 comments)

 
Heather Cook, Delivering beautifully staged spaces (Beyond the Stage Homes)

Heather Cook

Delivering beautifully staged spaces

Kitchener, ON

More about me…

Beyond the Stage Homes

Address: 5-565 Trillium Drive, Kitchener, ON, N2R 1J4

Office: 519-804-7824

Fax: 519-804-1200

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!


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