All I did was....Home Staging Success Stories

I recently spent three days learning the ins and outs of running a successful design business with Kimberly Seldon of Kimberly Seldon Design Group here in Toronto.

Kimberly is a dynamic designer who embodies success in the Toronto area. Appearing as a regular on Cityline TV, speaking at design shows and featured in many magazines and books, Kimberly is a wealth of information that you can use immediately in your business model.

The one thing that I learned from Kimberly was how to discuss a clients budget. Clients are always reluctant to state what their budget is for many reasons which you are not privy to. Kimberly suggests that you ask them if it is a million dollars. By doing this, they invariably break down laughing and say what their actual budget is or they might even say that it is higher than that. Either way, you can't lose by asking the million dollar question.

Winner of the Trailblazer Company of the Year Award 2009

In this example, I would like to demonstrate to Realtors and Homeowners the importance that colour and decluttering has when marketing a property on line to get onto "The Must See List" of buyers. In this room all I did was paint a neutral colour, use bedding in a less busy pattern, hang appropriate artwork and declutterd.

It's a well known fact that vibrant colours do not show well on listing photos. It is much more appealing to see a neutral backdrop in a room to allow the scale of the room to be highlighted.

The second important step in marketing the space in a room is to declutter. Excess furniture should be stored off the premises to allow the buyer to see how they could live in this room. Does it have enough space for their things? To accomplish this you must show as much floor space as you can. It also allowed the beautiful wood floors to be featured.

In this property in The Beaches in Toronto the final step is to make sure that patterns in fabrics do not distract from the focal point of the room. In Real Estate you are selling space and light. By using a lighter coloured bedding ensemble it created a more open feel to the room. Now buyers are able to see how they could move their belongings into this room.

Advantage Staging will market your property to stand out from the competition every time.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

In this example, I would like to show Realtors and Homeowners the importance of decluttering and storing items that are not essential to everyday living. By doing this, you allow buyers to see the scale of the room in the listing photos so they can see how they could live in your home. It allows the function of the room to shine through for all to see.

This is a critical part of the Home Staging process to market the home and get it on the "Must See List" of buyers. In this room all I did was reposition the furniture to create a conversation area and ease of movement through the room, added lighting, an area rug and decluttered.

In the before photo you cannot see how warm and inviting this living room was. It really needed to be decluttered to allow the ambience of the room to be featured. Now this living room in The Beaches in Toronto makes you feel at home as soon as you enter the front door and look into this room right off the foyer.

Advantage Staging will market your property to stand out from the competition every time.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

In this example, I would like to demonstrate the importance of addressing negative issues to stop offers from coming in from buyers in the main bathroom of this property.

For some reason, when the previous owners renovated the main bathroom, they installed the sink on the wall below the window instead of on the opposite wall where they could have mounted a mirror and cabinet for storage.

Moving the sink was out of the question, so I did the next best thing. All I did in this room was suggest installing a mirror on an expandable arm so the new owners could see their face to wash or shave. I also suggested that a storage cabinet be installed above the toilet for storing personal bathroom neccesssities.

In this property in The Beaches in Toronto the before and after photos clearly show the immediate benefits of the simple, cost effective minor improvements to this room. The buyers are now able to see how they could use the room and not be inconvenienced by the lack of a mirror or storage options.

Advantage Staging will market your property to stand out from the competition every time.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

In this example, I would like to demonstrate how important it is to create a cozy retreat from the world in a Master Bedroom. The potential buyer must make an emotional connection to the home and there is no better way than to create an image of coming home to nest.

In this property in The Beaches in Toronto the before and after photos demonstrate the dramatic difference that bedding and artwork play in creating this welcoming feel. Now the master bedroom has buyers saying I want to live here. In this room all I did was add bedding, lamps and artwork that tied in with the warm paint colour on the walls and the beautifull hardwood floors. The overall effect was one of a romantic getaway weekend in your very own home. And who wouldn't want that?

Advantage Staging will market your property to stand out from the competition every time.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

I called up a broker owner to ask if I might do a 10 minute presentation on my Home Staging services for their weekly sales team meeting. He stopped me right after I introduced myself and said... "Why should I have you in here when I have how many other Stagers calling me up every day? What makes Advantage Staging so special?"

I was glad he asked as I know I offer many services that other Stagers do not such as-

-over $30,000 in rental props and accessories inventory

-over 250 pieces of rental artwork

-a construction background for the jobs that require extra prep work before a Staging takes place

-a Live Green, Live Smart certified trainer for Realtors that want to get certified as a "green" Realtor

-the "go to" person for referrals to painters, renovators, electricians etc. that show up on time and on budget

-specialize in senior transition

as well as having a killer presentation. I have Realtors from Barrie to Toronto stop me in stores and say... I know you. You were in my office about 6 months ago. They only saw me for 10 minutes but they never forget my presentation.

What do you do that makes you so special? What separates you from the pack? Why are you outstanding in your field?

Take the time to find out what your niche is and I guarantee you will find a clientele for your work.

It was a HUGE pleasure to meet Colin and Justin, design duo and very loveable TV stars, at the Toronto Gift Show today. You can see I was tickled pink to be able to see my two favourite fellas wearing their kilts. They even let me look in their sporrans. I won't say what was inside!

I wished them well while staying in Canada and continued success with their TV shows that help homeowners get their properties updated.

In our market, the furniture rental supply companies are actually running out of furniture to rent. They have been in business for 30 years and this is the busiest year they have ever had.

I asked why in their opinion. They said that the market has changed and  it has become a buyer's market, and they cannot keep stock around. More Realtors than ever before are waking up to the idea that Staging will help market their listings saving them money on advertising. Yeah!!!!

I actually had to go pick up a rental couch with a client in Toronto as they couldn't deliver before the open house that was booked in 2 days. Due to the increased demand they are experiencing, it was either pick it up or wait 1 week for delivery. If you have ever driven across the 401 from Scarborough to the Yorkdale Mall area you know how congested it is at 4 o'clock and they close at 5. Plus, the TV crew from HGTV, The Unsellables was coming to film so I had to make it happen to keep the Staing process on schedule.

I don't usually lift things that heavy, but the client said he would hold up his end of the sofa,no problem. I should have known better. I think I pulled a muscle.

So fear not Stagers. When you watch the Stagers show on HGTV and see the Stagers scrambling to solve all the problems that arise on a job, know that it will all turn out in the end. My listing set a benchmark price in the neighbourhood and sold in 3 weeks.

All I have to do now is find my keys so I can go home  after another long day Home Staging. Where are my keys, I know I left them some place obvious.  Advantage Staging will market your property to stand out from the competition every time.  This property is now SOLD!

In this example I would like to show Realtors and Homeowners the importance of Staging all the spaces in the home. If you market your outside spaces you have added additional "rooms" and square footage that your competition has ignored. 

I  swapped the locations of the two patio sets, placing the black one on the upper deck and the white in the pool area to draw your eye to that location. With the black set down below you would not have noticed it. I also removed several bird feeders as they obstructed the view to the rear of the property which was one of the main selling features of this home in Toronto.

I placed their plants from indoors outside and placed their morning tea set on the table. All items were already at the property but not placed in the best location to market the property. Buyers always have a list of all their wants, but they buy for the most part on emotion. My job as a Stager is to market the lifestyle of the property to buyers.

Advantage Staging will market your property to stand out from the competition every time.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

You may be thinking by now that I like to think outside of the box and I do get some pleasure from it. This property was a simple war time house located in Scarborough and backed onto a ravine. I  suggested that we really make a point of how much fun it would be to live in the house as you could hit golf balls into the ravine anytime you wanted.

And who wouldn't like that? 

This home sold in three weeks and set the benchmark price for the neighbourhood.

Could it have been the golf tee off box?

Advantage Staging markets the features of your property every time to make it stand out from the competition.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priecless.