In this home staging in Woodbridge Ralph Oppendisano from Royal Lepage Maximum called Advantage Staging in to do a consultation on a 9.4 million dollar home on the National Golf Course.
The agent that sold it a few years ago asked what is I was going to do there as it had been designed by Brian Gluckstein , a very talented Toronto designer for upper price point homes.
When I arrived I was taken on a tour of the property-
- underground parking for 20 with heated floors, hand selected marble floors throughout
- wine cellar for 3500 wine bottles
- walk in sub zero freezers
- 25 foot fountain off the rear terrace
- stunning kitchen, media room, opulent bathrooms,
- master bedroom with ladies and gentlemens sitting areas
I could go on, but you get the picture. I have seen prestigious homes with some of the more desirable ammenities but this home has them all and then some.
At this price point of home the next buyer will definitely be looking on line. The list of eligible buyers is slim in this price point. What could I do to stage this home and market it for sale?
What could I do to make the listing photos do their job- get a buyer to put this listing on their "must see list".
They definitely didn't need rental furniture, props or artwork.
This home is a good example of showing that staging will always provide what buyers are looking for when buying their next home. Highlighting the focal point of each room and showing how you would live in the home.
After packing the extra items away, moving accessories and artwork around- this is what 180 Fenyrose in Woodbridge looked like when I was done.
Investment, minimal.
Impact, priceless.
Michelle,
Interesting. You mention the limited prospective new owners, so did you happen to stage in an effort to impact a specific target audience, or did you stage to appeal to a general audience of would-be $9.4MM owners?
Hello Gorgeous home and I hope you sell that soon! That will be a sweet day for you indeed!
Hi Kevin, good question and one that I kept asking myself on the initial tour through the home. I was asked to stage in a way that would appeal to the general audience of buyers that would qualify to purchase a home a this price point. Believe or not, the person that would purchase the property would still do renovations. One bathroom is done in dark green marble which was popular at the time but would probably be replaced today. Also, the home is not wireless so that would be upgraded.
The staging work entailed moving the extra pieces of furniture out of rooms so that the details in the woodwork, trim, floors etc. showed well in the listing photographs. Also, rearranging furniture to highlight the focal points in each room. Decluttering the glass cabinets in the kitchen and the library built ins to bring focus to the space within each. Overall the basic design of the house is now clear to see in the listing photos.
Hi Paula, that's my goal. To get it sold in 1/2 the time that the properties in the area usually take to sell.
That seems like a Herculean task, Michelle (I've been waiting all week to use that word!) and a job well done. I don't know what it looked like before, but it certainly looks gorgeous now.
That's an amazing house! I haven't gotten past the underground parking for twenty! Very impressive!
Hi Michelle, you don't know how right you are. I had a staff of three with me for the day and I had to keep phoning them to see which room they were working in. The main floor was 9,000 square feet I believe. I wanted to take a picture of me lying down on front entry way with my legs up the pillars just like Fernando did when he staged a beautiful mansion in Florida. It's not every day that you are going to be given the opportunity to work on a property like this one.
HI Sharon, anyone that knows me knows that the underground parking for 20 with the heated floors was my favourite part of the home. You gotta have a place to store your toys and wash them in the winter at your leisure with your shorts on!
If you have ever visited my website and seen my cartoon version of myself staging in my sports car on my contact page knows that's why I listed the underground parking first in the list of features in this home. LOL!! I am passionate about two things- my work and my car.
Stunning home Michelle. Your staging is as elite as the home. What a wonderful experience and very well done.
WOW! That looks like a rewarding job offer, very wonerful staging! Karol
"We choose to give"
Stunning home and you've done a great job. Great experience and reference for you.
That is quite a lovely house, Michelle! Be sure to let us know when it sells. Question for you: were the sellers around when you staged -- were they nervous about having people in their home, going through every room with a fine-tooth comb? Just curious.
Wow, beautiful and amazing. Somehow it's hard to equate the word "home, cozy and comfortable" with all the square footage and opulance! Kinda like visiting our Biltmore House and the grounds.
Quite an honor that they called you to do the staging/marketing and it looks gorgeous.
Sue of Robin and Sue
Amazing home!
Great story for sure. Thanks for getting this out to us today on AR.... Good Luck w/ a sale, soon I hope for you.
Patricia/Seacoast NH
Michelle- gorgeous and what a great opportunity AND challenge. I could see myself going in like a kid in a candy store. I would love to see what the "before" pics were like! Keep us informed of the sale. BTW: And I thought I was happy when I finally got a 3 car garage! All relative, isn't it.
Ok, I liked the pinball room best. Then I liked the Dining Room. Neat to watch!
Hi Michelle~ What a gorgeous home. I would love to see the "before" pictures too!
Michelle, great job on a property that would have totally intimidated many home stagers.
The house is very beautiful. You did a great job of staging the home.
The house is very beautiful. You did a great job of staging the home.
Loved looking at your tour. Thanks for sharing. Good job.
Loved looking at your tour. Thanks for sharing. Good job.
Here's an idea:
Put just 2 pics on the MLS, say it's a short sale pray for the best!
Like your banner, btw ...
Michelle, it just occurred to me that this project would be a great story for my latest book. Please check out the submission guidelines for Life as a Home Stager. Don't forget to mention the experience of having to call your assistants by phone to find out what room they were working in because of how large the space was. That's such a great way to demonstrate some of the logistical concerns of a project of this magnitude, not to mention the surprising situations we all find ourselves in every week as stagers.
Thanks for sharing.
WOW....now that's one LARGE undertaking!! Impressive!!!
Do you/did you give thought to how to stage it to buyers from different parts of the world who have different cultural sensitivities? That would be an challenge that would require more than most agents and companies could get their arms around.
Interesting post and wish you the best of luck in selling this home.
Hi Michelle - I really like all of the details in the wall and ceiling trim, and it looks like this home makes very good use of French doors. Nice work!
That is some house! when I heard the size of the garage, I thought you might contact a luxury car dealer and have them park of few nice ones in the parking spaces
I love the different types of photos on the tour, and how it was shot. Very high end and professional. This is one of those homes that defies words. I envy your job, can I come along next time?
Wow Michelle, thanks for sharing the tour and your magnificent work. How many days? Did you have to provide anything or did you just have to hunt for their things, then move and adjust? I can't imagine living in a house that big.
Hi Michelle -- Wow, this home shows worthy of it's price tag. Simply amazing. The box-beamed ceilings and millwork throughout are impressive, along with everything else. I think your staging really allows one to feel and see themselves in the home as well as showcase the grandeur of it.
haha- Is that a trick question? It stages itself doesnt it?
Michelle, the underground, heated parking area is definitely a novel feature. Gorgeous home, and I hope the right buyer comes along soon!!
I don't know if I would give much over 9.2 million! How many zeros is that?
Fabulous work that shows just what magic we can do as stagers with existing furniture at ANY PRICE POINT. Can you just imagine schlepping in all the furniture if it was vacant? Oh my.... but I am sure you could have pulled it off Michelle ;))
How fabulous! I can only imagine how exhausted you were going from one end to the other!
Thanks for sharing this. It's a gorgeous home, and your reminder that it isn't what you add necessarily, but what you accentuate that matters, is a great one.
You did a lovely job with this home. I am curious as to what it looked like before. I always enjoy before and after photos.
Michelle,
Great home and good for you for getting the job. That will look good on your resume.
That is so impressive and intimidating. I am not sure that I would be willing to take a listing as Grand as this one. I am sure that you will be able to get it sold, it is amazing! Congratulations on a beautiful listing!
WOW. It sounds like this is a house that could accomodate a small country. Can I come to the brokers open?
Michelle:
This was tastefully decorated. I love the muted Earth tones. And, I think they have my sofas.
MIchelle ~ Quite impressive! Wishing a quick sale and many new jobs for you in the neighborhood.
Michelle, Just beautiful. You should have someone on call to play the piano for every showing. Good luck.
Congratulations Michelle, that house is magnificent! Isn't it wonderful to know that the steps to staging are the same for every home, big or not so big: 1) identify your potential buyers, 2) identify a clear function for each room, 3) create focal points to showcase and highlight the very best features of the home. You made it look all so very easy!
What a magnificent home, and so tastefully done.
The home is obviously gourgous; the thing that is missing is green. A few well placed plants and fresh flowers on the dining table, master bath and living room would add to the elegance of the home. Try offsetting candles on the mantle rather than something centered in the middle. Otherwise WOW! a great property
Amazing house - I personally would get lost in something that size - it reminds me of the castles of Europe -
Michelle - You did a fantastic job on staging this home in the GTA.
Didn't need the furniture for the house to appeal to me. In some cases it detracted from my view, like the outside bar with all the chairs was too busy. I would rather have a close up of the bar. I know this is not what you do, but more pictures of the grounds is needed. I absolutely loved the desvription you gave.
The video is absolutely STUNNING! I would love to see before and after pictures of what was done.
Hi Michelle, Wow, what a terrific resume builder ! Underground parking for 20 ? i can imagine the toys !
Michelle, a phenomenal home. Good luck with it.
Michelle - what a beautiful home, and the staging looks awesome. I am sure you will have many compliments and business from it!
WOW What a majestic home and project! Congrats it looks marvelous!!!
Wow, this is an amazing home. It has lots to offer. I would even do a video where you're taking us on a tour. Good luck on the listing!
-nelson
WOW. Now that is a redesign project I would love !!! I am sure it was a little scary at the same time as being so very exciting.
It would be great to see even a couple of before pictures.
Well done Michelle.
Looks like a hotel to me! Beautiful work. I hope you get a percentage when it sells!
Beautiful home and great job staging it! I want to have this problem!! ;-)
Beautiful home. Thanks for the post and good luck in the sale.
Call up the Maserati dealership and tell them you have some space for them to park some cars for a few months...
How do you stage a 9.4 million dollar home...Very carefully. Buyers with that kind of ability to purchase this home can be very ecentric. But, that is at the core of this. What type of buyer are you trying to attract.
Good Luck!
Wow, what a stunning look. The first picture of the house from almost bird's eye view was stunning. Great job.
You prove that at any price point staging gives the home a competitive advantage Michelle - super job!
Thank you to everyone who stopped in to see this unique and ambitious staging job that was presented to my company to stage.It is appreciated and the good wishes are welcome. This was an opportunity that I will use to build my portfolio and clientele base.
As strange as it might sound to some, it wasn't intimidating at all. It was approached in a methodical way, outlining which rooms needed furniture rearranged or removed, which artwork needed to be hung or stored, which display cabinets and closets needed decluttering and staging and finally- staging the table tops, mantles and bookcases. Areas were identified for storing items and boxes were arranged for storing items.
The only two things I brought into the staging was a high end silk floral on the foyer table and the artificial green apples for the fruit bowl. I suggested a floral centerpiece for the dining room table, however, it was not approved in the budget. With Versace china on the table it seemed to me a marketing opportunity missed.
I never met the client and was not given their name. The agent was my only contact and was present for the staging as well as the home owners handyman. I had a staff of three and finished the staging in one day.
The home is extensive yet feels completely welcoming with a pleasant ambience. There is peaceful feeling in the house. Perhaps that is why the job did not feel intimidating. Also, the agent was a true gentleman and allowed me the professional courtesy of staging the home in the way I thought would be of the most benefit to the sale of the home.
Did I think about which ethnic background the client would be that would purchase the property. Not really. I knew the buyer would be a world traveller, experienced in real estate holdings and accustomed to the finer things in life. My job as a stager was to stage in a way that would allow the details in the construction of the home to shine through.
It would have been heaven for me if there had been vehicles in the underground parking as I am such a car enthusiast. When I staged a 2.3 million lakefront home for the United Way Designer Home Tour a friend of mine who owns an exotic car rental company did bring in a Rolls Royce, a Maserati, an Aston Martin along with a few other cars for the staging. Got to love that.
The photographry for this home was done by Imaginahome here in Toronto. They really do exceptional work. I suggested that a 3 minute video be made with myself or the agent leading the tour through the home which was taken into consideration and not acted on yet. I still think it would be a useful marketing tool for this property. I have seen a real estate agent here on AR ( I think in Florida) that did that and it was impressive. I was not permitted to take before pictures or after pictures for my portfolio, however, I was provided with the photos by the agent to use to promote the property and for my portfolio.
Thank you Debra for letting me know to enter my work for your new book. I appreciate your interest in my work and will do that.
As the property is on the National Golf Course in Woodbridge it is anyones guess what it will ultimately sell for. The properties in the area are all outstading architecturally due to the location. There are open houses by appointment only to qualified buyers. Only a handful of agents who cater to this price point of property were invited to see the property first hand. I forwarded the link to the site to specific agents here on AR that I thought might have clients looking for a property of this caliber. You never know, AR is the vehicle that makes things happen for those who choose to use it wisely!
P.S. agent Aaron, thank you for the compliment on my banner. My photographer shoots for catalogues and magazines so all the credit goes to her for making me look so professional. As it has been said here many times on AR- professional photography markets your work so reap the benefits by teaming up with a professional to capture your listing photos. My banner is on my business cards and letterhead and it would be unusual for someone not to comment on how good it looks.
Very very nice presentation...good for you!
Would not just worry about how to stage the photos. You need a five sense video..where the agent runs his/her hand along the granite counter top, sweeping staircase and tells you how it "feels" to be inside, outside, all over this home showcasing the features one by one. Video is 30 frames per second so lighting, fireplaces, sounds of a grandfather's clock ticking in the study, of the click click of high heels on the mable, granite, patterned hard wood floors and echo transport the viewer to the property round the clock, no matter what their time zone. Think marketing out of the country, not just in the local area, or around the states near by when you get in to this price range. Reach, frequency with that reach is taylor made for video. Video introduces the viewer to the property over and over, shows them the area they have never been to. Is your hand and your voice, smiling face reaching out to meet and greet at the "town line" of where this property is located. Where is the video? Stills show parts, pieces, bits. Video flows from room to room, pivots like a person would take it in, proceeds to the next room and completes, connects the puzzle with all pieces in place.
This is a WOW house, and you're right in that it does feel comfortable and inviting. There are several areas for entertaining, and I want to be invited.
WOW !What an amazing house! Must have been quit an undertaking making use of space in all those rooms and keeping the staging prestigious
Michele - OMG! I'm gasping! Ralph wants to know if they need a guard dog at the property while it's for sale.
You are to be complimented!
Sonny -
Remember to praise the Lord for giving you a special talent!
Hi Andrew, thank you for giving me the name of the type of video that I am looking for. I had seen it here on AR about a year ago and couldn't remember it. This property absolutely needs the 5 senses video tour done. It was the first recommendation that I made to the agent. It has not been approved to date, however, I am still a firm believer that it will get a qualified buyer from anywhere in the world to put this listing on their must see list.
Maintaining the prestigious look to the property was easy to do as Brian Gluckstein had done the original work on the property. See more of his work here.
And yes Sonny, I thank the higher power in the universe every day for the blessings that come my way.
Stunning is a word often used in the comments to describe this home, I would echo those thoughts. I was REALLY looking for the 20 STAGED automobiles!!! Ferrari, Bentley, Maybach, Bugati, Rolls, where are they?
Thank you
Michelle, thanks for explaining in more detail in the comments what your objective was and how the approval process went. I was wondering about 'before' photos but figured they wouldn't allow that. I also thought the house is very neutral and a little splash of color here and there would be great, but sounds like the approval heirarchy was majorly controlling your choices. You definitely accomplished making each room's focal point what it should be. Spectacular home and presentation ~ you definitely did your part!
Michelle, Lovely presentation...all the best to you
Hi Michelle...I would have loved to see the difference between the before and after. I am sure you did wonders.
Kate
You would think that they would not need a stager for a 9.4 million dollar home!
I would have been over the moon with delight if the automobiles had been in the underground parking.
I love cars with my dream being to drive a Bugatti one day. I would love to drive around the Nuremberg Ring in Germany in under 10 minutes. Alas, no cars were here to see.
Many people have wondered why you would want to stage a property at this price point.
The realty is- we all put our pants on one leg at at time.
That means that we all live in our homes as regular people. We have stuff that accumulates and the original design concept of the home gets lost in the day to day items of life. Staging allows the architectural details to once more be highlighted so that buyers can see the features of the home clearly and easily at a glance. The buyer for this home will likely see it on line and make a decision based on those photos whether to put it on their must see list. Staging attracts interest, gains attention and creates demand and desire initiating action on the part of the buyer.
Thank you to everyone for stopping in to see this post. AR is the best vehicle we have to highlight our work, our thougts and our businesses in real estate.
Very nice, not many homes on the market in my area for that price. I hope it sells for you. Would be a sweet payday for you! Good luck
Thanks for the post
Tom
Hi Tom, thank you for stopping in to see this property. This home is one of many on the National Golf Course, one of the top 100 golf courses in the world. The buyer in this area is usually an excellent golfer as it is quite prestigeous to be a member there. The business contacts alone are worth the price of the home.