The majority of today's buyers are Millennials and have an expectation in how a home should look when viewing it, so I always stage the home in a contemporary way to appeal to that buyer demographic. When I'm asked to stage an occupied home, I try to incorporate as much of the existing furniture and decor to help keep the rental costs down whenever I feel I can make it work, even if some of those pieces are vintage (1950s - 1970s) or antiques (1940s and prior). The secret is to interject just a few items while the majority of items are more contemporary. In this first example, I staged a 1960s ..read more

As a home stager, one of the challenges I come across during a homeowner consultation is when the home decor feels rather dated. As the majority of home buyers these days are millennials, it's important to do whatever possible to update the look of the home in order to appeal to that demographic. It is always recommended to do any needed cosmetic updates to the home if the budget allows for it such as painting dated cabinets or adding hardwood floors, but when it isn't possible due to budget constraints, there are ways to update the feel of the home without breaking the bank: 1. WALLS: The bi ..read more

I recently provided a "speed stage" service at a trendy 2 bedroom townhouse which meant taking what the homeowners already had and reworking it to better showcase the property. Their awesome Realtors had provided some decor items so that we may further enhance the spaces with items such as pillows, art, mirror, and accessories. When I first entered the open concept living / dining rooms and kitchen, I was immediately taken back by how tiny the living room was! It had a nice fireplace with only 2 club chairs and a small coffee table, and no room for anything else. Adjacent to the living room wa ..read more

When selling your home, one of the goals is to have the buyers imagine themselves living there and since 90% of people have a very difficult time doing that on their own, disengaging, de-cluttering, de-personalizing, and neutralizing is key. Most sellers find it emotionally difficult to disengage from their home and be objective, but once they decide to sell, they need to stop thinking of it as their home but rather a product or commodity that they want to get the most money out of. A professional home stager views the home with "buyer's eyes" and can make the necessary suggestions to help hig ..read more

Doing laundry CAN actually be pleasant! Most people don't enjoy doing laundry so never really think about putting any money or effort into "decorating" their laundry room, whether it's to stay or to sell. Most laundry rooms I see in homes at all kinds of price points just have bare walls, a builder grade wire shelf above the appliances to stash the laundry supplies and bathroom tissue, and a small garbage can shoved in a corner. When listing your home for sale, we recommend that you ensure the shelves are neatly organized and that the room is clean and tidy. Beyond that, there's really not muc ..read more

Calgary is currently in a buyer's market with a large amount of housing inventory for them to choose from. Sellers need to be especially savvy during these times in getting their house ready to help stand apart from their competitors. Following are some staging tips to achieve just that: 1. Depersonalize: In order for buyers to more easily envision themselves living in your house, it's important to remove your family photos, accolades, and religious symbols. 2. Make Repairs: Don't give buyers any reason to make you a low-ball offer, or worse, no offer at all! Address all needed repairs such as ..read more

Hiring a professional home stager is an effective way to help maximize the appeal of a property and showcase its selling features using the homeowner's own, and potentially rented furniture and decor, however, it may not work within everyone's budget. But if you could afford to invest a few hundred dollars and received thousands of dollars in return, why would you not do so? It doesn't have to be cost prohibitive if you have the stager provide a staging consultation. For a mere $200 - $500 investment, depending on your city and size of the property, the stager will walk around your home with y ..read more

If you hope to sell your house more quickly for top dollar, then you should most definitely consider investing in your likely largest investment by implementing any needed cosmetic upgrades and home staging to appeal to today's "HGTV generation" of buyers. The biggest bang for your buck is to give the walls a fresh coat of neutral paint such as warm whites, creams, or greys. Light, bright, spacious feeling homes that are move-in ready sell more quickly. Kitchen and bathrooms statistically have the highest return on investment so it's advisable to paint or reface worn out or dated cabinets, add ..read more

When listing your home during the winter holiday season, it can be especially challenging when you have children who want to decorate with their homemade crafts, Santa Claus, snowmen, etc. but it's advisable to leave the "fun" decor in storage and keep the holiday decor more "tasteful", meaning minimal, simple, and non-denominational. You don't want the buyers to be distracted by all of the holiday decor so that it's more difficult for them to focus on the wonderful selling features of your house. If anything, you want to emphasize those features which you can certainly do with strategic holi ..read more

Can hardwood flooring improve the resale value of your home and increase a home's value? Most definitely! The majority of real estate agents surveyed by the National Wood Flooring Association said houses with hardwood flooring are easier to sell, sell for more money, and sell faster. The trend towards hardwood flooring keeps growing year after year because not only has it become more stylish (and more affordable), but because allergies and asthma conditions are on the rise, the number of home buyers requiring hardwood has increased. Hardwood flooring adds more elegance and natural charm to vi ..read more