This home was listed for over a million in a neighbourhood that the average home would list for an average of about $600,000. This home was staged,  listed and sold firm in under 3 weeks!! Realtor said if this home was nit staged it would of taken much longer to sell and would of had a few price reductions.

It pays to stage!! Staging a home is much less than a first price reduction!!

Home staging provided by

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

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This is your entertainment Dream Home! This house is situated in St. David’s Estates, the most prestigious neighbourhood in Niagara-on-the-lake. It’s a true gem, with beautiful views. This modern-design luxury home offers you over 4000 square feet of living space, with three levels above grade.

Featuring 3 large bedrooms – all with walk-in closets, 3 full & 1 half baths – all upgraded with granite countertops, upstairs laundry, a beautiful open-concept kitchen with granite counter top & lots of cabinetry, pot lights throughout the whole house, 10ft high ceilings on the main floor, large dining room with lot of windows leading you to a balcony, oversized living room with fire place, carpet free, and fully finished basement.  Balconies off the master bedroom, dining roo and large deck off the kitchen.

Home staging provided by

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

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Open concept kitchen, dining room, located in a fantastic neighbourhood in North End St. Catharines.

Three bedrooms, large master bedroom, with large double closet. New freshly painted, granite counter tops, large finished basement with large recreation room.

Home Staging provided by

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

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Well, here we are another year has gone by and we are celebrating another Christmas holiday season and winding down the end of a fantastic year 2106. Hello my name is Anna Topolinsky owner of Images Staged with Flair, take a look at or video of some of the homes we staged this year. we were fortunate to work with top Realtors(R) Home Builders, such as Eric Wiens Construction and Bice Builders, both building quality custom homes.

We discovered that this year was the year that we worked with many home investors that buy, renovate, stage and sell. These investors have realized the importance of incorporating  home staging into their budget as a very smart investment, knowing they will receive the best RIO on their money spent.

We would like to wish all or clients the very best for the Holiday Season and we look forward to 2017!

Images Staged with Flair

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

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Major renovations usually include plans for updating  the bathroom, so it makes sense when you’re home staging to pay careful attention to these areas. Even though they are utilitarian in nature, these rooms will have special appeal to prospective buyers and winning here can make a big difference in your sale.

Some definite no-no’s when staging your bathroom include, getting rid of the matching toilet covers and rug. Those items scream, “20 years ago” so loud that the neighbours will be able to hear.  Replacing old socket covers, pitted

faucets and outdated light fixtures. Your prospective buyer will only be thinking of how much they are going to cost to replace and getting rid of the plastic shower curtain and all the water stains with it, should top your to do list.

You may love the ruffled crochet toilet paper cover with a doll’s figurine that has been in your family for years and you are welcome to take it with you when you move, but please pack it away now before the first walk through.

Check out “Unique Towel Folding” by curbnotes.com on YouTube. The almost half a million views are a testament to how important this exercise can be. Since your buyer will be checking out the linen closet, we spend some time here folding, rolling and otherwise organizing the shelves, uncluttering them to make the closet look as spacious as possible.

Since the old plastic shower curtain is now a drop cloth for painting, hang a new cloth shower curtain with a liner. Like all things in the bathroom, choose neutral colors and match them or select the occasional complementary colour for a bright, but subtle “pop”. Leave the shower curtain open a little if it makes the room look larger.

A quick wipe-down of the bathroom before anyone enters is required; and replacing old slivered, soap bars with fresh ones is a matter of good housekeeping, but making sure that everyone in the house is obeying the golden rule of bathroom etiquette is a crucial step for preparing your home for showing and that one truly universal step is to always, always keep the lid down!

Images Stage with Flair

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflai.ca

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By Anna Topolinsky, Owner of Images Staged with Flair

 We needed to make the big move!It is no secret that the housing market in the Golden Horseshoe has been hot! Hotter than most people can remember it ever being. Prices are up and it has been a busy year for Real Estate Brokers, Home Builders, Property Investors, Stagers like us, and Movers too!

This summer, after two years of effort building inventory and searching out the exact location, we have finally moved ourselves into a Canal-side warehouse space. There, we are able to keep our wide selection of high-end furniture, accessories, art work and so much more all in one place.

It seems like good luck that we anticipated the growth we would see this year, which made the move inevitable. It was always our plan to have a warehouse and play in the top-rated sandbox among our Home staging colleagues. We are one of the few staging warehouses in the region that can offer the selection, quality, availability, and affordability of needed material to make a home stand out in the marketplace.

For our clients, the selection we offer means that we do not use a one-size fits all approach to staging. From modern, contemporary to traditional, there are many looks that we can choose from for a spectacular finish that will attract your target buyer.

For us, having all our inventory in one place is really helpful. With things spread out in various locations, a now redundant layer of logistics planning that needed to be done for each client can be done away with. The new efficiencies  gained have increased our capacity and makes us able to respond to client needs more quickly and more effectively.

One of the things that continue to amaze me is the support we get from our Real Estate partners. The professional Real Estate agent that clears the way for Images Staged with Flair to approach their clients,  are the clients that have helped us grow. It is for them that our move to using a warehouse space was so important.

Agents are placing their trust and essentially their livelihood in our hands when recommending staging to a client. When we can turn around and make this kind of investment it shows that our partnership works and as far as the agent, the property owner and we are concerned, it is a win-win-win situation

In this past year we have also been fortunate to be working with many property investors that have renovated their investment homes and in turn put their trust in our expertise to stage their property and target their buyers for them to receive the highest offer possible.

They are always amazed at how the staging of the home enhances the work that they have tirelessly worked so hard for but more importantly they are amazed on how their Realtor will always suggest they raise the listing price to reflect how well the home shows after staging.

Our goal is to continue growing and to continue to offer quality, and affordable home staging to our clients. As an added bonus my husband now has his garage back and my children are now able to enjoy their rec-room again!!

Win-win-win…win.

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

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Real estate sales in Niagara is hot news. Prices are up, units sold are up and the trend is not likely to stop anytime soon.

With homes selling within hours and some selling above asking price, it seems reasonable that in this market, going the extra step of having your home professionally staged seems less important than when the market is down, competition is high, and you need every advantage to make the sale.

In a hot sellers market like this one there are compelling reasons to still make that effort and stage your home or property. The first reason, and the best reason as always to do everything you can, is to ensure that your home is fetching the highest price possible.

Consider this: A home valued at $300,000 that sells for 5% above asking earns $15,000 extra for the home owner, but if that home is staged and listed for $330,000 then sells for 5% above listing, the earnings above listing is $16,500 PLUS the $30,000 asked over the valuation. That’s a total of $46,500 in your pocket, less the cost of staging.

Vacant homes left bare will stay on the market longer. Much longer than they should. With all the renovation shows out there, flipping houses no longer an insider’s secret, buyers are savvy to “flips”. A staged property changes the buyers perspective from, “what reno’s were done?” to “I love how this room looks” and “I can see myself living here”.

Real estate investors will realize top dollar by staging a home and can sell the home faster, meaning they can move on to the next project more quickly.

Showing your property at it best is the objective in any market, but the time to pass up the opportunity to stage is not in this hot sellers market. Home owners and real estate investors alike need to not only work with a Real Estate Agent that offers a great marketing plan but also one that works with a professionally certified stager to make sure the home is “market ready”

“I don’t need to stage my house”, is a statment that can cost thousand of dollars in unrealized profits. Even in a hot market like this one.

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Staging 21 Creekside, Niagara on the Lake. Nearly 3000sq ft of finished home! Beautifully designed and built new bungalow with full walkout basement!

1867sq feet of living space on the main floor with 10′ ceilings and more than 1000sq feet downstairs. Enter via the beautiful porcelain tiled foyer and ahead is the wonderful open concept kitchen/dining/living space with raised deck overlooking the big back yard. Hardwood floors and tiling throughout the main floor, there is a spacious master bedroom with well appointed 5pc ensuite bathroom. Two other bedrooms (one would make a great home office) and a 3pc bathroom complete the main floor. The home has extensive pot lights, tons of storage and high quality finishes throughout.

Nearly 3000sq ft of finished home! Beautifully designed and built new bungalow with full walkout basement! 1867sq feet of living space on the main floor with 10′ ceilings and more than 1000sq feet downstairs. Enter via the beautiful porcelain tiled foyer and ahead is the wonderful open concept kitchen/dining/living space with raised deck overlooking the big back yard. Hardwood floors and tiling throughout the main floor, there is a spacious master bedroom with well appointed 5pc ensuite bathroom. Two other bedrooms (one would make a great home office) and a 3pc bathroom complete the main floor. The home has extensive pot lights, tons of storage and high quality finishes throughout.

For further information please call Robert Wilkinson Kevin Stokes, Niagara on the Lake Realty  905-468-3205

Staging provided by Images Staged with Flair

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

905-980-4962

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Ready to sell your house? It is said that living in Canada we have two seasons – Winter and Gardening.

After a long, cooped-up, snowy 6 months, our spirits renew along with our flower beds. Spring time tends to be the most popular time of the year to sell your home, but knowing why can lead to a higher asking price and a higher return . Typically, spring time is when your home will show at its best, especially if you have nicely manicured gardens. In the spring time you can take advantage of “showing off” all the back-breaking work you have done over the years.

So make sure the gardens are pristine, new mulch is added, cut down any over grown shrubs, remove any dead plants or shrubs, add potted annuals to add pops of color and start preparing the pool.  having great landscaping will yield you 20%-30% return on your investment

Show case the outdoors as well as your indoors by adding a deck or outdoor living space into your home. Yielding as much as 80% return on your investment, it makes sense that if you have gone through the expense and work (if you did the outdoor installation yourself) to capitalize on these features.

Having transformed the yard into beautiful, show-piece gardens that even Martha Stuart would be envious of, use the cooperation of the weather to power wash the siding, the patio and deck, bring out the patio furniture to create wonderful vignettes that help the buyer picture how the space can be used for relaxing, reading a great book and enjoying a glass of wine with friends.

So now you are done with the gardens are your indoors are ready also? Well not always! I have gone to many home to offer them a consultation, and many times I find the landscaping looks great and the home has great curb appeal but it doesn’t always extend to the indoors!

Start spring cleaning, de-clutter or as I like to call it… editing your home!  Pack away items that are collections, edit your closets, edit your accessories. If your home requires a fresh coat of paint, spring time is the best time to do that -the sun provides plenty of light and you can open up the windows and air out the odor of fresh paint.

So now you are ready to sell?  If you are not sure if your home is showing its best, ask a professional. Today, the best Realtors team up with professional home stagers because they realize the advantages of providing a complementary home staging consultation. Call your Realtor and ask if they have this service for their clients. Having a home stager come in with fresh eyes  ensures you are truly ready  to sell, and that your home is move-in ready.

Regardless of whether your home requires a simple home consultation,  some rentals  to compliment your existing furnishings or if you have already bought and moved so now your vacant home requires full furnishings, we can satisfy  any of those options. From our warehouse stocked with top of the line furnishings and accessories and our long list of first-rate contractors we can help with your specific needs.

Although you can sell your home anytime of the year and winter sellers do encounter buyers who are very serious about buying, there are fewer homes listed in the winter. You may have less competition, but overall there is less interest in open houses and less interest in driving desirable neighborhoods. So in the spring, even with many more homes on the market, it remains the best time of the year to sell your home.

For a home consultation and staging services for your home please call

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

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Does staging work and does it help to sell your home faster? You bet it does!

I was asked to stage a row  of townhomes back a few months ago. There were  8  units  and they were listed  for almost 6 months without any offers  while they were vacant.  Upon entering the  condo I realized what  part of the problem was!  The condo had a very nice open concept feeling, you walk in the  front door  and you had a straight sight line directly from front, through to living room/dining room/ kitchen and then  to the back yard.  We  did recommend to the builder that they add a raised deck off the back patio doors, which they did for the model  home, this gave the buyers  extra living space outdoors.

The open concept was terrific and it is what buyers are looking for, but the  main problem of the condo was the  narrow and long living room/dining room area,   which created an almost  bowling alley effect. Buyers were having a hard time envisioning  where and how they were going to set up their furniture, and how they were going to use the function of each space.

We staged the model using the furniture to create the function of each separate space as shown in the picture below. First area was the living room, second area was the dining room, but in between both spaces we added a buffet side cabinet , and when placing it in between both rooms, it told the buyers where the living started and ended and where the dining room started and ended, thus giving each space its own function.

The townhomes  were  built very well, with beautiful  hardwood floors throughout, granite counter tops, beautiful backsplash and very nice kitchen….

Once staged they sold  two units, one was the staged unit one was the vacant unit. Great!! I was so thrilled and I was hoping for the quick sale of the other  6 units.  Since the staged unit was sold we had to move our furniture and accessories down to another vacant unit, which we did and then we had a new model condo to show to potential buyers!

Does staging work? What happened in the next two months is why staging does  work!!!!

I am happy to say that  all are now sold except for one!!!  Fantastic right? Well every single townhome that sold was a staged model unit!!  We moved our furniture and accessories 5 times !!! The home buyers had the opportunity to purchase a vacant unit  and not  a staged model, but in every case,  every  unit  that was  purchased ,the buyers choice was always  the staged unit over the vacant unit!

Images Staged with Flair

66 Facer Street

St..Catharines, Ontario

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

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