What a year it was!!! This year was a fantastic year in Real Estate it was almost impossible to keep up with the demand.

What a year it was. There were homes that we staged that went over asking price,  one home we staged  sold for $102,000.00 over asking! We would stage a home only to quickly re-book our movers to de-stage within the week. I have never had so much quick turnaround in any other year in business. It was a crazy year!

We experienced so much growth and demand of our services that we almost tripled our inventory with beautiful new furnishings and decor. Even with all the purchases we incurred it was still difficult to keep up with the demand for staging properties.  Our warehouse constantly remained empty as every home we staged sold quickly and then our inventory was moved to the next home!

At the beginning of 2017 my extended family and I decided to plan a large family vacation for all of us to go to Italy for 2 weeks!! In hindsight, I dont know what I was thinking, as it turned out to be one of the busiest months that we have ever experienced for our staging company!  We had a beautiful vacation and thank goodness for my very understanding clients and very helpful colleagues  that were willing to step up to the plate and perform some of our staging projects while I was away.  What a year it was so far!

The beginning 2017 also brought the onset of one of our largest staging renovation ever. We often provide minor renovations as most clients need, painting and other services.  We had one client in particular that was going to need more than minor renos, instead he required a major overhaul of his home. Working with our trades we were able to offer our client a large scale renovation that involved, new flooring throughout his 2600 sq home, painting of  the entire home, installed new light fixtures, new flooring.  En-suite bath was totally gutted and remodeled with new free standing tub, new shower with glass enclosure, new vanity  with double sinks,  granite countertops in all bathrooms and kitchen, and of course staging the entire project.  Quite a huge undertaking but we were up for the challenge, out homeowner was very happy with the results of the renovations, and staging.  The home is now sold! What a year it was!! Take a look below  at the transformation….

We were fortunate to work with many investors that realized that it is imperative for them to leave money in their budget to stage . Staging their Real Estate investment, will  allow them to reap in the rewards to receive a faster sale and get their full price or close to it.  One investment company comes to mind,  they had a beautiful, renovated home with a huge yard that was listed for quite a while without any offers. They were about to reduce the price but their Realtor suggested  to stage  instead. Guess what happened?  They were sold within the first week without reducing their listing price! By the way the staging investment for them to stage was a fraction of the price of price what their reduction would of been!

We were fortunate to work with our existing clients,  but also to meet some new clients that have realized how important it is to incorporate home staging into their package when trying to receive  a listing.  We thank you all and enjoyed working with each and everyone of you!!

In closing I would like to thank everyone for making 2017 an outstanding year for Images Staged with Flair! At times it was extremely difficult to keep up with the demand but I loved every minute of it and I appreciate our clients entrusting our company with their clients!

Welcome 2018… lets kick some butt!!

Images Staged with Flair

66 Facer Street

St.Catharines

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair

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Relax and take a break with your favorite book and a glass of wine. This is la Bella vita…

This home is steps to Lake Ontario! Relax with your favorite book! This is a beautiful home with water access located steps from Lake Ontario Remarkable water views in this 3 large bedrooms, with  2 baths, and main floor laundry beach home. Boasting a  full cosmetic make over and decor plus finishing touches that will impress!

You will love coming home every single day and enjoy the panoramic views! Only steps to a secluded Port Dalhousie sandy beach. Very bright and spacious, open concept main floor with Lake Ontario water views as well as the Toronto and Burlington Skylines from the living room.

Charming design and layout with stainless appliances and a cook’s kitchen just off the dining room and plenty of sitting areas maximizing the brightly lit serene window views.

The master bedroom features the same lake views and has an updated ensuite bath and walk-in closet. Laundry and a 4 piece bath on the main makes for easy day-to-day living as well.

Whether it’s a year round home or weekend getaway that you are looking for, this lake house is absolutely perfect and will allow you feel like you are always on vacation!

Please give a call for all your home staging needs!

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

The post Steps to Lake Ontario, appeared first on Images Staged with Flair.

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

The post Images Staged with Flair a year in review appeared first on Images Staged with Flair.

If your countertops are damaged, no matter the price point of your home, they should be replaced. No one will purchase a home that is not well cared for. If they do, they expect a much lower purchase price. It would cost less to replace the countertops.

Another downside to not replacing them is that most potential buyers are in the market for move-in ready. So even if you lower the price to accommodate, you are more likely to lose some potential offers altogether.

So the next question is, “What do I replace the counter with?”

Will updated Formica do?  There is granite, quartz, Butcher block, and so many, many choices.  The answer is based on a few questions about the property.

What is the condition of your home?

What are the comparables in the area?

If your home is in good shape and has had many upgrades throughout then having updated counters will give you the edge to show your home as move in ready.

There are many grades of granite at different price points, so your choice should depend on the price point of your home. In $200 and $300-thousand and under, stone countertops are not typically expected but would give you the edge over your competition. If your price point is more than $300.000  plus then most buyers are looking for granite and are willing to pay extra.

Last consideration when  replacing countertops is the condition of your kitchen cabinets. They should be solid and in good condition. Shiny new counters, especially a higher-end countertop like granite, added on top of dated old cabinets makes those cabinets stick out like a sore thumb and just serves to highlight how awful they really are.

So clean them up, replace the hardware, re-stain and/or paint the cabinetry and it will compliment those beautiful new stone countertops and make your investment shine.

If you have a question for “Ask The Home Staging Expert”, please contact 

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

The post Does the “Counter” affect the “Offer”? appeared first on Images Staged with Flair.

The 34th annual Junior League Holiday House Tour includes three beautiful homes, located in Burlington and Ancaster. I am so excited to announce that once again Images Staged with Flair  was asked to join the team of designers once again.

Last year I was honored to be one of designers and fortunate to decorate the master bedroom and master bath area. I met some talented designers that like myself were excited to participate in helping The Junior League achieve their goals.

It was a lot of work, 3 days driving back and forth, time to come up with a design plan, sourcing for all the decor, pack and deliver all the items to the home,  but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! I was also amazed at some of the fantastic work that all the designers and decorators offered, I was lucky enough to work with some pretty talented people and  it was magical!

This year guests will be inspired by a great mix of innovative creations and a variety of styles and homes, ranging from traditional to contemporary. Three beautiful homes will grace this year’s tour, all with a theme of “renos”. These three homes will fill everyone  with great ideas for both home renovation and holiday decorating!

The annual Holiday House Tour of Distinctive Homes generates funds to carry out the Mission and Purpose of the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington: developing the potential of women, improving the community and promoting voluntarism. The Junior League of Hamilton Burlington has been committed to voluntarism for over 80 years. For the last six years their  focus has been on improving  the educational success of young women affected by poverty which is very dear to my heart.  I believe that no one should be living in poverty. If I can help one person, then I will do all I can to help an association that will make that happen. The League members work on projects and programs throughout the year with the Holiday House Tour being one of the largest fundraiser.

Funds raised go directly to the community, guided by the League’s careful study of the most critical needs. The focus is also carried out in the disbursement of Discretionary Funds each year, providing support to various organizations.

Their needs and programs align with the Junior League mission of developing the potential of women, promoting voluntarism and improving the community.  Recent recipients include Drummond House LARCH After School Program, Liberty for Youth and FitActiveBeautiful Foundation just to name a few.

Meeting some of these women volunteer their time was humbling.  They work extremely hard for this event to come together. They are very passionate about helping young women in poverty and empowering them to rise above it.

The Holiday House Tour is a huge undertaking and it takes a team of determined women to pull it together and make it happen successfully!  For example, last year they  required about 500 hrs. of volunteering  as the homes were more expansive. This year they will require 260 volunteer hours to cover 3 days of multiple shifts. The attendance of people touring the homes is usually around 4,000.

I am looking forward to this event and cant wait to share the details and the before and after pictures. Of course if you would like to attend you can purchase tickets, please follow the link Junior League Holiday House Tour. There you will see all the homes from previous years. Hope to see you there!

Would you like to join the membership please follow the link Junior House League Burlington

Anna Topolinsky

Stage Your Home! Sell Your Home!

Images Staged with Flair

905-980-4962

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

The post Staging the Bathroom: The Most Important Room per Square Foot in Everyone’s Home. appeared first on Images Staged with Flair.

By Anna Topolinsky

Around the Internet you can find great ideas for staging your home to sell at the best possible price. For the crafty and the DIY expert alike those ideas can add a great deal to your return on investment.

For the less talented, staging your home for resale can be a fruitless pursuit that resembles less Martha Stewart’s “It’s a Good Thing” and more Marge Simpsons’ “I Don’t Think That’s a Good Idea”.

So here for your amusement, if not your information are 12 of the very best home staging fails from around the world of the internet!

1)Place mats for valences!!

Even if they all match, using place mats for valences will not fly (nor will that parrot, I am guessing)

2) See-through air conditioner covers.

If you can’t find or make a custom fitted one you could at least trim the excess material.  So much is wrong with this picture….carpet in kitchen And that table setting!!

3) People in your the staged real estate shots.

Also, you may want to replace that dated ceiling  but really, light bulbs are $1.99.There is no point in having pillows on your sofa if they are only an inch thick!

4) Throw pillows..

Almost anywhere else in the room would have been better….  this one makes me LOL!! People THIS IS NOT staging!

5) We mentioned that people in the photos are a no-no (see #3). Mannequins are just creepy.

This one made me speechless which is very rare! Can you imagine the nightmares children will have after viewing this room with their parents.

6) To help prospective buyers picture themselves in their new home, limit the personal interest items on display. I always tell my clients to remove personal momentous along with most of their personal pictures BUT this is a little obvious!

The 4 bottles of wine on the table probably says everything about you that we need to know.

7) Trying too hard for “high-design”

It’s like the “centre-justify” for apples. I couldn’t help myself I would have to eat one and throw the whole design off!

8) A spare room for guests – that you don’t really like.

9) The mark of a true amateur is stashing stuff you don’t want seen. Because no one will wonder when the Realtor says, “There is nothing behind that door. Really. Nothing.” YIKES!

10) It is possible to go to far clearing the clutter. And those pictures are hung far too high looks like Mildred has a spot to check out the neighbourhood and see what everyone is doing.

11) Amazing what you can do with a little paint if you really want to be creative! Oh my!

12) Finally, leaving a can of raid out in the open is definitely a deal breaker.

Bonus Fail

Of course the biggest fail is not hiring a professional stager

 Images Staged with Flair

To book your consultation call

905-980-4962

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By Anna Topolinsky

In the last 8 years, we have staged many homes.  We love looking at the before and after pictures as yo can see such a huge transformation. Some, like our vacant model homes are easy to stage. Our favorite types of homes to stage are vacant homes, where investors have put sweat and tears into remodeling and creating beautiful finishes.

On the other hand, occupied homes can be a little challenging to stage at times.  Working with homeowners, we guide and advise how to prepare their home to sell and where to invest their budget so they can receive the most return on their investment (ROI).

The listing agent recommended us to Mary the homeowner, and we quickly made an appointment for a consultation. During our two and half hour consultation, Mary received an extensive consultation with advice on which renovations to implement depending on the budged and which renovations would receive the best ROI.

All five bedrooms had old and outdated carpets. We know that flooring is a great area to invest in since it gives the homeowner great return on their investment. To keep cost down, because there was so much to do, master bedroom carpets were removed and replaced with hardwood. In the remaining, four bedrooms new carpets were installed and the once lovely pink carpets were removed from the living room and hardwood matching the master bedroom was installed. For both rooms we took our cue from the living room’s beautiful dark, wood pillars choosing hardwood that matched and complimented the space.

The kitchen cabinets had been once stained forest green! The look was dated, but the bones were great and with the flooring in good shape, once the cabinets received a fresh coat of paint and new hardware, it was unbelievable how this kitchen transformed. It looked like it was brand new. One of the most economical upgrades a homeowner can do to prepare their home to sell is painting and simply doing the cabinets here was enough.

Freshly painted walls will yield you one of  the highest return in your investment, so this beautiful home was painted throughout with a light neutral gray paint color.

With the renovations complete it was time to stage! In order to keep the staging investment reasonable we incorporated the client’s furniture. We blended in our accessories and art work in some rooms, and in other, vacant rooms, we brought in full furnishings to create the wow factor that says, “I should be in a magazine!”

There is a misconception that home staging to sell will cost thousands of dollars, but in practical terms, the investment is generally in the 0.05% – 1% range of the list price and can yield anywhere from 3%- 10% or more in return.

This home was listed for over one million dollars. On the high end in Niagara it wasn’t expected to sell quickly, even in the current, extremely hot, sellers market. To everyone’s surprise it did sell quickly, and selling close to asking, it set a precedent in the neighbourhood that will affect other home listings in the future.

What wasn’t surprising was that Mary and her family were, at first a little nervous to make the investment required to make this home spectacular, but with wise council they understood that the investment was far less than the 1^st price reduction they no doubt would of been doing before the house sold.

Prior to renovations and staging, the listing price being was discussed was much, much less than the final listing price.

The before and after pictures clearly show why this home sold quickly!

Images Staged with Flair

Stage your home! Sell your home!

905-980-4962

The post Home Staging: Before and after what a difference! appeared first on Images Staged with Flair.

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

The post The Big Move for Images Staged with Flair appeared first on Images Staged with Flair.

Dad’s La-Z-Boy.

It was probably hard enough to peel Dad out of his favorite Lay-Z-Boy for the open house, but trying to avoid out-and-out mutiny over the fate of the dated and worn-out furnishing might mean that it is staying in your home.

The people that are interested in buying your home are going to assume that if you don’t take care of your furnishings, that the same goes for the rest of your home.

If you can’t live without your La-Z-Boy, and the chair (not the man) must stay in the house while you sell it, use a slipcover like the picture above. Available from most department stores, the slipcover will take attention away from the worn out chair and put the focus back onto the rest of your beautiful home where it belongs.

Grandma’s Lampshade

Your Grandma may have had exquisite taste in her day and as homage to her obvious refinement, you may have let the lamps linger in your house a little too long. If, by now the shades have dis-colored and collected too much dust, they will dim the appreciation that your potential client will have for the room. And they will also dim the room.  Replacing old  outdated light fixtures is a minimal investment and can make a huge impact. Take a look at the light fixtures in the picture above.

Your University Textbooks

Whether for nostalgic purposes or to impress your guests, you know that never again will you open your copy of The Development of Meteorological Theory in Post-war Vienna. And why do you still have the all the papers that you wrote, when they were middling at best?

If donating your papers to the Alumni Library is out-of-the question you still need a way to de-clutter your bookshelves.

You don’t want your sale to rest on a buyer that needs lots of space and have them believe you don’t have any because you couldn’t bear to part with the 60 Can-Lit novels you read one terribly lonely summer making up extra credits in your elective, do you?

Of course not.

Donate them or foist them upon an unsuspecting undergrad as you like, but ensure that your shelves are rearranged to allow for at least one open shelf per case. Because like a closed mind, you can’t put anything into a full bookcase. Take a look at the de=cluttering that took place in the space below.

Sweepings under the carpet

Old worn out area rugs should be removed and replaced with new clean current carpets which will automatically revive a tired room

W.C. Fields was right.

Not everyone loves pets. They may love their pets but not your pets. Lingering odors from someone else’s pets can turn some people off.  Short of putting your progeny up in a motel for the duration, remove obvious signs of pets  and then you have at least one less reason for the potential buyer to think of moving on and one more for them to think of moving in.

Images Staged with Flair

Stage your home! Sell your home!

The post Don’t Look under the Rug and Other Practical Tips for Staging your Home. appeared first on Images Staged with Flair.