This home has been rrenovated to give the buyers a large open concept  space to enjoy entertaining with friends and family.  Renovated, staged, and sold firm in under 30 days!

If you are a Real Estate investor and want to start receiving top dollar for the real estate investment properties give us a call and find out how affordable staging can be and how much return you will receive on your staging investment.

http://www.grimsby.ca/

Images Staged with Flair

66 Facer Street, St.Catharines

l2m 5J2

905-980-4962

www.imagesstagedwithflair.ca

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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

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that is not for sale but for rent! Property investors are realizing home staging is not just for selling. If you own property that you are renting it pays to stage it before you rent it!

Your rented property will attract a higher rental income if you stage it.  It will show your potential renters how great the space can look. Home staging will allow your clients to emotionally connect to the rental space therefore they will envision themselves living in your investment property and create a lifestyle they will live,living in the apartment or home. A professional home stager will implement the lifestyle that will attract the targeted client that will fall in love with the property.

This apartment is in the up and coming  downtown  St.Catharines and  with the new addition of The Meridian Center. St.Catharines has become the hub center of big ticket attractions, thus making it very enticing for young professionals or retired couples looking to live close to live entertainment.

Take a look at the video  and see how beautiful your rental property can look with home staging.

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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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