The fabulous City Stagers captured by Orange Memories Photography

I have had so much fun and I am so grateful to be involved in some great opportunities to help others this season.

The City Stagers Sereena’s House project, spear-headed by Heather Kleim (centre front row above and @EpicEmpire on twitter) saw 13 amazing women come together after months of preparation and help to makeover the common rooms in this Downtown Eastside women’s rooming house.

Heather Kleim and I started the City Stagers Meetup Group as a way for local home stagers to build community, visibility and credibility within our industry.  From the beginning we wanted to include service as part of our mandate. (More on the City Stagers at Meetup.com/City-Stagers )

Here are links to the Vancouver Courier and the Province articles:

Here’s the story in the Province:

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Volunteers+dash+belonging+women+their+DTES+home/3941064/story.html

And here’s the video with Heather Kleim:

http://www.theprovince.com/videos/index.html?v=1688050289#/Makeover-DTES/juegqq_FqBGgnP_I5VhgLXRZ5_n_TkWK

And the Vancouver Courier article:

http://www.vancourier.com/life/Home+stagers+reach+troubled+women/3945184/story.html

Here are some of the fantastic donors involved.  Our thanks and congratulations for helping others so generously:

Many thanks to everyone who helped with the Sereena’s House makeover project.  I know it was an eye opening experience for many participants and I know we made a difference.

Proving, once again, that I get a lot more than I give.

Well, I sat down this evening to write a post about whether or not to decorate your home for the holidays when your property is on the market. Turns out I still feel rather strongly about it and I realized I’d written a post on this same topic last year. (If you’re interested you can find the post here.)

For the most part, I still agree with myself:

• Pick one accent colour for holiday decor that works with your home decor, and stick to it.
• No “cute”, inflatable, or flashing anything.
• For every holiday decor item you choose to display, remove one daily decor accent of similar proportions. (Because, of course, you’ve already edited your knickknacks, tchotchkes, collections and everything off the fridge and floor, right?)
• Do not have holiday decorations visible when marketing photos are taken of your home – they become dated within about 2 weeks.

Just in case you need a reminder…potential buyers will check closets and cupboards.  Prepack off-season and seldom used items to free up space.  (Ideally, every closet and cupboard should be no more than 1/3 full.  Viewers will be amazed at all the storage space you have!)

I’m seeing lots of white glass and ceramic holiday decorations this year.  Would white work as your one colour?  Clear glass is also a  lovely material to decorate with during the holidays, or anytime.

Last year I suggested you could leave out cookies or cider and spices simmering on the stove.  Don’t even worry about all that.  Just make sure you’ve followed all the usual rules of staging:

• Declutter and edit
• Keep an overall neutral palette
• Keep your home immaculately clean

Enjoy the last holiday season in your current home, just be aware that the house is now a product for sale.  You can go hog wild on decorations next year if that’s your tendency.

Have you decorated your home for the holidays while it was for sale?  How much did you decorate and did you notice any reactions from potential buyers?  Were they fascinated with your Christmas Village instead of the new windows and hardwood flooring you had installed?

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt when I’m able, but I had a conversation with a colleague earlier this week that has left a bad taste in my mouth . (Not about my colleague, but about something that happened to her.)

Her work was recently featured prominently in a local newspaper. Great news, right? Wouldn’t any entrepreneur love that? I certainly would!

But, and it’s a big BUT, only if my work was attributed to me. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

There was no attribution of her work, no mention of her company and no acknowledgment that without her work said article would never have existed.

I don’t even know whose mistake caused this glaring affront, but I would have been very upset if this had happened to me. It’s a testament to my colleague’s grace and professionalism how calm she was during our conversation.

What would you do if this happened to you?

Appearances count when you’re looking to market your home for sale.  And, so does budget.  Both are particularly true in this economy.  But, upgrading the look and functional value of your space, and saving money while doing it is not necessarily an impossibility.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at laminate flooring.

Laminate floors are a manufactured product that are designed to look just like a natural surface, most popularly a real hardwood floor.  As the technology develops, laminate flooring is increasingly convincing to the point where only a trained eye can tell the difference between a real wood surface and a laminate surface. So, you’re getting that luxurious  look of real wood flooring for less money and with fewer factors to consider when it comes to  installation.

The great thing about laminate floors is that they are designed, and thoroughly tested for durability with the consumer in mind.  When you invest in an AC3 rated laminate for instance, you’re assured that your laminate flooring is internationally tested for general use in a residence, warrantied to last for decades, not just for a year or two.  You’re not getting a ‘this will do for now’ floor.  And once again, you’re generally paying less than you would if you installed a real wood floor.

Another great thing about laminates  is the expanding range of choices you’ve got at your disposal.  This is not just about colors and grain patterns, although these are significant too.  It’s also about function, with varying thicknesses and locking systems that make even the act of walking on a laminate floor to be virtually indistinguishable from walking on a solid wood floor. Getting a 10mm to 14mm thick floor delivers this effect pretty well.

While walking prospective buyers around your home, these subtleties count; the visual appeal, and the feel of your floor underfoot can be extremely effective selling assets.  And laminate flooring allows you to do this inexpensively, when compared to many other choices in a floor covering.

Choosing laminates to upgrade your property for resale is a sound investment.  The potential to impress prospective buyers, and generally add visual, and practical value to any property is exponentially increased.

***

Rob Jones is a blogger, and social media marketer at BuildDirect, an online building materials company in Vancouver.  He blogs about building materials and about green building.  Sometimes, he blogs about music, too!

Whether you are staging your home, or just looking for a way to tame clutter, today’s post comes directly from my friend Lynne (otherwise known as CrazyChameleon).  She describes her DVD collection as being in “the hundreds” and although I can’t relate, I know many others can.

Lynne came up with a great way to liberate shelf space for artful display.  She transferred all her DVDs from their cases into binder pages with transparent pockets.  Imagine the space she has created!

Here is an example from Staples of the type of loose leaf pages that could be used in a decor coordinated three ring binder.   Binders are available in all kinds of colours and textures and If you want to get creative, you could even cover one in fabric (I was going to post a video from YouTube here, but the fabric used was far too garish!).

Anyway, you get the idea.

One more way to tame your clutter

HS Home Staging transformed this sparsely furnished bachelor pad into an an inviting family home.  Potential buyers are drawn into the space they can visualize their family enjoying.

If you are interested in this 4 bedroom South Surrey, BC property, please contact: Ryan Blue at RE/MAX Colonial Pacific Property

Below are two 360 degree images of upstairs and downstairs. Click on the image to stop it from turning and click your mouse on the image to pan up, down and around.  You can also scroll in and out to view more closely.

To see a slide show of the images, click on one image and then on “next” to advance through the photos.

This is a 360 of the common areas downstairs.

This is a 360 of the upper floor.

Please click on any thumbnail to see a larger photo and start a slide show.

Source: www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com

Two issues come up repeatedly in talking to clients about the security of our most vulnerable family members.  First, photographs of children and second, personalized toys, clothing or decor.

I recommend limiting personal photographs on view because we always want potential buyers to be able to picture their family in the home, not be distracted by yours.  An additional reason to take down photos of children in your home is to take away a tool that can be used to identify and target children by those who may mean harm.

This ties in directly with the second issue: personalized clothing, toys or wall decor.  When a stranger can learn your child’s name by walking through an open house, you are giving them yet another tool to target your child.

However awful it may seem to have to think about this, once aware of the potential for harm, we must pay attention and use common sense to make sure we don’t expose our children to the possibility of danger when we can prevent it.

No matter how cute it is to have their name on the bedroom wall.

This post stems from a facebook question from a friend asking how to fold a fitted sheet.  I found this video on YouTube and thought others might find it useful.

Jill Cooper presents the instructions clearly and concisely in a charming southern accent.

Photo Source: californiaclosets.com

When we are living in our home, closets and cupboards often get filled to bursting and even though we may think that potential buyers won’t open every door and peek inside, trust me – they will!  It’s extremely important when you are staging your home to make sure that every cupboard, closet and storage area is no more than half full.  That’s right – nor more than 50% full.  Otherwise, potential buyers see “not enough storage” even if you have closets in every room and hallway.  It’s how our minds work.

So, pre-pack, store, donate or sell – whatever you have to do to get every cupboard and closet no more than half full.

Hopefully, this video about how to fold fitted sheets will help you get at least the linen closet under control Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The basics of home staging still apply during the holidays:

• ensure your home is immaculately clean
• no clutter allowed
• show off architectural features
• keep family heirlooms and holiday presents out of sight

Avoid:

• personal photos
• decor with religious connotations
• personalized items

Some home stagers may recommend not decorating your home for the holidays, but carefully chosen holiday decor can enhance the welcoming warmth of your home when potential buyers visit during the holiday season.

Less is definitely more when decorating your staged home for the holidays. In order to purchase, potential buyers must be able to envision their family enjoying the holidays in your home.

Only decorate for specific period during the holidays. I recommend no longer than two weeks before Christmas and two weeks after.
Only use one of any type of decoration. For example: one simple wreath, one tall skinny tree to show off the ceiling height and preserve floor space, one table centerpiece item.
Avoid a profusion of red and green – try using very little red in your holiday decorating and opt instead for fresh greenery and a white, gold or silver palette.
Show off a carefully chosen selection of your most elegant and “quiet” holiday decorations and do not, under any circumstances, use inflatable decor in the yard, holiday banners or “cute” decorations.

An easy way to make sure you are not cluttering up your home with holiday decorations is to remove one non-seasonal accessory for every holiday accessory you put out.

If you want your home to seem extra welcoming to potential buyers during the holiday season you may choose to leave a plate of gingerbread men or holiday cookies out in the kitchen with festive paper napkins that coordinate with your decor. To create the warm ambiance of a holiday gathering in the kitchen, leave some warm spiced cider on the stove with a ladle and cups nearby.

All of these holiday decorating tips apply even if your home is not for sale. By simplifying your holiday decor your home remains welcoming and warm without overwhelming family and visitors.

Happy holidays!