Advantage Staging has the unique opportunity to stage the lobby of the Remax Premier office at the centrally situated Vaughan Mills location with a new look every quarter.
You may remember it started out looking like this....definitely could use a little more warmth to welcome clients.
I knew I could create a warm, welcoming look very easily by adding furniture with the right texture fabric and colour. The first staging looked like this....
And now the lobby looks like this......
Subtle changes were made that effect the mood of the space, creating a welcome feel. Clients and visitors comment every day how comfortable the furniture is. They feel right at home and don't want to get up as they feel so good sitting there. Now that's what I call effective marketing. Creating such a great space that your clients look forward to coming and don't want to leave!
Watch for the changes at Christmas... with the launch date for the new office being December 3rd.
Winner of the Trailblazer Company of the Year 2009
I recently spent three days learning the ins and outs of running a successful design business with Kimberly Seldon of Kimberly Seldon Design Group here in Toronto.
Kimberly is a dynamic designer who embodies success in the Toronto area. Appearing as a regular on Cityline TV, speaking at design shows and featured in many magazines and books, Kimberly is a wealth of information that you can use immediately in your business model.
The one thing that I learned from Kimberly was how to discuss a clients budget. Clients are always reluctant to state what their budget is for many reasons which you are not privy to. Kimberly suggests that you ask them if it is a million dollars. By doing this, they invariably break down laughing and say what their actual budget is or they might even say that it is higher than that. Either way, you can't lose by asking the million dollar question.
Winner of the Trailblazer Company of the Year Award 2009
United Way's 50th Anniversary Estate on the Bay Designer Showcase Home has wrapped up with the gala being held on a star lit night on Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie. Michelle Finnamore of Advantage Staging was among 10 designers that were asked to redesign the 10,000 sq. ft. lakeside home to raise funds for the United Way.
It was a privilege to be part of a project that brought together the talents of many designers for a good cause that benefitted the community in a far reaching way.
Cheryl Tiegs was in attendance as the rep for Cambria Quartz which was used in the kitchen.
It turns out that we were both involved with the Live Green, Live Smart green renovation of a 50's ranch bungalow in Minnesota last year. The ranch bungalow is the first home in the world to be renovated to a Platium level of LEEDS and exceed the requirements by 17%.
I always say......it is a small world isn't it?
Kevin Frankish, host of Breakfast Television and Mary Dobson, feature designer on Cityline were our chauffeurs for the evening. Mary designed the laundry room and garage space which will be featured on Cityline October 27th.
My neighbour and good friend John Elms of Ultimate Car Rental
supplied a classic Rolls Royce for the evening as well. Along with
a few of my favourite cars like a '67 Corvette, a Maseratti and a classic
Pontiac Judge.
Here are a few of the images of the grounds that I staged to highlight the focal points of the property.
Bradford Greenhouses supplied the large urns with fall florals for the front
entrance.
UCA Branding installed window film to the cabana sliding glass doors to highlight the bar area.
Martin House Art provided 5 pieces of exterior artwork made from 65% post consumer recycled steel.
Iris in the garden was beautiful to see in the rising morning sun.
The lime green bench brought a smile to everyone when they walked up the path to the front door.
The eliptical steel ball was created specifically for the top of the 55 foot boat slip.
Recently I was commissioned by the Rainbow Mall to design a wall graphic memorial to the fallen Canadian soldiers who have served in United Nations Peace Keeping efforts.
It was a month in planning and execution and on Monday March 16th the dedication took place.
CFB Borden Base Commander Colonel Hamel, The Minister of Foreign Affairs Office representative Valerie Knight and veterans from the Angus and Barrie Legion along with the Army, Navy, Air Force Club were on hand to witness the solemn event. As four soldiers had been repatriated home to Canada in the previous days it was a poignant reminder that reflected the efforts of our peace keepers in Afghanistan.
The wall graphic shows a field of red poppies reaching up to a blue sky. There are 225 names of fallen soldiers written on the wall and sadly, four more to be added this past week.
Advantage Staging was proud to be part of this community event to show our support to the troops and their efforts to keep peace in the world.
Lately I have been finding that the smart Realtors are calling for a professional Home Staging consultation on every listing.
Why the change?
A few reasons.
With so much competition on the market right now, they realize that to make their listing stand out from the crowd online they need to get their clients motivated to prepare their properties for sale.
Realtors know that if they list properties not ready to show they will see their marketing expense balloon out of control.Properties that have not been prepared do not show well online. Bright paint colours and vibrant patterns do not allow buyers online to see the features of a home.
Plus clients are letting their Realtors know that they do not want to languish on the market like they see so many other listings in their neighbourhood.
With over 80% of buyers looking online for their next house, clients that decide to follow the suggestions that I make end up with a property that shows well online resulting in traffic to their listings.
6 White Elm in Barrie listed with Dianne Beauchesne with RE/MAX is an example of the suggestions that I made to market a home being carried out by the homeowner.
The main floor is very inviting and a family could see easily how this could be their new dream home.
In the perfect scenario, the vibrant colours in the children's rooms should have been neutralized to show better online. Overall the house shows very well and you can now see the features in each room of the house.
This property sold in 30 days for 98% of the list price. Another Staging success story.
Investment, minimal.
Impact, priceles.
 |
|
|
Marketing your Property for Sale. Incorporate a Professional Home Staging consultation in your marketing plan to attract attention, create desire and initiate action on the part of your buyer.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
