Nicole Hurst (Your Halton & Peel Home Staging Expert)

Cole House Design recently staged a Brampton Ontario home. It sold in 6 days for 99% of the asking price. Hooray! Another example that staging works!!

Cole House Design was called by this Brampton homeowner as he wanted his home staged before listing. He and his wife were retirees living in a 30 year old house. He knew over the years they had accumulated some clutter, and needed help depersonalizing and updating the interior of the home.

After a home staging consultation by Cole House Design, these homeowners started packing things up. Old furniture stored in the basement was put out at the curb, and boxes of their grandchildrens' toys were sent back to them.

With a clean slate, Cole House Design called in the painters, and almost the whole home was updated with new colours. Here are some of the photos from the transformation:

New laminate countertops, brushed nickel hardware (hinges and knobs), updated lighting, fresh white paint on the cabinets, Benjamin Moore "Monroe Bisque" (HC26) on the walls vs. the old peach paint, and the kitchen cleared of clutter...this room is now ready for entertaining.

In this bubble gum pink family room we reused the burgundy leather sofas (but kept nothing else), wanting to give it a more updated look. We painted it Benjamin Moore "Danville Tan" (HC91) and then purchased new tables, lamps, artwork, drapery panels, and an area rug, all of which the homeowners can use in their new home.

In the laundry room, the wood cabinetry was painted white to freshen up the room. New hardware was also installed. The walls were painted a soft grey "Shale" (CC458) by Benjamin Moore, and new slate-like peel and stick tile was laid over the 1970's yellow patterned vinyl flooring.

In the master bedroom, we took down the green paisley print border that co-ordinated with the pink walls. The dusty rose carpet was also pulled up due to wear. New beige carpet and mirrored closet doors were installed, and the walls were painted Benjamin Moore "Moccasin" (CC430). All of the furniture was placed back into the room, and the bed linens and draperies were reused, as they had been recently purchased by the homeowner.

The homeowners are thrilled over the quick sale of their home, and have this to say:

"House sold in 6 days! Not even a week, not even an open house. Thank you for all your help. We're enjoying the decluttering so much! I want my next house to look this good, so I'll be in touch once we've moved. Thanks again."

For help selling your home, contact Cole House Design today!

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

(Cole House Design is a professional and fully insured home staging and interior decorating firm serving the Halton, Peel and Muskoka regions of Ontario.)

Cole House Design just read an interesting article, written by Gordon Powers for MSN Money. It discusses the changes which will be voted on next month regarding the Multiple Listings Service (MLS). If the proposals pass, homeowners may have future access to the website to post their own listings. Read the article below:

"Competition Bureau Commissioner Melanie Aitken has cut the heart out of the Canadian Real Estate Association's restrictions on the use of the Multiple Listings Service, the database at the centre of Canada's housing market.

Is this the beginning of the end for CREA's 98,000 members? Will they soon be replaced by U.S.-style budget brokers, in the same way that upstart online brokers muscled their way into the financial industry a decade ago?

I doubt it. But it's a nice idea nonetheless.

When the U.S. market went through a similar exercise, the result was a slew of sites that offered enhanced listings at sharply reduced pricing.

Despite a troubled U.S. housing market, do-it-yourself sites like Redfin and Zillow report strong sales and increases in web traffic. An average of 9 million users visited Zillow last month, for instance, an increase of 19 per cent year-over-year.

As technology and deregulation lower the barriers to entry here in Canada, upstarts like Property Guys, Homebuyandsell and even general purpose sites like Kijiji are hoping to capture a bigger piece of the listings pie.

And while new competitors don't necessarily want to cut real estate agents out of the process completely, the agent's role and the accompanying costs may have to change.

With a discounter who'll list your house for a small fee instead of a large commission, more people will certainly consider selling their houses on their own.

Realizing this, CREA has already said it would make changes to allow consumers to access cheaper services. The changes, which members will vote on next month, would make it a bit easier for sellers to post their homes on CREA's site without necessarily signing on for an agent's full package of services.

The proposal will fall far short of both the U.S. experience and the Competition Bureau's recommendations, however." (Gordon Powers - MSN Money)

Realtors, Home Stagers or anyone in the industry...what do you think of the proposed changes?

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

(Cole House Design is a home staging and interior decorating firm serving the Halton and Peel Regions of Ontario including; Georgetown, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Milton and surrounding area.)

As a follow-up to our blog yesterday (Cole House Design Stages Million Dollar Mississauga Penthouse), I thought I would share more before and after photos of the three bedroom penthouse from Mississauga Ontario. The property sold for approximately $1.3 million with 15 other listings in the same area still on the market.

More before & after photos of the property:

Guest Bedroom/Home Office - Being the smallest of the two guest bedrooms, we opted to change this room into that of a home office. With the installation of a wooden desk, matching armchair, and fake plant, this room went from blah to beautiful. We hung two matching black and white prints of the homeowners', and borrowed a leather ottoman from another room, to help fill the space.

Second Bathroom - This bathroom just off of the two guest bedrooms was finished with lovely tilework, espresso cabinetry, and granite countertops. With just a few finishing touches, it went from blah to beautiful.

Bar Area - This bar was situated between the living room and dining room of the condo, and was perfect for entertaining. By adding more bar stools, a decorative bowl of lemons and limes, and some glassware...let the party begin!

Master Bedroom - At the end of the bed was a large area which had been previously occupied by an old dresser and electronics. With all of the homeowners' clothing being stored in the closets, we opted to replace the dresser with a console/dressing table. We borrowed the vases and artwork from another area of the home.

Ensuite - The ensuite bathroom off of the master had beautiful finishes, however it wasn't living up to its full potential. We removed the many bathmats and personal toiletries in the room, replaced the laundry hamper under the vanity with a basket full of fluffy towels, hung a floral print over the bathtub, placed candles and soaps on the countertop, and hung long draperies for privacy which the room had lacked prior.

If your house or condominium would benefit from our home staging or interior decorating work, please contact Cole House Design for more information regarding our services.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

(Cole House Design is a professional and fully insured home staging and interior decorating firm serving the Halton and Peel regions of Ontario including; Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Milton & Georgetown.)

Cole House Design staged an impressive grand penthouse condominium in the latter part of 2009. The condo is located in the trendy Square One area of Mississauga Ontario. It recently sold for approximately $1.3 million with 15 other condos in the same area still on the market.

The condo had been purchased by the homeowners as basically an empty shell. They upgraded and installed everything you see in it. With floor to ceiling windows and a sweeping view from Pearson Airport all the way out to Grimsby, it was truly a masterpiece. With most of their furniture from their previous home in storage, the condo needed the finishing touches that home staging and Cole House Design could provide.

Here are some of the before and after photos of the penthouse:

Foyer Before - With construction materials and items from storage surrounding the front door and hall closet, it left a bad first impression to potential buyers.

Foyer After - With all of the miscellaneous items removed and beautiful rental furniture used for this front hall vignette, potential buyers could be easily welcomed into the home.

Dining Room Before - With all of their dining room furniture in storage, this room was an empty slate.

Dining Room After - With a black dining table with carved wooden legs and gorgeous sage green velvet parsons chairs, a top a gold and green striped area rug, this dining room was turned into a showstopper.

Kitchen Before - With small appliances, electronics, and paperwork scattered over the countertops and lack of proper seating, this trendy cherry kitchen would be easy to improve.

Kitchen After - With proper counter height seating, surfaces cleared off, and all of the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances polished to perfection, this kitchen became an entertainer's delight.

Living Room Before - Right inside the front entrance, this living room had become both a TV watching area and storage zone (note the mattress and boxspring in the corner).

Living Room After - Using the homeowners' lovely leather furniture, we rented/purchased a few pieces to finish off the space, including; an area rug, round coffee and end tables, table lamps, throws, pillows, etc.

Master Bedroom Before - With old mismatched bedroom furniture and the floor littered with storage boxes, this was not the tranquil master bedroom that potential buyers would be looking for.

Master Bedroom After - After moving the old bedroom suite to the guest room, it was replaced with a rod iron headboard, black nightstands, and hammered steel lamps. The leather ottoman and shag area rug were borrowed from another room. We also purchased new white linens and pillows for the king-size bed.

Powder Room Before - This tiny washroom off of the kitchen was littered with personal toiletries.

Powder Room After - New towels with an embroidered tree pattern, landscape artwork hung on the wall, and a sense of being clean and tidy, this washroom was modern and stylish.

For more photos of how Cole House Design staged this modern open concept three bedroom condominium, check out our blog post tomorrow!

If you have a condominium or house in the Mississauga area which could use our staging or decorating services, contact Cole House Design today!

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

(Cole House Design is a professional and fully insured home staging and interior decorating firm serving the Halton and Peel regions of Ontario including; Mississauga, Georgetown, Brampton, Milton & Oakville.)

Cole House Design has recently attended a few fall open houses in the Halton region, and I was surprised at what we found. Although many of the homes had wonderful interiors, the outside of the houses had been neglected and or forgotten about. Although Mother Nature can sometimes throw us all a curve ball this time of year, especially here in the north, curb appeal is still very important when selling your home.

Here are some things that we found in the front yards of many homes we saw:

Although no one enjoys raking leaves...if potential buyers have to walk through piles of them to get to the front door, they may think the rest of the home has also been neglected.

When travel trailers or utility trailers are not being used, store them off-site while selling your home, not directly in front of the garage.

If a family of wasps built a nest in your front window at the end of the summer, it is definitely time to deal with it. Something as big and ugly as this one was, would just scare buyers away...period.

Although this turquoise colour is likely cheery and bright to the current homeowners, it is over the top to most buyers. Always paint trim and garage doors in neutral colours to compliment your brick or stonework, not to make them jump out.

While your house is listed, a dumpster may tell buyers that your home is under construction, that it is full of junk and you are finally getting rid of it, or that perhaps something is horribly wrong and you are dealing with it (like a flooded basement or leaky roof). It is always best to undertake clutter and construction BEFORE the house goes on the market, or take it off the market while you have necessary work completed.

If this is what greets potential buyers as they walk up to your home, they may wonder if the rest of your house is dead and lifeless as well.

Although this home had a beautiful front walkway...most buyers would only notice the dirt spread over it, the grass growing between the flagstones, and the cheap plastic chair sitting haphazardly by the driveway. Not a good first impression!

And on one final note. If potential buyers can't even see the house when they drive by...invest in a good pair of hedge clippers and trim those trees and bushes!

For more tips on curb appeal and preparing your home for sale, visit Cole House Design.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

(Cole House Design provides home staging and interior decorating services to those in the Halton, Peel and Muskoka regions of Ontario.)