Nicole Hurst (Your Halton & Peel Home Staging Expert)

I remember as a child, my mother used to ask us to put our outgrown clothing, books and toys into a big cardboard box just before Christmas. She signed up for many years to help out a family in need in our community, and she always made sure that that box, was overflowing when it left our house.

Since having my own children I have tried to instill in them the same virtues about giving throughout the year. We give food to the local Food Bank, we drop off our outgrown clothes at the Salvation Army, and we continually support all of the initiatives that my childrens' school takes on. In recent years though, I have noticed that most charities only ask for "new unwrapped" items, and I have always wondered - "what's wrong with gently used belongings"? Would those that have only very little, not appreciate something previously loved if it was wrapped and decorated for the holidays? And would we not be helping our environment by placing less waste at the curb each week?

Every year before Christmas I try and find a charity that will take gently used items, as well as "new and unwrapped". Thus honouring the tradition that my parents instilled in me. However, year after year all I find is the latter of the two. This year however, I came across an article on an organization which is doing just the opposite.

"Project Warmth" is a non-profit group located in Toronto, Ontario which gives back to the community, by providing beautiful baskets full of gently used items donated by families like yours and mine. These baskets are distributed at the June Callwood Centre (for young mothers and their babies), and to local women's shelters during the holiday season. This Toronto organization began with one woman, Alison Doyle, who wanted to help out during the holidays, and decided to create these wonderful baskets for those in need.

Cole House Design is thinking about opening a Georgetown chapter of "Project Warmth" for next year's holiday season, to help those less fortunate in the Halton Region. If you would like more information on Project Warmth and how you can help this year or next, contact Nicole through her website at www.colehousedesign.com.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Cole House Design

416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

These past couple of months Cole House Design has been busy with holiday decorating, home staging of some properties that were still lingering on the real estate market, and a few colour consultations for home owners who were prepping for holiday guests. In between all of that, Cole House Design also spent a tremendous amount of time constructing our newly designed website!

My gosh, all of the wording, the multitude of before and after photos, and the backdoor stuff that goes into building a website - phew! Cole House Design focuses primarily on home staging and interior decorating, but also offers colour consulting, interior redesign, move-in decorating, virtual online home staging, and much more. If you have a couple of minutes please check out our new website at http://www.colehousedesign.com. Thanks!

My how the time flew in 2008! Only a year ago Cole House Design was in its infancy, and now it is flying with leaps and bounds. I am so thrilled with the large number of new clients and Realtors we have met and worked with this past year, as well as our many wonderful relationships with local tradespeople and other business owners.

We are looking forward to another successful year in 2009, and meeting new home owners and real estate agents who can benefit from our home staging and interior decorating services.

Wishing all of your here on Active Rain all the joys of the holiday season throughout 2009!

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Cole House Design

416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

Cole House Design, a home staging and interior redesign firm serving Georgetown, Mississauga, Brampton, Milton and surrounding neighbourhoods, does not believe in hiding the flaws of a home from potential buyers through home staging. If there is a serious problem with a house, it should and will be found in the home inspection anyways. Cole House Design has always done each and every home staging consultation pointing out the flaws in each room...whether it be simply that the artwork is hung too high or that the water mark on the ceiling should be addressed by a qualified professional. Cole House Design prides itself in the work we do!

Cole House Design was recently hired to stage a home in the Halton Region. The homeowner had tried to "stage" the home herself with some guidance from her Realtor who supposedly "had great design sense". However the home just wasn't selling.

The homeowner was a smoker and she had a small dog who had never been properly "toilet trained". One would think that the house would smell of stale cigarettes and a dog, but no! The Realtor had suggested placing those lovely little scented oil fragrance dispensers in every outlet in the house. So upon walking in the front door you were hit with this overpowering smell of gardenias instead.

The lovely little dog had been sent to the groomers for a proper shampoo and trim, which the homeowner and Realtor thought would help rid the home of any lingering doggy smell. However, the dog's actual body wasn't what was creating the odour - it was the wall to wall carpet that he had pee-peed on over and over again. The quick-fix for that - strategically place furniture and accessories to hide the stains, as seen in the photo below. What is that houseplant doing in the middle of the floor?

And the final sin - the bathtub upstairs had a large chip in its finish. The solution - cover it up with an anti-slip bath mat, as seen in the photo below.

As for the home mentioned above...Cole House Design took down all of the air fresheners. A carpet cleaning company was hired to come in and clean and deodorize all of the carpeting. And the bathtub was sanded and sprayed with an enamel coating to completely eliminate the chip in the finish and prolong the lifespan of the bathtub.

If you have any questions about home staging, please don't hesitate to give us a call. I look forward to speaking with you!

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

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

Cole House Design, a home staging and interior redesign firm serving the Halton area, can get your home ready for a quick sale at the best possible price! With our knowledgeable home staging advice and professional service, we can help you attract the quality buyers you are looking for!

Here are the real estate statistics for July and August 2008 for the Halton Hills area (W27). Here are the numbers compared to those of last year.

W27
August 2007 - 173 Active Listings
August 2008 - 308 Active Listings

August 2007 - 109 Sales
August 2008 - 85 Sales

Year to Date August 2007 - 1008 Listings - 709 Solds
Year to Date August 2008 - 1149 Listings - 607 Solds


July 2007 - 180 Active Listings
July 2008 - 315 Active Listings

July 2007 - 91 Sales
July 2008 - 79 Sales

Year to Date July 2007 - 899 Listings - 629 Solds
Year to Date July 2008 - 1027 Listings - 527 Solds

As you can see there are a lot of homes on the market right now, and it has been that way all summer. Real estate sales are down slightly, but......there are many more houses to choose from. It truly is a buyers' market.

If you are a Homeowner or Realtor who would like your home or listing to stand out above the competition, call Cole House Design today! Home staging can be extremely beneficial in this type of market, as our services can help get your house sold as quickly as possible for top dollar.

Can you afford not to have your home staged by Cole House Design? Call us today if you're thinking about making a move!

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

Staging and redesigning Halton and Peel Regions of Ontario including Georgetown, Acton, Mississauga, Oakville, Brampton, Milton, Bolton, Caledon and surrounding areas.

Cole House Design, an interior redesign and home staging firm located in Halton Hills, was recently hired to redesign an ensuite bathroom for a Georgetown, Ontario client. The small bathroom was used by both the husband and wife...it had little storage, and had been finished with the "builder basics".

With a tight budget in mind:

• we opted to keep the vanity, sink, toilet, tiled shower, and large corner soaker tub; all of which were in excellent condition
• the brownish-yellow walls were repainted a soft ivory
• the builder-basic plastic towel bars and toilet paper holder were replaced with chrome for easy cleaning, and that added bit of sparkle
• the small and rather dim light fixture was taken down, along with the oversized wall mirror, and replaced with new lights and a mirrored medicine cabinet with tons of storage inside
• the mismatched soap dispenser and toothbrush holder were replaced with new ivory ones to compliment the colour of the walls
• a chrome hotel-style towel rack was installed over the toilet for added storage
• new hardware was added to the oak vanity, and a set of storage pullouts were installed inside for the client's toiletries, makeup, etc.
• a set of plush charcoal grey towels was purchased to compliment the countertop colour, and some beautiful candles were placed around the tub for our clients to relax and enjoy their new space

Overall, Cole House Design more than tripled the storage space in the ensuite bathroom, and even came in under budget on the project. Our clients were thrilled, and are loving their redesigned bathroom!

Check out the before and after photos below:

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

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