Fabia MacNair Halton's Home Staging and Design

We'd like to thanks our loyal followers and clients for helping us reach #1 on Goggle for "home stagers in Halton Hills!" and to show our gratitude, we are giving away our some of our services for FR+EE. That's right, FR+EE!!!

We have put together some of the information we give out during our $400 consultations and you get to watch it on YouTube. Use this link to watch and let us know what you think!

That's not all, we're still giving away lots of useful tips in our newsletters and on our website like the article "Don't Let Your House Have a Bad Hair Day" and advice on helping you feel better. READ ON!!!

Do you lack the energy, focus and motivation needed to get through your day? Are you dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, even weight gain? The things in your home may actually be making you and your family ill.

We've been called space healers and as some of you may know, we believe a home is a barometer of your wellbeing so if you're not feeling good inside, take a look at what's around you. Does your home look like this office pictured here? Your surroundings will mirror you feelings.

HGTV's Frank Fontana shares the same view, his 5 design tips for re-energizing yourself and your home to help foster financial success is now on our web site. Read it and feel better.

So before you batten down the hatches for the winter and close all the windows and doors for the next five months, ask yourself, Is your space going to be a cozy space or a make you sick and restless kind of place? Click the link and read the article!

Just looking at the pictures of a well designed space makes you feel better, just imaging living in it.

What do you have to lose? www.stylingspaces.ca

So you've read all about how to Stage your home and everyone says the same things. Declutter, clean up and paint it neutral. Well you've done that, now what? If you really want your home to stand out, there are a few more things you should focus on.

1. Coordinate your room décor. To help a room look professional decorated pick a colour scheme and stick to it. Walk into your favorite Paint store and pick a scheme you love. Then buy artwork, rugs, pillow, throws and décor that coordinate with it. Get inspired with a few of my favorite colour schemes on our Styling Spaces website.

2. Emphasize Luxurious Surroundings. Think five star hotel and make your Kitchen, Master Bedroom and Ensuite as luxurious as you can afford. Complete with luxury bedding, fluffy pillows, plush robes/towels, and chair to sit and read. You can also update faucets, door handles, and hardware and a frame to the mirrors in the bathrooms.

3. Get the Lighting Right. I mean both the right lighting and the right way to light a room. Change out those builders grade fixtures and light your rooms with three basic types of lighting General, Task and Accent. Use all of them and watch your room shine!

4. Choose wisely where you spend your Renovation Dollars. Kitchens, Bathrooms and floor are where you will get great bang for your buck. So if these things need updating consider doing it or break my heart & your pocket book and leave that equity to the next buyer. Find out more about the return on your home staging investment at wwwStylingSpaces.ca

5. Add square footage with an outdoor room. Use attractive patio furniture, outdoor rugs and curtains to highlight outdoor spaces. And a focal point by hanging outdoor artwork on a fence or potted plants with brightly coloured flowers.

When do you feel the most comfortable in a stranger's home? My thoughts are most likely when you're a guest, when you've been invited over to share a drink or a meal with them. Most people when expecting guests who have never been in there home will spend a little time preparing for the visit.

So the question in Staging is then, "How do you prepare for having guests?" a lot of what I see in today's "Staged" homes is the removal of almost everything including personality. There is a big difference between de-voiding a room of personal belongings and de-voiding a room of personality. Where is the décor, the artwork, the focal points, the curtains?

Ok granted, some people don't live with these things to begin with but if it's going to get you more money for your home why would you not consider the investment of renting? It's the same for repairing your home. If you are not willing to invest in fixing your home, what makes you think anyone else will want to invest in it?

If you know what you're doing Staging is an easy thing to do, but it does have a ton of little things that need to happen to make the job a success.

You can go on line and find many, many lists of how to stage your home. Each one has its value, but many are repetitive, and like any other skill you can learn "how to" and then give it the old collage try hoping that you haven't missed anything. After all of your efforts you're left with asking yourself was is worth it? How long did it take me to do this and what was my time worth? And the big one: Will my job be effective enough to gain the desired results?

Many people have the ability to decorate, some even have the confidence, and others just need a little guidance and reassurance that their ideas will work. If that sounds like you then ideas and inspiration are a magazine away. Look at how rooms look in a magazine. Dissect what it is that draws you to the picture. Is it the feeling, the colour combination, the style of furniture, or is it the sense of order? Whatever your answer, the true test will be, Can I reproduce this for myself?

The more I try and define to others what Staging is the more I think realize it is simply about decorating, It is not clearing away everything, clearing out all character and personality from a room. It's about decorating to sell.

Don't stop short on your staging jobs. Regardless of who does the work, Staging to me is setting the stage for guest to enjoy their visit and then leave wishing that it was there home.

Many people agree that staging a home adds value and gets a home sold faster. It’s the art of making a home warm and inviting and to appeal to a larger market. It is not a new concept. So why are less than 20% of home owners using professional Stagers? Out of approximately 3300 homes sold in the Georgetown, Acton, Brampton, and surrounding areas in 2008 only about 500 homes were professionally staged. Looking at some of the listings online, my guess is that most people are taking a kick at the can. They get some advice from there agents, maybe download some information on how to Stage a home and watch a few episodes of “Stagers” on TV then they give it a go on their own. While the photos online show that many homes have been “cleaned and decluttered”. Some have been stripped to the point of bare and cold, and others are left totally empty! Cleaning and decluttering are only a piece of the Staging pie. You’ve got the crust and the fruit, but you need to add more ingredients and then bake it, and maybe even serve it with ice-cream! It’s like doing your taxes. Most people could manage to fill out the basics, but they may miss a few tax break opportunities all to save a few dollars on the up front cost. Like the saying goes, penny wise and pound foolish. I give free lists on my website but to stopping after the Clean & Declutter step is like missing out on your tax break opportunities. It’s missing the point of staging. It’s to WOW the prospective buyer so that you get what you’re asking for….fast. So you can Do-it-yourself the right way or hire a professional. Life brings these money making opportunities only when you sell a house, and how often are you going to do that? This article brought to you by Fabia MacNair of Styling Spaces. 905-702-7420 fabia@stylingspaces.ca www.stylingspaces.ca

I don't have to tell you about the economy. In my eyes it is what it is. Educating yourself on the situation and the options available is imperative if you want to navigate your way through these economic times. It is essential to make the right moves for today's market.

In listening to a resent webinar by economist Harry Dent Junior author of The Great Depression Ahead, How to Prosper in the Crash Following the Greatest Boom in History, (Google him to see his credentials), I learned that he is predicting a bounce in the real estate market through this spring and into early fall. He further advises people to use these bounces in the market to sell their homes "because this is not over."

As far as financial advice I'm not saying you should trust me; as a matter of fact don't believe a word I say. I'm advocating education. I can only tell you what's true for me, and what I believe.

So if you're thinking of selling any real estate, now is a good time to start preparing it for the spring market. You want to maximize your homes' potential, so that once on the market, your property moves as Harry Dent Junior predicts a further downturn after the fall. It's important to ensure that your property is market ready and appeals to the majority of the purchasing market. If I needed to sell my home I would be taking advantage of the Governments Home Renovation Tax Credit that gives renovators up to $1350 in tax relief on renovation expenses. Visit www.actionplan.gc.ca for more details.

Once you've educated yourself, and you want help preparing your home, call Styling Spaces to ensure you make the right moves. Styling Spaces is a local home staging company that focuses on just that. We prepare your home so you can get the most out of your investment.

This article brought to you by Fabia MacNair of Styling Spaces.

She can be reached at 905-702-7420 or fabia@stylingspaces.ca

Visit her website at www.stylingspaces.ca