Heather Cook

We had the opportunity to work with some great sellers at a stunning home in Branchton. After doing a consultation for them, we advised them on everything from paint colours to new lighting for the dining room and powder room. We then came in and staged last week with some great rental furniture, our home decor accessories and combined them with the seller's existing furniture.

The results? Spectacular! I have created a great slideshow on Flickr for anyone who wants to view it and here is the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roomsinbloom/sets/72157619783432236/

And the backyard is simply to die for ... I'm trying to convince my husband we need to buy this home! LOL! Its one of the downfalls when you work in the real estate industry and can appreciate beautiful homes that every once in awhile you tumble into love with a property. Well this one's "it" for me! We'll see ..

Here are a few pics below to give you an idea of the home:

UPDATE: This home sold in 3 days for 99.4% of the asking price! The sellers opted, against the advice of their Realtor to list it $30K above the suggested listing price - and boy did that pay off! The buyer loved the home so much she stretched her budget by 100K to buy this home! The sellers are so thrilled that they have asked us to redesign their new home!

We work with several realtors in Stratford and we got called in to stage at a home where the home owner had done a lot in the way of renovations. It was actually the mirror image of a vacant home we had staged in the area with the exception that our client had blown out the back of the home to add a gourmet kitchen, a great room, another bathroom and office. The realtor we work with said the home had great bones, it just needed some "tarting up" as the occupants were men and there was very little in the way of cohesive and modern design elements.

So - here are a few pics of the home. We think it looks great!

This room had a sofa, loveseat, 2 large armchairs, coffee and end table set plus floor lamp. We took out the loveseat, floor lamp and re-positioned the chairs so that we created a cozy conversation area. We also found matching table lamps within the house and re-united them in this room. End result? Space looks larger, more contemporary and very inviting.

Below is the Great Room:

Again, lots of furniture. We had a fireplace which should be the focal point but which was overwhelmed by furniture and competing with the TV for attention. Below is our solution:

By removing extra furniture pieces, shifting the TV into the far left corner and moving the chaise across from the sofa, we create a cohesive and inviting room. In addition, the fireplace is now "the" focal point in the room with the addition of a great tiled mirror and some contemporary accessories. What's not to appreciate here?

Another "Before" shot ...

And here is the "After" ...

Below is a picture of the fab kitchen - we just LOVE it!

My partner and I recently did a presentation for a Home Buyers & Sellers Seminar this past week and one of the things we talked about seemed to resonate strongly with our crowd. That is the importance of home staging to a home's pictures online, which is the place to shop for a home these days.

We call shopping for a home online "speed dating". Its very similar to going out to one of those speed dating events where you have only a certain amount of time to impress another person enough that they want to get your contact information in order to see you again. The home buying process is changing dramatically and we stress to our clients, realtor partners and sellers that 92% of Buyers are shopping online first! If your home's pictures don't impress them them within seconds they are on to the next listing with no hope of you ever even getting them to visit your house. In order to get their attention and keep it, your pictures need to reflect the upgraded lifestyle they are searching for.

For example, if you came across the following pictures, which one would you want to contact the Realtor about?

Or

And yes, the above pictures are the *same* room however if the sellers had not brought in Rooms in Bloom and decided to just go with what was there, we're pretty sure the house would not have sold the first day it was up for sale and for the full asking price (which it did). The sellers in this particular case were very market savvy and knew without being told that work had to be done before the house went on the market. This is not always the case, in fact, its not often the case.

Pictures are crucial. They are the deciding factor between having a Buyer flip through listings online and having them make an appointment to see your house. We see so many pictures which do not in any way complement the home and these pictures are put up by sellers and realtors alike. This is a shame because after visiting some of these listings, many of them had so much potential which is not showcased online.

So how do you impress those discerning and internet savvy Buyers? Here are a couple of tips:

Have your home professionally staged. 90% of Sellers cannot objectively view their own homes and therefore cannot see the clutter and too personal decor choices which turn off Buyers. Professional Home Stagers are trained to objectively view the home exactly as a Buyer would and they know what Buyers are looking for so they can skillfully maximze a home's focal areas and minimize its weaknesses. Home Staging costs less than a price reduction once a home is listed for sale and it builds equity so that when it sells there is more money for the next home. Home Staging isn't about decorating to suit one family's tastes - its about preparing a home so that it appeals to all tastes which then ensures the house will sell faster with more offers. Why wait for that one Buyer who will appreciate one person's design style? It just doesn't make sense. With home staging, ensure your property is remembered hours, days and even weeks later.

Have your home professionally photographed. Once your home has been staged, ensure that the pictures taken are done so by a professional. Rooms in Bloom works with professional photographers for every staging project and offers them to the realtor and sellers at a great price. This way you have the best looking pictures possible and you will capture the attention of every Buyer, regardless of whether they are shopping online or in person.

So just like you would dress up for that speed dating event, make sure that if you are listing your home for sale this spring that you dress it up to appeal to as many potential Buyers as possible. With so much competition out there its important to stand out from the crowd!

Rooms in Bloom staged a vacant home in Waterloo this past week. We took an awkward layout and made it seem both cozy - and contemporary!

We have contracts for five other vacant homes in upcoming weeks. After forwarding RESA's staging statistics to many Realtors, we have gotten a phenomenal response!

Please let us know your feedback on our pictures!

Living Room "Before"

Living Room/Dining Room "After"

Living Room/Dining Room "After"

Dining Room "Before"

Dining Room "After"

Family Room "Before"

Family Room "After"

My partner and I were called this week to do a consultation on a listing, by a realtor who had never used our services before. This realtor had never used a home stager but after viewing our website and viewing some of our brochures left at his office, had decided to call us.

We arrived at the property - well drove right past it because the sign was buried in the snow and what was showing, was plastered with more snow. One of the first things we did was use our car brushes and clear off the sign so it was at least obvious the home was for sale.

The realtor was charming - my partner would say "yummy" with a great voice and lots of enthusiasm for staging. We found out during the course of conversation that the realtor felt he had been too lenient on the sellers - not really putting his foot down about getting repairs done, about insisting that cleaning and de-cluttering be done.

Our first impressions were that it was a good sized house on a great lot. The area was prime and the house had certainly been shown enough to get at least one offer - it had had 40 showings in just under two months. Not one offer however and we quickly discerned why that was.

First - the overwhelming amount of personal items - from an amazing amount of personal phots on almost every wall in every room. Cut outs of cats, fake ivy draped everywhere, furniture awkwardly arranged throughout the house and a complete mix of decorating styles. It was very overwhelming to look at. In addition, the carpeting in the living room and up the stairs throughout the upper level was dusty rose. The paint colour, which was quite neutral, had pink undertones so the overall effect was of pink - everywhere.

Feedback on the home indicated that most buyers felt the home was too dated and too small for the price point - and too much work. This is something we address with so many sellers - making sure rooms have "just enough" furniture and that the overall decor is neutral without overwhelming tones of any color. Buyers will pay more for a home which doesn't require that they rip out all the carpets and have to paint every room. We know eventually they *will* paint, however most don't want to have the pressure of doing so right when they move in.

The final sticking point was the basement. With walls crowded with personal photos, and an open area with furniture spread around the edges and no discernable purpose to the room - buyers would end up being totally confused and overwhelmed by the space. Its never good to leave it up to the buyers to figure out the purpose of a room. Always, always define it for them. That way they will be able to envision their own items in the space - otherwise they will just shake their heads and move on. Also - personal photos are important to keep and use when you are living in a home - but not when selling it.

We told the realtor that with some de-cluttering, different furniture arrangement, neutral artwork & decor, and a neutral carpet - this home would appear much larger, much more functional and be incredibly appealing. He wanted to start right away! The hard sell will be the sellers who don't want to put an ounce of effort or money into the house - however they want to sell desperately. Realistically, without these changes, this house doesn't stand a chance of selling anytime soon and for even close to the asking price. We fully anticipate having to do a "tough sell" for these home owners however, as we tell other sellers, you need to be prepared to do what it takes when it comes to selling their homes.

One thing we know for certain however, is that the realtor is now sold on our services and is now convinced how important it is to use professional home stagers to help get every listing prepared properly for sale.