Eve Rusakova, Home Stager, Toronto, ON

I have a tradition: at the end of the year I treat myself to something nice, weather I buy myself a present or go to the spa and have a nice relaxing massage. I feel that I need this little treat as a sign of acknowledgment of my own achievements throughout the year. This little something helps me summarize my gains, both professional and personal, and level my success accordingly. There were times when I felt that I didn't deserve anything (I am pretty harsh on myself), but this year is different.

Last night rocking my baby-girl to sleep I thought this year I deserve a BIG TREAT. For all those sleepless nights with a crying baby, for dexterity to juggle client's appointments and organization of my own wedding, for successful decoration of my own new house and many other homes - oh yes, I deserve a BIG TREAT for all that. And if someone says it's a norm of life, everybody makes this kind of effort, well, you are the king of your own castle, you set your own standards and follow them. But I feel that this year I jumped a little higher over my own bar and I feel great about it.

So, I've seen a drop dead gorgeous coat last week...

Kids rooms - to stage or not to stage.

For families with small children trying to sell a home, showcasing the property at its best can be really challenging. Toys, scattered all over the floor, kids furniture, safety items - you have to do something about it, because although people understand that the house belongs to the family with small children, it is going to be really hard for them to see the property past all that clutter.

Also we used to think of kids rooms as a not very powerful selling factor for the home. But it can be the one in the situation when a child of a potential buyer sees the kids room and falls in love with it. And we all know how influential children can be on their parents. That is why staging kids rooms is crucially important when selling the house, especially in the family neighborhood.

Here is an example of our recent work on a kids room.

Kids Room Before:

Putting toys away in the closet and keeping small items organized in baskets, you can easily manage the chaos in kinds rooms. Here is the room after:

For more tips for selling your home, please contact Studio 74, a Toronto Area Home Staging Company.

Home Stagers - What exactly can they do that I can not do myself?

Recently I was talking to a friend of mine who told me that although she can clearly see the benefits of home staging, for some reason she would not hire a professional home stager. When I asked her why, she said that there is nothing home stagers can do, that she wouldn't be able to do herself. No judgment here, we all decide ourselves what is best for us, but I can argue about the benefits of hiring a professional home stager. Here is why:

• We all have our own taste and we decorate our own space according to this taste. We create interiors for ourselves and we feel comfortable living in this interiors. Home stagers create interiors for everybody; interiors, that would appeal to most people, no matter what style do they like the most.
  
• For some people it is hard to visualize their home in different style, color, or with different accessories. Home stagers help homeowners look outside of that established way of seeing their own homes. Sometimes the look of the room can be completely changed just by moving one piece of furniture to another corner.
  
• If people have lived in their homes for many years, they stop noticing some obvious defects of the house. Home stagers help people address those defects or point to certain repairs that should be fixed.
• By analyzing the neighborhood home stagers help to determine potential buyers, a so-called target audience, and do the home staging aiming at that particular audience. For instance, it wouldn't be very farseeing to create a play room for kids on the second floor of a downtown loft.
• Home stagers are aware of the latest trends in home decoration. They can help the seller choose stylish accessories or furnishings for their home.
  
• Some home stagers work with reputable contractors that provide their clients with discounts. So you don't just get professional service, but also save money.

If you need an advice of a professional home stager, please contact Studio 74. We provide a full range of home staging services in Toronto and the GTA area.

Staging homes on a budget.

In today's unsteady economy most of us try to save a penny here and there. And when the time comes to put the home on the market, some homeowners opt for not hiring a professional home stager. No judgment here, we all decide ourselves what is best for us. But for do-it-yourself homeowners, let me share some advice on staging homes for sale if you are on a budget.

1. Start with a curb appeal. Your house should look well maintained and neat: mow the lawn, remove all dry or dead flowers and plants, power spray the entire house to get rid of cobwebs and dirt, it will give the house a freshly painted look.
2. Inside, remove all personal items: photos, collections, achievement awards, antique. It will distract potential buyers' attention from the house and will not let them mentally move in.
3. Remove all clutter and extra furniture. Additional sitting furniture, side tables, statues, books, magazines - it all creates clutter and you want rooms to appear as open and large as possible. For example, most dining sets can go with four chairs instead of six.
4. In the kitchen remove everything from the countertops. All small appliances, paper-towel holders, cutting boards, etc. - hide it all in the cabinets. You will increase the appearance of your countertop space - exactly what the buyers' are looking for. A nice vase with fruits or couple of knick-knacks will give your kitchen a more welcoming look.
   
5. In the bathroom put all your personal items into the basket and hide it under the sink. Freshen up the look of your bathroom with fresh flowers, clean white towels, and, preferably, new shower curtain.
6. If you want to give your house a totally new fresh look, painting is one of the cheapest way to do it. You don't have to break the bank to buy a gallon or two of paint. The return on this kind of investment will be huge. The trick here is that you need to chose the right color of paint, that will appeal to most buyers. If you need help choosing the right color scheme for your home makeover - please, contact Studio 74.
7. And remember: the cleaner the house - the newer it looks. So, while staging homes for sale, scrub everything top to bottom, it all pays off at the end.

For more tips and ideas on staging homes for sale, call Studio 74.

2010 Christmas Bird Count in Richmond Hill, ON.

According to the officail Richmond Hill Naturalists website, the 111th Annual Christmas Bird Count is taking place this year on December 18. The Richmond Hill Naturalists are looking for people with bird feeders to open up their back yards for the Bird Counters. Bird Counters would visit volunteering households ONCE between 8am and 4:30pm on December 18. They will check the yard to count all the birds and bird species that may be seen there for just a few minutes – maybe longer if your yard is particularly exciting at that particular moment! You may also choose to count the birds and bird species in your yard yourself on December 18th and report your results.

The Richmond Hill Naturalists are just one group among thousands participating in the Christmas Bird Count throughout the western hemisphere. The count began in 1900 as an alternative to the then-traditional practice of the Christmas Side Hunt, in which sportsmen and women signed on to teams which then went out and vied to see which team could kill the most birds and other animals in the allotted time. An officer of the fledgling Audubon Society, ornithologist Frank Chapman started the new and less lethal tradition of the Bird Census. 27 birdwatchers in 25 cities (including Toronto) participated in that first count; last year more than 50,000 counters in 19 countries from Antarctica to Alaska took part.

Eve Rusakova,

Studio 74, Home Staging Richmond Hill

www.stagingstudio74.com

416-670-8584

info@stagingstudio74.com