SHARON CHARBONEAU

I am writing this from the deck off the breakfast room of our charming hotel in Santiago. It is so hot, I am crammed into a corner at the back of the deck for shade and my computer keys are hot to the touch. It is only their spring: I cannot imagine what their summers are like!

If anyone out there is planning to be in Santiago, check out www.hoteldelpatio.cl It backs onto a charming artisan's market and a group of restaurants, all offering outdoor seating. We don't fly out until 10 p.m. tonite & they have graciously moved our luggage to another room so we don't have to leave until 6 to get to the airport.

Unfortunately I got a bit carried away buying goodies to sell in my boutique Ooh La La! so I had to think fast & talk my husband into buying new luggage. He did need new luggage & it was a good deal - whew!!!!

I found lovely rugs & runners in Huatulco Mexico; woven pillow covers, wall tapestries, silver, scarves, rosewood bowls, etc. in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru & Chile. I also have never been as interested in gems before; however the selection and prices taunted me. Despite the good buys, I still spent too much & have to get back to work to earn $$$ and get on the plus side of the ledger again.

Home staging or re-design is not high on the list of uses for money in many of the countries where there is so little work and so much poverty. Often the children would mob us as we walked around, miming $! and eat. I handed out $1 bills to the kids, however one person can only do so much. They had a smile on their face for a while. One young girl was quite happy with my bag of Lays potato chips. Our tour guide confirmed that the money would go for something to eat and wasn't just a scam: and from what we saw, I believed it. Huts on dirt floors made of tin, bamboo, sticks. None of the niceties we are used to.

The working conditions are poor for many, if they even have a job. Our waitress in Vina del Mar, Chile had moved from Columbia where it wasn't safe and she could not find a job. She told us she earned the equivalent of $30 US per month which paid for her room and basics; her tips gave her some spending $$ so we gave her a nice one.

Chile has a huge abandoned dog problem which broke my heart as an animal lover. Our last nite, I left 3/4 of my steak so I could feed one or more of the dogs on our way back to our apartment. I approached one collapsed in the park and it immediately scarfed down the steak and the remains of the baked potato and continued licking the box to see if it could get any more. I was tempted to go back to the restaurant......she followed us & rolled over so we could scratch her tummy. We gave her some luvin and headed home.

A few days before that when we were buying groceries we bought dog food, both dry and wet and fed one of the dogs hanging around on the busy streets. He was adorable - wouldn't eat before I told him it was ok. He then got plalyful and was nuzzling us and tail wagging. Later I fed him the wet food and he grabbed the foil container and ran across to the grass boulevard to enjoy it. I watched him, then joined him with the second container and he was beyond himself. What a doll!!!! He followed me and noticed my husband had a roast chicken in one of the bags. I suggested my husband go ahead and I would follow while trying to distract him from following us. The food I had left for the other dog was untouched and the dog had left, or???? His/her breathing was quite shallow as it lay on the street corner with all of the noise of car traffic and people walking by and ignoring it. I offered the chews to my pal and he got distracted, so I started walking, then he followed me again, I offered him some more and this time it worked. He was well fed for at least another day or so.

The next morning, the most beautiful retriever approached us. I am sure it was only a year or so of age and very friendly. I tried to get a burr off it's ear. She followed us for a while until some others caught her interest. If you take the dog home, apparently some will stay and others prefer to be on the street.

The Chilean people are warm, friendly and very nice, so we didn't understand their attitude towards abandoned dogs. They definitely need an SPCA or some program neutering puppies and reducing the numbers roaming and hungry. They were beautiful dogs and appeared to have been trained at one point: I guess some have been abandoned and some were born in the streets and are happy there not knowing any other way of life.

It has been a wonderful trip and it will be very difficult to return home to cold weather & rain; however we miss our "kids" those little furry critters that sleep on our bed with us and make us laugh with their hijinks. Plus I have to earn some $$$$$.

Here are just a few pix of markets I visited and their offerings & local people who had amazing faces:

Guatemala - bought some pillow covers.

Costa Rica - bought rosewood.

Mexico- the rugs were fabulous.

Loved this woman in Trujillo,Peru

Vases on display at Valley of the Moon & Stars in Peru

amount displayed was their currency

YOU ARE PLANNING TO SELL YOUR HOUSE - MAYBE THIS IS A POSITIVE CHOICE MADE VOLUNTARILY TO DOWNSIZE OR GET A LARGER HOME; OR YOU ARE MOVING TO A NEW PROVINCE OR STATE DUE TO A TRANSFER OR TO BE CLOSER TO FAMILY.....OR THE HOUSE SALE MAY BE THE RESULT OF A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, A PENDING DIVORCE, OR THE ECONOMY......

WHATEVER THE REASON, THE REALITY IS YOU WANT TO GET THE BEST PRICE AND SELL QUICKLY

CONSIDER THESE POINTS:

BEFORE YOU CALL A REALTOR, CALL A HOME STAGER. WHY YOU MAY ASK? TODAYS HOME BUYERS WANT MOVE-IN READY AND ARE PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN HOMES THAT SHOW WELL. LET ME SHARE WITH YOU ONLY A FEW OF THE MANY REASONS WHY A HOME STAGER WOULD HELP YIOU ACHIEVE YOUR REALITY THAT MUCH FASTER

• CONTRARY TO THE PERVASIVE MYTH, STAGING A HOME FOR SALE IS NOT A LUXURY, OR ONLY FOR LUXURY HOMES: HOME STAGING APPLIES TO ALL HOMES WHETHER THE ECONOMY IS UP OR DOWN IN YOUR PARTICULAR MARKET

• CONTRARY TO ANOTHER MYTH THAT PREVAILS, HOME STAGING DOES NOT COST A LOT OF MONEY - IN FACT NOT STAGING A HOUSE FOR SALE MAY COST YOU MONEY IN LOST VIEWINGS, LOST SALES, PRICE REDUCTIONS, ADDITIONAL MORTGAGE AND LIVING COSTS

• FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE CRITICAL - ON THE MLS LISTING AND IN PERSON. YOUR HOUSE HAS MERE SECONDS TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION AND MAKE THE HOME BUYERS "MUST SEE" LIST AND MUST BUY CHOICE!

• YOU MAY HAVE A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE; HOWEVER IF THE MLS PHOTOS ARE NOT TOP QUALITY OR THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH TO SHOW OFF YOUR HOUSE, YOU HAVE LOST THE 90% OF POTENTIAL BUYERS WHO ARE SEARCHING FOR THEIR NEW HOME ON THE INTERNET MLS LISTINGS

• PROFESSIONAL STAGERS BRING TRAINED FRESH EYES INTO A PROPERTY YOU MAY HAVE LIVED IN FOR MANY YEARS, WITH THE RESULT THAT YOU NO LONGER SEE SITUATIONS WHICH COULD COST YOU A SALE, OR RESULT IN LOWER OFFERS THAN EXPECTED

• HOME SELLERS MAKE THEIR OWN NOTES AS THE STAGER WALKS THROUGH THEIR HOUSE - THEY THEN HAVE THE OPTION OF ACCEPTING ALL OF RECOMMENDATIONS, ONLY SOME OF THEM AND TO MAKE THE CHANGES & IMPROVEMENTS WITH ASSISTANCE FROM FAMILY & FRIENDS

THIS WAS A SIMPLE CHANGE I MADE IN THE OWNER'S KITCHEN CABINET AS I WAS SEARCHING FOR TREASURES TO USE IN OTHER ROOMS.

NOT BEING A FAN OF SAME BESIDE SAME, I LOOKED FOR SOMETHING TO MAKE THESE BEAUTIFUL DISHES POP

I DIDN'T HAVE TO LOOK FAR AT ALL TO FIND PIECES TO WORK WITH THESE DISHES AND GIVE THEM A NEW LOOK

WE ALL HAVE SIMILAR SCENARIOS IN OUR HOME: SOMETIMES IT JUST TAKES NOT PRE-JUDGING AND JUST TRYING DIFFERENT LOOKS AND SOMETIMES IT TAKES A FRESH EYE

THAT IS WHAT STAGERS BRING TO YOUR HOME WHEN YOU CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE LOOK YOU WANT - GIVE IT A TRY!!

WHEN WE WALKED INTO THIS TOWNHOME AND LOOKED AROUND AT THE OWNER'S FURNISHINGS, PAINT COLOURS AND ART WORK, WE WERE NOT SURE WHAT CHANGES WERE NECESSARY.

HOWEVER, IF SOMEONE WANTS A NEW LOOK THAT IS WHY THEY CALL US, SO WE WENT TO WORK TO CREATE A NEW LOOK FOR HER.

THE WALL COLOURS ARE VERY COLOURFUL TO COUNTER THE GREY DAYS WE GET THROUGHOUT THE WINTER IN VANCOUVER. SHE HAD A GOOD EYE FOR COLOUR AND PLACEMENT. WHERE DO WE START?

WE THEN NOTICED THAT THIS LOVELY TABLE WAS STICKING OUT A BIT, BLOCKING ENTRY INTO THE KITCHEN. WE DECIDED THAT WOULD BECOME A COFFEE TABLE AND THEN WORKED ON FURNITURE PLACEMENT TO GET THE PIECES WORKING A BIT MORE COHESIVELY.

TH

WHILE SHOPPING THE HOME WE NOTED THAT THE MBR WAS NOT AT THE LEVEL IT COULD BE AND WE STARTED SWAPPING FURNITURE, ARTWORK AND LIGHTING BETWEEN THE BEDROOM AND THE LIVING ROOM

THE NEW READING AREA IN MBR

LAST WEEK I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO WORK WITH COLLEAGUES ON A RE-DESIGN FOR A HOME IN THE BRITISH PROPERTIES OF WEST VANCOUVER. THE HOMEOWNER WANTED HELP WITH CREATING A MORE COMFORTABLE FEELING AND LOOK, AS WELL AS SELECTING AND HANGING PHOTOS & ART WORK.

WHEN WE FIRST WALKED IN WE WERE ALL THINKING, YEAH, IT NEEDS SOMETHING! THE CHALLENGING PART WAS CREATING A NEW LOOK WITH HER BELONGINGS.

AFTER MUCH "HOME SHOPPING" AND MOVING OF FURNITURE, THIS IS ONE PART OF THE LIVING ROOM WE CREATED FOR HER. SHE HAD TOLD US SHE LIKED TO HAVE TEA & READ IN THE LIVING ROOM; HOWEVER WE NOTED THERE WERE NO READING LAMPS?

WE MOVED THE TWO SIDE CHAIRS TO THE WINDOW & BORROWED LAMPS FROM HER BEDROOM TO CREATE A READING/CONVERSATION AREA FOR HER.

WE REPLACED THE ART WORK AND DE-CLUTTERED THE FIREPLACE MANTEL. IT IS NOW THE FOCAL POINT IT SHOULD BE.

WE DIDN'T PAINT OR BUY ANYTHING NEW FOR HER. WE FOUND PIECES IN OTHER ROOMS, SUCH AS THE MORE COLOURFUL PILLOWS FOR THE SOFAS, AND EXCHANGED THEM WITH PIECES THAT WORKED BETTER IN THE ROOM THEY WERE IN AND BROUGHT THE BETTER PIECES INTO THE LIVING ROOM.

SHE WAS THRILLED WITH THE CHANGE!