About Vaughan's Woodbridge

Advantage Staging was fortunate to be able to apprentice with the Stager of the Year when I first started working in this industry.

One very important skill that was taught was how to stage a bookcase.

In this example all I did was declutter and make sure the book case was only two thirds full.

The staging suggestions in this example were a matter of spending a few minutes boxing up the items that were making the office look less spacious than what it actually was.

Now buyers can imagine themselves working in the this lovely den at home that has room to work and display their favourite things.

Investment, minimal.

Impact priceless.

Advantage Staging is ready to create interest in your property when you are ready to list.

Michelle Finnamore Advantage Staging

Two offices to serve you better.

Home Staging in Vaughan, Maple, Woodbridge and area 416.928.2999

Home Staging in Barrie, Alliston and area 705.720.0113

2010 Ontario Home Builders Nomination for design

2010 National Association of Home Builders U.S.A. Award for design

2010 Canadian Staging Professionals Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Sally Weatherley, home stager extraordinaire in Vancouver, has inspired me to write about the chandliers and light fixtures that I replace when I am home staging in Vaughan. Most of these chandeliers and light fixtures were purchased 20 -25 years ago and were the height of fashion and very on trend at the time.

Lighting is like jewellery in a home. It is what gets noticed by buyers when they approach your front door, entering the foyer and in each room they travel through. When you are selling your home, it is now a product for sale so it is a good idea to put your best "jewellery" on display. And that means replacing light fixtures like these.....

With current lighting such as these...

Simple and elegant, not too much show. Just enough to bring interest to the room and give light to the space. This light was a three tier chandlier for only $499 from Home Depot. Most three tier lights I sourced started at $800 and up so this one was a great find.

When there are several light fixtures in a row, try to keep the shades very simple. These lights had a very simple crystal at the end of the installation post to give a little bling to the light.

Remember these strip lights? You felt like you were being interogated! Honest, I didn't do it!

All I did was change the look and feel of the home to appeal to buyers looking to just "move right in".

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

Advantage Staging is ready to create interest in your property when you are ready to sell.

Michelle Finnamore Advantage Staging

Vaughan, Maple, Woodbridge and surrounding area 416.928.2999

Barrie, Alliston and area 705.720.0113

2010 Ontario Home Builders Nomination for Design

2010 National Association of Home Builders U.S.A. Silver Award for Design

2010 Canadian Staging Professionals Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Buyers all start with a check list of items that they want to have in their next home. It could be a double car garage, a large eat in kitchen, four bedrooms or an in law suite. In the end for most buyers, it comes down to emotion and how they feel in a house.

That's why home staging is one of the best marketing tools you have to prepare your home for sale. Advantage Staging tries to create a vignette somewhere in the home that will have the buyer saying "I knew right away this house was for me!"

All I did in these homes was create master ensuite vignettes that make you think you are staying at a spa hotel retreat. And who wouldn't like the thought that?

You can create a very zen, spa like look using very simple, white towels, florals and soap dispensers. White always symbolizes clean and inviting.

A splash of colour can also create that fresh look you would like to see in a bathroom.

When you are listing a home, one of the most important areas of the home to a buyer after the kitchen is the master ensuite.

These are the two areas that the buyer of the house will be using every day so make them look their best.

Clean, clean , and then clean again. Then stage the bathroom to create the "get a way from it all" look that todays buyers see in every decor magazine and on HGTV design shows.

Home staging is not an expensive option that only higher price point homes use to market their properties. These staging vignettes ranged in price from $18 - $35 each creating a magazine like quality to them which buyers take note of.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

Michelle Finnamore Advantage Staging Two offices to serve you better.

Vaughan & Woodbridge Area 416.928.2999

Barrie and Area 705.720.0113

2010 National Association of Home Builders U.S.A. Silver Award for design

2010 Ontario Home Builders Association Silver Award for design

2010 Canadian Staging Professionals Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Whoa!!! I can hear you disagreeing all the way up here in snowy Toronto. I have heard many a real estate sales person and home owner express this sentiment. The problem with leaving a home or a room vacant is that the buyer cannot identify what the purpose of the room might be or whether their furniture will fit in the space. The buyer needs something in the room to make a comparison to.

For instance, when a dining room has a table set in it the buyer will be thinking ..."My table is a little longer than this one so mine will fit here no problem". You get the buyer seeing themselves living in the home.

Advantage Staging will rent a dining room table set to you for a very reasonable fee or you can do as my client did. They had lived in the house for 5 years without ever having purchased a dining room set. I suggested that they borrow one as they had no budget to rent one. Well they did one better than that.

When they bought their new home, they asked the homeowner if they could "borrow" their dining room set to put in their home to get it sold. The person that they bought the home from said of course and actually delivered it to the family. Will wonders never cease.... their house sold in 5 days!

Another home staging success story in Vaughan. If you need help getting your property ready for sale contact Michelle to get your listing "move in ready".

Here are a couple of examples that illustrate why you would want to stage a vacant home.

Which room in the house is this? After staging there is no doubt. It is a bedroom and a very nice one at that.

This bedroom looks too small...... or does it look just right?

Invest minimal.

Impact priceless.

When you want to prepare your property for sale, call Michelle at Advantage Staging to produce that "just move in" look that buyers are looking for.

Two offices to serve you.

Vaughan, Woodbridge, Maple 416.928.2999

Barrie and area 705.720.0113

Clients who are trying to sell their homes over the holidays , here are some helpful ideas.
Holiday season, is an ideal time to show your House for sale. Usually homes have  presents, decorations,.  Keeping your home tidy and decorated tastefully without overdoing it, makes the buyers warmup to your home.

Potential buyers expect some decorations, and they want to imagine what it would be like to live in the home. Keeping the holiday decorations to the right level will be easier for them to imagine themselves living in your home.
Get rid of clutter whether its the holiday season or not. People don't want to be reminded that the home belongs to some else.

 

· Neutral lighting is always best, and don't overdo it.

·  Don't forget about the snow on your driveway.  Making it a hazard to get around leaves a negative impression on Buyers

·  If is at all possible have snow resistant trees or shrubs that show their greens, this will let buyers imagine the potential if placed right.

· Keep your home at a reasonable temperature. The home shouldn't be cold when buyers are viewing. That's a big turnoff.

· The odour of the home should be pleasant. Nice smells can make or break the appeal of the home.

· Some pictures left at the house when buyers are viewing is alway a good idea. Give the buyer some views of the home without the snow and with plants at full bloom.

· Smaller is better when it comes to Christmas trees. Show off the size of your home. Having a huge tree takes up valuable space and make the home look smaller.