The often unsung hero of home staging in Toronto s really the landscape designs of the house. Curb appeal is usually what entices a buyer and puts them in a better mood when they step into the property. Sadly, with condominium buildings and comparable complexes, it is rather very difficult to change the landscape designs. Nevertheless, in case you own a backyard in Toronto, it’s vital that you make the curb appeal as high as possible, as this is the very first impression that prospective buyers would have of the property. Landscaping involves painting the structure, trimming the grass, and pruning any trees and bushes so that the property is in great form on the outside.

Maybe one of the most essential elements of home staging in Toronto is the cleaning work involved in making a property perfect for showing. While people clean their houses, the usual level of cleaning carried out to maintain a home is unacceptable for showing. Not like the level of cleanliness people are comfortable living in, a house on show should be pristine in every nook, cranny and corner.

When you are cleaning for a home staging project, no surface must be left untouched, even if it is under heavy furniture. It’s not uncommon for a buyer to check under the bed if they are making a serious bid on the home. After all, they are seeking to protect their investment. If a house has dust or is disorderly, this would put an unfavorable impression of the home in the buyer’s mind and could cause the loss of the sale.

In case you are thorough in detail work, have a great eye for interior design and enjoy backyard work, home staging in Toronto may be carried out on your own. However, a lot of people would opt for at the very least a two hour consultation with an expert to make sure that the work that they have done would help sell the property. Houses that are properly staged not only sell faster, but sell for higher amounts when compared to houses that aren’t staged.

It always amazes me how many people DON’T ask for references or ask for samples of previous work. Pros who are proud of what they do are not offended if you ask these questions!

Enjoy,
Rebecca

Rebecca

The ultimate goal for a stager is to create the image of a lifestyle that will appeal to a wide range of buyers.”When people are looking to purchase a home, they are buying a new lifestyle,” Mr. Finlason says. “They don’t have the answer on how to define that lifestyle, so we do it for them.”

The first episode of The Stagers will air at 10 p.m. ET/PT on July 1 on HGTV.

Read the entire article here.

Enjoy,
Rebecca

Information is power, and that couldn’t be more true when it comes to real estate. Catering to savvy buyers and sellers who crave Web 2.0 tools, Fizber, a for-sale-by-owner Website, aims to connect buyers and sellers. Despite pricing uncertainty in the current market, the site’s traffic continues its upward trend, landing the site at 41,318 on the WebReport 100k – up almost 84% over the past 60 days.

What sets this “homes for sale by owner site” apart are a myriad of helpful tools. Some are available on similar sites, but it’s nice to have them all assembled under one tent.

Among the offerings:

Drive Score – Find the perfect neighborhood with a Google map mashup that displays regional events. All you do is put in an address and local events will populate.

As a seller, this tool is useful if there are local attractions that you want to flaunt. As a buyer, Drive Score helps you get a better idea of neighborhoods you might not be too familiar with.

A widget to help sellers and agents promote for-sale properties is available as well.

Climate Watch – Particularly useful if you are looking to relocate, climate look up reveals annual weather information about towns and cities. Aside from quality-of-life issues, weather is also a major factor when it comes to insurance. Avoid potential problems and learn about the locale you are researching versus the rest of the United States with a series weather-related graphs and charts.

Home Staging – Ever look at a property online and decide not to visit it because of the displayed pictures? That’s because you assume that only the best pictures will be used to promote a property. Despite everyone and their mother owning a digital camera, simply put, many of us are not good photographers. That’s where home staging comes in. Designed to put the best face on your home so that it sells quickly, Fizber lets you search the nation for home-staging providers in your area. A rapidly growing trend thanks to all of those cable TV real estate shows, the expense, more often than not, pays for itself.

Street View – There’s nothing like seeing a neighborhood and property in person, but when I’m stuck at my day job, hitting the road isn’t an option. Folks in the market for a house will appreciate Street View, a Google map that allows you to explore city neighborhoods. Virtually strolling an area around a property’s address can help buyers evaluate a neighborhood – before deciding if it’s worth making a physical visit.

The technology of Silicon Valley comes to Main Street on Fizber. The site’s clean design, litany of useful tools and over 70 partner sites are keeping people coming back for more.

When many home sellers ask for free home staging estimates, what they really want is your expertise and advice for free. The brand new Staging Diva Sales Script will teach home stagers how to avoid getting caught in the ‘free estimate trap’ and turn homeowners into home staging customers with one concise phone conversation.

June 11, 2008 – A new resource called the Staging Diva Sales Script has been created by home staging expert Debra Gould, also known as the Staging Diva, which will help home stagers avoid bankruptcy and burn out by not falling into the ‘free estimate trap’.

With the dismal state of the real estate market today, desperate homeowners are scrambling for an edge when the time comes to sell. Many of these individuals are turning to home stagers to advise them on how to best decorate their homes to stand out from the others in their community that will be in competition with theirs when it gets listed.

That line between ‘free estimate’ and ‘free advice’ becomes blurry when a home stager agrees to visit with a home seller to estimate what staging will cost. From the moment a stager enters the home, they are bombarded with questions; ‘What color should I paint this room?’, ‘Do you think I should move this furniture to the basement?’, ‘Is it okay to leave my dining room as the children’s playroom?’ While these questions are very important for any home seller to consider, asking them of a home stager is the same as asking for free home staging advice.

“A professional home stager can increase the perceived value of a home by between $10,000 and $70,000,” says Gould. “Home stagers deserve to be paid for their expertise and advice since the home seller stands to make a handsome profit from their services.”

In a fierce race for new clients, too many home stagers agree to visit home sellers to provide a free estimate for staging their home. This will almost inevitably end up in “a fast road to burn out and bankruptcy”, according to Gould, who teaches home stagers how to build a profitable staging business. Instead, Gould advises home stagers build a rapport over the phone with a potential new client, carefully explaining what home staging is, why it works, and how their expertise can benefit the home seller.

“It’s not necessary to visit a home to know what staging will cost, especially if the house is furnished,” explains Gould. She goes on to say, “Most home sellers are living in their homes and a stager will be working with what’s already there. If the home stager has any experience at all, they’ll know from a telephone interview, approximately how long it will take and roughly what staging will cost. But they have to be confident enough to explain it thoroughly to a home seller who has probably never hired a real estate stager before.”

Serious home sellers looking for expert home staging advice should be willing to pay for a service that will result in a quick sale for top dollar. Home stagers considering themselves professionals should not be wasting their time and gas running the roads for free. To help both stagers and sellers understand each other better, Debra Gould has created the ‘Staging Diva Sales Script: How to Avoid the Free Estimate Trap and Turn Homeowners Into Home Staging Customers in One Phone Conversation’. This resource enables home stagers to effectively communicate what they do in that initial phone call. This Staging Diva Sales Script is available at http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingsalesscript.html.

For more information about The Staging Diva, visit her website www.StagingDiva.com or reach her by phone at 416-691-6615.

About Debra Gould – ‘The Staging Diva’
The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 800 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses through http://www.StagingDiva.com.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Kathleen Garvey from Ft. Myers Florida takes All in first ever Stager Idol Competition sponsored by the Real Estate Staging Association.

Stager Idol Winner Announced
Ft. Myers, FL, June 07, 2008 –(PR.com)– The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) is very proud to announce Kathleen Garvey of Enhanced Interiors & Home Staging has been selected as the winner of the very first Stager Idol competition for Professional Home Stagers, the property merchandizing arm of the Real Estate Industry. Kathleen Garvey has been a professional stager in Fort Myers Florida has many supporters, Joe Hall, Affiliate Chairman of the Cape Coral Realtors Association of Cape Coral, FL, says homeowners and real estate professionals should “Experience the Difference” a home stager can provide when selling a property. With Kathleen Garvey’s staging expertise, creativity, and knowledge, rest assured that the property will be showcased as one of SW Florida’s finest properties. The extra touches Kathleen adds to a home make a world of difference in selling a home quickly. They are very proud to hear of her “win” and Jeffrey D. Peterman General Manager; Aaron’s Corporate Furnishings said, “With great energy and enthusiasm, Kathleen Garvey takes staging to the level of excellence that sets the bar in the industry. In our continuing effort to support Home Staging in SW Florida, Aaron’s Corporate Furnishings congratulates Kathleen on the outstanding international win of Stager Idol.”

Garvey went through 4 stages of the competition. First there was a public vote to determine the top ten finalists. Those top ten submitted staging projects in a report format and those were judged by the Celebrity Judging Team to move to the Final Five Finalists. The Final Five submitted another project and the round continued to the Top Three contestants. Those contestants participated in a final round of judging consisting of a phone interview with each of the celebrity judges.

Celebrity Judges; Ann Maurice; the House Doctor, Stephanie McWilliams with the HGTV hit show Fun Shui, Margi Kyle of TV’s Desperate Designs reviewed the staging projects and award points to each contestant ultimately Garvey pulled ahead in points and was determined the winner.

Garvey will receive, fame and cash and prizes totaling over $12,000.00. Sponsors of the competition include Real Estate Staging Association, Certified Staging Professionals, Dewey Color Systems, Smart Stagers, Brook Furniture Rental, Kirkland’s Home, Active Rain, 3 Ddream.net, Feng Shui Cure, Feng Shui Plaza, Village Workroom, Interior Redesign Industry Specialists (IRIS), Inventory Guardian, Stager Talk Magazine, Real Estate Shows, Trade Secrets, Diva in the house Radio.

For more information on Stager Idol or future sponsorship opportunities please contact Shell Brodnax at shell@realestatestagingassociation.com. For more information on Kathleen Garvey please call 239-849-6009 or visit www.Enhancedinteriors.net

Enjoy,
Rebecca

What is home staging or house fluffing and how can it help you?

Written by Kathy Somers
Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada — Apr 03, 2007 — /prbuzz/ — American’s have been using staging strategies since the 90′s but the trend is just starting to be recognized by Canadian homeowners.

In order to make a home more appealing to a wider variety of buyers it’s important to de-clutter and neutralize the space. Home stagers are able to take this marketing tool one step further. Buyers today are more real estate savvy, baking cookies and putting on a pot of coffee doesn’t cut it anymore in today’s competitive market. Beautifully decorated model homes have elevated the expectations of the homebuyer. Regardless of the market it’s important to stand out from the rest!

A “home stager” is a person who will come into your home and give advice on the things you can do to improve your homes overall appeal. Home stagers look at your property with the objective eye of a buyer. They help you to understand the things that are working for you and also the things that may need to be corrected or reworked.

Generally a home stager will do a 2-3 hour consultation. During this time they will go through each and every room with you and make personalized recommendations for your home. A home stager can also suggest paint colours furniture layout, and placement of artwork. Most home stagers will shop for you or accompany you on your shopping spree for decorative items, linens etc. If you need furniture rentals that can be arranged: as well as handymen and tradesmen referrals for any repairs or painting that needs to be done.

Professional help can range from $100-$150 per hour on average, although you can have a home stager do only the consultation and leave you to make the changes on your own. Most people should expect to spend 1% of the list price on staging. While that can seem expensive, it’s a great deal cheaper than your first price reduction which usually means $5000-$10,000 dollars. It’s up to you how much of the staging project you want your home stager to complete: from the consultation only, down to the final details of the showing.

The object is to create a pulled together look that is contemporary and appealing to the sophisticated buyers of today’s real estate market. Staging your home will give you a competitive edge.

Kathryn Somers, President and Creative Director of Stage it first would like to offer you your first hour of a home staging consultation free. To take her up on this exclusive offer, contact her by email at Kathy@stageitfirst.ca
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and mention that you saw this offer in the PRBuzz.

Before you call a real estate agent!
Before your first price reduction!
If your property is vacant!
Stage it First!

If you need any information on home staging, visit www.stageitfirst.ca or email Kathryn Somers at Kathy@stageitfirst.ca

Stagers in Scottsdale, Arizona have teamed up with local artists for a winning combination. Rather than paying to rent artwork, professional home stagers use the art of local talent in their staged homes. Not only does it benefit the homeowner and the home stager, but it gives the artists free exposure and the opportunity to make more sales.

If you carefully match up your artwork with the houses you are preparing to sell, what better arena could an artist ask for to showcase how beautifully their work looks in someone’s house! Ideally, the new homeowners just can’t picture their new home without the work of art.

Just another house fluffing tip to save time and money for the professional home stager!
Rebecca

Huntington Beach, CA (PRWEB) February 28, 2007 — Barbara Jennings, CEO of Decorate Redecorate (www.decorate-redecorate.com), is pleased to announce the launch of her new home staging book, Staging Luxurious Homes.

This is Ms. Jennings tenth book and in it she shares valuable insights on how to find, approach, win over, and service affluent clients who want to sell their homes as well as helping wealthy clients who want to enjoy more fully the homes they live in.

This unique home staging book goes into detail on how to best deal with a fear that is often referred to as “social self-consciousness.”

Ms. Jennings explains: “Most middle class and lower class consumers suffer from a psychological handicap associated with wealthy or upscale consumers. Quite literally, they are intimidated by people who have money. It’s harmful enough to their personal self image, but even more disastrous if they are self employed. This kind of fear is counter productive to being self employed. When in the company of rich people, the timid stop being themselves and act unnaturally, and their behavior becomes a put-off to wealthy prospects.”

The book goes on to suggest that self-employed individuals who are afraid of wealthy consumers are almost guaranteed to eliminate an entire group of people who can truly afford one’s products and services, thus eliminating the possibility to make substantial profits as well as to serve a deserving segment of society.

By tapping into the mindset of upscale homeowners and professionals, by learning how to find them and attract them to one’s products and services, by learning how they think, feel and operate, and by knowing when the timing is perfect to approach them, readers in the home staging and redesign business will be able to serve this prestigious segment of society with ease and dignity.

Staging Luxurious Homes is the only book of its kind addressing the home staging and redesign industries. It is a no-nonsense discussion of how home stagers or re-designers can separate themselves from the competition and carve out a very rich notch for themselves.

To learn more, visit Decorate-Redecorate

About Decorate-Redecorate:
Barbara Jennings is the author of 10 books on design and staging and CEO of Decorate-Redecorate.Com, the leading online training and resource center for home staging and interior redesign since 1983. The Center provides courses and promotional resources to stagers and re-designers, as well as training for homeowners.