Modern Stone House Staged By Rave Re:view in Halifax

It's been quite some time since I last wrote a blog entry. My staging/redesign/decorating business Rave Re:view Home Staging & Redesign which is located in Halifax Nova Scotia has really taken off. I'd like to thank everyone who has entrusted me to stage or redesign their living spaces and for passing my name on to others. I was lucky to have been given the opportunity to stage one of Halifax's most architectually interesting properties this past week. Thanks to the listing agent Ethan Michaels of Bryant Realty Atlantic for hiring me to do the initial consult and to the owner who subsequently enlisted my help to project manage and carry out the Showcasing. When I first arrived on the scene the house, in spite of its incredible bones, presented as the minimalist bachelor pad that it was. While the owner has very current cool furniture, accessories and area rugs- more was needed to warm up the space. In today's blog I just want to show you the end result. In entries to come I'll share some of my staging strategies with before and after pictures. For now, enjoy the photos and if you're looking to live in an incredibly cool, one of a kind house both rustic and modern in character with a 30 foot massive exposed beam in its main living space; a cozy panelled den with built in book shelves surrounding a designer fireplace; a huge family room with a bed sized window seat and exposed stone walls; and a master suite hide away with an over sized walk in closet, multiple skylites , a balcony and an extra large outdoor deck; check out both the Bryant Realty Atlantic web site and the Mls listings. (#34o562). And remember you can count on Rave Re:view when you enlist our help to stage or redesign your living space.

902 440-4676 ravereview@eastinlk.ca

Home Staging-an Investment NOT an Expense

I just destaged the home in Halifax Nova Scotia that was featured in my previous blog entry. The good news is that the owners accepted an offer the day before Christmas Eve. I'm thrilled as are the owners who had already offered conditionally on the home of their dreams prior to listing with Christeen Chiasson and so needed a quick sale to ensure they did not lose the house they so desperately wanted. While hesitant at first, their decision to paint based upon my recommendation paid off!! This spurred me on to write today's entry entitled `Home Staging- an Investment NOT an Expense'.

For the most part, when individuals first decide to sell their homes they have no desire to spend another penny on a property they have chosen to vacate. Many view home staging as a decorating service and home improvement as an expense they should not have to incur.

BUT.....the reality of today's real estate market is that most buyers are willing to pay more for

'move in ready' homes. They do not have the time nor the inclination to repair or update their new homes. They want freshly painted walls, current flooring and up to date light fixtures. They shy away from homes that have well worn walls and flooring, chipped sinks and stained counter tops, dated lighting, dripping faucets and dark crowded living spaces. They simply want to move in and get on with their lives.

Savvy real estate agents who have their clients' best interests at heart know the value of home staging. They know that staged properties draw in buyers who want turn key homes. They know that 90% of the buying public choose properties to view via the internet.

Because they know that the photos of their listings must portray their sellers' properties in the best light possible, they understand the advantages that professionally staged properties have over those that have not been prepared by a trained home stager.

They know that home staging is a marketing tool and not a decorating service. They know that staging is not just decluttering but is both an art and a science.

They know that a trained specialist such as myself is capable of opening up living spaces and highlighting the features a home has to offer by rearranging furnishings.

They know that I am able to brighten up dark spaces and make architectural features come alive through the recommendation of paint colours, window dressing or undressing, and lighting placement.

Like all services, there is a financial cost to the client. But .....the fee for a home stager's service should be viewed as an investment and not as an expense. Still skeptical??? Look at the results of the 2009 survey carried out by HomeGain, a website designed to both connect the

buying /selling public with agents and to disseminate real estate information to agents, buyers and sellers alike.

The HomeGain chart and bar graph I've included in this blog entry compare the average cost of each home improvement with the resulting average increase in selling price. A $300.00 to $400.00 investment in my professional Home Staging services can on average add $1500.00 to $2000.00 to the final selling price. That is a possible 586% return on the cost of the services I provide. If that is not a good investment, I don't know what is?????

When I carry out a preliminary consultation of a lived in property, the recommendations I make can include any one or all of the Home Improvements mentioned in the HomeGain survey. And while there is a cost incurred by the home owner for every improvement undertaken, the investment not only can bring in monetary gains but can result in a speedy sale as well.

Based on the recommendations I made during my initial 2 hour Home Staging Consult, the owners of this property had their main bathroom painted, changed a dated lighting fixture and replaced the nondescript mirrors with ones I purchased for them. After they carried out my recommendations I returned to 'ice the cake' so to speak. Their investment in home improvements and my hands on staging paid off........

Their house sold 4 days after it was staged for more than the asking price in a city where buyers traditionally offer less than the list price.

Yes........ Home Staging is AN INVESTMENT and not an expense.

You'll garner many a Rave Re:view when you invest in my services here in Halifax , Dartmouth and surrounding areas to prepare your property for the real estate market. My satisfied clients, both real estate agents and sellers will attest to that!

Think 'Some' NOT 'None' re: Wall Art and Accessories

I invite you to take a look at my latest project, a semi-detached house located at 58 Fleetview off of Larry Uteck Blvd in Halifax Nova Scotia . I want to thank Christeen Chiasson of Royale Lepage Anchor Realty Al Chiasson Selling Team, for hiring me and for acting as my assistant when I did the hands on staging. While it is romanticized on television, Christeen saw first hand how physically demanding staging can be. I carried out a consult but the owners had not yet decided to move forward with the hands on work when later in the week, two hours before a showing, Christeen asked me if I could prepare the house for a viewing that very day. I raced around town, gathered up needed rentals and with Christeen's help got the job done. Christeen sees staging as an effective marketing tool and so not only paid for the consult but paid for a good portion of the hands on staging and rentals as well. Lucky are her clients for listing with an agent who has their best interest at heart and is marketing their property in the most effective way she can.

Some sellers have too much furniture crowding rooms, others don't have enough to create an inviting living space. The key word here is inviting living space. Buyers know within minutes of entering a property if this will be their chosen home. Without staging, a sterile blank walled vestibule darkened by heavy drapery covering the door and windows would have greeted buyers. Now, light pouring through the sheer covered windows and a piece of wall art allows the entryway to present itself as bright and airy.

This house had a sufficient amount of furniture but absolutely no wall art. Many sellers shy away from hanging wall art because of the holes left in the walls once it is removed. But.... barren walls result in cold uninviting living spaces. Today's buyers purchase homes based upon emotion. It's hard to fall in love with a living space that feels cold and unwelcoming. While I try my best to use a client's wall art, I do have an inventory that I rent to clients who have limited art work or art work that will not appeal to the target market. Alternatively, I can source out and purchase wall art for clients who will make use of it in their new homes.

Some sellers have an overabundance of nic nacs both large and small. Buyers can't help but see the 'stuff' that fills the living space and as a result fail to notice the features the home has to offer. Others have very few accessories. Homes devoid of accessories, like homes lacking in wall art, present themselves as sterile and uninviting. There is a fine balance between over and under accessorizing. This property had too many small accessories concentrated in certain areas of the house but had almost no accessories elsewhere. Decorative pillows, throws, greenery, vases with branches were needed to warm up the living space. Working within an alotted budget, and having less than an hour to quickly gather items from my inventory which is stored in two separate locations , almost all of the accessories in the photos are rentals I provided.

Before you view the following photos I would just like to say, in defense of the sellers, that the 'before pictures' which show a messy floor are not the manner in which they live. The day I arrived to do the consult and take the pictures, they were in the midst of gathering and packing belongings so as to declutter their house. The items on the ledge , however, were displayed this way by the home owners. Not a problem for personal living but when staging, too many items are distracting. The crowded line up of nic nacs draws the attention of buyers away from the room itself.

Without distractions it's spaciousness and brightness are what buyers will focus on.

The feedback has been very positive re:house presentation but over and over again a deterrent has been the condition of the walls. In my consult I recommended that certain areas of the house be painted but the owners chose not to do so. The house was staged in early December and after two weeks of comments by viewers regarding the poor condition of the walls , the owners decided to follow through with my recommendation. Unfortunately 3 weeks of viewings were impacted by walls in need of painting.

Most of todays' buyers not only want but are willing to pay more for move in ready homes. They don't have the time or inclination to improve their new homes. There are 3 main features that buyers look at to determine if a home is move in ready: current flooring, organized storage space and freshly painted walls. This home had current flooring throughout, a very good amount of storage space but did not have freshly painted walls.

Lesson learned: Listen to your stager when she suggests that you paint some or all of your home. Experience tells her this is what buyers are looking for.

You can count on Rave Re:view in Halifax Nova Scotia when you enlist our help to stage or redesign your living space.