Our Blog

Jean needed to sell her house quickly. She was being transferred, and the company wasn’t footing the bill. Instead, they offered her a higher salary. Now she had to sell quickly or risk paying two mortgages. But Jean wasn’t sweating it. After all, her house was in a...

More and more Canadians are finding themselves working from their homes, whether in full-time or part-time schedules, or other flexible scheduling options as needed. Homeowners are finding themselves setting aside a space or room in the house for their work desk,...

Color combinations, palettes, and color schemes play a major part in complementing the indoor spaces of your home, adding to the overall design, and creating the ambiance or feel that you are going for in your house. Whether you are planning a major home makeover or...

Recent studies of the marriage and family structure in Canada have shown that divorce rates across the country are on the decline. Still, separation and divorce are parts of life that many of us will continue to deal with. About 40% of marriages end in divorce before...

The question of darker wood versus painted cabinets is a common one these days. If your kitchen cabinets are solid but dated and dark, a fresh coat of paint can go a long way toward transforming the space without draining your bank account. However, depending on the...

In staging any home, a balance must always be achieved between designing a space that is neat, professional and ready to sell yet without seeming too perfect, contrived, and immaculate to the potential home buyer. Some realtors feel that while home buyers do...

Hanging the right pictures, art, and posters on the walls can definitely add personality, character and charm to your home's overall home staging look. While professional home stagers and interior designers would generally discourage you from displaying family...

Bathrooms say quite a lot about the character of the home as well as the homeowner. In your home staging plans, the bathroom can add to the overall charm and personality of the property. Perhaps you and your professional home staging team have discussed various...

Staging is truly marketing and it’s a very critical piece of the entire marketing puzzle. Sellers today need to really ask themselves if the Agent they have chosen actually is doing all the things they can to market the house for them. Besides all the regular stuff...

Kitchen renovations can be quite expensive. If you have the cash for it, then you probably won't think twice about going ahead with the upgrades anyway. But as part of your home staging efforts, a costly kitchen renovation project might not be the best idea...

Do you watch the TV Decorating shows and still don't know where to start? Do you love the things you own? Do they feel "pulled together" or is there something missing and you can't figure it out? Here are a few suggestions when it comes to adding artwork to your room....

The foyer is an important part of the average Canadian home, as it is primarily an entryway or room adjacent to the entrance or front door. It is the welcoming area, the first thing that greets people when they step into your house. Initially, the foyer was designed...

We all know that the ultimate dining experience isn't all about just the food. The ambiance and feel of the dining area also does much to create a memorable moment with family and friends gathered to enjoy a meal. In home staging, the main goal is to create a space...

There is a growing awareness among today's professionals regarding health and fitness, and the focus on staying physically fit is also compounded in media and the Internet. People are looking for various ways to stay fit and healthy despite their busy schedules and...

Safety should be at the top of your priority list when taking on some DIY home staging upgrades or renovations. Whether you are hiring a home staging firm or doing the project yourself, you will undoubtedly be involved with some of the upgrades and tasks yourself, so...

If your home for sale is located in a growing suburb or bedroom community with good schools, recreational opportunities, and lots of parks and playgrounds, it is very likely that a majority of your potential home buyers would be parents looking for a great home for...

There is nothing like coming home from a long day at work to sink into your sofa and put your feet up! I know as it is often the highlight of my day. Since it’s the piece of furniture you make a beeline for, why not give it a quick makeover with something simple as...

Professional home stagers usually caution homeowners against extravagant or excessive renovation costs as part of the home staging plans, especially for those with limited budgets or who are looking to downsize on their expenses by selling their larger home, in order...

For many homeowners and families, the kitchen is the center of activity in the home. This is where meals are prepared, where members of the family go to grab a drink or a snack at any time of the day. Aside from the meal preparation and food storage, the kitchen is...

When potential home buyers are viewing the different rooms in your home for sale, they are trying to visualize in their minds what their family or loved ones would look like in the various spaces, what activities would be accommodated, and how their interests would...

Curtains are arguably among the most popular kinds of window treatments among homeowners. They are easy to install and maintain, and are not very difficult to interchange or blend with different home décor and designing plans. When preparing your property for sale,...

If you flip through any home design magazines, or browse through online resources or forums on home décor or staging trends, one of the ideas that will be sure to grab your attention is the rising popularity of reclaimed wood as an option for design. Because reclaimed...

We often hear “I know how to prepare my home for sale, I read a book all about it!”. There are however some common home staging errors that should be discussed and put on the reminder list for homeowners who are trying to sell their home. There is a tendency for a lot...

Lighting fixtures have an interesting purpose and position in the hierarchy of home design and interior decoration. Their primary use is to provide ample lighting for various tasks and activities within the home. But properly selected lighting can also become...

The kitchen area is one of the most vital spaces of the home, and home buyers consider the state and design of the kitchen as one of the deciding factors in choosing a property. Busy modern lifestyles demand a kitchen and food preparation area that is comfortable,...

Furniture trends come and go, just like any other home decor trends. Every year, new and rehashed designs, patterns, colors, and visual combinations are touted as the next big thing in home décor and interior design. Home staging, in this regard, is also impacted by...

It's summertime once again. Many of us look forward to this time of the year because it means abundant sunlight, longer days and warmer weather. Families look forward to spending time outside or going on extended vacations and road trips, taking advantage of the great...

Homeowners are generally on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to wallpaper. Many homeowners remember the often tacky wallpaper designs and colors of the '70's and the '80's, and avoid it altogether. On the other hand, with more elegant and luxurious...

A big part of your home staging plans should be house cleaning and maintenance. Whether you are doing the house cleaning yourself, or getting the services of professional cleaners, the house will have to be kept in a very clean and orderly state for the duration of...

Whether we are fully aware of it or not, much of the potential selling success of your home will hinge on its online presence and impact, aside from the actual home staging. Recent surveys among property buyers have indicated that a vast majority of them (upwards of...

Within the hierarchy of generational buyers, the Generation X buyers are likely to be the ones who are purchasing their very first home. In fact, this could be their biggest purchase or investment to date. People who are part of Generation X were born between 1965 to...

When you read about home staging, or talk to different home staging professionals or firms, you will often hear the term “adding value to your home”. Interior designers and home stagers often emphasize the importance of value-added improvements and enhancements to...

In order to have a more effective home staging strategy, it is important to have a good idea of who majority of your potential home buyers will be. Much of your home’s audience will be connected to your property's general location or proximity to job opportunities,...

It is not a far-fetched idea to surmise that even before your potential home buyers have seen your property for sale, they have already seen several other houses in your neighborhood or elsewhere. They will most likely also be checking out other houses after they have...

The primary audience for home staging is, of course, your potential home buyers. These prospective buyers are interested in moving in to your neighborhood and finding their own slice of home in your location. It is important to remember, that while it is quite...

In your home staging efforts for bedrooms, the main focal point of the area should be the bed. It is not wrong to accessorize or deck out your bedroom with great window treatments, creative light fixtures, and other thoughtful touches and décor, but the central...

In interior design, accessorizing is considered as the 'icing on the cake'. It refers to the finishing touches, the items of color, shape, size, and texture that complete the look or enhance the feel of an area of the home. Accessories can make a big visual impact, or...

How many coffee tables do you have in your home? If you are a typical North American homeowner, you probably have at least two or three lying around, right? While some coffee tables really do serve their purpose, over time these versatile pieces of furniture have...

The television set is part and parcel of the contemporary home today, and as such should be considered in home staging. Unless you somehow decided to forego TV entertainment in your home because of personal reasons, or you have given up on pop culture altogether and...

Despite the increasing popularity of professional home staging services in many areas today, you will still likely come across real estate agents and brokers who simply do not use home staging for their listings. Even within the industry itself, you will meet real...

In many metropolitan areas, suburban subdivisions and developments attract much of the attention of home buyers, due to the respite they provide from the often crowded urban spaces. As more people moved to the suburbs, however, problems often became transient as well,...

Are you trying to sell a house that is smaller in size, or a home that is not as expensive or as high-value as other properties in the market? Some people have the misconception that if the house they are trying to sell is small and inexpensive, it does not need to be...

  It is likely that you have heard some common misconceptions or myths regarding professional home staging, whether from relatives, acquaintances or even realtors who think it's not a necessary part of the home selling process.  If you think about it, staging has...

Pictures do tell a thousand words, and in professional home staging, photography can help convey the message that you are trying to communicate to your potential home buyers and clients. Photos are used in home listings, advertising, as well as for websites, and these...

A well placed piece of art can add the finishing touch to a space, or form the inspiration for the look and theme of a room. Artwork is an important part of staging your home and can really lift an otherwise bland wall or corner. If you‘ve been in a book store lately,...

In most metropolitan and suburban areas today, there are companies that provide furniture rental services for various purposes, such as events, parties, as well as for professional home staging. Many homeowners looking to sell their houses are opting for furniture...

For many homeowners wanting to sell their homes, the focus of home staging efforts is on maximizing space in order to make the area look more spacious. But for other homeowners, specifically with larger homes, they actually need to make the home feel warm and inviting...

In a typical Canadian home today, the garage has two functions: for parking (the intended purpose) and for storage (the secondary purpose). In less organized houses, the garage becomes chock full of old furniture, seasonal accessories, unused clothing, toys, pet...

The kind of furniture you have in your home can either complement or distract potential home buyers. A couch or table in the wrong area or that does not match the theme of a room or overall home staging, can look very out of place. Furniture items that are also too...

In a challenging rental market, property managers and landlords can’t afford a poor showing. Traditionally, Staging has been limited to the real estate and vacation rental market.  But today, more landlords are dressing up rental properties with basic furnishings to...

In the process of home staging, much of the planning and preparations of homeowners and home staging professionals revolve around factors that are within control, such as décor, themes, space maximization, color combinations, and other essentials. Functional and...

One of the main goals of professional home staging is to make the home fit the potential buyer's idea of their new home as well as accommodating their lifestyle or family needs. So along with cleaning every inch of the house, updating furniture and fixtures, repairing...

The kind of window treatments you currently have in your home may need some updating or making over when the rest of the house undergoes a professional home staging. Window treatments serve a lot of purposes aside from adding beauty... they provide privacy and control...

Not all homes have a basement, but a house with a basement has the advantage of additional storage and entertaining space. The basement can house a guest room for visiting relatives, entertainment center or home theatre.  While yet others may utilize the space for a...

One thing to keep in mind when staging your home and preparing it for your local market is to try stay one step ahead of your potential buyers. As the seller, you have to anticipate what could potentially make or break the sale of your home in terms of visual impact...

The living room and dining room are areas of the home where a lot of activities occur, where we entertain guests and hold dinners or parties, and where the family gathers for meals and entertainment. But the bedroom is our private sanctuary, the place where we can...

Technology is an intrinsic part of modern homes, and home buyers consider how the house they are thinking of buying suits their technology needs and entertainment preferences. If you are staging your house to increase its marketability, you should also consider...

People treat bathrooms as a sanctuary within the home, a place to retreat and find some alone time, and as such will pay much attention to the bathroom design and layout of a home they are interested in buying. When potential buyers take a tour of your bathroom, they...

A homeowner who is looking for an easy and relatively affordable makeover when it comes to home flooring can consider carpet and its benefits. Carpet is easier to install compared to hardwood, tile or vinyl floors; and can also effectively and discreetly cover any...

Potential home buyers put a lot of importance on the kitchen area and how the current design or layout of the kitchen will fit with their own meal preparation needs. Additionally, contemporary lifestyles often demand that the kitchen area be more than just a place for...

Painting your home before you list is the most cost effective updates you can do when preparing your home for sale.  When the house is clean and the walls are freshly painted, buyers will feel that they can move in and start enjoying your house right away. Before...