Curb Appeal Staging for the Seasons!
September 17, 2010
Never underestimate the power of curb appeal! Potential buyers will drive right by the listing if they don’t feel welcomed. The easiest and most inexpensive way is through seasonal flowers. We are heading into the Fall and the wonderful Fall Mums are easy to buy at any nursery or even grocery store. These arrangements even came all assembled. Remember to always choose the colours that compliment the exterior of the house. These flowers look great with the brick. Having a variety of heights in planters gives a lot more interest. Choosing attractive pots is also very important.
Different Heights of Foliage Gives More Interest
Another Quick, Inexpensive and Simple Fireplace Makeover!
September 8, 2010
Now that the colder weather is approaching the fireplace is going to become more of a focal point and selling feature of any house!
Remember one of the most important reasons to stage a house is to make the MLS pictures look good so you can attract more traffic. A great looking fireplace says…..’home’
In this ‘BEFORE’ picture the fireplace mantle looks washed out and the brick looks too busy. The colour in the brick is very limiting to future homeowners and there is too much of a contrast with the white mantle. The stripes on the couch really clash with the stripes in the brick so it’s distracting. The homeowners never like the fireplace but were afraid to paint it.
BEFORE
AFTER
Simply giving the few bricks a coat of Quick Start Primer and then a coat of paint this fireplace now looks so much more inviting and neutral for buyers. Always ask the paint experts for manufacturer’s instructions. You want to make sure you use the correct type of paint! I pulled the colour (Wild Mushroom) from the existing tile on the floor and the adjoining kitchen back-splash tile since those are things that are staying with the house. Adding some soft drapes in the same colour neutralized the stripe couch and complimented the new fireplace. Moving some of the homeowner’s artwork around helped ground the room. Larger artwork works better over the mantle and couch. Adding chunky accessories give it balance and the ‘style’ factor. Believe it or not the walls were NOT painted. They just looked richer in colour with the coziness and reflection from the drapes and the calmness of the fireplace. The homeowners were so cooperative and eager to do everything. They wished they had done this quick, inexpensive and easy modification years ago!!!