Monday, October 22, 2012

...STAGING THE CONDO...



Almost 2 years ago I wrote a post about Michelle's and Jordan's 606 sq ft condo...
FIRST TIME HOMEOWNERS ON A LIMITED BUDGET . You may recall, my daughter and her then fiance had purchased a condo and were also getting married. The funds for decorating were TIGHT. 
moving in day.... 

Fast forward...This young married couple have now bought a brand spanking new 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 1 car garage home and are selling their condo. They asked me to STAGE the condo, and I was more than happy to oblige. 

For those of you who question the necessity of STAGING, you must understand that if you are seriously selling, the minute your abode goes on the market, it is no longer YOUR home. A very tough, but essential concept to understand for some sellers. You must "clear the way" so to speak, for buyers to see the excellent bones, architectural features and layout of the space. 
Here is a pictorial of what I did to help Michelle and Jordan make THEIR condo desirable for the most number of buyers. 

Before STAGING ^^^. When this was Michelle's and Jordan's home, they wanted two love seats, lots of pillows, family photographs, fave magazines and other tchachkas throughout the space....this is after all where THEY lived!


STAGED condo. As you can see, the dining table has replaced the 2nd love seat, visually opening up the space and creating better traffic flow. Most of the family photos are gone. Just a few decorative items, for colour and warmth, are kept in the space.    


When STAGING, decorate with flowers (with little or no odour) inside and out. They are non commital, add texture, colour and say welcome to YOUR new home.   




A few decorative items remain, but most of the personal photographs, any clutter, magazines and piled mail, are either gone or stored out of siight.  


The top of the fridge was used as storage for large items and the counter was the obvious resting place  for small appliances, unopened mail and keys. When non essential kitchen items are out of sight, the potential buyer can then visualize how THEY will utilize the space. 

When you are STAGING your home to sell, it may seem like daunting task. My advice is to start culling, one room at a time, as soon as you know you WANT to put a for sale sign on the lawn. You will be truly shocked at the clutter you have accumulated AND can truly live without.

If your home is priced wisely, according to the current market and is staged properly, you will likely sell sooner and get closer to your asking price. 


It pays to hire professionals!  

Monday, October 8, 2012

TOP SIX REASON WHY I LOVE AUTUMN


1.  BYE  BYE  Mosquitos ..... I  HATE, LOTHE, ABHORE  mosquitos, but unfortunately they LOVE me.....


2. Not keen on bathing suits....nuf said! .... I would much rather be wearing boots, plaid, scarf and  sweater (I feel a hot flash a comin')....


3. there is no fear of having one of those gross, gargantuan arachnids of the dock variety taking a trip up your leg while innocently reading and catching a few rays....

4. love, love,  love having a bowl of chunky homemade soup...


....made from homemade turkey stock from this deep fried guy....


5. I even like stacking the firewood...that means there will be a tipple of scotch later that afternoon, by a roaring fire....


..... but most of all, I get to come back here, even when summer is over.




Don't forget to pop on over to my group blog...TBBs Wine Dine & Design  http://thetbbs.com  We launched on Tues and already alomost 5000 people have visited!

Maureen at Modecor Muses: October 2012

Maureen at Modecor Muses