Keeping up with the Work

PHEW!
What a summer, the market is usually slow in the summer but this one just keeps on going! that's great, get those home's staged and sell your home faster.
It's very important to provide fast, effective, practical, and professional services to any and all of my clients! That is why I am dedicated to getting all of my jobs done in a timely manor. It is very important to you as a home seller to have your home ready and I'm sure you would like to do it as fast as possible!
That's why were here, My self, Natasha & Amelie are all available to assist you with your home staging or decorating needs. No matter how busy we are we will make the time to talk to you as well as return your VIP calls.

Have a great rest of the summer and we'll see you soon
-Kristy

Staging Tip for Living with Kids

Kitchen Before over run with toys

Kitchen After, toys removed looks clean and organized.

Your kids may fight you on the moving process (depending on how old they are) but if you get them involved it makes the process much easier. Make a game about it, try going in their room with him/ her and say "choose your top 10 toys you really like" and set those aside. Then ask "choose your top 10 toys you haven't played with in a while" so on and so forth. Getting your child involved allows them to feel that they are apart of the process and that you are not leaving them out. Or try a points system for every toy they can pack up give them a star.
When it comes to your home children's toys should NEVER be strewn around for them to use, when it comes to selling it is very important to keep those toy's contained in either a designated play room or their own bed room. These toys really need to be organized so keep them in bins out of site and organized in either the bottom of their closet or stacked neatly in the play room corner.
It is important for home buyers to see that toy's do not rule the house because you don't know who's buying the home it could be a professional couple that don't have children but they like the location of your home.

Happy Staging
-Kristy

SOLD in 4 hrs for Full Price!

Well our home flipping project was a success! After we listed our home for sale we received an offer in 4 hours and for FULL Price!

What does it take to sell a home fast and for top dollar?
- Home Staging to it's fullest potential
- Professional Photographer
- A Real Estate Agent who believes in both.

Buyers are willing to pay a premium for "move in ready homes" they don't want to waste their time preparing for it. Don't leave your money on the table keep it in your pocket and stage before you sell!

My Home Flipping Project

Home flipping can be quite lucrative if done properly. First you must have purchased the home at an appropriate price and second invest the right amount of money in the right places. Just because you put thousands of dollars into a home doesn't mean you'll get it all out. It's all about right decisions. Everyone knows not to buy the MOST expensive home on the street it's not a good investment so don't flip to be the top of the top you want to be attractive and appropriately priced in the end. Here are some pictures of my most recent home project. I've been in this home for 2 years doing this project with my handy husband & my decorating / staging skills.
This home is listed on the market as of today! The country market is slower but this house is a gem, we've even got our first showing booked only hours of being on the market!!


Basement Bar
-Originally this bar was just a hole in the wall with an ugly orange counter interior. Gutting the area leaving the 2 primary walls and adding an angles wall improved on space. Pod lights increased on the lighting in this space. Not this is a basement hot spot.


Basement Movie Area
-The dark wood paneling & white stucco on top was very dated and ugly. We gutted that basement re-insulated the walls added new windows and re-dry walled the whole space.
The laminate was also replaced from that 99c. cheap stuff to industrial grade laminate that looks like real hardwood but stands up to more wear and tear.


Living Room
-The before room had bright yellow Venetian Plaster...yuck, with dark green curtains.
The layout and amount of items with in this room was way too much, re-arranging the furniture, decluttering and updating the paint.


Master Bedroom
-Originally this room was a disaster. Everything about it was wrong, including the green carpet with red walls. We removed the carpet and replaced it with a neutral Berber, repainted the walls and added appropriate drapery. This allowed people to view the fields and patio in the back.

So, as you can see this whole home took us some time. If you have never flipped a home before or don't know where to spend your money appropriately then DON'T DO IT! too many people fail because they get emotionally invested and spend too much in the wrong places. If you are keen on doing so hire a professional to consult with during your flipping projects. We offer such services where we can guide you on what investment's are better than others and approve or disapprove of colour schemes for the home. Keep it neutral, appealing to all don't get funky or you'll lose your money. Most homes in Ottawa will not support the "funky" aspect.

Happy Staging
-Kristy

Staging Tip

When it comes to selling a home I've told you that we are appealing to the most amount of buyers in the lease amount of time. What do I strongly suggest besides decluttering & depersonalizing.

Addressing your home's smell. Don't be embarrassed every home has one! but is it a good or bad smell? Smells are very important they automatically give the impression of a clean or dirty home and no one wants to buy someone-else's dirt. Follow the list of DO's & DONT's for a great smelling home.

Do
-Bake Bread
-Use Potpourri or air fresheners
-Add Flowers
-Burn a Candle or Incense (attended only)
-Bake cookies or muffins.
-Open windows for fresh air
-Febreeze all fabrics in the home daily
-Deep clean everything to rid odours then replace with the above.
-(Remove odours naturally with a bowl of vinegar)

DON'T
-Smoke in the home (even smokers don't want a "smokers home")
-Leave pets when selling (board them, let a friend take care of them etc)
-Cook strong smelling foods prior to showings
-Burn items, if you do postpone showings.
-Let the cleanliness of your home slide keep military clean when selling
-Let spaces get wet ex: basements don't let them get moldy & smelly
-Allow kids or family members to do smelly crafts, or projects when selling.

Follow those Do & Don't tips and you're on your way to a great smelling home that will allow home buyers to fall in love with your property and buy it right then and their.

-Kristy

Do You Know Why Ottawa Agents use CHS&D?

Whether you are selling your home or just wanting to decorate the one you got, you really have to do your research when it comes to hiring a company. Real Estate agents are an excellent source of referrals but their are thousands of agents so how do you know which company will stand above the rest and provide you with outstanding service? Do your research, ask your agent, ask your neighbour and also go online and google the service wanted and ask the company DIRECTLY!

Why do many home owners and top real estate agents use Capital Home Staging & Design?
Let's find out!

1) Affordable - Competitive pricing allows you to have a home professionally staged or decorated for a small investment. Don't waste your money on companies who are quick to spend your hard earned dollar, and on the other end don't choose the cheapest bid either because you get what you pay for. Choose a company that is highly educated and has practical experience.

2) We Ensure the Best Results -No matter what service you choose with CHS&D we ensure the end result is the same, your complete happiness with the project. We have designed many packages to fit any size of budget, task, and personal skill level the owner may have ensuring you get the best result at the end of the day.

3) Fast Service -You're busy and on the go with family, careers, networking, social events, and more. Why wait 2-3 days for someone to get back to you? We respond quickly to all e-mails, phone calls, text messages and booking appointment. We provide top notch service that can keep up with your life style.

4) Large Service Area -No matter where you live in the Ottawa and surrounding area we will be able to service your home decorating, staging or organizing needs. From Carleton Place to Rockland and Gatineau to Past Greely we will get your home project finished in no time.

5) We Save you Time -Time is money and the more time you spend working on a project the less you make. We offer full packages services that are affordable so you can focus on getting your work done and we'll get the project done.

6) Open Late so you can Stage Great- Or decorate! we are open 7 day's a week with evening appointments available for those of you who work during the day.

7) We are Pet Friendly- Coming from a veterinary back ground allows me to decorate or stage your home with your pet in mind. They are members of your family and we take the up most care to consider pet friendly designs as well as pet friendly "spa's" or day care.

8) Outstanding Customer Service- No matter what the task is at hand we know it can be stressful we take the time to show you what the plan is before it is done so you are confident in the end result. You are our priority, we will work until you are completely satisfied with your end result.

9) We Are Insured - Insurance is important, ask your decorating or staging company if they have insurance. If they don't RUN! we never know what will happen in a home it is imperative that whom ever enters your home has adequate insurance to cover any situation.

10) We Know The Best Investment - When it comes to updating, remodeling, or staging we know what sells a home. So, when you are working on your home make sure what you are choosing is a good investment. Does the property really need NEW hardwood on the stair? does it really need a new kitchen or does it just need fleshing up? Don't waste your money by putting in things that wouldn't generate a return, let us help you determine what would be the best source of return on your home for future investment.

There are 10 simple reasons many of Ottawa home sellers and agents us use exclusively. Come and experience the difference we make.
-Kristy

The Paint Calculator

Sometimes it's hard figuring out how much paint you might need for your new project. Don't worry help is on the way! Many companies have come up with a tool to help you with this. All you need to do is measure the room you are painting and enter the measurements into their "paint calculator". It will let you know how many gallons you'll need. It will even let you know how much paint you need for your ceilings and trims. This is a great tool that will help stop the guessing and confusion and make your painting job fun instead of a headache.

2 More Pictures for DIY Video

Liam Swords from Royal LePage & Tamara Vallati from Kelller Williams. Stay tuned to find out what they have to say about staging in the Ottawa area.

It's a sellers market now! do you still need staging?

Right now in the Ottawa market it is considered a "Sellers Market" which means we have more home buyers than sellers. What does that mean? For the most part you have a high chance of selling your home quickly. BUT does that mean you still need staging? Of course you do, when you have your home staged you are appealing to the MOST amount of buyers in the LEAST amount of time. When that is done in a sellers market a lot of "general home buyers" will be making their way though your home which in hand will increase the likelihood of multiple offers. It is much easier to sell a home to the general home buyer than to someone with the same tastes as you or someone with the capability to visualize the potential. 10% of people can visualize the potential of the space, which means 90% CAN NOT! don't let your first impression fall flat, stage your home prior to listing to get it sold as fast as possible.

Remember buyers are picky, they will compare your home to all the other homes on the market and the one that appeals to them the most will be the one that sells. Think of a brand new home show room? do you see clutter? outrageous decor? personal items all over? religious items? vibrant or even dark paint colours? No, you will not ever see that in a show home because they are appealing to the most amount of home buyers. Clean, Clutter free, Neutral and fixed up is what home buyers want. Most buyers are willing to pay a premium for a home that has had it's "issues addressed" keep your home equity in your pocket & stage your home from the day you decide to sell!

Happy Staging
-Kristy

DIY Video Shoot -Behind the Scenes!

Roy waiting in the KW office.

Hello everyone,

Today (and yesterday) we interviewed 5 local real estate agents for our DIY Home Staging DVD. This gives home sellers an opportunity to meet some agents and hear what they have to say about staging & selling a home in Ottawa.

I'm not going to show you the video you'll have to wait till that is closer to release date! but enjoy the few pics below.

Above (From left to right) Kristy double checking the video position. Roy setting up for our next video shoot. Greg H waiting for his interview to begin.

The day was fun an flew by faster than anticipated! Everyone is excited to see the end result of this DIY DVD, great questions even greater answers from all of our professional agents.

Who's who in the pictures:

Kristy- Owner of Capital Home Staging & Design

Roy- Video Producer from MVProductions

Greg- Agent in orleans from Remax.

Getting to know the colour GREEN.

What are some things that come to mind when the word GREEN is said. Right now it's probably ECO, but some other words that are generally associated with green are growth, spring, and nature. Nature green fosters feelings of balance, nurturing, and support. Green has a natural sense of harmony. It's fresh, vital, lively, youthful, and renewing.

Green has long been associated with healing; think hospitals & green scrubs. While green has been linked with envy it can be emotionally soothing, especially in lighter shades.
Green also promotes inner reflection so it's a good choice for private spaces such as bedrooms, & reading spaces. NEVER in a bathroom, the reflection of green in the mirror will make you appear "sick" all the time. Green has also been known to combat stomachaches, sea sickness, suicidal impulses & homesickness.

It promotes openness, active listening, freedom, and calming of personal anxieties. Green also tends to foster sensitivity and empathy towards others. Lighter greens are positive, meditative and lend a sense that your most pleasant dreams can come true. It also restores feelings of faithfulness and self-esteem.

Green is commonly accepted as a symbol of peace and tranquility. It is also associated with good luck, immortality and wealth. Green has been known to reduce appetite and anxiety caused by the worry of over-eating, which in the right circumstances can make it appropriate for kitchens.
Green has some negative connotations as well, mainly through it's association with sickness, slime, poison, insects and reptiles. It's a colour often linked to superstition , jealousy and envy.

Some info from QC Design School.

DIY Home Staging Kit Sneek Peek!

Well its coming together quite nicely and we are mearly weeks if not day's away from having this very informative DIY Home Staging Kit available to everyone in the Ottawa and surrounding area.

Now what separates us from other DIY Kits? well we tailored it to THIS MARKET of OTTAWA, discounts from local companies such as moving boxes, paint, flooring, storage, mortgage broker, and with us also. We have also included lists of staging inventory we can rent out to you so you don't have to buy as well as a list of local stores that sell items that are perfect for staging.

Where else can you find all this information in one place? No Where! especially for Ottawa.

We'll keep you posted on the official release date of this kit, if you need it for a specific date let us know and we'll try and accommodate as best as possible!

Happy Staging

Summer Party Decorating on a Budget

This great news release is from Huston but we can take that information and apply it here in Canada, Natasha mentioned below about shopping at the dollar store, well it's true there are GREAT finds there and with careful selection and placed appropriately it can look expensive!

Check out this table decorating tip here: DECORATING LINK

-Kristy

Great finds at unknown stores

You never know where your going to find your next favorite vase, pillow, art, or even a candle. I recently took a trip to Brantford Ont to visit my extended family members. Who knew I would find this cute little store on the out skirts of Brantford Ontario called "Urban Cottage". My husband pulled over and mentioned that he stopped in last year and instantly knew I would fall in love with the store!...........I was a little apprehensive at first since this little store was in an even littler even town that I'm sure didn't care about interior decorating as much as I did.

Boy was I wrong! It had everything in there slightly packed and yet in a way that it displays everything effectively. I had major sensory over load I just wanted to buy everything in my path and take it all home in my little VW Passat.....but I couldn't so I determined 3 items I really liked that was simple enough alone or can be used together. What did I choose? ..............


1) Large Gray vase for $20.
This vase was a great find considering all other vases in this store same size different colours started at $40. I though this was discounted but it wasn't just because it was Gray....I LOVE GRAY this allows me to add colourful pieces to this vase to spice it up to suit any home.

2)Small Silver vase $14.95
I fell in love with this shiny piece, I envision it sitting on top of a desk in an office holding a few pencils making it attractive, clean lined, simple and organized.

3)Bag of potpourri decor $18.98
This bag drew my attention I kept picturing it in a large glass unit to show off the beautiful blue colour. This is very spring / summery feel which appealed to me instantly. The colour is quite attractive to all which helps in the staging industry.


Nothing too crazy but it just shows you that you never know what you'll find until you walk into that store you drove past or heard about. I could have easily spent $2000.00 here so it just shows you that you must first determine your needs then determine a budget.

Happy Shopping! Let us know your cool finds while away or even locally that you just found
-Kristy

Cheap Finds at Dollarama

Everybody loves the dollar store! What's not to love!? Great finds for usually $2 or less. The "Dollarama" dollar stores are especially great. They have a great selection of useful items. Kristy and I were on a budget when it came to decorating the booth for the women's show this past May. We were shopping in the dollar store one day and found some great decorating items. They have a wide variety of clear glass vases in different shapes and sizes. We also found small and large coloured rocks which we poured into the vases and created a simple yet colourful display. To show our business cards and small treats for guests, we used small porcelain serving plates. Last but not least, Dollarama also has an array of good looking fake flowers. We chose a simple flower and placed them in some of the vases. When we placed the items all together it created a put together display and you never would have guessed that most of the accessories were from the dollar store. On the right hand side of the main blog page you'll see a picture from the Ottawa Women's Show that Kristy posted. Take a look at our booth!!

Natasha

CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT August 2009

BUSINESS BREAKFAST CLUB

10th Annual Best-Ball
Golf tournament

In support of The Children's Wish, Autism Canada and Make a Wish

Everyone is welcome to attend this Great charity & networking event!!

THE MEADOWS GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
Wednesday August 12 2009
Shot-gun Tee-off - 1:00PM
Dinner 7:00 PM

$100.00 per person (Golf, Cart, Dinner)
$30.00 for Dinner only

-Great prizes - Silent and Live auction
-Chance to win a 2009 Ford Focus - Courtesy of Carleton Ford
(winner must make designated hole in one)

Upload and print the registration form
Fax completed forms to 613 257-4224

visit our BBC web page CLICK HERE.

I hope to all see you there! please send me off an E-mail to let me know of your attendance so I can try and stop by to say hi to you!

MUST sign up and submit a payment by July 30th 2009 to Hector Lamerock (see sign up sheet)

Staging in Ottawa WORKS!

Thanks to Dave @ 360Reno's take a look at this article posted by the Ottawa Citizen talking about home staging in Ottawa & how it works. (June 2009)
"Professional stagers are highly skilled artists," says the website About.com. "They can take a blank canvas and paint a sensuous portrait without ever lifting a paintbrush. Stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and they create dramatic scenery that appeals to all five senses."
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Staged+sell/1738230/story.html

In February of 2009 I was featured in the Ottawa Citizen giving my top 3 tips for home staging check it out: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Life/Secrets+home+stagers/1438949/story.html
(this article was re-released again March 2009)

April 2009 I made the RESA News (Real Estate Staging Association News) Staging is not just for homes you can also stage events which is what I did for the Suzanne Somers Event. Here is that article for your viewing: RESA-Suzanne,Somers,Event

I hope you enjoy these articles they are very fun and informative!
Happy Staging
-Kristy