As a professional home stager, I can't count how many times I have heard this statement from home owners and realtors alike. They want to try to avoid investing in staging and they think if they have de-cluttered a little, set the table and mowed the lawn .. voila! They are good to go. Well sometimes that kind of gambling pays off, but most homes need a professional to go through them before they are listed for sale just so that the sellers can get a clear, concise list of things which should be done before buyers show up. The cost for a consultation can vary from $150 up to $500 depending on what professional stagers are charging in your area and virtually all of them include a comprehensive list of 'must do's' as well as a prioritized list of 'should do's' for the home owner to accomp... 09/27/2010

Yesterday at an open house I gave a gentlemen a tour and we got to talking. He said he had just sold his house and was looking for another. I asked him if he was getting help and he said, "Yes. I'm working with an agent." "Where's your rep now?" I asked. "I don't know. I just decided to do a little homework on my own." "Why would you do that?" I asked. He hesitated. "Did you sign a buyer's agency agreement?" "Yes. I signed one of those." "Was the contract explained to you?" "She told me what the clauses meant." "Did you understand them?" "Yeah." "Okay, good. So, if you've hired someone to work for you, why are you doing the work by yourself?" He looked at me thoughtfully. I continued. "Right now, I'm working for the seller and you are a potential buyer who has a rep working for you, rig... 09/26/2010

Yesterday, I presented the second prize winner her 18 x 24 mounted poster of the winning picture of her dog Sugar in the Pets, Pets, Pets Contest I held for those living within 70km of the Kitchener-Waterloo area.It did my heart good to see how much she appreciated the picture of her beloved pet.Below is the winner with her two dogs Sugar and Spice - Sugar's picture won the contest.It makes my job as a REALTOR® that much more fulfilling when I can combine it with my love for animals and it gives my heart that extra boost when I see someone who loves and cares for their pets as well as Sarah does.I have another contest running right now at www.facebook.com/petspetspetscontest. There are three categories and each winner gets a choice of the poster or a $50.00 Global Pet Foods Gift Certifi... 09/21/2010

When I first started blogging here on AR, I'll be honest, I loved seeing everyone's picture next to their blog articles so I could get a sense of who was speaking. I wanted to do the same but I also felt that as this picture was going to represent me and my company, it had to be professional. My partner and I had our pictures taken about a year and a half ago by a professional and we weren't thrilled with the results. The photo of us is on our website but its never been something we've wanted to incorporate into our marketing efforts. We look stiff, stuffy and uncomfortable. Instead, I always opted to use our logo which I LOVE and which I felt best represents us to the public in lieu of a photo of both of us. From the beginning I have maintained that we aren't dabbling in home staging, ... 09/18/2010

  My name is Emma and I am the “Life of the Party”! I think everything is fun and exciting and meant for playtime! I will want to do everything with you, from doing yard work, going for walks or just watching TV – sounds like fun to me! I am a 2 year old Rottweiler who is already spayed. I have the gorgeous colours of typical Rottweiler’s: black and tan. If you are looking for a fun dog – come meet me, Emma!   Note: Posted with general permission from the K-W Humane Society to assist them with finding forever homes for their animals. For more information about the K-W Humane Society visit: http://www.kwhumane.com/ To become a friend, visit: http://www.facebook.com/KitchenerWaterlooHumaneSociety 09/16/2010

Do you like the idea of being thrown back into Medieval times? Do you like games, celtic music, magic, swordplay, ceili (old-fashion Irish dance), and authentic costumes & decorations?Then this Saturday, September 18, 2010, you and your family are in for a treat!From 11am - 6pm in Waterloo Park West come join the crowds at the 13th Royal Medieval Faire. Last year there were over 5,500 patrons who joined the 150 actors, performers and volunteers who made this event a success, so what are you waiting for?For more information visit: http://www.royalmedievalfaire.org/ For a map and directions: http://www.royalmedievalfaire.org/directions.html 09/16/2010

As a REALTOR® who specializes in helping people with pets I thought it fitting to have a photo contest. I hosted that contest on Facebook - www.facebook.com/petspetspetscontest and it was a huge success. So many pet lovers entered their pets and it was wonderful communicating with like-minded individuals. The contest ended on Midnight, September 6th and the winner (determined by how many "likes" he received) was a puppy named Dale. Dale and his pets Jill and Brock were very happy to receive their $100.00 Global Pet Food Gift Certificate, as you can see by their picture below: The second prize for this contest was an 18 x 24 mounted poster of the winning pet, which I will post about later. ---------------------- The first contest was so much fun I decided to have another.   There are a f... 09/15/2010

My name is Jasmine! And I am a beautiful Calico Tabby cat. I have such unique colours, everyone stops at my adoption pod and says so. But then they keep going to look at the silly kittens in the next pod. I keep my self clean, I try to show off my best angles, but still people want a kitten. I am 3 years old and already spayed. I would love to be the only pet in your home – with all this time spent here at the Centre, I am ready for some one-on-one attention with my new owner. If you have time to share with me, Jasmine, come down and meet me!   Note: Posted with general permission from the K-W Humane Society to assist them with finding forever homes for their animals. For more information about the K-W Humane Society visit: http://www.kwhumane.com/ To become a friend, visit: http://www.... 09/09/2010

As a professional home stager, I can talk at length and even slip into lecture mode when it comes to explaining why the condition and appearance of the home have to justify the property's list price so that buyers will pay the seller's price.  When I was doing some research on this topic I came across this really informative video on YouTube which details why PRICE + CONDITION/APPEARANCE of the home have to be balanced for a home to sell. If a seller decides to list their home in 'as is' condition then either the price has to go down in accordance to the home's appearance or the seller will have to face the fact that buyers just won't pay them the $$ they want. Why? Because to the buyers, the home will be over-priced for the condition of the property and the home will not hold its intri... 09/07/2010

I've always hated Kitchener water. It's the only water I've ever had that actually has an aftertaste. I've been told it's totally safe to drink, but the taste....ewww. And then I got hooked on drinking bottled water. I'm a teetotaler, so when I had my first cup of tea made from distilled water I was hooked. No hard water slime, and it tasted like...how can I describe it? Oh yeah. Tea. So we got a Culligan Water Cooler, which by the way lasted for over 10 years (a great product). But when it quit we had some decisions to make. Buy another, or try a different system. So we bought a Brita® Water Dispenser - you know the kind with the special filter? Now I was leery at first, wondering how such a simple design could take out the "ewww" in Kitchener water. But much to my surprise it did. Kit... 08/31/2010

By Warren McNeil, Maybe you didn't know that Google had an office in Waterloo. Well they do and they are now moving their office to downtown Kitchener to the Lang Tannery building. They are planning on making the move this year. I think this is a smart move on Google's part because they are moving into an area that is undergoing huge changes. I have blogged in the past about the new condo developments in the downtown core. Some of the upcoming condo developments are the Arrow lofts (Auburn) and the Centre City Condominiums (Andrin). One of the best things about this move is that apparently Google is aggressively hiring so  they need the larger space. It's always a good thing when companies are growing instead of downsizing or shutting down. The Google projects in Waterloo are currently ... 08/18/2010

Those who have travelled along Homer Watson with the hopes of turning left onto Huron Road in order to get to Mill Park Drive, or have turned left onto Pioneer Drive with the hopes of getting onto Mill Park Drive from Green Valley, have been disappointed for the last month. Mill Park Drive is closed due to a sanitary force main installation. Although their road closed sign says it will be re-opened on August 31, recent information on the Kitchener.ca site says otherwise. The tentative date is now September 12, 2010. Because I live in this area, I've seen a lot of impatient drivers try to sneak their cars in between the road closed signs, cement blocks, and trucks and equipment, but I can assure you, it is a wasted effort. There are a lot of dirt piles blocking the way, not to mention ho... 08/18/2010

Recently I consulted in a home that had a mirror over the living room sofa, to the left of the front door.  But when I stood still and looked, I realized that it was reflecting the open powder room door off to the right, and actually the raised toilet seat, and a silent but resounding "yuck" sprung to mind.  Not only was the powder room unfortunately placed prominently in the middle of the foyer, but we were getting a double whammy of it coming from the living room. Mirrors can be tremendous assets when showing a home and a properly placed mirror can expand the room visually, but you really need to pay attention to what buyers entering the room are going to see.  Is it reflecting the tops of people's heads around the dining table?  If it is propped on a mantle instead of hung from the w... 08/06/2010

Kitchener Waterloo Home Sales are doing really well for the first part of the year. Although there were 97 less unit sales then the first half of 2007 the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate board reports that sales have surpassed the billion dollar mark for the first half of 2010. This is really good news and just shows how strong the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate market really is here.  The average sale price for a single-detached home is $331,359. That's an increase of 11.7% on a year-to-year basis. See the full report below for more information. Kitchener Waterloo Home Sales Surpass Billion Dollar Mark In First Half Of 2010!  KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (July 6, 2010) - During the first half of the year, the number of residential properties sold through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of ... 08/04/2010

I'm old. Know how I know this? Because while I'll was looking around for things to do this weekend I stumbled upon Bingeman's Web site http://www.bingemans.com and was reminded how much it's changed. Now these changes didn't happen overnight. Oh no. I wouldn't feel so darn old if they had. These changes happened over years and years - 32 of them - since I was 14 and used to rollerskate there. I remember living on Confederation Drive, putting on my skates on a Friday night, rollerskating down Lorraine Avenue to River Road, crossing over Victoria and then skating through all the twisty turning roads that eventually led to the rink. Then I'd skate two sessions and then we'd all go to the A&W on Victoria for fries and gravy - they had the best fries and gravy in the universe! And then I'd g... 07/29/2010

By Warren McNeil, There are many homes styles out there but one style seems to be really standing out lately. I can't believe the number of requests I have received in the last week from people wanting to see bungalows. The bungalow home style is single story. What makes the bungalow style so appealing is that all the bedrooms are on the main floor. However finding newer bungalows in Kitchener-Waterloo can be quite challenging. The reason why they are hard to find is because bungalows require a certain lot size. Builders are building 2-story houses on smaller plots of land. That way they can sell more houses.  If you want a new construction bungalow, you could end up paying a premium. Right now there are 15 new construction bungalows in K-W ranging in price from $408,000-1,3000,000. If ... 07/27/2010

By Warren McNeil, Hello fellow bloggers and guests! Today I thought it would be a good idea to do a little self promotion about our social networking efforts. I think most realtors who harness the internet are using social networking to reach out to their past, present and future clients. It is a changing world and everything is becoming interconnected. When I think of the future of social media, business terms such as convergence or synergy come to mind. So far we have used social sites such as Facebook and Twitter to promote our listings and we have not used it to solicit for business. I don't think we will ever use it to directly solicit for business.. Simply because we don't feel that people want to be bombarded by constant solicitation. Instead we indirectly market to people. We ma... 07/27/2010

  While its great that home owners are getting more savvy about my profession - home staging - its also made things more difficult. Sometimes, with the issues I have to address as part of my job, regardless of how I give the feedback, it’s not always well received. What do I do? I am a professional home stager in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario and contrary to the current trendy perception of my career, my job isn’t for the faint of heart. In any given week I can see between 5 – 20 homes and although the primary focus of my job is assessing the houses I visit, much of my job is talking to home owners and discussing subjects which can result in them being hurt or offended. I empathize with how they feel however that does not stop me from doing my job – it can’t – because if I don’t address t... 07/26/2010

As many of you know I am hosting a Pets, Pets, Pets Contest on Facebook. The official link is www.facebook.com/petspetspetscontest. So far there are 132 entries. Contest ends on midnight, September 6, 2010. Now, Joker was very upset with me because, as a relative of mine, I wouldn't let him enter - he really thought he had a chance of winning that $100.00 Global Pet Foods Gift Certificate, and doesn't understand the trivial matters of humans. So, to help appease him I submitted his picture to the Global Pet Foods Pet of the Week and HE'S BEEN FEATURED!   I'm such a proud momma. You can see his handsome mug at http://www.globalpetfoods.ca/pet_week/pet_week.php all week. Happy Monday everyone. Enjoy your week! 07/26/2010

There's always a fine line to be walked when making changes to prepare a home for sale.  As stagers we need to recommend the changes that will have the biggest impact to keep (or get) the house at the top of its price range without eating into the potential returns.    There are always factors that cannot be changed, primarily location and price range.  Beyond those, buyers are going to be most strongly influenced by fresh paint, flooring, and storage.  It's all about the immediate visuals and forming the best first impression.   Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to transform a space from overly personalized to neutral, or seriously outdated to current, and this applies to both interior AND exterior.  Colour has such an emotional power, it can be warming or cooling... 07/26/2010