Articles Enhance Your Home With Curb Appeal When selling your home in a competitive market, curb appeal can not be overrated. Curb appeal is the image your home gives from the street.

Your front entrance can shout pride of ownership and extend a warm hospitable welcome, or can be enough to send buyers away without even stopping. As prospective buyers approach your home their sensors are on alert to determine if this is the one for them. Several factors work together to create the desired look of a cared for, well maintained home.

Start with a clean slate. Remove everything that is not nailed down. Then scrub the step and sweep away the cobwebs. Wash the door inside and out and clean the light fixture. Now you can see exactly what you have got. If the door needs fresh paint, schedule that task for a warm autumn day. Choose a high gloss exterior paint that can handle the traffic in this busy spot. Select a colour that contrasts or compliments the main colour of your house. The addition of colour here begins to transform a common entry into an eye catching focal point for your home.

Pay attention to details. If the doorbell is broken or unsightly, replace it. If there is no bell, install one now or affix a charming metal knocker to the door. If space allows, furniture makes this area more welcoming. A weatherproof chair or bench placed to the side of the front door adds charm and produces images of neighbourly visits. A doormat is not only functional but adds to the overall appearance. If there is room for nothing else, include flowers. A pot of flowers, an urn of flowers, a barrel of flowers or a vine of flowers all help to say welcome.

With your home's focal point established, look out toward the street. All that you see speaks to buyers about your home. Make sure it makes a positive comment. The bicycles and barbecue need to be out of sight as well as the garbage and recycling bins. Keep the lawn trimmed and edged and the gardens weeded. When needed, water the lawn and garden to keep it lush. Add flowering plants along the driveway or walkway to brighten up the picture.

By taking steps to enhance curb appeal you can confidently welcome guests to your home or place that “for sale” sign on your lawn. Your refreshed entry will speak of a home carefully tended. Your flowers and lawn present a cheerful greeting. All who see your home will feel warmly welcomed. And that is what curb appeal is all about.

Contact information:
Phone: 250-743-0498
Email: marcia@sunnybrookhomestaging.ca

A Cozy Place to Read

		Here we are in September, the traditional time for starting new classes, new projects and new books. Now is a great time to create a cozy reading corner in your home to be enjoyed throughout the long rainy evenings ahead. Whether you will be reading with a child, studying or escaping into a novel, a designated reading corner provides a comfortable setting for this pleasurable pursuit. Your corner can be as simple or elaborate as you choose. Start with a comfy upholstered chair, big enough for you and a couple of pillows or a small child. Next you will need a small table to place beside the chair.

A lamp providing proper lighting should be positioned just over shoulder height. Be sure it is fitted with a soft white bulb to avoid glare.

A footstool adds to the reader's comfort and may be upholstered to coordinate with the room's decor. Near your comfy chair position a bookcase to stock with an assortment of reading material. Include books about places you would like to see, topics you would like to explore, and a good novel.

If your reading corner is shared by other family members , designate personal shelves for book storage. Mom and Dad's books go on the top shelves and the children's books go on the bottom shelves. This will save you time sifting through Robert Munch and Dr. Suess to find your book, and keep your reading corner orderly.

At the moment you have a very adequate retreat, but if you are thinking of spending long hours here maybe a little more attention to comfort and beauty are called for. Let's add two down filled pillows that can be fluffed and formed to snug into that spot in your back that always needs a little more support. And for those evenings when the rain just won't stop, keep a warm throw on the back of your chair. A small clock on the table may help you keep in touch with this world as you travel through the world of books. Put some coasters on your table for setting mugs of tea and water bottles, then add something pretty, either fresh flowers, artwork or a small sculpture that will draw your attention and make you smile.

Now your reading corner is complete. When the weather turns chilly and damp you will be warm and snug, curled up with a book in this new, beautiful, comfy spot. It will stand ready for you, all day every day. Your cozy reading corner will provide comfort for your body and delight for your eyes as you enjoy the world of books.

Contact information:
Phone: 250-743-0498
Email: marcia@sunnybrookhomestaging.ca

Home Staging to Sell

		With the real estate market softening a bit, your house may be just one of many for sale in your neighbourhood. You may think a price reduction is the answer to so much competition. However, there is another option and it usually costs less than the first price reduction. Home staging helps your home stand above the competition and sell at a higher price than without staging. Your staged home shows its best and touches the hearts of all who view it.

Buyers require very little time to decide whether they could happily live in your home. They have already done the homework. A list has logically been compiled of homes with the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms in their price range. As they go through the list, viewing each property, they are waiting to be “wowed.” They are hoping to find the best home and fall in love with it.

Thus, your home needs to appeal to both the senses and the imagination. By whisking away dirt and clutter, repositioning furniture and choosing accessories to highlight your home's best features, home staging creates a home that stands out on a buyer's list. The home feels fresh, calm and spacious. Buyers can imagine their furnishings and activities working here. Your staged home makes a lasting good impression, a connection with the buyer.

The magic starts at the front door with an entryway that whispers, “Welcome to this warm, bright, well kept home. We have been expecting you.” The impression is reinforced as the staged living room suggests pleasant gatherings with family and friends. The dining room says “There is plenty of room for entertaining.” The staged kitchen says, “Meal preparation is a pleasure here and the dishes practically wash themselves.” The bedrooms promise to be a place for relaxation and refreshment. The staged bathrooms sparkle and smell fresh. They call to mind a spa you would like to visit. The staged utility room boasts that laundry here is a breeze and never piles up. The yards and gardens of staged homes are tidy and inviting. They suggest outdoor activities.

The answer to high competition is not dropping your price but staging your home. Make sure that your home is showing its best and making a great impression in the minds and hearts of those who view it. Staging to sell will help you to create a home that buyers will fall in love with, a home that will not sit long on the market and will bring you top dollar.

Contact information:
Phone: 250-743-0498
Email: marcia@sunnybrookhomestaging.ca

Holiday Home Staging

		As the home seller turns the page of the calendar and realizes that it is December the question that comes to mind is, “How can I sell my home over the holidays?” Holiday Staging is the solution to your home showing its best and attracting the hearts of serious buyers. The view from the curb needs to be tidy, colourful and inviting enough to entice the buyers from their warm cars.

Keep the yard and walk cleared of leaves and branches. Arrange evergreen boughs and pine cones in planters that held blossoms in the warmer months. Say welcome by hanging a wreath or swag on the front door. If Christmas lights are used in your neighbourhood and you want to hang some, keep the display simple and electric cords out of sight.

As the front door opens Buyers should be bathed in warmth, light and the hint of something that smells good. You could pop some cookies in the oven or simmer some mulled cider on the stove or just boil some cinnamon in water before they arrive. The first sniff of the air in your home makes quite an impression. Make it pleasant.

When it comes to Christmas decorations use the rule “less is more” as your decorating guide. Hanging all the children's stockings on all their special hooks, and displaying all the Christmas cards on the mantle will cause this main feature of your home to go unrecognized.

Remember your decorating rule and arrange the mantle simply with boughs and candles to compliment your décor. A full sized tree may create a cramped room and inhibit traffic flow. If this is your case, consider a smaller tree this year, placed on a table top. Be careful not to cover every flat surface with your decorations. Leave some open spaces to give rooms a sense of spaciousness.

Include tantalizing accent fabrics throughout your home that cry out to be touched. A velvety pillow on a chair, a fringed throw on the bed and fluffy new towels in the bathrooms all say comfort to buyers.

The kitchen is the hardest working room in any house and over the holidays it is even busier. Keeping it sparkling clean is your biggest challenge. While your house is on the market limit yourself to one cooking project at a time, so that a quick clean-up is possible when buyers are coming in fifteen minutes.

With some forethought and Holiday Staging you can enjoy the holidays and stay prepared for showings too. This season provides a great opportunity to sell your house and begin the New Year with your next home in sight.

Contact information:
Phone: 250-743-0498
Email: marcia@sunnybrookhomestaging.ca