Most often, clients are selling the home that they currently live in.  They are savvy sellers and know the benefits of staging their property effectively in order to Stand out in the Market.

The OCCUPIED house is furnished, home decor and family mementos are on full display, the kitchen is fully operational, storage closets are packed to the rafters, the laundry bins are full.    In many cases, all that is needed to prepare those properties for sale is a consultation with a Home Staging Expert who will advise the homeowner on all the necessary changes needed to get their property “open house ready”.

But what if,  as the seller,  you fall into one of these categories?

• you are simply out of time and energy to make those changes on your own.
• you have spare bedrooms  or work rooms that never got completed and they’re currently storing your ‘overflow’.
• some or all of your furniture is either so outdated,  oversized or undersized that it completely overshadows or undersells the true selling features of your house.
• you admittedly ARE a “pack rat”…whether a “collector” or a “pile filer” you know that your house is CLUTTERED.
• you just can’t keep ahead of the clutter and house cleaning amidst packing, preparing to move AND maintaining your job, caring for your children, carrying on with “LIFE”

If any of this sounds familiar, then you may just need a Home Staging “intervention”.     Don’t forget,   buyers need to imagine living in your house.  They need to visualize how their possessions will fit in.      Selling your house could be a tough sell if potential buyers can’t get past the perceived disorder .

These are all issues that Home Staging experts face on a daily basis. And this may just be the time to seek qualified, professional help from an expert Home Stager …..to ”enhance” the house that you live in.

As certified Home Staging professionals, Accentute Home Staging will work along with you or complete the necessary staging for you – using what you already have and, only if necessary,  supplementing with additional furniture and home decor or arranging for cleaning and packing services. From editing, adding or re-arranging furniture, re-hanging art to de-cluttering and re-organizing, we make the necessary in-home changes needed to get your house market ready.

So how does Accentuate do it? Click here for a Behind the Scenes look at what it takes to Accentuate an occupied property…

Want more information about enhancing furnished properties, staging vacant properties or our extensive rental inventory?

Call us today at 604-328-6479 to learn how we help you MAXIMIZE the DEMAND for your next listing.

But what about those of you selling your home through the holidays? You’ve just staged your home effectively by decluttering, reorganizing, giving it show-home style and now you’re about to re-populate the house with years and years of decorations?  TIME OUT ! In this shifting real estate market, you just can’t let your guard down.

So how do you continue to merchandise your house to ensure maximum buyer appeal but still enjoy a little bit of that holiday magic that we all love. Here are a few home staging strategies to help you sell your home during the holidays:

Holiday Curb Appeal

• Hang a simple string of white lights along the roof line. Easy. Elegant. Done!
• Please, please, please – Pack up your extravagant icicle strands, They are too distracting and, I assure you, are best left for next year in YOUR new place.

Front Door

• Doors wreaths are welcoming and are one of the easiest ways to instantly set the stage for your home.
• Simple is best – something that blends with and “accentuates” your house colours. How about a simple cedar wreath, dressed up with natural pine cones. For a punch of colour, trying adding a few red or silver ornaments or weaving some bright red berry vines throughout
• 1 or 2 pretty planter pots can complete your welcoming, yet festive display. Use your imagination, but keep it simple. Try an arrangement with a few sticks from your garden, an overflowing spray of cedar, holy branches, a simple bow.

Front Lawn

• Take it easy here! I always recommend keeping the lawns clear of decorations. Just as with exterior lights, too many decorations can be distracting. Let the house speak for itself.…..you want the buyers’ eye to focus on your welcoming front door,  not on a 6 foot Frosty the Snowman!

Interior Decorating that Sells

Less is More

• Use less of your ornament collection this year…..buyers need to imagine furnishing and decorating the house with their things. Rooms with your personal ornaments will be distracting to most.
• Consider using ornaments in one colour theme only and that complements your furnishings & decor – reds, blues, silvers or purples, for instance, to create a comfortable flow from room to room.
• Don’t overcrowd with ornaments. Too many ornaments can detract from the best features of the house. Isn’t the house what you want buyers to focus on?
• How about placing a bowl full of ornaments on the buffet, a simple candle/vine arrangement on the mantle, a bowl full of oranges scented with cloves on the coffee table. It’s simple, it’s elegant, it’s welcoming.
• The tree. Just like the room, don’t overcrowd the tree with ornaments. And don’t forget to place a few neatly wrapped (empty) boxes to place under the tree – now doesn’t that say “Home for the Holidays!”

Setting the festive scene for potential buyers will make them feel at home by capturing the mood of the holidays.   Buyers will be able to visualize enjoying many years to come of holiday celebrations with their own family.  Evoke this emotion and you’ve made the SALE !   And…you’ve enjoyed the holiday spirit as well.   So enjoy the holidays and get decking the halls!

Want to learn more tips on how to appeal to the buyer’s senses during the Holidays?  Stay tuned for our upcoming blog.

Happy Holidays!

So you’ve moved out but you’ve chosen to keep your home on the market through the holidays.   A vacant house can be difficult to sell because its true potential isn’t realized without the right furniture and accessories.   And over the holidays, it can be even more difficult if possible buyers first impression isn’t “warm and inviting.”

Try this as your house selling strategy. 

First things first – furnish your vacant home. It will make it feel warm and inviting.  Buyers will visualize what their furniture looks like in your home – this is a good thing! It means they are thinking that this could be their home!  (If you need to rent furniture to achieve this, Accentuate has an extensive rental inventory of furniture and home accessories which we would be happy to share with you)

Through the holidays, breathe some life into a sterile space by staging neutrally, yet “festively” in the living room, dining room, guest bathroom (or main bathroom) and kitchen.

Kitchen: A simple bowl of apples or mandarin oranges tied with a pretty ribbons will do the trick! Perhaps even put out a plate of shortbread cookies! 

Bathroom: Burn a spicy, cinnamon and clove candle to create atmosphere. Aveda has a great holiday candle that smells like vanilla, cloves and cinnamon.   

Living Room: A festive coloured throw to curl up by the fireplace and a bowl or vase full of sparkling ornaments will definitely make any buyer feel at home. 

Dining Room:  Now is the time to set your table for guests…..”buying” guests that is!  Complete your table setting with a festive runner, candlesticks, ornaments, fresh twigs or pine boughs and you have a winner.   Let the buyers imagine themselves entertaining in their new home.  There’s no better time to set that mood than the Holidays.

My top holiday decorating tip – Have fun, but don’t overdo it.  Decorate minimally with just enough holiday pizzazz  to make that buyer feel warm and cozy.  

And one last thing…….pack up  those decorations by the New Year.  Let the buyer know that you’re on top of it.

So you don’t have the “craft” thumb? Here’s some easy to do projects that you can use to spruce up your home for the holidays.

• Gather up old vases and clear glass jars that you are planning on giving away when you move.  Tie festive coloured ribbons around the jars and fill them with poinsettias, pine cones, old ornaments, greenery or candles. Try different groupings of the jars and vases on tables, mantles or in a fireplace that isn’t in use.

• Did you know that women tend to buy on emotion? Emotion is also linked to smell– and smells sell!  Avoid using heavy perfumes or commercial air fresheners to achieve this.  Go for yummy smelling baking smells! Stage this by simmering a simple blend of 2 sticks cinnamon, 5-6 cloves and 8 cups of apple cider (thank you care2.com for this recipe)

• Bring the outdoors in.  Gather up twigs, branches, pine cones and greenery. Spray paint with red, gold, or silver and play with various arrangements.

• Tempt them with treats at your next open house.   Give Santa a break and leave some fresh baked cookies for your potential buyers instead.   Nothing says “HOME” or is more welcoming that a fresh baked treat.

• Visit Coaching with Cathy’s blog to see some great ideas on how to reuse greeting cards.

If you have already moved and the house you have on the market is vacant – follow this link to “Set The Stage to be Home for the Holidays – What to do with your Vacant Property this holiday season”