House Flanders, JM Nijs (Inside Guelph) 17/02/'10

House Flanders, JM Nijs talks about Healing Heaven a program for cancer patients.

Leave Staging to stagers, Painting to painters

Through my life, I have learned that I can’t be all things to all people. I would be a very unhappy person and it’s difficult to please everyone. It is very similar with professionals, we can’t be all things to our clients. As much as I would love to make more money, I can’t drywall, do plumbing for my clients, or paint their houses. Why? Well of course I can do all those things but would it be very professional of me to say I can fix your water heater or sell your house without having the proper education or training for it, and most importantly would the end results be as good as the jobs done by professionals who are trained and specialized in these fields ? Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should.

Would I really be saving my clients money by doing everything for them and is this the best for my customers ? Personally I don't think so, my clients hire me because I am a specialist in my field. My clients hire me to Decorate, Redesign or Stage their houses not to do all these other things. Ultimately it will be more cost effective to have a job well done by professionals who is a pro in their field. That’s why I leave the painting to the painters, plumbing to plumbers and selling homes to real estate agents. They know how to deal with challenges that arise from special customer needs or wishes. As a professional, I will do what’s best for my clients, not what I can do ok-ish for my clients.

That’s why I get very skeptical when I see websites, ads or commercials from painting, furniture, cleaning or property management companies offering Decorating, Redesign or Staging as part of their services. One can learn a lot from watching the DIY Channel or HGTV but lets not forget that the professionals who work on these TV shows have a lot of training and experience, just because they can do it does not mean I can. I also hear this a lot from sellers “I can stage my house myself" or "My agent agent tells me I don't need to stage my house", Well, I could easily say that you don't need a realtor to sell your home but I believe that an agent provides you with valuable inside information and advise, just like a Stager will stage your home the best way possible to get it sold quickly.

I am not saying that home decorating, redesign or staging is rocket science but there is still some finesse to it and better left to the professionals who have the expertise and enjoyed an education or training for it. So here is where I end up where I started "Leave Staging to stagers, Painting to painters".

Home Staging more important than ever.

How many times have you walked onto a property that was just listed for sale only to find a poorly maintained yard ? Then, when you walked into the house you were greeted with grime, chaos, clutter and out dated decorating styles. The reality is that properties that look rough command 15-20 % lower sales value than other properties. Home Staging is a profession that deals with this part of real estate, according to statistics from the Association of Realtors, staged homes sell 51% faster and for 9-13% more than non-staged homes.

Home staging is a psychological art. A stager understands this art and can transform an undesirable piece of real-estate into a neutral, appealing, and attractive product for sale. Home staging also reduces the time a property stays on the market. A good home stager does not only look to the interior of a home, but also the exterior and the neighbourhood since this is what a buyer will see first. Many people think that Home Staging tends to be for the wealthy people only. However, today a professional home stager is more affordable than ever.

The things that distracts the eye. While staging is certainly about clearing the clutter and rearranging the furniture it also can include painting, carpeting, landscaping and redecorating, in the extreme case or for a new house, home staging can be decorating from scratch. Whatever the degree of staging you do, it can make a significant difference in how quickly and for how much your your home sells.

Home staging is about evoking all the five senses. Making your property appeal to as many buyers as possible is an art, a stager can move a sofa from one side of the room to another and completely change the feeling and focus in that space. The home staging profesional also offers a fresh perspective and an understanding of why a change is important.

A secret weapon. Staging is "the secret weapon" to get your property sold fast and can sometimes results in multiple offers. Today more and more of the average population is enlisting a stager or a real estate agent who offers home staging services as part of their package, the reason behind this is because home buyers and sellers can see the intrinsic value of not only increasing the value of their property, but also reducing the time a property stays on the market.

Create the Holidays you Desire.

This time of year, you want to do something to make your home or business look festive and special, create a wonderful Holiday atmosphere. You'll find some ideas here to add a festive look to your home or business. Most ideas are very easy and take a minimum of time and effort. Choosing a colour scheme will make decorating much easier. Inspiration can be found fairly easy, for example: Your favourite ornament, gift paper or natural elements like pine cones, holly or berries. Harmonies your decorations with the existing colours in your interior. If your home or business has warm tones use gold, red, brown or olive with cool tones use silver, white, purple or lime to decorate. For a Natural look use clear lights, brown Christmas balls, reddish apples and a natural cotton trow, these elements emphasize the environment. For a traditional look use rustic reefs, lots of gold, wooden ornaments and a garland wrapped around the stairs case, this gives a great ambiance. For a more contemporary look use white birch bark ,white feathers and clear glass to give the impression from ice and snow, bring outside inside and create a winter wonderland. Use ribbons and ornaments to put wonderful colour around your home or business for this special season. Decorate with bows, tie generous ribbons to candlesticks, wreaths, garlands, stair railings, and doorknobs. Drape garlands on railings, over mirrors and along the mantle. Hang a wreath or swag on the front door to welcome customers and guests. Pile pine cones or reddish apples in a bowl or basket and display it on your desk or counter. Place a simple arrangement in a bookcase or on a occasional table, place shiny ornaments or a bunch of candy canes in a clear glass bowl or vase, gather sprigs of holiday greens together with a bow and hang them from the inside of your windows. Set the stage for a perfect holiday season with large colour full poinsettias and last but not least add some shine and sparkle to everything to give that personal touch to your home or business and create the joyful atmosphere you desire. By keeping things simple, you'll find that you can enjoy the holiday season, the lights, the decorations and the ambiance with family and friends.

Happy Holidays!

From Good Bye to Welcome....

Recently House Flanders was called in to do a Staging and we were happy to provide our service, when we arrived at the clients home the lady of the house apologized to us for not being creative at all with her home and that her friends often told her " Do something about your Hallway".

I looked around as the client asked for my honest opinion and I replied, we'll turn your entrance in to"From Good Bye to Welcome" the client started smiling and said we'll get to work.

We had the greatest time that day and the client was the most adorable lady I have ever met, included are some before and after shots, Enjoy!

And there was Light...

Every where in your house you should emphasize light in every way, it will bring out the architectural features of your home. Busy wallpaper and dark colours in your home only give it a down and claustrophobic feeling, also try to avoid using dark colours on your ceiling, you don't want them to seem lower. Light colours such as white, light grey or pastels will ensure that your space will optically seem much larger. Try out different light sources to add light to your space, this will make your room feel more spacious and open, be sure to use both direct and indirect light, there are a hundred and one options out there so choose wisely. Use mirrors in dark spaces to create the illusion that the room looks larger and brighter, mirrors will enhance your space, it's a very old trick but be assured that it works. Mirrors also give depth to your interior. And never forget a space that is clean and tidy can also give your room a larger look. Tip: In a children's room choose for custom drawers that fit under the bed to store away toys or winter cloths instead of placing a night table next to the bed. You can easily use the space you gain to place a seating area or small office.

Interior advice comes in a lot of forms. You can read articles in journals, find information on the internet, ask advice from an interior consultant and more. When you find your space beautiful and functional and it suits your needs. The best recommendation you can get is advice that respects your living wishes. The challenge of re-arranging a room is to keep it spacious and fresh, interiors easily fill up during the years. Clear out your space and remove a number of older items, replace them with some new items, this will give your space new energy and improve your living environment. Before you start re-arranging your room think of the activities that will take place in your space and position your furniture to suit that purpose. Pay attention to how daylight affects your space. Using a good lighting plan always pays off.

If the information in this blog was useful to you please feel free to contact House Flanders for personal advice tailored to your home and living wishes.