On Neutral Paints when Selling a House

Giving your house a fresh coat of paint prior to selling continues to be one of the best updates you can do in terms of return on investment; not only does it make the home look fresh and clean but it provides for a great first  impression and a well-maintained look!

You may have heard about choosing a neutral colour for selling a house.  Sticking with neutrals eliminates any objections and distractions and provides buyers an easy backdrop for their belongings… it allows them to move right in and personalize it down the road if they choose!

There are countless neutrals to choose from, all with different undertones — some more pronounced than others.  So how do you choose which colour may be best? The most important thing to keep in mind is paint colours should compliment the home’s existing fixed finishes such as flooring, countertops, and cabinets.

This bedroom is painted with Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray SW 7029 | Waterloo, ON

Some of the most common choices for selling a house would be lighter neutrals with little visible undertone.  Some colours, by Sherwin-Williams, that are versatile and consistently work well in a variety of settings are: 

• Alabaster SW 7006
• Agreeable Gray SW 7029  *shown in bedroom photo above
• Amazing Gray SW 7044
• Moderne White SW 6168
• Repose Gray SW 7015
• Worldly Gray SW 7043

KW Home Staging & Redesign | Favourite Neutral Paint Colours

Neutrals tend to be my favourite even when not thinking of resale!  I like complimenting them with deep muted hues on accent walls!  

And remember: Neutral coloured rooms don’t have to be boring!  If you feel like you’re missing some colour, try pops of colour through artwork and accessories (new throw pillows)!

Paint discounts and trade professional recommendations available to KW Home Staging & Redesign clients!  Please inquire!

An in-home Colour Consultation is included as part of the Home Staging Consultation service or can be scheduled on its own.  Please review our services at: https://www.homestagingkw.com/serviceoverview

How We Refinished Our Staircase - Without Sanding!

Written by Julie Metaxas, KW Home Staging & Redesign

This is a quick post to give some courage and inspriation to those who may be considering refinishing their dated oak staircase.  This is simply one tried and true option -- as I know there are many out there.  After doing it ourselves, I can definitely say I would recommend this method -- after considering the unique features and requirements of your particular project, of course! 

We followed the methods and suggestions from this particular blog: http://www.practicallyspoiled.com/2014/10/23/how-to-gel-stain-oak-banisters/ 

...and we're extremely happy with the way it turned out, and have no concerns with how it's holding up either!

Incase you're wondering, here are the products we used (for the gel stain components used on the stair treads, spindles, railing, and posts):

What We Used
(for the gel stain components used on the stair treads, spindles, railing, and posts)

So now, you HAVE to CHECK THIS OUT! 

Before & After & Along the Way 

Realtor.ca Listing Photo from when we purchased the home in 2017
(however you may guess this photo was taken in 1977!)

And here it began: 8 months into our move (as renovations go... many months later than planned)... Ripping up the carpet!

This is me applying the gel stain... With my husband's old (clean) sock on my hand.  We went through several of these in the end.

Some photos of the process...

After gel stain coat #1

After gel stain coat #3

Painting (priming) proved much more difficult than it seemed and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get a nice professional finish.  To the rescue, a pro painter for the finishing coats!

Some more Before & Afters...

Before

After

Before

After

Source Guide:
Paint: Sherwin-Williams SW7006 Extra White (primer: Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond Primer)
Carpet: Tuftex | Only Natural in Carbon | https://www.tuftexcarpets.com
Carpet purchase and installation: S.L. Marcella Carpets in Waterloo http://www.marcellacarpets.ca
Painter: Debbie Ennis, Creative Walls 519-573-6359
The How-To: http://www.practicallyspoiled.com/2014/10/23/how-to-gel-stain-oak-banisters/ 

It's Been Too Long - Hello 2018!

Wow, it's been way too long since I've updated the blog!  Where did 2017 go?  As an entrepreneur largely tackling this business on my own, I guess something's gotta give, and my time has been spent primarily on Home Staging Consultations, the occasional vacant staging project, and all the other fun stuff that goes along with running a busy little business.  All this to say, better luck seeing me on Facebook or Instagram!  Happy upcoming 2018!

Julie

Design Project - Main Floor Renovation

Incase you missed it, visit the link below to take you to a Facebook photo album telling the story of this recent Design Project, from start to finish:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1850001535268131.1073741839.1694621390806147&type=1&l=f1984c8c5d

The Power of Paint: BEFORE & AFTER

Most often, home sellers know they have to do some level of refacing to get their homes ready for sale but the problem is they are not sure exactly where to begin.  

A list of property-specific recommendations are covered in our Home Staging Consultation in a collaborative approach with the Realtor and home owners.

In this case, a can of paint and some guidance and support went a long way to get this dining room move-in-ready for potential home buyers.

When a home stager recommends that a client remove personal touches and give a room a fresh coat of neutral paint, the goal is always to achieve a move-in ready feel and to allow buyers to see the true potential and value of the space.

Before

After this Home Staging Consultation, our sellers were left with some clear direction and support on how to best showcase this dining room using their existing belongings and a fresh coat of paint.

By making these small changes, buyers can now entirely focus on what we’re trying to sell - the house!  

Bright, spacious, functional, beautiful!

What an outstanding transformation!

Paint Colour:  Sherwin-Williams SW 7029 Agreeable Grey

This Kitchener-Waterloo home sold in multiple offers for well over asking price in less than a week on the market!

Congrats to our sellers and their hard-working Realtor, Paul Koebel, on their outstanding efforts and quick, successful sale!

Top 5 Reasons REALTORS Choose to Work with KW Home Staging & Redesign

(for a Home Staging Consultation) 

Derived from feedback and conversations from current Realtor clients, read below to learn the top reason why Realtors choose KW Home Staging & Redesign to provide a Home Staging Consultation to their home seller clients.

1.   The tactful approach 

Sometimes home stagers can get a poor reputation for being harsh, rude or even insulting.  This is never our approach.  We are not hesitant to deliver information that could hamper or impact the sale of the home, however we choose a tactful and professional approach to this conversation. 

2.   The full-service consultation

Home Staging Consultations in Kitchener-Waterloo vary in price and can include any combination of: verbal recommendations, obtaining the stager’s hand-written notes, written reports, and/or after-service care.  Not all consultations are the same and many offer the verbal recommendations ("walk & talk consultation") only.  KW Home Staging & Redesign’s consultation is competitively priced and is considered a full-service consultation.  Our goal is to make home sellers feel confident in their ability to implement our recommendations, on their own, without any additional and unnecessary costs.  We are, however, available upon the sellers' request, for additional services.

3.   The written report and after-service support 

Proven to be the very elements that allow our DIY sellers to be successful in properly preparing and staging their homes!

4.   Value-add for listing presentations 

With a shortage of inventory on the market, there is more competition than ever for local real estate agents to get listings.  A complimentary Home Staging Consultation for home sellers is considered a value-add service for a realtor's listing package, and with us, a home staging consultation does not need to be intimidating for home sellers as there is never any pressure to hire KW Home Staging & Redesign for additional services.

5.   The handyman referral 

Often Home Staging Consultation recommendations include suggested updates and repairs required prior to listing, but let’s face it - not all sellers have the time or budget, or skill to accomplish this.  Our trusted referral partner, Kingwood Craftsmen Ltd. can help and KW Home Staging & Redesign offers a 20% referral discount on their Handyman Service.

Owner-Occupied Home Staging & Design Solutions

Servicing Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas
KW Home Staging & Redesign

Say HELLO to KW Home Staging & Redesign's new Home Office!

Say HELLO to KW Home Staging & Redesign's new Home Office!

Further to a previous post "Wallpaper is Absolutely a Great Option Today" I thought I would share my 'After' photos from my home office makeover.

As some of you know, the need for this project escalated over the months.  I wish I had a picture, but I had been working off a plastic and metal folding table from a hardware store.  It lacked adequate workspace, shelving, drawers, comfort, and of course, style!

I'm a firm believer that disorganized work spaces hurt productivity.  A work environment needs to be clean, organized, functional and inviting; it needs to be a space where we feel comfortable and that inspires us.  A happy place, at work!

The opportunity came this August, when my in-laws offered to take the kids away to 'Gramma Camp' for the week.  What better time?  I jumped on the opportunity!

I couldn't forego the wallpaper!

And after careful planning and a few late nights, I couldn't be happier with the results!!!  Invoicing and those tedious day-to-day tasks of running a business is just SO much more enjoyable with this project complete!

Source guide:

Wallpaper - Brewster Home Fashions
Chairs - Pier 1 Imports
Desktop - 98" walnut countertop
Cabinetry - Ikea Sektion, Alex
Decor - Various

KW Home Staging & Redesign 

www.homestagingkw.com