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

WALLPAPER IS ABSOLUTELY A GREAT OPTION TODAY!

There seems to be some debate about whether wallpaper is 'in' again.  For some, the thought may make them cringe!  I will not hesitate to say, however, that WALLPAPER IS ABSOLUTELY A GREAT OPTION!!!  ...When done right and in the right application.  My strongest recommendation would be to restrict it to a feature wall and use it subtly.  Do not overdo it or go so bold that it overpowers the room.

Source: Pinterest

Source: Pinterest

Source: Pinterest

  

Source: Pinterest

Great patterns available today!
...These are by Brewster (see link below)

Another reason to not shy away from wallpapering: There are products on the market today that ease the ability to remove it down the road, while making it easier to apply, too. Here is one example:

Shur-Stik 78 Premixed Wallsize

A glimpse into my current project in the making:

Home Office Makeover

I have to admit, it wasn't an easy thing to DIY, but well worth the effort and it turned out amazing!  Thanks to Dulux Paints - Waterloo for the excellent service and support for the scope of this project!  

Visit www.brewsterwallcovering.com for a great selection of subtle modern patterns and even more traditional ones, available by special order at retailers in North America:  Where to Buy

The Goal is Mass Appeal!

Q: Is Home Staging for a particular type of home?

I read something recently supporting home staging for every price bracket and I think it's so true. It referenced the point that EVERY home is SOMEONE'S luxury home. 

Adequately preparing a home for sale and staging it can help create the 'luxury' effect for ANY home on the market, for ANY buyer looking to visualize THEIR perfect space. 

A large number of professional home stagers will work in diverse markets and price points and will address far beyond the scope of what is traditionally thought to fall under the umbrella of home staging. From traditional decluttering and depersonalizing to recognizing areas of concern for buyers on both a conscious and subconscious level... But I'll save that for another post!

The bottom line is that regardless of the home itself, it is now a PRODUCT - and the goal is mass appeal! Even professionally designed homes may not highlight the home's best selling features and may reflect personal tastes that may not appeal to most buyers!

Finish & Fixture Selection Service

Here is a glimpse into our Finish & Fixture Selection service including customized idea boards, design boards, product sourcing and shopping services!  It all starts with a preliminary meeting (full consultation) to determine the scope of the project, your timelines, and your goals.  Following this visit we will deliver a detailed proposal with a plan and cost to execute this service.  

Customized Design Board by KW Home Staging & Redesign

AREA RUG SHOPPING? Here’s something you may never have considered!

There are so many considerations for choosing the perfect area rug and this has been proven to be a tedious and time consuming task given the selection (or lack thereof) on the market.

Did you find the perfect rug… but it’s not the right size. Find the right size… but it’s not the perfect colour or pile height? Are you pretty sure you found what you like but are contemplating if it's worth lugging it home onlyto find out it’s not right? Side note of precaution: Some online retailers (i.e. Wayfair.ca) will allow free returns, but make you pay for return shipping - Yikes!

PROBLEM SOLVED! Consider having your rug bound! There are countless options on the market today, more than ever! You can choose from different stylish patterns, colours and shades. You can bring home the palette sample to ensure the right pattern and colour and then order to your specs! It’s that easy! PS. Bound rugs also tend to be better quality too!

And the cost? It may surprise you to hear it’s quite comparable to what you may pay at major retailers (HomeSense, Lowes, Wayfair, etc).
Tuftex is a brand I’m familiar (and happy) with but do your research and I’m sure you’ll find many more! Try calling the friendly staff at The Carpet Store in Kitchener for more information!

On Staging and Toys, Toys ...and More Toys; Staging Kids' Spaces!

Sellers often have the notion that they must hide away all their kids’ stuff when selling their house.  The good news is, this is absolutely unnecessary in my opinion - especially if young families are part of the target market for the sale!  

Prospective buyers with kids will like to see a usable play area for their kids!  I do, however, feel it’s often necessary to scale down, quite drastically, on what we have out around the house.  Over the years we tend to collect more toys than any kid would ever need (sound familiar?) and kids toys, more than anything, tend to overrun our daily living spaces.  My most common recommendation when it comes to kids ‘stuff’ (toys, craft tables, etc) is to isolate and display it in a designated space...  a section of the basement rec room, kids’ bedrooms, or ideally, a playroom.   Use decorative baskets or bins - they make everything look neat and tidy!  And again, don’t forget to take this opportunity to pack away or donate a majority of the small things that can be seen as clutter and take the focus away from what we’re selling - the house!

KW Home Staging & Redesign | Home Staging Consultations | Staging Kids Rooms

Let's Create Some Gallery Walls!

Spent some time at HomeSense last night with two great friends!  The mission:  Gallery walls for their homes!  The inspiration:  A past project I had done!  The limitations:  Nothing but the space we were working with, and the current feel and decor of the home, of course!  We had some great success with both collections, and what better end to the evening than a delicious pina colada on an outdoor patio!  Thanks for the nice evening, girls! 

KW Home Staging & Redesign

Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas

Hidden Gems from Around the House Help Create This!

I thought I should share an example of a room transformation from an owner-occupied Home Staging I was a part of recently.

This room was staged using the home seller's furniture and accessories from around the home. It's incredible what we can do with repurposing and relocating furniture and items from shelves, bins and closets to create a pleasant space buyers can enjoy without distraction!

Even if prospective buyers do not intend to make this a child's room, the furniture helps show scale and the subtle decor helps bring the space to life!

-with Beyond The Stage Homes  http://www.beyondthestagehomes.com

KW Home Staging & Redesign | www.homestagingkw.com | info@homestagingkw.com | 519-208-6406

Julie's Top 3 Tips for How to Sell a House with Kids!

I've worked with numerous sellers who ask the question all the time... "How am I going to keep this house clean and show-ready with kids?!"  Here is some advice I like to give and some things that have worked for our sellers!

1.  GET THEM INVOLVED  Talk to them about the process and why it’s important to keep the home looking its best for potential buyers.  Get them excited about getting the house sold (asap) and the new adventure to come for them!  

2.  SORTING AND ORGANIZING CAN BE AN ACTIVITY  Make a game of it or provide small rewards if that’s something that tends to work for your kids!

3.  HAVE A SPOT FOR EVERYTHING  Use nice baskets and bins - They make everything look neat and tidy!  Make sure items aren’t spilling over and with open top baskets, be sure things are placed nicely within if you can see up top.  Be careful with clear bins that aren’t in a cabinet, closet, drawer, or storage room since they can look junky! 

KW Home Staging & Redesign www.homestagingkw.com

23rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament

KW Home Staging & Redesign is happy to support the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors' 23rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament in support of Habitat for Humanity on June 28th. We will be donating two Home Staging Consultations, available for auction at the event! 

A couple foursomes left to fill - don't wait! Click the link for more information or to register:  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/kwar-23rd-annual-charity-golf-t…

We Eliminate Distractions! What does that mean?...

Distraction \ dis·trac·tion (home staging): Anything that takes the focus away from what we're selling - the house!

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED to learn what can be distracting to a buyer. Some distractions are obvious, like bold coloured walls and clutter, while others are subtle and can often affect buyers on a subconscious level. 

The average home seller may not know how to pick out what may be a distraction (not to mention sellers are often understandably biased given it's their own home). Even avid DIY-ers will often miss eliminating these!

Home stagers are trained to identify and eliminate distractions that could prevent buyers from seeing the true potential and value of a home.

By identifying and addressing distractions from a buyer's perspective, KW Home Staging & Redesign helps its clients create a home that will appeal to the most home buyers.

Contact us today!

www.homestagingkw.com/#!consultations

Back to Basics | The Home Staging Consultation

Real Estate Agents, Home Sellers:  Read on to see how this service can benefit you!

A Home Staging Consultation is the cornerstone of the home staging process.  When we talk about staging a home, it all begins with a consultation.  Home owners can choose to implement recommendations themselves or schedule a home stager for a choice of Staging Services.  

Depending on the market and what is offered as part of the consultation, the investment for a staging consultation can range anywhere from $75 to upward of $500 (in areas like the GTA), in general.  

About KW Home Staging & Redesign, specifically…

We are specially trained to ensure that money invested on preparing your home is being focused on the right things and places.  We will make recommendations on upgrades, repairs, and staging that will benefit your property in today’s market.

KW Home Staging & Redesign has structured its consultation to include a detailed walk-through of the home (with the home owner) for up to 2 hours.  At the end of the visit we provide a property-specific report detailing the recommendations discussed.  

Our Home Staging Consultations address a number of important points, such as:

* suggested updates, upgrades and repairs that will yield a high ROI (return on investment);

* colour consultation for paint recommendations;

* cleaning, decluttering, depersonalizing requirements;

* practical tips for organization and storage;

* proper furniture and accessory layout and placement; and

* decor assessment.

The feedback on this service has been phenomenal!  Our clients love receiving a report to work from and have expressed satisfaction with our process, ideas, and delivery.

KW Home Staging & Redesign is pleased to offer this comprehensive and property-specific Home Staging Consultation service for only $200!  Realtors and Home Sellers alike - Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you simplify and reduce the time your property is listed!  Not to mention an amazing ROI when our recommendations are implemented!

Realtor.ca | Listing ID: 30512552 | For sale

Open House Saturday 2-4!

The Record's New Ventures: KW Home Staging & Redesign

Thank you to The Record for a little writeup about us in today's paper....

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6699226-new-ventures-escape-rooms-home-staging-and-design/

Had some fun out shopping last night!  Found some great simple and inexpensive solutions to make this space more functional for a small family!

New Facebook Post by KW Home Staging & Redesign

HOW TO LIVE HAPPIER IN YOUR HOME

Trust our 5 ideas to help you be happier in your current home!

https://www.facebook.com/notes/kw-home-staging-redesign-by-julie-metaxas/how-to-live-happier-in-your-home/1727244857543800

Prize Winner!

Congrats to Kitchener-Waterloo Realtor, Paul Koebel, for winning a Home Staging Consultation by KW Home Staging & Redesign at today's Declutter for a Cause event! Thanks to all who entered to win and donated to the cause!

Declutter for a Cause! | Upcoming Event this Saturday!

KW Home Staging & Redesign is happy to be part of this year's 6th Annual National Garage Sale - Declutter for a Cause!  Happening this Saturday, May 7th from 8am-1pm at Wolle Realty; 842 Victoria St. N., Kitchener.

Open to the Public!  Free BBQ, live music, bake sale!

Come shop for some great deals or donate unwanted, gently used items for a good cause (no clothes, mattresses or large appliances).  Bring your old electronics and they will be recycled or disposed of responsibly.

100% of the proceeds go to local women's shelter, Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, and Woolwich Community Services.

Hope to see you there!

https://www.facebook.com/WolleRealty/

Misconception #2... About What We Really Do

Misconception #2:  A Home Stager will just tell me to declutter and depersonalize my home.  I can do that myself.

Decluttering and depersonalizing are two common staging techniques aimed to allow buyers to see beyond distractions in the home.  These are important techniques, but are in fact just a small part of what most professional home stagers will address.  I do, however, want to stress the importance of decluttering and depersonalizing so let's talk about it here…

It may seem like an easy task but there is a lot of emotion that goes into decluttering and depersonalizing a home.  We need to remember that your home is now a product - a commodity - and we want it to appeal to the broadest number of buyers.  Research shows that buyers want to envision themselves in a home and clutter will give the impression that there isn’t space for their belongings.  ‘Stuff’ can make a room feel smaller than it actually is.  Personal items like tissue boxes and yes, even your alarm clock, can be perceived as clutter.  Photographs, collectibles or items that reflect political or religious views can be distracting and don't allow buyers to easily visualize themselves in the house or visualize the potential of a room.

It is estimated that only 10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of a home.  That means 90% are not going to be able to look past clutter and distractions such as personal items!

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As part of KW Home Staging & Redesign’s Home Staging Consultations, we provide an action plan to neutralize and remove any items that will distract from the home’s features.  We have simple and practical solutions that go along with our recommendations.  To find out what other topics we address through our Home Staging Consultations please visit our Services page at www.homestagingkw.com.

Single Largest Misconception... About What We Really Do

In my time growing my business some common questions I get asked form some of the home staging industry's biggest misconceptions about what we really do.  I would like to share some insight into one of these common questions with you today.

The single largest misconception I encounter is that stagers make you get rid of all your stuff and replace it with theirs.  This is, in fact, not the case in the majority of situations*.

KW Home Staging & Redesign actually specializes in Owner-Occupied homes and our goal will always be to use what you already have.  In turn this creates very minimal disruption and is a great low cost tool for home sellers**.  

Through our Home Staging Consultation, we include a detailed walk-through of the home (with the home owner) for up to 2 hours and a thorough written report at the end of the visit detailing the recommendations discussed. We work with your existing furnishings and apply our rules and expert recommendations for defining and optimizing spaces, creating proper traffic flow and hi-lighting your home's best assets.  We coach you through the process of transforming your home from your everyday living space to an extraordinary market-ready product.  Remember - the way we live in our homes is very different from a market-ready product!

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* We will only suggest adding and replacing furniture, accessories & decor if we believe it is actually crucial and a worthwhile investment for the sale of your home.  Most times, however, replacing your home’s current furnishings is not necessary.

** A growing number of Real Estate Agents are proving a complimentary Home Staging Consultation as part of their listing packages.  Inquire with your agent or contact us for more info on our Home Staging Consultation packages today.