Always say YES to a ‘FREE or Almost Free’ marketing opportunity no matter how insignificant it might seem! I was coaching one of the PRES graduates Cheri Dardano of Chez Cheri and she mentioned that she had an opportunity to do participate in her daughter’s school trade show.  She didn’t know if she should do it or not and asked me what I thought. Needless to say I said “YES” great idea, tell me about it. She said it could be either out on the school football field if it was still a nice day or inside the gym if the weather wasn’t good. I was hoping that it would be inside as I felt she would have a little bit more captive audience there. Well it was in the gym and it only cost $20 for 4 hours of talking to parents and students who came by her little booth.

Part of the reason that this was a great opportunity is that Cheri had a chance to let the parents and other people know what she was now doing in her life. You see Cheri been a teacher (not at this school) and now she is a professional home stager and stylist. This was a great way for you to transition their thinking into the new Chez Cheri!

The best news of all – It went really well. She had one realtor in Vancouver encourage her to send in her  contact information to him, as well as a few parents (5) and teachers (3) who were very interested in getting her advice about furniture placements, colours, etc. Also two contracts for sewing cushions. And one contact for the lottery prize homes. So 10 potential jobs, and she had a lot of “Wow! Good for you. I didn’t know you did that!”

Cheri Dardano of Chez Cheri - mini trade show brings great ROI!!!

I know in Canada we are very ‘polite’ and don’t like to brag but I am so excited because I just received my first ever royalty cheque from my recently published book: Start & Run a Home Staging Business with Self-Counsel Press.

It was an amazing experience to sign the contract, submit my first drafts of my first few chapters, get the okay to keep going, and then to finally finish my writing of the book. The book was edited a few times and I am happy with the final printed copy. When it came out and I saw it in book stores, it was quite surreal. This for me, is a dream come true.

I know I have other books in me but some of them will be of an entirely different nature. But for now this is a fantastic feeling. Most printed books will be turned into eBooks and this book will be no exception. I have 3 other eBooks on DIY Home Staging, Creating Curb Appeal that Sells! and Trade Secrets to Hanging Art Like a PRO! They are great content and if a home owner does what it says to do in the ebooks, they can create a home that prospective buyers can’t live without!

I’m currently working on my new PRES Home Staging Home Study kit which will be available in the fall worldwide. How fantastic is that!

Not that this is the academy awards or anything like that, but again I want to thank all of my teachers and all of my amazing students who have helped me on my journey in the world of home staging.

Since we know kitchens are such an important room in the home for selling, updating the kitchen is critical to the sale of the home. We know that renovations can cost a fortune…and at times it makes sense only to do some home improvements rather than renovations. Clients sometimes decide that after all that investing they would rather stay and enjoy their new renos!

For home improvements I usually recommend at the least changing the hardware. You really need to know what you are doing when you paint cabinets as you will see in the video. Putting in linoleum flooring is a good investment as is painting the kitchen. Replacing the sink and/or faucet can be a necessary improvement. Counter tops are not hugely expensive and there are lots of options out there that look great from home hardware stores.

This kitchen needs some home improvements which to me should include painting the cupboards and changing the hardware. As stagers though we know that many clients run out of time, money and energy. If clients really can’t do the home improvements then at the least clear the clutter and put a nice bowl of appetizing fruit on the counter to add some colour!

Click on this link to watch an absolutely fabulous You Tube video of HOW TO PAINT KITCHEN CABINETS. It is about 5 minutes long but well worth watching if you or your client is contemplating painting the cabinets. Louise Henry of Pair Home Design and a PRES member found this on You Tube and even though she is fantastic at this type of work, she said this video is really, really excellent.

The PRES students had transformed most of Gill’s home during their staging training course. However, we didn’t get to the master bedroom and the ensuite so Lisa Mackie of Footsteps Home Staging, went back and did the rest of the home with Gill! This is what Gill had to say about Lisa:

“Lisa looked at our master bedroom and en-suite bathroom and asked questions about various pieces of furniture and items in the rooms. She wanted to know how attached we were to them, if there was a particular item that had a special to us and checked with us that it was OK to move stuff around. We also talked about colour and what kind of atmosphere we’d like to create. Lisa made some notes as we chatted and from our conversation it was clear that we needed to go shopping!

Thank you Lisa and we wish you every success in your business!

Gill, Coquitlam

Bedroom #1 - BEFORE

Bedroom #1 - AFTER

Bedroom #2 - BEFORE

Bedroom #2 - AFTER

Bedroom #3 - BEFORE

Bedroom #3 - AFTER

Enjoy the photos, below, that capture the unbelievable difference that Lois of Lois interiors made in this Shaughnessy home. The previous owners are busy professionals who also own two additional properties outside of Vancouver. They have lived and raised their children in this home for 20 years. They remarked that they had allowed their belongings to overtake their home and that they hadn’t realized the result until their realtor discussed it with them. It was decided that they needed to bring in the professionals, hence Lois’ involvement.

The incredible amount of work that it took to get this property ready for sale is a story in itself. Clearing away 20 years of life’s accumulation included: the arrangement of house cleaners, carpet cleaners, furniture movers, throughout the 3 floors of the home, and the purchasing of items on the client’s behalf. The happy ending is that this home sold within 10 days!

Foyer - BEFORE

Foyer - AFTER

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER

Kitchen - BEFORE

Kitchen - AFTER

Family Room - BEFORE

Family Room - AFTER

Louise Henry, of Pair Home Design, shares her recent success:

In the living room, the present furniture was out of proportion for the existing space. Louise wanted to update the look to feel more modern while using as much of the client’s furniture as possible. She brought in the small chaise-type seating from the office, used one of the client’s reclining chairs, and added a leather chair of her own. Pair Design also provided an accessory package which used metallic art to bring some of the colder tones together.
The existing ‘frilly’ curtains were removed and by editing much of the furniture, she created space and spaciousness in the condo.

Before - Living Room

After - Living Room

In the bedroom, the colors were far too heavy and quite masculine. The client was open to bringing in some of Louise’s own inventory to create a softer and lighter feeling to the room. Louise moved the dresser to the far wall to create a sense of spaciousness and lighter feeling. She also incorporated some elements of feng shui – adding things in two’s for ‘togetherness’. Pictures were used to pick up some tones from the wall.

Before - Bedroom

After - Bedroom