| House hunting is a bit like "speed dating". You may have heard of this dating craze, whereby singles meet 20 or more potential mates in one evening by having 5 minute dates with each of them. The chemistry is there or it isn't.
Many of us look for a mate with a logical list of our personal criteria. But when the chemistry and emotional connection are right, who remembers logic? We follow our hearts.
If you've gone house hunting, you can see the similarities. Your agent will take you to six or more houses in a single afternoon. Within minutes, you'll reject most and possibly choose one property to go back to for a second look.
Home Staging or House Fluffing is all about creating the best first impression— paving the way for potential buyers to fall in love.
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Creating just the right atmosphere is accomplished in the overall look of your home, but it's also very much in the details.
Potential buyers start to form an opinion of your house before they even walk in your front door. It's important to maximize curb appeal, but then you must also carry that same attention to detail right through the rest of the house.
Whether you call it Home Staging or House Fluffing, remember your goal is to romance potential buyers... you want them to lose their hearts and say, "this is home, we have to have this house!"
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Expensive furnishings don't necessarily help sell your home. But, an organized and calm interior can put buyers at ease and help them imagine their own furnishings in the space. |
| The furnishings should also suit the target market of the home. If you're selling a high end home, it shouldn't look like students are tenants in all your rooms. Rent more appropriate furniture if necessary to project the right image. Six Elements works with a variety of suppliers and can source whatever is needed for your specific home. |
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"Many of my clients have the right 'stuff', there's just too much of it and many items can be better used in different rooms," says Professional Home Stager Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva.
"My role is to bring an objective eye to the project and look at every room in a new way. Often my clients are surprised by how much better their home works for them after I've been through it.
Three families even decided not to move once I was done!"
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| The Initial Consultation
If you're thinking of hiring Debra Gould to stage or fluff your home, e-mail or call 416-691-6615. Ask lots of questions – this is your chance to see if you would feel comfortable working with her.
If you decide to proceed, the next step is a two to three hour Staging By Design consultation in your home. Many of the rooms will be transformed during this session. You choose how much of the remaining work you want to do on your own and how much you want to leave to the professionals. Either way, you will have a very specific action plan and less anxiety about how it can all be accomplished.
Despite what some people claim, you need to be aware that there are no official credentials to be a Home Stager or House Fluffer, so how do you know you're hiring a professional?
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| When you hire a Home Stager or House Fluffer, you're trusting this person with the "merchandising" of your single biggest financial asset and how well they decorate your home to sell can mean tens of thousands of dollars in your pocket!
Be sure you are hiring someone with the experience needed to do the best job staging your home quickly and effectively.
The Most Important Rooms in Your Home
How your kitchen and bathrooms are perceived is critical to the selling price of your home.
Even when there's no time or budget to renovate, there is still a lot you can do to improve these important rooms!
There are many before and after photos on this site to help you.
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If you're not moving, why not live more comfortably now?
Many house fluffing clients are surprised by how much better their current homes can work for them. The transformation is bitter sweet because often they've already committed to moving only to find that they could have been more comfortable staying where they are with some work. Here are some examples to show you what's possible with the right eye and not a lot of money.
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| Why do people live this way until it's time to decorate to sell? Replacing worn carpet with wood laminate made a huge difference in this home office. Extra furniture and clutter were removed and replaced with order and calm. |
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| Removing and rearranging existing furniture transforms an overcrowded corner. Notice how confined the entrance feels because of the 'tunnel' effect of the long table facing the back of a couch.
For years the computer monitor balanced on a filing cabinet while the printer perched on an antique sewing machine and the keyboard sat on the edge of a china cabinet. The new arrangement not only "shows" better, the space is now a functional home office!
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Doors to the dining room (at left) were removed and pot lights added to the ceilings in the entrance, hallway and kitchen. The dining room was painted a dramatic "Burnt Chile" and the hallway's previous shade of drab dark green was replaced by a sunny pale yellow.
The overall effect is one of a bright, open and inviting space, in marked contrast to the previously dark cave-like atmosphere. With proper lighting, even the hardwood floors looked new again.
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| Look what is possible in two days with the help of the right color paint on the walls and floor, a storage locker and basic props. The key is not to look at the "before" situation and give up because you think there's no hope of getting to the "after" in the time available.
While you might feel overwhelmed by all the work ahead of you to prepare your house for sale, a Professional Home Stager or House Fluffer will take it in stride. You can see lots more before and after pictures.
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| Are you wondering how you can get similar results transforming your own home?
Live Outside Toronto?
Through her "Home Staging/House Fluffing Coaching Service," Debra Gould offers advice by phone and e-mail to clients all over North America. You can purchase sessions in 20 minute increments, allowing you to check in several times during the course of getting your house ready for sale. Photos can be mailed or emailed for her review prior to your calls, so you can have your specific questions answered.
 Check out the new Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers!
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| Kitchen entrance Before and After... Imagine this is the first view you see from the front door and then as you go through the foyer and enter the kitchen. Aside from the Feng Shui concerns of having sharp knives cutting energy, the After view is visually more inviting and appealing. |
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Want to stage your own house?
There are several free house fluffing tips on this site to get you started, but you'll have to be completely objective about your home and look at it through the eyes of a potential buyer.
Be prepared to take considerable time off work to get it done right before your house hits the market. There's never another chance to make a good first impression.
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"Tribal," acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36", by Debra Gould.
Interested in learning how you can start your own home staging business?
We offer the training and support you need to grow your own home staging business.
FREE QUIZ- find out if the house staging business is right for you!
New for 2006 is the opportunity to license the Staging Diva name for your own business!
Visit www.stagingdiva.com.
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| LIMITED TIME OFFER!
For a limited time, any money spent on renting Pattern by Design products for a House Fluffing project can then be used towards the purchase of a custom product for your new home.
Offer must be mentioned at time of ordering.
Visit www.debragould.com for additional samples of the products available to rent.
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