Six Elements Archives - SixElements.com

Tiny Dining Room Gets Color Makeover

It’s important that living, dining and family rooms feel warm and inviting— whether you’re trying to sell your home or decorating it to live in.

Here a tiny dining room, that was barely more than a hallway from the front of the house to the kitchen in the back was, given a dramatic face lift.

Old wood chairs were re-painted and an inexpensive wrought iron Ikea fixture is dressed up with beaded red shades.

As one might expect in a home from the early 1900s, the old plaster walls were less than smooth. To visually minimize this issue and save money, the walls were repainted and then a wash of a second deeper color mixed with glaze was added over top. This textured look gave depth to the room while making the bumpy walls no longer an issue.

Rental furniture for home staging adds to what you currently have

Written by Debra Gould -

When it’s time to put the house you are living in onto the real estate market, it becomes a product. Rather than suggesting all new furniture in a resale home, a good home stager will try and work with what you already have in new and better ways when staging your home.

Sometimes though, it’s necessary to bring in rental furniture to add to what you already have, or to replace furniture that’s not appropriate to the purpose of the room, or the target market of your home.

For example, I staged a million dollar home that had inexpensive Ikea furniture in the living room. I moved this down to the basement where it was more suited to a family room. Then I brought in rental furniture to stage the living room to be more in keeping with what the buyer of a million dollar property would expect.

Below is an example of combining what my client already owned with rental furniture that I brought in just before the house went on the real estate market.

Clutter and unnecessary furniture, like the bean bag chair in the center of the room, were removed from the eating area/family room in this home and rental furniture was brought in by Six Elements to create a proper eating area.

Need help with your staging or decorating project?

With a minimum two hour consultation in your home, we will tell you everything that needs to be done in your house before you put it on the real estate market (room by room and outside too). Contact us to learn more or arrange an appointment.

> Read more about our color consulting, interior redesign and home staging services.

If you’re outside the Toronto area, I can still help you personally by phone working from photos you email me. Learn more about this virtual staging service.

Home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements Inc. She has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. Debra has gained international recognition and has been featured in major media in the US and Canada including: HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, GlobalTV, CityTV, The Wall Street Journal, Woman’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Ditch the clutter and use art when staging a home office

Written by Debra Gould -

If you have a functioning home office in your house, the chances are it’s quite cluttered with papers, binders, “to do” piles, stacks on the floor under your desk and general chaos.

This might be how you work (no judgments here, I work that way myself), but it’s no way to sell your home. Besides, do you want a bunch of strangers looking at your real work, or potentially walking off with an important file?

For security sake, make sure you hide all important papers, clear your desk, shut down your computer and if it’s a laptop, take it with you!

home office after staging by Six Elements — Clutter was removed from surfaces and the floor. Here a large painting provides a stunning focal point for the end wall, pulls in the otherwise bright wall color and emphasizes the generous size of the room.

And for the sake of trying to sell your home, make sure you office looks bright, efficient and clutter free. Even it it’s a little less functional while your home is on the real estate market, the goal now is to sell your home as quickly as possible.

You want buyers to walk in and think, “What a great home office. I can totally see myself working in here!”

To accomplish this, it’s also a good idea to remove all personal diplomas, which distract buyers, and memo boards, which inevitably look cluttered no matter what’s on them. Replace these with a nice piece of art that ties in the wall color and provides a focal point. Make sure the size of the piece is proportional to the wall itself.

Need help with your home office?

If you’re need help redesigning your home office or staging any room in your home, contact us.

If you’re outside the Toronto area, I can still help you personally by phone working from photos you email me. Learn more about this virtual staging service.

Too Much Clutter Hides Room’s Purpose

Written by Debra Gould -

Not everyone lives in a home the way they would like others to see it when it’s time to sell. My clients realize that in order to sell their homes more quickly and for more money they have to turn it into a product that will appeal to potential buyers.

In this house the family room had become a dumping ground for clutter that ranged from video games to kid’s toys and a myriad of family photos of all shapes and sizes crowding the fireplace mantel. Fine for living but not for selling!

You Might Not Need a Dining Room But Buyers Expect to See One

Written by Debra Gould -

I’ve staged hundreds of homes and discovered that many people don’t use their dining rooms as such. For some families it’s a big empty space filled with toys, for others, especially when the dining room and living room are one, it becomes one big living room with the family eating in the kitchen.
[Read more…] about You Might Not Need a Dining Room But Buyers Expect to See One

7 Ways Clutter Eats Up Your Home Equity

Written by Debra Gould -

cluttered basement — This is a typical unfinished basement before staging by Debra Gould of Six Elements. See the transformation below!

Clutter is one of the biggest distractions for potential real estate buyers and will literally eat up the equity you have in your home. When a room is cluttered instead of staged, here’s what happens:

the first impression is a crowded disorganized one, it’s hard to change that, or for potential buyers to see past the clutter and see the home’s potential
buyers can’t take in the room itself because their eyes jump around to all the little bits and pieces
rooms look more crowded than they need to, a problem with buyers who are craving more space than they have now
home buyers worry that if they buy your home they’ll end up living like you are there
home buyers assume there isn’t enough storage space and put that in their mental negative column as they tour your home
home buyers feel overwhelmed by your junk and how you live which does not put them in a buying mood
home buyers don’t aspire to live there or live like you, so they won’t make an offer

basement after house staging — This house gained an extra room in the mind of the buyer when Six Elements moved the clutter to off-site storage and arranged the exercise equipment that was already hiding under the piles of junk. Now this unfinished basement becomes a laundry room/work out room in a buyer's mind.

So as much as you may be accustomed to living with your own clutter, realize that it must go before you put your home on the real estate market.

Your clutter is costing your money because your house will take longer to sell and it won’t sell for as much money.

Why? Because potential buyers won’t be as excited as they should be about the possibility of living there. If there’s no buyer excitement, there’s no offer! Or there’s only a very low-ball offer.

Home staging will make all the difference in how long your house takes to sell and for how much. Learn more about how we can help decorate your house to sell on the real estate market, whether you are in Toronto or anywhere else!

Debra Gould, President Six Elements Inc.

Home staging expert Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate. Most homes are cluttered when she gets there, but by the time the house is staged, excess items have disappeared to off-site storage. Contact us to learn more about how Debra can help you.

5 Reasons Empty Rooms Are a Bad Idea When Selling Your House

Written by Debra Gould -

emtpy room before staging — Newly renovated, but this is a depressing first view when you walk into the house. And it looks so small!

Whether you’re a builder about to list a spec home, an investor ready to sell your vacant property, or a home seller who is living in a house with empty rooms and you’re wondering whether to furnish them before listing your house, this article is for you.

If you are hoping to sell the home quickly and for as much money as possible, it’s a bad idea to try and sell a house with empty rooms.

Weekend Bathroom Makeover for Under $500

Written by Debra Gould -

Whether you are decorating your house to sell, or planning on staying where you are, this before and after story will help you see the potential that waits in the next room.

Studies have shown that renovating the main bathroom in a home has an estimated payback of 60% to 65% when the home is resold. But it can cost well over $5000 to complete, not to mention the significant inconvenience.

Before calling a contractor, consider whether cosmetic changes will be enough to get the look you need for resale, or better yet, for you to enjoy until it’s time to sell.

Many bathrooms look ugly or tired but the expensive items are basically there. This was the case in this weekend bathroom makeover example:

bathroom before staging

bathroom after staging by Six Elements Inc.

Before:

White walls, shag carpet with matching toilet seat cover, general clutter and wood shelf mirror and toilet roll holder, all made this bathroom seem old— despite the fact that it had been renovated.

After:

A weekend long $475 transformation. An insignificant investment in time and money, considering how important bathrooms are. Also worth the investment even if you were only decorating to sell because of the $475 in spending, only $195 went towards items that would be left behind if the house were sold!

What Six Elements Did

Six Elements Staging TIp — If you are selling your home, buy your new towels, mat and shower curtain before you move. You can use them to prop your house while it’s on the market and then enjoy them when you move to your new home.

The old plastic towel bar was replaced with a brushed metal one with matching glass shelf over the sink and toilet roll holder.

The white melamine cabinet was replaced by a shorter trolley (which could be painted to match). The top is used to display an art object and vase of dogwood branches or seasonal flowers, instead of general bathroom clutter which is now hidden in the baskets below.

The medicine cabinet was painted to match the walls and the 1970’s vanity light (not shown) was replaced by a brushed metal halogen fixture. It provides more general light than the original fixture, matches the other new hardware and contributes greatly to the fresh modern feel of the “new” bathroom.

So, whether you are moving or not, why not consider how your bathroom can be enhanced with paint and accessories? You will appreciate it every morning and make it your refuge at the end of a long day.

What it Cost (materials only)

Paint	$ 70
Towel Bar, Shelf, Toilet Paper Holder	90
Halogen Light Fixture (not shown)	35
Trolley beside Sink	125
Shower Curtain	75
Towels and Bath Mat	50
Vase with River Rocks and Dogwood	30
Total Cost	$ 475

NOTE:

If this house were sold, all that would be left behind is the $195 spent on paint, light fixture and hardware. All the other items can be used in the next home! Considering how important bathrooms are to home buyers, this is a very insignificant investment.

Debra Gould's home staging tip — Before contacting your real estate agent, or even a house fluffer if you decide to use one, there are simple steps you can take on your own, like decluttering, to improve the overall look of your home. Be sure to approach the task with a highly critical eye. It can be hard to see your own home objectively after living in it for so long.

Not Planning on Moving Any Time Soon?

Then what are you waiting for? It’s time to freshen up that bathroom you’ve always hated with a whole new look. “It’s really sad to see how many of my clients suddenly realize they could have enjoyed living this way for years when I come in to stage, or decorate their homes to sell. Spend some money now so that at least you’ll get to enjoy the results before selling it to someone else,” says Debra Gould Toronto’s leading home stager, or house fluffer as she’s also called.

Not in Toronto, and Need Help?

Through her Home Staging Coaching Service Debra Gould offers advice by phone and email to clients all over the US and Canada.

“Virtual Staging,” as this is also called, is an excellent way to have your questions answered by a home staging pro as you need help. Learn more about how you can get home staging and decorating help by phone.

Six Elements

Need help with your staging or decorating project?

Need help with your home office?

Before:

After:

What Six Elements Did

What it Cost (materials only)

NOTE:

Not Planning on Moving Any Time Soon?

Not in Toronto, and Need Help?

Footer