Secret Bedroom Staging Tips from RE/MAX

We’re thrilled to have RE/MAX as the official sponsor of both the National Home Show in Toronto and the Ottawa Home + Garden Show. In Toronto and Ottawa our goal is always to bring together the very best products, services and experts for you to discover. This is why we’re teaming up with RE/MAX; a well-respected brand that has perfected the process of buying and selling Canadian homes. 

5 Secret Bedroom Staging Tips
Presented by RE/MAX

While many of you may know the traditional staging tips, de-clutter, de-personlize, and paint.  Today, RE/MAX is letting you in on a few of their simple and sacred secrets.  

1. Window Treatments

One of the selling features of a bedroom is always the view.  If you have a nice view in the bedroom, showcase it by dusting and steaming the curtains or blinds before opening them.  If your bedroom is in need of window treatments, consult with your RE/MAX agent to find the clean and simple pieces that will frame the windows nicely.  

2. Laundry & Closets

We shouldn't have to tell you to pick up your dirty laundry, but in case you forget, be sure to place all laundry baskets in the closet as you are showing your home.  If you have a full closet, purge some of your clothes to optimize space, this will demonstrate the potential storage available. 

3. Refreshed Linens

While you may like your bright or patterned sheets and comforter, crisp white or solid-coloured linens are always best for showcasing a space.  Don't distract the eyes of potential buyers, minimize the amount of pillows you place on your bed and be sure to you're sheets are fresh for every showing. 

4. Candles & Scents 

A fresh, nice smelling space is always appealing.  Without adding too much clutter, add some scented candles, flowers, or potpourri to your room.  Be sure the candles are not too overpowering, try to keep the smell subtle and sweet.

5. Use Symmetry 

Having a symmetrical bedroom is particularly helpful in a master bedroom, where couples usually shop for a fairly equal amount of space.  Having similar sized pieces on either side of the bed is always a great way to showcase a room's potential.  

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Looking for real estate help?  

Whether you're buying, selling or renovating - or just exploring your options - RE/MAX is the one to call on for professional advice.  RE/MAX agents will provide guidance through the home buying process and meet the needs of sellers to maximize their sales price and minimize their on-market time.  Visit them at either Ontario home show and enter either the Get Curbalicious with RE/MAX contest or for a chance to win a $15,000.00 landscaping package.  

Check out www.remax.ca today for local listings and information. 

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RE/MAX Presents: 8 Holiday Staging Tips

Did you know?  RE/MAX is the official sponsor of both the National Home Show in Toronto and the Ottawa Home + Garden Show.  And as the holiday season fast approaches us, we know that some of you may have moving on your mind.  

For those of you who are looking to buy or sell, RE/MAX has given us their list of holiday staging do's and dont's to get your home in gear.  Check it out below!   

 8 Holiday Staging Tips 

1. Move or eliminate some of your furniture

• Staging your home is a great time to play musical furniture.  Just because you have a chair that you like in the living room, doesn't mean it won't work elsewhere.  Particularly during the holiday season, when new items are emerging, moving furniture around or even donating older pieces could really help open a space up. 

2. Put up a smaller tree (no more than 4 feet)

• A tall tree can distract potential buyers from the size and structural details of your home.  Things like baseboards, wall color, flooring, and even lighting elements may be hidden by a large Christmas tree. 

3. Don't decorate with garlands

• While garlands can be stunning at times, you don't want to hide the gorgeous appeal of your fireplace, banister, or counter tops with such heavy decor.  The last thing you want is for your space to look smaller than it is.   

4. Put all wrapped presents away 

• Presents are another form of clutter, and the goal is to showcase a clutter-free space.  It may be hard to find a place for your holiday gifts, however the more spacious your floor and tables appear, the less visual clutter and distraction there will be from the best features of your home.  

5. Stick to white lights (not yellow) 

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• One of the most important elements in making your home look warm and inviting is lighting.  For your normal light fixtures, increase the wattage using fresh bulbs.  For your holiday lights, stick to white strands of twinkle lights, too much color can be distracting.

6. Decorate in odd numbers (3s or 5s) 

 

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• When decorating your home for the holidays, display your centerpieces, candles and frames in odd clusters.  It's been proven that accessories in odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye.  Also important, make sure your decorative elements vary in scale and texture to keep things interesting. 

7. Bring the outdoors in

 

• The holidays are a great time to display stunning plants and arrangement.  But wait...DON'T BREAK THE BANK! Simply adding poinsettias to the dining room table, or scavenging your yard for some fern leaves, long twigs, and pine cones to throw in a vase is often all you need to do in order to liven up your decor while adding a splash of holiday color.  

8. Float furniture away from wall 

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• Many assume that rooms are larger when furniture is against the wall, however this is a myth in many cases.  By grouping furniture in the center of the space, away from the walls, traffic flows much better, and the size of the room will appear larger.

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THE BUYERS REPORT CARD

Now that your home is Fit To Sell, you're probably looking to buy!  Remember to be extremely thorough when examining potential properties.  To assist, always bring along your RE/MAX Buyers Report Card.  

A very helpful document, click here to download it now! 

   

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RE/MAX Knows! Perfect Gifts for New Home Buyers

 

Have you moved recently?  Know anyone who has?  If so, RE/MAX, sponsor of both our Toronto & Ottawa spring home shows has given us their list of perfect holiday gifts for new home buyers and recent movers.  

   

As experts in all things real estate, it's no wonder RE/MAX had a perfect list full of perfect holiday gift for friends and family.  The emphasis here, keep it simple, useful, and interesting folks!   

 10 Gift Ideas for New Home Buyers 

1. Toolbox 

• If it’s a first home, a toolbox can be really handy!  While some may come with the tools already inside, you may need to fill it up with wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, nails, pliers, a tape measure, and whatever else you think would be essential.   

2. Gift Certificates 

• Obviously a great gift for anyone, new homeowners or recent movers will really appreciate your contribution to their next trip to the hardware store, furniture store, even grocery store!

3. Coffee Table Books 

• A great way to help make a new house a home, a coffee table book that reflects the homeowners interests will introduce a new conversation piece into the living room without dramatically impacting the decor of the new place. 

4. Wine Glasses

• No surprise here, these delicate gems often break during a big move.  A nice set of wine glasses for recent movers is a great way to help these homeowners get ready for housewarming parties, holiday events, and casual dinners.  Added idea, give this gift with a nice bottle of wine to test 'em out.  

5. Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors & Fire Extinguisher  

Extinguishers via Fire Design

• Many homes do not come with working alarms or extinguishers, and if they do, they are often older models.  Give your friends more modern alarms and extinguishers to keep things safe and up-to-date. 

6. Candles

 

• Scented or not, candles add an elegant shimmer to any room.  Perfect for new homeowners, who may have thrown away older items before the move, fresh candles, maybe even candle holders, are always sure to delight! 

7. Online Shopping

  

  

• For some more personalized or creative gift ideas, take a peak on some awesome e-commerce sites like the ones above for things like prints, custom photographs, personalized pillows, books, drapery, linens, etc.!  With these websites you can do a lot of your holiday shopping from home. 

8. Plants

• Plants, or nicely cut flowers, are a great way to liven up a new home.  This is one detail that may go forgotten in a new homeowner's rush to unpack and settle in.  Help out and bring over a nice plant! 

9. Spa/Bathroom Basket 

• Along with towels, new homeowners may appreciate some fresh soaps, scrubs, oils and other essentials to treat themselves when relaxing in their new digs. 

10. Kitchen Essentials   

• Cutting boards, bottle openers, pepper mills, quality cooking oils, etc., these are items that can sit pretty on the counter top of any new home.  Delightful treats that will never go to waste, many of these kitchen essentials are often needed after a big move. 

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Did we miss anything? 

Click the button below to tweet what you would add to this gift list! 

Tweet to @REMAXca

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FLOORING: RE/MAX tells us why it’s so important!

The excitement is definitely building as we await our TWO Ontario home shows. We’re putting the finishing touches on our National Home Show in Toronto and our Ottawa Home & Garden Show, both proudly presented by RE/MAX.

With RE/MAX on our side, we’ve been given access to some fantastic tips on both buying and selling homes! Today, we’re hitting the floors, as RE/MAX shares with us why flooring, can be very important.

Flooring: Why It’s Important When Selling

• When it comes to flooring, always consider the following:
• The flooring reveals to potential buyers how well a home has been maintained
• Flooring is a top feature that buyers look for, invest in your flooring before putting your house on the market
• Consult with your RE/MAX agent on whether or not your carpet should be replaced or cleaned
• If there is hardwood under your carpet, consider exposing it as a selling feature
• If your floors are dated, worn, stained, or damaged, take the initiative to replace them and you be able to showcase a well-maintained home!

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Want more? Come visit RE/MAX Canada at both our National Home Show (Toronto) and our Ottawa Home & Garden Show. Or check out www.FitToSell.ca and www.FitToBuy.ca for quick real estate tips online!

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Talking Tips With RE/MAX @ Our Toronto & Ottawa Home Shows

We’re thrilled to announce RE/MAX as the official sponsor of both the National Home Show in Toronto and the Ottawa Home + Garden Show.

Since January now, the real estate experts at RE/MAX have been helping us determine the best way for making our homes both FitToSell and FitToBuy! With so many great tips, we felt it was time to create a little directory of all these amazing posts.

Check out the guide below:

1. Flooring: Why It’s Important When Selling
2. RE/MAX’s Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent
3. The Home Inspection: A Quick Lesson on Selling from RE/MAX
4. Improving Home Salability with RE/MAX
5. RE/MAX’s Tips on Furniture & Lighting
6. RE/MAX’s Top 5 Mistakes Made by Sellers

Once you’ve read all the tips, have a little more fun with RE/MAX! Visit them at either show for a taste of their hospitality and a chance to enter one of the RE/MAX Choose & Win Contests. This year RE/MAX is offering you a choice between winning Your Down Payment or a Landscape Makeover! Now the only difficult part is picking which contest to enter. Good luck!

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Tips from the Pros: Improving Home Salability with RE/MAX

Are you or anyone you know looking to sell a home sometime soon? Well you’re in luck! Since we’ve partnered with RE/MAX for our 2013 National Home Show in Toronto and our Ottawa Home + Garden Show, we’ve been given the 411 on improving your home’s salability. Check out the video below!

10 Best Ways to Improve Your Home’s Salability

Always consider the following:

• Optimizing the condition of your property will give buyers what they’re looking for
• Rearranging your home will help buyers with visualizing themselves in the space
• Focusing on the positive elements of your home, like the layout or the flooring is crucial

Aim to receive many offers that meet your desired expectations!
Overall, remember that your home must always look its best when it’s on the market; if a home does not appear fit to sell, the price may be reduced. Of course for more great information on buying and selling your home, visit RE/MAX‘s helpful websites FitToSell.ca and FitToBuy.ca!

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More RE/MAX advice, contest announcements, and show updates to come as we countdown to the National Home Show and the Ottawa Home and Garden Show.

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Did you know? We’ve got RE/MAX on our side!

We’re thrilled to announce RE/MAX as the official sponsor of both the National Home Show in Toronto and the Ottawa Home + Garden Show. In Toronto and Ottawa our goal is always to bring together the very best products, services and experts for you to discover. This is why we’re teaming up with RE/MAX; a well-respected brand that has perfected the process of buying and selling Canadian homes.
In addition to providing you with their expert services onsite, RE/MAX will be hosting TWO amazing contests at both shows. We’re not revealing the details just yet; however, to tease you we’d like to leave you with the two following words: DREAM BIG!
*Do you need some quick RE/MAX advice now? Visit www.FitToSell.ca & www.FitToBuy.ca for some great advice on selling and buying real estate in 2013.
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Stay tuned to our blog and both the Ottawa and National show websites for more details.

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Selling your home in 2013? RE/MAX’s Tips on Furniture & Lighting

We’re kicking off 2013 right, with some great advice from RE/MAX. Selling your home in today’s market requires some thoughtful planning and expertise. And who better to share some expertise than RE/MAX, a sponsor of both our National Home Show in Toronto, and our spring Ottawa Home and Garden Show.

Today, they’re sharing with us some tips on furniture placement and lighting. Enjoy!

Things to Consider

Lighting

• Keep lights on for pictures and showings
• Remember that dark corners can make a room appear smaller
• Dimmer switches are a great option and are often considered a selling feature
• Consider the condition of your permanent light fixtures

Furniture Quality

• If your furniture is outdated or worn, focal points may be lost, and people may assume youR home is not well-maintained
• Consider the flow of traffic; how potential buyers may walk through your home

Furniture placement and lighting are critical, if done properly, you’ll be able to show off your
home to its full potential. To download a helpful checklist, and get more great tips from our
friends at RE/MAX, visit www.FitToSell.ca.

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Of course, we’ll be bringing you more RE/MAX advice and show updates as we

countdown to the National Home Show and the Ottawa Home and Garden Show.

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Did You Choose & WIN Yet? Don’t Miss Out!

We’re thrilled to have RE/MAX presenting both the 2013 National Home Show in Toronto, and the 2013 Ottawa Home and Garden Show.  Selling your home in today’s market requires some thoughtful planning and expertise.  And who better to share some expertise than RE/MAX?  In addition to providing you with their expert services onsite and on our blog, RE/MAX has been hosting TWO amazing contests at both shows.

 

Buying a home is the largest financial decision most people will make. RE/MAX wants to make buying your next home easier with the “Win Your Down Payment” contest!

 

 

Help your home get noticed with Get Curbalicious! RE/MAX and Landscape Ontario want to help one lucky winner update the curb appeal of their home with custom designed landscaping.

Are you excited? Don’t miss your shot at these incredible prizes, enter now and head on down to the home show!

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Stay tuned to our blog later next week, as we give you the RE/MAX show wrap-up.  With so much action at both shows, it’s only fair that we let you in on how much fun we had too

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