IN THIS ISSUE

This Month's Recipe

What I learned about networking

http://www.flair4homestaging.com

TESTIMONIALS

Amina came to my attention upon the advice of a friend. I was hesitant to spend the money but Amina showed me proof that staging would work and she was right. Amina and her team of contractors worked with my tight budget to get my house ready for sale in two weeks. My house sold for the asking price in a slow market in just over 3 weeks. Staging works - just ask Amina at Flair 4 Home Staging.

Chris B.

Toronto, ON

August, 2010

Of the many homestagers and decorators I work with as a kitchen and bathroom refinisher, Amina is among the top three.
I love her work, and so do her clients! She approaches each home with flair and innovation, which in turn offers me challenges for creative solutions. Recently, along with other professional services, Amina subcontracted EcoRefinishers to resurface a dated and badly damaged countertop in an upscale downtown condominium. Under her direction, this home was prepared for sale in a few weeks and sold well above asking price the first day it went on the market! Flair4HomeStaging is a classy company, that brings value to homes and lives.

Ecorefinishers

A semi-detached house sells in 45 days for $10,000 less in a slow market. But wait, why did it not sell for more and how did this happen? Read on.........

I met a client in mid-June that was in dire need of staging but had unfortunately been taken advantage of by an inexperienced and unlicensed interior designer. This client spent thousands of dollars to fix things in the house that would unfortunatelyn not give him the return he so desired. When I came along I had to ask him to spend more money to get the house ready for sale - keeping in mind the items that were going to provide the best return. He did not hesitate once I showed him the statistics to back up my claims. Working with a limited budget, my team and I tackled the curb appeal, the ill-fitted furnace vent, the backyard and the back porch, back entrance way, the powder room, the exterior window and door frames and furniture rental. Unfortunately the client could not afford to fix or replace the carpet on the top floor, which resulted in the house staying on the market as long as it did and the lower offer he received. Yes staging worked to help him sell his house - but had he spent a few thousand on replacing the upstairs flooring he would have gotten at least asking or more. Remember - don't give your buyers a chance to chip away at your asking price. Always do what you can to fix the glaring problems in the house and you won't regret it - no matter how much money you have to spend. So why am I saying staging works in this instance? Well if the client did not do any of my recommendations, he would not have sold at all.

After

Here's a tip: when you hire a contractor, stager, interior designer, etc., make sure they have the proper licensing or accreditation and have appropriate liability insurance in place - for your safety and theirs.

When you are staging your home and have a limited budget, here are the top 5 things you should spend your money on:

1. A fresh coat of paint in a neutral color will go a long way and will attract buyers because they don't have to paint when they move in.

2. If you have the budget, replace the counter tops with granite or marble - kitchens are the #1 area that potential buyers will view as the most important. Also instead of replacing kitchen cabinets, you can change the hardware and if necessary paint them, which will make them look fresh and new.

3. Bathrooms are the #2 area that buyers look at. Make sure all sinks, tubs, lighting, countertops, etc are without scratches or cracks and that all of it matches in finish and is modern.

4. Curb appeal - remember we talked about this in last month's newsletter? Make sure your curb appeal will attract potential buyers.

5. Replace or update worn or dated flooring. Depending on your budget there are many options available today.

Do you have a staging success story you would like to share? Write to me at

So your house was staged and you followed all the recommendations that your stager said to do. Your house is now listed and you have people coming through. Well it does not end there. You must keep up the house the way the stager left it and make sure the house is spotless everyday because you never know when that potential buyer is going to walk through the house and make an offer.

Here are some simple everyday things you can do to make sure the money you spent in staging and getting the house ready is not wasted:

1. Empty all wastecan and garbage recepticles - eliminating smell will be the biggest thing to remember.

2. Make sure if you are living in the space - that all beds are made and that you have picked up and put things away that should be.

3. Dust, sweep and vacuum all living spaces and make sure all cleaning supplies are put in a child safety area.

4. Clean all bathrooms and the kitchen everyday - make sure all mirrored surfaces are also clean and spotless.

5. Fluff all pillows and fold all throws and make sure all bedspreads are ironed or steamed so it looks pristine.

Butter Chicken

As I am South-Asian this is a staple in our house - at least once a month I will make this for my husband and friends.

It is a simple and delicious recipe that you can try at home and will save you having to go to your local Indian restaurant everytime you feel like eating Butter chicken - you will also impress your circle of friends by making it!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. cooking oil

6 cinnamon sticks

6 cardamom pods

6 whole cloves

11/2 tsp cumin seeds

11/2 tsp crushed garlic

11/2 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp crushed hot peppers or to taste

2 lbs chicken, skinned and cut into pieces (bone in)

1/4 cup butter (put more if the chicken has no fat)

2 cups crushed tomatoes

5 tbsp crushed fried onions

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

1/2 tsp garam masala

Directions:

Heat the oil on medium heat, add the first 5 ingredients. Saute for 1 min. Stir in the garlic, ginger and hot peppers and saute for another minute.

Add the chicken and the butter and cook until the chicken is half cooked.

Add the tomatoes, fried onions, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add about 1 tbsp of the coriander leaves and cook until the chicken is tender and the oil separates. Add the garam masala and the rest of the coriander.

Serve with Naan or Basmatic rice. Makes 4-5 servings.

Having a small business you spend lots of time marketing yourself by networking. I learned last week effective networking is not just collecting business cards it is by meeting and connecting with the people behind those cards. Now I am pretty good at sending an email to people I met at an event who maybe I would like to get to know better, do business with and/or appreciate what they had to say. But Richard Dolan (www.richarddolan.com) says" it's not enough to collect you must connect". I am taking a one-day course in October with Richard to learn to be more confident in the way I speak - he says it is not always what you

say that will make people remember you but how you effectively say it. I know what I want to say when I meet somebody, but like so many others it does not always come out the way I meant it to. Do you have the same problem? Perhaps like me, you don't have the time to attend toastmasters every week - well this might be the way to improve youself in one day. I am not getting paid for promoting Richard Dolan. I am happy that somebody thought of me and introduced me to Richard and thus want to share with you.

I have been looking to join a book club and a friend of mine recently invited me to join her group.

The first book we are reading is called "Sarah's Key". I could not put this book down and stayed up from 11pm (intending to read just the first chapter) to 2am reading the book. It is about a Jewish girl in wartorn France that escapes from the French run prison camps and a female journalist years later who searches for this survivor as there is a connection to her own family she wishes to unravel. You will cry but it a worthy read.

What are you reading? Let me know at

Do you have a staging related question?

I can help.

Write to me at info@flair4homestaging.com

Did you like what you read? If so please pass on to a friend or colleague and thanks for reading my newsletter.