Your guide to “Seasonal Home Maintenance”, Vancouver B.C   Most home maintenance activities are seasonal. Spring is the time to assess winter damage, start repairs and prepare for warmer months. While most maintenance is seasonal, there are some things you should do on a frequent basis year-round:      Make sure air vents indoors and outdoors (intake, exhaust and forced air) are not blocked by snow or debris.  Check and clean range hood filters on a monthly basis.  Test ground fault circuit interrupter(s) on electrical outlets monthly by pushing the test button, which should then cause the reset button to pop up.  If there are young children in the house, make sure electrical outlets are equipped with safety plugs.  Regularly check the house for safety hazards, such as a loose handrail,... 04/23/2012

Home Redesign Adds Personality to a Bland Home. Find out how... In the last PRES 5 day training course we had the opportunity to do a home makeover for a client who said her home was very bland, and seemed to lack personality. (A home makeover for living is all about bringing in the home owner's personal taste unlike staging where you want to create broad buyer appeal to the seller's target market) In the PRES hands-on course students apply what they learned in class to the two homes we transform - - one is a home makeover for living and one is a home makeover i.e. staging for selling. When I did my initial consultation and tour of the home I noticed they had a lot of very nice bigger furnishings and some attractive accessories scattered throughout the home. But it was true - everything... 11/15/2011

The Secret Garden - Afternoon Tea in Vancouver, B.C. Who doesn't enjoy the wonderful tradition of Afternoon Tea?  We recently had a lovely day visiting the Kerrisdale area for a little shopping, girl talk and tea.  My mum was over visiting from Vancouver Island, so my sister and I rounded up our teenage daughters, and we made an outing of it.  First stop were the various little boutiques and food shops along 41st, where we found all sorts of unusual items to purchase.  Yes, I even picked up a few unusual accessories for my Home Staging business. Of course, shopping works up an extreme thirst, so at noon we visited The Secret Garden, a lovely, little oasis in the shopping jungle, for a full on British Afternoon Tea.  The first taxing decision was to decide what kind of tea to order.  The... 05/28/2011

Vancouver Home Staging Meets Bells and Cloches As a Vancouver Home Stager, I'm always looking for interesting accessories which add a certain panache to a home.  We've all seen the usual vase of flowers or set of candles, to adorn a space.  Pretty predictable items to find in a home that has been staged for sale.  And hey, there's nothing wrong with that.  Sometimes, however, I like to add an item that is a little different, a little out of the ordinary, something approaching more like a "curio".   One item that I've often enjoyed is a glass cloche.  The word "cloche" is a French word, meaning "bell", and these bell shaped domes were created to help protect and grow plants from the harsh elements.  I was out shopping the other day, when I came upon these beautiful cloches in the high en... 05/25/2011

The realtors did a virtual tour of the $2.3 million dollar newly built 'green' home that PRES Staging Members did the installation for - thanks to Lois North of www.LoisInteriors.ca, Yvonne Swain of www.hintofelegance.com and Yoshi Haraguchi a recent PRES graduate.   http://www.westcoastvirtualtours.com/tours/pop-up.php?tour_id=2748   03/19/2010

 Vancouver  Westside Real Estate, Homes For Sale...Receive Your Free Market Snapshot Report...    The Latest Technology To Help In Your Search For Your New HomeShort of helping you buy or sell a property, the best service I can provide, especially in today’s shifting economic climate, is a monthly snapshot on your investment! What are home values in your neighbourhood? What’s happening to home values in your neighbourhood? What have your neighbour’s homes sold for lately?     I have a new service to offer and I have set you up to receive a Market Snapshot that will arrive every 4 weeks via email.  If you want, I can follow up with a phone call to explain the details of the Snapshot but in advance I want to point out the following.  The map has several options; road, aerial and bird’s ey... 11/09/2009

When you are moving in  Vancouver Westside...Send Change of Address to:         Post Office       Change accounts and credit card agencies       Friends and Relatives      Subscriptions, book clubs, record clubs (notice requires several weeks in advance)       Bank - transfer funds, arrange for check cashing in new city      Insurance - Notify regarding new location for coverage:  Life, Health, Fire, Auto      Automobile registration - Transfer of auto title is necessary: also driver's license, city windshield sticker and motor club membership      Utility Companies - Gas, electric, water, telephone, cable television, fuel: obtain refund of any deposit made:  arrange for immediate service in new location       Route Persons - Laundry, newspaper delivery, changeover of services       Sch... 11/02/2009