Ginger Foust has been writing a series about selling Grandma's House - from a home stager's perspective.  I reblogged her post - the series is so instructive.  This week I was able to witness some of the chaos involved in selling the parental home.   I was in a house that my Buyers purchased.  It was one of our return visits (written into the contract) for measurements with contractors.  Despite having made the booking several days in advance, the family of the owner - who has been moved into care - were in the house picking over the belongings.  There must have been 8 to 12 people.  Yes, of course they got in our way but it was a stressful time for them and my Buyers and the contractors were sensitive to this. Being in that house reminded me of a couple of things If you have the job to... 06/11/2011

Yesterday I spent 4 1/2 hours at a client's home with her home stager.  This is something I like to do - be there when the home stager is there to learn, to help and to problem solve with the home owner.  Now, yesterday was hot.  It was really really Ottawa humidex warm.  Double, double, toil and trouble..... My client's home is full to the brim with lovely things that she has collected and found ways to display.  She has things from every member of her family and her husband's family and from her children.   There are pieces that I would love to own.  However, you know it, her house is going on the market in a couple of weeks and it has to be turned around from her home to a product - something to be sold.  In terms of the process, the three of us, (owner, stager and real estate perso... 06/10/2011

I just did a post this morning of a photo taken in Chicago, in Millennium Park.  It was of the sculpture that everyone calls The Bean.  I titled the post and the photo - Life is Swirling All Around Us.  I said that I was in the photo but you would never know where.  So, just in case today is the day that I get the call from upstairs (because you never know)..... PS Bill collectors and any unhappy friends, clients, customers and relatives (yes Neil, that means you) - please ignore this post.  06/08/2011

Photo Explanation:  Life is Swirling Around Us Taken at Millennium Park, Chicago.  This is inside the Cloud Gate or aka The Bean.  It is a fascinating piece of art and interactive with everyone who approaches it.  I am in the photo.  Howver, sometime you need to be reminded that you are not the centre of the universe - that life is all around us, coming and going.   06/08/2011

Why do Buyers think that their walk through a Seller's home is private.   Some Buyers say the most outrageous things about a home and also like to snoop in areas that are clearly private - like dresser drawers.  Have these people never watched HGTV?  Do they really not understand modern technology such as miniature nanny cams and the baby monitors.   The Seller can be sitting just next door listening what is being said.  This gives a Seller a bargaining advantage when they hear someone say - "I want this house honey.  I am tired of looking and I don't care what we pay."  For the Seller this sounds like - boy oh boy, we won't have to drop the price to get these people to the table.  So, when you are looking at a house, always think that a Seller has his eyes and ears on you.  The expres... 06/07/2011

You are fixing up your home either for yourself or for selling.  You have heard that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes so you have decided to pull out the pink plumbing fixtures, go white and go green.  Six litres of water sounds like a lot less than the Niagara Falls that flows down your toilet with every flush.  Be careful.  Not every low-flow toilet is able to handle waste.  Two flushes to get the job done? Well, you won't have saved Mother Earth.  When you decide to replace one of the water guzzling old toilets that actually functioned and wonder what will work: look for a dual flow tank, talk to the sales people and go on the internet to find evaluations of toilets using 6 litres that will leave you ......  Flushed with Success. Photo credit:  Every toilet should be made in Sweden ... 06/03/2011

At breakfast, the chicken is involved but the pig is committed.  Now what can this possibly have to do with house buying?  Well, most buyers want their friends and families to help them pick a home, to endorse their decisions and to congratulate them on their savvy buying skills.  Sure, friends have opinions and advice.  They may be very helpful or they could be annoying.  Remember, they are only involved.  Maybe they flip over the house, maybe they scramble the buying decision, maybe their ideas are only half baked, maybe they will bring the Buyer's temper to a boil. After the deal is signed, it is the Buyer, the bank and the parents who co-signed the mortgage who are committed. Buyers will have to bring home the bacon. Photo credit:  Bacon and Eggs 06/02/2011

Here is a sad fact of living in Ottawa.   Even if we have had rain off and on the whole of spring, there is still a need to connect your rain barrel.  First, it reduces your water costs.  Second, it is better water for plants.  Finally, if you are living in the restricted water areas, this is the only way to get water out to your plants - without a visit from the by-law officer.   Some areas in town are getting free barrels (because of the water ban) and the other areas need to take a trip to the gardening centres and CanadianTire to pick up a plastic barrel like the one in the photo.   Buy a barrel and leave it for the next owners.  It shows that you care about your yard and the environment.    Photo credit:   Taken with my Nikon on a walk through my neighbourhood.   06/02/2011

Sometimes you cannot eradicate Barbie pink and Barney purple when putting your house on the market.  The turmoil with the children may be too great.  I listed a home that had two little girls.  Yes, Barney and Barbie were cohabiting in that house.   OMG.   It would have made a home stager happy to get his or her hands on Barney's cave and Barbie's house.  It was difficult to look at those rooms (no photos were included in the listing) BUT we posted a little sign outside the rooms saying that they would be painted before the new owners' took possession.  If this happened again, I would also add the paint chip of the colour that the room would be painted.   While we had no problems with the sale (and in fact the new owners didn't want the rooms painted!!!!) why toy (LOL)  with a possible... 06/01/2011

And that is dead.  If you are buying or selling your home and a deal does not go through, you need time to adjust.  Mourn for an hour.  Pine and sigh.  You may have started dreaming and planning based upon that sale.  If the home has gone to someone else or the Buyers have found another home then there is no going back.  Don't take too long before moving(every pun intended) on.  I want you to get your house ready for the next showing, have a long talk with the real estate agent about why the deal was lost and make necessary adjustments.   If you are buying, turn on the internet search, come to ActiveRain, work with your agent.   Time is wasted in the world of could have, would have and should have. Photo credit:  Dead_as_a_door_nail 05/31/2011

What do the Irish put in their backyards?   Paddy O'Furniture Photo credit:  Waiting for Summer  I took this photo last year at the St. Anne Spa.  I loved the way the Adirondack chairs were lined up as though waiting for people to arrive and enjoy the view.   05/31/2011

Down in the basement there is something green and it isn't mould.  Oh, maybe it is so humid that grass is growing.  No, wait.  Grass doesn't usually grow upside down.  It is a piece of antiquity.  Green shag carpet!!!!  You knew that the ripped out carpet had to go somewhere and I bet you thought there was some landfill site full of shag and rakes.   Still, necessity is the mother of invention and multiple concussions at the doorway to the storage area might just have finally forced the owners to be creative and conserve the shag.  Years from now, someone will read this post and want to know where they too can get their hands on the shag.   Sorry boys and girls.  Good taste has destroyed all but these little bits and sightings of the shag are rare.  Photo credit:  Taken at a house insp... 05/31/2011

Here is why you don't build a total brick house.   Some things like window sills are just better off with other products than porous bricks.  When the big bad wolf comes he will be able to ...... Huff and Buff and Blow the Sill Down. Photo credit:  My photo taken with a Canon Poweshot A580.  05/29/2011

When selling your house put out a big bowl of lemons or a big bowl of apples. Fruit lasts longer than flowers but still gives an organic impact.  Watch out that they do not go bad. In most cases, painting anything a bright yellow is just not as good as adding a few touches.  A whole wall or room is just too much yellow.   A few cushions, table decorations or photos/wall art with yellow will add a cheery note and not overpower the Buyers.  According to BBC Home the psychology of yellow: Associated with: sunshine and energy, stimulates the intellect Best for: kitchens, dining rooms or north-facing rooms Pitfalls: not very restful for a bedroom. Yellow is thought to enhance feelings of emotional distress After the sale... If your sale has left you with a big bowl of lemons, make lemonade.... 05/28/2011

Last Tuesday was a wonderful sunny and warm day.  I went for a walk with my camera to try to capture some of my favourite spring flowers.  There were:  magnolia buds on a tree; tulips (so late this year but what an opportunity to photograph them; iris flowers just starting to appear; lilacs with that wonderful lilac smell that is so sweet but cannot be photographed; a big headed poppy, peonies and, finally, a lawn ornament that needed to be caged for this collage. If you are having as much rain as we are today, I hope you enjoy this collage and the reminder of all that spring that be.  05/27/2011

Why does Georges listen to me? The obvious answer is because he has to.  Ha ha ha.  As if!!! Wasn't that in the marriage contract under for better or worse?  Worse just might be the sound of my voice droning on and on about clients, houses, my broker, the deal, the other agents, the Sellers (when I have the Buyers) and the Buyers (when I have the Sellers).  It is about the market and the last real estate course that I took.  It is about the quarterly tax reports and filing returns.  It is the gumbling about all the GD forms that need to be filled.  It goes on and on.  Just based on the previous sentences you can see that the poor bastard doesn't get a break.  Now, MDH really doesn't have to hear what is being said.  I know that it sometimes just sounds like yadda, yadda, yadda.  Howeve... 05/26/2011

Buyers will look in your shed.  This weekend, I took some Buyers to a house that was in need a some TLC (tender loving care).  In addition to walking around the house, the husband went to the shed for a good look.  He was not impressed with the state of the building nor the state of the interior.  It was added to the list of why the house was not worth the asking price. Before selling, declutter your shed. This is not a place to hide your excess stuff.  If the exterior is in bad shape make a decision to either tear it down or fix it up.  Don't just leave it thinking that Buyers don't dar.  Finally, don't be tempted exclude the shed in your sale.  It will be too much trouble for you to dismantle and not likely to make the trip across town or country.  Make it part of the real estate you... 05/24/2011

Home Buyers seem to make the same mistakes over and over and over again. Here are the top 5:   1. NOT asking their mortgage broker/banker more questions about the type of product they have to offer. 2. Don't make a decision quickly enough and someone else buys the house. Remember many people are looking for a house and if its a nice looking home, in a great location and well priced. It will be sold within days and sometimes hours. 3. They haven't selected the right agent to assist them in purchasing a home. 4. Their offer isn't attractive enough to the Seller. 5. They don't think about the resale before they buy. A well informed Buyer can make an educated decision. Select your team players carefully. For a full service real estate team www.irenebilinski.com Always there for you! Because... 05/23/2011

In Ottawa, chip wagons abound.  We love our fatty foods (at least I know I do).  Now, when you come to visit Ottawa I have to warn you..... Stay away from the Poutine! Anyone in their right mind will know that arteries will clog just from reading the ingredients.  I am warning you in advance so hang on to your arteries: A styrofoam container of piping hot and crisp french fries 1 large ladle of gravy (not your mom's but something that is thick like wallpaper paste) 1 handful of cheese curds - yes, curds as in "Little Miss Muffet". 1 very liberal sprinkling of salt because your health is not an issue A pinch of pepper A defibrillator -  nearby. I felt it my duty to warn you.   Now you have been warned.   When in Ottawa - eat Poutine.   You have no idea how good it can be until you try a... 05/22/2011

I just read that there are 119,000 federal government jobs in the Ottawa Gatineau region.  Well, that has made up for some pretty steady employment figures in the area.   But, being the Capital of Canada, is not all about government.  I have been here for almost 15 years and these are some of the things that I have notices and, in most cases, learned to love: Public transportation is used by everyone - from the store clerk to the Assistant Deputy Ministers in federal departments.   As long as the buses run, people will use them.  People - not me. Someone holding a small brown paper bag is not hiding a mickey of gin but eating a bag of french fries.  I guess the bag keeps them hot longer. There are miles / kilometers of bike paths and running trails and Ottawans  likes to be outside. Ot... 05/21/2011