Beddington’s Broadcast
bed/bath/home
Edition # 5

If you missed out on previous editions “Click Here”. Dust mites – Yuck!Yes, they live in your bedding. You can’t see them but they live in your pillows, in your sheets, and in your mattress by the tens (or hundreds) of thousands. The good news is that you can do something about them! But first, let’s cover what they are and why it’s important to control them. What are Dust Mites? Dust mites are tiny, invisible insects that live in fibers on carpeting, plush furniture, curtains, mattresses, pillows and bedding. Unlike spiders or ticks, dust mites are not visible to the naked eye and do not bite or transmit disease. Here comes the gross part. We shed about two pounds of dead skin per year; much of it while sleeping, and the dust mites eat these flakes of skin. If we can’t see them and they don’t bite, why should we care? A single dust mite produces about 20 waste droppings each day, each containing a protein to which many people are allergic. Yuck! The proteins in that combination of feces and shed skin are what cause allergic reactions in humans. Depending on the person and exposure, reactions can range from itchy eyes to asthma attacks. Even people who are not currently sensitive to dust mite waste can develop an allergy in the presence of high levels of dust mites and their waste. How can you tell if you (or someone in your family) has an allergy to them? A person with an allergy or sensitivity to dust mite exposure may experience all or just some of the following symptoms: - Hay fever - Runny nose - Sneezing - Asthma, difficulty in breathing - Infantile eczema - Itchy, red or watery eyes - Nasal congestion - Itchy nose, roof of mouth or throat - Postnasal drip - Cough - Facial pressure and pain - Frequent awakening - Swollen, blue-colored skin under your eyes - In a child, frequent upward rubbing of the nose A doctor can use skin tests and blood tests to confirm a suspected dust mite allergy. What can you do to control dust mite exposure? The best thing you can do is wash your bed linen at least once per week. Use an adequate amount of soap, don’t overload the washing machine, and use a longer wash cycle. Encase your mattress, box spring, and pillows in dust mite proof covers. Remove excess humidity in your home. Place a dehumidifier in the bedroom to keep the moisture below 50%. (if you have carpeting) – Vigorously vacuum at least once per week using a vacuum with a HEPA filter. If you follow these simple but effective steps you should greatly reduce the number of these tiny creatures in your home and minimize any possible adverse reactions as a result of sharing space with these unwanted microscopic roommates.

This Beddington’s Broadcast Courtesy of HomeReady Home Staging, www.homereadyhomestaging.ca homeready@homereadhomestaging.ca 613-894-4155

‘Tis

Why don’t you contact HomeReady Home Staging now to start planning your move next year?  You’ll be glad you did!

Contact HomeReady Home Staging at 613-894-4155,  homeready@homereadyhomestaging.ca for a free quote on the best service for you.

HomeReady Home Staging serves the greater Ottawa area, including Orleans, Cumberland, Navan, Embrun, and Russell.

We realize that most potential buyers decide whether or not they are comfortable in a home within the first few seconds of entering, therefore it is crucial to make a wonderful and lasting first impression.

Home staging improves the condition of a home, helping secure equity, and decreasing the amount of time it takes to sell the home. A staged home makes for high impact photos and virtual tours, attracting more buyers and subsequently more offers.

How does your home compete with the thousands of homes on the market in the Ottawa area? Let a Certified Canadian Staging Professional™ showcase your home for a successful sale!

Not selling, but looking for some design changes?

We also provide Interior Redesign and Colour Consultation Services for homeowners who are looking for some changes in their home to create that “Love Where You Live” – lived in feeling.

I have been working lately with a delightful elderly woman who is hoping to sell her home of 49 years.  Well you can imagine all the collections of things this lady has accumulated during this time.  It seemed that the biggest part of the job was to rid the house of all the stuff so that prospective buyers might be able to see what the house had to offer.  However, I soon realized that it really wasn’t all the things surrounding the owner but the memories that this house held for her.  She had raised five children in this house, had been very active in the community and had now been a widow for 21 years.  The plan originally was for her to move from the house shortly after her husband passed away but she couldn’t leave and so the years came and went and now here she is, tying to put on a brave face as she sees her possessions being packed away and loaded up.  She has many stories and I sit and listen as she tells me about this painting or how she used to sit at the counter in the kitchen and parpare a meal with her husband.  There is no rushing her.  At times the tears flow but she regains her composure and smiles.  The roses over there she says were the last ones from her husband before he got sick.  I’ve kept them all these years but I don’t think I’ll be taking them.  I promise to put together a memory book for her. 
I wonder what this lovely lady will do when she moves.  I’ve helped her select what she will take with her to the senior’s home she’s moving into and maybe I will go and have tea with her then.  But she won’t have her constant companion, her beloved pet dog.  She has to go elsewhere.  This tears at my heartstrings too. 
My work as a Home Stager, as you can see, is not just paying attention to the physical surround but it is often the people who have lived in the home that has now become simply a house to be sold that makes this work so satisfying.



What’s in your garage is a question that I always ask my clients when I am conducting a Home Staging consultation.  Invariably, I get an embarrassed or sheepish look back and an explanation that it isn’t really organized or worse, it looks like bomb has gone off in it. Then they reluctantly open the door and wozzers – they will never or ever have been able to get a car in there.  Toys, bikes, lawn furniture, tools, lawn mowers, and junk can quickly fill up a garage leaving no space for  a single vehicle.  However, a garage (for cars) is often on a home buyers wish list, so it behoves the homeowner to get their garage in order to suggest space, organization and adequate storage.

As the homeowner was preparing for an Open House that I was assisting with, the roommate decided it was a nice day to go out for a jog.  Fine and dandy, but her room was a mess and the bathroom had just been cleaned.  Well with only one half hour to spare the roommate came in wanting to shower etc.  Needless to say, there was a bit of tension.  To her credit, the roommate beat all odds and showered, dressed, cleaned up her room and the bathroom (again) and was out of the house in less than the half hour. 

The point here is that when you are selling your house that is staged, you live differently.  Yes, you must expect inconveniences temporarily, but all the effort pays off in the end when the presentation wows potential buyers and the house sells quickly.  Then you can go back to living in the house as you were or at least until you move. 
Oh, by the way, the house sold that day to buyers attending the Open House!

Hope your Valentine’s Day was filled with love and promise! I always find that Valentine’s Day is the turning point from our long winter with the promise of spring in the air as the days are getting just a little bit longer and the sun shining brighter. Of course, this also means that the Real Estate market is also picking up as homeowners think about selling and buying.

Home Staging, to enhance the presentation of a house in the real estate market so that it sells quickly and for the most money, is quickly becoming the way to successfully market a property. I hope that it is part of your marketing plan for your clients.

Real Estate Agents who incorporate Home Staging into their service to sellers benefit greatly. How you might ask? Let me tell you.

•  Staged houses present better than competing, non-staged houses. This means that pictures look better on MSL, websites and in print. We all know that about 90% of perspective buyers search on the Internet first, so do yourself a favour – offer Home Staging as a way to attract both the sellers and the buyers to your business.

•  Staged houses motivate other Real Estate Agents to show your properties, because they show well and are move-in ready! Anything to make someone else’s job easier benefits you!

•  Statistically* Staged houses spend about 78% less time on the market than non-staged houses. This means that you save in your overall marketing costs.

•  Your reputation as a “go-to” Real Estate Agent increases when you incorporate Home Staging as part of your marketing because you are successful!

•  Buyer confidence increases when you present houses for sale that have been Staged. They know that they are looking at something special. This continues to help build your satisfied client base.

•  And best of all, leaving the Home Staging to a Home Stager, frees you up to do what you do best – SELL HOUSES!

I could go on and on with the benefits for you incorporating Home Staging into your marketing plan. If you would like to continue this conversation and find out more of what I am now up to – give me a call – I’d love to have coffee with you (my treat). I can also help you know how to talk to your clients about Home Staging.
homeready@homereadyhomestaging.ca, 613-894-4155.

Best Regards,



The bathroom and mirror before Redesigning

The product is simply called “Mirror Edge” and all you need is a tape measure and utility knife to score where to snap it to fit around the perimeter of the mirror.  Double sided tape is included or you can buy a special glue as well for permanent adhesion.



The bathroom after the Redesign with the “MIrror Edge”



• Pets
• Change letter boxes for cats daily
• Change bedding for caged pets frequently
• Groom and bath pets regularly
• Better yet, send Fido or Spot to their local animal spa or relative for a short while
• Wash pet bedding and toys
• Carpets and Furnishings
• Have all carpets, drapes and cloth furnishings professionally cleaned
• Wash bedding linens and towels frequently (I am amazed how many people don’t do this anyway)
• Clean, clean, clean
• Bathrooms need to be pristine
• Kitchens spotless
• Keep the laundry up (nothing worse than smelling someone elses dirty laundry)
• Use Eco friendly cleaning products with little or no scent
• Think about where you are storing stinky, wet boots and running shoes!  A container away from the main living area might be the answer or wear them when leaving!
• Watch out for mildew and mold formation as a result of too much moisture
• Change filters on your furnace as recommended by the manufacturer

Now is not the time to experiment with new exotic dinner recipes or cook highly odoriferous foods.  You don’t want prospective buyers guessing what you had for dinner two nights ago!  If you smoke, do so outside and hide the evidence.  Also, if you like to have a before dinner cocktail, wine with dinner and beers watching the game, watch out (for many reasons) for the residual smells they leave behind.  Again having your house smelling like a tavern may be a deal breaker!
When you are selling your house at this time make a habit of airing out the house daily by opening a few windows and doors for about five minutes.  This allows all the stale odours to escape and fresh air to come in.  A fresh smelling house is worth the few extra dollars it might take in increased heating costs.  If you have a scheduled showing again air the house out for a few minutes before you leave.  Perfumed candles (never leave on when you leave for a showing), air fresheners and pot pourri are not the answer and sometimes leave the buyer wondering what you are covering up.  The baked bread and cookie smells are now a bit cliche and besides, they are a lot of work.  As a last resort use an electronic air cleaner, but this should not be necessary if you follow the above suggestions.
Our sense of smell belongs to the oldest part of our brain and can conjure up many emotions at the unconscious level so be very conscious about how you deal with household odours. 

If you want some more specific ideas about preventing or eliminating lurking (and not nice) odours in your house when selling contact HomeReady Home Staging for more ideas.