Check out Sarah Jackson’s great how-to article for students on decorating on a budget from HeraldNet: “Dorm decor: Six stylish solutions for college students”.

Before: Calgary sunroom before redesign. To give these cubbords a fresh, new look, we painted them with CIL’s French Cream – 25YY 83/103. The doors and trim were also coated in the same colour. Kilz’s Oil-based White helped to get rid of smoking stains from the previous owner. For the walls we decided to use a CIL’s Venetian Glass – 30GY 72/196. It’s amazing what paint can do to transform a room. A new countertop, stainless steel sink and faucet were also installed as well as new backsplash to modernize the space (see blog post “Tiling Project Update”). These changes to the kitchenette complimented the new bamboo styled shades, furniture, bamboo rug and accessories. The end tables were originally from the sunroom and the arts & crafts lamp was found at an antique show.

After: A fresh coat of paint, new countertops and backsplash can go a long way. Check out the other before & after shots from this home: – Sunroom – Seating Area

On July 22, 2010, I purchased some beautiful backsplash for a tiling project I was working on for one of my clients (see blog post “Great Service at Home Depot”). I followed the steps from the tutorial on “How-to Tile” from www.hometime.com.

I choose the Anatolia Mosaics Tile from Home Depot because I felt they would be easier to cut around the electrical boxes and at the corners of the walls and it was. Luckily 90% of my
cuts were with a utility knife on the
mesh backing of the tile.

The gluing went along smoothly as well, but (after waiting four days for the mortar to dry) when I got to the grouting part, I realized those pros on TV make it look easy. You really have to use your muscles (in my case, all of my body weight) to make sure the grout gets in between the joints. I’d definitely do another tiling project on my own (maybe next time I’ll have stronger muscles).

Keep posted early next week for before and after pictures!

Selling your home successfully is a combination of setting the correct price, properly preparing your home for sale and marketing it to qualified buyers. It is important to keep an open mind with changes your selling team may suggest and voice any questions or concerns you may have.

Remember, we are all here to help you sell your home!

Some Interesting Facts
• The average home buyer is younger than the average seller, this is important remember when styling each room.
• 63% of home buyers are willing to invest more money for a home that is already move in ready (2006 Maritz Research).
• 74% of home buyers drive by before touring a home, it is important to keep your curb appeal at it’s best (2009 CCSP Research).
• Buyers rank the following as deciding factors in purchasing a home: storage/organization, freshly painted walls and current flooring (86%),
location and size (78%), kitchen (52%) and curb appeal (22%)
(2005-2006 Maritz Research).

References: The Canadian Staging Professional Program. Certified Staging Professional Resource Manual (2010). Section 1, Page 15
Images: iStock Photo (Aug 6, 2010)