wide open spaces...yikes!

Yesterday morning, this was an empty house. And by empty, I mean not a single stick of furniture or accessory in sight.

By last evening, this was a nicely staged home that is now warm and inviting to potential buyers (I think!).

This lovely house has been on the market for a little while now. It’s a newly renovated, beautifully finished, family home in a great neighborhood. But it didn’t necessarily show that way to those who visited simply because it was entirely empty. And empty can come off as cold, echo-y…and this may surprise you…but smaller than it actually is.

So, with a little rouge and a lot furniture that the client could “beg, borrow and steal” (thankfully he and his friends have good taste, so there were some gems tochoose from!), the key areas in the home are now warm, welcoming and much more inviting to potential buyers.

Dining room, kitchen, living room, main floor office, one kid’s bedroom and master bedroom were addressed. Very minimal staging was done in the kitchen and all three bathrooms just to add a little something as well. Two bedrooms and the finished basement were left alone.
The key to staging an empty house is to put just enough in so that potential buyers can instantly see how the room would be used (as in “ah...this is an office. This is the dining room”…etc). You may think that should be obvious, but trust me, it’s not always the case with potential buyers. And if they have to think too hard to figure out what the space actually is, they won’t buy your house.
Put just enough in for them to get a sense of how their own furniture could fit in that space. When a room is completely empty, it’s kind of like shopping at Costco. You lose all sense of scale. Ever get home and wonder just where exactly you are going to store 72 rolls of toilet paper?

Well, it’s the same here…an empty space can be deceiving and may look small. You may be left wondering if bed will fit in the room because you have nothing to give you a sense of size. So put enough in the room to leave no doubt. A good tip is to not push all the furniture against the walls…leave breathing room to show potential buyers that not only is there room for furniture, but there is plenty of open space to accommodate other things as well.

You also want to put just enough in so that the eye skims over what’s there, rests for half a minute and then easily moves on to admire the selling features – the view, the wonderful flooring, the fixtures or architectural details. Nothing too personal, nothing to showy, nothing too unique that would attract and hold attention.

rouge is happy with the results and hopes that our work may help generate new interest in the house. Another open house is planned for the weekend, so time will tell….



For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

rouge 101

rouge is celebrating a milestone – this is officially the 101st posting for the just a little rouge blog!

Who knew I’d have so much to talk about? Who knew anyone would be interested in reading it?

Certainly not me…in the beginning, at least!

Sending my gratitude to all just a little rouge readers – whether you are one of our many faithful readers or brand new – and no matter how you found rouge…through my personal facebook page, rouge website (www.littlered.ca), or via haligonia.ca or halifax.infomonkey.net. I’m very happy you are here!

As always, we love to hear from you…so please send your feedback, suggest topics you’d like to hear more about, or just drop us a line.

Here’s to the next 101 posts that will try to add just a little rouge to your life!

xx rouge.



For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

before and afters

rouge completed a staging job on Thursday, so I thought I’d give you a sneak peak at the house that will be on the market early next week.

We did our home evaluation about a month ago…and since then the homeowners, handyman, and realtor have been busy ripping up some carpets, painting all walls, repainting and polishing the concrete floors, and a whole lot of landscaping.

We did our thing on Thursday and staged as much as the budget allowed….the main entrance, sunroom/laundry room, loft office space, dining room, living room, family room and three bedrooms. We didn’t even touch the kitchen, any of the three bathrooms, or the attached studio and workshop. But we left good instructions for the homeowners to tackle these areas on their own over the weekend.

It’s a beautiful home…full of large windows, loads of light, and a spectacular view of the ocean.

Here are some of the "before and after" shots…



living & dining room before










living & dining after

living & dining after

loft office before

loft office after

bedroom #1 before

bedroom #1 after

family room before

family room after

bedroom #2 before

bedroom #2 after

We wish the homeowners a speedy sale for the full asking price!

For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

last minute (wo)man

(living room before & after)

Thanks for your indulgence on last week’s topic. Now on to other promises….

rouge recently completed a last minute staging job on a great 1 ½ story home in Halifax’s west end.

Under normal circumstances, we do a home evaluation first, leaving the client with a list of suggested repairs and a list of things to pack-up, remove…etc to be completed within a few days. In the meantime, rouge is working hard on generating ideas, making a staging plan, and picking up whatever is needed. Then we go back in and do the actual staging.

This, of course, is under ideal circumstances. We are very flexible, depending on the client’s & realtor’s timeline and can condense this process accordingly. Like anything else though, something has to give…either time, money, or product.

In this case, there was a very limited timeline. The cients found, made an offer, and bought their new home before they even really started looking. The purchase was conditional on the sale of their current home that hadn’t even been listed yet. And they had a short time in which to sell.

So tight timeline, as in…”can you come stage this house tomorrow and do the best with what you’ve got?”

It’s a challenge walking into a job blind…but it’s a challenge I love. Luckily, the clients were incredible – totally open to anything rouge suggested and they were ready to work.

Also as luck would have it, there was very little de-cluttering to do. On average, homeowners need to pack away 2/3 of their “stuff” before good staging can occur.

In this case, the homeowners were busy packing away closets and other things as rouge was working in another room.

We were efficient. In fact, rouge didn’t get all the “before” pictures because the clients were like a whirlwind in packing, de-cluttering and hauling out stuff going to storage!

At the end of the day, it was almost done. A small list for the clients to complete the following day. They did exactly that and listed their home in top “showing” condition in record time.

rouge is also thrilled to report that the home sold on the day it was listed with competing offers!

And we are sending our congratulations (twins!) and very best wishes to them as they move into their new place in the coming weeks.

For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

ten reasons people don’t stage their properties (but should)

Here is a list of the most common reasons people give for not staging their homes. This is my condensed interpretation of information found in Home Staging for Dummies (Chapter 26). It's direct and straight to the point -- and I like that! My hope is that it may give you a better understanding of the home staging industry...and some of its challenges. Or at least make for an interesting read!

1. We don’t have time for home staging – if you have time to sell your home, you have time to stage it. Don’t undervalue the staging process unless you are prepared to accept less than your property is worth. There are lots of stats to support that homeowners who stage are very likely to get the money back that they put into staging – and more. Fail to stage your home, and you’re less likely to get your asking price and your house might stay on the market much longer than you want.

2. Location and price will do the work – even if you have a great location and a good price, a house in lousy condition will languish on the market and you will eventually reduce your asking price. Improve the condition of the house before you list it and realize the highest return possible by staging.

3. I get compliments on my home all the time, so I don’t need to stage it – Too bad you aren’t selling your home to friends and family. Living in and staging a home for sale are two very different situations. You have to appeal to the widest possible audience of potential buyers. Like it or not, selling a house isn’t about you, your taste, or your decorating style. It’s about what the buyer wants.

4. My neighbour’s house sold without staging – Good for them! What you don’t know is if they made as much money as they could have.

5. My agent said I don’t need to stage my house – Will your house sell without staging? Maybe. Will it sell at the price you want? Not as likely. Think about first impressions: a blind date, a job interview, test driving a car. Each situation requires spit and polish. Staging helps you put your best foot forward.

6. If my house is good enough for me, it’s good enough for anyone – This is just an excuse and would be convincing if you really don’t care how much money you make – or don’t make – on the sale of your property. People have more choices, buyers are more educated and have busier lives. Buyers are making a short list based on what they see on-line. Get your house on that short list by staging before putting it on the market. If you can’t be bothered to fix or change things, neither will the buyer.

7. Staging is just de-cluttering and cleaning, and I’ve done that – These are important first steps, but it isn’t the whole picture. You need to make sure your house looks the same or better than comparable properties on the market. Staging includes cleaning, repairing, reducing and refreshing, correct use of color, professionally placed furnishings, lighting, props and art – all targeting the buyer most likely to buy your house.

8. Homes have been selling for years without staging – That’s true, but times have changed. Interest rates have changed and savvy buyers are watching decorating and real estate shows…these are a few of the things that make the home selling process more competitive. Today’s buyers don’t want to inherit your to-do list. They want to move right in and live their lives.

9. I can’t afford staging – The money you’d save by not staging is a shortsighted savings. If you want to get all you can from the sale, then don’t leave money sitting on the closing table. Consider what it might cost to pay additional mortgage payments, property taxes and household expenses while your house sits on the market waiting for a buyer who can see past your life.

10. It’s a hot market so the house will sell “as is” – it may sell, but at what price? You are gambling with your equity if you sell without staging. Staged properties bring exceptional return on investment whether the market is hot or soft. (When the market is soft, staging is key in generating interested buyers.) Staging gives you a competitive edge and makes your property stand out. If you don’t stage your property, trust that someone else who’s competing for the same buyer is.