Love Letters To Regroup (Unsolicited)

Testimonials are better than a big box of valentine chocolates.
And those unsolicited ones make every business owner's heart flutter!

Here are a few of ours: (100% Unsolicited....)

Hi Patricia,

You came to give us staging recommendations a few weeks ago.

I want to take the opportunity to thank you so much for all your advice. It took us a few weeks to get the house ready, and we finally listed it this past week and sold it in 4 days! You deserve so much credit for that! While it was time consuming to move all our stuff to my parents backyard and set up a bedroom in the basement on top of other little things, the speed at which it sold and the price we received for it was well worth the effort. In fact, we had a 4 offer bidding war and sold over list price! Thank you for your keen eye and natural talent in home decor.

Kindest regards,

MC (Vendor)

“People couldn’t picture themselves living in the house until you staged it and brought it back to life.” Remax Agent,

“They stayed up all night and did what you told them to do. We have an offer. I owe you." Main St Realty Broker

“Fantabulistic!! I had to make up a word for how great it looks. Many thanks.” PSR Agent

"I absolutely love it!"  Royal Le Page Agent

 "Hi Patricia,

Last year you gave us staging advice and we ended up selling our home in 2 days. We had 3 offers and sold for over our asking price. But more than all that, I loved the way the house looked when I followed your advice. You mentioned you would also come to our new home. Can you come and tell me about paint colors in our new home. I want the same touches all over again. Please call me."

MK ( Vendor)

Worth Every Penny! 
Royal Le Page Agent

 

In an email:

“Thank you, Thank you , Thank you. I can’t believe it’s our condo”

Next email:

“ Thank you Thank you. We never would have sold so fast without your help”

N J  Vendor

In a letter to an agent:

"Also, thanks for sending Patricia and Maddy over. They worked wonders with our place and were so great to deal with. They were staging while we were working outside and they made sure everything went smoothly. I definitely want to have them give me suggestions for our new home. I'm so glad they were part of your service"

A & S, Vendors

Once Upon a Time.....

...long long ago (October) there was a handsome young real estate agent who wanted to use Regroup to stage a condo. The condo was a scary, empty place with no furniture. (Read: a vacant condo in North York) The young agent had a partner on this deal who was a frightening ogre with fiery breath who said “NO STAGING” (really he was just an old school type agent). So the young agent had to postpone using our services.

Then on a bright and sunny day about a month later the young agent called Regroup and said ‘I have listed another empty scary condo and want you to stage it right away. We need you to rescue the vendor.’ (Read: vacant condo in boutique building on Davisville)

So Regroup used their magic and transformed the scary empty condo into a showpiece that would win over the heart of a buyer.

A young maiden saw the condo and bought it! (In fact it sold in under a week, with multiple offers, in December.)

Now the frightening ogre saw what Regroup magic could do and he said to the handsome young agent “Ok, let’s get Regroup to do magic on our North York condo listing”. Suddenly the frightening ogre changed into a kind and wise businessman.

So we did our magic on the North York condo and what happened next…?

Will it sell fast so the handsome young agent, the wise businessman, and Regroup can live happily ever after?

Stay tuned!

Happy 2014 From Maddy & Patricia

Christmas 2012 Rerun, Twas The Night Before Listing

A 'Styling To Sell' TIP for NOW

We are still seeing homes with flip flops in the hall closet, swimming pool

equipment, patio furniture and other leftover things from the lazy hazy days.(unfortunately long gone!)

All off-season items should be packed away by now.
Pool equipment should be stored neatly out of site such as a corner in the basement or packed. If pool equipment is stashed in the mud room, and patio cushions are in the family room, the prospective buyers will wonder where they will stash this paraphernalia if they buy the house.
Still having summer jackets in the closets shouts that there is not enough storage space.
Closets should be season appropriate and room appropriate. That means
no food /pantry items in the hall closet, no adult clothes in the kids' rooms.

 
In winter, Styling to Sell is more important than ever. Our short days and winter weather bring challenges - luckily Regroup can handle it!

Worthwhile Style: A Fresh Funky Look for a Yonge & Eglinton Condo

This was a great collaboration with Regroup and the condo owners.  The owners had minimal furniture in the unit and what they had was very tired, drab and had no Wow factor what so ever. A single bed was in the living room, an older pine country style table and folding chairs were in the dining area. A TV stand was used as a desk and the bedroom was boring and bland. But this is a super bright large soft loft, it just needed a refresh.

The vendors did not want to rent furniture but were willing to purchase, so we advised them on what to buy. We looked at pictures on-line together and guided them throughout the 'shopping sprees'. They did a great job on choosing a modern sofa, dining set,and desk. They also removed every item we suggested including a huge shelving unit that divided the space, took down drapes, and purged closets.

We came in with accessories and wall art and made the transformation from dull to dazzling.

Mid Project

Before

After

Bedroom Before

Bedroom After

The vendor emailed me:

"Thank you Thank you. I can't believe it is our condo!"

 Yes, this was Worthwhile Style.

Back To School? Home For Sale?

Back To School?   Home For Sale? 

Here are 5 Back to School Tips to Help Keep it 'show-ready':

( Yes..this is the same as last year. I was asked to run it again, so here it is)

Selling a home can be a stressful time; combine this with the new schedules, the school bags, lunch bags, gym shoes, text books, pencil cases and paperwork, and early September can become as hectic as the Christmas rush. 

Here are 5 Tips to keep a home 'show-ready'.

#1 If kids usually use the front door – now is the time for them to use the side or back door. Keep the WOW factor at the front door; keep shoes & school bags at the other one.

#2 Have a dedicated spot for books and school bags, and homework, that looks neat and organized, and somewhat clutter free. Baskets and foldable coloured storage bins work perfectly.

#3 Don’t let kids' summer paraphernalia and back to school equipment overlap  - put some items that belong to the lazy hazy days away early. Pack them up, ready to move or put them in storage.

#4 The first weeks of school mean dizzying amounts of paperwork such as permission slips. Get these signed, back in the school bag and returned to school immediately. Don’t let them pile up.

#5 Student moving out to university?

This means a considerable amount of ‘stuff’ will be moving out too – clothes, toiletries, and clutter…all good to go. But if you have removed beds, bookcases, chairs, carpets, dressers, and accessories look at the room with new eyes and see what needs to be replaced to show the room at its best.