Spring is in the air

Spring is definitely in the air, especially in South Western Ontario. This recent spring-like weather can be a motivator to get you into your garden. Although it’s a great time to take advantage of the weather, it’s still a little early to do anything significant in the garden. Never the less, it’s a great time to get a jump on the season and your curb appeal. Especially if you are listing your home this spring, curb appeal is the most crucial thing you have to lure home buyers to your home.  Here are a couple of stylicious tips that can give you a head start:

1. Clean Up Your Garden – This is a great time to clean up any debris in garden, cut down any dead growth to allow new growth to come through, rake out your grass, and trim back any dead branches on shrubs and trees.
2. Pull Out Your Gardening Journal – It’s a great time to remind yourself of the goals you set last season for this coming season. This will allow you to schedule your time over the next couple of months to provide adequate time to complete these projects. Also, doing these projects early in the season will allow you to enjoy it throughout the gardening season. Your journal will remind you of any to-do items that you have recorded for March/April. Finally, if you don’t currently have a gardening journal, we encourage getting one now so you can record your tasks to do each month, and future hopes and dreams you have for your garden.
3. Sowing Seeds Indoors – With the new 100 mile diet trend encouraging everyone to eat locally grown, what better than having veggies and herbs at your finger tips, right outside your back door? This is the time of year to start planning and preparing your seeds. Most seeds require 6-12 weeks germination/growth before you can transplant them outdoors. Check your local weather trends for the average last frost date. For most of South Western Ontario, it is usually May 15-24.

Stylicious Staging Tips

Home Staging is increasingly more important to create that edge in the market place. Recent studies have shown that staged homes sell faster and for more money. Follow these simple staging tips to ensure your home is prepared for sale:


1) Clean, Clean, Clean – every item in your home (including floors, appliances, windows, etc.) should be spotless and sparkle.

2) Declutter – take the opportunity to get your packing started and declutter all areas in your home especially closets, cabinets, floor space, etc.

3) Depersonalize – home buyers want to walk into a home and be able to visualize their stuff and their family fitting into the space. Having family photos, trophies, degrees, etc. hinder the potential home buyer visualizing the space as their own.

4) Lighting – your home should be bright and have as much natural light as possible. Clean all windows inside and out, turn on all lights for showings, and add décor pieces like glass, silver, mirrored to reflect the light throughout the room.

5) Be Religion Neutral – put away all religious items and figurines for all showings and open houses.

6) Curb Appeal – you only have one chance to make a lasting first impression. Pay extra attention to the details of your curb appeal. Your gardens should be well edged, clear of any debris and weeds, and add flowers where possible to add a splash of colour. Ensure doors, trim, and siding have a fresh coat of paint (choose a neutral colour). Ensure all paths to your home are clear.

7) Paint – painting is one of the cheapest and greatest return on investment. Paint interior and exterior in neutral colours and avoid dark accent colours like red, blue, etc.

8) MLS Photos – ensure they are taken during the day and have all lights turned on. Most home buyers now search for homes on-line before heading out to the area to view homes. Be sure your photos are inviting, in focus, and bright. Inquire about our Stylicious Retouch service for any photos that need colour correction, brightening, etc.

At Stylicious Living we provide a full room by room evaluation including curb appeal to ensure each home is prepared for sale using our Stylicious Staging Selling and Strategies Guide. Our consultations start at $195 + HST. We also offer showcasing services for open houses and furniture rental for vacant homes. Contact us today at (416)262-0609 to book an in-home staging consultation.