Just completed a home inspection in Gibsons BC. House was 6 years old, nearly 3000 sq.ft. with superior custom construction. All the interior and exterior finishes were well executed. The ground floor was unfinished but prepared for future suite potential.  In my business I have seen many in-law suites, unauthorized accomodations and mortgage helpers. In this post I summarize what I consider important design considerations for any homeowner to think about when planning for a rental income. Legal. Check with municipality to see if secondary accommodations are acceptable for this particular community. Determine if this is going to be a legal or non-conforming accommodations.  Parking. Make sure you have lots of it and it does not impact on the neighbours. Entry. Is it separate (preferred)... 12/11/2016

Full disclosure.  My very first residence with my young family was a mobile home. It was in Labrador Canada. It was a harsh climate where the ice did not come off the lakes until June. We had mushrooms growing on the shag carpeting.  Regardless, it was ours and we were happy.I know that the correct term is ‘manufactured’ not mobile, so my apologies to any industry purists. However I will refer to this housing option as a ‘mobile’ because it has a friendly feeling about the term, particularly its affordability.Here’s my top 3 items that that first time buyers are likely to be concerned about.#1 Limited life of 20-25 years: Advancements in building technology in the last two decades have been substantial. I would always go for the newest unit that one can afford. Manufacturing standards, ... 05/26/2016

Plays written or produced by Robert MacDonald  "Signs" of Broadway  Edmonton Alberta, Calgary Alberta Winnipeg Manitoba Love outrageous primal and rhythmic Vancouver East Cultural Centre Homecare A love story Heritage Theater Gibsons BC The Writer... a Serious Comedy Heritage Theater Gibsons BC An Irish Breakfast Gibsons BC  Bio: Staff writer and Editor the Native Voice of BC Staff writer and Editor the Balance Life Magazine Canada Writer Home & Leisure Magazine Edmonton Alberta             07/23/2014

Anthem at Merrill Ranch will have 7 model homes for sale! Located in the heart of Anthem, steps from Big Splash water park, 60 acre park, fitness center, community center and school! Some of these models face out to a greenbelt area with no homes! Examples: Dusk $159,990 2002 square feet 3 bedroom, 2.5 baths + open loft BEAUTIFUL PRIVATE SWIMMING POOL IN BACKYARD! Click here for Dusk Model pictures The Del Webb Community of Anthem is located in the southeast Valley, just north of historic Florence Arizona. Anthem at Merrill Ranch, is a master planned community combining family neighborhoods and active adult living into one larger, multi-generational community. Anthem at Merrill Ranch is designed with all the activities and amenities you would expect from a Del Webb community. Pulte Home... 09/10/2011

Staging creates the proverbial swan from an ugly duckling, and this was no exception.   The main thing this house had going for it was the spectacular view; it needed more and staging gave it that.   Decide for yourselves. The entry was non-descript.  The grass needed mowing; the garden needed weeding & the paint was peeling on the side of house where the entrance is.  There was no budget for the garden or painting; however we were able to persuade the owner to paint a little bit so we could create some curb appeal. Don't you love the BM stem green door and the flowers for more colour.                                                 The vacant LR is ok, but.......how much nicer staged                             kept the look simple & elegant; artwork works with the view outside of the ... 06/12/2010

After two months on the market, the realtor for this property decided to try staging, after a nudge from my photographer colleague who was called in to take photos and said, this house needs staging!  Thank you Linda!!  She is well aware how hard it is to make a vacant property appealing to buyers. The back of this property, i.e. street entry, does not do this house justice at all.  There is no curb appeal: potential buyers have no idea what awaits them inside.   This is the view from inside the house - from the living & dining room & kitchen - which all open onto an enormous deck. I have a limited budget; however I plan to make this property a "hot" product with the money & skill I have available to me, my creativity and my talented assistant Aleisha. Some of the changes we have create... 06/09/2010

The real estate market in Vancouver is hopping, and has been since before the Olympics began.  Realtors and Stagers are busy and offers are being made.  Not so on the Sunshine Coast, unfortunately.   Currently, we have lots of properties for sale & the sales are not keeping up: this is called a Buyer's market.  Buyer's can take their time viewing properties and making offers, and they can make lower offers as they have no competition bidding against them. This situation is not unique to the Sunshine Coast or B.C. or even Canada.  I know from Active Rain blogs that many parts of the USA are experiencing similar real estate markets. Traditionally, what happens in Vancouver moves to the Coast:we are patiently waiting.  Sellers are getting lots of viewings; however the offers are not being ... 04/12/2010

My favourite staging instructor, DANA SMITHERS  of  PRES, is doing a training course in Victoria, BC, so I think, she is going to need some houses for the hands on part of the training on re-design and real estate staging.   This is DANA taking a shot in the house we staged in North Vancouver for another lucky realtor a few weeks ago. I wonder if she knows FRED CARVER of REMAX on the island?  So, I send off a quick email to her.  DANA follows up with FRED - et voila!!!!   Another job well done by a PRES real estate stager!!   I am thrilled with the results of 3 AR members working together to reach our mutual goal - get the house to look as great as possible and get it SOLD!!   This will be FRED when he sees DANA's staging and sees how much easier the house will be to show & sell because... 04/10/2010

Today is the first year anniversary for UPSTAGING YOUR HOMES. I was thinking about writing a blog re: the accomplishments in my first year of business:  renovating and staging a home which drew lots of compliments and sold in our slow market on the Coast within 2 months renovating and staging a condo, which had been on the market unstaged for over 6 months with no interest.  Staged, it had an offer in 6 days re-designs that thrilled the home owners in BC and California opening Ooh-La-La! - my retail outlet in Davis Bay - to showcase decor items and have the opportunity to meet and talk to customers, i.e. potential clients gaining attention from local realtors, choosing to stage their listings for the first time I am sure there is more that I am not recalling at the moment.....as I got a... 03/01/2010

When the staging budget is tight, we really have to put our minds to creative thinking and find inexpensive ways to improve dated & tired looks. This bathroom was a prime example of a room needing a fresher, less dated look.  I was able to find inexpensive replacements for the vanity, sink, mirror & bath hardware but ran out of money when it came to improving the tub.   I took off the sad doors, cleaned up the tub and tiles, and added new grout; however there was no $$ to replace the dated floral tiles.    I knew once the bright clean shower curtain was up, the tiles would be hidden; however i wanted something more.  I didn't want buyers to pull back the shower curtain and go YUKK!   I found these plastic/rubber tiles at Home Depot that apply over existing tiles.  What an amazing differ... 02/27/2010

It is 2 days before deadline and it is going to be tight.  The kitchen was the biggest mess and needed the most work, which is on-going & hopefully completed late today or early tomorrow morning. I am staging a vacant 1 bedroom condo for a gentleman who turned 100 in September.  As his eyesight has failed, he finally had to move into assisted living nearby. He has actually come over a few times wanting to help with the renos, and has been wanting to choose the paint colours.  NOT!!! The funnest (have always wanted to use that word, altho not great english) part of this job is the contributions from our retail and artistic communities KERNS FURNITURE BOUTIQUE is sending over a queen bed, a dresser and night stand; KISS  HOME & GARDEN BOUTIQUE has loaned me a lovely table and a gilt edged... 01/25/2010

We don't usually get snow on the Lower Mainland or the Sunshine Coast of BC; we get rain.  However the best part of the rain is that it means snow in our mountains. We definitely want lots of snow for the Winter Olympics being held here in February, so that our athletes can get all the gold medals in competition. YEAH CANADA!!!! Today, I have a lot of writing and editing to do and it is a perfect day to get at it.  I never did get into the habit of using a desk when working at home; so I am snuggled up on the leather couch in my office with Gracie glued to my right side and my laptop on my lap.  Yup, it is a cozy way to work and not worry about cold weather and rain outside.  My husband did the bank deposit for me on his way to swimming. Here is Gracie ready to play in the kitchen, on t... 01/04/2010

During the summer, we are out of our homes more than in them, enjoying the sun and sand and our gardens. However in the winter, we need a cozy, inviting place to cuddle up and ignore the rain and gloom outside for those of us on the West Coast, or the snow storm outside for the rest of you in the East and the mid-West. “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ―Edith Sitwell   If your home isn't inviting & cozy, it is time for you to experience a one day Re-Design by UPSTAGING YOUR HOMES. A Re-Design is a fun and inexpensive way to experience your home in a whole new way.  We shop your home, so there is no additional shopping costs - unless you want us to shop for you.  With your ... 01/04/2010

This is the question we hear from sellers, realtors, while we are marketing our services & networking the public or at a friend's party.  I think this quote sums it up nicely:   “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” ―Confucius   Home Stagers see what homeowners, realtors and potential buyers cannot see in an un-staged property for sale, especially a vacant one!   We bring out the design features of the property which make it unique, but are hidden by clutter, tired wallpaper or paint & poor furniture arrangement. When there are no design features, we create them.   Our goal is the same as the homeowner and the realtor - to get the property viewed by as many potential homebuyers as possible, sold quickly and at list price or higher. Home Staging is not an expense: it is an i... 01/04/2010

A friend introduced me to this group's music a few days ago and I am hooked.  They are fabulous.  Their version of Auld Lang Syne is the best I have heard.  AULD LANG SYNE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ujzd2STgfU&feature=channel I could not get link for the song i want to work; so, if this link works, it will take you to video background info and from there you can play the video I am referring to.   This is my gift to all of you who have not heard of this incredible group up to now, STRAIGHT NO CHASER.   HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.  HAVE FUN BRINGING IN 2010 WHEREVER YOU ARE AND GET HOME SAFELY.   ON THE SUNSHINE COAST OF BC, MY HUSBAND & I ARE JOINING OUR FRIENDS IN SENDING FIREWORKS INTO OUR COASTAL SKY AND SENDING OUR WISHES FOR 2010 AFLOAT IN THE OCEAN OUTSIDE OUR FRIEND'S DOOR.   W... 12/31/2009

Each morning I wake up to these adorable little furballs and they help start the day off on the right foot!                               Gracie & Gigi, in the top photos, were sent to our local SPCA from an overcrowded one elsewhere in our province.  They apparently never knew their Mom.  One of our Vet's assistants took them home and cared for them until they were old enough to be neutered.  That is when my husband & I entered the picture.....we had just lost the Mother cat to cancer and Groucho was devastated, as we were. Grouchie was one of a litter of 3 that his Mommy gave birth to under our bed side table 16 years ago this January.  She welcomed us home one night, sitting under a bush in our parking area, soaked and hungry.  I was a dog lover and had never had a cat; my husband-t... 12/27/2009

Whether a re-design or staging, art is an important part of creating a special look in a room. While shopping for a client, I came across some very inexpensive art which I thought would be fun to use.  It cannot be used in all homes, or all rooms; however there is a place for the wall art I discovered priced from $9 - $20.  This little girl's room was painted a soft pink, which pleased her and worked with the colourful print valance on the window.   When I found the orange, pink & white vinyl strip, I knew I had what I needed to make the piano wall a feature wall.  To show it off, we painted the bottom half of the wall orange. It worked and the kids liked it.  However I needed to find music notes.  I tracked these down at a company in Montreal: the kids loved these as well, and so did t... 12/16/2009

It's getting closer to the big day and many are looking for special somethings for friends & family on their Christmas lists. On the Sunshine Coast, residents are touring all of the craft fairs put on by our fabulous local artists, and checking out the local shops in Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Davis Bay, Sechelt and Pender Harbour. If you have not stopped into Mosaic Market in Davis Bay as yet, here is your invitation.  You will be glad you stopped in.  We are dressed up for Christmas and each of our booths has lovely options - big & small - for you to choose from for your Christmas needs. I just returned from a cruise along the Mexican coast, into Central America and into South America.  An incredible part of the world; although there were places I would not want to visit again.  I checke... 12/15/2009

There was a time when we heard the phrase, CAVEAT EMPTOR, a fair bit.  I cannot recall when that may have been; however after reading a post under the realtor section about unethical behaviour, this phrase came to mind.  I added my thoughts to the blog and then considered it was a good topic generally for me to address. For those unfamiliar with this term, it is Latin and it loosely translates into BUYER BEWARE: which, for me, means do not blindly trust someone just because they have a professional designation such as lawyer, doctor, engineer, architect; and specifically for the purposes of this particular site, realtor, mortgage broker, banker, home inspector, home stager, etc....... being a professional, does not guarantee they will always look out for their client's best interests.  ... 12/14/2009

  This ensuite bathroom had the basics in place, a lovely deep tub, a separate shower, a new lowflush toilet - however the vanity was in sad shape and the gaudy wallpaper had to go! BEFORE   Gone is the dated wallpaper.  The colour scheme came from the tub and the lovely valance I got from Arbutus Interiors in Sechelt on sale for $20, already made up.  The charming mirror & art work are from HOMESENSE in Park Royal.  This was not an expensive project; however the new room is far more inviting. As they say, "...a picture is worth a thousand words....."                                                                                AFTER UPSTAGING  12/08/2009