RICHMOND
FRIDAY, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER AUGUST14, 7, 2014 2015
STEVESTON
info@rew.ca • 604-435-7977
Looking to BUY or SELL a home? To assist you in making the best decisions, a professional Realtor can provide the most up to date information on the real estate market, price, financing and comparative properties in your area.
R E A L E S TAT E W E E K LY
Find your EXPERT Real Estate professional right here in REW.ca!
The Art of Selling a Home S
elling a home is like being on stage. Home stagers, builders and Realtors all know that you have to set the scene for every different act, for every room. Everyone also agrees that there are certain basic tenets to selling your home: clean, declutter, depersonalize, paint and fix broken things around your home. However, have you ever considered that original art can play a role in selling your home? “Art can make or break the mood when a potential client views a home,” says Laura Davis, of Laura Davis Designs. “It is important that the art showcased in a sale situation be tasteful and neutral.” Jean Burns, home stager/owner JB Home Staging, agrees. Beautiful artwork is a major contributing factor to many of her home staging projects, she says. “Art brings energy and soul to a home,” she adds.
ings to help enhance the beauty of each home. She also creates many acrylic paintings specifically to match a wide variety of decoration styles and colour palettes. She has more than 800 paintings in her rental portfolio – abstracts, landscapes, florals, modern and textured art, to name a few. Typically, each home requires between six to 10 pieces of art work. “I began by creating art work for lottery homes, such as the Hometown Heroes,” says McPhee. “I also knew a lot of interior designers who believed in original art work and we started collaborating. It snowballed from there.”
Marketing a Vision
Specialist Home Staging Art Rentals When Davis or Burns need to rent original art work, they call upon Fort Langley artist Lori McPhee. An Emily Carr University of Art + Design graduate, McPhee has been painting for more than 25 years and rents out her paintGO TO
REW.CA /NEWS TO READ THESE STORIES AND MUCH MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS AND ADVICE
size and style of house or condominium. If a home needs a splash of bold colour, she has it. If a home needs a touch of modern elegance, a traditional look or a dash of rustic, she has paintings to suit all styles.
She works with numerous interior designers, builders and renovators across the Lower Mainland, charging a rental fee from $10 to $35 per month depending on the size of the canvas. Her art for staging is appropriate to any
Vancouver Housing Market Likely to See a Soft Landing: TD Economics
Both Davis and Burns say staging art is simply another component in marketing someone’s home so that it sells quickly and for a good price. It’s used to fill empty walls with the right accent pieces that will create excitement in a prospective buyer and make them want to purchase the house. For Burns, after meeting with the client, she describes to McPhee the colour scheme and fabrics she plans to use. Then McPhee visits the house and/or the warehouse to see the furniture to be used in the staging, and from there she has a clear idea of what art will work best in the home Burns is staging.
Top 10 Renovations that will Boost Your Propertyʼs Value
With all stagers, McPhee also collaborates with the client on the art sizes and style so that it blends well with their existing furnishings. “They always appreciate how we integrate everything especially as they are often living in their home until the sale and are paying for the rental,” adds the veteran stager. “It’s a fabulous way for them to have customized artwork for a fraction of the purchase cost.”
Tricks of the Trade So how does McPhee choose what style of art will work best? “I pick up details from the home or its location, whether it’s the detailing on a fireplace, a wall or window treatment or from the nature outside a beachfront home, for example,” says McPhee. Inspired by those elements, she will go through her portfolio to find the best pieces or she will create a new piece of art work. Burns adds, “Lori has an amazing talent to do just about any art style or medium you ask her to do. And in a situation where we are creating originals, what I love about Lori is that she does not take it personally when the client is not feeling it yet.” Go to REW.ca/News to see REW’s top tips for using art in home staging.
Mortgage-Helper Suites Soon to Help with Mortgages Even More