STAGING YOUR CHILDHOOD HOME! 

The Challenge:

To declutter a large single family house in Blackburn Hamlet that has been occupied by the same couple for 35 years. The occupants like to collect stuff and like to hold onto things.

Ok, full disclosure. This happens to be the home of my parents. the house I grew up in. This may have been my most challenging home transformation yet. My parents like to keep things. My dad is pretty soft and becomes sentimentally attached to everything-including his one armed wheelbarrow. He also uses a corded drill from his grandfather. Anyways, getting them to declutter was a big project. Interestingly he had no problem throwing out all his boys childhood trophies a few years ago. We had a little shrine in the basement. Here is how we pulled it off.

1: HELP!

We hired someone to help us pack up the house. The idea was to get all the rooms and spaces cleared and ready for staging. We used the garage as the storage area rather than rent a locker. We labelled the boxes and went a box at a time. It seems overwhelming when you start but box by box we got it done.

2: Modernize

Buyers these days are more fickle than in previous generations. We wanted to present an updated home to the market. In this case, my parents agreed to invest some money that they knew they were getting a good return on. We recommended my parents replace the carpet, some light fixtures, door hardware, install window trim, and have some rooms professionally painted.

3: Stage

This step was about 2 weeks after step 1 & 2. Our stager Heather went in with the final touches. Some new furniture arrangements, drapes, accessories, and a few pieces of artwork.

The final product was an amazing transformation. The thing is that my parents liked the house so much they decided after about 2 weeks on the market to actually stay and live in their “new” house for a while longer. My dad has since done more work in the backyard. I think they plan on staying for a long while now. Funny the way things work out sometimes. In the end, I would have been kinda sad to sell the house too. Not only do I have lots of memories there but the pool/backyard is like a resort in the summer! Things always have a way of working out.

If you or someone you know has an Ottawa house that needs to be staged and decluttered give us a call. We really go the extra mile for our clients to make sure they get the most money possible.