This was a large executive home in Erin Mills that held such incredible potential. The owners had owned the home for decades and had a very strong personal style. When we met with them, they did recognize that the home was decorated how they liked, and might not appeal to our target buyer. This is music to our ears, because they were eager and willing to update their home to showcase it in a light that reflected today’s style and preferences. The story of this home was mostly a paint story, as most of the dramatic changes occurred by toning down the wall colour and transforming the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. The second task was to refresh the rest of the kitchen fixtures on a reasonable budget, and address the flooring throughout the main floor. As with every job, this large home had a tight budget, and we are always ready to roll up our sleeves and get greatest results out of every single dollar.

Before the Work Started

When Stephanie, our resident Decorator and Stager, arrived at the house, she knew what her starting point was. “The home had a massive centre hallway that connected to the large kitchen at the back of the home, and it was all covered in black marble tile. It currently felt dated due to all the other finishes in the home, but I knew I could turn it around to be the foundation of a new modern look. I knew it was not in the budget to replace it, so knowing what you need to work with, and build a plan from there is the key.” It’s very easy to create a beautiful design when you have a blank slate, but we find the real rewards happen when you have restrictions and challenges that force you to be creative and flexible. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Building the Plan

We were very excited to work on this home because we could see in our mind’s eye what it could look like once it was finished. But we don’t expect home owners to have the vision. As long as they are willing, we do all of the legwork to pull the look together. Since this project was a good size, and the owners wanted to do a lot of the work themselves, Stephanie went the extra step in pulling together a project proposal, above and beyond her staging report, to help kick off the plan and the vision.

Click Here to see the Proposal: Home Staging Proposal RV Erin Mills

Once the owners saw the proposal, they gave her the go-ahead to start sourcing materials to bring the vision to life. This is all part of our concierge service. We bring the options to you, and help you make the best decisions. No need to feel overwhelmed or overworked. This process can be a lot of fun when you have the help to do it. As you can see below, Stephanie sourced paint colours, tiles, counters and new wood floors to show the owners.

Focus on Priorities

Also included with our service is…..us! We don’t disappear while you’re in the middle of all of this work and upheaval. We are there, checking in often, helping to solve problems, and keep our priorities on track. Its common to start seeing 1000 things that need fixing when you start into a home project, and our job is to keep you focused on the things that will get you a return on your investment. Despite this, the home owner still found the time to re-caulk all of his exterior windows because that’s just the kind of attention to detail guy he was. We always provide a home staging report to all of our clients to help keep them on track, something of a to-do list. Together we edit and adapt it as we go, but as you might know, having a good plan as a starting point is the key to any success

Click Here to See Stephanie’s Staging Report: Home Staging Report RV Erin Mills

We often forget to take progress pictures, but here’s one to show you what a dramatic difference paint can make.

This is just the primer but still a big difference!

This is just the primer but still a big difference!

It took the home owners about 3 months to do the work, since they didn’t want to feel rushed and they did most of the work themselves. We are not here to rush anyone into a sale or to add to their stress level, and we are happy to work with anyone with any budget and timeline. We only stipulated that they should not miss the spring market if possible, as that is the best time to sell a family home such as theirs.

Final Results

In the end, we completely transformed their kitchen, and all of the other rooms on the main floor were updated with new wood floors, new paint colours and Stephanie’s accessories and small furniture. It was not feasible to change up the staircase, as in the original plan. It was a 3 level staircase and they were quoted $15,000 to do the job. Would they have gotten the money back out of it? Yes, and then some, given the prestige of the house. But after all the work they did do, it was just to much money and too big of a job to want to tackle. So we are always flexing and shifting to keep working towards our end goals of getting the home sold for the best price. Below are the final results of all of our combined hard work, and in the end they owners sold for one of the highest prices the street had ever seen. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.


Are you interested in working with us to sell your home for Top Dollar? We are always looking to work with eager, positive-minded clients

Contact The Village Guru Today

Tell us about your home to sell and how you want us to provide an experience that exceeds all of your expectations. If you’re looking for real service, we’re looking for you.