Staged Home Ready for Selling

 Monday, June 5, 2017     Laurence Mongeau     House and Home

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Need more living space in your home? Look up! If you have an unfinished third floor that you just aren’t sure what to do with, the possibilities are endless.

Before you start the planning process, you will need to make sure that your attic is workable. Grab a tape measure and make sure that your space will conform with the “rule of 7s”. Ideally, at least half of the finished attic should be at least seven feet high, 70 square feet and seven feet wide. Building codes vary from one municipality to the next, so a contractor will be able to tell you if your town or city has more specific guidelines and explain how dormers can be used to remedy low ceiling issues.

Now that you know you CAN transform your attic, the question of what kind of space to create must be answered! Here are a few ideas for making the most of your third floor renovation:

Craft room: Pretty much everyone in the house can take advantage of a space dedicated to creative expression! The key to a functional craft room is organization, so be sure to include built-in storage and work spaces, utilizing every square inch of real estate. You’ll also want to let in plenty of natural light and add good lighting for those rainy day and evening projects.

A home office: If your dining room table or bed is currently doubling as your office, your attic could be transformed into a pleasant, quiet place where you can get some work done. Again, try to use every square inch of space, adding storage and lots of shelving. Include plenty of outlets, potlights and a comfy window seat for brainstorming sessions!

Home gym: Sometimes the idea of heading to a dark basement to sneak in a work out isn’t all that appealing. A bright and sunny attic space might be the perfect solution. Ask your contractor about adding in a skylight to maximize the natural light. Choose the right equipment to suit your space and consider investing in a portable air conditioner if you’re concerned about being too warm during the summer months.

Playroom: A children’s playroom is another excellent way to use your unfinished third floor. Choose fun flooring, paint one wall with chalkboard paint, add lots of storage and comfortable seating and include a table for crafts, board games and snack time.


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What Clients Say…

Laurence is an absolute joy to work with; she is extremely knowledgeable, pleasant, full of energy, and dedicated to getting the job done. She managed to make everything to do with selling our home seemed almost effortless. I can't imagine selling our home without her! — Shelley M.
Laurence worked diligently at following up with each person who viewed the property... always available to let me know what kind of feedback she was receiving. — Stephanie B.
You always were there, available, and kept in contact with us when needed. You were self-motivated with an unbelievable amount of drive. — John & Rose-Anne P.
You are at the top of your class. I don't know of anyone that works as diligently at selling a property as you do! You have such an admirable work ethic and I have seen first hand how dedicated you are to your clients. — Dianna D.
The process of selling our house and purchasing another was made painless and exciting by you. Your tactful negotiation skills were invaluable in purchasing our dream home. — Maria & Jean-Michel B.
You were prompt, energetic, thorough and always had our best interest in mind. Selling our home for full asking price in just 19 days and finding a new one in less than a week is a true testament to your relentless commitment to excellence. — Angelo M.
I still think about it, it went so fast, I have a challenging work schedule, I needed a place fast and you came through and I trusted you. — Joseph D.
We are still amazed that it all happened so quickly and smoothly. You are an excellent listener, honest, reliable and caring. — Pina F & James A.
Just want to say thank you for your hard work and dedication in getting my home sold. You were very organized, professional and honest. It was a pleasure to work with you. — Gail A.
The best part of working with Laurence, besides her great skill of staging, was the fact that she made us feel like we were her only client even though we knew she was extremely busy. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. — Greg & Lindsey W.
The staging job that Laurence did was fantastic! We barely recognized the house when it was done. Laurence was bursting with energy and enthusiasm and remained positive, reassuring and confident throughout the whole process. We listed our home Tuesday morning and by Tuesday night it was sold!!! — Shelley M.
Laurence, did an amazing job of representing us and selling our home. She is a hard-working, dedicated, knowledgeable, highly professional, and passionate - Real Estate Agent! We highly recommend Laurence as an agent, home stager, and negotiator to anyone considering buying or selling a home. Jim & Judy N. — Jim N.
Laurence did a phenomenal job representing us both for the sale of our property and the purchase of our new home. She took the time to work closely with us to make sure she understood all of our needs and wants for both the sale and purchase. We were also very impressed with her detail-oriented focus, knowledge of the market, and the effort she put into making sure things went smoothly. Right from the start Laurence took the reins and we knew that we were in good hands. Thanks for everything Laurence! — Ron and Leslie Quinsay
We worked with Laurence when it was clearly a Sellers Market. Laurence was persistent and helped us find a home in an area unknown to us. Thanks to Laurence's expertise and proactive approach we were able to avoid a bidding war and we got a great home for our family. We enjoyed working with Laurence, every step of the way. — Andrea B & Stephen M
Nous avons fait affaire avec Laurence alors que le marché était nettement favorable aux vendeurs. Laurence a été persistante et nous a aidés à trouver un domicile à notre goût dans un secteur qui ne nous était pas familier. Grâce à l’expertise et l’approche proactive de Laurence, nous avons pu éviter une guerre d’enchères et devenir propriétaires d’une maison exceptionnelle pour notre famille. Ce fut un plaisir de faire affaire avec Laurence du début à la fin du processus. — Andrea B & Stephen M
When my wife and I bought our first home together, Laurence was instrumental in finding the right home of us. Laurence will take the time to listen to your needs, and understand your situation. She works tirelessly to comb though your desired area, finding gems that best suit YOU, your budget, needs, and wishes. She is very professional, organized, and well connected within the community, all of which is very much to the client's benefit. Above all, she is a really easy person to get along with and will make the often stressful and overwhelming process of home buying, painless and exciting! I highly recommend Laurence Mongeau for your real estate needs! — Alex & Teresa H
Nous recherchions un courtier immobilier afin d’acheter une maison en Ontario. Une amie nous a donc recommandé de contacter Laurence Mongeau. Très rapidement, il y a eu un premier contact par courriel et ensuite par Skype. Nous avons vite constaté que Laurence possédait les qualités professionnelles que nous recherchions. En effet, Laurence : - Offre un excellent service à la clientèle; - Apprend à connaître ses clients et repère vite leur besoin réel; - Est parfaitement bien organisée; - Met un point d’honneur à obtenir le meilleur rapport qualité/prix pour ses clients; - Assure une totale transparence et donc priorise la communication avec ses clients; - Maîtrise bien le français et la culture francophone; - Offre une très large disponibilité pour ses clients; - Possède un réseau de contacts professionnels (inspecteurs, collaborateurs courtiers, etc) très compétents dans leur domaine; - Est très à l’aise avec les nouvelles technologies. C’est donc pour toutes ces raisons qu’à notre tour, nous vous recommandons très chaudement d’utiliser les services de Laurence Mongeau. Nous sommes certains que vous bénéficierez d’un service de haute qualité! Merci beaucoup Laurence pour l’excellent service que nous avons reçu! — Hélène P & Sébastien T
Laurence Mongeau treated us like family, guiding us to make this, the biggest purchase of our lives, the smartest move we ever made. We happened to be buying our first home during this crazy real estate boom, where list prices were only starting points in major bidding wars, and the inventory of homes available within our budget was limited. But Laurence handled these challenges with grace and professionalism, and kept us feeling positive throughout our search. We always felt we had options, and whatever house, whenever we asked, she got us a private showing. She accompanied us through every visit, and went in ALL the basements (even the scary ones!). She asked the tough questions, and got us the answers we needed. She warned us about potential problems, sharing her experience and knowledge with us, while pointing out the positives of each property without pressure. She always made us feel important, and that our search for the perfect home was her top priority. In the end, it was a very happy outcome. We purchased the perfect home for us, and we owe it all to Laurence. She was the one who found us our dream first home and it was her experience and strategy that helped us "win" it! And we truly feel like we did win, because we had the best agent in the biz on our side. Thanks, Laurence, you're number 1! Karina and Andrew J — Karina
Laurence is a real estate professional who truly cares about her clients and will always put their interests first. She gets results! I wouldn't hesitate to refer Laurence to anyone looking to buy or sell their home. — Lisa Pellerin
Laurence is personable, professional, and super organized. Her advice and support was invaluable throughout all the steps involved in selling my dad’s home as he transitioned into a retirement residence. In addition to prepping, and selling his home, there was a lifetime of belongings to deal with. Laurence provided assistance with all of it. She was prompt to respond to all inquiries and made it seem as though we were her only clients, although I know that was not the case. The house needed freshening up and she quickly was in touch with trades people and vendors to get tasks completed in short order - this level of assistance made all the difference at this challenging and sometimes overwhelming time in our lives.
Updated and staged the house resulting in a quick sale for well over list price. I can’t imagine accomplishing all this without Laurence. — Ellen D
It has been my sincere pleasure working with Laurence to successfully purchase my new home. She is totally dedicated to her clients with customer service skills second to none. Her knowledge of the industry and market conditions were always spot on throughout the process. I would not hesitate in recommending Laurence for all of your real estate needs. She is Excellence personified. — Nick S
Dear Laurence, Marino and I cannot thank you enough for being our real estate agent as we sold our Family home of the past seven years. You were patient with us, and answered all of our questions. You took the time to explain in detail the process of selling and staging our home. You really went above and beyond our expectations of a real estate agent, and you were honest in your approach of presenting comparable pricing of homes in the area and what you thought was a realistic price to list our home. You are a kind and caring person, and whenever we indicated we needed assistance with downsizing or consignment, you were ready with suggestions and names to help us make the best decision possible. We would like to extend our extreme gratitude for helping us through this journey over the past twelve months. Our paths crossed professionally, however you were so genuine in our conversations we really felt like we were dealing with an old friend. We will miss you as we head north, but we are very thankful for having met you. With warmest thanks. — Linda, Marino and Natasha B
Working with Laurence was incredibly comforting because she handled every detail with precision and dedication. From comprehensive comparisons throughout the process, to staging, 'extensive' marketing campaigns and numerous open houses, Laurence is reliable, persistent, gentle, and honest as the day of old. I've never met a more capable realestate representative and highly recommend this professional lady. — Nina D

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