Reducing My Carbon Footprint

I have been thinking a lot lately about my impact on the planet and how I can reduce the effect I have on the earth. I want to share with you the steps I will be taking this year to be more earth friendly.

 I started looking at my carbon foot print and how I could reduce it with small changes. Carbon foot print is describe as the impact an individual has on the environment in a year based on the amount of green house gas you produces due to burning fossil fuels. A carbon foot print is measured in units of carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gasses are emissions at earth’s lower atmosphere that trap energy from the sun preventing it from leaving the planet atmosphere. The heat trapped by these gases is what causes global warming. You can check you carbon footprint here .You may be surprised at how high it is, I was! Here are my results.

One of the biggest and easiest changes I will be committing to is not using plastic bags from retail stores. Did you know that in 2007, 100 millions barrels of oil were used to produces plastic bags. I carry a reused able shopping bag in my purse at all times. I also carry them in my car for grocery shopping.

In my home simple changes I can make on a day to day basis are instead of rinsing dishes before loading the dishwasher is to scrap plates in the garbage. Rinsing dishes can use more water then the entire wash cycle. We only run the dishwasher when it’s full and always after 8pm to avoid peak energy times.

We have also switched to recycled toilet paper; I was surprised to learn that if we all switch out just one roll of toilet paper, to recycle paper we could save 400,000 trees in one year. I had trouble trying to find out just how many trees it takes to make one roll of toilet paper, but I did learn that on average we each use 35 rolls of toilet paper in a year.

Many of you are a head of here, but I have committed to recycling. My condo just introduced blue boxes which make it so easy for me to recycle. Up until this point I am embarrassed to admit everything went in the garbage.  Living in a condo mean no storage and the storage I do have is not for recycling. I have no excuse now. How many of you are using your blue bin ?  The City of Calgary is hoping that the  blue bins will reduce the amount of garbage in the land fill by 80% by 2020. It may be an ambitious goal but I will do my part to help reach these goals.

Do you think about your carbon footprint? If so what kind of changes are you making reduce your footprint and effect on the earth?

Elysse Bulloch

Simply Stylish Staging

Dealing With Pets And Selling Your Calgary Home

   When you have pets they become part of the family, but when you sell your home pet could be a turn off to potential buyers. How do you deal with Miss Kitty or Fido? First you have to realistic only about half the people that tour your home with be pet people the other half not so much. The best way to combat this is to remove all signs of pets, food dishes, toys, cat litter and even the food in the pantry. Oh and don’t forget to remove the pets as well.

   

   If you have an outdoor enclosure for your pet, be sure it’s clean and in good condition. You don’t want buyers to form any kind of ideas. Sometime buyers think that if you don’t care enough about your pets to keep them clean, then how bad is the rest of the property.

  

 Don’t lose out on buyers, because you don’t attend to pet details outside. Their are plenty of services that can help maintain a doggy doo free yard for minimal cost.. If your yard is a selling feature it might be worth the few extra bucks.

   

   Cats tend to have strong odor, its best to scoop the box everyday and when you have showing remove the litter from your home. Scooping everyday with ensure your home does not take on any odor, that could scare off buyers.

   

   If you have exotic animals you may decide they take a small vacation while your house is on the market snakes, spiders, and lizards are not for everyone and might even scare or shock potential buyers touring your home. You don’t want your house to be remembered as the scary one.

  

  Get resourceful with solutions for your pets; ask friends and family to take care of your pets while you’re selling. Check out doggy day cares or pet spa in your area or perhaps take you pets to work with you.

 Elysse Bulloch
Simply Stylish Staging

There is an Alternative to Price Reductions and Home sitting on the Market

Image via Wikipedia

 Home Staging is proven marketing techniques to prepare your property for sale, regardless of price and location. Selling your home in the shortest time for a largest return of investment, creating a warm inviting pulled together space to wow buyers within seconds. A potential buyer will connect emotional with the property within in three minutes; first impression is the key to capturing the buyer.

   A home staging professional will give you the buyer’s eyes, educating home owners on what buyer’s want. More and more home go on the market everyday but statistics show that sales are down 40 % from last year this time. Sellers whose homes sat on the market for over 30 days will be looking at a price reduction or have been offered less then asking – statistics show it is more than likely had the property been professional staged it could have sold faster and for more than the asking price.

  Staging is an investment on the home seller’s part, but big benefits come with your staging investment. Staged properties present and show better then the competition; selling faster and are move in ready. According to RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) staged properties spend 78% less time on the market compared to a not stage property.

 Calgary has over 12 000homes on the market; staging will highlight the features showcasing your homes full potential, creating more traffic and generating offers

If you would like more info on Home Staging please visit our

 www.simplystylishstaging.com or Please contact Elysse Bulloch 403.710.4229

Working Weekends

I have been spending my weekends touring open houses in Calgary. On my tour I started to compile a list of things you should not do at your open house. Here it goes the top of the list of What not to do at your open House.

#1) Remove all family photos. Guys I cant stress this enough, its for your safety strangers are going through your home do you really want them to know what you and your kids look like?

#2) Opening all closet doors. I seen this way to much all the closet doors are open but the closet is in disarray. What are potential buyers looking at your messy closet. Organized storage space is in the top three things potential buyers are looking for.

#3) Clean the fridge out. Yes potential buyers will look in your fridge. Buy a new box of baking soda to neutralize the food order in the fridge.

#4) Fresh flowers, its allergy season and the last thing you want is a potential buyer having a pollen attack at your open house.Silk plants have come along way and with no up keep needed its a cheaper alternative to the real thing.

#5)Air fresheners, really its nice enough to open the windows and let the fresh air in. Its better to have no small at all. Some people are sensitive to fragrance and it just may sway them not to make an offer.

I hope you find this insightful after visiting several open houses the past couple weeks I thought I should share what not to do . After all one of these tip just might sell your property at your open house.

Elysse Bulloch

www.simplystylishstaging.com

Calgary's Slow Market

Why is my home not selling?

Selling your home does not have to be stressful or a long drawn out process. Prepare yourself emotional, once you can accept that you are leaving this home changes can be made to you space to appeal to a broad range of buyers.

Why not pack now and not later? Packing up all items that are not used on a daily, clean out all storage and closet space as well. This not only help you do spring cleaning but also help you to pack up only items you still need, reducing the amount of stuff you have to move to your new space.

Almost 80% of people start their search for new home online even before talking to a Real Estate Agent. Home sellers need to ensure that they house shows better then the competition to draw traffic to their home. A home Staging Professional will work with home owners to create a look that will give your home the edge it need to be seen. Buyers are becoming more and more picky in todays economy. Buyers are looking for a move in ready home and are willing to pay top dollar for it.

Home Staging is not an attack on your decorating skills, ie red walls are great for dwelling but not for selling. Your decorating style may not match a buyers style and they may pass on your place because of the red walls. If we painted the walls a neutral color buyers are walking into a space that will not be remembered by the paint on the walls but they great features your home has to offer. Staging can be as simple as moving furniture around to keep the buyer moving through the space. We want the buyer to look in every room and imagine living in your space.

Home staging is proven marketing technique that will sell your home quickly and for a higher return on your investment. Learn how to market your home today.Call Elysse today for a free Quote 403.710.4229.

Simply Stylish Staging

http://www.simplystylishstaging.com

How to sell your home in a Balanced Market

In Calgary their currently is 12 000 homes for sale. How can you get your home to stand out in a crowd like that? It's simple really Home Staging!!

What is Home Staging you ask? Home Staging is proven marketing techniques that sell properties quickly and for a higher return on investment.We all like a higher return on our investments, but you can't make money unless you invest money. Home Staging is a small investment compared to the 5% more you could make on your property just from the service.

In today's balanced market sellers need the competitive edge to get their home noticed. Home Staging will help your home appeal to a wide range of potential buyers, creating more traffic to your listing.

Elysse Bulloch
Simply Stylish Staging

http://www.simplystylishstaging.com