Tips For The Best Home Showings

Tips For The Best Home Showings

Home routines tend to come to a standstill while your home is on the market. The need to keep the house clean  - and not scare potential home buyers away - means that kids can't throw their school books on the dining room table, Dad has to pick up his stinky socks, and even the pets need to toe the line.
Keeping the house clean is a good first step toward presenting the home in the best light. But it isn't the only step.

1. Odors

Have you ever walked into a home and been immediately assaulted by nasty odors? Cigarettes, grease, cooking odors, diapers and pets all leave their mark on the way a home smells. While it's almost impossible to rid the home of cigarette smoke without painting, there are ways to get rid of other odors.
Have the carpets professionally cleaned and deodorized.
Launder or dry-clean all curtains and drapes.
Consider having your upholstered furniture professionally cleaned.
Clean the grease from the range hood.
Keep the dog bathed and groomed to keep doggy smells at bay.
Place dishes of potpourri or scented candles in random areas throughout the home.

2. Sights

Light and bright are the operative words when considering the ideal way to present your home to buyers.
Change light bulbs in the home to higher wattage bulbs. Leave the lights on for showings, including closet lights.
Paint the walls. If you can't paint, clean the walls.
Remove heavy drapes and replace them with lightweight fabric that allows natural light into the home.
Don't neglect the outside of the house. Before a showing, make sure that the planting beds look clean and attractive and that the lawn is mowed.

3. Set the Scene

If you've ever toured model homes, you are familiar with the concept of staging – the art of carefully crafting interiors that appeal to home buyers. If you're on a tight budget and can't afford a professional designer, make some simple changes that appeal to buyers.
Set the dining room table with attractive dinnerware or create a cozy nook in the bedroom with a small table and chairs. Group items in threes, use different heights, and keep it simple.
Fresh flowers add so much to a home, from masking odors to adding pops of color and texture. Add a gorgeous bouquet on the dining room table. Night stands are ideal places to set small vases of flowers.
Bathrooms are important, so pay close attention to how you stage yours. Get rid of the counter top clutter and add fluffy towels and a new shower curtain.

4. Security

Since sellers should make themselves scarce when the home is being shown, it's important to take security measures. Lock up or remove valuables, prescription drugs and money.
Don't leave personal items - especially paperwork with your financial information - lying around in plain sight.

Whatever you can do to make your home appear move-in ready will appeal to buyers. Tour some new home communities for more ideas and inspiration so that your home shows like a model.

Visit our web site www.thyssengroup.com for more insight into understanding buyers and what attracts.

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
Colleen Thyssen, Sales Representative
Office 519-438-8000
Cell  519-495-1541
email rthyssen@rogers.com
www.thyssengroup.com

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To see more London Ontario homes http://thyssengroup.kwrealty.com/search/ or for your private viewing contact Richard Thyssen 519-495-1541 or email rthyssen@rogers.com

Preventing Burglaries

Preventing burglaries requires more than locks and alarms.

There's no doubt about it. If you want to keep your home safe from break ins,
you should have good locks an all doors and windows. An alarm system
is also a good idea.

Home security doesn't end with locks and alarms. There are other less
obvious ways to keep your home safe. For example:

• Install exterior lights with a motion detection feature. A light suddenly
  going on will almost always send a potential intruder away.

• Look for – and if possible eliminate – spots around your property
  where someone can hide.

• Always have some lights on in your home when you're away for an
  evening.

• Never announce that you're on vacation or otherwise away from your home on social media sites.   (Also ask your kids not to do this!)

• Don't leave tempting valuables where they can be easily seen through a window.

In addition to good locking systems on doors and windows, simple precautions like these for preventing burglaries will significantly lower the risk of a break in.

Check out http://www.neighbourhoodwatchlondon.ca/crimePreventionTips.html for helpful resources in crime prevention.

Protect yourself and be safe!

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
Colleen Thyssen, Sales Representative
cell: 519-495-1541
office: 519-438-8000
email: rthyssen@rogers.com
www.thyssengroup.com

Labour Day is closing in...

Traditionally Labour Day, the first Monday in September, originally gave workers the chance to campaign for better working conditions and/or pay.  It was a day to celebrate workers' rights with parades and picnics organized by trade unions.

Today, for many parents, it marks the end of summer vacation and a breather from the kids with the beginning of a new school year.  For others the weekend marks the end of summer and the start of the fall season.

Check out some events happening in London  www.londontourism.ca/Events.

This weekend would be a great time to take a late summer trip, enjoy the company of family and friends, visit a fair or festival or perhaps host a BBQ.

Whatever your plans, have a safe Labour Day weekend and kids... sharpen your pencils!!

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
Colleen Thyssen, Sales Representative
cell 519-495-1541
email: rthyssen@rogers.com
www.thyssengroup.com

Furnish Your Home for Less

Furnish Your Home For Less

Starting out with a "blank slate" can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing comes if you have enough money to furnish your home with whatever you want from wherever you choose. Furnishing a home on a shoestring, though, takes creativity, an eye for a good value, and possibly some elbow grease.
While some discount stores, such as Ikea, sell inexpensive new furnishings, careful shoppers can find better quality for less money with used furnishings. Here are a few ideas for getting what you need at discounted prices.

Inspiration

Whether you are furnishing one room or a whole house, it's important to have an idea of how you want the room to look before you go shopping. Once you have the design in mind, it's easier to shop for the components.
Model homes in new home communities are great places to get decorating ideas. These homes are carefully decorated to appeal to a broad range of home buyers. Colour schemes, accessories, furniture choice and placement all play to the shopper's emotions.
Interior design and decorating websites may also be good sources of inspiration. Check out Better Homes and Gardens, HGTV or Houzz, for project ideas to get your household furnished for less.

Used is Good

One of the hardest things to learn is how to look beyond the obvious wear and tear to the actual "bones" of used furniture.  Look beyond the fact that the upholstery is ratty or the legs are scuffed – look at style.
If you like the lines of the coffee table, buy it. Scratches and dings are easy to fix. Hate the ugly green upholstery on the otherwise perfect Chesterfield-style sofa? Buy it. Have it recovered in a yummy fabric of your choice.
Once you've mastered the technique of not judging furniture by its cover, it's time to go shopping.

Garage and Estate Sales

Yes, there are differences between garage sales and estate sales. The latter is the disposition of goods of a person's estate. The garage sale, on the other hand, is the sale of a person's extra belongings or things they no longer need. Both sales offer used items, but estate sales typically have a better variety, and the items are usually in better condition.
Expect to pay more for estate sale items than garage sale items, and prices are typically not negotiable. In both cases you'll need to supply your own moving labor and transportation, so factor that cost into the cost of the items you want to purchase.
You can find garage and estate sales advertised in newspaper classified ads, and by following directional signs in neighbourhoods.

Consignment Stores

Furniture prices tend to be a bit higher in consignment stores than if you were to purchase the items directly from the owner's home, but you can occasionally find some bargains.

Thrift Stores

Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores are sources of deeply discounted used household items. Finding something decent is a bit challenging, but once in a while you'll find just the piece you've been searching for, so don't disregard these sources.

Online Shopping

Kijiji is the best online site for inexpensive home furnishings – mainly because it's local. The first place to navigate once you arrive on your local Kijiji page is the Browse Categories section, where you'll find a link named "Free." Everybody loves free, right? Within this category you'll see ads that contain free items available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Join the freecycling group in your area at Freecycle.org. Membership is free, and so are all the items posted.

Shopping frugally allows you to make big, dramatic changes to your home decor without breaking the bank.


Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
Colleen Thyssen, Sales Representative
Cell: 519-495-1541
email: rthyssen@rogers.com
www.thyssengroup.com

How To Design A Kid-Friendly Backyard

How To Design A Kid-Friendly Backyard

One of the pleasures of having a home is the space that a backyard provides for activities with family and friends. A backyard can be a great place for kids to burn off energy, explore the outdoors, and simply relax.
When children are small, care should also be taken to ensure their safety. The following are things you can do to design a kid-friendly backyard that is both fun and safe.

Maximize Exercise Space

It's tough these days for children to get enough exercise, but an area dedicated to lawn makes a more kid-friendly backyard. Provide enough space to run around, play tag, or throw a ball. The shrubs around this activity area should be tough, thorn-free, and able to withstand occasional abuse from balls or kids running into the beds.

Plant Fruits and Vegetables

Getting kids to eat their fruits and vegetables can also be a challenge. Why not make eating colorful, nutritious food more interesting by letting children grow their own fruits and vegetables? Tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, raspberries, and blueberries are all easy to grow. When children see fruits and vegetables go from seed to plate, they are more likely to eat them.

Create Interesting Garden Spaces

Is there anyone who hasn't played hide-and-seek? Providing a lawn isn't the only way to ignite a child's sense of play and creativity. Gardens can be divided into "garden rooms." Think of the lawn as the living room of the backyard, but you can also create a cozy nook with a bench surrounded by shrubs. This kind of space might provide a great kid-friendly place to read a book or the perfect hiding place for that next game of hide-and-seek.

Provide Protective Fencing

Designing a kid-friendly backyard is also about safety. When young children are present, it's important to provide protective fencing that not only keeps them from wandering off, but also keeps strangers and stray pets from coming into the backyard.

Don't Plant Poisonous Plants

Babies and toddlers are always putting things in their mouths. Leaves, bark, colorful flowers, and berries can all look very enticing to curious, young children. Before planting any plant in your backyard, do a little research. Look the plant up in a plant encyclopedia or online and see if it is poisonous. Some very common plants are poisonous: daffodils, daphne, foxgloves, and rhododendrons, just to name a few.

Don't Allow Unrestricted Access to Pools and Water Features

Babies and small children can drown in a surprisingly small amount of water. Therefore, it's important to supervise children around swimming pools, hot tubs, fountains, and water features. These water-based amenities can provide hours of enjoyment, but their location and access to them should be carefully planned to prevent accidental drowning. Provide locked doors or gates where appropriate to prevent small children from playing in water unsupervised.


Designing a kid-friendly backyard involves finding ways to inspire creativity and play within a safe environment. It's as easy as that. Now go outside and play!

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
Colleen Thyssen, Sales Representative
Cell: 519-495-1541
email: rthyssen@rogers.com
web: www.thyssengroup.com

Designing a Great Water Feature

Designing A Great Water Feature

Water features come in all shapes and sizes, from tabletop fountains to powerful, towering jets. Obviously, the construction of large water features is best left to the professionals, but for smaller projects, it's possible to design a great water feature in a single afternoon.

Style and Materials

The materials you use for your water feature should complement the materials and style of your home and garden. For example, if your home is formal, symmetry, formal shapes, then classic materials such as concrete basins will look best in your garden.
If your home is more rustic or located in a more natural setting, a water feature made to look like a natural creek bed may be more fitting.

Scale and Proportion

How much space do you have for your water feature? How will the water feature be viewed, and what kind of statement do you want to make? For example, if you live in an apartment or condo and you want to build a water feature for your balcony, the space may be tight, and you could probably create a great water feature using a couple of small, ceramic or concrete pots. However, in the same space, you may want to make a grand statement and construct a taller wall fountain instead. The scale and proportions should be in keeping with the feeling and aesthetic you are trying to create.
When thinking about scale and proportion, also think about how the water feature will be viewed in relationship to your home. You don't want the water feature or your house to look too big or too small when seen together.
Also consider how the water feature will be viewed. Will it be seen from a few feet away or 50 feet away? Obviously, a water feature that is farther away will need to be larger or it may not have the visual impact it needs. It would be a shame to spend time building a water feature and then realize that it's too small to get any attention.

Basins and Pools

Water features can be constructed using a variety of materials. A simple water feature can be constructed using a ceramic pot and a bamboo spigot. Concrete or ceramic pots are one option. Formed concrete basins can be built for larger projects. These can be left unfinished, finished with ceramic tiles, or colored using stains. For natural-looking, pond and creek bed designs, you will need a flexible pond liner. Whatever material you choose, your pond needs to be as watertight as possible.

Water Volume and Pumps

Just like the pumps in a fish tank, the pump you use in your water feature will be submerged in water. Typically, the pump is located in the lowest basin of water. For example, if you create a basin with a tiered fountain, the pump will sit in the basin at the bottom and pump water up to the top tier. The water then falls down over the tiers simply through the force of gravity.
The pump for your water feature needs to be the appropriate size. Fountain pumps come in different sizes and usually have a small knob on the top or side that allows you to adjust the flow of water.

Planting Around Your Water Feature

Finally, depending on the style and location of your water feature, you may want to plant around the edges. This is especially important if you have constructed a natural, creek bed water feature. A water feature of this type should be planted with native plants from your area. In general, it is best to use plants that like moisture. Although you have done your best to make your water feature watertight, it will lose a bit of water every day from splashing and evaporation. Plant a combination of shrubs, trees, and perennials that will not be adversely affected by this additional water.

The sound of water in the garden can soothe the nerves and block unwanted neighbouring noises.

Whatever your reasons for constructing a great water feature, this should give you some ideas to get started.

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
email: rthyssen@rogers.com
web: www.thyssengroup.com