Design Tips, Investment Properties
Shauna Lynn Simon
Expert Advice for Your Vacation Rental Property

If you own a vacation rental property (or are looking to invest in one), you know that designing a short-term rental cottage that stands out from the competition is key to attracting renters and earning repeat business. With the growing popularity of short-term rentals and Airbnb properties, it's important to create a space that not only looks beautiful but is also functional and comfortable for guests.

In this article, we'll provide you with expert tips and insights on how to design a short-term rental cottage that will have guests raving and coming back year after year. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to update an existing space, this guide will provide you with the inspiration you need to create a truly exceptional vacation home.


Start with the Basics

Before you start decorating, make sure you have all the basics in place. This includes…

Expert Advice for Your Vacation Rental Property

home stager

Meet Our Star Stager: Behind the Scenes with Beyond The Stage Homes' Nicole Sartorelli

Meet Our Star Stager: Behind the Scenes with Beyond The Stage Homes' Nicole Sartorelli

At Beyond The Stage Homes, we pride ourselves on having an outstanding team of professionals and Nicole Sartorelli, one of our Professional Home Stagers, is the perfect example of the passion and experience that we bring to each of our projects. We recently sat down with her to get to know what drives her, and get insights on how she approaches each unique home staging project. Born in London, ON and raised in Ottawa, Nicole came to Waterloo Region in 1996 with her family when her mother relocated for work. She likens her experience today working with a team of strong-minded women to her Ringette days in Ottawa, hustling and skating the entire length of the Rideau Canal to the smell of “of hot chocolate and beaver tails”. 

As a professional home stager, Nicole is responsible for providing actionable advice to home sellers and agents on how to effectively prepare a property for sale. She manages and oversees every project from consultation to de-stage and is involved in every aspect of the process, including designing the strategy, preparing and packing all required staging rental items, coordinating logistics for staging day, and ensuring that clients have all of the answers that they need throughout the project.

When asked about what she enjoys most about her role, Nicole explained that the three aspects of her job that equally fill her cup are

Maintaining a Show-Ready Home

Maintaining a Show-Ready Home

Preparing a home for sale is a coordinated effort, but now that your house has been cleaned, staged, and photographed, you realize your next task is to maintain it.

If you’re starting to stress about the idea of keeping a show-ready home, don’t worry, we have the tips and tricks to help you show your home to prospective homebuyers at a moment’s notice. From the pile of shoes at the front door to the dining room table covered in your 'at-home office' or your unmade bed - skip the worry and follow these easy tips.

Remember, the better your house shows, the faster it sells, and the faster that it sells, the less time that you will need to maintain your show-ready home!

What to Expect (While your Home is on the Market)

What to Expect (While your Home is on the Market)

COVID has changed much of how we do things today, including selling our homes. Real Estate Agents have numerous protocols in place to ensure that you and your family are protected throughout the home-selling process, but in-person showings are still an important part of the buying process for homebuyers.

Here's what you can expect while your home is listed:

PRE-SHOWING PREP

To help to minimize the amount of pre-showing preparations required, strive to maintain a “show-ready” home by putting items away where they belong immediately after use, and cleaning as you go.

BTSH Founder Wins RESA Kathy Nielsen Spirit Award in Las Vegas

BTSH Founder Wins RESA Kathy Nielsen Spirit Award in Las Vegas

Honoured, shocked, and incredibly humbled – these are the words that best describe Shauna Lynn Simon’s reaction when she learned she was this year’s recipient of the RESA Kathy Nielsen Spirit Award at the 2018 Real Estate Staging Association’s Annual Convention and Awards Gala in Las Vegas. Kathy Nielsen dedicated much of her life to furthering the home staging industry through her work at the Real Estate Staging Association® (RESA). She was not only a leader within RESA; she was a mentor to so many home stagers. She was always willing to take the time to talk with someone, to give sage advice, and to brainstorm the next new idea for our industry. Kathy Nielsen passed away 3 years ago, and the award was created in her honour, as a tribute to her unwavering spirit, and as a way to recognize those that embody her true spirit and the values she upheld.

Marketing A House That's For Sale

Marketing A House That's For Sale

The key to top sales is a solid marketing plan – this means identifying your target market, understanding their needs, creating an impactful marketing message, and presenting a quality product. You need to make the sale all about the person that you are trying to sell to.

So, what does this mean for selling your home?

Everything…

Home staging is an effective marketing technique that integrates decorating with marketing and creates an experience for home buyers. It’s about more than just furnishing a home – it’s about selling a lifestyle! In order to present a “product” that your potential buyers will want, invest in a home staging consultation, and if needed, hire a home stager for additional services, including furniture, artwork, and accessory rental, to complete the look. By working with a home stager, you can identify and address all buyer perceptions, positive or negative, and ensure the most positive experience possible.

How Much Does It Cost to Stage Your Vacant Home?

How Much Does It Cost to Stage Your Vacant Home?

If you have ever lived in a home for sale, you can appreciate how challenging it can be to maintain a show-ready home for the duration of the listing. Of course, this is made especially difficult if you happen to have pets, kids, or any other type of life. While it is much less stressful for you as a homeowner to sell a home that you are not living in, an empty home puts a great deal of additional stress onto your buyer.

The number rule of selling (anything) is that it’s not about you. In order to set yourself up for sales success, you will need to understand your buyer‘s needs, put those needs before your own, and clearly outline how you can help to deliver on those needs. What problem do you solve? Your buyer will have a list of wants and needs when looking at a home, but ultimately they will want and need something that fits their daily lifestyle.