TESTIMONIALS

When I decided to sell my house my real estate agent asked if I would mind if he hired a "stager" to make the house more appealing to buyers. I had no idea what that would mean other than making the house less personal.

When I met Lynda Schmidt, I realized it meant much more. Her efforts made the house show itself as it truly was. Her efforts reflected good judgement, sensitivity, and thoughtful aesthetics. The result was a house whose assets were more obviously evident to potential buyers.

The house sold quickly with multiple offers. I attribute the appeal of the house to Lynda's wise advice. I have no hesitation in recommending her excellent service.

John English - Kitchener

Following our decision to purchase and build a new home using equity from the sale of our condo, we were under a very strict deadline to list and sell our condo. Lynda Schmidt of LB Schmidt Creative services was referred to us by our real estate agent. Right away, Lynda was very accommodating to our tight schedule. After coming in mid-week and providing us with an initial consultation, we spent the next weekend hard at work adhering to her various suggestions. We were initially in doubt and anxious about accomplishing many of the suggestions under our deadline for listing our property (only one weekend), yet Lynda’s confidence in our abilities never wavered. She provided very helpful tips that were quite doable in a short time frame about how to best utilize our space. Lynda was very adept at seeing how our existing wall art and furniture could be used in the staging process – and where certain areas or walls required that sometime extra to add to the condo’s appeal, Lynda was able to rent us a few items from her own inventory for a very reasonable fee. Prior to her consultation, we felt quite nervous about the whole selling process but once the condo was beautifully staged and we saw the pictures that would accompany our real estate listing, our confidence increased in a big way. Once our condo was listed, it showed immediately and we received an offer. We sold the place in less than 4 days for 99% of our asking price!!! Thank you so much Lynda for your wonderful advice and consistent support throughout the staging process – it was very much appreciated!

Heather and Tom Gronek

We put our condo up for sale and our agent highly recommended Lynda. She arrived one evening on short notice and did a phenomenal job. She asked us what we thought and our goals and expectations. She also explained the process and design techniques she uses. Lynda was confident, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. Her vision of our condo was so great it sold in 2 days!!! We would highly recommend Lynda to anyone looking to stage & sell their home.

Missy Monet & Brad Miller

When we decided to sell our home, we were told it would show beautifully. We had Lynda come in anyways and what a difference she made. The recommendations she gave made our house look and feel even more special. It was the little details that I would never have thought of. With those changes, we had many offers and had our house sold in less than a month!

Thanks Lynda for all your help!

Heather Voisin

Selling our home was made all that much easier when we were introduced to Lynda Schmidt. Lynda offered so many suggestions for our home, especially with colour schemes. Being that I love to paint, this was not a daunting task. Our house sold within one day! We had so many people through our house in the span of three days and we were presented with multiple offers, which was foreign to us.

We purchased a new home which was also foreign to us. The thought of so much choice is something I do not deal well with. We needed to make some quick decisions with respect to colour schemes. I knew immediately who I would contact as we developed a trust and a liking for Lynda's style. Lynda was out of the country when I needed her immediate assistance. She was so kind, kind enough to call me and e-mail us and provide the calming effect which was very necessary during this tight deadline. Upon her return she immediately came to the new home. Not only did she provide a colour scheme that works throughout the house, she kept in mind colours that we favoured and combined them with her sensibility and flare. The outcome is most pleasing and we have had numerous people comment on the choice of colours. I would not hesitate to contact Lynda for our next project. She makes painting and house transforming a fun experience!

Michelle Speck

We worked with Lynda to compliment our remodelling projects. Lynda has now staged 2 homes which were top to bottom renovations. Her personal touch, eye for design and staging transforms an empty house into a model home -which allows clients to see the potential in the properties we renovate. She is diligent, methodical and has that attention to small details which in our case resulted in homes selling within the first few weeks on market. We would be happy to utilize her services again.

Marshall and Rob P

Laird St Developments

A great first impression is extremely important to Home Buyer's when they're looking at homes. I believe home staging is an extremely important part of the home pre-sale equation and extremely effective in ensuring the Home Buyer has a positive emotional reaction to a home, which makes the decision to place an offer on a home much easier!

Because it's so important I offer to cover the home staging consultation as part of my client service package. I like to ensure that the business professionals I work with will have the same dedication and attention to detail that I do. I can say that Lynda's professionalism and capability as a home stager are both excellent! She has a fantastic rapport with me, my clients and I know I can trust Lynda to work with my whole team of experts to produce excellent results every time!

Thanks Lynda!

Brent Dickson, Sales Representative, RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage Kitchener

I recently had the pleasure of using the services of Lynda Schmidt from L.B. Schmidt — Creative Services! I decided very quickly to list my house. Lynda was able to accommodate a short notice appointment as we needed to move quickly. In her calm, professional manner, we set about 'staging' the house. Lynda observed and listened, and throughout the appointment, she reassured me that we could get this done quickly! She has a keen eye, and attention was paid to the smallest detail. Her suggestions were all very useful and well delivered. I was never made to feel that my 'decorating" etc was wrong, but in order to sell the house, it had to appeal to other people. I am very grateful to Lynda for her time, suggestions and her hard work in staging my property. As a result, the house was listed the next day, we had 4 showings and an offer by evening!

I look forward to having Lynda come to my new house!

Thank you! Ann House - Waterloo

Ours is a purely functional house. There is no great aesthetic at work here. It is clearly the home of two working parents and a growing child... Read More

David and Christine Yoon - Ayr

Just to let you know how much we appreciate your valuable advises in staging our house. The suggestions you gave us are practical and doable for a short time frame that we had to list our house. After following through your suggestions, step by step, room to room, we were able to transform our house from ugly to just fabulous. The comments we heard from people going through our house attested to that. We received an offer within 3 days of the listing and at 99% of the asking price. We couldn't ask for a better service and a positive outcome.

Thanks so much Lynda.

Trang & Wolf Reinhardt

Lynda's home staging services were very helpful in selling our home. She worked closely with us and patiently examined each space inside and outside our home. Even though we had thought of our own ideas as to what needed updating and replacing, her expertise helped us focus on exactly what was required. It was nice to have a professional opinion to help us decide on which improvements were essential. It was great that we ended up saving quite a bit of time and money by following her suggestions, but what made Lynda's services so indispensable was the fact that our house sold after 1 day on the market. Thank you!

Kevon & Christina Arjune - Waterloo

Lynda, thanks so much for your help with getting our house ready for sale. We really appreciated your attention to detail and recommendations. We followed your consultation report closely and our house sold in 2 days!

Renee K.

We sold our house so fast, to the first people who came through! In a couple hours Lynda was able to create a plan for our house makeover, and we were able to carry it through in only a few days. The final result was amazing - we almost don't want to move anymore! Many things will remain as she suggested until we leave as we like the little changes so much. She also shared some household tips we will certainly be using in our new place. Thanks!

Nadine and Jeff Heimpel, Waterloo

Our house sold in less than two weeks. We had decided to closely follow Lynda's home staging advice, and it showed convincing results. For two hours, Lynda went from room to room, suggesting into detail and taking notes how we could best prepare our home for showing. Then she left her notes with us. That made it easy to remember what needed to be de-cluttered, changed or upgraded for better presentation. We were downsizing and did not want to purchase additional decorative art. For a low fee, Lynda gave us from her own stock the pieces we needed to give our home more appeal. — Many thanks for a great job, Lynda! Your expert advice certainly made a big difference in the sale of our home.

Kurt & Hanna Fischer, Waterloo

Having Lynda come through our home was an illuminating experience. I found that she encouraged me where I had taken positive steps, and was able to give me valuable tips to improve certain disadvantageous areas. I found her professional but amiable, and especially appreciated the clear advice recorded in her notebook for me to reference later. She definitely helped us to show our house to its best advantage. Thanks Lynda!

Yvonne Haley

We contacted L.B. Schmidt Creative Services and Home Staging after our house had been on the market for 7 months. We moved into our dream home before listing the property, so our house was completely empty and we were carrying the cost of two mortgages.

When we had moved out our furniture, the house seemed much smaller than it had when we lived there. We asked our Realtor whether we should stage the property and he said that staging was a waste of money. Our Realtor had two open houses every weekend and many people had seen the property. Throughout the 7 months we had two offers on the property, both with conditions that eventually caused the deals to fall apart. When the second offer fell through we decided to cancel our listing with the Realtor.

Upon a recommendation, we contacted L.B. Schmidt Creative Services and arranged a time to walk through the property together for a consultation. Lynda provided detailed room-by-room suggestions throughout the property, both concerning aesthetic and general maintenance issues. After being on the market for so long we were willing to trust Lynda's professional opinion and recommendations and invest the effort and money to get it done.

Lynda provided excellent contacts for service-people to help with the painting and maintenance. In total, it took us about a week to bring the property to showing condition. At that point Lynda visited our new home to choose some pieces of furniture to bring back to the vacant house for staging and as well she supplied us with some additional pieces and accessories. When Lynda was finished the house was beautiful!

We began our new listing and open houses and did not have any negative feedback on the home what so ever! After only one week we had 4 parties bidding on the property and it was sold firm after only 10 days of being listed. We ended up selling over the asking price, no conditions, and a closing date only two weeks later.

We are now huge advocates of home staging, and believe that we would not have had the response we did if the house did not look so beautiful from Lynda's staging.

The best advice I can pass along is to stage your home before bringing it to market as it makes an enormous difference and it will save you money in the end!

Dr. Suzanne Kearns — Kitchener

I found Lynda to be a very professional and highly creative person. Yet, at the same time she was caring and sensitive to our needs and feelings as she advised us on the staging process of our home ( which we lived in for over 18 years —there was a lot of clutter to be taken care of) as we made it ready for sale.

She was such a great help emotionally and physically in the moving process and I would highly recommend her to anyone as they prepare their home for selling.

I was extremely pleased with her decorating and skillful arrangement of making the house appear as a "model home appearance".

Well done Lynda!

Nuke and Vie Shim — Waterloo

I have had the pleasure of working with Lynda Schmidt on three of my homes over the past year. I presented Lynda with the challenge of staging three of my sold homes for the purpose of filming virtual tours. Timelines and budgets were very tight and the complexities involved of re-arranging and staging three houses in a row was immense. Lynda pulled it off with grace, calmness and in a professional work ethic that I wished all of my trade persons and suppliers had. I would highly recommend Lynda for any of your staging and or decorating needs.

Feel free to call me for more information and visit Lynda's work on my web page: www.hawksviewhomes.com.

Sincerely,

David Reid

President — Hawksview Homes

Our family had decided it was time to move to a bigger home. We wanted to be sure our home sold quickly and for the best possible price. Our agent provided us with the service of Lynda Schmidt. I had no previous experience in selling a home but Lynda's knowledge and expertise proved invaluable. After the initial walk-through of our home, Lynda identified 5 key areas for which my husband and I needed to focus. At first the tasks seemed overwhelming but we tackled each one step by step.

Lynda and I worked with a painter who removed wallpaper in 4 rooms and did a wonderful job painting each area with the colours that Lynda had chosen (we will be using some of these same colours in our new home!). We removed a lot of 'excess' wall photos and edited eah room. Boxes, toys, furniture, etc went to storage but this process made each room look larger and more attractive. In total we spent less than $2500 during this home staging process.

It was not just the big things like painting that Lynda helped with but also with the small things — a bowl of fruit on the counter, drapes opened a particular way, the placement of a chair. These small improvements definitely made our home look like a model home!

We listed our home at a price above what we had originally anticipated. Within 4 days, we had signed an offer at a price only $900 below list. It was amazing! There is no way that this would have happened without Lynda's help and advice!

Thanks Lynda.

Sharon W. - Kitchener

Thank you for your help in staging our home. It was a pleasure to work with you. At first I grumbled at the extra work, but when our home sold in five hours from when the sign went up, I was very happy I'd done everything you recommended. We got almost full asking price, and best of all, we didn't have to go through weeks of home showings! Thank you so much,

Jeanette Duncan - Waterloo

We highly recommend Lynda Schmidt's talents as a home stager. She was very professional, enthusiastic and easy to work with.

Our century home became absolutely stunning with Lynda's creative suggestions. We almost thought of staying but we did list our house and received two offers within ten days.

Great job Lynda!

Thanks again,

Sirkka & Bob Cooper - Ayr

As everyone knows, moving/selling your home is one of the most stressful events in life. When our real estate agent recommended Lynda to provide advice on getting our home ready to be sold, I had no idea that she would become instrumental in decompressing the pressure that I felt.

Lynda made suggestions for moving furniture and pictures that dramatically changed the look of our home. It didn't look like our home anymore and although that made me a little sad, Lynda said that it was her job to transform "my home" into a "house" that potential buyers could see themselves and "their" things in. Once I got that concept, Lynda became an invaluable resource to me.

She treated me as a friend and I sensed that what she did for our house, she would have done for herself or for her very best friend. You can trust Lynda to put 100% effort into her work; the best part is that she used mostly what we already had, but her eye for placement of items is just remarkable.

Thanks Lynda!

Lucia - Winterbourne

Lynda's expertise was invaluable to the sale of my home. She took the time to discuss my move, get a sense of what I was willing and able to do, and consider my goals. She was very easy to work with, going at a pace that was very comfortable for me. My house looked fabulous by the time she finished! As well, Lynda's ideas helped me to get rid of the clutter, making my packing an easier task too. I would definitely reccommend her services.

Julie

When the time came to sell my parents' estate, my main focus was on their condo. They had lived in Waterloo for many years and although they had a nice unit in a very well-kept building, the fact was that in the cold light of dawn, the walls needed painting, the kitchen was totally 1970s, the bathrooms needed a complete overhaul, and the carpeting was beyond salvation… It didn't take long to realize that there was a huge job ahead before there could be any thought of going to market.

There was another problem too. This renovation was going to be a large commitment of time and effort even if I lived in the Waterloo area, but I make my home in the extreme east end of Toronto. I knew I needed someone on the spot to help out. I needed a general contractor, but not just a general contractor. I needed someone who could look after my interests as estate administrator, and someone who could get the unit ready for sale. I needed someone who knew local trade's people and who had experience in cost control. Yet the person had to have a real flair for marketing and had to be in touch with the current Waterloo County real estate market. A tall order and a mistake would be costly!

I did some research and one name came up several times. I contacted Lynda Schmidt of L.B. Schmidt - Creative Services. We met at the condo for an initial meeting. I had a lot of questions but what I was really looking for was a vision of how the project would turn out. I needed to get the assurance that my objectives would take priority, while benefiting from someone who had many successful projects under her belt. I needed someone I could trust.

After only four weeks when the work was done, my wife and I visited the condo again. Amazing! My wife really liked the kitchen but she was really blown away with the bathroom renovations and treatments. What we were seeing was nothing short of a model suite in an upscale building! Anyone looking for a new place could easily see themselves as very happy new owners.

Much of the original furniture was still there but beautifully rearranged. There was fresh art and some furniture pieces from Lynda's rental collection. She had selected new carpets, paint, counter tops, light fixtures and window treatments through out. There were flowers and even a couple of bowls of toffee — anything to help the sales process!

Naturally we were delighted. More importance though, our real estate agent was also impressed. Realtors seem to do a better job if they personally like the property. I didn't take long before we were presented with a solid, totally clean offer. But even after I accepted the offer, Lynda took care of some post-sale details: disposing of some of the old furniture, supervising the movers, and looking after some last minute cleaning.

Lynda delivered everything I needed — experience, competence, reliability, and marketing skill while keeping a tight eye on my budget. This was a very successful project. I am happy to recommend Lynda Schmidt of L.B. Schmidt - Creative Services.

Gerry B., Toronto

Just wanted to say thank you for all your help with staging our home — it sold in no time! I am confident that your attention to details and expertise was a huge factor in our success — not only in selling so quickly but also obtaining most of our asking price. I appreciated your professional approach and very detailed presentation — which quickly became my "to do list" bible. A lot of the positive comments from our buyer were directly related to your wonderful suggestions. Thank you — you are awesome and I would highly recommend your services to anyone considering selling their home.

Kim Barrington, Cambridge

As part of my service when listing a home, I am pleased to offer a "home staging service" to all my clients. Over the past few years, I have frequently called upon the expertise of Lynda Schmidt of L.B. Schmidt Creative Services A.S.P. & C.C.S.P.

My clients have been very impressed with Lynda's ideas, her energy and dedication to giving the best advice possible in order to expedite the sale of their homes. I appreciate that whenever I call Lynda; she always makes the time to contact my clients within a day and books an appointment with them at their convenience. After her consultation, she always lets me know what she has suggested. With her well trained eye, even the smallest idea can make an amazing difference to how a house shows!! Lynda has also been known to 'roll up her sleeves' and help move furniture, supply articles to enhance a room and always go the extra mile! I am grateful for her knowledge and talent and will continue to offer her services to my clients.

Marc Engel, Sales Rep - Remax Twin City Realty Inc. Brokerage

I think your newsletter is wonderful! Beautifully laid out, informative and very useful to see before and afters. That's what opens up clients eyes on the potential. I will print this out when one of my kids can connect me to a colour printer. I really enjoyed meeting with you. You have such a warm, calm and reassuring manner and I really enjoyed working with you.

Kris Velanoff

On behalf of Diane and myself we would like to extend our thanks and appreciation for the manner in which you lived up to your responsibilities in staging our home.

Your efforts on our behalf have impressed not only the agents, but our potential buyers have been overly expressive in their kind remarks and comments about the look of our home.

Countless phone calls and a "desperation" call by Diane did not go unanswered and for that Lynda we are truly grateful. Changes were difficult especially when family members added their input. Your detailed instructions plus the recommended contractors kept us on track but more importantly your response to our needs over and above your initial visit made the difference.

Again Lynda many thanks you're International Association of Home Staging Professionals are no doubt proud to have you as a Member.

Diane & Murray Steben - Kitchener, Ontario

I used the expertise of LB Schmidt-Creative Services during the preparation to list our house. Our first meeting was very comprehensive. As we walked through each room, Lynda made a list of items that needed attention. She then compiled the list along with creative suggestions to enhance each issue; all while being mindful of cost and budget.

Shortly after our first visit she emailed a detailed list of trades people/professionals and their contact information. These people were true professionals and had worked with Lynda before. They were able to get in and make the changes quickly to enable us to list our house as quickly as possible.

Some of the changes we made included some painting, refinishing our stairs, changing the kitchen sink and faucets, organizing /clutter control, furniture reorganizing, and general staging. Trust me, by the time you have completed all of her suggestions, you will enjoy your house so much you may reconsider selling.

Her ability to quickly build client rapore allows everyone to feel at ease at a time often filled with change and uncertainty. Her professionalism was evident in her timely follow ups and response to the client's needs. Our experience with Lynda was very positive and I would definitely recommend her services to anyone considering placing their home on the market.

Heather Gingerich

I didn't really have much of an appreciation for "staging a home" until I met Lynda. In very short order, she had helped me compile a prioritized task list for every room in the house. I was able to develop a work plan under tight time constraints to prepare my house for selling. I was even more impressed when she helped me put the finishing touches on each room with her own pieces of art and decor. I consistently received comments from Realtors about how well my place showed and it was thanks to Lynda for her counsel and her flair for decorating. I would not hesitate to contract Lynda again on my next house sale.

Greg Kaye - Waterloo, Ontario

I am so fortunate to have Lynda as a professional stager. She is punctual, polite, knowledgeable and loves what she does; not afraid to get dirty! We had fun and accomplished so much together. I feel hopeful and confident that our house will sell now.

Lynda, THANK YOU dearly for creating the WOW!!!

Carmen Poulin - Conestogo, Ontario

Having worked with Lynda on a number of "Home Staging" projects during the past two years I can attest to the fact that Lynda is highly competent and creative in her approach to decorating and design recommendations regarding Real Estate presentation. In every case, she has carefully detailed recommendations to Home Owners with respect to enhancing and improving the "show ability" of their properties, from interior rooms to exterior landscaping...

In summary, Lynda's professionalism and competency is exceptional, making her one of the best in this field in the K-W area. I would highly recommend Lynda...

Rick Lammert - RE/Max Solid Gold Realty — www.ricksellskw.com

Meeting and working with you has been a remarkable experience. Your energy, creativity, and professionalism are truly outstanding. You took on a mighty challenge and cut it down to size in so little time it could make your head spin, the results were outstanding. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend your service to anyone. You are truly a master at what you do.

Velmon and Alexander Haag - Waterloo

We had just put an offer in on a new house and we had to sell our existing house fast as a condition of purchasing the new house. We came up with a fare market value to list our house with the help of our Realtor and then he told us he would send in a Home Stager to help us sell our house .You arrived punctually and greeted us with a warm smile and sense of undeniable grace... We followed your ideas and spent about 300.00 in total for the master plan. We could not believe what you were able to do to our house. The look was amazing...The Realtor staked a "For Sale" sign into the ground about 3:00pm and by 8:00pm the same day we sold our house! Our house sold in 5 hours for 99.38% of our asking price...we owe it all to you and don't think we could have done it without you. Lynda, in our opinion you are a genius, you know your stuff and we highly recommend you.

Dr. Karl & Nadine Salo - Kitchener

I really need to express my excitement and gratitude for receiving your services and what it meant to get my place sold in 5 days. Your expertise in Staging and your wonderful personality went along way in helping me sell my condo. Your enthusiasm with your work shows and that was evident when you helped me to move furniture, to show me your vision. It was very much appreciated. If I need to sell again you will be the first to know!

John Wright - Waterloo

Within 3 days of listing we had 7 showings and lots of comments." The home showed very well", "The home looks great". We received two offers in the first week and the property sold for 99.5% of the asking price.

Bob Depasquale - RE/Max Solid Gold Realty — www.homewithbob.com

Lynda's services have been a tremendous help to my clients when preparing their homes for sale. Lynda's knowledge, experience and staging recommendations have helped my clients' homes sell faster and for the highest possible price.

Dave Roach - RE/Max Twin City Realty — www.kitchenerwaterloorealestate.com

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for coming into our home to do a Home Staging consultation. What a difference it made!

We had our house listed with a real estate agent for almost 7 months. We decided that it was time to look for another agent... We then acquired a Home Stager to come in and look at our home and maybe give some suggestions/ideas.

And that's where you came in. We would like to thank you for taking the time to come to our home on a Sunday afternoon. You were very professional and took the time to go through each and every area of our home and explain to us what home staging was all about. We appreciate you bringing some of the photos of homes you have staged before, it gave us an idea of what we needed to do. We felt very confident that this would pay off. Suggesting moving the furniture to a different wall made a big difference, which we would never had thought of. We took into consideration all your recommendations and did as much as we possibly could and it definitely paid off...

Our house listed and within 8 days we had an offer! We were very excited. On the 11th day we had an official SOLD!

Rosalind & Craig Wheaton - Kitchener

I have used the services of Lynda Schmidt on my last eleven listings and can say, without reservation that her home staging was directly responsible for very speedy sales in all cases. She is thorough, understanding and has a knack to know what needs to be done to give the home that "WOW" factor. I will use her services every at every opportunity.

Richard Putnam - RE/Max Twin City Realty — www.wonputt.com

You certainly did an awesome job at our home with great results, I'm sure the house sold quickly because of the staging. I just can't say enough good about you, very easy and fun to work with, I feel like I made a new friend that day, your the best! I will be contacting you soon for your services to make choices in our new home.

Debbie Boyd - Conestogo