Here are a few more photos from Sunday's Grand Opening brunch.  A big thank you to Candace Epp for taking these.  You can check out Candace's photography page here:  

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Candace-Epp-Photography/158455527517991

And her Real Estate page here:  

https://www.facebook.com/candaceepprealestate

Thank you again to everyone for coming out and making this event a success!

-Brigitte

Our first post about Staging Tips talked about the importance of a first impression with curb appeal.  This post is taking it to the next step with a bright and inviting entrance.  

When buyers' open your front door, it will be one of the first impressions of your home, so you want to make a big impact.  Whether you live in a large home or a cozy condo, you want to create an inviting entrance for potential buyers. Here are a few tips that can help:

Make It Bright 

If you have windows close by, make sure the blinds are open for a bright and friendly entrance.  If not, make sure all the light bulbs are changed for that extra lighting.

(photo credit:  thissillygirlslife.com)

Get Organized

Regardless of the size of your front entrance, you want to make sure the space is clean and organized.  Adding a small table or baskets can be a great place for a key dish, putting away your kids' mitts and scarves, or displaying a nice plant or bouquet of flowers.  

(photo credit: lushhomes.com)

Add A Mirror

Adding a mirror to your front entrance can not only brighten up your space, it can also make your space appear larger, especially if you have a small front entrance.

(photo credit: bhg.com)

Stay tuned for our next home staging tips about a clean home.

-Brigitte

A big thank you to Brandi from Fab Frosting who made these delicious BG cookies for us for the Grand Opening Event at the Bessborough on Sunday.  They were an absolute hit!

To check out more of Brandi's creative cookies, check out her Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/fabfrosting.saskatoon

Thanks again, Brandi!

- Brigitte

Photo credit:  wanuskewin.com

Sunday, June 21 is National Aboriginal Day!  Celebrate all day at Wanuskewin where you can learn more things about the First Nations' culture on this national day.  There are a variety of new activities this year as well as the traditional powwow led by local elders.

As noted on the Wanuskewin website, other activities include:

Free Admission to National Aboriginal Day 2015.

-$5 Pancake Breakfast / 9am
– Traditional Games
– Hourly Dance Performances
– Guided Trail Hikes
– Artist Demonstrations

-Brigitte

Photo credit:  Candace Epp Photography 

A very big thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the Boyes Group Client Appreciation and Grand Opening event yesterday at the Delta Bessborough.  It was a fantastic turnout!

We will be posting photos throughout the week from yesterday's event.  Thank you again for coming to celebrate with us!

SATURDAY, JUNE 13

Hampton Village - 531 Coad Crescent  (1:00 - 2:30) 

Buena Vista - 1308 Lorne Avenue (12:30 - 2:00) 

Varsity View - 1129 11th Street East (2:00 - 4:00) 

Stonebridge - 803 Hunter Road (2:30 - 4:00) 

Queen Elizabeth - 1919 Broadway Avenue (2:00 - 4:00) 

Dundonald - 1430 Junor Avenue (2:30 - 4:00) 

Warman

     - 437 Snead Crescent  (2:30 - 4:30)
     - 601 Maple Crescent (12:30 - 2:00) 

Kensington - 463 Bentley Court (1:00 - 4:00) 

SUNDAY, JUNE 14 

Hampton Village - 531 Coad Crescent (2:00 - 4:00) 

Stonebridge - 803 Hunter Road (2:00 - 4:00) 

Lakeview - 295 Christopher Crescent (12:30 - 2:00) 

Dundonald - 1430 Junor Avenue (2:30 - 4:00) 

Blucher - Highway 5 Acreage (2:00 - 4:00) 

Kensington - 463 Bentley Court (1:00 - 4:00)  

Arbor Creek - 326 Guenter Crescent (2:30 - 4:00

We wanted to share this wonderful card that Cristin Wald received from her clients.  We're so happy you're enjoying your new home!

Image source:  saskatoonpride.ca

This week Saskatoon is celebrating Pride 2015!  As noted on the saskatoonpride.ca website:

The Saskatoon Pride Festival, hosted by the Saskatoon Diversity Network (SDN), is an annual week-long festival providing an accessible space in which to celebrate queerness, fostering community pride, and raising awareness of queer culture within the larger community.The Saskatoon Diversity Network (SDN) is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization which serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, transsexual, inter-sex, two-spirit, queer, and questioning community, family, and supporters. We exist to raise awareness of queer community and culture by facilitating, organizing, promoting, and presenting a queer pride festival.

The SDN cultivates community support and partnership within and outside of the queer community; we encourage and promote involvement in SDN, the festival, and the queer community by individuals and organizations. SDN is committed to a network of pride organizations on a regional, national, and international level.

SDN values professionalism, accountability, and transparency in its operations. SDN is non-discriminatory; we embrace LGBTTI2QQ people of all races, cultures, ages, sizes, abilities, sexes, genders, orientations, relationships, economic groups, and affiliations. We acknowledge and value the contributions of all our volunteers, members, and supporters.

Here is a schedule of events for the rest of the week:

We are very excited for Jordan to be featured in REM Magazine, a national publication, for the second time.  

Very happy and honored to be featured in REM Magazine again, will post the official article when it comes out this week!

Saskatoon’s Jordan Boyes, who
was featured in a REM cover story
last year, is opening his own independent
brokerage, Boyes Group
Realty.
“Opening an independent brokerage
was not something that just
came up. I have had this goal for a
while and it just seemed like the
next logical step,” he says. “I set
myself a goal to create a strong
independent, recognizable brand,
something that I think
Saskatoon’s marketplace is lacking.
I wanted it to not only benefit
the clients that work with our brokerage,
but the agents that choose
to work with us as well.”
The brokerage will open with
15 to 20 agents and has plans to
expand.
“My own personal experiences
combined with seeing the situations
and hurdles other agents go
through over the years has allowed
me to develop a training system for
new people wanting to get into the
business,” says Boyes. “The percentage
of new agents that fail in
this industry is huge and I want to
avoid that statistic in our group by
providing the tools and training
necessary to succeed.”
Boyes, 30, has only been in the
real estate business for five years. In
his first year, he made $30 million
in sales in a city where the average
house prices are in the $300,000
range.
He says he’s opening the new
brokerage with the support and
partnership of his wife Brigitte
Boyes and his business partner
Cristin Wald.

2015 is already half over, and there have been some great trends in home design.  One of my favorites is bringing in rich royal blues to warm up your space such as these:

(photo credit:  hgtv.com)

(photo credit: hgtv.com)

-Brigitte

(photo credit:  saskfashion.com)

Back for it's 5th year is the Saskatoon Fashion and Design Festival running June 5 - 7.  As noted on the saskfashion.com website:

Since SFDF’s inception in 2010, designers, models, stylists and more have evolved, grown and set their feet on the world stage. Whether it’s showing at internationally recognized events or becoming a force in Saskatchewan business our fashion community is strong, dynamic, and sophisticated. Discover our collection of events below that celebrate the uniqueness of our fashion and design community. 

Experience a deconstructed fashion show, show-stopping visuals, and innovative fashion at an event unlike anything ever produced in Saskatoon. This event features a taste of Saskatchewan's fine designer talent, including: Laurie Brown, Melissa Squire, Amaranth Designs, Eleganzia Couture, Whiskey Teacup, and Opinion Atelier.

IN FASHION features a high energy fashion show with an online shopping guide at your fingertips. Themed as Around Town, Downtown, and Uptown, the show will include must-haves from within the mall and local designer pieces carefully style by Kate Matthews and Nicole Romanoff. Each look hitting the runway can be found on the SFDF website and Facebook page with a look by look guide to shopping the mall and local designers. There will be sessions running on the hour from 1pm thru 4pm. Reserve your seat for an exclusive Midtown swag bag! 

SFDF Pose presented in the serene setting of the River Landing Amphitheatre will present you with an afternoon of fashion, art, culture and design. Featuring Saskatchewan designer's spring collections with the opportunity to buy the designs you see in the show at the outdoor SFDF Shop.

Experience the art of design throughout the day, including special dance and acro yoga performances, live hair and makeup by Angles SalonSpa and La Biosthetique, Luxury photo booth with Mercedes Benz of Saskatoon, VIP area presented by Fresh Living, and Live Art Show produced by Rouge Gallery.

If you are selling your home, a great staging tip starts before you even enter the house - curb appeal!  Whether potential buyers have a showing appointment set up with an agent or are driving by your home and see the For Sale sign on your lawn, the outside of your home will set a first impression even before stepping into the house.  Here are a couple easy and affordable staging tips for your front yard:

1.  Lawn Care or Snow Removal - Regardless of what season we are in, it's important to keep on top of mother nature, whether it's snow removal or lawn care.  Unmanicured lawns or unshovelled show will point out to buyers work that they will need to do if they are purchasing your home.  If you have a busy schedule, you may want to consider hiring this out while you are selling your home.

Instead of this:

(image source: unknown)

Have this:

(image source: hometalk.com)

2.  Add some color - You want your house to be inviting to buyers; a great way to do this is in the warm months is by adding some color with some potted flowers.

(image source:  http://blog.seasoninatrunk.com/top-10-colorful-spring-blossoms/)

3.  Front Door - Your front door is is another big first impression for buyers.  Make sure the hardware is in good shape, that the door opens and closes easily, and that any paint chips are looked after.  A clean and inviting front door such as this will make a great first impression on buyers:

(image source: mariakillam.com)

Good luck!!