Home Staging Testimonials

A huge thanks to Lynne and Sandy! My family and I prepared our two vacant investment properties to sell. After meeting with several agents, we decided to list with Sandy Gardner of Royal LePage. This was the best real estate decision we made and Sandy suggested we enlist of staging services of Lynne Sevink of Designing Durham. I was not a fan of staging, nor did I believe that it could bring more money or sell the homes quicker. Well, it did both – the homes looked better than I could have ever imagined. Friends, family and potential purchasers were so impressed! Both homes sold in one week – thanks Lynne and Sandy!

Darren Wilkinson

We had the pleasure of working with Lynne from Designing Durham to have our home staged for a sale. Our home was very bare prior to the staging therefore, the potential buyers found it difficult to envision themselves living in the house. At the initial assessment, Lynne was very thorough and observant of the layout. She made notes and took pictures that she could refer back to when preparing items for the staging. She was very courteous and we really liked that she was very particular about cleanliness.

The staging job was very impressive. The colours and the accents all gelled well to bring life to each room. The staging job required no effort from our end as Lynne took care of everything. We managed to sell our house in a reasonable time and move on to the next phase of our lives!

Thank you Lynne for your services and we highly recommend her services to anyone looking to decorate/stage their house.

Mr. & Mrs. Patel

I am a Realtor, and I hire Tammy to stage every listing who is agreeable to having this professional service. She is a hands on designer who works quickly and efficiently to make the property look its absolute best. She always has great ideas, and I am always amazed at the impact her touches have on a home. Worth every cent!

Claire Marsh

Tammy was unbelievably efficient in all of her dealings with us, and yet so very warm and friendly. She wasted no time going through our house and coming up with incredible ideas to help us prepare our home for sale. She helped motivate us to declutter, which made a big difference to the end result. We trusted her vision completely and the results were incredible. Her design expertise is evident in every room, to the smallest detail. I was so surprised at how quickly she was able find just the right furniture, lamps, pictures, pillows and accents and then put them all together so beautifully. I love the new look so much, I want to buy my own house!

Client

Lynne Sevink is a great stager to home. She has a great sense to present the best look. I am a single man and live on my own. When Lynne staged the house, she made it to fit a man's place without compromising the appeal to everyone. She is knowledgeable and professional. Great asset to her company

Lawrence

We had bought a brand new home, and after a great deal of work to make it market ready, sold our existing home for a good price. We were organized and ready for the move when a week before the close the news came that the purchasers had backed out of the deal. I was devastated and overwhelmed to begin with and even more so when we moved our furniture out and I saw how much work would be needed to make the house market ready again and I knew it wouldn't show nearly as well empty. A friend recommended staging. I had no idea how to go about that or if it was in my budget. I found Tammy online and she came over the following day. From our first meeting it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. She went through the house with me, pointed out exactly what needed to be done in the way of repairs and started to make her decor recommendations. She even recommended a painter who did an amazing job! When the staging was done the house looked beautiful! We got so many compliments and ended up selling for considerably more than we did the first time. Staging really does work! Thank you Tammy.

Patty Maquire

Let's face it, selling your home is an extremely stressful endeavour, especially with tight timelines in today's fast paced and every changing market.  We read a variety of blogs and online content that highly recommended staging as an "essential" to obtain the best possible market price.  As an HGTV generation, we were sold on staging, but with so many companies to choose from with a full array of price ranges, the decision was monumental.  We shopped around, spoke with various companies and got the same spiel, feeling sold to in every interaction until we met Lynne from Designing Durham.   From our first contact we knew something was different, her approach was distinct, it was personable and warm, inviting and not pushy by any means.  Her goal was to showcase her work and fit into our lifestyle, not force services on us, but to give us what we needed to highlight the innate features of our home.  Amongst the crowd, she clearly stood out and was the obvious choice.  Every interaction with her was professional and amidst our tight schedule she remained flexible and punctual.  Her services went above and beyond, and in most instances I felt like I had a close friend/family member guiding me through the process rather than a company simply going through the motions.  The end product was nothing short of spectacular as our home was transformed into the true masterpiece that it had the potential to be.  Once staged, we confidently put it on the market and got well in excess of, multiple thousands above, our asking price for it. Truthfully, this was no coincidence or the work of market forces but rather the result of Lynne.  Thank you!

Damar Walker, Brighton, Ontario

I am a Realtor, and I hire Tammy to stage every listing who is agreeable to having this professional service. She is a hands on designer who works quickly and efficiently to make the property look its absolute best. She always has great ideas, and I am always amazed at the impact her touches have on a home. Worth every cent!

Claire Marsh

Tammy was unbelievably efficient in all of her dealings with us, and yet so very warm and friendly. She wasted no time going through our house and coming up with incredible ideas to help us prepare our home for sale. She helped motivate us to declutter, which made a big difference to the end result. We trusted her vision completely and the results were incredible. Her design expertise is evident in every room, to the smallest detail. I was so surprised at how quickly she was able find just the right furniture, lamps, pictures, pillows and accents and then put them all together so beautifully. I love the new look so much, I want to buy my own house!

Jackie Lynn

My husband and I started to get the itch to move and decided to start to look for a new home. After looking at several homes, we walked into “the one”. Emotions kicked in and we gave them a firm offer!

The next morning we asked our agent to come and list our home. To our surprise, our agent informed us that our house wasn’t market ready and would need some work prior to listing. Our agent said to leave it with her. The next morning Tammy Irwin of Designing Durham showed up at my door. Tammy could clearly tell I hadn’t slept and was completely stressed. She said “First things first! Take a deep breath, we have some work to do, but don’t worry, we will get your house sold.” After a thorough inspection of my home, we discussed a budget along with a plan of attack. Tammy began to make some calls. Within 24 hours, the wheels were in motion. My house was flooded with painters, carpet installers, countertop specialists, and contractors. Within 2 weeks, my home looked so beautiful, I had second thoughts about moving. The transformation was surreal. Tammy’s vision and expertise are incredible. She did an amazing job from start to finish and stayed within our budget. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Tammy and her team of professionals. My house was sold within 24 hours of being listed on the market for over asking.

Cindy P, Homeowner

Designing Durham did an amazing job staging our home. The staging was completed on Saturday and we had a firm offer on Tuesday. Wow!

Prior to the staging, our home had been empty and the feedback had been that some potential buyers had difficulty visualizing each space in relation to their belongings and/or had been overwhelmed by a lack of vision in relation to utilizing the potential spaces. Tammy brought creative ideas, professionalism, quality furnishings and artwork to stage our home. I was extremely impressed with her promptness, resourcefulness and willingness to work within my budget. I would highly recommend Designing Durham to anyone in need of staging his or her home in order to obtain a quicker and hopefully more profitable outcome.

Mr. and Mrs. Mucha

Putting our home on the market was a tough decision as we wanted to get as much out of the sale as possible. Hiring Tammy from Designing Durham has been a phenomenal experience. Tammy was able to stage our entire home, making it look and feel fresh, by placing up-to-date fixtures, décor and artwork throughout our home. Tammy even took the time to guide us through making worthwhile changes such as lighting, which truly added value to our home. Her insight and ideas were able to bring our home to the selling standard it needed to be at, and we were able to increase our profit. It has been bittersweet, selling our first home – the house looked so amazing, we no longer wanted to move! Both my husband and myself look forward to bringing Tammy and her interior design knowledge to our new home!

Cheryl & Ajay Baldeo, Homeowners

In the real estate industry, the first impression is crucial for a quick, well priced sale. As a realtor, I can’t stress enough the importance of a well staged home. Selling your home can be an emotional roller coaster, and sellers can quickly become overwhelmed. Designing Durham, along with their positive “can do” attitude has the vision, skill and expertise to transform any space into a real showstopper. My clients were amazed with the transformation and even more ecstatic to receive three registered offers within 48 hours of their home going on the market. Their home sold for 102% of asking price! I truly could not have done it without you. Thanks for making me look good! Your services consistently exceed my expectations and I’m extremely proud to recommend Designing Durham as my preferred staging supplier. A well staged home is half sold!

Virginia Phillips, Sales Representative, Coldwell Banker, R.M.R.