Home Staging: Three (3) Basic Things To Look For In A Professional Home Stager

A professional home stager can offer huge help in completing a quick and successful house sale. He can turn your ordinary-looking residence into something incredibly appealing for the type of audience you are aiming to attract. He can point out everything that needs further improvement without so much difficulty and suggest ideas that can make your property stand out from the rest of the pack. The only question is, how do you locate him?

What To Look For In A Professional Home Stager

Find the right person who can make your dreams come true. Here are the basic qualities to look for.

1.       It’s all about skills.

·        Technical. Check his portfolio to assess his talents in design and decoration. Do you like his style? Is he creative for your taste? Gauge how passionate he is on his craft. Remember:

People rarely succeed unless they enjoy what they are doing. -Dale Carnegie

·        Quality. Is he detail-oriented? Take note of the little things that can give you clues on how much he values his work as well as his ability to perfect the concepts needed. Does he have an eye for excellence?

·        Can work well under pressure. Check the projects that he has handled in the past. Observe how close the completion dates are in between them to see if he can work under a very tight timeline. How much time did it take him to finish a project? Ask him if there were occasions when he delivered sooner than expected.

·        Organization. Is he organized? Staging a home is no easy task. He must have good organizational skills to be able to create order out of chaos.

·        Communication. He must be someone whom you can easily communicate with, knows how to listen and respectful of your opinions. Homeselling can be quite stressful so he must have the ability to deal with different types of people in various kinds of situation professionally. Also consider how comfortable you are with him. Keep in mind that you will be working together so there should not be awkward moments between you two.

2.       He’s interested in the industry. He must be knowledgeable about the latest news and trends and able to adapt based on his clients’ needs and preferences. For instance, if you are putting your house for sale in the Philippine market, he must be able to give you a highly competitive edge on a Philippine real estate setting so that your property will get the most offers.

3.       He carries himself well. The way he dresses, talks, moves should all speak of confidence. You would want someone whose experience makes him confident, wouldn’t you? 

San Francisco Office 2nd Anniversary!!

Ayala Land cordially invites you to the celebration of the 2nd Anniversary of our San Francisco Office!

March 7, 2014

5:30PM - 9:00PM

http://atayala.com/events/2014-02-24/anniversary-of-san-francisco-office

Cleanest Malls In Metro Manila

Many Filipinos spend a lot of their time in the malls. Many of them go straight to the mall after work and during weekends. The popularity of going to the malls as a pastime is evident in the number of people that these places get especially during special occasions and sales.

With the large number of people who frequent malls in the Philippines every day, you would think that many of them are a bit dirty and disorderly. On the other hand, the numerous malls make the competition among them stiffer. A lot of these malls strive to have the best offerings for its patrons; whether state-of-the-art cinemas, the best shops, big events in the Philippines, and a large variety of restaurants, these malls aim to provide an excellent experience.

If you are one of those who prioritizes cleanliness in malls, below are some of the cleanest malls you can go to in Metro Manila.

· Greenbelt Mall. This mall is the poster child for clean and green malls. Long before malls started incorporating greenery and pocket gardens in their designs Greenbelt was blazing the trail with their open mall concept and large central garden. Being gre.en is not the only thrust of this mall because cleanliness is also very evident.

· SM Mall of Asia. The Mall of Asia’s strategic location right by the Manila Bay makes it a model of how clean seaside establishments should be. Despite its vast area and being one of the biggest malls, SM MOA succeeds in controlling the potential litter and trash that a mall its size could accumulate, making it still one of the cleanest malls to visit.

· Rockwell Mall. Some people say that the mall in Rockwell is a mall for the more affluent people. Whether this is true or not, this mall certainly tries to live up to the standards of such a mall. The mall is very clean and you only get quick glimpses of how much work it takes to keep it as such.

· Shangri-La Plaza Mall. This mall in Ortigas may seem tiny beside the SM Megamall, but it is a relaxing place to go to particularly because it is a clean mall. It helps that it is generally less crowded than other malls. This translates to less litter and trash, but a lot of credit also goes to the maintenance that this mall has.

Guide To Choosing Movies For Your Kids

With the extensive exposure to media that children get nowadays, it is not surprising that many of them ‘watch’ their first movie even before their first birthday. Although mere exposure and actually watching and understanding the movie are two different things, it is recommended that kids younger than two years old are not allowed to watch television, or movies for that matter.

Still, once the kids reach a particular age, it is inevitable in some households that these kids will have watched a handful of movies. Media such as TV shows, online videos, and movies, are not all bad for the children because once children’s brains are mature enough to process these media, there could be benefits to this activity as well.

However, it is still very important to monitor and choose the movies for your kids. Below are some tips to help you choose movies for your kids.

·         Everything goes through you. Think of yourself as your children’s gatekeeper – you get to choose which movies and TV shows get to go inside your children’s brains and nothing goes directly to them without going through you. Set this rule firmly in their minds, so that your children will also get into the habit of asking you before watching anything.

·         Watch it yourself. The best way to find out if a movie is suitable for your children is to watch it yourself. Even if it is a Philippine movie, an old movie, an animated movie, or any other kind of movie, make sure that you watch it first before letting your kids do the same thing. Watch this movie with a critical eye, always asking yourself whether it is appropriate for your own kids.

·         Research. There will be times when it will be difficult for you to watch it yourself beforehand such as when you and your family will be watching at a cinema in one of the malls in thePhilippines. In these instances, your weapon is your research skills. Read reviews and ratings to find out as much as you can about the movie. However, your final judgment will only be based on these reviews so make sure that you do a thorough research.

·         Anticipate issues. For movies wherein some sensitive issues might have been tackled, it is important to ask yourself regarding your stand on these issues that have cropped up. Thinking through these issues will help you guide your child on said issues. 

Four (4) Post-Valentine Ideas For Busy Couples

Valentine’s Day this year fell on a Friday. It was also payday for majority of the companies in the Philippines which is why it was not surprising to see crowds of people and heavy traffic at the busiest parts of the metro. It is also for these reasons that some couples have opted to celebrate Heart’s Day after February 14.

How To Have Post-Valentine Date For Busy Couples

If you and your partner lead busy lives, one of the common struggles you might encounter is how to make your schedules meet. As many consider Valentine’s Day extra special for couples, the only way to mark the occasion is to be with one another before or after the event. Here are some suggestions that will only take three to four hours of your time. See which post-valentine idea is most applicable to busybodies like you.

1.       Hang out at home. There is nothing more intimate than being with each other alone. Start the afternoon by visiting the grocery store near you then cook dinner together. The experience is guaranteed to bring you closer as you play with the taste and scent of the dishes. Drink some wine, talk about anything and everything and share future plans. Want to get pampered simultaneously? Set an appointment for home-service couple massages to relax those aching muscles.

2.       Watch a romantic movie. Sometimes, simply going out, malling and visiting your favorite stores make a huge difference. After all, it’s all about setting aside some “us” moment that matters the most. Do some window shopping and eat out. End the night with the last showing of a comedy-romance flick in one of the Philippine cinemas. Buy yourselves popcorns and colas and savor the company of your guy or girl.

3.       Have a food trip. Feed each other and satisfy your cravings by trying a couple of cuisines and flavors in fashion. For instance, try something Capampangan at Abe, one of the restaurants in Trinoma. Stroll around the mall for a few minutes then have merienda at Parvati afterwards. For early dinner, keep it hot and spicy by dining in at Mango Tree Bistro, a Thai resto. To lose those extra pounds gained during your food-tripping escapade, belt out your favorite birit songs at the Red Box. This is a great opportunity to hold a private concert for him or her.

4.       Enjoy the great outdoors together. Bike around the village, go jogging or play tennis, the important thing is that you share these precious moments.

Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Cinemas To Go To

Finding cinemas in the Philippines is easy. In fact, almost every shopping center in the Philippines has at least a pair. However, selecting the best one is a different story. You see, despite the number of cinemas to choose from, only a few are actually well maintained and are good enough to give you the best viewing experience when watching a movie.

If you are on the lookout for such a cinema in thePhilippines, here are some things you need to consider first before you start buying tickets.

Maintained by a reputable company

Just because a cinema is found inside a shopping center in the Philippines, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s well-maintained. On the contrary, some malls ignore their cinemas’ conditions and just settle for monthly or quarterly maintenance instead of a more regular one. This is especially true for malls whose main attractions are not their cinemas.

If you are considering cinemas in malls, better go for those maintained by reputable companies. These malls are regularly serviced and all their facilities are always near or are at top quality. Since their brand reputation is their biggest investment, they will do everything to keep that reputation synonymous to excellence. This fortunately applies to the cinemas under their name.

 Not so cheap

Good cinemas are usually not so cheap. Some would rather use the word pricey, but you have to understand that quality conditions and regular maintenance come at a cost. So before you judge cinemas as being too pricey, you better take into consideration more than just the movie you’re watching. In fact, it’s easier to just think of the little extra you’re paying as the cost of the clean and ergonomic seats, the relatively germ-free walls, digitally enhanced audio, the nice smell, and the dry spotlessly clean toilets.

Offers Reserved Seating

Good quality cinemas do not stay hidden. In fact, they quickly become popular because people would definitely talk about them. So, if a cinema is usually catering to a lot of movie-goers, then it can be an indication of how good the viewing experience inside it is.

Because of this, good quality cinemas (if not initially, then eventually) come with reserved seating. This provides viewers with the extra luxury of time and removes the inconvenience of waiting. With this feature, you just buy a ticket, reserve some seats, and then go to the cinema just a few minutes before the next showing. No hassles, no waiting, just you and the movie on the big screen. Now that’s the best viewing experience.

Home Staging: Five (5) Tips To Finding A Professional Home Stager

While the need to seek a home stager is not a requirement for every seller, it has become a great solution for many. This is especially true if the person selling the house has no time to spare to do the prepping himself or he aims to increase the value of his property for a marketable and quick sale.

How To Find A Professional Home Stager

Learn where to start searching for a professional to partner with. Here are five (5) tips to help you out.

1.       Profile. In today’s digital age, it’s quite easy to check the background of the person you are eyeing to hire. Does he have a website? Is it difficult to navigate around it? Anyone in the field will understand the value of a good web design as it can quickly reflect character and artistic skills. Does it indicate his rates and pricing? Can you afford it? What can you say about his About and Contact pages? Make sure that his details are complete – name, address and phone number as these can signify if he’s legit or not. Is he on LinkedIn or About.Me?

2.       Portfolio. Check for sample works. For instance, if you live in the Philippines and you want to put your condo up in the market, how many Philippine real estate projects has he bagged to date? How long did it take him to finish one? This can show how in demand he is in the business and why he is so. Can you access the BEFORE and AFTER photos of the PH properties that he handled recently? In this way, you can assess how effective the transformations are as well as the quality of his work.

3.       Recommendations. Who referred him to you? Did you find him over the web or did a friend or colleague endorse his services? Look for testimonials to determine what his past and present clients have to say.

4.       Online Reputation. With the birth of social media, it’s fairly simple to verify now the influence and credibility level of an individual. Metrics such as number of followers, how many positive or negative sentiments are found on the social networking sites, the ratio of good feedbacks as opposed to complaints can all add up to his trustworthiness. Surely, you would want to be partners with someone you trust?

5.       Etiquette and Ethics. The minute you talk to him on the phone or exchange emails, observe closely his communication abilities. How does he speak or reply to your messages? Is he courteous? How good is he as a listener? Keep in mind that you’ll be working together so ensure that he is very professional and serious about his commitments.