By Todd Lewys
By the time Kortney and Dave Wilson get to Winnipeg for the Winnipeg Home + Garden Show (April 4-7), they will have taken Canada by storm.
After stops in Ontario (Windsor, Kitchener and Toronto) in February – and Edmonton in late March – HGTV’s Masters of Flip will be in Winnipeg to hold forth on the main stage at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg Friday April 5 at 6 p.m. and Saturday April 6 at 12:30 p.m..
Kortney says she and husband Dave are looking forward to returning to River City.
“We’ve been to Winnipeg once, and loved it,” she says. “We’re excited to be coming back.”
This time around, the dynamic couple will be talking about their latest book – Live Happy – and covering a wide variety of home makeover topics.
“We’ll be elaborating on tips from the book and will show people how to really make their house a home,” says Kortney. “The plan is to share different tips that we’ve learned along the way so that people can really learn how to own their home. We’ll dive in to personal stories and have a lot of fun.”
She adds that one of the main themes of their presentation will deal with how home owners – through a series of small, yet significant changes to their home – can learn to love it now.
“One thing I will talk about is how a series of mini makeovers can transform your home in a way that you come to love it more than you ever have.”
Those small steps include things like de-cluttering, finding the right colour palette for different spaces, using accent walls to add impact to a room, proper furniture placement and removing items that no longer add value or joy.
“The one thing we will emphasize is that it takes a bit of effort to make these changes,” Kortney says. “However, that time and effort is worth it. By making those changes over time, you will end up with a home that you truly love in every way.”
Of course, HGTV’s Masters of Flip will also hold forth on how to do a flip properly – and (hopefully) profitably.
Dave says there are some time-proven fundamentals that need to be followed.
“The first thing to do is find the right property in the right location. Next – this depends on how experienced you are – you need to decide how much work you want to do on the property. You can either go the lipstick and rouge route, or you can spend more time and add on.”
Regardless which route is taken, there are two fundamentals that cannot be by-passed.
“Location is everything,” he says. “So, make a point of finding a good property in the right location. Then, don’t take on more than you can chew. And make sure you have the right team around you. They can guide you and ensure that you don’t make costly mistakes. We want to show people how to buy, what to do with a home – and how to make a profit without sinking themselves.”
Kortney says show-goers can expect fun-filled, wide-ranging presentations on Friday and Saturday.
“Basically, we’ll be open to talk about anything, from lighting to landscaping, to de-cluttering and paint colours to the art of the flip. As I said, we’re going to make it fun and informative, and we will make sure to leave plenty of time for people to ask questions.”
The Winnipeg Home + Garden Show will run from April 4-7 at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg. For more information on the show, visit winnipeghomeandgardenshow.com or call 1-800-633-8332.