Preparing Your Home For Sale

While staging refers to some cosmetic and aesthetic improvements, renovations can cost you many thousands of dollars, and you should consider very carefully whether such an investment is really necessary for the successful sale of your house.

Generally, the smaller your house or apartment, the greater the chance that you’ll deal with a first-time buyer. These kinds of home buyers usually require a move-in-ready property. For example, first time home buyers don’t usually have the funds necessary to update the home’s mechanical systems. So if your house has knob and tube wiring, an older furnace and roof, for example, which would make it difficult for the buyer to attain home insurance on the property unless they replaced these old systems, many first time home buyers will likely not be interested in your home.

On the other hand, big families prefer to renovate to their tastes, or are willing to renovate slowly over time as they grow into the house. Also a move-up buyer generally has built-up equity in the home they are selling so renovating becomes more of an option for them.

Whether or not your property needs some renovation also depends on the condition of other properties in your neighbourhood. If there are houses with special features and you want to achieve the same price, you should consider renovating. But remember, even some quick and easy fixes can increase the appeal of your home and might be the deciding factor when the potential buyer comes to view it.

Before you decide on any long term renovation plans, feel free to contact us for advice on which renovations provide the highest return upon sale of your house. We want to be your real estate partners for life and be there for you at every step.

To help you with renovation plans, please read the section think ahead to the eventual sale which provides an insight into things home buyers look for when buying a house.

As the saying goes, first impressions are everything and you only get one chance to make a first impression. The same holds true when selling your house. Beyond making sure your home is squeaky clean, staging can make the difference between boring and breathtaking. This is why we consult a professional stager who uses his or her creativity and vision to dress your house for sale. The result is a house that is uncluttered, cleaner, warmer, brighter and, best of all, it allows potential buyers to visualize themselves living there. Staging your home also allows us to be competitive with other similar staged homes that are for sale in your area at the same time. Although staging can be a terrible inconvenience to the home owner, it plays a big part in getting the highest price possible for the property.

Vacant houses exposed to the market usually sell for much less than furnished homes. The reasons are:

• An empty house is not inviting. It feels cold and lonely, it doesn’t echo “this is your home you will love living here.” It doesn’t inspire a buyer to want to live there.
• Buyers are generally not able to visualize how furniture will fit in an empty space and if they’re unsure, they won’t buy.
• When a room is empty prospective buyers focus on the bare imperfections instead of falling in love with the overall space.
• When a house is vacant buyers can become distracted by your motivation for selling. Is this a divorce? Are they selling because of financial distress? This train of thought will take them on a path where you, as a seller, don’t want them to go.

From our experience, staged properties show their best and can sell for up to 5% to 10% more than unstaged homes. This is a great deal of money to potentially forego; the additional money you get by staging can amount to 10 times the money you spent to stage your house. The single biggest investment you can make when selling your house is to hire a professional stager.

However, there are a number of details and improvements you can do yourself which will ensure prospective buyers are left with the best possible impression.

• House in good repair
• House number easy to read
• Eavestroughs, down spouts, and soffits in good repair
• Garage/car port clean and tidy
• Litter picked up
• Cracked or broken window panes replaced
• Lawns and hedges cut and trimmed, garden weeded and edged
• Walks shoveled and salted
• Boot tray inside front door
• Doorbell and door hardware in good repair
• Porch and foyer clean and tidy

• Chipped plaster and paint touched-up and replaced
• Doors and cupboards properly closed
• Leaky taps and toilets repaired
• Burnt-out light bulbs replaced
• Squeaky doors oiled
• Mirrors, fixtures, and taps cleaned and polished
• Seals around tubs and basins in good repair
• Floors cleaned, garbage containers empty
• Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy
• Appliances cleaned
• Countertops neat and polished
• All lights turned on
• Air conditioner turned on in warm weather
• Fresh air in house
• Fireplace lit in cooler weather
• Halls and stairs cleaned
• Drapes opened during daylight hours
• Carpets freshly vacuumed
• Fresh flowers in various rooms
• Jewelry and valuables locked safely away or taken with you
• Valuable property, such as art, vases, and figurines, out of reach, out of sight, or locked away
• Pets absent, where possible, or contained during the showing, and litter boxes clean

Case study: This property was listed unstaged with a different brokerage firm for two months for $1,350,000 without a successful sale. The seller then interviewed a few real estate agents and gave us an opportunity to sell the house by implementing our extensive marketing plan. We suggested staging the property which completely transformed the look of the house. We listed it for $1,279,000, procured four offers within 48 hours, and sold it for a whopping $1,550,000.