President’s Toronto SUN Column: Staging A Home Is A Good Investment To Make
Posted by: Toronto Real Estate Admin / Category: Toronto RealtorTREB President’s Column as it appears every Friday in the Toronto Sun’s Resale Homes and Condos section.
November 1, 2013 –
As many analysts anticipated, 2013 has seen more moderate activity in the Greater Toronto Area resale housing market compared to the previous year, and although home values remain robust, the amount of time it takes to sell a property has increased in accordance with this year’s calmer conditions.
If you are considering selling your home in the coming months, one approach you may wish to consider prior to listing, which can help you achieve a quick and profitable outcome, is professional home staging.
While home staging does involve some upfront expenses, those who opt for this route regard the investment as preferable to undertaking a price reduction, which can come at a considerably higher cost.
One of the most significant benefits of enlisting a professional home stager is gaining an objective perspective on your space, which results in adjustments that allow potential buyers to visualize your home as their own.
If you don’t have the resources to engage professional help you can at least follow the tenets of successful home staging, the first of which involves decluttering. Since you’ll need to pack anyway, doing so in advance is a wise step to achieve a larger, more organized looking space. While depersonalizing your home will allow others to envision it as their space, beware of a result that is too stark.
Although neutral paint colours are preferable, a muted palate should be balanced with a pop of colour in cushions, fresh flowers or other accessories. Doing so also helps create a necessary focal point in each room.
Be sure to dress rooms for their intended uses and keep all traffic areas clear. If you can only undertake one task, ensure that you clean, clean and clean again. It’s particularly important to ensure that kitchens and bathrooms sparkle, and to achieve a crisp look, invest in new towels and linens that you can enjoy at your next home as well.
Since first impressions are made before buyers even walk through the door, give some thought to enhancing your home’s curb appeal by trimming shrubs, cleaning windows and clearing the entranceway.
Remember to turn a critical eye toward imperfections that can be easily addressed such as leaky faucets, squeaky hinges and burned out bulbs.
Finally, keep in mind that more than just visual impressions factor into the decision-making process – ensure your home smells great, is well lit and has enjoyable background music during a showing, all of which help it to serve as a representation of a better lifestyle for buyers.
For more advice on how to achieve the most profitable outcome in your transaction, talk to a Greater Toronto REALTOR® and be sure to visit TorontoRealEstateBoard.com where you will find updates on market conditions, plain language explanations of commonly used real estate forms, information on government programs that may benefit you, and more.
Dianne Usher is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board,
a professional association that represents 37,000 REALTORS®
in the Greater Toronto Area.
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Article source: http://www.torontorealestateboard.com/market_news/president_columns/pres_sun_col/index.htm
Tags: Toronto Realtor