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1) Curb Appeal
Potential buyers may be visiting numerous homes on a
Saturday afternoon. As a seller, your first priority is
to get them in the door.
If your home’s curb appeal is not eye catching, they may
simply decide not to stop at all. Put a fresh coat of
paint on the door, mow the lawn, trim the bushes, clean
the windows, sidings and gutters, and add a wreath to
the door or a pot of colourful flowers to give your home
a well-maintained and welcoming feel.
2) First Impressions
Buyers form their first impressions of your home within
seconds of stepping inside the front door. It is
essential that the first impression be fabulous. The
home needs to be impeccably clean, fresh and inviting.
If a buyer enters a home and is hit with the smell of
kitty litter, and then notices a cracked tile at the
front door, only to walk into a room covered in
wallpaper from 1972, the general impression is: “We have
a lot of work to do if we purchase this house.” However,
if the tile is fixed, the cat takes a visit to a
friend’s home for a couple of weeks and the living room
is painted in a neutral colour, the impression created
will be more in line with what buyers expect.
3) The Nose Knows
Pet odours, smoke, stale or musty air can hit potential
buyers before they have a chance to view the home.
Unpleasant odours can be very off-putting and are often
deal-breakers.
Now’s the time to do some deep cleaning and consider
tossing or replacing items that hold odours, such a
carpets, area rugs curtains and bedding. Find a friend
or a relative who can pet-sit and ban smoking in the
house.
4) Think Low Maintenance
Buyers do not want to invest in a home that has work to
be done. They connect better with homes that are
‘move-in ready’. Anything less is inviting a reduction
from the home’s asking price.
The little details are important here. Fix chips in the
paint, nicks in the walls or baseboards, broken tiles,
leaky faucets and sticky doors or windows. Steam clean
the carpet and scrub the grout in the bathtub.
5) Knick Knack No
The way you live in your home is not the same as how you
market and sell your home. Pack up as much as possible,
so that buyers are not distracted by your things and can
focus on the space in your home.
Box up and store items like knick knacks, collectibles,
and family photographs, piles of magazines, books and
off-season clothes. Find room in a closet or cupboard
for items in regular use like school bags or sports
equipment, as well as your laundry. Your goal here is to
show the home’s large functional living space.
Contact us at (647) 409-2091 or
anne@StagingWorks.ca |
