StagingWorks is Toronto’s premier home staging services company and offers a complete range of professional staging services to accommodate most budgets.  We service the GTA and surrounding areas.  Please visit our home staging portfolio for samples of our work.

The article below from Rob Carrick ran recently in the Globe and Mail.

Advice for sellers from Toronto real estate agent Laurin Jeffrey:

1. Get Moving

“If anyone’s thinking of selling, now’s the time,” Mr. Jeffrey said “Prices are up, interest rates are down and there are slim pickings out there.” Spring is just ahead, and that’s high season for buying and selling homes. Mr. Jeffrey believes that spring 2010 could be strong as sellers move to take advantage of high prices and buyers capitalize on low rates.

2. Under-price

Ask a little less for your home than you think you could get, Mr. Jeffrey suggested. “If you think it should be $359,000, make it $349,000.”

The benefit: more traffic and more offers. “Hopefully you wind up with people walking out the door while another set of people are waiting to come in.” Other benefits: a quick sale that saves your from weeks of people traipsing through your home, and gives you more leverage in getting the closing date you want.

3. Stage your home

Stagers, or fluffers as they’re sometimes known, are invaluable, according to Mr. Jeffrey. “They can make or break a place. Most people’s decorating skills are not as good as they think they are.” Stagers can bring in a few pictures, rent you a snappy dining room table or provide some furniture to fill out an empty house. Expect to pay something in the area of 1 per cent of the value of the house. Can you get it back through higher sales price? “Hell, yeah,” Mr. Jeffrey said.

4. Be strategic with renovations

Fixing up kitchens and bathrooms offers the best return on your investment, Mr. Jeffrey said. Uniqueness is a good thing when planning a reno, he added. “If I see another kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and potlights … please, some originality, people.”