The Value of the Blank Canvas

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If you’re thinking about selling your home, you need to think like a buyer. Taking a few steps will help you create the blank canvas and quickly sell your home.  It’s called staging and it works!

To help you with this step, we plan a staging consultation with a professional stager. We know buyers are knowledgeable about the market, tap into online searches and are extremely particular. They will not settle, so you want to present your home in the best possible light. Teaming together with our staging professional, we’ll give you an edge over the competition.

Less is More  

When it comes to getting your home ready for the market, less is more. De-cluttering is one thing most people need to do. A good rule of thumb is to remove 25 percent of your belongings from the house. To overcome clutter inertia, think of three advantages:  the money you will save on moving expenses because you’ll have less to pack, you’ll only have things you really want in your new home, and the buyer will be able to see your home in the best light possible. De-cluttering is a win-win-win.

As you go through your house, make sure you create an identity for each room. Many people use a room for more than one purpose, such as having a dining area serve as a home office as well. The dining room should be the dining room, the den should be the den, etc.

Neutralize to Depersonalize

Paint is inexpensive and it will increase the value of your home, but you need to choose a neutral palette so the buyer can think of how their personal taste would be implemented in your home. That purple accent wall or black walls in a teen’s room do need to go. No wild colors should grace the walls of your home. The goal is to appeal to the masses because when we do, we get more showings, which leads to more offers and then, ultimately, the highest price possible for your property.  

Don’t Ignore Broken Items  

There’s nothing worse than walking up to the front of the house and opening a squeaky front door that sticks. If it’s broken, fix it. Of course, potential buyers don’t notice those items when they work, but they certainly do notice when they’re broken. To make the selling process as smooth as possible, deal with these types of issues at this stage, not when the home is in Escrow.

If you would like to build a strategy to market your home or find the home of your dreams, please contact me at (416) 566-8092 or lino@linoarciteam.com. We’d be happy to assist you.

Tips for Preparing Your Home for Sale

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What do we do when we are looking for love, go out to meet others and attract their interest?  We make sure we look our best, present our best effort and highlight our endearing qualities to “reel in” the perfect catch.  The real estate market is no different.  When you are selling a home, you are looking for the perfect buyers to show interest in your home and you hope to share with them what it is you love about the house.

Like meeting a new person in the dating scene, selling a home can be a hit or miss game but unless you make the effort to present your home in the best light, you may be in for a string of not-so-perfect buyers that are less than interested in making an offer.  Here are some things you can do to make sure that buyers get that twinkle in their eye when they first set their sights on your home.

Make Them Love It At First Sight

The old adage about not judging a book by its cover certainly does apply to properties but the last thing you want to do is lose a potential sale because you haven’t paid attention to first impressions.  Most homeowners these days have watched some HGTV and one of the things that come up in many of their shows is “curb appeal”. Curb appeal refers to how attractive or enticing the exterior of a home is in terms of landscaping, the driveway area, front porch, entryway, garage and other exterior features.

It goes without saying that you should repair any damage and clean up areas that are out of sorts.  Adding soft touches like some flowers or even some professional landscaping can also make a world of difference in buyers’ impressions of the home.  If you are showing a home after dark, one thing you can do is to turn on exterior lights, creating an appealing peek through as people first drive up to the home.

Keep Things Classic, Clean and Clutter-Free

Nothing is more of a turn off to buyers than a home filled with too much stuff. The last thing buyers want to see is closets and counter space bursting at the seams with too many things, an over-abundance of personal items or a mismatched and unattractive arrangement of furniture.  Classic, simple décor with clean lines and neutral colors is most appealing. Not only does this allow them to see the actual house but it also gives them the opportunity to visualize their own customization in the space. 

Walk through the home and remove all extra items that are lying around, clear off kitchen counters and remove all personal items from bathrooms and other surfaces.  Imagine walking into the perfect hotel room – while looking lived-in, the space is still elegant without too many things crowding the space. 

Highlight the Home’s Features

Whether showing off shiny granite countertops, impeccable resurfaced wood floors or displaying the backyard pool – it is important for buyers to be able to see all that the home offers in terms of amenities and features.  If the walkout basement is a strong selling feature, you could clear the area and pose potential uses for the space such as making it a media room or workout area.  When buyers see versatility with which the space is utilized it will create more interest in your home.

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Remember, buying a home is just like finding a new love.  There must be chemistry.  And unless you make the effort to present the home in its best light, chances are you will not find the perfect buyer.