Author ~ Joanne Paquette, Canadian Staging Professional™ (CSP™), Image Home Staging

When you put your house up on the market, you are competing with neighbouring homes that have done upgrades and new home construction with their granite countertops and hardwood floors. Your home is now a product for sale and you need to market it competitively in order to sell quickly and for top dollar. A professional home stager will provide you with valuable and cost effective ways of presenting your home in the best possible light.

Here are ten important tips to get you started:

1. Ensure Good Quality Internet Photos; Advertise with great Internet photos since 80% of buyers check out the Internet first before deciding on which homes to view. Dark, cluttered photos will not entice buyers to your home. Think of Internet photos as the ‘new curb appeal’.
2. Old-Fashion Curb Appeal; Pay special attention to that other curb appeal the front yard, front door, landscaping, porch, driveway, exterior paint. If buyers are not attracted to the exterior of your home, they will simply drive on by to the next home. If you don’t have the time to do the work, hire landscapers and painters to improve the outside.
3. Review The Foyer; This is where buyers make their first impression of your home within a few seconds. Entice them to want to look at the other rooms in the house. Create an inviting look, add fresh flowers, remove clutter, shoes/boots, plastic mats so that nothing impedes the traffic flow. Maybe a fresh coat of paint should be considered.
4. Edit, Edit, Edit; One of the most important and cheapest thing you can do to improve the way your house shows is to remove a lot of your ‘stuff’. Consider temporarily renting a storage unit. Start prepacking, edit furniture, heavy or outdated window treatments, personal collections, knick knacks, clutter. Show off your floors, your windows, your fireplace, your square footage. These are your selling features!
5. Clean, Clean, Clean; – And then clean some more! If your carpets haven’t been cleaned in 6 months and are still in good condition, get them professionally cleaned now. Pay attention to odors ― since we get accustomed to the smells in our own home, have a friend come over and do the sniff test.
6. Fresh Coat of Paint; Paint will give you the biggest bang for your buck. It will freshen and lighten up the space, especially if you are the proud owner of bold colours in your home as these will limit the decorating ability of potential buyers. Remember to go neutral when choosing a paint colour. Warm beiges and taupes are always a safe bet.
7. Repairs; Take care of those small repairs you’ve been putting off. If you can’t be bothered to do them, why would a prospective homebuyer be. Buyers want move-in ready. They are not interested nor have the time for fixer-uppers.
8. Furnish Empty Rooms; Consider renting or borrowing furniture to furnish vacant spaces or to simply update the decor. Most buyers buy on emotion, so they need an emotional connection with the home before they’ll present an offer. A cold, empty room is a very hard sell. Bringing in more contemporary furniture to replace your outdated furnishings will also go a long way in showcasing your property. The average seller in Canada is over 57 whereas the buyers are around 32, so the buying and selling patterns of the two parties need to be bridged together.
9. Neutralize; Put away the family photos, crafts, diplomas and personal collections. They will only distract the homebuyers. Prepacking your personal treasures will help a new family imagine themselves living in the home.
10. Hire A Home Staging Professional – Before you put your house up for sale, have a Canadian Staging Professional come in for a consultation to provide you with expert advice on how to best market your home. Ideally, have them come back to stage or showcase your home for that ‘model home’ look. The cost for this investment will be far less than a first reduction in your asking price and it will bring measurable value to the equity in your home. Remember, staged listings sell on average twice as fast and for more money than unstaged ones.

Written by Joanne Paquette
joanne@imagehomestaging.com
ImageHomeStaging.com