When it comes to prepping your home for sale, there are a few good rules to follow.
If you have been through a sale before, you are likely aware of the basics: Clean; declutter; add curb appeal and introduce neutrality.
Our Newbigging-Pearson team of real estate experts wants to make sure homeowners are aware that some rules stand fast no matter the season – like extreme cleanliness and the need to declutter – but some rules vary with the outside temperature.
For example, if it’s close to any major holiday and you are putting your home on the market, keep seasonal decorations to a minimum. Sometimes, seasonal decor can appear too busy, adding clutter to your already decluttered home.
Another rule that varies with the season is curb appeal. While you can’t do much with gardens in Niagara when they are covered with snow, you can tidy up by removing snow on paths and driveways; add a tasteful door wreath; install some warm exterior lighting and make windows sparkle to present a welcoming exterior.
While following the basic rules always brings good results for sellers, faster results are sometimes possible when homes are professionally staged.
Our Newbigging-Pearson team firmly believes home staging makes a difference in two key ways: Time a home spends on the market, and the final price for which it sells.
These points are backed up by results our team has personally experienced.
We have helped to stage homes before putting them on the market, when the sellers had already moved out. Photos on our Niagara Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service reflected the staged home, and since most home-seekers use the Internet for their initial searches, the photos made a very good first impression.
Fast sales, sometimes with competing offers, soon followed.
Our team has also helped sellers stage homes while they were still in residence. This involved some minor redecorating: We have removed well-worn furniture and replaced it with newer items, or rearranged what was left in a simple, clutter-free way. We have suggested repainting over bolder colours in neutral, light-reflecting tones. We have suggested polishing wood floors so they shine, removing carpet where possible. Where it wasn’t possible, we added an area rug to brighten a seating area.
We have added artwork, or suggested removing artwork where the focus was divided. We have tidied bookshelves, suggesting some books be stored in advance of selling to free up space. We have added plants, or moved existing ones to different areas. We have suggesting changing hardware on kitchen cabinets, to give them a fresh, new appearance.
All these things have certainly helped our clients achieve their goals: Selling their home in as few days as possible, and attaining the price to which they had aspired.
It is a proven fact the home seller benefits from prepping by staging and by following a few key rules before putting their home on the market.
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All this mention of staging has our Newbigging-Pearson team thinking of local stages, and the fun we have introducing newcomers to Niagara theatres, like the Shaw Festival, Firehall Theatre, the Scotiabank Convention Centre, Garden City Productions, the Oh Canada Eh theatre and FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre … to name just a few!
Getting out for an afternoon or evening performance can give the busy home seller or seeker a much-needed break from the hard work of staging or searching for that perfect new home.
From your own stage to the pleasurable experience of local theatre, our team is here to guide you. Follow the links above for a listing of upcoming shows, concerts and special events in beautiful Niagara!
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If you are ready to talk about selling, staging or searching, reach our Newbigging-Pearson team of real estate experts by calling 289-686-1552, or send us a message HERE.
We’re ready to help you set your stage!