Month: March 2022

When selling your home, first impressions are everything. Give your home an advantage by taking the time to spruce it up before you list – and whatever you do, don’t forget about these 5 areas when home staging.

Don’t Neglect the Basement

A basement chock full of your disorganized piles of junk is a major turnoff to potential buyers. Even if the basement is unfinished, it should be clean, as bright as possible and dry. A quick coat of paint on a concrete floor can make the world of difference, as can neatly organized boxes.

If you can’t be bothered to organize your junk, at least get it out of the house! An empty finished basement is one million times better than a cluttered one (even if it does demonstrate how much junk can fit in it!). Rent a storage locker for the weekend and clear it out.

Rearrange the Living Room

If you’ve got all your furniture pushed up against the walls to make the most of the space, it’s not doing much to help sell your home. Instead, try arranging the furniture in your living room in a fashion that encourages conversations rather than just as a place to store the kids’ toys or watch television. If you have a fireplace or a big window, make that the focal point and place the couch, a coffee table and a pair of chairs in an intimate setting. Add a few decorative pillows and drape a textured blanket to add some colour and warmth and keep the coffee and end tables free of clutter. Place a floor lamp or table lamp in your new living area space to brighten up the entire area and make the space more inviting.

If you’re willing to invest a little extra in staging your home, window treatments can make a world of difference in a living room. But don’t buy anything you’ll be sad to part with!

Declutter the Kitchen

It goes without saying that a kitchen can sell a home, but a messy, cluttered kitchen can also make your home much harder to sell. Emphasize the size of your kitchen by clearing the counters of any small appliances and personal items such as mail and phone chargers. This will make even the smallest countertops and prep areas seem that much bigger.

Do, however, include colourful items that inspire healthy living, like a curated collection of interesting cookbooks, or a big bowl of lemons and limes. Help people envision their new lives in your home.

Create a Dining Area

You may only use it once a year, but formal dining rooms should never be neglected. This space can be a great area to focus on when selling your home. Start fresh by removing everything from the room except for the essential pieces of furniture like the dining table and chairs. Consider setting the table with your best china, complete with flatware, napkins, glasses and a centerpiece of fresh flowers or a bowl of vibrant fruit.

Even without a proper dining room, setting a kitchen counter or small bistro set in the corner of your kitchen will give your home a polished finish that denotes a caring homeowner. As much as potential buyers judge the home, they’re also judging the previous owners, and how they cared for it.

Scrub the Bathroom

Sleek and modern bathrooms can help sell a home, but even a dated bathroom can show its best face with a little elbow grease. Get a big box and remove everything from the counters, shower and bathtub before scrubbing the bathroom from top to bottom. Only put back a few essential items like hand soap and some fluffy towels. To help brighten the whole space, consider getting a new, high-quality shower curtain to pull the look together.

Don’t overlook your medicine cupboard and under-the-sink storage. Buyers are nosey, and will examine every inch of your home. Organizing your storage will help to show off your bathroom’s potential, even if it’s on the smaller side.

Home staging is an essential step to selling your home fast and for top dollar. If you have questions about staging and selling your home, contact us today. We’d love to help!

A home renovation can be pretty exciting, especially if you’re finally in a position to make long-awaited changes.

If you have pets, a home renovation is an excellent opportunity to make life easier for both you and them, with a few extra additions. Taking your pets’ habits, age and patterns into account as you plan for renovations could make all the difference in creating a safer, healthier and happier environment for your four-legged family members!

Don’t go anywhere – in this article we’ll be listing some of our top tips for making your home renovation more pet-friendly.

Making Your Home Renovation Pet-Friendly

Opt for an Optimized Mudroom

When Fido is frolicking through a wet or muddy backyard, he’s inevitably going to track it all through the house if there’s no efficient way to clean him off before coming back in.

Many homes have a mudroom, which could be a good option in and of itself if you don’t already have one; however, consider an optimized mudroom for those times when your pet is…well, a bit of a mess! A few beneficial add-ons to any mudroom are a dog shower, tub or wide sink to rinse off smaller dogs.

A dog shower is typically built as a step-in shower with a half-wall surrounding it, allowing humans to spray their pets from overhead. This option will be especially convenient in the colder months, when rinsing your dog outside would be uncomfortable and unpleasant for you both!

Doggie Flaps are Your Friend

This tip is all about convenience for both you and your pet: consider installing a doggie flap leading into your mudroom, laundry room or garage. This will allow your trained pet to come and go as they please and could work equally well for an indoor-outdoor cat.

It’s a good idea to install a flap on a door that doesn’t lead to your foyer or other prominent areas of your home. If your pet happens to track mud or dirt into the house, it’s best if the flap leads to a room where your pet won’t have as much potential to ruin or soil surroundings.

It’s also recommended that your flap have locking capabilities for the times that you don’t want your pet venturing outside. Similarly, a lockable flap will keep your home more secure and protected from burglaries, especially if you are away on vacation.

Consider a Cat Patio or “Catio”

A cat patio, or “catio,” is an excellent way to ensure that your fluffy friend gets more sunlight, stimulation, and exposure to the outdoors. Essentially, we’re referring to an enclosed space that is gated or fenced in that still allows cats to climb, sleep, and interact with the outdoors. It might look very similar to an enclosed deck or porch, with beds or toys for your cat to enjoy.

This renovation to your home may be installed looking toward your backyard or around the side of your house. There should also be a way for you to access the inside of your catio in the event of an emergency.

One cautionary note about catios: avoid leaving cat food inside them, which will attract pests and other animals. If you do choose to feed your cat in this enclosure, provide only small amounts of food that your cat will eat in one sitting.

Heated Floors for Aging Pets

Though this feature may sound pricey, heated floors are relatively inexpensive and provide perks for pets of all ages (as well as for your heating bill).

Heated floors make for a soothing and comforting environment for senior pets, as the warmth will keep their limbs relaxed – especially for those with joint issues or arthritis. Cats may particularly love heated floors since felines tend to be heat-seekers. Fun fact: cats’ earliest ancestors originated from the desert, which explains why they love sleeping in the sun!

Since heat rises, your heated floors will also provide a bit of extra warmth to any room in your house. This could make turning the thermostat down a few notches more comfortable during the colder months, potentially lowering home heating costs.

Install Pet Ramps

The addition of pet ramps to your home may make things easier for your pets as they age. Pet ramps can be installed anywhere your dog or cat would typically jump or climb if they were spry, such as alongside stairs or even alongside the couch.

Ramps may not be feasible or make sense in all areas of your home. However, installing them as alternatives to significant hurdles (such as the stairs) can make for a safer, more comfortable environment for your pet.

Final Word

These are just a few tips worth consideration if you’d like to incorporate pet-friendly options into your home renovation plans. Enlisting a professional for help as you implement these changes is recommended. A professional can ensure that you don’t run into costly or unnecessary obstacles, such as improper installation or installation, that might interfere with other aspects of your home.

Do staged homes sell faster, and for a higher price? The short answer is yes and yes. Even in a hot seller’s market, smart sellers seek out ways to give themselves an advantage. This includes engaging an experienced, professional real estate agent, evaluating market demand and comparables, setting the right price, and then staging the property to appeal to the biggest pool of buyers.

Do staged homes sell faster?

According to a study by the Real Estate Staging Association, staged homes spend 73 per cent less time on the market than their un-staged counterparts. Truthfully speaking, even an un-staged property can sell under the right market conditions. A seller’s market, characterized by high demand and low inventory, generally means buyers are likely to scoop up what they can get. In a buyer’s market, there are more homes for sale than there are buyers, which means competition is greater among sellers and buyers have the upper hand. Under these circumstances, staging your property could tip the scales in your favour.

Do staged homes fetch a higher price?

The same Real Estate Staging Association study revealed that 85 per cent of homes analyzed sold for five per cent to 25 per cent above listing price. The answer to this question isn’t always black and white, as the final selling price can depend on a number of factors, including buyer demand, competition and the condition of the property. With all else being equal, a staged home is more likely to leave buyers with a better impression than one that hasn’t been staged, with the potential to fetch higher offers.

What is home staging?

Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale by increasing its appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. Home staging isn’t as involved as a renovation, and can involve decluttering, depersonalizing and deep-cleaning; painting the walls in a fresh, neutral hue; updating hardware and lighting; rearranging existing furniture or renting some new pieces to help show the home in the best possible light. When a buyer can see your home as their home, they are more likely to make a competitive offer.

Since the majority of homebuyers start their home hunt online, it’s critical to make a good impression through your digital listing photos. Buyers will weed out the homes that don’t meet their criteria, and proceed to an in-person tour of the homes that they are seriously considering.

Decluttering and depersonalizing the home of family photos and other personal items can help. Also consider that potential buyers need to think beyond what their eyes are showing them. Staging helps them to visualize themselves living in and using the space. Is the home an ideal place for a growing family, as a live-work space, for recreational pursuits or to enjoy retirement?

Virtual Home Staging

A new twist on home staging is “virtual” staging, which leverages technology to digitally enhance photos in order to demonstrate the possibilities. Virtual staging is ideal for vacant properties, which pose added challenges for sellers and the buyers who are trying to imagine it as their new home. Virtual home staging eliminates the need, effort, and cost associated with renting or buying furniture and accessories.

Staging a home doesn’t have to be complicated. Evaluate every room and be critical, because prospective buyers will be. Viewing your own home objectively can be difficult, especially for those who have lived in their home for a long time. A professional home stager and your real estate agent can give you an honest opinion as to what works in your home, what doesn’t, and what the seller might consider changing in order to appeal to homebuyers.

If you’re thinking of selling, contact us! We can help identify market demands, navigate conditions and turn that For Sale sign to Sold.