Staging puts a home’s best face forward in a competitive market
Selling your home can be fraught with stress, but by taking a few simple steps the process can be streamlined, creating ease of mind and a seamless sale, even in a tough market.
“Having the home 100 per cent ready for sale before it goes live on MLS is one of the most important things that a seller can do,” says Dan Geneau, a Calgary-based Re/ Max Realtor with more than 25 years of experience.
Research shows that buyers make a connection with a home within the first few seconds of passing through the doorway, often making the home purchasing decision on an emotional level.
“The first 90 seconds of entering a home are critical,” says Geneau.
With that in mind, the home should be shipshape and decluttered, with all personal mementoes and knick-knacks packed away and, most importantly, it should be spotlessly clean, especially kitchens and bathrooms with no unpleasant, lingering odours.
“Nothing turns a buyer off more than viewing a dirty house,” says Geneau.
Bridgett Jessop couldn’t agree more. She’s a full service interior designer who works with clients and with builders. She also has a home staging company with more than 11 homes’ worth of continually rotating inventory.
“The analogy that I like to give is that home staging is like your home is getting ready for a fancy party with its best dress on, hair up and makeup done. You’ve got to put its face on to show people the value. It has to look the part,” says Jessop, principal and founder of Debutante Design.
She says the key is to disguise the home’s flaws and to create memory points that establish an emotional connection with viewers.
“That’s what we do in show homes and that is what home staging does,” says Jessop.
Integrating memory points works well as a honing beacon, especially when the market is saturated with inventory.
“Often homes will start blurring together, so if I can create a memory point, then people will have a trigger,” says Jessop.
The memory point could be the use of a particular colour or a feature collage wall of art.
But home staging doesn’t necessarily mean pulling out all of the homeowner’s furnishings and starting over with show home quality inventory. Jessop says the best place to begin is by looking at traffic flow, to showcase the best angles and uses of the room.
“We start by using the client’s existing things — moving furniture around, rehanging art and then we can fill in the blanks from our inventory,” says Jessop.
But it is not just the home’s interior that needs to be dressed to the nines.
“Curb appeal is just as important,” says Geneau. “A fresh coat of paint goes along way.”
As does having the lawn trimmed or the walks shovelled. And once again, cleanliness is key, so ditching the rusted out junk and the broken, empty flowerpots is a must. Don’t forget to shine the windows, both inside and out.
The final and most important step in the process is snapping several professional-quality photographs for display on MLS (multiple listing service).
“After all, a picture says a thousand words,” says Geneau.