Montreal Gazette

Is it worth it to stage your home in a hot market?

- BRIANA DOYLE If you have a good story about buying or selling a home that you'd like to share, email westisland­living@gmail.com.

Homes are selling faster than ever in Montreal, and multiple offers are becoming common even for ordinary homes. So in a hot market like this, does it still make sense to stage your home before you list it for sale?

While the current rate of price accelerati­on in real estate is remarkable for Montreal, it's old hat for real estate profession­als in Toronto.

According to Red Barrinuevo, a Toronto-area property stylist featured in the 2020 season of HGTV'S Hot Market television show, a well-staged home will always show better, which increases the odds that it will sell faster and that buyers will bid higher.

“It doesn't matter if it is a slow market or a busy market,” Barrinuevo said. “In a slow market it helps move the property. In a busy market it makes a big difference when it's styled and staged. It changes the perceived value of the property.”

It's a truism in real estate that most buyers make up their mind whether a house is for them within seconds of walking through the front door. In a fast-moving market, it's even more likely that the decision to buy will be based on emotion. After all, there's no time to think or request a second visit when there are multiple offers on the table. That makes it all the more important that the home feels like, well, home.

The key is to sell a lifestyle to prospectiv­e buyers, he said. Staging in a hot market isn't just prettying up a property. It paints a picture about what life could be like in a home, and how the buyer could use the space.

“When you're staging a property, it's always about function. It's like an instructio­n manual on how to use the house,” Barrinuevo said.

Since the pandemic hit, more buyers are looking for homes where they have space for multiple workstatio­ns, both home offices and school desks, as well as comfy spaces to spend time at home, and backyards or home gyms to keep active and fit. Trends like these should change how a stager approaches their work, he said.

“As soon as you open the door the house should hug you. That's the feeling you should have,” Barrinuevo said.

Many sellers are reluctant to invest money into a property before they sell, but even if you don't hire a profession­al stager there are some relatively inexpensiv­e improvemen­ts that can make a big difference, Barrinuevo said.

Changing yellowed light fixtures and plugs and a fresh coat of paint in a neutral tone will make an older home feel fresh again, he said.

Hanging curtain rods close to the ceiling instead of at the top of the window frame can make the windows appear larger. Selling or storing extra furniture or other items not only reduces visual clutter but can make spaces feel bigger.

Sellers can also reorganize the furniture they have to tell a story: set up a mini workstatio­n in an empty nook, or set up a vignette on the patio or deck to suggest how these spaces could be used for entertaini­ng guests outside.

“Most buyers don't have an idea of how to set up furniture or how it should be laid out, especially in big spaces. It's hard to visualize where things are going to go,” Barrinuevo said.

“By staging it and showcasing it and showing them how it could work for you, giving function to every space, it makes a big difference.”

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