Wednesday, October 20, 2010

First Impressions In Real Estate


The Importance of First impressions

In a hot spring real estate market, even homes that don’t give the greatest first impression will sell. As the Spring market starts to cool, the listings that show well will be the ones that sell faster and for a better price. A house that isn’t properly prepared may struggle to sell. Staging and preparing a home for sale is more critical now than ever before.

While interior decorating concentrates on making people feel more at home in their interior space, the objective of staging is to make the home more marketable inside and outside. Staging usually involves getting rid of clutter and “depersonalizing” a home. Most buyers have difficulty seeing themselves in someone else’s space. Clutter and/or an imbalance of furnishings or colours can throw them off. As part of my service, I try to educate my clients about how staging a home for sale can make a huge difference in the outcome of the deal. It can be difficult to get sellers to pack away the family photos. A professional stager has the ability NOT to be insulting to the seller. If a sellers’ home is cluttered, painted with bold colours, or in need of a major clean-up, I will suggest the services of a professional home stager.

Just as a home inspector investigates and reports on a home, a home stager will evaluate a home’s curb appeal and saleability. This service is provided so that the odds that my seller will achieve a higher selling price. Of course, the property must be priced accurately.

I have increased my knowledge of staging and can help clients stage their homes for little or no cost. I do believe that the services of a professional stager can give sellers an edge when competing for listings. Staging services range from simply rearranging furniture to emptying a house out and filling it with rented furniture. The cost for staging can range from $30 to $150 an hour with the majority of jobs taking less than a day to complete.

What do buyers want?

The ability to see a clean space with neutral coloured walls and a limited number of personal items so that buyers can see themselves in the space. It is important to have something in a room. Empty rooms seem smaller and some buyers have a hard time seeing what furniture would fit.

When staging a home, we cannot forget the outside. Walkways, paths and driveways should be clear of clutter and garbage as well as snow and ice. If you have had your backyard landscaped, it could be suggested to the homeowners that they create a display of photos. Finally, it’s important in winter to make sure a sellers's house is warm for viewings, but not too warm. A lit fireplace and or candles creates a nice atmosphere but should never be left unattended.

The homeowners should take a tour of their home and property and note any areas that need attention. I usually suggest windows should be clean, the front door should be freshly painted and the interior of the home is neat, clean, well-lit and odour free. Cooking odours and pet odours that homeowners tend not to notice may be offensive to potential buyers. Kitchens and bathrooms should 'sparkle', as should all mirrored surfaces.

If you are thinking of putting your home on the market and would like to discuss how to get the best price in the least amount of time, let me put my team to work. Let's meet and talk things over.

Give me a call directly at 416 427 1875.

Betty Bartusevicius, Sales Representative
Re/Max Realty Specialists Inc., Brokerage
Fine Homes In Nine Oh Five
Office: 905-828-3434
Direct: 416-427-1875
Email: betty@bettybart.com
Web Site: http://www.bettybart.com

LET ME GIVE YOU A HELPING HAND
EXPERIENCE IS NOT EXPENSIVE; IT'S PRICELESS!


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this is not intended to solicit buyers or sellers under brokerage contract

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