Home Staging

This is something you always hear, and with good reason. Many people thinking of touring your home will do a quick drive-by first, often deciding on the spot if it is even worth a look inside. Make sure your home is ready to lure in onlookers: Power Wash siding and walkways, Mowing lawn, and reseed or add fresh sod needed, repainting or stain the porch floor as needed and many more methods to boost the appeal.

From shining floors and gleaming windows to clean counters and scrubbed grout, every surface should sparkle. This is the easiest (well, maybe not easiest, but certainly the cheapest) way to help your home put its best foot forward. You may want to hire pros to do some of the really tough stuff, especially if you have a large house. Don’t skimp - this step is key!

If you are serious about staging your home, all clutter must go, end of story. It’s not easy, and it may even require utilizing offsite storage (or a nice relative’s garage) temporarily, but it is well worth the trouble. Clean and clear surfaces, floors, cupboards and closets equal more space in the eyes of potential buyers so purge anything unnecessary or unsightly.

The dining room is often a blind spot in decorating a home. Between dinners, a large dining room table can look bare and uninviting, so styling it up with visitors in mind can increase the appeal. An oversize arrangement can look too stiff and formal, so try lining up a series of smaller vessels down the centre of the table instead.

Now is not the time to experiment with that "fun" - looking lime green. But that doesn’t mean you need to go all white either. Rich midtone neutrals like mocha and "greige" create a sophisticated backdrop that makes everything look more pulled together.

By placing something that draws the eye at the top of the stairs, in hallways or in corners, you can pique curiosity and keep potential buyers interested throughout a whole home tour. A piece of artwork, a painted accent wall, a window seat, a vase of flowers, a hanging light or even a small, colourful rug can all work to draw the eye.

Generally speaking, you want to play up what your neighbourhood or area is known for. Have a house in a quiet grassy suburb? Hanging a hammock in your backyard and a bench swing on your porch could be a perfect touch.

Even if your condo has only a teensy postage stamp size balcony, play it up with a cute café table and chairs, a cheerful tablecloth and even a little tray of dishes or a vase of flowers. When people look at this scene, they won’t be thinking "small", they will be thinking "What a charming spot to have breakfast!"