New home buyers are dominating the Ottawa real estate market in 2019, and they’re favoring condos and townhouses. Demand for detached homes outside city limits is also soaring. That means it’s a healthy seller’s market. Despite this, many promising homes stay listed for months.
Although there can be many contributing factors, this is often because the home isn’t presenting as well as it could. From old kitchen cupboards to an old sectional covered in dog hair, small oversights can influence your home’s value to a surprising degree. That’s right: Those old hockey posters in the basement aren’t doing you any favours. Staging your home decor can help you:
- Showcase your home’s potential.
- Make online listings more attractive.
- Create an environment in which visitors can better imagine themselves living.
People who stage their homes usually sell faster. Failing to sell your home quickly can lead you to take an offer 10 to 20 percent below value. While greatly reducing the likelihood that your home will languish on the market, staging can boost your sale by up to 17 percent above asking price.
Here are five different approaches you can take to staging your home that can increase its value easily, without costly and time-consuming renovations.
1. Keep it neutral.
You want your home to appeal to the widest range of buyers, so choose a neutral aesthetic, including different shades of beige and grey, and off-whites. This will make it easier for your viewers to picture their own belongings in the space. A few well-chosen, colorful accents played against these colors can help inspire and guide their imagination throughout the journey.
Click here to learn more about how the Sylvain Bourgon Real Estate Group can sell your Ottawa home faster and higher than any competitor.
2. Use small furniture to open up space.
In some cases, it makes sense to move large furnishings out of the home in favour of sleeker, simpler items. If you’d like to make your home seem more expansive, or perhaps just one room, smaller furniture can make your space seem larger. Remove any unnecessary space hogs, like that old sofabed in the basement. If your asking price is accurate, this could open your home up and make it seem like a steal.
3. Move your bedroom into a smaller room.
Most people put their main bedroom in the largest available non-common area. However, minimalist bedroom design is in style. Does your home have a small storage room or office that nobody uses? Moving your bedroom into an area like this can enable you to build an aesthetically-pleasing new bedroom space that’s just for sleep. This can open up the former bedroom to stage an attention-grabbing new room, such as a luxurious study or a private home theatre.
4. Choose two high-activity rooms to furnish.
You may lack the time, budget or necessity to stage your entire home, especially if you’re living in it while you sell. Focusing on the two most high-activity rooms in your home can allow you to make the most of these spaces and focus your attention on the parts of your home that matter the most to buyers.
5. Think outside the box, or home.
First impressions can be the difference between a quick sale or a dud, and they are usually made before the front door has even been breached. The outside of your home should look as pleasant as its main living spaces. Clear away clutter, rake the leaves, pressure spray your driveway. Clean up.
Take the proper care to stage your home in the right way can help your home sell high and fast, allowing you to move on from the property with closure and profit. For more information about how Sylvain Bourgon can help you buy or sell your home, contact him at sylvain@buyandsellottawa.ca.