As we head towards summer, not only is the busiest gardening season ahead of us, but also the busiest real estate month.
Homes look more attractive when surrounded by flowering shrubs and borders, increasing curb appeal and maybe even closing sale prices.
If you take a scan through the photos of your local listings you’ll see just how many homes are now staged for potential buyers. It’s no longer the norm to see someone’s clutter and personal belongs on display. Homes that are “ready for sale” are freshly painted, sparkling clean and may have upgraded features such as new plumbing fixtures, flooring or appliances.
What you’ll also notice is minimal furnishings, lack of photographs and personal decor, minimal books, neat office space, and basically everything in its place or mysteriously gone.
According to Katie Taylor, staging coordinator at Andrew Pike Interiors, “The main goal when staging is first to create incredible listing photos that grab the attention of the potential buyer. The secondary goal is to keep that momentum going by creating a space that is true to the photos and presents a bright, clean canvas where the buyer can imagine making the space their own.”
The benefits of staging include shorter listing times, larger offers and even more offers to choose from!
What Not To Do…
Becky Freeman, decorator said, “Not spending the capital to prepare the property before listing. For example, some good investments include, repainting the interior walls and ceilings (sometimes exterior details such as the front door as well), updating lighting fixtures and switching halogen bulbs to LED, and storing unnecessary furniture off-site in temporary storage.”
What You Should Do…
Staging professionals list these five ‘to-dos’ that you should consider when selling your home.
- Pack up personal belongings and seasonal items, clearing out cupboards and remove them from your property. Prospective buyers will open closets and cupboards and don’t want to view crammed spaces.
- Thoroughly clean the house including the windows. The cleaner the better and having a professional service come in to clean can go a long way to achieving a better result.
- Update lighting fixtures and make sure the house doesn’t look gloomy because of poor lighting.
- Freshly paint any rooms that could use brightening up, especially high traffic areas, hallways, entrances, doors and frames.
- Remove furniture that is too large, out of date, or distracting and put it in temporary storage. A professional firm can bring in replacement furniture that will tie the interior design to a modern theme appealing to home buyers.
“Decluttering is the first job you should tackle when home staging. Clutter is distracting for buyers – their eyes will be drawn to your belongings and not the rooms. The rooms themselves will look smaller and untidy if cluttered, too.
‘Nearly all of us have too much ‘stuff’, which has been accumulated over years if not decades. Decluttering each room is an excellent investment of your time,’ continues Alex Willcocks. ‘It’s important potential buyers can envisage themselves living in the property, for that to happen it has to feel like you don’t.” (read more in Home & Gardens)
How We Help…
Calloway Storage is ready to help home owners, real estate companies, and professional stagers, get a home ready for the market. We offer two different solutions that are ideal for temporary storage of boxes of personal belongings and all sizes of furniture.
One solution is a mobile storage container, delivered to your home and ready to pack. Simply load it up with boxes, seasonal belongings, room clutter, artwork, small kitchen appliances, garage items, and furniture such as sofas, chairs, tables, etc.. and call for a pick-up. We’ll move the unit to the next location or store the container at our facility for when it is needed.
Another solution is a storage locker. These come in various sizes so you can select one that fits your contents. Homeowners may want to declutter for staging their home but also want longer term storage of possessions. For example if you are downsizing to a condo, you might still want to keep items in storage so that you aren’t in any way rushed to dispose of items.
If you are interested in either a mobile storage unit or a storage locker at one of our sites in central Ontario, get in touch with us for pricing and availability.
source: Home Stagers Reveal Their Secrets.. CBC Article