Increasing Your Home's Appeal

First impression is a critical first step!

Creating a favourable first impression is a critical first step when you have your house on the market. Sellers might underestimate how some small changes can improve the appeal of a home, helping it to sell faster and sometimes, for a higher price.

Remember the 60-second rule: That's all the time you have to create a winning first impression. Here are some simple to significant ways to maximize your home's appeal.

Things to consider..

Exterior

  • Keep the grass cut and remove all yard clutter.
  • Weed and apply fresh mulch to flower beds.
  • Apply fresh paint to wooden fences.
  • Tighten and clean all door handles.
  • Clean windows inside and out.
  • Powerwash home's exterior.
  • Ensure all gutters and downspouts are firmly attached and functioning.
  • Paint the front door.
  • Buy a new welcome mat.
  • Place potted flowers near the front door.

Interior

  • Evaluate the furniture in each room and remove anything that interrupts "the flow" or makes the room appear smaller. Consider renting a storage unit to move items off-site.
  • Clean and organize cabinets, closets and bookshelves.
  • Clean all light fixtures and ceiling fans.
  • Shampoo carpets.
  • Remove excessive wall hangings and knick-knacks.
  • Repair all plumbing leaks, including faucets and drain traps.
  • Make minor repairs (torn screens, sticking doors, cracked caulking).
  • Clean or paint walls and ceilings.
  • Replace worn cabinet and door knobs.
  • Fix or replace discolored grout.
  • Replace broken tiles.
  • Replace worn countertops.

Special details for showings

  • Turn on all the lights.
  • Open all drapes and shutters in the daytime.
  • Keep pets secured outdoors.
  • Buy new towels for bathrooms.
  • Buy new bedding for bedrooms.
  • Replace old lamps or lampshades.
  • Play quiet background music.
  • Light the fireplace or clean out the ashes and light a candelabrum.
  • Infuse home with a comforting scent, such as apple spice or vanilla.
  • Set the dining room table for a fancy dinner party.
  • Vacate the property while it is being shown.

Home Staging - Before and After Photos

Home Staging creates a buyer-friendly look, often increasing the house's market value and reducing the time to sell. Clean, organized, and de-personalized homes provide peace of mind for buyers. It helps to emphasize the features of the home. Below are some photos the illustrate the difference home staging can make to any room of your house.


Photo of a Living Room before staging
Living Room before staging
Photo of a Living Room after staging
Living Room after staging

Photo of a Family Room before staging
Family Room before staging
Photo of a Family Room after staging
Family Room after staging

Photo of a Bedroom before staging
Bedroom before staging
Photo of a Bedroom after staging
Bedroom after staging

Testimonials

  Marion's warm and personable style is complemented by her dedication to detail and to outcome. Any enterprise I have undertaken with her has been not only a pleasure but a resounding success. Marion brings a special quality to all of her endeavors and I look forward to working with her again and again.

Jane Allison, Manager Community Partnerships, Hamilton, ON, The Hamilton Spectator

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