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Archive for October, 2016

Replace Dated Features in Bathrooms Prior to Home Staging

October 27, 2016 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)
When it’s time to sell, it pays to work with a professional home stager prior to listing. And if you have dated features in significant rooms like your bathroom, a few minor updates will make the home staging even more effective. Here are three wallet friendly ways that have worked for me and my clients.

 
Prior to listing my own Sunnyside condo for sale this past spring, my fiancé and I knew that we wanted to sell fast and at the highest price possible since we were planning to purchase a home and move up the property ladder. Based on my experience staging a range of properties in Calgary, I knew that a few updates in our bathrooms would help to accomplish that goal.

 

Does this room look familiar?

Before: Bathroom before home staging.

While it did take some time and DIY elbow grease, all of our updates were reasonable on our wallet.

 

See the difference home staging makes.

After: The cheery bathroom accessories highlight this master bathroom’s updated backsplash and countertop (yes there are 2 full baths).

 
In addition to How to Stage a Bathroom to Sell, here are three ways we addressed the dated features in our bathroom to maximize the appeal to potential buyers who were looking for a “move-in-ready” condo:

  • Tiles: Replace the existing ornate tiles that highlight the room’s age with glass mosaic tiles to give a more modern feel. In cases where the dated tiles are only used as a decorative tile border among a larger wall of plain tile, simply replace the border for a quick update.
  • Grout: Make it look pristine by either replacing it with fresh white grout or stain it white.
  • Caulking: If the caulking around your sink or shower is showing any signs of mold or discolouration from time, remove it and re-caulk.
  • Countertop: Some buyers will have difficulty looking past your orange or chipped countertop. Replace it with an option that fits your budget or consider a DIY update with a product like Rust-Oleum Countertop Transformations.

If you will be selling a Calgary property with dated features and have questions about how staging can help, I invite you to contact me to schedule your schedule your free, no pressure, personalized Home Staging Assessment today.

 
Still curious about the benefits of home staging? Read more about my work and reach out when you’re ready. Ask how the Set Your Stage team can help your Calgary home or condo become SOLD!

 


Stage AFTER this Quick Living Room Update

October 12, 2016 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)
Selling a house or condo that looks a bit tired and dated can result in a long drawn out headache. That’s because many buyers are seeking move-in-ready properties, which is why it’s so important to stage after home improvements. For owners of condos or houses that are looking a bit dark and dated, swapping out flooring before you stage can be the living room update that makes the difference in terms of a faster sale.
 

Especially for DIYers, replacing living room carpet with a wide plank laminate flooring can be a fairly quick and easy living room update that will offer an excellent return on your investment. You can also pay to have it installed for you. It’s just that you’ll have to keep those extra costs in mind when you’re deciding how much you should invest.
 

Does this room look familiar?

Before: Living room before home staging.

When I sold my Sunnyside condo in the spring, this is one of the updates we had done prior to staging the condo to sell. It was a great weekend project and created an instant impact as soon as the potential buyers walked in the door.
 

See the difference home staging makes.

After: A cozy sectional with neutral and green art and cushions enhance the warm “rock faced” gas fireplace.

This living room update added to the fresh, clean and updated feel that we knew would appeal to potential buyers looking for condos in our area. The proof is in the pudding as they say. The condo quickly sold and we were free to move on to our next home.
 

What to do with the old carpet that you’re removing? Well, if it’s still in good condition, try listing it on Kijiji or sharing it with someone on Freecycle. We had a couple come and take ours who were very happy to use it in their own basement renovation. Always think of re-use if possible.
 

Want more of our home staging tips? Stay in touch. Follow Set Your Stage on Twitter.


Stage Rooms for their Original Purpose

October 06, 2016 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)
You’ve been living in your home for a while and using the space in a way that makes sense for your lifestyle. But when it comes time to sell, stage rooms for their original purpose to help buyers envision the intended use of the space. Leave them guessing and you could be leaving dollars behind.
 

When potential buyers view your listing, they want to be able to easily move through the space and quickly understand the function of each room. It helps them to imagine what it would be like to live there.
 

To interrupt that flow with a question as to what the room is supposed to be only works against you as the seller.
 

Keep it simple by staging your rooms back to their original purpose.
 

Here’s an example. In a Garrison Green property we provided a staging consultation for, the sellers were not using the dining room for that purpose. They had no need given their lifestyle and preferred to use the space for a more practical use instead. Made sense.
 

Does this room look familiar?

Before: Bedroom before home staging.

But when it came time to present the property to potential buyers, we recommended that they display bedroom furniture so that buyers could easily see that a space for their kids or guests to rest exists.
 

See the difference home staging makes.

After: This is how this oversized second bedroom could look like if you wanted it converted into a third bedroom. The sellers will even do it for you!

Despite what the listing details say, buyers usually remember what they see. So if the listing says it’s a four bedroom house but only two bedrooms are staged as bedrooms, it’s quite possible that what they will remember is that there weren’t enough bedrooms for them (even though that’s not true).
 

Keep it simple for potential buyers. Present rooms as their original purpose. Your efforts to sell will be more simple in return.
 

Want more of our home staging tips? Stay in touch. Follow Set Your Stage on Twitter.