| On television, online, and in magazines, staging is the word. Real estate experts will tell you that staging your house gives you an edge when trying to sell your house. But what exactly is staging?Staging is organizing and decorating your home so that potential buyers can really see themselves living there. You don’t have to invest major money into a remodel—this is rarely a cost-effective strategy. Staging is all about highlighting your home’s best attributes and minimizing distractions. With so many houses on the market, simple staging strategies can give your home the little boost it needs to attract more buyers.
Lose the clutter. Box up trinkets and small appliances. Pay special attention in the kitchen and bathrooms. Emphasize counter space by getting rid of the coffee maker, toaster, mixer, and the like. In the bathroom, hide shampoo bottles and other personal care items. Clear away personal effects. Potential buyers don’t want to see your Christmas cards on the refrigerator, or your kid’s little league trophy. Same goes for framed family photos, your pet’s belongings, or the stack of books on your nightstand. Buyers won’t be able to picture themselves living in your home if your memories are around every corner. Clean it up. Now is the time to invest in a cleaning service. Consider hiring a professional cleaning crew to give your home a thorough top-to-bottom cleaning. This might include steam cleaning your carpets. Professionals know how to make your house look and smell brand new! More light and warmth. Make your home welcoming and inviting by opening curtains and blinds and making sure all rooms are well lit. You might be tempted to keep the temperature low, especially if you’ve already moved out. Before an open house, crank the thermostat up to a comfortable temperature and light the fireplace, if you have one. Creating light and warmth is especially important in the winter months. Take a critical look at your furniture. Make sure that your furniture is doing a good job of highlighting a room’s size. Oversized or too much furniture can make a living room feel cramped. On the other hand, small pieces in a large room can make the space seem cavernous and hard to work with. Be neutral. You might love the bright tropical colors that you hand-selected for each room in your house, but potential buyers might not feel the same, and could be scared off at the thought of repainting multiple rooms. Consider painting walls a more neutral color to appeal to the masses. Quick fixes. Buyers notice little things like loose trim work, leaky faucets, and crooked cabinets. Invest a small amount of time and money to fix cosmetic issues. Small touches. Set the dining room table. Place fresh flowers on a dresser. Add luxurious throw pillows to beds. For inspiration, think of your favorite hotel, or pick up an interior design magazine. Home staging is an easy and affordable way to give your home a little boost, whether you’re still living in it, or if you’ve already moved out. Ask us for more staging tips. |
Archive for November, 2011
Successful Home Staging
Monday, November 28th, 2011October Monthly Housing Stats Report at a glance!
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011Trying to make sense of the Calgary Real Estate market?
Below I have reported key indicators on what is really happening in the Calgary Real Estate market. All numbers are taken from the Monthly Stats report for Realtors prepared by the Calgary Real Estate Board.
Here is October’s summary.
Calgary Listing Inventory: Inventory levels for Both Single Family homes and Condo’s decreased this month. Inventory levels have moved both up and down so it is not showing a definite direction.
| Inventory | September 2011 | October | Change |
| Single Family Home | 4753 | 4486 | (267) |
| Condo’s | 2008 | 1935 | (73) |
| Total | 6761 | 6421 | (340) |
Calgary Sales:
Calgary Single Family home sales for the month of October showed a slight decrease. Sales for Condos, however decreased by about 15% from September. Sales numbers dropping is very normal at this time of year as the peak selling season is typically April through June. Interestingly, sales for single family homes and condos beat sales levels for October 2010 and we are on track to have higher sales in 2011 than in 2010.
| Sales | September 2011 | October | Change |
| Single Family Home | 1036 | 988 | (48) |
| Condo’s | 429 | 368 | (61) |
| Total | 1465 | 1356 | (109) |
Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices: For October Median prices for Single Family homes decreased by $5.000 while condo’s increased by $2,625.00 over September. We seem to be bouncing up and down every month but overall prices are remaining fairly stable.
| Sales Prices | September Median Prices | October | Change |
| Single Family Homes | $400,000 | $395,000 | (5,000) |
| Condo’s | $260,000 | 262,625 | +2,625 |
The median sales price of Single Family homes in January was 390,000 so we are up $5,000 for the year.
The Median sales price of Condos in January was $255,000 so we are up $7250 for the year.
Overall we are still in a buyer’s market where buyers have lots of selection and buyers although buying are looking for value.
If you have any questions about this summary please contact us.
Gord Piper, Brent Wilcox & Eric Dennis