Archives for Home Staging

Having Your Home Listed Over the Holidays

If you are planning to sell your home in the next few months, it is wise to plan to maximize the sale of your home. As the temperatures are cooling and the days are getting shorter, we are starting to think of the coming fall and winter seasons.  We will also start to think of the many special holidays we will be celebrating in the next few months. The good news is that buyers who are looking over the holidays tend to be more serious.  We have put together some simple tips that will ease the pressure of having your
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The Benefits of Home Staging

Defining Home Staging You may hear your Realtor suggest home staging in order to increase its chances on the market. Before you brush off the idea and assume you don’t need it, you should understand what it is and how you can benefit from it. Home staging is more than decluttering and depersonalizing your home, it’s when you hire professionals to reinvent the living space for new potential buyers. Home staging professionals know how to lay out a home in an optimized way and in most cases work with the furniture and accessories that you have. Small adjustments can sometimes
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Selling in the Summer

Selling your home in summer? It can be grueling to prepare a house for sale in the summer heat but many experts believe that summer is one of the best times to sell a house. Why?… People are out and about! Summer holidays mean that people have more time to devote to buying a home and, for parents of school age children, moving in the summer offers an easier transition for families changing neighbourhoods/schools. Selling your home in summer may also give you more time to devote to preparing your home – it’s a win-win! The Ottawa real estate market
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Staging Your Home for Home Buyers Over the Holidays

Selling your home in the (often dreaded) winter months of November-January, can render itself to be quite difficult for some. And although, for the most part, we tend to agree that our homes are more “visibly appealing” – on the outside – in the spring and summer months, there are several perks to selling your home and making it quite charming – on the inside – for homebuyers around the holidays!   We can all admit to sometimes going a little overboard with our holiday decorating from time to time – and if we’re not a person who does, we
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What Home Owners Can Do With a Tax Refund

  If you are a homeowner, a tax refund presents opportunities to invest for a profit that aren’t available to renters. Whether you plan to sell, stay or are undecided, there are ways to optimize the financial impact of your refund. The first step is to treat your refund check the same as you treat your paycheck. Avoid the temptation to splurge and give that refund money a purpose. Here are three home owner-only options to grow that refund:   But, Are You Withholding Too Much? Most of us enjoy getting a large tax refund every spring. But, a refund
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How Important Is Home Staging?

Because the Internet has changed the way we buy and sell homes, most real estate professionals believe home staging is critical to selling success. Almost all home buyers begin their search online meaning sellers need to make a good first impression so potential buyers want to see their home in person. Hence, staging has taken the residential real estate industry by storm and many sellers are hiring professionals to help them make that first impression. National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Chris Polychron says “staging is an excellent tool that can be used to give a home a little extra
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8 Mistakes That Could Screw Up Your Home Sale

  Usually we hear “buyer beware”, but real estate author Michael Corbett advises sellers to beware and gives 8 reasons why in this trulia.com post.  Always work with professional help, including a real estate agent.  Their expertise, experience, neighbourhood knowledge and resources will help you plot a course through the selling process.   Overpricing is a temptation to be avoided since most buyers are savvy and have the advice of an agent.  Ensure that you use high quality photos because 90% of buyers shop for home online. Complete repairs like leaky faucets before listing your home to avoid negotiations over
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Here’s What Pushes People to Buy Homes in 2015

  If you want to sell your property quickly, at near the asking price, it is important to know why people are buying.  In this post, Realtor.com chief economist, Jonathan Smoke, suggests we pay attention to the five main triggers for home buyers: they have grown tired of their home and want a change, interest rates are exceptionally low, housing prices are favourable in many markets, they need or want more living space and they have the money to spend. To read more click here. The post Here’s What Pushes People to Buy Homes in 2015 appeared first on Team
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Boost Your Curb Appeal with 4 Doable DIY Projects

  Most sellers realize that preparing the interior of their homes for viewing is essential.  In this article, Bob Villa explains it is just as important to stage the exterior of your house as it is to prepare the inside rooms when you are selling.  For example, a clean, well-maintained yard will signal that you have taken care of the property during your time as owner.   Power washing the garage door, driveway and fences will add to that impression.  If you are upgrading the paint, determine whether accent painting (shutters, columns, etc.) or a whole-house job is required.  And,
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6 Sneaky Ways to Make Your Home Look Expensive

  If you want to convert your home’s look from average to exceptional, this Realtor.com post by Jamie Weibe tells you how.  Remove mismatched decor items, store toys/magazines and organize your things to fix a cluttered appearance.  Clean and re-grout tile to make it look new.  Use traditional, neutral tones to freshen paint in areas that need it.  Upgrading hardware, faucets or countertops are all relatively inexpensive ways to give kitchens and bathrooms a more luxurious appearance.  Adding or rearranging lighting can create an illusion of space and separate rooms.  To read more click here.  
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