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Last spring when Jim and Heather Thompson decided to sell their home in Vancouver, they realized they knew little about how to get top value for their biggest possession. "We were talking about our life savings," says Jim, 47, who works as the head of sales for a technology company. "But I was really clueless as to what sells."
The Thompsons enlisted the help of John Carter, co-founder of DEKORA, a "home-staging" firm in Vancouver. Carter spent a day going through their home room by room and drawing up a list of suggestions aimed at maximizing their house's appeal for prospective buyers. After discussing his proposals — which ranged from removing some shrubs in the front yard to powerwashing the driveway and walkways — the Thompsons gave Carter's crew the go-ahead to implement some of his ideas. Total cost: $4,000.
We know what you're thinking — $4,000 just to get your home ready for sale? — but consider the results. After a single Sunday showing early last year, the Thompsons' home attracted three offers, all of them higher than the couple's asking price of $649,000. Three days later the Thompsons agreed to sell their residence for a $41,000 premium over the listed price. While a hot real estate market helped, the Thompsons are convinced that Carter's primping and attention to detail was a big reason for their house's runaway success. "Our place fetched the highest price of any bungalow sold on our street — ever," says Jim.
Home stagers like Carter claim they can help anyone get a premium price for their home. Practically unknown in Canada even three years ago, stagers are now a presence in the real estate markets of Toronto and Vancouver and are popping up in many other cities as well. These home professionals — many of them former decorators or real estate agents — specialize in knowing what motivates potential buyers. They use all the tricks of the trade to help homeowners come out on top in the perpetual battle between buyers and sellers. "Getting a house ready to live in and getting a house ready to sell are two totalldifferent things," says Carter. "Decorating is about making a home comfortable for you and your family; staging a home is about merchandising properties. It involves making a house clean and clutter-free so people can connect with the home. Done right, it helps your place sell faster and for more money."
How much more? Coldwell Banker Realty tracked 2,772 properties, ranging in price from $229,000 (U.S.) to $4.8 million, in eight major U.S. cities. It found that while the average home was on the market for nearly 31 days, the typical staged home sold in just under 14 days. And while the average home sold for a mere 1.6% over the seller's asking price, the staged homes went for a hefty 6.3% more.
Home stagers perform their magic by playing up the best features of your house and minimizing the worst. They rearrange artwork on the wall, pack up your prized bowling trophies and clear out your son's high chair. Most stagers charge about $100 for an initial consultation; you then have the option of executing their suggestions on your own or hiring the stager to do it for you at $100 an hour.
We asked Carter and other home stagers to share their 10 best tips with us. Want to get top value for your home? Sit back and listen up:
1.Make an impression
Prospective buyers make up their minds about your house even before they get out of the car. To ensure they have the right idea, clean up your yard, rake the leaves, shovel the snow, and sweep driveways and porches. Get out the rags and cleanser and spend 30 minutes scouring your front door, porch, railings and steps. Then tuck away all your recycling cans and bins at the back of the house.
Debra Gould, who owns the Six Elements home-staging firm in Toronto, says it's important to avoid planting negative associations in buyers' minds. When attending an open house she had to climb several steps to get to the front door. "I couldn't help but think that this could be a nuisance with groceries," says Gould. "Then, when I finally got to the top, the recycling bins were sitting right there on the porch. I immediately told myself, 'Imagine carrying one of those bins full of newspapers, cans down several slippery steps.' I couldn't see myself doing that, so I left, knowing it wasn't the house for me."
2. Unclutter
Clutter eats equity, say stagers. So purge your closets, empty cupboards, box up small appliances. Rent a storage locker to keep what you want, then toss the rest. "I give storage boxes to my clients and tell them to edit, edit, edit," says Theodore Babiak, a Toronto real estate agent with Royal LePage. "I suggest they take some of their books off the shelves, reduce the number of CDs or DVDs, pare everything down."
The stager's motto? Be ruthless. When Tamara Roberts was selling her Vancouver condo last year, she paid $150 for a one-hour consultation with home stager Carter, who gave her a detailed to-do list that included instructions to leave only one thing on the kitchen counter (a bowl of crisp green apples) and to remove fridge magnets and small area rugs. "Everyone knows to unclutter," says Roberts, "but John brought it down to specifics. He even had me keep a storage container under the bed so I could throw my pajamas and bedtime reading in there so buyers wouldn't see it." The payoff? Her condo sold in one day for $6,000 more than her asking price of $339,000.
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