From 2000-2004
Do you have a favourite home renovation show? Do you have Realtor.ca bookmarked? Do you find yourself browsing home design ideas on Instagram? If so, you are not alone. So do potential buyers of your home!
Buyers who can afford top dollar usually have demanding careers. This means they don’t have the time or energy to invest in updating the home they want to buy. Consequently, they will always choose and pay more for a home they perceive as turnkey. You can observe this trend when browsing MLS listings. Some homes sit on the market for months, while others are listed and sold within days. Which scenario would you prefer for the sale of your home?
The team at Grace & Co. has been selling homes in the area for 35 years, giving us a unique understanding of buyer expectations across all price points. Knowing exactly what features and finishes buyers are willing to pay a premium for is an invaluable service we provide to each of our clients and their homes.
For homeowners interested in maximizing their home’s sale potential, Grace & Co. offers a unique Designed to Sell program. In this program, we identify strategic improvements that can be made to their home, helping it sell faster and for more money. Clients receive a personalized report tailored to their home, focusing on items that can at least double their return, with the ultimate goal being a 3-4 times tax-free return on investment.
Wait… tax-free return? That’s right! When you sell your primary residence in Canada, the gains you realize are completely tax-free. This is likely the largest tax loophole most Canadians will ever benefit from. So then, when the time comes to sell your home, you should be looking to maximize your returns!
Upon receiving the go-ahead from our clients, Sheila Shabsove, Design Manager at Grace & Co., obtains quotes for all the improvements. Then, the budget is presented to the clients for their approval. If they agree, Sheila and the team manage every aspect through to completion. It’s a truly turnkey experience.
Often, these strategic improvements can be as simple as a fresh coat of paint, replacing brass door knobs from the ’90s, or adding a tile backsplash in a kitchen. But some homeowners want to see larger returns, so they tackle larger high-value items, such as updates to their kitchens and bathrooms that can exceed $100,000 but bring high-value returns.
In this article, we focus on a home we recently sold where our Design Team worked their magic!
Our clients interviewed three local real estate teams and, based on the value proposition we offered and the value we saw in their home, they hired Grace & Co. Five weeks and a day after hiring us, their home was updated, staged, marketed, and sold with 14 competing offers, fetching in excess of $100k more than what the other real estate teams said their home was worth!
In this case, our clients led busy lives. The husband had accepted a new position in the UK and was frequently flying internationally while the wife was managing their home and looking after two little ones. Our team ensured a concierge level of service to minimize their workload and stress. Geoffrey even went the extra mile, driving to Markham to pick up a hinge for their kitchen cabinets and installing it himself!
Their home was unique. In an area of the Upper Beach where most homes are 100 years old, a pair of semi-detached homes built 24 years ago stood out. With modern construction, including a tall basement, level floors, no knob and tube wiring, and a spacious layout, this property was highly desirable. However, at 24 years old, some elements were showing their age, particularly the kitchen.
Without installing an entirely new kitchen, we aimed to bring the heart of the home from 2000 to 2024. We updated the counters to a neutral quartz, added an adorable 4×4 tile backsplash, painted the cabinets a soft shade of off-white, and replaced the hardware and faucet.
Our clients were pleasantly surprised by how cost-effective this refresh was and were blown away by how their kitchen looked afterward! They even discussed how they should have done it when they first moved in.
To complete the makeover, several lights were changed, interior door handles were swapped for new black hardware, an updated laundry sink was installed, and the home was painted from top to bottom.
Not only did the homeowners get a substantial return on their investment, but their home also sold quickly. A competing semi-detached home that listed the day before only received one offer, while our clients reviewed 14 competing offers! The other property didn’t sell, had to raise its price, and is still on the market.
While Grace & Co.’s Designed to Sell program may not be suitable for every home or seller, it is a valuable service that offers a unique opportunity for anyone interested in maximizing their home’s sale price. As illustrated here, some of these improvements are quick and easy and significantly improve how buyers perceive the home and what they are willing to pay for it!
If you are looking to sell your house in the next year and are interested in our team’s design services, please call us to start the conversation: (416) 699-9295.