In this world of instant gratification, buyers want to walk into a home or condo and feel like they can return with their suitcases, simply unpack and enjoy their new space from day 1.
At Grace & Co., we understand that. So when we assist our sellers by providing their potential buyers with that experience, we sell their home or condo for more money, quickly – just want most sellers want!
Our lead listing agent and staging team put together a tailored staging plan for every one of our clients’ homes. Sometimes the only requirement is a thorough declutter. Other times, we are replacing some of the client’s art and furniture with our inventory. Sometimes, like in the condo in this article, our clients are giving us their property vacant and we are staging it from top to bottom.
There are two main goals when staging your property:
Firstly, our team wants to ensure every room in your home is utilized to its full potential. Often, a bedroom is used as a den or home office, but to maximize saleability we always prefer to transform that space back to a bedroom. During COVID, for example, we looked at how people’s interaction with their homes were forced to change. So we began looking for ways to showcase an area in the home to workout, as well as a convenient space to work from home.
Secondly, we want to ensure that a buyer falls in love within the first 7 seconds of opening the door. Real estate purchases are often lead by the heart, not the head, so we want the furnishings to compliment or elevate your space. When looking for top dollar for your home, you need to provide an experience similar to a new home sales centre – a clean, well lit space with furnishings, art and accessories that could be from your buyer’s favourite shop and even some subtle music playing in the background! It’s not enough for a buyer to like your home, they have to fall in love with it.
When a past client, whose house we staged and sold to make his move to Nova Scotia a reality, needed help with the sale of his mother’s condo – we were honoured to be tasked with the responsibility! She lived in St Lawrence on the Park – an older condo, steps to the St Lawrence Market, that boasted 9-foot ceilings and a wood-burning fireplace – two rare features.
For this client, the thought of leaving multiple times a day to accommodate showings was daunting. When we discussed all the possible ways we could approach the sale of her home, it was decided that rather than staying in Toronto for the sale of her suite and then moving to be with her son in the East Coast, she would pack up and make the move first. This would make the showing process stress free for her and give us the opportunity to dress her condo from head to toe.
With this unit, we were able to convert the open den from a TV room to a work-from-home space. Because the den was open to the living area, the glare from the windows would disrupt watching television. The wall above the fireplace was perfect for a wall mounted television and turned into the best use of space. That then allowed us to convert the second bedroom from an office to a bedroom – showcasing that it was enough space for a single bed. In the living area, where the seller had placed her furniture on an angle (to align with the fireplace), we placed our furniture in a more linear setup which opened up the space and made the room feel much larger. In the dining room, the foyer closet jutted out into the room so a round dining table centred under a new statement light fixture (a strategic improvement we helped our client with) made best use of space. In the primary bedroom, we upsized the bed from her Queen to a King as the size of the room easily accommodated one. In addition, we had the carpet tiles removed to showcase the light flooring that flowed in from the rest of the suite.
Our client (and her son) were extremely happy with the transformation but, more importantly, the sale – which resulted in two buyers bidding and our client selling for over our list price (a price that was not set under market value)!
At Grace & Co., we realize that home décor is akin to fashion. Each season brings new styles and trends. And furniture, like clothing, can dip in and out of style every few years. Homeowners cannot be expected to keep up with popular colours and the latest design innovations. But, with the help of our staging team, you can update the style in your homes with ease and at no cost! We provide the furniture, art and accessories found on the pages of your favourite interior design magazines making each one of our clients’ homes magazine worthy!
At times, our clients don’t need, or want, staging and that’s totally fine with us. Staging isn’t a requirement for us to sell your home. But, if you would like to explore how our team can transform your home to help you achieve top dollar in as short a time period as possible, give us a call at (416) 699-9295 or email [email protected].