1. How Much Natural Light the Home Has
One thing that is obvious from the get-go is how much light a home has. A dark home will feel even darker to a home buyer when stepping in from the sunlight outside. If your home doesn’t have a lot of natural light, paint the walls in a light neutral colour. Make sure there is plenty of artificial lighting in the room that can be turned on before a showing. Use mirrors to reflect light and open up the space. Decorate with light-coloured, lightweight furniture. All of these things will help your home feel much more open and bright.
2. How Much Space There Is
Use cohesive colours, too many colours on walls and large pieces of furniture can chop up a small space. To visually stretch a space, keep all the walls the same colour (except maybe one accent wall) and have most of your furniture match the walls. By keeping most of the space in the same colour family, it will open it up and trick your eye into believing it is more expansive than it is. Only vary the shades of colour slightly and use pops of colour in smaller accents. Similar to making a home brighter, use a mirror to also give the illusion that a room is larger than it is and decorate with light, airy neutrals. Large mirrors look very chic and can have the greatest effect on opening up a space. Remove clutter and avoid too many patterns and colours. Lead the buyer’s eye to the rest of the home by positioning art or other eye-catching decor in the direction of the traffic flow.
3. How It Smells
One of the most telling signs of how well a home has been taken care of is the way it smells. It’s crucial that your home smells fresh and inviting as soon as a buyer steps through the door. An unpleasant odour can be an immediate turn-off. Make sure your home gets a deep cleaning before you list the home and air it out as often as possible so that it doesn’t smell stuffy. In most cases, these two things will do the trick in making your home smell great.
4. Any Signs of Pets
Not everyone is an animal lover. Many home buyers see signs of pets as red flags that a home hasn’t been well-maintained. They expect more damages, odours, and issues with these homes, even if that’s not necessarily the case. Some buyers won’t even look at a home where pets have been living. It’s important to keep your home as spotless and clutter-free as possible and pay close attention to any signs of animals. Remove food and water bowls, hide toys, put the cat litter somewhere buyers won’t see it, and if possible have pets stay with family or friends while you are trying to sell your home.
5. Damage (Stains, Scuffs, etc.)
A house is one of the biggest investments most of us will make in our lifetime. We want to make sure we are getting a good home for our money and not a money pit. Buyers are on the lookout for any signs of damage or repairs they will have to sink money into after purchasing your home. Make sure there is no visible damage anywhere in the home. Repair scuffed floors and squeaky doors, repair damage to baseboards and walls, and take care of any other issues, regardless of how minor they may seem to you. What is minor to you, may not be so for the potential home buyer.
THE 905 REAL ESTATE GUYS
info@905realestateguys.com
Sean Kavanagh 905.220.9198
Leo Manchisi 905.334.9650