You have a beautiful home, but for whatever reason... it is time to sell. Without going into too much detail about the Calgary real-estate market, we want to focus on one recurring trend. Houses that look great are easier to sell! Homeowners and real-estate agents that take the time to demonstrate the full potential of a home gain the attention of more prospective buyers. It is as simple as that. It is always in your best interest to show your home at it’s best. Here are some priceless tips for anyone selling or preparing to sell a house.

Even organized clutter makes a room feel small and cramped. The best way to make a room feel larger is to remove the clutter. This includes excessive furniture and decorations. Remember that mementos and family heirlooms will not carry the same meaning for someone looking to buy your house. Remove as much as possible. It is not uncommon for professional stagers to remove as much as half of the furniture in a home when preparing it for sale.

Now that you have more space, reposition your furniture to make each room more user friendly. Consider the natural flow of traffic and adjust accordingly. By pulling your furniture away from the walls the rooms will feel even larger. Try different pieces in different rooms until your setup is feels open and inviting with some cozy touches.

This is the extra room in a house that doesn’t get used very often and eventually becomes the universal gathering place for junk and misfit possessions. Turn this room into an exciting new feature space. A sewing room, a reading room, a yoga studio… what can you make when you clear it out and bring in some of your other furniture?

The problem with lighting is that many of us get used to improper lighting. Even right now in your home there is probably an area with burnt out or mix-matched bulbs. Some rooms in older homes were built for floor lamps and supplemental lighting only. They are rarely ever properly lit. Great lighting will make your home feel warm and welcoming. Changing your lightbulbs to a higher wattage can help. Use supplemental lighting in rooms with only one or two fixtures.

A fresh coat of paint looks clean and new, but there are even more reasons to paint your home prior to listing it for sale. Style is subjective but can greatly influence the experience a prospective buyer has in your home. Whatever themes or personal style you incorporated into your home design, chances are that not everyone will love it as much as you do. Tone it down to something more neutral and let the prospects roll with their own vision. Space is also a key factor that we’ve already covered a few times. Using the same color on adjacent rooms helps tie them together into one big space.

There is a word that perfectly describes the patterns of art hung in most homes… “boring”. By hanging your paintings in a high line around each room you render them invisible. When you are staging your home for sale, get creative. Place art at different levels and try different groupings to avoid the negative stereotype.

Accessories on shelves and tables can add some customizable style to any space. Going overboard can bring you back into the clutter zone, but some delicate touches can make an impression. Home stagers use the “rule of three” as a general guideline. Group three accessories together, but not in a straight line – use all three dimensions. Don’t get too eclectic. Find a common element within each accessory grouping.

…or at least make it look comfortable. Make up the beds and add towels to your bathrooms. Use soft colours and textiles that make people want to stay and relax. Add pillows and blankets that would make you want to curl up with a book or take a nap. Buyers can now imagine themselves being comfortable in your home.

Kitchens are the heart of each home. As such, they undergo more scrutiny than any other room. Nobody likes an outdated kitchen with outdated appliances. When renovating your kitchen, keep in mind that not everyone has the same taste. A professional designer is a big help when you consider the impact your renovations will have on the resale value of your home. 

Buyers are smart and will see through cheap fixes. Anything that looks DIY sends signals that there could be problems down the road. The last thing a new homeowner wants is to inherit some time-consuming project to sully the excitement of buying a new house. Work with a professional to complete any outstanding projects. Plan to have everything finished prior to listing your home.

When staging a home for sale, it is important to remember that the most important room is the first one that people will see. That is the outdoor room, or landscaping. The walk up to your house is the first impression buyers will have of your home. Make it easy, clean, and attractive. Revisit the above tips and apply them to the outdoor space. Remove clutter, arrange furniture, add lighting… and make it a positive experience.