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Muskoka staging for Real Estate!


Blog by Ragan Zilic Lovegrove | June 23rd, 2018


Let’s get ready to SELL!!

I have been selling Real Estate for quite a long time and over those years I have seen what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to preparing a property for sale.

I have also been on  many home inspections with Buyer’s and if your property is pristine the Home Inspection goes so smoothly and questions rarely come up.  Which leads to a faster sale.

Here are my own tips that really can improve the sale of your property in Muskoka;

GET RID OF SYNTHETIC SMELLS.  

Yes this is my pet peeve.  I and many of my clients do not want to smell vanilla or a Glade plug in.  Please remove all synthetic smells before listing your property.  

Garage 

  Garages are notoriously filled with cob webs and dirt from the road so my suggestion is to get right into those corners and vacuum or power wash all of them away.  Organize all of your tools and remove anything you are not using or haven’t used in the last year.

Clean out your utility room. 

 This room surprisingly enough is the room the Home Inspector loves to spend time in.  For all of the right reasons; your furnace, your well pump, your UV water system are all here - your life of your property.  Make it look shiny and new.  Paint the floors; vacuum out those corners and don’t forget to look up to see the shape of your ceiling because Buyer’s look up too!

Roof issues?

 Why not call in a specialist and make sure you have a solid roof.  Keep your invoices and their report for the next owners for peace of mind.

Septics

 In the next few years all Septic Systems will have to be inspected. Why wait?  Did you know being on certain medications can cause a septic system to deteriorate?  Call a specialist and have them look at it for you.

Furnace

  A home inspector will look into and at your furnace so make sure you keep track of your furnace filters. I was just in a property last week and they had a check list as to when they changed them it was so refreshing to see such diligence.

Water

Get a water sample.  Buyer’s love to see this.  It’s easy and free to do!

Paint, paint and more paint!  

If you have dated colours in your home why not get a nice white or off white and repaint.  Buyer’s love whites and greys right now so instead of them looking at the sage green or beige walls (no offence I had these colours in my home once too)  spend a little time and money and repaint.  I can guarantee a faster sale this way!  Ps. Get the eco-friendly  kind as people are sensitive to smells.

Get some ferns.  

Plants clean the air; they are inexpensive  and they add great value to a property.  Planters at the front door add that desired curb appeal.

Mice

It’s taboo to talk about it but we all have them.  Hide the mouse traps; buyer’s don’t want to see the traps it just creates panic. I have actually had someone leave the cottage because she thought there was a mouse issue when really it was only prevention.  Peppermint and lavender oil dissuade critters from coming into a property.

Staging

Finally; do some staging.  We always staged our properties in Toronto and Muskoka is catching on too. I always work with a stager and my properties have that “WOW” factor when completed.  Basically fix all of the things you may be putting off, it will be worth it in the long run.

Picture by Hutomo Abrianto