| SPRUCE UP FOR PROFIT |
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| Set The Stage for A Higher Price And
Faster Sale |
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By Janine Mackie
WE’VE ALL HEARD of the real estate trick of baking
cookies or boiling cinnamon sticks, but today’s
housing experts say sellers should concentrate on a more
progressive marketing strategy called home staging.
“That’s where working with a good REALTOR
is essential,” explains MACDONALD REALTORS manager
Glenn Temes who has sold and managed for over 20 years
and held various positions with the Real Estate Board
of Greater Vancouver, the British Columbia Real Estate
Association, and the Real Estate Foundation.
“When you become a seller you need to think of your
house as a product. Buyers don’t come with rose
coloured glasses, they come with magnifying glasses,”
says Temes. “We look past our own dirt and clutter,
but if you want top dollar for your home, you need to
consider all the details.” In today’s hot
housing market, usually the most obvious factor is price.
“If the homeowner wants top dollar but their
location is not good, then that house might sit for awhile,”
says Temes.
“Other times, it can be subtle
details like smells, landscaping, unattractive paint colours
or lack of furnishings.” In real estate, first impressions
count and typical homebuyers make up their minds within
minutes of viewing a home. From painting to fixing up,
there are a lot of things you can do. But for some REALTORS,
telling their client to trash the cat memorabilia or that
their furniture is outdated feels like telling a friend
she has bad breath.
“We have to be very
careful about insulting someone,” explains Temes.
“At MACDONALD REALTORS we take good care of our
people and attribute 60 years in business to building
long-term relationships with our clients and their families.”
When it comes to getting personal, enlisting the services
of a third-party can really pay off. “The light
bulb went off when I learned about a new home staging
company in Vancouver called DEKORA,” says Temes.
A proven real estate strategy, used by successful home
sellers and REALTORS across North America, home staging
is the art of preparing and packaging a home for sale.
With their mission to turn home browsers into homebuyers,
DEKORA plays on its team’s experience in film and
television set design to bring the wow-factor to any home.
Whether it’s a condominium, family-oriented house,
heritage estate or vacant property, sellers can gain a
competitive edge in the marketplace.
“Our
goal is to create inviting spaces with broad appeal and
ultimately see that our clients sell their property for
highest possible dollar in the shortest period of time,”
explains DEKORA’s John Carter.
DEKORA’s services range from personal consultations
to completely transforming a home inside and out. “Rather
than seeing us as a solution to a problem, we hope REALTORS
and consumers will call us when they first decide to sell.
Home staging is quite affordable when you consider the
potential upside and the fact we can rent our clients
almost any style of furnishing and artwork,” adds
Carter.
Bottom line? It’s a seller’s market. The key
to getting the most value from your home is understanding
what buyers are willing to pay for and putting your home’s
best foot forward - even if that means giving it a makeover.
“I’ve used DEKORA’s services with
great success and recommend both the concept of home staging
and DEKORA,” says Irene Ho of Macdonald Realty in
Richmond.
For a MACDONALD REALTORS office near you, call (604) 263-1911
or visit www.macrealty.com. Interested in home staging?
For a personal consultation, contact DEKORA at (604) 876-4355
or www.dekora.com. |
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