If you keep abreast of the trends and dynamics of today’s competitive real estate market, you’ve probably heard that Sellers, who invest in presenting their property at its ‘showcase best’, are more likely to attain a higher price in a shorter amount of time.
It’s true.
We live in a media-induced hyper-stylized culture of Aspirational Domesticity. Influenced by glossy shelter magazines, home decor websites, and a 24/7 rotating loop of ‘house porn’ television programming, Buyers are increasingly being conditioned to value property based primarily on those tingly feelings of desire. Despite the important practical structural and locational considerations of any real estate purchase, Buyers today have to “fall in love” with a property first before they’re even willing to analyze the pragmatics of buying it. In the world of real estate, creating a heart-grabbing first impression is now highly critical to achieving top dollar.
The popularity of ‘Makeover TV’ holds much to blame for this phenomenon. In every price range, prospective buyers expect to cross the threshold of listed properties and experience a “Big Reveal”. Buyers want to gasp in delight, admire the ‘nice touches’ and be visually seduced into grabbing their cheque book. In fact, the expectations of the buying public are now so substantially elevated from just a decade ago; homeowners are now ridiculed should they bring their property to market in its everyday setting. No longer can your home look like you live there. Instead it should present like a ‘Model Home’, with fresh flowers, scented soaps & fluffy towels, or the makings of a gourmet meal including soft candlelight and romantic music. Your property should beckon “Won’t you make yourself at home, and buy me?”
Long gone are the days where a Buyer’s check list was limited to the number of bedrooms, the number of baths, and whether there was a basement that could be finished. Now the list encompasses wishes and desires, like wine fridges, spa baths and media systems. Buyers want bling, glamour, and glitz, regardless of their budget. They’re no longer shopping for property; they’re now shopping for a ‘lifestyle’ compliment that will serve as a status market that reflects the image they’re hoping to present.
We at urbaneer.com understand this. It’s inescapable. And for good or bad, most urban denizens subscribe to it unwittingly, or not.
To operate in this self-indulgent shelter game, homeowners need to set ample time to systematically address the increasingly complex process of preparing their property for market. Sellers should pare down their belongings, remedy their property’s deficiencies, undertake a substantial spring clean, and mindfully edit, style and tailor their dwelling’s décor and furnishings before the ‘For Sale’ sign goes up.
Or, if you lead a busy life, you can help streamline the process by hiring urbaneer.com .
Case in point, when our seller contacted us to list her property, she asked whether she should hire a company to stage her property in order to make her loft show better and garner a higher price.
Staging services are where the homeowners frequently remove most of their belongings in order to move in new merchandise. Unfortunately, more often than not, the furnishings which are brought in often look like they’re from a Department Store showroom. If you’ve gone property shopping over the past few years I’m pretty sure you've seen it…the same brown loveseats, a glass coffee table, a few pillar candles, some seashells and often an urn filled with red sticks. The problem, in our eyes, is that this look is so common it has very little allure. Completely devoid of personality, it screams “Good Bye!” not “Good Buy!”
To save our clients this potential pitfall, we recently began offering the urbaneer.com Style Enhancement as one of our listing services. For no additional cost, we guide homeowners on how to prepare their home for sale in a fresh current style that will help it show to its maximum potential and best use.
To start, we begin listing items which should be removed to pare down and reorganize the space. Then we recommend simple improvements to freshen up the property, including decorating tips like using contemporary paint colours, or easy upgrades like changing hardware or adding window coverings. These simple clever straight-forward ideas can help a property show well without breaking the bank.
We also offer home furnishing assistance. While we love celebrating the flavour and style of any client’s belongings, we’ll also introducing some of our own that might be more suitable to the scale of the dwelling, more current in the style files of today's home decor, and often a little unusual and eclectic so it makes the property more memorable. We call it our Full Service Style Enhancement.
In the case of this Tip Top loft, its soaring ceilings, clear zones for living, and spectacular floor-to-ceiling south-facing windows with its sparkling lake view offers all the right ingredients to make it a desirable property. Working with the owner's substantial pieces, including the eye-catching wall unit, comfy couch, vintage dining table, and her collection of great black and white art, urbaneer unified the space with a little elegance, a bit of bling, and pieces that floated so they didn’t compete with the vista.
Here’s some pics:
In the living area, we brought in a large mirror to reflect the light and view and a sisal carpet to define the space. The floor lamp adds a silver sheen, while the gold sunburst sculpture adds an artistic flair. The glass and metal side tables unify the space, while the pair of side delicate side chairs doesn’t block the view. A warm wood Korean War chest with bronze detail warms up the space, while the artwork and cushions add a pop of colour.
In the kitchen / dining area, urbaneer.com’s favourite cream bucket dining chairs compliment the vintage dining table while offering a contemporary balance. Our marble island defines the kitchen while visually harmonizing the suite. We placed our seller’s black and white art on top of the upper kitchen cabinets, as we believe this is a great way to emphasize high ceilings by drawing the eye up.
Do you like?
At urbaneer.com, our objective it to help make your property sell faster while generating the largest profit possible for you. Want to learn more? Click HERE and HERE for two of our past Style Enhancement that show you what we do, for free!
Do you like this property? Click HERE to see our Tip Top Through The Tulips Current Promotion, offered at $389,900!
~ Steven
Style Enhancement Staging