What a space can look like when staged professionally

I was asked recently whether or not it is necessary to stage a home in order to sell it.  Okay, here is the good news – no it is not necessary.  You don’t have to do it.  There is no requirement for staging.

But, that said, you still might want to stage it anyway!  Making your home look its best will ensure your home sells and sells for a price that is higher than what it would otherwise sell for.  What are we talking about when we say staging? 

It really is the process of converting your home from the place you currently live in into a desirable place that is attractive for someone else to want to buy. 

It starts with throughly cleaning your home from top to bottom, especially the kitchen and bathrooms, until they sparkle.  It involves putting away many of the things we would normally have on display in our home: The family pictures; religious symbols; weapons; fridge magnets; magazines; and the accumulated piles of stuff we seem to accumulate.

Could this be done better, so the passage from one room to the next is not blocked?

The next level involves reducing the number of furniture pieces in the home and rearranging them to give the sense of  space and to create ”flow”.  Do you have natural pathways blocked by furniture?  Do you have the best assets of a home as the focal points?  Often I see furniture pieces in the wrong rooms.  Each room should only have the pieces that make sense to be there.  Bedrooms are for bedroom furniture.  Living rooms are for living room furniture.   The purpose of each room should be evident.  These people are buying the space after all, not your furniture!

The next level involves adding the right accents and accessories that create mood and feeling to really attract and interest home buyers.

While some of this you can do on your own, it often makes sense to bring in a professional stager who is capable of taking the staging process well beyond what you ever imagined was possible.  The eyes of an outsider can be tremendously beneficial to suggest approaches we cannot visualize ourselves.  While they will mostly work with the things you already hav in your home, they can also bring in the additional pices to make the space even better.  Staging doesn’t have  to be expensive, and when done right will actually earn your more money than not having bothered.

So, before you just sell your home looking exactly like how you live in it every day, consider the value of staging your home.  And don’t forget the landscaping – that’s outdoor staging!

Canada Mortgage and Housing has just released their first quarter report on the Canadian housing market.  They are looking for a shift to a stable balanced market in 2012, from the strong seller’s market of the past year.  They anticipate modest price apreciation, in line with the inflation rate.  Toronto rental market remaining tight, despite some 18,000 condo completions coming into the market this year.

Follow this link to get the complete
CMHC Housing Market Outlook Report

Looking for homes to buy in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa or Courtice …

Whitby 3 Bedroom Detached home

 Here is an example of a home on Longueuil Place in Whitby.

While this home is no longer for sale, Ralph would be happy to share with you the many opportunities to purchase excellent homes at reasonable prices in Durham region.

Home buyers look to the communities immediately to the east of Toronto to seek out the most economical housing opportunities close to the city.

A similar home will become increasing more affordable as you move through each community.  Pickering being closest to Toronto tends to be the most expensive, with Ajax next followed by Whitby and then Oshawa and Courtice.   Properties are vastly more affordable than what can be purchased in the City of Toronto, as well as being newer.

Many newer home choices are available in Durham, with everything from brand-new to 20-year old homes on offer.  This region saw tremendous population growth from the 1980′s.  Some traditional older neighbourhoods can be found, but most homes are situated in modern subdivision clusters.  Along with the population boom of the past decade or two, comes more modern infrastructure of schools, community centres and shopping opportunities.

The communities of Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Courtice are well served by the Lakeshore GO Train service into downtown Toronto.  It runs all day long, with more frequent rush-hour service.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Karen Pivnick this morning for a chat.  She’s the owner of Topcat Relocation Transition Solutions.  Much of what she does revolves around assisting seniors to understand their possible housing choices, and to get them through the whole process of downsizing and moving.  She helps people to edit their belongings and find the right places to sell or donate the things that aren’t being taken with them.  She can step in to help, when family members don’t have the time, expertise or patience to assist.
 
As a real estate agent, I know the real work of moving is just beginning when I help someone to sell their current home and find their future home.  Figuring out how much furniture there will be space for, deciding which possessions to take, dealing with the myriad of personal possessions we accumulate in our lifetime.  Karen can customize the right services to fit the needs of each of her clients.  

She may also suggest ways to rearrange your existing home to make it better fit you needs and help with a makeover to improve the function of your existing space.

Her business is a perfect fit for people in the process of making a move!  Beyond just helping seniors, Topcat Relocation Transition Solutions has helped boomers and empty-nesters with downsizing transitions.  She described herself as a project manager for moving, planning and overseeing the whole process for you:

• Packing your special treasures
• Unpacking and setup of your new home
• Home staging prior to sale
• Reorganize your existing home

You can reach Karen through her website at http://www.topcatrts.com/ or at 416 534-3078

Lets assume you’ve bought a brand new condo from the developer. You’ve bought it pre-construction from plans, or at some point during the construction process. Now you are looking to sell the suite. Maybe you’ll want to consider a condo assignment sale.  What are your choices..

After Closing
The first point at which you are really able to sell the condo suite is after the final closing.  Closing is the moment at which you provde the rest of the purchase amount to the developer and the ownership of the suite is transferred to you. The balance of the money might be coming from you or you may have taken out a mortgage.  Once it is yours and you own it, you are freely able to sell it.  You may wish to sell it a day after closing, a week after closing or 10-years after closing.  The timing doesn’t matter at this point, the suite is yours to sell if you so wish.

Early Occupancy
In the days leading up to early occupancy you will perform the pre-delivery inspection.  At the point of early occupancy you may be making an additional deposit to the developer and getting the keys to the suite.  The suite is fit for occupancy and you are able to move-in, if you wish.    You are going to be paying a monthly occupancy charge to the builder to cover the operating costs of the building and the property taxes.  However, the ownership is still with the developer.  So, you can’t really sell the suite yet.

Condo Assignment Sales
It is possible to sell your suite before you own it too!  Technically, you are not selling the suite. Instead, you are selling (or re-assigning) your interest in the agreement of purchase and sale to someone else.  That means that rather than you being the buyer from the developer, you are transferring the existing contract to someone else, who the developer will then work with.  Selling your interest in the agreement is called an assignment. 

Some investors look to get out early on through assignment sales. For others it is simply that their housing needs have changed since the time when they first planned this purchase. Perhaps they have gotten married, un-married or had a job transfer to another city.

Whatever the reason, it is only possible with the permission of the Developer to do so. Generally the basic contract you signed with the developer will state it is not possible, but with an additional payment in the range of $2,000 to $5,000 the developer  will include the right of assignment in your agreement.

If you have any expectation of needing this, it is safest to obtain this right.

Let me know if you have a condo you’d like to sell.  Whether it is an existing suite you already own or an assignment sale, I’m here to help.

Let me know if you want to find out more about selling your condo suite
[contact-form]

These are the key areas that are most important to home buyers.

- The curb appeal
- Grabbing buyers attention
- Flow
- Remove excess furniture
- Attractive bathrooms and kitchens
- Warm welcoming master bedroom
- Up-to-date flooring

Here is an informative video produced by RE/MAX that covers a number of key topics that need to be considered when getting your home ready to sell.

With so much demand for pre-construction condos, it can really pay to get advance access to the developer’s sales centre, before it gets opened to the public.  This gives you the best choice of suites available and the lowest prices.  Once these advance sales are over, the developer typically raises prices and sells the remaining suites to the public.  By that time, the choice suites are already taken.  The ones best for investment and the nicest for living in.
Ralph Evans has been given VIP access on Saturday February 4th, to introduce buyers interested in acquiring pre-construction condos at the project “1 Thousand Bay St”.  It will be comprised of a 32-story north tower and a 14 Story South tower.

Located at 1000 Bay St, puts this project adjacent to the corner of Wellesley St and Bay St., in downtown Toronto.  It is being built by long time Toronto developer Cresford.  This midtown -downtown location puts it walking distance to the Toronto financial district and easily accessible to both the Wellesley subway station and the Bay St. subway station.  It is close to the Queens Park Government Offices, University of Toronto and the Hospitals on University Ave.

This building is anticipated to be ready for occupancy in May of 2015.

1 Thousand Bay – Building Features:

• Sculptural glass tower designed by Peter Clewes / architectsAlliance
• 24-hour concierge service
• Floor-to-ceiling windows
• Outdoor Pool
• Natural stone/Quartz countertops
• Fitness room
• Indoor/outdoor yoga area
• Media room
• Large outdoor terrace with BBQ facilities
• Two Guest suites
• 9-foot ceilings in all suites
• Open concept kitchens
• Choice of natural stone or quartz countertops
• Euro-style kitchens with stainless-steel appliances
• Visitor bicycle parking

Resources:
          1 Thousand Bay condo brochure
          1 Thousand Bay condo floor plans  – available on request

Register here to be invited to the VIP Event on February 4, 2012

Ralph Evans is writing a guide to buying pre-construction condos in Toronto.  Here is a preview…

It is a good idea to be aware of where in the whole process the developer is at. Has the project gotten all necessary approvals?  Is this early in the sales process, perhaps construction will not even begin for a year or more.  maybe  construction is already underway or nearly complete.

 The level of certainty of completion increases as time goes along and each milestone is completed.  Expect the developer to have to sell 75% to 80% of the units in the building before they have the financial backing to fund the project.  This could take longer to complete in a slow market. 

 Some condo projects fail before they start.  The developer will have the right to cancel the project, with buyers getting their deposits refunded.  This might not be so good for the buyer, if they have had their money tied-up with a project in a rising market, where having to buy a replacement suite in a different condo project will now cost substantially more.

Welcome to the Town and Country Condo!  This is a modestly upscale building in a terrific location.  These two buildings located at 1 Lomond Dr and 2 Aberfoyle are tucked in directly behind the Sun Life Centre at Islington and Bloor St in the west-end of Toronto, known as Etobicoke.  The first building was completed in 1999 and the second one in 2001.  It has a relatively high number of owner-occupied suites, resulting in a strong pride of ownership, which is immediately evident as you walk into the building.

At 12-stories each, the two buildings are modest in size and keeps with their gentle and unassuming charm.  With the onsite management and a the watchful eyes of the 24-hour concierge, these buildings are kept in top condition.

From this location, you have immediate access to the offices and stores of the Sun Life Centre, previously known as the Shipp Centre and it is located right by the Islington Subway system, giving residents quick access to the TTC network.  This makes it an ideal location to get downtown easily!  The shops of the Kingsway are a short walk to the east, along Bloor St.  And generally the many services of Etobicoke are all nearby.

Suites on the east side of the building are most coveted, for their tremendous views of the valley and parkland below.

The Town and Country condo is one of the many Etobicoke Condos Ralph Evans is familiar with and would be pleased to help you with.  If you are thinking of buying a suite here, and want to find out more about the area, he’d be happy to give you a tour of some of the suites currently for sale.  If you currently own a suite at 1 Lomond or 2 Aberfoyle and are considering a move, Ralph would be happy to meet with you to explain how he assists condo owners to sell their suites.

Let Ralph know how he can help you… [contact-form]