Dining Room Lighting - 3 Reasons to Change or Upgrade - Staging Your Home

Almost every house that I have taken Buyers to see has had some type of lighting fixture in the diningroom  Every Buyer has inspected the light fixture to determine how much they love it.  Knowing this, if you are putting your house on the market there are three reasons for upgrading and/or changing the dining room light fixture. 

The first reason is because you have a sentimental attachment to the current fixture and want to take it with you.  If so, take it down before the house goes on the market and replace is with something suitable for the home and the price you are asking. 

The second reason to upgrade the fixture is because the one you have now is old, dated and unsuitable for current design.  Go to a lighting store and see what is in style.  Find one within your budget. 

Finally, there are some newer homes where owners have never installed a light fixture.  There is a metal plate in the ceiling covering the opening for the installation.  If you have one of these, please find a nice new fixture and install it before putting your house on the market. 

There is almost nothing worse than a bad fixture except no fixture or the promise by the owner (through exclusions) that the one in the house will be removed before possession.  Good style does not have to cost a fortune. 

Photo credit:  dining room grandma’s light fixture @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/eponabri/2249768758/

When ratty looks tatty - Give it the slip

We all know that home Buyers are buying the house, not the contents.  However, Buyers are influenced by how the house is decorated.  It gives a message about lifestyle and care and attention.  If you have a couch that is beyond redemption but getting it re-upholstered  would be cost prohibitive, you have three choices:

How a house is staged with good pieces will influence how a Buyer will value the home. 

Photo credit:  i think i found it @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/themacinator/4015348619/

Selling and Decluttering - The Inside of the Fridge

As you get closer to putting your house on the market, take some time to declutter the inside of the fridge.  We all seem to keep condiments that have expired sometimes 2 - 3 years ago.  There may be onions that are sprouting in the crisper and leaking sauce bottles at the back of the top shelf.  In most cases, the fridge is left in the house.  Buyers will want to know the condition of the fridge and will open the door to inspect the contents/capacity/condition of the appliance. 

If you are moving with a company, it is unlikely that they will allow perishable foods.  When cleaning your fridge start to think of what you need to consume now, toss or give away before you pack to leave. 

This is a fussy job that should not be overlooked because Buyers will be looking inside the fridge. 

Photo credit:  Onion - May 3 @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabricio/3534037525/

What has been swept under the rug?

The expression “to sweep under the rug” means to hide something in the hopes that no one will notice.  For some Sellers what is being hidden under an area rug is a damaged hardwood floor.  Maybe there are stains, maybe the wood is cracked, maybe the last sanding on the hardwood took off the veneer and there are spots where no hardwood exists.  Another problem that happens in all homes with area rugs on hardwood is sun damage.  The wood under the rug, not exposed to the sun, will remain a true colour.  The wood exposed is likely a lot lighter in colour.  When Buyers are looking at homes with seemingly wonderful hardwood floors, be sure to check under the area rug to get an indication of the true nature of the floors or write in a condition in the offer to have the floors refinished if there are problems. 

I love this room in the “Beach House”.  See the great area rug.  If this was on the market, I would like to know if the condition of the wood under the rug is as wonderful as that seen at the edges.  When buying a house, get as much information before making an offer as is possible. 

Photo credit:  Beach House Living Room @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kerryanndame/3776968872/

Things Ottawa Buyers May Notice #29 - Door to Nowhere

While this house is in San Francisco, it has cousins residing in Ottawa.  By this I mean, houses that have doorways that lead nowhere.  It would be dangerous to step out of this door as it would be a step to the outside with nothing to step onto. 

I was recently showing a home that had a doorway built on the second floor with the builder’s intention of one day putting on a deck / patio outside.  However, as the years passed, the owners never got to the work.  As a result, when the house went on the market, there was a door to nowhere. 

What should the owners have done?  The least expensive fix out be to take out the door and put in a large window.  Maybe have a window with a Juliet balcony, much like you see in Paris.  The windows open but there is nowhere on the balcony to step - just decorative balcony railings around the base of the window. 

In any case, Buyers all wondered why there was a door and no where to go.  For likely less than $2,000, this problem would be solved and the house more saleable - One renovation worth the price.

Photo credit:  Door to nowhere @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/3666711793/

Things an Ottawa Buyers May Notice #28 - In the Bathroom

Buyers are always looking for clues about the condition of the house that they are being shown.  When looking in the bathroom, the  Buyers are first looking for the basics to be in place - good plumbing fixtures, no mould, taps that do not leak and toilets that flush.  If the basics are place, the Buyers will also evaluate the condition of the cabinets, colour, tiles, flooring, lighting, storage and room design. 

One thing that a Buyer will always notice and comment upon is a toilet plunger left in a very conspicuous place.  Why, when some homes use a plunger once every several years, does a house have to have a plunger placed right beside the toilet?  The Buyer will assume that there is a plumbing problem - and everyone knows how much a call to the plumber costs. 

Whatever a Seller does, it is imperative not to have a plunger in full and open view. 

A plunger is one way to flush away a deal.

 Photo credit:  Toilet Plunger @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/tweek/524466338/

Things Ottawa Buyers May Noticed #27 - A Tale of 2 Vacant Houses

If you have to put a house on the market because of a serious illness or death of the owner, it would be advisable to treat the house as an investment to preserve and to maintain value.  In the past month I have seen two examples - one good and one not-so-good - about how to keep the value.

In the first house, the executrix had staged the house with a few pieces of furniture and a few things in the cupboards.  She had left a vacuum and mop so that she could visit the house and keep it clean during the selling period.  Everything was spotless.  The staging was just a few bits here and there but showed the function of the rooms.  The dining room table had been set and looked inviting, the master bedroom was cleaned but furniture left in it and the bathrooms had clean towels, soap and toilet paper.  This house sold in less than a week.

In the second house, old furniture, dust bunnies and dirt predominated the house.  The washroom was dirty and old cosmetics and medicines were left on the counter.  In the kitchen, each cupboard had a layer of grime that would have required considerable elbow grease to remove - if someone wanted to keep the cupboards.  At this house, Buyers or Agents did not remove their shoes because the house was so dirty.  It was clear no one was living in the house but also that no one had cleaned it before putting it on the market.  While in a good location, the house did not sell for several weeks.

If you are managing an estate, try to get the family’s agreement to clean and fix the house before it goes on the market.  It will be worth every penny.

Photo credit:  My Old Medicine bottle / jar collection on Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/309391023/

Things Ottawa Buyers May Noticed #26 - Balconies

Recently, a Buyer and I went looking at condo apartments and terrace homes.  It was surprising to see how many people leave for the day without checking their balconies, patios or decks.  At one home, there was a decomposing bird on the balcony.  I know that removing the bird would have been a bit disgusting but leaving it there ensured that Buyers would be a bit disgusted as well.  Is this what you want Buyers’ reaction to be?

Look at the picture.  The homeowner loves the balcony and installed balcony tiles.  Thank goodness for Canadian Tire.  This would be attractive while living in the apartment but also when the apartment is for sale (assuming this is a condo).  If you are selling, look at your balcony as additional living space and keep it Buyer friendly.   Add some potted plants and ensure that you wipe all the surfaces at least weekly.  If it is winter, try to keep the snow away from the windows.  You are selling you condo, including the balconies.

Care, Check, Clean.

Photo credit:  I love my balcony tile @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/patio/3453361696/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ottawa Canada ~ 613-723-5300 ~ vzinger@royallepage.ca

 

Things Ottawa Buyers May Notice #25 - Bathtub Mould and Mildew

I have been going out house shopping with a Buyer who has a professional cleaning background.  In each house the Buyer pulled back the shower curtain or opened the shower doors and checked for mould and mildew around the tub or shower stall.  While the Buyer was fully prepared to scrub the new house from top to bottom after getting possession, the evidence of mould and mildew was more than the Buyer was prepared to have.   The Buyer recommended using bleach to get rid of the spores. 

I found instructions on eHow giving a step by step process to get rid of the mould.  My Buyer suggested testing a bit of bleach on the tub or shower stall.  Some acrylic material turns a bit yellow when exposed to bleach.  If this happens, try using Comet (in the green can), made into a bit of paste.  Leave it on and then using a brush, scrub the Comet off after an hour or so.   

While a previously owned house is not new, Sellers should work very hard to get the house as clean and presentable as possible.  A Buyer wants a clean house as a minimum requirement.  

 Photo credit:  Shower curtain @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimpenfish/30700126/

Things Ottawa Buyers May Notice # 24 - Painted Cupboard Doors

I have recently been in homes where the kitchen cupboards have been painted.  What is interesting is that the good paint work done on a home selling for about $850,000 seemed a quick fix for old cupboards that should have been replaced by the owner before selling.  For close to a million dollars, one would expect a really nice kitchen and that would include good quality cupboards.  Would it have cost the owner a lot? Well, the house eventually sold but it took over a year and my guess is that the kitchen cupboards were part of the reason for the lack of an earlier sale.  

On the other hand, I was recently in a home that was selling for about $250,000.  The kitchen cupboards had been painted (and not as interesting as the picture in this article).  The nice clean white offset the other clean features in the kitchen.  For a house in this price bracket the painted cupboards, well done, were not an issue.

If you are thinking of painting your cupboards, first determine if replacing them is a better option given the asking price you want for your house.  If you decide to paint, investigate have the doors sprayed  professionally in a paint factory where dust and paint brush strokes will not be an issue. 

Don’t paint yourself into a corner for a reduced house price.

 

Photo credit:  Painted Wooden Cupboard @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/davepegz/3536688334/

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