If you are looking to Save and Sell, let's chat! You will get Full Service, a lower cost to selling and also Professional Home Staging advice all in one!

*commission savings based on 7% /$100,000 and 3% of the balance of the sale price  

*not intended to solicit listings already under contract

780-218-7444

Jill Turgeon 

The Staging Agent

One Percent Realty

www.linktr.ee/thestagingagent

*not intended to solicit listings already under contract

Basements CAN Make or Break a Sale

Creating a basement space that appeals to the buyers can be difficult if the basement is unfinished. It sends the wrong message. A basement is part of  living space and it does play an important role in the decision of a buyer to make an offer. The fact is the basement CAN make or break a sale.

What do you do if your basement is not picture perfect? Well, you get to work.

Where do you Start?

• Do a deep clean of the basement. Every nook and cranny. If you don’t want to touch it, neither will a buyer!! Basement and laundry areas should be dry, clean, bright, neat and tidy

• All cobwebs, dead bugs removed

• Kitty litter cleaned daily

• Furnace filters replaced

• Furnace, hot water tank and appliances washed down and squeaky clean

• All window wells, cleaned off, curtains or coverings removed and the wells cleaned

• Windows coverings should come off to allow the light to get in

• Update fixtures or wash existing ones and use the brightest bulbs allowed

• Fresh paint on walls and floors if there is no carpeting

• Get a de-humidifier if the basement smells like pets or is musty

• Wash all drains and bathrooms well

• Clean out the dryer vent and vacuum behind the washer/ dryer and freezer

• Replace or remove torn flooring

• Use bright bulbs (incandescent/ Yellow not White/ Cool light) and make sure all switches are working and wash off fingerprints

• Add shelves to the laundry area

• Take out all empty laundry boxes, and misc. socks that lost their mate, garbage, old brooms etc.

• Spruce up the look of the basement floor, by cleaning it with TSP™ and paint it.

• Move appliances out to prep for painting.

• Consult the local paint store to get advice on  products needed to complete this task.

• Great floor colors are grey, beige, white or tan.

• And add a stylish runner in the walking path areas.

• Create a laundry room space that says “Hey I love my laundry room!”

• Laundry rooms can be more inviting by adding a rug to the washer and dryer area, a lamp or plant, or by creating a place to fold laundry

• Stair handrails should be secure

• Air out the basement

• Stay away from products like bleach or strong solvents to clean, as the smell will be filtered through the whole house through the furnace

• Make sure any water issues are solved, not just covered up

• Clean all baseboards and tops of door jams

• Tackle all closets and under the stairs with the full de-clutter plan

• Remove all extras from the storage areas. Show off how much room there is. Keep only the essentials in these areas. This is not where you put all the de-clutter items from upstairs.

Anything to spruce up the rooms will add value. Beautiful basements are often forgotten in the whole staging process, yet they can really outshine your competitor’s home!

Jill Turgeon 

The Staging Agent 

One Percent Realty 780-218-7444

Photo owned by Simply Irresistible Interiors Inc.

Selling your property on your own may seem like it makes financial sense, but it may cost you more. Real Estate Agents are trained to know the ins and outs of the market. Their job is to watch out for issues and protect you. With their network of resources at their fingertips, it only benefits you.

Days On Market (DOM) always fluctuates over the years. Currently as of Sept 2022, it’s now 73.  To make matters worse, the DOM for selling it yourself can be much longer. Exposure through the public REALTOR.ca  system is KEY to getting you an advantage over the DOM and put you in front of your potential buyer’s eyes. Agents will get more buyers in your home than you can by yourself.

“Let them make us an offer…”

When pricing, every home seller mistakenly thinks they “should try it higher for a while”.  The reason this does not work is that the initial buying activity is in the first 21 days. If your home is priced too high, buyers will view it and compare your home to the others. Invariably you are assisting those properties to sell faster, while yours sits.

“Let them make us an offer… ”

It does not work this way. But if they did write it would most likely be less than what you would take. Plus negotiating with a stranger when your vested interest is to sell can be difficult to do without a buffer of an Agent.  Some buyers will push quite a bit and it can be uncomfortable to deal with directly.

Why am I sharing this with you?

As a licensed real estate agent, with One Percent Realty, I want to educate my clients. Making the most money possible for you, is my passion! Save on Commissions  with me AND Save on Staging.

Pricing for Success

Real Estate Agents are doing their best to correctly price your home but cannot control the economy or market conditions. It is important that you hire an Agent that keeps you updated weekly on the activity to your listing, including views online and also the “in person” showings. Agents can also offer feedback to you from the showings, if they are able to obtain it from the buyer’s Agent. This will give you a window of insight into what people really think of your home and also allow you to be able to adjust pricing or correct issues that may come up frequently.  You will be chasing the market if you are overpriced.

Price competitively and at market value allows you to be in the drivers’ seat from day one. It is VITAL that you stay within your range and watch the market conditions. Stay ahead of the game. When reviewing the comparable sales, there is no room for sentiment, keep in mind this is now a product for sale.

Home Staging will not sell an Overpriced Listing

I hear it a lot. People often think that staging their property will allow the price to be jacked up. This is not true at all and if anyone tells you this, it may be best to keep interviewing. No matter how appealing your home looks, the buyer’s budget and comparable SOLD homes is where a buyer starts at. The sales of comparable homes are the baseline for where they think you should be priced at, especially if they did see those homes and know what condition they were in.

So Price right! Stage it before showings start, and hire a Professional Real Estate Agent that can properly market it for you.

How Do You Find an Agent that Suits You and will be a Good Fit?

Personality and feeling a connection are important aspects to working together, as this is a long term relationship. When you meet with an Agent, consider how you feel around them, as well as whether or not they present the information to you from a clearly educated and thoughtful place. The stats on recently sold property and your active competition are readily available to us all, however someone with a good understanding of how it affects you, is the key to success.

The market fluctuates and changes from month to month, so hiring someone that has a strong understanding of this will help. They should also be able to confidently represent themselves, as they will be representing and negotiating for you.

Also, one thing to really consider is the highest bidder on pricing is usually not the best choice for the reasons stated above. Choosing an Agent based on the highest listing price only, could result in a long time on the market with many price reductions. Pricing involves many factors.

My market evaluation will help you see where your home falls in the list, resulting in an informed decision.

I would be happy to chat with you if you are looking for an Agent who offers all of this as well as large commission savings.

Jill Turgeon

The Staging Agent

One Percent Realty

780-218-7444

Buyers today are savvy, they have been very educated thanks to the internet and the television programs on home staging. They are also not spending the way the used to. The economy changes and daily stress of lower incomes and a higher cost of living have created the demand for move in ready homes.

As well there is a generational gap that is more prominent than ever before, younger couples are buying older homes and they are generally more unskilled at property maintenance and updating a home, than their older generation home sellers. There are multitudes of older sellers moving out of their long term homes and that makes for a flooded market in that category.

The other problem in this scenario is that if a younger buyer is looking in a set price point, they can likely find a new home, with a warranty for the same price as your older unrenovated home.

This happens in every price range, regardless. If your home is in need of repair, why would they buy yours? You are competing with the newer model homes and they are popping up everywhere. So consider your buyer’s needs and demographic.

If your potential buyer is the demographic of a younger family or a couple with no kids but both work, consider that thinking the way they think and finding out what they want to be your top priority if you want to sell your property.

Turning around the Blind Eye

After years of living in your home, it becomes part of you. You tend to get used to the disrepair or the chipped paint and “one day” will get around to fixing the broken closet door and you just don’t see it anymore.

In the weeks to come we are going to give you checklists so you can address these and other issues, and they must be addressed unless you are willing to knock off thousands from your asking price to reflect the work that will need to be done.

Keep in mind that buyers think in “thousands” just like you do when searching for a new home and they want to be compensated for their trouble if they have to repair your half completed projects.

Where to Start- A General Checklist that every Seller needs

CLEANING:

•   Clean door jams and polish handles

•   Clean furnace filters and wipe the furnace down

•   Clean drains

•   Clean septic system

•   Rent an Ozone machine to deal with smoke smells in the home or garage and follow instructions as they  can be dangerous

•   Clean oil stains off the garage floor (CLR™ should work for this or try Coca Cola ™)

•   Clean and wax floors

•   Basically clean every single thing in the house

•   Clean all door tracks and window tracks

•   Clean Windows, Gutters, & take Christmas lights down  https://www.cleanshinywindows.com/

•   Sweep out and if possible wash garage floor & paint it if you can with proper products

REPAIRS:

• Repair holes in gutters and fix all eaves that may be falling down, as well as have them cleaned.

• Fix broken doors, baseboards, trims, windows.

• Fix gates and broken fences.

• Make sure garage doors all open and close properly.

• Service sprinkler systems.

• Repair damaged steps or door casements.

•  Repair damaged screen doors.

•  Replace broken light fixtures.

•  Repair any tiles that need it- floor or back splash tile.

•  Fix all dripping faucets and the damage they may have done under the sink.

•  Service noisy exhaust fans (kitchen and bath).

•  Remove rust stains from sinks and toilets.

•  Remove mold and dirt build up from bathrooms and kitchens.

•  Ensure locks are working easily / replace if they are sticking or stubborn.

•  Oil hinges on doors.

•  Ensure doorbell works properly.

•  Ensure shutters are in good condition.

•  Fix cracks on ceilings or walls or in basement ( don’t hide anything from the buyer).

•  Silence noisy floors.

•  Replace worn toilet seats and covers, take off themed toilet seats or incorrectly sized ones.

•  Remove plastic runners or glued down rugs and repair the damage they may have caused.

•   Seal or re-surface driveway.

•   Add gravel to bare patches like along the side of the house where no sun is).

•   Re-grout any tile if necessary.

•   Re-caulk and repair seals in shower enclosure and around sinks.

•   Ensure that toilets don’t run continuously.

•   Update toilet paper holder, towel racks and curtain rods.

•   Patch floors where damage has occurred or replace flooring.

•   Update batteries in all smoke alarms.

•   Make sure burglar alarms are working.

•   Secure area rugs.

This list is very important to take heed to and is by far the most time consuming items on the preparation report. In many cases, not everything will need to be addressed, so you can tackle your projects in their own order of importance.

Property’s often get neglected in many areas and as you can see once you start addressing an issue there will be another to take its place.

All of these points are items that do affect the buyer’s first impression and also what they feel your property VALUE truly is. If there are many unattended projects left for a buyer, they will either walk away and find a home that is move in ready or they will low ball your offer enough to justify the work they will have to do.

The many Television shows on Staging and Buying Real Estate attest to this.

And as I said before, Buyers think in “thousands”. So spend a couple days or a couple weeks getting these items looked after and in the end you will reap the rewards of the best sale price you can get.

Jill Turgeon 

The Staging Agent 

One Percent Realty 780-218-7444

Photo owned by Simply Irresistible Interiors Inc.