Toronto Renovation Stories & Expert Advice

Prepping a house for sale

In this day and age where image is everything, getting your house ready to sell is more work than actually moving. No longer is a simple clean up job going to do the trick. Now people get rid of furniture and knick-knacks, repaint, and hire a "stager" to make their house look magazine perfect. How much you do to sell your home really depends on the amount of time and money you can realistically invest in getting it ready. In a perfect world we'd all like to be able to stick the "for sale" sign in the lawn the day we've decided it's time to move on, but if you're like me, life usually gets in the way and the little things like a broken door knob or a loose stone in the walkway get ignored. While you may have learned to live with your home's quirks, prospective buyers don't have any interest in them.



If you are thinking of selling, there are certain steps you need to take before you can put that "for sale" sign in the lawn. See below for a list of suggestions and links to HomeStars categories for businesses who can help you cross "to do's" off your list.



1. Repair anything that's broken or not to code. Call in plumbers, electricians, and furnace specialists to fix leaky toilets and taps, light switches and furnace or air conditioning problems you might have. Fix doors and windows that may have been painted shut. Contact a stone mason to repair loose or missing stones in your walkway.



2. Paint. How are your walls holding up? Are there scuffs marks or little hand prints all over the place? Did your cranberry dining room actually turn out raspberry and you never bothered to change it? Now is the time to give your house a fresh look. Paint is the most cost effective way of improving your home's appearance. If you're doing the job yourself, take fabric swatches into your local paint store for colour advice. If you can't spare the time, hire a painter and ask for their advice on colour. But remember, a neutral colour scheme is best and attracts the widest audience.



3. Declutter. Less furniture and knick-knacks add up to a more spacious feel in a room -- that also goes for the basement and storage closets. If you're not sure what to do, hire an organizer. Book a storage locker or hire a portable storage container (the container is dropped off at your door and picked up when you've filled it), sell anything that's too good for a garage sale via newspaper classifieds, consignment shops, craigslist, ebay or other on-line auction houses. Give away goods and clothes to rummage sales, Goodwill or other community reuse centres. For junk that is truly unuseable use a junk hauling company or a moving company to take your stuff to the dump. Hold a garage sale if it's during prime season (spring or fall), but don't expect to price your items too high, garage sales are really more about getting the stuff out of your house than making money.



4. Clean, clean, clean. Now you can clean your house from top to bottom, including the basement and the attic if they have usuable space. Hire a cleaner if you're worn out from all the prep work so far. Don't forget about getting carpets cleaned, windows washed and the garden spruced up. The outside of the house reflects the inside and should be as impeccable as indoors.



5. Hire a stager. Depending on what your goals are, how much time and money you are willing to invest and what the maximum return will be on your house will help you determine whether or not you need a stager. If you're unsure, ask your real estate agent. An agent will advise you as to whether it's necessary depending on factors such as your neighbourhood, your target market, and the current state of your home.



So, you've finished prepping your home, the open house is coming up, you're completely exhausted and frazzled from all the work you've done. If you can in any way swing it, take a mini holiday or go stay with your parents or other kind-hearted souls for a few days -- especially if you have kids. Imagine trying to keep your now picture perfect home clean and tidy with your little darlings under your feet. Being out of the picture will take an enormous stress off of you and the family.

Labels: electricians, plumbers, preparing a house for sale

Posted by Cathy
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Home Shows are a useful tool when planning a renovation

Finally Spring is here. The snowdrops have bloomed and next will be crocuses and grape hyacinths. I love this time of year -- except for the mud, I could definitely do without the mud. But other than that I love Spring. Spring also means the National Home Show (April 13-22, 2007). Home shows are a great way to seek out a lot of information in a short amount of time. The exhibitors are more than willing to answer your home renovating and decorating questions and tell you about the latest and greatest new products on the market. The last home show I went to I discovered a few neat products and companies I'd love to share with you.

Aya Kitchens and Baths. I am a sucker for anything environmentally responsible that's also good looking and Aya has captured both qualities in their new "green design" cabinetry. Their new line is formaldehyde-free while the cabinets are made out of 100% recycled and recovered particle board. Aya has reduced its waste by cutting the cabinets in such a way that minimizes off-cuts and has achieved a 55% waste reduction in 2006 alone. We have one review on Aya Kitchens, so far. If anyone else would like to post a review, we'd love to hear from you.

Roche Bobois, an upscale French furniture store, opened a store in Toronto a few years ago. It launched its "eco" line of furniture, which not only is made primarily from Burgundy oak, "a sustainable species of oak grown in certified forests," but the designs themselves reflect the connection between man and nature.

Be the first to review Roche Bobois and let other readers know what you think of this store.





An interesting exhibit was the National Home Comfort Centre. As well as offering traditional gas and wood fireplaces, the company offers an "eco smart" fireplace. It's a fireplace that can be installed anywhere, including as a coffee table insert or a room divider (see photo, right). It doesn't need a venting system and uses denatured ethanol which burns cleanly and efficiently.


Be the first to review National Home Comfort Centre.




Chair Source had a fun exhibit, using the same "Louis XIV" chair upholstered in different and funky fabrics. They had a selection of modern chairs and tables as well all upholstered in bright colours -- something cheerful for these grey rainy days.

Be the first to review Chair Source.







I saw a beautiful flooring company called European Flooring. They offer a variety of wood flooring options, including several varieties which are certified as either "PEFC" or "FSC." These designations (the former is European and the latter North American) ensure that the wood used is from sustainably managed forests. The company offers locally grown woods such as Canadian Maple and exotic African varieties, many of which, but not all, have a PEFC designation.

Be the first to review European Flooring.

If you have questions, comments, or reviews of any of these companies or ones from the National Home Show, we'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts and views and particularly reviews and thanks for using Homestars.ca

Labels: aya kitchens, chair source, european flooring, green home decor, national home comfort centre, roche bobois, toronto home shows

Posted by Cathy
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