October 2014

A garage supplies that extra space that so many home buyers need. Along with its original function as a place to park a vehicle and perhaps store seasonal items, garages now function as workshops, hobby rooms, home gyms, or even home offices.   So instead of storing all those packing boxes in the garage, rent a storage unit and make the garage look just as spacious and appealing as the house.   Let your potential buyers see the possibilities the garage offers for expanding your home's living space.   If your garage has become a "dumping ground" clean it out. Put the items you'll need later in that storage unit with the household items you removed for staging or packed in anticipation of moving. Then clean, paint, and organize. Remember…

Savvy home sellers in Vancouver always dress up the front of the house before putting it on the market. They give the front door and the door trim a new coat of paint, pull the weeds, keep the lawn mowed, clean oil spots off the driveway, and in general attempt to create a "Wow" effect.   This is a smart move, because we humans usually see what we expect to see. If the exterior is in prime condition, we'll expect the interior to be the same, so might not even notice small flaws. Conversely, if the outside is run down, we'll expect to see the same inside – and we will see faults, even if everything is clean and tidy.   But is this always true? Does the outside always reflect the condition inside?   No.   I once showed a home that…