Finding a home to buy is a lot like playing around on dating apps. The only difference is that finding the ‘one’ on Tinder often results in a casual coffee date, while finding your dream home is usually a more involved process. 

But just like dating apps, buyers are typically relying on first impressions to make a choice. So how do you know exactly what buyers are looking for? Well, you’re in luck. I happen to work with a ton of buying and selling clients and receive feedback on the reg from these clients. 

If you know the type of feedback that most buyers are giving these days, you can get ahead of the game and make adjustments before you list, so that when the time comes, you’ll get lots of positive feedback in the form of offers. 

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Feedback # 1: The Space is a Little Cluttered or Messy

Simply put, buyers want to see that you’ve put in the effort to prepare your home for sale. They don’t want to see your kid’s artwork on display, they don’t want to see your impressive shoe collection. They want to see a clean, tidy, and neutral space. 

By decluttering and depersonalizing your home, you’re leaving room for potential buyers to picture their own stuff in the space. That’s why we always clear the coffee tables, bedside tables, kitchen counters, vanities, and any other flat surface on the home. We remove family photos, and we edited things out to the bare minimum. 

Now is also the best time to take on those nagging little side projects that you never had time to do before. DIY, call in a handy father figure, or get a professional to recaulk your shower, make that space fierce for the next owner to stage their own shampoo-bottle Beyonce concerts. Something as a minor as caulking can make a huge difference in the eyes of a buyer. 

I also usually recommend a fresh coat of paint throughout. Trust me, I have a 5-year old and I know that no paint on this planet can survive his little smudgy hands. A fresh coat of off-white paint can make the home feel refreshed and more inviting. 

The last place you should think about decluttering is the closet. You definitely don’t want to be like that episode of Friends when the gang discovers that Monica has a secret closet just stashed to the brim with junk. Plus, you’re likely moving soon anyways, so cleaning your closets and editing your belongings Marie Kondo-style is something you’ll want to do before you pack regardless! 

Speaking of selling, here are a few other resources to help you sell your home in Toronto:

• Toronto Loft Lingo and Who Actually Buys Them: Spilling the Tea!
• Should You Hire Your BFF to Sell Your Home?
• 4 Reasons Why Your Home isn’t Selling

Feedback # 2: The Home is Not Staged 

Back in the day, staging was something that we would do to make the home feel truly special and stand out. It was the exception when selling a home. Today, however, it’s the rule. Thanks to HGTV, Pinterest, and countless Instagram influencers, buyers expect a home to be staged. 

Walking into a home with mismatched furniture or a novelty shower curtain, might send the wrong message to buyers. Once again, we want them to feel like we’ve put an effort into the listing. 

That doesn’t always mean a full staging project. In some cases, we might just fluff up the home with accessories like rugs, throw pillows, curtains, and plants, while other homes might need the full enchilada with furniture, artwork, and the works. 

When buyers are expecting your home to look like a new development show home, it really pays to give the buyers what they want. Depending on the type of property you’re selling, staging can add tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to your final purchase price. 

Our selling strategies will knock your socks off. Learn more about our Toronto home selling services here.

Feedback # 3: It’s Missing Something

Although mostly dependent on the type of home you are selling and the price point, there are a few things that buyers these days just simply expect to see. Styles change over the years and there are certain things in your home that might be perfectly comfortable and functional, yet can appear outdated to a buyer who is constantly inundated images of new homes for sale.

Think of it this way, back in the 70s, it was perfectly normal to see carpet in a bathroom. Yes. You read correctly. Carpet. In. A. Bathroom. Imagine buying a home today with a carpeted bathroom? You just wouldn’t. 

There are some things that are on the brink of being outdated that you can fix before your home is listed, to get ahead of what buyers want. Here are a few of the top priorities:

Carpet 

Most buyers these days prefer laminate or hardwood flooring. If your home has carpet in it, you should consider either replacing it with laminate, steam cleaning it, or replacing it with a more modern type of carpet. Additionally, today’s engineered hardwood and laminate is actually really nice, so swapping out carpet is not as expensive as it once was. 

White Kitchens/Bathrooms 

If you look at recent new homes or condos for sale, you’ve probably noticed that the trend today is an ultra-light and bright kitchen/bathroom. White marble or granite countertops, white subway tile backsplashes, white cabinetry. It all creates a super clean and fresh look. If a full kitchen or bathroom reno is not in the cards for you, you could even just paint your existing cabinetry white for a quick freshen up. 

Stainless Steel Appliances 

Back in the day, a banana yellow fridge was a cool look, but today stainless steel is the new standard. Even the black and white kitchen appliances from 10-20 years ago are beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Stainless steel appliances have been around for so long at this point, that you can easily find them for sale used online or at refurbished stores for quite cheap. This one small update could potentially help your home stay competitive with new homes and renovated homes currently on the market. 

A WFH Setup in a Condo 

With a large percentage of workers still doing so from the comfort of their homes, many condo shoppers are looking for a condo that has a dedicated WFH space. Even if you have small studio or 1-bedroom condo, it’s a great idea to showcase the space with a little desk set up in its own area. 

That Sought-After Third Bedroom 

Most buyers who are moving up from a condo to a home are seeking that precious third bedroom. I always tell my selling clients that if they are selling a 3-bedroom home, it’s best to showcase the third bedroom as it is, not as an office. We can stage it as a nursery or a guest room, but it’s best to show the room as a bedroom rather than a storage room or office. 

Some people are gifted with the talent of vision. They can look at a space and exactly see its potential. Other people, not so much. Simply setting a room up like an office could be enough to turn them off because they can’t picture a bedroom instead. That’s why it’s always best to lay things out for buyers as clear as possible. 

An Outdoor Space 

Whether it’s a condo or a single-family home, an outdoor space is key for most buyers. In condos, this means making sure your terrace or balcony looks perfect. Or if you don’t have your own outdoor space, it could mean highlighting your building’s common spaces or local parks and amenities. Things are a little more cut and dry in a house. If you have a yard, you’ll need to at least mow the grass, clean away any debris or toys, and invest in a little landscaping to give the home more curb appeal. At the end of the day people want space for their kids or fur babies. 

Thinking about purchasing a home soon? Read some of our buying blogs here:

• To Buy First or Sell First–THAT is the Question
• Buying a Toronto Home in 2022: Mission Impossible?
• How to Make a Multiple Offer Extravaganza Work For You

How Do We Make Buyers Swipe Right? 

By implementing all of these strategies, we can make sure your home stands out among the competition and entices buyers. A clean, tidy, decluttered and staged home with all the perks perfectly highlighted will result in more interested buyers and more competitive offers. 

As with anything, before you make any decisions on changing a specific aspect of your home, you can talk to a professional real estate agent and find out exactly which improvements will have the biggest impact on the sale of your home. 

Selling your Toronto home doesn’t have to be a hassle. A little prep and a little expert advice goes a long way! If you’re thinking about selling soon, call or text me at 647-973-8392. I’m always happy to give you my unfiltered opinion! You can also sign up for our newsletter right here and get the latest news and insights sent straight to your inbox.