30 days to a complete and total home overhaul: is it possible? It’s a serious time constraint, but then again, a lot can happen in a month.
As luxury real estate agents in the Toronto area, we have a thought or two about how to quickly transform a home. Mark the end date on the calendar; it’s time to switch it up. A few short weeks from now, your home will have a whole new look!
Days 1-3: Plan and Ponder
The first few days of your redesign are dedicated to planning. You’re not doing the heavy lifting yet. Nevertheless, mapping out your objectives is an important step.
First, who are you redesigning for? If you plan to sell the home, your path forward will look much different than if you are changing things up for your own pleasure. The goals are polar opposites:
- Preparing your house for sale means making it more generic and depersonalizing it as much as possible to appeal to a broad demographic.
- Remodelling for your own tastes means injecting your home with your personality. It could be bold, quirky, sophisticated, subtle, or a combination of all of the above. Whatever makes you walk in and think “this is me.”
If you do plan to sell your home, did you know that our luxury Toronto real estate agents provide concierge-level service and fully customized staging for all clients? Learn more in Our Complete Guide to Staging and Preparing Your Toronto House for Sale.
A few more notes on planning:
If you plan to sell your home, remember that trends often change. Check with your real estate agent before investing in anything substantial.
When the redesign is for yourself, it is still a good idea to protect your resale value. Unconventional paint colour is simple enough. Rebuilding a wall that you tore down is a little more involved.
This is a great time to think about your colour choices and decor theme. We still have a few steps to go before we get to that point, so you have some flexibility on what you will ultimately decide.
Days 3 to 15: Ruthless, Relentless Cleaning
A significant portion of your 30-day timeframe will be dedicated to deep cleaning and decluttering. No matter how meticulous in everyday life, we all tend to accumulate things.
If you can’t yet bring yourself to decide what to discard, there is a solution. Put everything you are on the fence about in boxes and store them out of sight. (Pro-tip: don’t forget to label the boxes). After enough time passes, you can safely discard those belongings if you haven’t missed them.
With all of the clutter out of the way, your house is now a blank slate. Over the next week or so, clean, dust, scrub, and mop. No room gets a pass; everywhere gets a refresh.
A stunning appearance is just one aspect of successfully selling a home. Learn more in the posts below:
- Our Home Selling Success Stories
- Elevate Your Lifestyle By Maximizing The Sale Of Your Current Home
- How Do I Attract High-Quality Buyers to My Listing?
Days 15 to 25: Paint and Refresh
A guide to revamping your home in four weeks or less can often be summed up in three words: clean and paint! If you do that and nothing else, your house will look brand new.
Painting still requires some thought and strategy, however. First, there’s the colour scheme. You want a shade that speaks to you and that you love coming home to, but it also has to work with the layout and square footage.
You may love bold, splashy colours, but they can overpower a small room. The way the light flows in can also enhance or detract from any undertones you’re using.
Choosing your paint just might be the toughest challenge when redesigning your home to sell. Fortunately, we’ve dedicated an entire blog to the topic of colour to help you finalize your strategy. Read The Impact of Colour When Selling a Luxury Home next!
Tips for effective, frustration-free painting:
Painting is one of the simplest home improvements anyone can make, but there is a technique to it. If you’re new to the task or haven’t tackled it in some time, the tips below will help.
- Drop cloths and painters’ tape are your friends. Drips can happen regardless of your best intentions, and accidental splatters rarely create the effect you want.
- Fix any holes in the wall. A fresh coat of paint can cover many flaws. Nail holes are not one of them. They will show up all the more after your final coat dries.
- Primer never hurts and often helps. It isn’t always necessary, unless you are painting over drywall or changing from a dark colour to light.
- Do the ceiling first. If you think the ceiling doesn’t need to be painted, it does. Otherwise, you’ll be admiring the walls after the fact, while thinking, “I wish I had painted the ceiling while I had the chance.”
- Wash the walls first. Removing any dust and grease will help to ensure the paint sticks.
- Start high, then go low. If any small drops dribble down, you’ll be able to fix them.
- Use a small brush for tight corners. You can use a wider roll for everywhere else, but trying to get into a tight space with a big roll will be difficult and lead to suboptimal results.
- Count on two coats, at least. This will create a rich colour and an even texture.
If in doubt, consider bringing in a professional. There will be a cost involved, but if you make a mistake, you might need to hire help anyway. A skilled professional ensures quality work in the first place, a huge step forward considering your timeline!
Looking for even more simple ideas to elevate the appearance of your home? You’ll find plenty in the posts below:
- Redesign Your Home Decor With One Trip to Your Local Hardware Store
- Absolutely Fabulous! Secrets of Gorgeous Curb Appeal for Every Season
- Lighting Techniques That Give Your Home an Instant Facelift
Days 25 to 30 and Beyond: Fine-Tune and Rearrange
Cleaning and painting have given you a blank canvas. Now, you just have to decide what to do with it. This is the fun part; there are so many possibilities!
- Perhaps you’ll rearrange your furniture and put up some new artwork.
- Or maybe you’ll treat yourself to all new furniture and some unique accent pieces.
- Alternatively, you might decide that less is more and get rid of some furniture altogether.
Enhancing your home decor isn’t always about adding more items to a room. Taking something away is a great way to experiment and open up the flow. Being selective about what stays and what goes lets you create a focal point that really stands out.
At this point, you’ll keep tinkering away, even as the 30-day mark passes. The look and feel of your newly designed home will keep growing and evolving to align with what you love!
Do you have a vision for buying or selling your home? Our Toronto luxury real estate agents can help you achieve it. Reach out to ana@asantos.ca or call us at 416.575.7317 to take the next steps.
Meet The Team
See how our dynamic duo leads a smart strategy to help you sell your Toronto home for top dollar.
