Welcome to the world of high-end real estate in Toronto, where every aspect of the transaction takes place at a higher level. Buyers are selective about what they want and typically have an impeccable eye for quality.
As the seller, you have goals of your own, and a successful outcome will help you move on to even greater things. To reach your objective, you must ensure your home is absolutely pristine before potential buyers even take notice of your listing.
First impressions always matter in real estate, but in a luxury transaction, they are even more critical. This is where staging comes in – it’s the art of presenting your home in a way that shows off its current quality and unlimited potential! In this post, we’ll discuss what goes into staging a luxury home in Toronto’s market.
Toronto Real Estate: In a Class of Its Own
After many years of representing high-end listings all across Toronto, we can confidently say one thing: successfully selling a luxury listing is different. The market is different, and the buyers tend to be discerning and knowledgeable about real estate.
Staging an upscale home is about much more than surface appearances. It requires going beyond the painting, decor, and design of a more traditional listing.
The level of preparation we perform for an upscale home often doesn’t make sense for a less expensive listing. For an entry-level to mid-range home, we’re more likely to keep it simple with a deep clean and some minor repairs.
It’s all about getting a return on your investment. When selling a luxury home, more extensive renovations are often worth it, both in terms of finding a buyer and in maximizing the value of your transaction.
However, you never want to undertake any home improvement project just because it looks spectacular; the financial payoff must be there. That’s why working with a real estate agent with extensive experience in staging and marketing high-end listings will go a long way to a successful sale.
Selling a high-end home in Toronto is both an art and a science. Learn more in the related posts below:
- How Do I Attract High-Quality Buyers to My Listing?
- What Buyers Want in Toronto Right Now
- 3 Tips For Selling Luxury In The Current Real Estate Market
A Creative Vision
Before listing your home, the first step is to create a vision of what we want to achieve. A total transformation may be the key, not just to making your space look out of this world, but also in earning the highest possible return from your sale.
It starts with looking at your home with the critical eye of a distinguishing buyer, who isn’t rushing to purchase because they are holding out for perfection – or close to it. This requires a thorough and objective assessment of your home based on logic and the latest statistics of what’s working in today’s market.
Knowing what upgrades will have the most impact and what will leave them less than impressed is essential. The end result makes it appear that we have spared no expense in transforming the home. In reality, we have thoroughly analyzed and budgeted before deciding on any renovation.
Want to know even more about our staging services? Learn how we can transform your home right here.
A Few Finishing Touches – Or Total Transformation?
When it comes to getting a prestigious home ready for the market, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. Some houses need very little work to get them up to a high standard. Others will need more involvement.
It doesn’t even depend on the condition of your home or how recently it has been updated. Certain things just appeal more to affluent buyers than others.
A real estate team with a track record of success in selling luxury listings may recommend a series of renovations to appeal to qualified buyers. We may even suggest gutting your home from top to bottom and remodelling it from scratch.
Regardless of what path we choose, it’s important to remember that it’s never personal. It’s all about maximizing your bottom line, and the results of a total transformation of your home can be well worth while.
However far we decide to go with updating your home, aligning with reputable contractors and tradespeople who will perform the highest quality of work is essential. Discerning buyers know to look beyond surface-level improvements and will spot subpar quality in an instant.
Inspiring the Imagination
There’s a reason why many real estate agents use staging to help sell a home. When all goes according to plan, you will do more than dazzle and impress anyone walking through. Well-designed staging inspires the imagination of potential buyers and helps them imagine their day to day lives in your home.
Looking for even more ideas to make your home dazzle? You’ll find plenty of inspiration in the posts below:
- Absolutely Fabulous! Secrets of Gorgeous Curb Appeal for Every Season
- Lighting Techniques That Give Your Home an Instant Facelift
- Redesign Your Home Decor With One Trip to Your Local Hardware Store
Staging Goes Beyond Home Decor
Before listing your luxury home, it’s a good idea to work with a Toronto real estate team with design expertise to help you determine the most profitable updates that will help you sell quickly, and for more. Staging at this level is both elevated and deeply subtle, and it requires an eye for design that takes years of training and experience to develop. That said, there are still some guiding principles to follow:
- Like every transaction, we will start with a deep clean and declutter of every room in your house. Your presentation must be absolutely meticulous above all.
- Look at some of the surrounding homes in your neighbourhood. While you want your listing to be unique, you don’t want it to stick out like a sore thumb. That’s why most real estate agents will tell you not to over-or under-build for the neighbourhood. If your house is the oldest on the block and it shows, an extensive remodel may be what you need to attract that affluent buyer.
- Choose high-end furniture and decor pieces carefully. A few elegant items will elevate a room, and the placement matters just as much as the selection.
- Landscaping often plays a key role in selling any home, especially for upscale properties. This is also a step that is often overlooked by many sellers. Meticulous lawn maintenance, tending to the garden, and creating lavish outdoor living spaces can be what inspires a buyer to make an offer.
When all of these pieces come together, qualified buyers can’t help but be taken in by the breathtaking quality of your home. This presentation, combined with expert marketing and negotiating strategies, will help you achieve outstanding results from your transaction.
Do you want to take your presentation to the next level so you can maximize the results from your sale? Contact us at ana@asantos.ca or call 647.232.7317 to learn how today.