RL2 - Real Estate: The Oakville Beaver, W ednesday February 22, 2006 Royal LePage poll finds house staging a pre-sale must for Canadians Contrary to common beliefs, costs are lowandneedis high With the busy spring housing market right around the corner, Canadians are contemplating home improvements to help entice potential buyers. According to a poll released today by Royal LePage Real Estate Services, the attitudes of Canadians towards appropriate house sale preparation costs and the currency of their home's decor differs from industry experts. The 2005 Royal LePage House Staging Poll (conducted by Maritz Research) illustrates that 54 per cent of Canadians think that $2,000 or more is the appropriate amount to spend in preparing a house for sale, with a sur prising 25 per cent willing to pay over $5,000. The poll also shows that 75 per cent of Canadians would classify the style of their house as "current" or "somewhat cur rent." These findings are counter to house staging spe cialists, who maintain that although the majority of homes in Canada are in need of updating prior to sale, a significant difference can be made with as little as $1,500. Although Canadians are unfamiliar with the term, which means preparing a house for sale using cost-effec tive and non-invasive methods, most consider house stag ing techniques as part of their selling and buying criteria. House staging can also be referred to as house fluffing. "Due to the popularity of home makeover television programs, consumers are more familiar than ever with interior design trends, and average Canadians now expect more when shopping for a new house," said Dianne Usher, senior manager, Royal LePage Real Estate Services. "House staging, a tool used by successful real estate agents for decades, is the best way to make a dramatic impact without having to spend a lot of money." And, while most Canadians think their home decor is "complete pack rat" or "somewhat of a pack rat." In urban current, experts like Timothy Badgley, interior designer centres, the number of respondents who classified themand owner of Acanthus Interiors in Port Hope, Ontario * selves as a pack rat was a significant 41 per cent. In rural disagree. "The majority of homes that we visit for consul communities, that number rose to 53 per cent. Even those who did not classify themselves as a pack tations are out-dated and in need of a pre-sale makeover," rat were in need of house de-cluttering. Over 90 per cent he said. "The good news is that unlike major renovations, of Canadians showcase small appliances, such as house staging is a simple and inexpensive way to bring microwaves, toasters, radios and blenders on their kitchen your house up-to-date. counters. According to Badgley, this is a deterrent for potential purchasers. "Homebuyers are interested in ample kitchen counter space, not your small appliances, even if they are high-end," he said. "By clearing counters of removable items, potential homebuyers can envision the spaqe exactly how they like." Poll also finds 75 per cent of Canadians classify their home decor as current and 45 per cent call themselves pack rats Badgley added: "Buyers want to walk into a house and immediately envision themselves living there. Simple staging techniques like cleaning, organizing and deper sonalizing can help to make your house buyer friendly." 45 per cent o f Canadians classify themselves as a pack rat and in rural areas, the number rose by almost a third Creating the illusion of space and neutralizing your house are two important aspects of house staging. According to Badgley, eliminating clutter is an easy way to accomplish both. This is an area where improvement is needed for most Canadians.Almost half of Canadians classify themselves as either a 86 per cent o f Canadians rank storage space as important to potential buyers According to the poll, the top three interior features when selling a Home were freshly painted walls (30%), flooring (29%) "and organized storage space (20%). However, when asked how important storage space was to a potential buyer, 86 per cent ranked it as a seven out of 10 or higher, with 43 per cent grading it as a 10 out of 10, or the "most important." * Another interesting finding was that while 32 per cent of males ranked storage space as th^ "most important," the number jumped to 54 per cent for females. Nearly three-quarters of Canadians are open to house staging technique: furniture removal Continued on page RL4 Sales Representative Sales Representative royal L Award A Le p a g e GOLD] GOLD President1 s£ EXCLUSIVE LISTING COMING SOON... 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