Royal LePage Poll Find House Staging a Pre-Sale Must For Canadians
CONTRARY TO BELIEFS, COSTS ARE LOW AND NEED
IS HIGH
-Poll also finds 75% of Canadians classify
their home décor as current
and 45% call themselves pack rats-
TORONTO, March 10, 2005 – 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 décor 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 surprising 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 current.”
These findings are counter to house staging specialists, 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-effective and non-invasive methods,
most consider house staging 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 décor is current,
experts like Timothy Badgley, interior designer and owner of Acanthus
Interiors in Port Hope, Ontario disagree. “The majority of
homes that we visit for consultations are out-dated and in need
of a pre-sale makeover,” he said. “The good news is that
unlike major renovations, house staging is a simple and inexpensive
way to bring your house up-to-date.”
Badgley added: “Buyers want to walk into a house and immediately
envision themselves living there. Simple staging techniques like
cleaning, organizing and de-personalizing can help to make your
house buyer friendly.”
45% of 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 “complete pack rat” or
“somewhat of a pack rat.” In urban centres, the number
of respondents who classified themselves as a pack rat was a significant
41 per cent. In rural communities, that number rose to 53 per cent.
Even those who did not classify themselves as a pack rat were in
need of house de-cluttering. Over 90 per cent of Canadians showcase
small appliances, such as microwaves, toasters, radios and blenders
on their kitchen 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 space exactly how they
like.”
86% of 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 the “most
important,” the number jumped to 54 per cent for females.
Nearly three-quarters of Canadians are open
to house staging technique: furniture removal
Another effective staging technique is removing, rearranging and
resizing furniture. Badgley suggests creating space by removing
oversized pieces. The survey found that the majority of Canadians
were receptive to this idea as 74 per cent of Canadians stated that
they would remove furniture from their house if they thought it
would increase the value of their home. Not surprisingly, age played
a factor in receptiveness to removing furniture. While 80 per cent
of 18 to 29 year olds would remove furniture, the number decreased
to 68 per cent for Canadians aged 50 and older.
Curb Appeal Counts
When preparing your house for sale, the exterior of your house
is equally as important as the interior. Homebuyers decide whether
or not to look inside a house by the appearance of its exterior.
When asked what they thought was the most important exterior feature
when selling a house, the number one answer was a well-maintained
yard (40%). A clutter-free yard and driveway ranked second (28%),
while a newly painted exterior was third (18%). Two of Badgley’s
exterior house staging tips are purchasing removable storage bins
for unsightly trashcans and creating an “entertaining space”
in the backyard by setting out patio furniture, even in the winter.
Additional poll findings:
- 26 per cent of primary residence owners were considering selling
their home in the next five years.
- When asked “Excluding the kitchen, if there’s a particular
room in the house where the floors were in poor condition, which
of the following do you think would be the most helpful in selling
your home?” 83 per cent cited installing hardwood floors
while 14 per cent chose carpet.
The Royal LePage House Staging Poll was conducted by Maritz Research
between February 24th and February 28th, 2005. The poll is based
on a randomly selected sample of 1,002 adult Canadians. With a sample
of this size, results can be considered accurate to within +/- 3.10%,
19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire
adult Canadian population been polled. This data was statistically
weighted to ensure the sample’s regional and age/sex composition
reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the
2001 Census data.
Royal LePage is Canada’s leading provider of franchise services
to residential real estate brokerages, with a network of over 11,000
agents and sales representatives in 600 locations across Canada
operating under the Royal LePage, Johnston and Daniel, Trans-Action
and Realty World brand names. Royal LePage manages the Royal LePage
Franchise Services Fund, a TSX listed income trust, trading under
the symbol “RSF.UN”.
For more information and a list of Tim’s Top 10 House Staging
Tips, visit: www.royallepage.ca/housestaging.
Be sure to check back often, as we will be adding monthly trend
updates in the near future.
For further information, please contact:
Stephanie Kohls (stephanie@mcipr.com)
or Daniela Ferri (daniela@mcipr.com)
at Mansfield Communications Inc. phone 416-599-0024
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