It’s no secret that the real estate market in London is wild this year.
My daughter bought a house this year, and so did my son. In both cases, it was a lot of work to find a place where they would be happy.
But while we already know it’s still worth it to stage a home in a seller’s market, If you want to sell your London Ontario house fast, home staging gives you the best chances.
It’s a different story when you’re dealing with a mansion though.
Let me take you on a tour of a mansion I staged recently, at 18 Derby Place in London.
It was a lot of work, but the results I think speak for themselves.
Special thanks to the team at Alex Kyle Media for shooting this wonderful video, and to Kurtis Hastings, the realtor who connected me with these homeowners.
Let’s take a closer look.
Watch the video below, and read along while we go through this home and how we transformed it!
The Outside
As you can see, the outside has gorgeous manicured gardens and a welcoming front porch that practically begs you to walk up the way.
Looking at this place from the outside, with its old world charm and I imagined the gatherings one could host just on the porch alone.
From that perspective, it didn’t take a whole lot to stage the outside – a few decorative urns with some plants is all it took.
Home Staging Means Depersonalizing
Of course, painting is always a major part of any staging, and this house was no different.
And the bigger the house, the more paint it takes!
I had my trusted London Ontario painting contractor at JB Painting Solutions take care of it.
Joe Bondi and his team have never let me down before, and this time was no exception!
This was an enormous job – removing wallpaper, preparing the walls for painting, and then freshening them up.
That’s no small task in a house this big.
In this case, there were a lot of dark colours and outdated wallpaper that might have looked nice in the 80s, but as times and tastes change, it needed an update for staging.
That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with dark colours and 80s wallpaper in your home, if that’s what you like.
It’s not a judgment one way or another on how somebody likes to live in their homes.
But the way we live in our homes and the way we prepare them for sale are two very different things.
When staging a home, the idea is to depersonalize it.
What is depersonalizing in staging?
It means to remove as much stuff as you can from a home that makes it feel like it’s “yours”.
You have tons of memories, family heirlooms, little spots and items that take you back to a time years or even decades ago.
In that way, your entire home is like a time machine for your memories.
And that’s great when you live there – it’s exactly what you want it to be.
But you have to stop thinking about your home like it’s your home.
Because it’s not – not anymore.
Because it turns your home into a product on the market.
As you watch the video, you’ll notice how much we removed from the house.
The homeowners were moving to another city, so they didn’t want to take a lot of it with them – that’s why I called my friends over at Yardigan’s estate liquidation to take care of things.
That’s right – when you work with MatiDesign, it’s a turnkey solution.
Beautiful stuff, to be sure, but again it was too personal.
This was one of the biggest jobs I’ve ever done – with so many living spaces and bedrooms to go through, it was incredible.
It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint, a new carpet, and some accessorizing can do to a home, though!
The Staged Home Transformation
Toward the end, you can see some before and after comparison shots of the home.
In the dining room, for example, you can see how heavy the room feels.
From the dark colours and thick, heavy curtains to the old wooden furniture, it felt almost claustrophobic in a way.
That’s how the homeowners liked it, and that’s fine – but it didn’t make it appealing from a sale perspective.
So we removed the curtains entirely, replaced the furniture, and painted it with bright, fresh colours.
It’s so much more welcoming now!
We kept some of the furniture, though – the home has such an old world charm that it made sense to keep at least some of it.
But with such a fresh, new look, it was only a matter of time before this home sold.
Selling Your Home? Call MatiDesign Today!
If you’re thinking of putting your home on the market, MatiDesign can help.
With over 20 years of experience in the field, MatiDesign can help you sell your home for all it’s worth.
