The back yards of Willoughby Heights can leave a little to be desired, lets be honest. With Willoughby homes usually having 3000-5000 square foot lots and houses with a similar square footage - It's imperative to increase the functionality and usability to entice potential buyers that they will be able to entertain and play outside in the privacy of their own space.

Simple steps such as landscaping, creating privacy screens from neighbors and cleaning and displaying tasteful lawn furniture can all be steps to helping new buyers envision themselves enjoying a summer evening in the comfort of their own home.

Basement suites, whether unauthorized or legal have become the norm in Willoughby Heights and surrounding areas. There is a noteworthy difference in home values to those that have no basement suite, compared to those that have an unauthorized suite. Having a legal suite is still the most desired by todays buyers.

If you aren't willing to take on the hefty task of potentially putting in a suite, it can go a long ways just to have curated a quote from a reputable contractor so that potential buyers understand the costs involved to put a suite in their new home.

If you have a home without a suite, or even an unfinished basement I'd highly recommend a quick call with me just to understand the pros, cons and costs of listing your home in its current condition.

Curating and displaying your Willoughby Heights home is essential in highlighting all of its features. Staged homes sell 73% faster and for 5 to 10% higher than their un-staged counter parts. The data is irrefutable.

There are many steps you can take well before listing that will make staging affordable and easy:

- Have an old couch you don't plan on keeping anyways? A quick trip to the Langley Transfer Station will simply leave an empty space that we can fill with modern and photographic furniture.

- Have personal photos such as wedding photos or baby photos? Usually its best to safe store those during the selling process not just for privacy, but so that potential buyers can envision themselves in the home without realizing they are in someone else's space. During the staging process we can replace these with elegant, tasteful artworks that help accentuate the space.