Listing your house? Don’t forget to fluff it

Toronto Star, April 30, 2004
“Listing your house? Don’t forget to fluff it,” by Ellen Roseman

Excerpt from The Toronto Star:
When selling your house, how can you engineer a bidding war? What are the secrets to finding buyers willing to pay more than the asking price?

Price it on the low side, real estate agents say. Show it aggressively and entertain offers on a specific day and time. Finally, invest a little money in making the house light and bright, clean and clutter-free.

That’s the strategy followed by a young couple who had 16 offers for their semi-detached Toronto house in midtown Toronto. They sold it for $512,000, more than 20 per cent above the asking price of $419,000, after paying $307,500 less than five years ago. . . .

Real estate agents stress the importance of “staging” or “fluffing” a house, a process designed to hide flaws and help persuade buyers to fantasize living there.

“You have to get rid of superfluous stuff,” says Debra Gould, an interior designer in Toronto who offers house fluffing tips at her Website, http://www.sixelements.com.

“If your closets are full, people will pick up on it. Often they’re moving because they’ve run out of space. If your closets are half-full, they’ll imagine lots of space for themselves.”

Selling a house is all about romance. Just as you try to look your best when going on a date, your house should look as good as it can, too.

“The little repairs need to be done,” Gould says. “Many people say, `It’s not a big deal. The new owners can do it.’ But if you do the work, potential buyers won’t be distracted by the cracks in the walls.” . . .