Today, we are very happy to feature a guest post from Sam Marquit. He dedicates each and every post on his blog to adding value to both home and life. Without further ado, please give your warm welcome to Sam!

Although the scene is quite different from the homes I’m used to seeing, Vancouver offers an immense amount of homes and rentals comparable to that of Hamptons Real Estate – luxurious, comfortable and clean! For home stagers, it can be quite valuable to understand the intended audience as well as the general notion that people want to see homes at their best.

So when you want to sell your home for top dollar, you must stage your home in the right way. Staging involves cleaning up the space and making it look like a model home. This lets shoppers see the clean lines and details or elements of the space. They can imagine all of their belongings inside the home, which helps you make that sale. One of the biggest groups of people looking at homes in Vancouver, BC is recently retired people and people preparing to retire. To hit those shoppers, you must make your home look more appealing to those prospective buyers.

The first step in staging your home for retirees is to cut back on your clutter. Pare your home down to the bare necessities and the items that you cannot live without before your move. Walk through your home as if you never saw it before and look for the things that have no purpose or look junky. Get rid of the hundreds of books lining your bookshelves, leaving behind only a handful of your favorites. In general, you want to get rid of at least half the things you currently have in your home. Keep in mind that the more things you keep on hand, the less likely a prospective homeowner can view that space as their own.

Once you have the junk gone from your home, it is time to start cleaning. Many homeowners are surprised at what people look at when buying a home. The shoppers check inside your cabinets, under the sink, on top of bookshelves and even in closets. If you feel like you cannot handle the cleaning on your own, hire a professional cleaning company. Retired shoppers want a home that is clean enough to eat off the floor. They do not want a home that requires a massive cleaning before they can move in their own belongings.

Now is the time to take care of those minor repairs that you put off for years. Retired people want a home that is perfect for relaxing, not one that requires a lot of work. Replace broken tiles, fix leaking faucets, repair broken hinges and fix broken cabinet doors. You want your home to look as great as possible because that appeals to a wide range of buyers.

Staging your home often involves moving around furniture and belongings. Go through your home and pretend like you have no children. What would you want for the space? Retired people often have disposable incomes and no kids. They do not need a family room painted in vibrant colors or nurseries with hand-painted murals on the walls. They want spaces that are wide and open. You might consider dressing your daughter’s room as an office with bookcases lining the walls or turning the family-friendly patio into a relaxing space for entertaining friends.

Consider making a few adjustments to the space such as moving furniture around, which opens up the home. Create a flow or walkthrough that moves easily through the home. Some retired people look for this because they want to ensure that the house grows with them as they age.

I renovated a Rental in Vancouver to make that home more appealing for a retired couple. Though the two still had full mobility, we removed some of the larger furniture pieces and replaced those items with smaller pieces that were more comfortable. I also painted the walls a light neutral shade, which let their own decorations and pieces act as the focal points for the room. Replacing the traditional bathtub with a stand steam shower was a special feature for the new tenants. They can now relax in comfort without bending or stooping to climb in the bath.

Ultimately, the general inclination that retirees enjoy space, comfort and cleanliness is quite a universal truth, and not strictly specific to the Vancouver area. It’s with this understanding that you’ll garner the most optimal experience for your potential buyers!