Calgary Real Estate Blog

I pay for a professional stager to evaluate nearly every home I represent. Sure, after thirteen years in the business I have a pretty good idea what a property that’s going to move looks like; I don’t necessarily need a second opinion to get most of the way there. Still, I recognize the value of people who are good at what they do, and specialize in their field, and moreover I believe proper staging is one of the most reliable ways to sell a house for at or near asking price.

What does a stager do? Well, the one I use surveys the property and scrutinizes it the way a buyer might, then prepares a detailed report filled with recommendations on how to make the home show better. This might be shifting around some furniture (or getting rid of some), paring down items on shelves, and just general decluttering. A stager is a design professional who knows about the relationship of objects in space, and how that relationship makes people feel. The same way a clever Realtor came up with the idea of baking cookies in a home before an open house to elicit warm fuzzies in potential buyers, a stager helps make a home feel wonderful to visit and therefore attractive to buy. All those fabulous properties on magazine covers, they don’t just look like that naturally – they’re carefully staged to give off a particular vibe: to look larger, warmer, breezier, more modern.

Clients can choose to hire a stager to do the work of staging the house, even to the extent of renting furniture, artwork, and other props to create a unified look (particularly useful in a vacant property). At the very least, though, I usually insist on the consultation, as the relatively small investment of money and time usually translates to a faster sale for a higher price. And we all like that.

Don’t forget that the RRSP contribution deadline for 2012 is a mere two days away, on March 1.

If you’re considering 2013 as the year you enter Calgary’s housing market – and property is more affordable than it has been in years – make sure you consider this excellent money-saving opportunity. While your RRSP funds won’t be earning interest for you until you repay them, a larger down payment on your first home means lower mortgage payments and often better terms.

It’s coming on renovation season: that time of the year, after the Christmas credit card bills are paid, when people start itching to have a little work done around the house. Maybe it’s with the intention of selling soon – if so, I know a great Realtor – or maybe it’s just to freshen things up and fix some issues that became all too apparent over the last few housebound months. Regardless, contractors love the spring.

Unfortunately, lots of homeowners just have no idea what rights they do and don’t have when it comes to hiring a contractor. A good friend of mine worked for the Better Business Bureau for a number of years, and found that, consistently, home renovation companies were among the most complained about, month after month. Not just shoddy workmanship, either: lots of outright scammers come out of the woodwork, so to speak, to prey on people’s inexperience with door-to-door offers too good to be true. It’s sad, and it costs a lot of people a lot of money.

The esteemed renovation superhero Mike Holmes wrote up a straightforward and informative article for the National Post back in December; Calgary’s BBB has sound and thorough advice on their website too. Maybe the most important thing people don’t seem aware of is that, in Alberta, it is illegal for a contractor to ask for any money before the job is done unless they have a Prepaid Contractors License from the government. Sure, it sounds reasonable when the guy standing in your living room asks for 50 percent down to cover materials, but unless he or she is properly licensed, you have zero guarantee that you will actually get anything for that money, and little recourse if you get burned. Trust should be earned, not assumed. A contractor has to have a proven history to secure that license, and also must put up a substantial bond against which a dissatisfied homeowner can claim if things really go sour (meaning the agreed work doesn’t get done, not the hardwood doesn’t complement the couch like expected). Plus, you can visit the Service Alberta website to search a company name and find out if they are licensed to take payments, rather than just taking someone’s word for it. My opinion, don’t hire a contractor who isn’t licensed.

Beyond that, Holmes makes a solid argument that good contractors are busy, many to the point that they’re turning projects down, and so they don’t need to go door-to-door for work; the ones who do show up at suppertime offering to repair your roof should maybe be eyed suspiciously. Certainly don’t hire anyone on the spot without doing a bit of research, including with the BBB and Service Alberta. That bit of extra effort could really save you some hassle – and money – later on.