As a seller, you want your home to have as many features as possible that will attract better offers from buyers. While every buyer is different and there’s no crystal ball that will give you all the answers, studies and stats show that the following five elements tend to appeal to the widest possible cross-section of home buyers.

Lots of lighting

It’s well-known among realtors that buyers love lighting. Natural light tends to be especially appealing, but if you aren’t in a position to make the changes needed to allow more sunlight into your home, the next best thing is to add more artificial light. Give your home’s new occupants options by setting up dimmers and configuring your setup so that residents can customize the brightness level in each room.

Energy efficiency

In today’s age of rising energy prices, efficiency is front and centre in the minds of many home buyers. As such, homes with extra energy efficiency features tend to draw more interest when they go on the market.

Along with heating and cooling systems, appliances are major sources of household energy consumption. It can be worth upgrading or optimizing these systems before putting your home up for sale. Also, don’t overlook the power of good insulation, especially in the Canadian climate. Adding insulation to key areas like attics and exterior walls inhibits heat loss during the winter and prevents heat gain during the summer, leading to significant energy savings.

Usable outdoor space

There’s some conflicting information out there when it comes to patios and decks. Some sources say these upgrades don’t tend to generate big returns for buyers, while others cite them as must-have features that buyers love. While some statistics indicate that adding a patio or deck won’t necessarily generate a positive return on investment by increasing the value of your home, it can help your home sell faster.

Generally, buyers view usable outdoor recreation space favourably. This is because they can envision themselves using it as a place to relax with family and friends, which is one of the keys to making an emotional connection with a would-be buyer.

Low-maintenance flooring

Attractive, low-maintenance flooring options like laminate and tile tend to be very appealing, since they are resilient and easy to maintain. If you’re thinking about replacing your current flooring before putting your home up for sale, look for the material that best matches your home’s existing look while making upkeep efficient and hassle-free.

Storage space

The more storage space your home has, the better. In fact, it’s a good idea to go through your home and look for underutilized areas that could be converted into more storage space, since this is one of the easiest ways to give your home’s buyer-end appeal a major boost. It can be as simple as adding shelves in creative places and organizing existing storage space so it’s clutter-free and accessible. This is especially important to buyers with families, since streamlined living saves people money while allowing your home’s new residents to acquire new goods as needed without worrying too much about where the old keepsakes will go.

About Jethro Seymour

Jethro Seymour, one of the Top Davisville Village Real Estate Brokers,  is a midtown Toronto residential specialist with over 20 years of sales experience in real estate, marketing, construction and publishing. He has helped many families find homes in Toronto’s great neighbourhoods, and has extensive knowledge of local markets, new home construction, resale home sales, and the condo market. Living in midtown Toronto, Jethro previews many of the homes that come to market for his clients and inventory knowledge. Jethro specializes in Midtown, Davisville  Village and Leaside neighbourhoods. For more information, call Jethro Seymour, Broker.