Surprising results were found in Royal LePage’s House Staging Poll (2006). While 36% of home buyers said that they would be willing to pay a premium for a home with an updated decor, it was the men who favored this feature more strongly! Forty-one percent of men said it was an important feature, while only 30% of women said updated decor made a home worth more money to them.

Doesn’t that go against every preconceived notion we might have had about a home buying couple?!

It causes me to ask why would this be so? If most men are like my Hubby, they admit that they just don’t have a clue about what goes with what.

But maybe that’s it! Perhaps more men value purchasing a home that is already ”decorated”, precisely because they feel incapable of doing it themselves.

While the Poll didn’t get into the why’s of the results, senior manager of Royal LePage Services, Diane Usher, did say . . . 

“A contemporary and minimalist space with neutral coloured walls and a limited number of personal items appeals to most buyers and ensures the best results when selling a home.”

Both genders agreed that they would far rather spend more money on a home that was move-in ready, than to purchase a lower priced home that required updating and renovating. A full 63% of today’s home buyers would rather spend their money . . . than their time.

What does this mean to home sellers?

If we want to maximize the value in our homes, we need to be willing to go that extra mile to prepare it for sale. Not sure where to start? Ask about one of our Staging Consultations to get you started on the right track.