Working With Sellers

At Westmount Realty (formerly Patricia M. Chang Realty) , we help sellers  to stage their homes for sale with Feng Shui and architectural planning principles (hereinafter  referred to as Feng Shui Home Staging) so that your home attracts the perfect buyer which usually results in the highest possible sale price in a shorter time period.

We do not impose our design esthetic on homeowners but rather work with their style, belongings and budget. Before doing anything we make a list of what might be done to display the house at its best and discuss it with the owner for their input and approval. The work could vary from rearranging furniture to allow for a better flow of energy to the involvement of some trades people (e.g. contractors, painters, cleaners etc.) only if necessary.

We have many accessories to help embellish the house such as lamps, paintings, sculptures, crystals and coffee table books. We also have some pieces of furniture that we could lend from our inventory at no cost (occasional tables, garden furniture etc) while other large pieces might be best rented from upscale furniture rental companies to create a certain look.

Our Feng Shui home staging services are included in our competitive commission rates, however if hiring of subtrades and renting of upscale furniture is deemed neccessary, there may be additional costs. Again, this would be done upon approval of the seller.

Some staging companies prefer to completely empty the house of personal photographs. We don't advocate that, preferring to leave the family photographs intact to help maintain or create a certain "happy family" vibe, ...unless there is no such vibe, in which we can help to change that through other means.

We do not believe that it is in the seller's best interests to sell the house empty. It is generally recognized that empty houses take much longer to sell and when they do, it is usually at a lower price. Some people are of the opinion that buyers can envision themselves better in an empty house. However, our experience has shown the reverse to be true and that an empty house will appear to be smaller, not larger as some might believe as furniture gives scale to the space. To keep costs down, we  furnish only a few key  rooms and use much of our own stock at no cost to seller.

Of course an overly cluttered house will also appear smaller so we will help to de-clutter. To de-clutter by oneself is admirable but many just don't have the time or energy. Not to worry...we won't just throw out your stuff like they do in those television shows, but rather we will help you to organize and recycle/re-use where possible.

If a homeowner prefers to have their own designer or stager, then that is also fine by us. We are more than happy to let others do this work while still offering our opinion. If the house is already beautifully furnished, then great! However we will still to do a quick check to ensure the highest possible energy is attained.  read more in feng shui stories

Our marketing strategy includes helping to set the correct listing price. We provide the seller with as much unbiased information as possible with our insights on market conditions and all the comparables, current and sold so that they can make an informed decision. We make sure that we know our market by consistently going on "caravan" which are the open houses exclusively for agents . In general, caravans allow your home to be viewed by other agents, regardless of which firm they are with, so if they have a buyer, you can be sure they will show it because they want to make the match between buyer and seller! This also gives you maximum exposure and depending on the price range, a chance for mulitple offers, which we have much experience with and when well orchestrated allows for a great price and a quick sale.

We create a listing and promotional brochures  highlighting the home's positive features. High quality professnal  photos are taken showing appealing views of the house (i.e. clutter is out of sight, toilet lids are closed, drapes are opened to let natural light in, etcI.it sounds obvious such photos have been spotted on the MLS!)

Westmount Realty combines  traditional and modern methods  such as Internet Marketing to market your house.  Besides hosting caravans and open houses if agreed, placing ads in Montreal and Westmount newspapers (French and English) we  create presence on the internet. While we could advertise in international printed media  our experience has shown that out of town buyers do their initial search by Internet and then choose a local agent to show them around, give advice and prepare the offer to purchase.  Thus besides MLS.ca which many buyers do refer to, we are affiliate members of the international group http://www.luxuryhomes.com/ and work with SEO (search engine optimization) knowledge for our own website and other real estate sites to increase your home's exposure on the internet. This attracts international and local buyers. Depending on the search words buyers use, often our website is found on the first page of search results.

Some sellers prefer their home not to be marketed by the MLS and we can work with that as well.

Also the decision to sell a home can be a long process, especially if you have resided there for a while. If you are thinking of selling but are not quite ready, we can help you to look for or suggest alternatives to a home to downsize or upgrade to. In addition, if you think you might require Feng Shui home staging, de-cluttering or coaching, and are definitely not ready to sell, we can provide you with those services  (and would deduct that fee from our commission rate should you decide to sell within a certain time period).

Some sellers think that you can only put your home on in the spring, which for our Westmount and Montreal real estate market means January / February. However we find that the best time is whenever you are ready. Often  we find that in the fall months the supply of real estate is low and the buyers are still plentiful so the selling prices are high. Thus we say, when you are ready to sell your house, the buyer will appear.


We, at Westmount Realty, tailor our  work according to your real estate needs!

See Feng Shui Home Staging for before/after photos.
See Resources for ACAIQ's seller's guide
See News from Patricia M. Chang Realty for real estate news.
See Westmount Realty to Feng Shui home stage, market and sell your home!
Click What is My Home Worth so that we may contact you to assess your home's worth at no charge.