Bedrooms and Baths

Bedrooms and Baths play a major role in the sale of a home. Buyers want bedrooms and baths with ample storage space, to be good repair and sparkling clean. Your bedrooms and baths may already be updated and well-maintained, but if not there are a few simple steps you can take to appeal to prospective buyers. A fresh coat of paint and a thorough cleaning job may be all it takes to get these “deal breaker” spaces market-ready.

Appeal to buyers with a brighter bath

Painting the walls and ceiling is the easiest and least expensive way to update and brighten a bathroom. A neutral color such as white, off-white, beige or light gray will appeal to most buyers. Generally, gloss or semi-gloss finishes are more soil, steam and water-resistant and can better withstand repeated scrubbings.
Brighten the room with light, airy window treatments. If natural sunlight is unavailable, use artificial lighting to lighten the room. Use the highest wattage light bulbs your fixtures will allow. And adding well-placed mirrors will both brighten and expand a small bathroom.

Keep it clean

Smell is one of the first things buyers notice upon walking into a home, and the bathroom especially can be a troublesome area. Maintaining an older bathroom is important because worn surfaces are likely to trap odors and may be hard to keep clean. Have room deodorizer handy and put toilet bowl disinfectant in the tank.
Clean by sanitizing walls, floors and porcelain surfaces daily. Polish chrome faucets after every use. Remove stains in grout and from countertops. Shine mirrors and windows. And sweep, mop or vacuum your floors frequently.

Bathroom storage counts

To make your bath look more spacious, keep all of the counterspace clean and clutter-free. It’s best to move all personal items such as cosmetics, toothbrushes, combs and hair dryers from sight.

Don’t just shove everything into your linen closet or medicine cabinet – arrange items neatly because prospective buyers will look inside! This is a good time to go through cabinets and drawers and discard old medications, and duplicate and unused items. To increase your bath’s storage capacity, add a few wire baskets or rolling storage carts if they don’t clutter the room.

Inexpensive enhancements

Remodelling a bath is among the most popular home improvement projects in America – and remodelling costs may be recouped at resale. Walls, floors and counters all lend themselves to relatively inexpensive makeovers. Try to blend colors and styles with those used in adjoining rooms.
Easy updates may include replacing the vanity and sink, installing a new floor or resurfacing a stained tub. An exhaust fan, ceramic tile above the tub, or sliding glass shower doors are relatively inexpensive improvements that can enhance a bath.

Bedrooms for buyers

Bedrooms are very personal rooms – and when prospective buyers look at your home, they will envision their furniture into spaces and imagine their belongings in the closets.
Your goal is to make the bedroom appear as spacious and versatile as possible.

The basics

Wall, window and floor coverings are important components of bedroom décor. Aim for the basics – trying to make the rooms as neutral as possible. Child-oriented wallpaper or pink carpet may keep some buyers from seeing a room’s potential. Painting the walls in white, off-white, beige, or pale gray will appeal to most buyers. Carpet in a neutral color or wood floors will also offer universal appeal. Consider simple mini-blinds or room-darkening shades as the basics for window coverings.
Creating the maximum amount of storage is a must. Pare down on the items you are storing in the closets to make them appear more spacious. Add organizer units, baskets or tubs to corral your possessions.

A fine finish

For a bit of pizzazz:
· Add inexpensive valances or shimmering sheers at the windows.
· Dress up the bed with an arrangement of plump pillows.
· Cozy up the room with reading lamps and a basket filled with magazines.
· Fill the room with the fragrance of fresh flowers or pots of greenery.

Merchandising tips

· Plump up bed pillows.
· Remove all personal items from your vanity or counter.
· Clean the linen closet and medicine cabinet. Wire baskets or dividers may help organize items.
· Hang all clothes in the closet and have items in drawers folded and neatly arranged.
· Fix a drippy faucet or running toilet.
· Remove mildew and stains from tile and regrout or recaulk if necessary.
· Turn on soft lights in the bedroom, and use the highest wattage bulbs possible in bathroom fixtures.
· Clean clogged drains, and remove lime deposits from shower heads.
· Replace a broken toilet seat.
· Tighten hardware and towel racks.
· Clean mirrors, windows and window coverings.
· Hand a new shower curtain.
· Put out decorative bars of soap.

Bobcaygeon is a popular tourist destination town in the Kawartha Lakes, offering a vibrant mix of boutique shopping, casual dining and cultural experiences. Home to the world renowned Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream, Buckeye Surf & Snow, Buckeye Marine, Kawartha Lifestyles Clothing boutique and Bigley’s, a visit to Bobcaygeon is a must when in Kawartha Lakes.

Restaurants offer year round seasonal menus supplied from the many local farms surrounding the area. The Bobcaygeon Inn, Graz, Just for the Halibut, The Italian Hot Table, Eggsmart, Lakeside Chinese Food and Donnatella are open for business year round. Arriving by boat? Enjoy Bobcaygeon Waterfront in your favorite way, pick up a bike from the Bike Share program at Lock 32 and explore the town or stroll to the Beach Park to enjoy a sunset over Sturgeon Lake.

Bobcaygeon is a trail town along the Trent Severn Waterway and home to Lock 32, the first lock to be constructed and most visited lock on the historic waterway. Enjoy free WiFi at the locks courtesy of Cable Cable another locally owned and operated business in the Kawarthas.

The towns of Dunsford and Downeyville on Sturgeon Lake surround Bobcaygeon and are home to camping and cottage rentals as well as opportunities to buy local food from members of our Kawartha Choice Farm Fresh program.