Holi & Real Estate in Canada: Lessons for Home Buyers
Holi teaches an important real estate lesson: look beyond colours and cosmetic finishes. How Ontario buyers can identify a home’s true potential — and what sellers should take from the same idea.
The short answer
Paint, furniture, decor and window coverings can be changed after closing; location, lot, layout, condition and parking cannot. Holi’s colours make the distinction easy to remember, and Robin Patel works to get the staging and somebody else’s decorating out of the way at a showing, so an Ontario buyer is judging the house itself.
Written forBuyers and sellers across the GTA and surrounding Ontario communities who are learning to judge a property rather than its decorating.
The short version
- Do not judge an entire property by something that can be changed with a can of paint — separate cosmetic items from fundamental ones.
- Cosmetic: paint, furniture, decor, hardware, some fixtures, window coverings. Fundamental: location, lot, layout, condition, parking, major building components, basement configuration.
- Sellers should do the reverse — decluttering and neutral presentation help a buyer visualize their future rather than your past.
- Staging does not change the property’s underlying characteristics, but it can change how buyers perceive it.
- What your cousin or coworker bought does not determine what you should buy. Your income, family, commute and savings are different.
What can Holi teach us about buying a house?
Holi celebrates colour, happiness and renewal, and colour is where the lesson for buyers sits: do not judge a property by something a can of paint can change.
Imagine viewing two homes. House A has colours you dislike, dated furniture and old-fashioned decor, and a good layout, a desirable lot and the rooms your family actually needs. House B is professionally staged and photographs beautifully, and does not fit what you will need in five years.
The answer is not always House B.
Cosmetic problems vs fundamental problems
The skill buyers develop after a few showings is separating cosmetic problems from fundamental ones. Do not let somebody else’s decorating eliminate a house that suits you.
Potentially cosmetic items include paint, furniture, decor, cabinet hardware, some light fixtures and window coverings.
- Location.
- Lot.
- Layout.
- Property condition.
- Parking.
- Major building components.
- Renovation quality.
- Basement configuration.
- Future usability.
| Category | What the guide puts in it |
|---|---|
| Potentially cosmetic | Paint, furniture, decor, cabinet hardware, some light fixtures and window coverings |
| Fundamental | Location, lot, layout, property condition, parking, major building components, renovation quality, basement configuration, future usability |
A lesson for sellers
The opposite lesson applies to sellers. You may love your bright red dining room or highly personalized decor. But selling is about helping prospective buyers visualize their future, not your past.
Depending on the property, decluttering, neutral paint and thoughtful staging may help buyers focus on the home’s features.
Do not measure your purchase against anyone else’s
Holi contains many colours. Real estate contains many different journeys. Your cousin may have purchased a detached house. Your friend may own two investment properties. Your coworker may have purchased a condo downtown.
That does not determine what you should buy. Your income, your family, your commute and your savings are different. Your real estate decision should reflect your colours.
Your real estate decision should reflect your colours.
Robin Patel’s perspective
What Robin sees at showings is buyers weighting the things that are cheapest to change and skipping the things that cannot be changed at all.
The job is not to talk a client into liking a property. It is to get the paint, the furniture and the staging out of the way, so that the layout, the lot and the condition are what is actually being judged.
Common questions
Should I buy a dated house as a first-time buyer? Potentially. A dated home may present an opportunity, but renovation costs, condition and your budget need to be evaluated carefully.
Does staging increase a home’s value? Staging does not change the property’s underlying characteristics, but presentation changes how many people book a showing.
What should I focus on during a showing? Look beyond decor and evaluate layout, condition, location, functionality and how well the property fits your requirements.
Written by
Robin PatelSalesperson · The Agency Toronto
Updated
Published
Read in your language
A machine translation, not Robin’s words. For anything that decides money, ask him in Gujarati or Hindi directly.
