"We try to upgrade the house," Wilson said. "Not just staging but fixing all the little things people just don't get around to doing." And that can mean many different things depending on the property. From something as simple as tightening a loose door handle or updating a no-longer-fashionable wall colour scheme to completely gutting a house and turning it over for nearly twice the original value.

"It's a total turn-key solution," Wilson noted. "Most agents tell you what to do and leave. We present the house in the best possible way, which is vital because buyers are always comparing houses."

As Wilson sees it, the emotional attachment that comes with home ownership can often work against a seller. Naturally, there will always be unforgettable memories associated with a home.  Whether it's a young couple's only purchase, a baby's first steps or simple longevity, a home fosters great emotional pull. But to be more realistic, the person buying the house does so to create their own memories -- not because of the past ones some sellers would like to remind them of by keeping their look very personalized.

"You want to appeal to a broad audience," Wilson cautioned, "and I think we have a sense of what people are looking for. A house is a product and you want your product to stand out."

"It runs the full gamut," said Wilson, who lists off everything from insulating to plumbing to wiring among the team's upgrades. In some cases, "It's becomes a brand new house." Of course, this approach takes a little extra cash up front on the part of the seller, but Wilson lays out the pros and cons of every decision.

In one particular instance, Wilson recalls a client who had previously been advised by two other agents to sell a house "as is".  With just $5,000 extra to an upgrading, the house sold for $70,000 more than the suggested listed price.