Staging Guide
Getting your home ready to show and sell can make the difference between a quick sale and a long market time. Setting the stage may or may not get you more money but it can reduce the time it takes your home to sell, which does save you money. Setting the stage to show and sell your home is a two phase project. First, the things you need to do before you put your home on the market and secondly the things you need to do before EVERY showing.
CLEAN EVERYTHING
Your home should sparkle. Don't overlook light fixtures, a clean fixture can make a huge difference in the lighting in a room. While you are cleaning the fixtures replace dim bulbs with bright ones. Make sure your bathrooms are spotless, faucets should be shiny, counters empty except for a few accessories, fixtures cleaned and fresh (get the rust stains out of the toilet etc), mirrors should be clean and streak free. The same goes for the kitchen - sparkling faucet, clean shiny sink, cabinet fronts should be wiped down or cleaned, replace drip pans on the range. Wash all light switches, we don't realize how the fingerprints collect on these. Go through your home room by room and make sure everything has been cleaned, even the utility room and furnace.
MAKE MINOR REPAIRS
That dripping faucet or toilet that won't quit running may just be a quick 10 minute repair but left alone can become a concern for the buyer. "Maybe there is a plumbing problem" , "we better offer less" or "there is too much deferred maintenance in this house" are typical comments from buyers.
Touch up paint or paint a whole room if needed. The drawings your kids made on the wall will not be considered art by potential buyers. Touch up woodwork where needed. The scratches your dog made on the door (or worse chewed the woodwork) should all be fixed and painted. Re-caulk tubs and showers.
DE-CLUTTER
Rent a storage unit if you have to. Try to look at your home through the eyes of a buyer. That stack of stuff in the corner that you are so used to looking at needs to be removed. If your home is small and or crowded consider rearranging or removing furniture . The exercise equipment that you never use - Store It! Accessories are wonderful and should remain in moderation. Go to some model homes and see how they look. They have accessories, but nothing is overdone. Closets should be uncluttered also. Remove out of season clothes and give all those things you no longer need to charity. Stack things neatly on shelves.
OR ADD
If your furnishings are sparse, borrow some pictures for the walls, cover the beat up sofa with a throw and bring in a flower arrangement. Just use common sense, make your home look the best you can. If you are unsure Call a home staging professional. You will be amazed what they can do with what you already have
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT
Paint your front door. Sweep away leaves, cobwebs etc. I can't stress this enough, potential buyers are already deciding if they like your home while waiting for the REALTOR® or homeowner to unlock the door.
Pick up every room. Straighten or remove newspapers, magazines, mail, toys, clothing, sports gear and dishes. Make the beds and plug in the deodorizers or other good smelling stuff and empty all trash cans (make sure empty cans are clean).
Open all blinds and shades. Turn on ALL lights whether is is day or night (closets and utility rooms too).
Maintain a comfortable temperature winter and summer. You want the potential buyers to spend time in your home and not hurry through because it is to warm or too cold!
In winter make sure all sidewalks and steps are free of ice and snow (for safety as well as appearance). In summer keep lawn mowed and sidewalks edged etc. If you have automatic sprinklers, schedule them for early morning or late evening when there are few showings, that way potential buyers have the opportunity to walk around the exterior of the home and check out the yard without getting soaked.
Vacuum all carpets. Especially if you have pets! Sweep dust or vacuum the kitchen floor, dust furniture if needed.
Make sure there are no dirty dishes in the sink or crumbs on the counter. A spotless sink and faucet leave a good impression on potential buyers!
Last but not least, take the cat, cat litter, and or dog out of the home before the showing. I know this is not easy. The cat litter should be removed if possible, but if not at least clean it immediately before you leave or put it in the garage. If you have guinea pigs, hamsters or other small pets make sure the cages are cleaned daily.
Home Staging to sell property Guide
Home Staging to sell is property investment at its most cost effective.
Home staging is appropriate pre-sale property presentation (or House Doctor/doctoring) where techniques are used to present the property at its most desirable to the potential buyer whilst keeping costs to a minimum.
Maximizing the profitability of the property which you own makes wise financial and economic sense but may be overlooked by some homeowners, who at the point of choosing to move, want to start to market their home as quickly as possible and may overlook some basic and essential preparation.
A Home Staging Professional can help to present the home setting the scene for the potential buyers so that the vendor can sell more quickly. Staging is impersonal, usually requiring a trained and objective eye to help the seller see past the lived in memories and refresh the home so that a potential buyer feels that they could be at home and begin to imagine themselves living there. A Home Staging Consultant can help the seller to avoid making time consuming and expensive mistakes, help them with expert advice or a range of services including supplying accessories, recommending trades people and quick one day staging options.
Buyers are impressed by style, possessions and some qualities of a home which will leave with the owner.
They are put off by negative factors such as clutter, untidiness and poor presentation which will also leave with the owner. Buyers are looking to buy a lifestyle not just bricks and mortar and it is possible to provide the right image and greatly increase the chances of a quick sale. New build homes would not sell off plan so easily if the show homes were not there to offer the image to the potential buyer of the home that they could have. A private home seller also needs to assume that the buyer does not have the ability to imagine a stylish home unless they see it with their own eyes.
The overall impression will stay with the viewer after they have left the house and the property has to provide enough appeal and some wow factor whilst giving definition to each living area so that the viewer wants to put in an offer to buy. Most changes to impress a potential buyer and achieve the sale can be made at a reasonable cost, especially when compared to the likely extra profit on the sale or having to drop the price in order to sell. Costs in staging and presenting a property should be relative to the price of the property, possible extra profit to be made, its potential market and location.
Some homes may only need the price of a pot of paint plus de-cluttering, spring cleaning with relocation and careful placing of effective accessories, fresh flowers and change of layout for maximum appeal. Other properties may benefit by minor upgrades of carpeting or flooring and decorating to a number of strategic rooms such as the kitchen, lounge and master bedroom. If the property has significant negative features such as a small garden with a large family house then more added value and improved desirability needs to be added in other ways such as creating a cosy, well designed and pleasant seating and entertaining area as a feature in the garden. Furniture rental options may also be a possibility and can be supplied or recommended by your Home Staging Consultant.
The first rule of home staging is to know the market for the property Is it singles, families, retired, executive etc. and do not to spend large sums on items or changes that may not be appropriate to their needs or tastes. Get this right and you are streets ahead.
The second rule of home staging is to create style with the careful choice of existing furniture and effects and adding essential accessories or other stylish furniture items. Less is usually more in this instance and possessions will need to be thinned out appropriately ready to move. Mirrors and stylish reasonably priced art work are often effective items to buy as they add a sense of space, dimension and style. Anything bought for this house which will be useful in the next is an ideal investment; buy the new leather sofa now and treat the kids to more grown up sophisticated bed linen. Get rid of the posters and slatted shelving and replace with framed art work and neat storage units. Maximize the Master bedroom appeal with throws, plump pillows and fresh bed linen. Get the kitchen clean and bright with a few fabulous accessories and as few practical kitchen gadgets as possible. Bathrooms need white brand new towels and mats - put them out just at viewings if necessary. Use neutral backdrops colors to maximize space and add fabulous highlight colors with restraint to add wow factor and create definition. The buyer will want to aspire to your lifestyle!
The key factors in home staging to sell:
Repairs
All need taking care of. None should remain undone to deter the buyer.
Kerb appeal
First impressions are vital to a sale and kerb appeal is essential to achieve. Small costs and effort can be invested for a large potential gain here. It is the area to give the highest priority.
Cleanliness and fresh smells
Absolute deep cleaning is essential and fresh smells to permeate the air. Natural smells and fresh air are by far the best option. Particularly in Kitchens and bathrooms; white towels and hotel type cleanliness is key.
Clear clutter
Clear and clear again until surfaces and cupboards hold only strict essentials. Remove anything that doesn’t improve the look. Considering packing possessions to move or visualizing storing them in the new home often helps in decisiveness about essential items worth keeping.
Spaces
Don’t be afraid of spaces. Don’t line every wall, spaces are necessary for the scheme, the individual pieces and well balanced groups of items must have definition. The buyer is buying space and wants to see that the property is spacious enough for the capital invested in it.
Define the space
Each room must declare a purpose for living in.
Accessorize with style and restraint
Classically eclectic is the British favourite style; used with restraint will appeal to the majority of viewers and turn them into buyers.
Use color wisely
color can warm, relax, add interest, unite, open up a space and sell the house. Understated, neutral color schemes will provide a neutral backdrop. Provide the color and texture in accent color accessories. Re-decoration is not always necessary but can have a significant impact in freshening up the rooms.
Costing upgrades
Costing of changes to the structure of the house relative to the value and ceiling price of the of the house is essential.
Lighting
Effective lighting can bring warmth and an effectively relaxing atmosphere. Be aware of color changes under different lighting options to give best advice to clients.
Nature
Don’t underestimate the effect of nature on the majority of us. A healthy looking green plant in an attractive pot will enliven the room.
Don’t market an empty house.
Rooms look soulless and lack vision and appeal. Furniture rental and accessorizing can be arranged via most home staging consultants.
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