Real Estate Articles

The top goals of all home sellers are to sell quickly and at top dollar. Staging a home appropriately can easily increase the selling price of your home by $5000 to $50,000 with minimal investment. Following the steps below will make your home stand out above others, getting you on your way to a successful sale.

1. Disassociate. It is important to look at the property no longer as your home, but as a piece of property that will make potential buyers reach for their checkbooks. Say your good-byes and picture yourself handing the keys over to the new owner. After you have let go of the emotional attachment to your home, you can more easily stage the house to appeal to the largest audience.

2. Depersonalize. Remove all personal items, including pictures and personalized décor items. Potential buyers need to be able to walk into your home and see themselves and their personal items there. Don’t let them be distracted by your child’s artwork, banners of your favorite football team, or a picture of your Great-Aunt Mitzie. Colors and decorations should be neutral.

3. Declutter. Your house and property should be spotless and free of clutter. Begin packing items that will not be needed and store them at an offsite storage location. Clear off all countertops and tables. Remove large furniture and other items that don’t help to show the true purpose of a room. This will also make the rooms in your home appear larger and allow potential buyers to envision how their own personal items will look. Don’t forget the closets and cabinets - potential buyers WILL peek. Organized, clutter-free storage areas will stand out.

4. Deal with Repairs. Ensure that all plumbing and electrical is in good working condition. Replace burned out light bulbs. Deal with scratches in trim and woodwork. Fill holes in walls. Recaulk countertops, tubs and showers. All of this will show potential buyers that the home has been taken care of. Pay special attention to kitchens and bathrooms, the two rooms that often make or break a home sale.

5. Deep Clean. Every nook and cranny of your home should be clean and free of dust, crumbs, crayon marks, spots and stains. Again, spend a little extra time on kitchens and bathrooms. If flooring is stained beyond repair, consider replacing or offering an allowance for the buyer. Wash windows and screens. Clean up the garage and outside of your home as well. Power wash the garage floor, front porch, deck and siding, trim bushes, mow the lawn and store kids toys and old furniture.

6. Dazzle. Remember you are trying to appeal to a wide audience, so consider updating walls, countertops, flooring, vanities, etc. Does your home need a new coat of paint, inside or out? Tone down any strong colors to appeal to a larger audience. Realize what the most important assets are in your home and stage your home to accent those items. For example, arrange furniture around a large fireplace. Open shades and window coverings to show off large windows and a nice view. Add finishing touches to make your home feel warm, bright, and welcoming for potential buyers.

In order to prioritize the items that will bring you the biggest return for your time and money, walk through your home and create a checklist of needed changes by room. Drive by the front of your home to review curb appeal and walk around the outside of your home as well. Then review your checklist and choose the items that you feel would bring the highest return. Often, it helps to have a friend or family member walk through this exercise with you. Consider hiring a home staging professional to create a checklist for you, help to prioritize items, and/or stage your home for you.

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Lori Vande Krol, a Professional Organizer and Certified Productivity Consultant, is Owner of Life Made Simple, LLC in Des Moines, Iowa. Lori and her company help clients declutter, organize, beautify and simplify their homes, offices and lives…so they have time for what matters most. For more information, visit http://www.alifemadesimple.com or http://www.lmsproductivitysolutions.com

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Stagers impart the feeling of home, not as a sterile show home, but rather with a comfortable, lived-in look. The final step of literally “setting the stage” assures that the house stands out like a glittering jewel in a sea of marbles. Staged vacant homes have a decided advantage over the empty vacant homes on the market. Prospective buyers are better able to envision how the space will accommodate their furnishings when some degree of Staging is done. Stagers help put best face on your property with the goal of selling it fast and getting as much money as possible.

Home staging costs much less than your first price reduction! If your house sits on the market for several months to a year or more, the typical next step is to reduce the selling price. Home staging, or designing to sell, involves coordinating a household in such a way that potential buyers are inclined to move quickly to place an offer. This can lead to multiple bidders and higher purchase prices therefore selling the home quickly. Home Staging is the art of preparing a home for sale so that it sells quickly and for a higher profit margin. Home buyers respond mostly to a home on an emotional level rather than a rational level.

Home staging has become a robust sub business to the real estate industry. It is about using what you have and adding (perhaps) a dash of inexpensive decorator items to make you home more inviting and and appear to be more spacious. Home Staging is not a multi-level marketing business. You don’t have to buy anything and you don’t have to recruit anyone else to join the business. Home staging includes moving, removing or adding furnishings for best impact. Statistics show that homes that have been professionally staged sell for up to 6.3% more and spend 50% less time on the market. Home Staging is becoming an increasingly vital aspect in preparing a home for sale.

Stagers often have a retinue of haulers, painters, and tile refinishers at the ready who are able to do the job quickly and efficiently. They also have a huge inventory of lampshades, plates, rugs, candles, and vases, that they can easily access. Stagers then rent furniture and artwork; those costs are transferred to the client.

Instead of focussing on whether this is the home for them, they may be busy wondering: Is this a divorce? Have they left town? Instead of decluttering the space and depersonalizing it to sell the home, the redesigner works with the furniture and accessories the owner already has, and gives the home a professional “make-over”. Proper placement is one of the most important foundational keys to great design. Instead of being concerned about how well the neighboring competition compares to your property - turn the tables and make them envious of your prime piece of real estate.

With Spring here, so are the remains of winter, especially in the coastal areas. When there’s rain, moisture, and humidity there’s mold and mildew. Just one of the many improvements to make when selling your home or staying in your home is power washing. Power washing is becoming a yearly ritual it seems, and what a difference it makes. It not only looks cleaner, but it is better for your health especially if your allergic to mold and mildew. The mold can be tracked into your home getting into your carpet, not something you want to have happen. You can pick up a power washer for as low as $70 on up. It’s more of a time consuming thing than anything. If time’s a problem, then hire it done, for a relatively low fee.

For you DIY’s they can be rented at your local home improvement center or equipment rental store. Be sure you don’t get too close to surfaces as some of the higher powered machines will strip off layers of paint, and sometimes concrete, especially be careful around windows. Don’t stop with your concrete, get your fence, structure of house (bricks or siding), foundation, patio furniture, rocks or stones around flowerbeds done too. It’s amazing at the transformation, your home will have. A fresh, clean new look will emerge. In most coastal areas this should be done on a yearly basis, so it might pay to buy one, if you have the time to put into it. This is just another way to prepare your house to sell, and make it more appealing for potential buyers.

Please visit http://www.redesignetc.com

Cindy Bryant - Owner of Redesign Etc. a Home Staging & Interior Redesign Service. Serving Houston to Galveston. Regional Vice President of the Real Estate Staging Association for TX, NM, Ok, LA and AR. She is also an active member for the American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners.

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