Staging a Home for Sale

We can’t stress enough the importance of presenting your home in the best possible way. There are so many things that can be done to encourage a positive impression. A well thought out plan will be well worth your efforts.  It’s important to take stock of what you have and prioritize while taking into account your time frame, your goals and your resources. Listed below are suggestions.

• Simplify rooms and remove as much unnecessary furniture and items as possible.
• Remove collections and all clutter, all the paper and the “stuff”. Take almost everything off of the counter tops. Empty closets.
• Think of highlighting the features of the house rather than the features of the things in the house. Remember you plan to move. Pack it up and either get rid of it or store it. It will make your future move easier.
• Make sure to have all the rooms set up. If you have an office or loft you have been using to store things, get rid of the clutter and set up as a simple office or bedroom space.
• In the bathrooms remove all the towels except fresh hand towels and all toothbrushes and toiletries from both the sinks and the shower. Make it sparkling clean. Use fresh flowers and decorative soap on the counter instead.
• Paint, paint paint! It’s one of the most inexpensive things you can do with the highest impact. Choose high appeal colors.
• Attend to all the little fixes. Do all the outlets have covers? Are there holes in the walls from paintings that have been moved? Are there nicks in the wall? A broken tile? You don’t want to give the impression that the home has not been maintained.
• Consider refinishing the wood floors and possibly removing some of the carpets.
• Open up the windows. Clean the glass and remove or pull up all the shades. Let the light in.
• Add lighting and turn it all on. Add more lighting than you think you need. Change to higher wattage bulbs. Make sure you have the same bulbs for the recessed lighting in each room.
• The front yard should look it’s best. It will often determine whether or not the potential buyes will go inside. Many buyers will look at the photos and drive by and then decide whether to make an appointment.

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Here is short list of five things to make sure to do prior to selling your home

Presentation is so important! In order to get the most out of the sale of your home, prepare your house the best you can.

1. Make sure all the switches and outlets have covers, and they are clean.
2. Every room needs adequate lighting, including the basement.
3. Replace burnt out light bulbs. They should all be high watt bulbs. Burnt out bulbs show terribly in photos.

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Once you have made the decision to sell your home, you have made the decision to move! We find that many clients would like to try to keep their house the way they live in it with as little disruption as possible. A worthy goal but a goal that may be easier to achieve if many of the possessions are actually packed and possibly moved out of the house. Once your home is on the market, you will need to be able to get it in showing condition very quickly for each appointment. Start with your storage areas first. That will give you the space to organize what you would usually have out or use frequently. Here are a few tips on where to start: (more…)

John & Cindy Farrell – Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

The way you prepare and stage your home varies depending on what season it is. In addition to the suggestions we give you for the general staging of your home and preparing for photos. We have a few recommendations to help you in the winter.

• Make sure the heat is on! If the potential buyers are cold they won’t be able to relax and the house will feel uncomfortable to them. We have seen showings cut very short in cold homes.

• Your house needs to smell good. Remember the windows will not be open. Make sure the house is very clean and all pet smells are taken care of. Do not try to cover odors with air fresheners or candles. (more…)

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

After you have done the initial staging of your home and prepared it for photos the next step is to get ready for the showings. Once people are in your home they will be opening the closets, opening your refrigerator, opening the microwave and opening the oven.

See this great post on the National Association of Realtors blog, Styled Staged and Sold, by Melissa Dittman Tracey about staging your refrigerator.

It’s especially important if you are leaving the appliances with the home to have them very clean and well presented. Even if you aren’t leaving the appliances their condition will leave a general impression of how a home has been maintained and cared for. (more…)