Tips on staging your house to SELL....

Have you thought about staging your house?...A few thoughts from a staging expert.

If you build it they will come. Sound familiar? If you create an atmosphere that is warm, cozy, inviting and clean, potential buyers are more likely to envision themselves living in the house. This is the whole point of staging. Houses that are staged sell faster on average than homes that are not.

Staging is putting that added personal touch into the home. Getting all the areas cleaned up and streamlined to create an inviting atmosphere to your potential buyers.

Most people have too much "stuff" or clutter around and the prospective buyers are less likely to see past the clutter. De-cluttering is a way to start. You want to try and accent the strengths of your home and downplay the weak areas for optimal selling potential.

When potential buyers walk into a home that is clean, stylish, functional and esthetically pleasing to the eye, they are more likely to "feel" like they could live there.

Staging can range from small things like cleaning up messy areas like counter tops, book shelves, closets and kids areas to for example, completely furnishing an empty house if someone has been relocated to another state and had to take their belongings with them.

Here are a few of my tips for staging:

1. Depersonalize as much as possible, i.e., remove all personal photos, any religious based items and toys.  For those of us who have children, which equals toys, they CAN live with less. 
2. Re-paint any room that has a "dated" color with a neutral choice.  Commit to a neutral color, so as not to have someone wonder if it's beige or dirty.  Benjamin Moore's Carrington Beige with high gloss white trim is always crisp
3. Remove furniture from rooms that are unnecessary or appear to make the room appear crowded.  Normally first time home buyers aren't moving in with a house full of furniture, so help them visualize themselves in the space.
4. Ensure up-keep of house is complete - inside and out.  Don't overwhelm them with an overgrown yard, incomplete projects or stained/dirty carpet.
5. Remove specialty items that you do not intend to convey.  If that chandelier in the dining room is something you intend on taking with you when you move, take it down and replace it with another one.  You don't want this to be an issue later.
6. Provide additional property information.  If you have replaced windows or have energy efficient appliances, leave product manuals and brochures in a folder on the kitchen counter.  If you have prior utility bills that convey a reasonable cost, provide a copy of the last three months for their review.
7. Have frequent Open Houses in April.  With the First Time Homebuyer's Tax Credit expiring on April 30^th, you want to have as much foot traffic through your home as possible!

 Feel free to contact me about staging your home and the positive affects it can have on selling your house.