Special offer

Staging FAQ's-Boca Raton-How Can I Improve My Entry? 10 Helpful Tips!

By
Home Stager

 Staging FAQ’s- Boca Raton- How Can I Improve My Entry? 10 Helpful Tips!

 A frequent question I am asked about Home Staging when providing a staging consultation in Staging Tips for your EntryBoca Raton is how the seller can improve their entry.  Chances are you’ve watched a program on one of the cable channels about the importance of a good first impression when selling your house and this is absolutely true.

 

After your “virtual impression” in your MLS listing, your curb appeal and entry can significantly impact your Buyer.  Ask any agent and they could tell you stories of Buyers who have refused to go into a house after they’ve seen the outside.  

 I’ve addressed Curb Appeal on a broader scope with “10 Points to Consider When Selling Your House.” Let’s look specifically at your entry.....

                      10 Tips for Improving Your Entry- 

1.  Visit Yourself!  Most of us enter our homes through the garage and rarely see what it’s like to stand right outside the front door.  Take a photo! See what others will see.

2.  Look around-What you see is what your Buyer will be seeing as they stand there waiting for their agent to retrieve the key from the lockbox.

3.  Make sure your door is worthy of your house.  I love front doorsand I have seen many doors that did not do justice to the house they guarded.  If you need to paint or re-stain your door, then do it.  If you need to, consider buying a newdoor.
 

4. Assess your door hardware.  The Florida sun and salt air can be hard on door fixtures.  Replace them if they have weathered or look dated or worn.

5.  Light the Way!  Changing out a light fixture is one of the most impactful updates you can make.... and one of the least expensive.  Make sure that whatever fixture you have works.

6.  Step on it!  When was the last time you replaced your doormat?  And please no cute sayings like “Go Away!”

7. Clear the Cobwebs!  Seriously, get out your broom and get rid of them before they scare away your Buyer.

curb appeal- before8.  Give it some life!  If you need to, head out to your local nursery and ask for a colorful plant that will not require a great deal of maintenance.

  

9.  Deweed, behead and divest!  If you have plants and shrubs around your entry spend some time weeding the bed.  Cut back on plants that have overgrown the entry and might impede your Buyer making it to the front door.  And, divest or get rid of plants that have seen better days.

 

10.  Lay out the Red Carpet!  Not literally, but make sure your Buyers will be drawn into the house.  Make sure everything is clean and swept, hosed down or put away.

 

Don’t let your entry block the sale of your house!  Let your Buyers know that they’ve come to the right place.  

Call Room Service! Home Staging for our Staging Consultation for more tips on selling your house in Boca Raton.

 

 

Posted by

Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

In Person Consultations in Texas
for Houston & Harris Counties
and
Virtual Staging Consultations
for all states


Follow My Blog for Practical, Creative,
Easy-to-Do Styling Solutions
Whether You're Selling
or Want to Fall Back in Love
With Your Home
 

561-914-6224
Call or Text

Email Me

About Me
My Blog
   Facebook
Instagram

 

Comments (20)

Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Thank you for sharing the great tips. I agree the front door should look great because first impressions are important.

May 15, 2013 09:34 PM
Bobbie Smith
Stroudsburg, PA
570-242-1891

This is a great and needed post. So many people get used to entering their home through the back door or garage, they forget all about coming in the front and it is either blocked off or unappealing. Great point Kathy. First impressions say a lot.

May 15, 2013 09:35 PM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

So true.....entrance thru the garage has made everyone forget what guests see first....and when they are buyers...all the more important !

May 15, 2013 10:01 PM
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

Some great tips for those selling their homes, Kathy.  The entry is the gateway to the home and the impressions here are important.

May 15, 2013 10:01 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Kathy,

Thank you for the great tips on making an entry inviting! Gabe is right..it is the gateway to your home and those first impressions are so important!

May 15, 2013 10:08 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Kathy - you're so right about many people not using the front door to enter their home that it becomes neglected -- the entry needs to/MUST BE addressed before a home goes on the market for sale.   Improvement in this area definitely bring dollars to the bank!

May 15, 2013 10:11 PM
1~Judi Barrett
Integrity Real Estate Services 116 SE AVE N, Idabel, OK 74745 - Idabel, OK
BS Ed, Integrity Real Estate Services -IDABEL OK

Kathy,

You always have the best tips for staging and getting a home ready to show.  Thank you.

May 15, 2013 10:26 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

You hit a home run with this post BARFF.....excellent suggestions on how to "stage" a house for sale.

May 15, 2013 10:42 PM
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

Another blog with fantastic tips. Many sellers think staging is what is put up on the outside of a home to roof or side it. This does a great jpb in educating them.

May 15, 2013 11:25 PM
Ruth Lerner
William Raveis Real Estate - Brookline, MA

Great tips I'll keep in mind for my listings.  I'm often challenged with two entries: the one to the building and one to the condo.

May 16, 2013 12:39 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Kathy,

Great tips, I was especially delighted by your comments on "cute door mats" that say "Go Away".  When I see those, I always wonder if somewhere deep inside, they mean that...A

May 16, 2013 12:52 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Gita- Front doors/entries are so important and often neglected.

Bobbie-   we had a neighbor who never used the front door.  When we'd go over for a visit, we would often see packages left there that they'd not noticed. 

Sally & David- and this area is so inexpensive to update and get "show ready."

Gabe- It's hard to notice some of these things when you're used to seeing them everyday. 

Dorie- you want the Buyer to begin falling in love with the house before they set foot in it. 

Michael- it sets the tone and expectations!

Judi- and thank YOU!!!

BARFF- I'm loving following you on your new job!!!

Scott- I've spent so much time standing at the front door, waiting for it to be unlocked, it's second nature to me that my eyes wander to the spider webs, etc. 

Ruth- Entries are so important.  Who wants to come home to "Blah".

Alexandra-   LOL  I actually had some good friends who had that door mat at their back door!  

May 16, 2013 01:28 AM
Kristin Hamilton CA REALTOR
Berkshire Hathaway California Realty - Beaumont, CA
(909) 557-6966- Specialize 55+ Communties Banning

Hi Kathy,

What a great post and so complete with great ideas. I hate to go into a home to show and most of the lights are burned out in a room so how can you show it? I have had to go out to my car and get a flashlight and that is totally sad!

May 16, 2013 04:28 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Kathy, this is a great post with some fantastic tips for the owners ... suggested.

May 16, 2013 04:52 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

I'm surprised by how many clients I've had that didn't give any thought to their front door at all.  Most people don't use them and they tend to get neglected.  EXCELLENT advice, Kathy!!

May 16, 2013 08:29 AM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Seriously, getting rid of those cob webs helps. You're so right to "Visit yourself and take a look around" before listing your house for sale!

May 16, 2013 08:33 AM
Broker Patty Da Silva Da Silva
Green Realty Properties® - 954-667-7253 - Cooper City, FL
Top Listing Broker

Kathy,

Curb appeal is so important and your tips are just fabulous!

May 16, 2013 09:39 AM
Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Kathy, those are some useful tips to improve your entry.  First impressions count!

May 16, 2013 11:15 AM
Anna Dovger
Add Value Home Staging LLC, 281-704-6607 - The Woodlands, TX
Home Staging -The Woodlands, TX

Kathy, very good advice. Entry way is so important and you are so right that many people enter thought the garage door. I had clients who had no idea that their door bell doesn't work. My other client's main entry looked like it hasn't been used since they moved in...made me think that I'm entering some hidden rear entrance.

May 18, 2013 02:23 PM