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Preparing your house for sale-How to make it easy!

By
Home Stager

Preparing your house for sale-How to make it easy!

 

It’s stressful selling your house!  Agents, home inspections, painting, cleaning, not to mention buying a new home and getting readyquestion for the home you’re moving to.

 

And then that annoying cable show is telling you that you have to stage your house too! Knock down this wall, remove the cabinets, replace the countertops.

 

Well yes, all of the updates would have been nice but sometimes it just doesn’t fit into the budget or timetable.

 

Let me give you the one thing you can do (well there are many but this one is important) that is relatively inexpensive, requires very little skill, and something you will be doing sooner or later.

 

What is it?

 

Pack it up!!!

 

home staging before and after

 

1.Inexpensive

All you need are some trash bags, packing boxes, and packing tape.

 

2.Requires Very Little Skill

Pick it up and either throw it away, put it in a box to donate or give away to someone, or put it in a box to be stored until you move into your new home.

 

3.You’ll be doing it soon anyway.

Seriously your house will sell and you’ll be moving so this stuff has to go somewhere. And more to the point...the sooner you edit what you have, the sooner you’ll sell your house.

 

before and after staging

This seller packed up their personal photos and replaced the area with a mirror...less distracting, right!

 

In an ideal staging world, walls would be painted a lovely shade of neutral gray/taupe with white trim. Kitchens and bathrooms would be updated and the house would look like it just stepped out of House & Garden.

 

But, when you can’t, one thing you CAN do is pack up...edit the extraneous, and let your buyers see the possibilities.

 

 

home staging before and after office

Even though this office was just off the Master, look at the difference made by packing up the extras. 

 



Posted by

Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

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


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Comments(49)

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

I do this every so often in my home, Kathy, and I'm not moving anywhere anytime soon. I look at clutter and it annoys me. I can't figure how my bookcase ended up filled with so much crap until I look in the mirror. Then I get ruthless, poor Ruth, and I throw everything out.

Aug 25, 2017 07:10 PM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

This is a great tip .. and one that would easy to get the seller to consider.

Aug 25, 2017 07:23 PM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Kathy

Preparing your home for sale . . . . pack it up . . . . light it up  . . . . clean it up . . . . and sell it.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Aug 25, 2017 07:43 PM
Athina Boukas
Virginia Capital Realty - Richmond, VA
Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)

What a difference in the after photos! It is much easier to keep the house clean when there is no clutter.

Aug 25, 2017 08:53 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Kathy simple and easy advice, than why is it so hard to convince many clients? Just thinking out loud, Endre

Aug 25, 2017 10:18 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

And sellers should keep asking themselves, "Do I really want to unpack this at the new place and find a spot for it?" If the answer is "no," get rid of it!

Aug 26, 2017 03:33 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

In todays hot Real Estate market, packing is wise as moving will certainly follow

Aug 26, 2017 05:31 AM
Tony and Suzanne Marriott, Associate Brokers
Serving the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Metropolitan Area - Scottsdale, AZ
Haven Express @ Keller Williams Arizona Realty

Kathy Streib "Pack it up!!!...Inexpensive...Requires Very Little Skill... and You’ll be doing it soon anyway... your house will sell and you’ll be moving so this stuff has to go somewhere."

Right on target - and - re-blog!

Aug 26, 2017 06:07 AM
Shirley Coomer
Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living - Phoenix, AZ
Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, Phoenix Az

Great tips and not always expensive.  The reaction of buyers looking at homes that are cluttered versus those that are showing ready is amazing.  Buyers do get distracted by clutter.

Aug 26, 2017 06:12 AM
Rosalind Nicholas
RE/MAX Condos Plus Corporation, Brokerage - Toronto, ON
Toronto Condo Real Estate Agent, Toronto ON

This is a great tip and good advice to give to clients, who are preparing to sell their home. Packing is something they need to do anyway ......

Aug 26, 2017 08:41 AM
Richard Bazinet /MBA, CRS, ABR
West USA Realty - Scottsdale, AZ
Phoenix Scottsdale. Sellers, Buyers & Relocations

Great advice as always Kathy. Sometimes the little things can make a big difference!

Aug 26, 2017 12:19 PM
Sybil Campbell
Fernandina Beach, FL
Referral Agent Amelia Island Florida

Thanks for sharing the photos Kathy, some people just don't get it. 

Aug 26, 2017 12:59 PM
Dr. Karen Lewis, Broker 954-2489149
Align Right Realty K1 Group - Fort Lauderdale, FL
No Compromise When it Comes to Our Clients!

Kathy Streib I love the article and it's amazing how one can do so much at an inexpensive costs and we can use this article as an agent if our client does not want to pay for home staging?

Aug 26, 2017 01:29 PM
Dave Halpern
Dave Halpern Real Estate Agent, Inc., Louisville, KY (502) 664-7827 - Louisville, KY
Louisville Short Sale Expert

"You'll be doing it soon anyway" is a simple yet profound statement. If you want to sell your house faster and for more money, pack it up and move it out.

Aug 26, 2017 01:40 PM
Bruce Kunz
C21 Solid Gold Realty, Brick, NJ, 732-920-2100 - Howell, NJ
REALTOR®, Brick & Howell NJ Homes for Sale

Thanks for sharing, Kathy Streib . It is just common sense!  You'll be doing it soon enough so why no Pack It Up to get started!!
Bruce

 

Aug 26, 2017 07:16 PM
Chad Felter
Virginia Beach, VA
Providing service through out Virginia.

Great article about staging for the sale. It seems that the key is decluttering the space and eliminating the knicknacks. I never like seeing personal possesions when showing an accuped property. It just makes sence to put them away out of sight. Even closets should be emptied as much as possible to give the impression of more roominess in such a confined space.

Aug 26, 2017 09:50 PM
Debra Leisek
Bay Realty,Inc Homer Alaska - Homer, AK

This is so spot on right! It really is the easiest smartest thing to do Pack up! It solves so many problems and helps the move to the new home too!

Aug 27, 2017 12:45 AM
Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp
SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties - Bourbonnais, IL
The Home Inspector With a Heart!

When I walk into a home for an inspection, it's obvious o me which home sellers listened to their agent and "packed it up." Then there are all the rest. 

Aug 27, 2017 05:28 AM
Linda Metallo DiBenardo
RE/MAX Impact, Lockport, Illinois - Lockport, IL

Kathy, your photos say it all.    

Aug 28, 2017 06:38 AM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

Packing up is always step 1 when you are going to sell.

Aug 30, 2017 11:29 AM