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Staging a Home with Children

By
Home Stager with Harmonizing Homes LLC

STAGING A HOME WITH CHILDREN

As a Home Stager this is a challenge that must be handle in order to achieve the goals of reducing listing time and obtaining 10-15% more than an un-staged house.  Some of the challenges is just dealing with the children's schedules of meals, naps and bed time with showing a home.  Cleaning and packing with children is extremely difficult.  

Harmonizing Homes has some tips to help young families make their spaces beautiful and ready for sale.

  • There should only be one box of toys per child in the house - the box should include toys that can easily be cleaned up when the telephone rings with a potential client
  • Remove the large items, the play kitchens, barbie castles and race tracks that are taking up $$$ valuable space especially in New York City real estate
  • If you live in the suburbs keep the outdoor toys in garages and sheds - it is important that the yard is neat and tidy for those drive by prospective buyers.
  • Use attractive cubical storage shelves with canvas or wicker baskets for storage in family rooms or bed rooms for toys
  • Use shelving and display toys in rooms - toys can be easily placed back on shelves and taken down.

 If a buyer is really interested in a house most likely the toys will not discourage the sale or turn off the buyer by any means...but it is important when staging a house to sell! The home must remain tidy so that you are not overwhelming a potential buyer from seeing the house as one without toys...this can be difficult for most buyers. They need to see them selves in this house...and if they are childless...this could be difficult.  Some the suggestins that I have made to help promote and sell your home. 

Visit NYChomestager.com for more interesting information.

Harmony

Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Corinne:  These are great tips for home sellers with kids.  Keeping a home neat with little ones running around is a big task, but the neater the home, the less time it wlll be on the market....meaning less time to live the seemingly impossible standard of neatness.

May 29, 2010 04:40 AM
Li Read
Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring) - Salt Spring Island, BC
Caring expertise...knowledge for you!

Good thoughts, here...so important to detach ourselves from the concept of "home", and present a "house"...that's what the buyer is searching for.

May 29, 2010 05:56 AM