Home Staging Revealed!

Staging and Decorating Bedrooms

2009-05-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

Stagers don't just stage to sell - we also help homeowners decorate spaces they find difficult to work with on their own.

Bedrooms are a huge selling feature of a home - think bigger is better. If you DON'T have a luxury master bedroom, try these tips to create a bedroom with WOW factor...

Click to Read the Article:
Home Staging Bedrooms

On the other hand, if you're trying to make a decorative statement in your kid's room, but you're stuck for ideas, try out these suggestions for a fun and easy-to-change bedroom. After all, they won't be little for long!

Click to Read the Article:
Kid's Room Decor Ideas

Painting Kitchens for Staging

2009-04-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

Thinking about updating your kitchen for a sale? It's a very wise investment, however, to get your best ROI (return on investment) you should stick to money saving options that look great.

I've written an article on choosing the right color for painting your cabinets and how to paint wood, melamine or metal kitchen cupboards.

I hope you find it useful: 'Painting Kitchen Cabinets'

Home Staging on a Budget

2009-04-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

As a Suite101 writer I now have the opportunity to share my love of home decor and staging with a wider audience. Please check out these new articles on "Home Staging on a Budget" for all you do-it-yourselfers, and "How Much Should You Spend on Home Staging?", OR find out how I can help you save with some sound advice and some easy staging tricks!

Staging Helps You Sell - Myth or Reality?

2008-04-29T23:04:00.001-07:00

A slight diversion from my previous posts - I was interested to find the headline of the Vancouver Sun of April 26th to be "15 Real Estate Myths and Realities." Naturally I was curious what the article would discuss. What I found should be of interest to anyone selling their home, in Vancouver or elsewhere.

"Myth# 13: A home that has been staged using professional design principles to make it more appealing to buyers sells and for more."

Myth or Reality? "REALITY"

A short comment on the impact staging makes on buyers, along with the admonishment that No, buyers WON'T look past your stuff, accompanied other myth and reality checks about selling your home. Some of the other topics included whether flipping is profitable and what renovations will or won't pay off, something your home stager may be able to help you decide.

The confirmation given should help you appreciate the need to get your home market ready. If you haven't already started, please review some of my previous posts for step-by-step instruction, or, go to my website at www.artisanhomestaging.com for more information.

step #5: Be a Handyman (or Woman!)

2007-08-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

NOW is the time to start working on those little projects you've been putting off!

In your mind you may feel that after all your cleaning and decluttering the little jobs should be easy enough for the new buyer to fix up. They WON'T! Little things, even if they are not a serious problem, will add up in the buyer's mind and leave them with the impression that A) the house has not been maintained well (meaning there could be WORSE problems they can't see) and B) they will have to be bothered with the repairs instead of being able to move in and get settled right away.

In either case, you are not doing your best to attract TOP DOLLAR offers, are you? So get out your tool box and repair the loose cabinet door, replace the missing baseboard and fix the leaky tap.

Don't forget bigger jobs either - what you pay now could be the difference between a good offer or a low one or even none at all! Watch for mold, cracked pavement, rotting wood and missing drainpipes. If you're buyers don't notice these things the home inspector will and if the offer stands they will likely ask for discounts to pay for these repairs.

Doing your best to make a great first impression will always pay off. Remember that each job you do is money in your pocket at the end of the day and stay motivated!

Up Next: Curb Appeal!

Step #4: Clean it UP!

2007-01-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

So the new year is here and you're serious about getting your house on the market. Maybe you started clearing the clutter and packing some non essential items away but now it's time to take a serious look at the nitty gritty areas of your house.

Buyer's are looking for faults - be prepared. Stained carpets, water marks on the ceiling and crayon on the walls mean hundreds of dollars off your bottom line. Why lose money and potential buyers when a weekend of heavy cleaning will have your home gleaming?

Here are the basic areas to watch for - once you start looking at your home like a buyer all the 'invisible' dirt you didn't notice will suddenly start looking like money going down the drain!

1) Clean the carpets - hire a carpert cleaner or a company - the difference can be miraculous, especially if regular shampooing has not been done in a few years.

2) Clean the walls. A Magic Eraser will do wonders cleaning fingerprints, crayon and scuffs off your walls. Pay attention to door frames and light switches which tend to show the most wear.

3) Clean the windows. Light and bright is what sells homes. Give yours the best showing with crystal clear windows. You may be surprised at how much a small layer of dust or grime cuts the light entering your home.

4) Bathrooms and Kitchens. These are the critical areas buyers will look at. Food preperation and personal hygeine are areas where sanitation is of huge importance. A dirty sink, stove or toilet will turn buyers off immediately. If harsh chemicals bother you don't forget that a paste made from baking soda and water works wonders on cutting grime and white vinegar will make bathtubs and other surfaces shine!

5) Get rid of odors - smelly laundry, garbage cans and closets need to be freshened up. Keeping these areas regularly cleaned is important, but in a pinch don't forget air neutralizers. Don't mask smells with freshers, use the right tool for the job.

6) Leaves still covering the yard? Garage filled with junk? Plan a weekend to tackle the big jobs as soon as possible so that your only cleaning before a home showing is touch ups and general maintenance.

Once you've acheived a thoroughly clean, decluttered home there are only a few steps left!

Next: Repairs

Step #3: Lose Your Personality

2006-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

"Lose your personality? What is she talking about?"

Here is the difference between a show home and your home - anyone could be living in a show home. That's the key to staging a home for sale - take out the personality of the owner so that potential buyers can imagine it as their OWN home.

Take a look at this example: Sample Rooms

Do you ever browse decorating magazines? Rarely do you see personal photos, quirky collections or day-to-day items laying around. How can you mimic this look?

1) Remove large collections of family photos. Photos are a huge personal stamp on your home making it more difficult for buyers to imagine themselves in the home. Instead, they're just getting to know the present owners.

2) Clear off the fridge door! We all do it, but now is not the time to leave out pictures and messages for visitors to read and view.

4) No makeup, lotions, curling irons or other personal items in the bathroom. Grooming areas are very personal - make it as clean and de-personalized as possible.

5) Remove collections that have limited appeal. Love unicorns/heavy metal/frogs? Now is the time to pack your special mementos, posters and other collectibles away. Remember, you're not selling your taste or collections, you're selling your house.

For some home sellers the advice to remove personal items is the most difficult to follow. These items have personal memories and feelings attached. Just remember - selling your home is BUSINESS - make this a business decision and you will reap the profits!

Next: Cleaning Up!

Step #2: Declutter for Dollars!

2006-11-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Decluttering is one of the most important steps owners need to take before putting their home on the market.

Face it - we all live with too much stuff don't we? And if you've motivated yourself to keep the visible areas of your home clutter free how about your closets and cupboards? Filled to overflowing? Probably.

Clutter makes our lives a bit more complicated - a few extra minutes looking for car keys or digging through laundry for a clean pair of socks - but often we start to look past it and not notice how much clutter we really have.

BUYERS WON'T!

Buyers will judge you and your home based on what you leave out for them to see. They'll immediately think there is not enough room or storage space. It will also be more difficult for them to see the potential of their furnishings in the space because they're so distracted by your mess. And don't think they won't go looking behind closed doors - they will!

So start weeding out those closets and putting the toys in storage. You may need to keep your stuff, but not where buyers are going to look. Rent a storage unit or store it at your friend's house. Maybe it's even time to let go of some the excess at a garage sale!

De-cluttering will do two important things: it will make your home look more spacious AND it will make cleaning up for showings much easier for you to do. You'll improve the value of your home and reduce the stress of selling. Just check out these samples: Sample Home Staging

*Tip: if you don't think your place has clutter just take some photos and see. This will provide you a more objective view of your home than when your standing there in person.

Next: Depersonalizing

Step #1 - See Like a Buyer

2006-10-31T09:45:00.000-08:00

The first secret to staging your home for sale is to take off your 'owner's' glasses and look at your home with 'buyer's' glasses.

Why is this so important?

As an owner you have probably learned to ignore certain aspects of your home - its state of repair, cleanliness or decor. Aspects that may jump out to a buyer and turn them off. It can be very difficult to look objectively at your own home which is why hiring a home stager, even as a consultant, is a good idea. However, if you can separate yourself from your home and look at it as a product being marketed rather than your personal space, you should be able to see things critically.

What to look for?

Chipped paint, dead plants, cobwebs in corners, unfinished projects, dated decor and don't forget odors! Asking a trusted friend to give an honest opinion goes a long way since we are often desensitized to smells in our own homes - think mildew, dogs, litter boxes, garbage and food odors.

Be sure to take special note of areas that might worry buyers about the structure of the home; rotting wood, cracked foundations and missing gutters (especially if there's a puddle developing near the foundation) will alert buyers to problems ahead.

Next up? De-cluttering!

Home Staging Revealed!

2006-10-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is my first posting for Home Staging Strategies. I hope you're as interested in learning more about home staging as I am eager to share with you!

If you are currently putting your home on the market perhaps you've already considered home staging. Many realtors are now recommending home staging as a practical step to getting your home ready for the market. Why?

The truth is that the market is often far more particular about the kind of house they'll buy than we give them credit for. With new constructions competing for your buyer's attention you are going to loose out if you aren't aware of the marketing tactics professionals use - including staging.

What exactly is home staging? It encompasses a number of things; de-cluttering, brightening and decorating are the typical services offered by stagers. However, they may also recommend repairs, renovations and landscaping services depending on the scale of the project. Prices for these services vary and I will go over this in a future posting.

I will be sharing many more details with you here, so sign up for a subscription to find out the details to getting YOUR home staged to SELL!