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Summer
2007
Stage It!
Is
it me, or is Real Estate Staging a very hot
topic? Never before have I seen so much
activity, from local newspaper articles, to
spreads in the likes of Home Magazine to a
three-part series on the Today show, and
that’s just the last month! Not only are
people TALKING more about staging, but the
facts are that 1 in 5 homes for sale are
BEING staged. Last fall, “Andrea’s
Antidotes” was dedicated to the question “To
Stage Or Not To Stage?”. You can guess what
the answer was and that was before home
prices were falling, in some cases in
double-digits, around the country!
Why stage?
Because in any real estate market, you want
to make your house stand out from the
competitors. A small investment in staging
the house could pay off handsomely in price
and reduced time on the market. There are
some that say for every one dollar invested
in staging, at least two will come back in
purchase price.
Here
are five tips to get you started on your own
staging:
Dig
Out - Your house should be as
clutter-free as possible. This includes
packing away all that you can from cabinets,
closets, kitchen counters, basements,
garages and any other storage areas of the
house. If needed, rent a storage unit
offsite to hold items until you can move
into your new home.
De-Personalize
– The goal is to turn your home into a house
for sale. Leaving personal items around
such as family pictures, memorabilia,
collections, trophies and others will create
the feeling that you are still living in the
home. Additionally, these items tend to
distract buyers from seeing what you really
want them to notice, the features of the
house.
Dispose
of Dated or Dirty Features – Here, you
want to make sure that you are putting the
house’s best foot forward. Investing in
updating and repairing features such as
dated tile, paint colors, flooring,
wallpaper and window treatments will make a
big difference in the appeal of your home to
potential buyers. Additionally, treat
yourself to a cleaning service; including
window cleaners and a thorough clean up of
the outside.
Decorate
– Even if your home is professionally
decorated, it is most likely styled to your
particular taste. The goal is to have the
right furniture placement, art and
accessories to create a warm and inviting
atmosphere that will appeal to as many
buyers as possible. Additionally, often, it
is difficult for buyers to create a vision
of the potential for an empty room or
house. Rather than take that chance, create
vignettes of furniture, accessories and
artwork to help prompt their creativity.
Dazzle
– First impressions are everything when you
are selling your house. If you think that
you can’t critically look at your house,
both inside and out, from the perspective of
the buyer, then get professional
assistance. Remember, it’s all about
helping the buyer see their dream home in
your house. The house should create a
“mental move-in” from the second that the
buyer pulls up to the curb.
See previous Andrea's Antidotes:
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