Home staging

[fallinkimaira]

If you could give a seller 3 potential ideas to stage a home for selling. What are the top things that buyers notice when they enter a home that they are interested in buying?

Please, give me your opinions!

[mommyofKandL]

First I say smell, I tell all clients to put dryser sheets in closets w/o vents and pinesol in toilets and sinks when able,  Second I honestly would say dust,,,it is AMAZING how observant potential buyers are as well as how dusty peoples homes are....I know we don't have time to do it all all the time but if you know you have a showing make it all you can.  Last...lets do those lawns...potential buyers in texas anyway are really feeling that the way the outside of the home is taken care of really reflects how they take care of their home in general!!!

http://lilypie.com"> src="http://by.lilypie.com/dxA9m5.png" alt="Lilypie 6th to 18th Ticker" border="0" width="400" height="80">

 http://lilypie.com"> src="http://b1.lilypie.com/Z1qTm5.png" alt="Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker" border="0" width="400" height="80">

[cattitude_1998]

#1  The front door/entrance.  The first thing people see.  If it needs painting, I tell them to paint it.  Take away the "The Smiths" welcome mat and find one that says "Welcome".  Add foliage or some color around the door.  Dress up the entrance.  Keep all the grass, leaves and cobb webs blown or swept off this area. 

2.  Declutter:  The kitchen counter tops, book shelves, bathroom counter tops, and kids rooms.  If its smaller than a football, pack it and store it away. 

3.  Carpets & Paint:  Have the carpets professionally cleaned or replaced depending on its condition.  People notice nasty carpet immediately.  If there are any major paint needs,  especially in hallways and kids rooms.  Go ahead and paint it.  If the walls are easter egg colors... every room a different color and it is in need of a paint job anyway.  I tell them to neutralize it.  

  

[Mashel]

I love these...

1. Clear the floor of all your closets, if you can see the floor you can see how big they are.

2. Remove all personal items, collections, magnets and re decorate each room like it is a hotel room. One main picture, lamps, 1 decoration touch per table or surface.

3. Remove items from around the walls in rooms. No toys, baskets, plants random furniture with no use. If you can see all 4 corners of a room it looks bigger.
 
4. Paint over the kids specialized rooms...not everyone wants a princess hideaway.

5. Pack it up, your moving anyways...



This will make showing easy with less to clean up.

[kn2418]

I just posted a staging thread on my Real Estate Tips group and I would say it's difficult to limit it to just 3! But, I guess a lot could be packed into:

1. Organize:

Clean out closets & cabinets. Clear off cluttered countertops, dressers, tables & walls. De-personalize (remove strong ethnic, religious or personal artifacts). Start packing! Organizing is easier if you get rid of things you don't use on a daily basis. Pack off season clothing, shoes & extra hangers to organize closets. Pack the extra pots & rarely used kitchen appliance, then move things like the toaster into the extra cabinet space to maximize counter space. Remove excess furniture from rooms and organize remaining furniture to make rooms feel more spacious - best trick is to open up the floor space at the entrance of the room!

2. Clean

The place should be IMMACULATE. Clean and whiten tile grout. Scrub out appliances. Get rid of every dust bunny and cobweb - especially in the basement. Wash windows. Clean up the yard. Keep pet messes at bay. Wipe down & polish kitchen cabinets. (Clean inside, too!) Add scented candles or potpourri to the room, bleach pucks to the toilets. Big impact - clean your furnace inside & out, wipe down the water heater, softener, washer & dryer. People forget these things, but a clean & organized basement give the overall impression that everything is in good shape and well maintained - makes for higher offers!

3. Update

What sells homes? Kitchens, baths and master bedrooms. Any way to update - do it. High impact/low cost is paint, light fixtures & cabinet knobs. Next on the list would be flooring - it takes up so much visual space, it's hard for buyers to ignore. Even if you have to use peel & stick vinyl or rip up the orange carpet to expose so-so hardwood - it's better than severely dated flooring and costs less than what the buyers will calculate. I always tell sellers - better to do it now, because if you have to negotiate it in the offer, buyers think everything costs 3 times what it actually does!

The first two often have the highest impact on a property, are free and yet few sellers/agents do it properly. The third is tricky - you need to know your target market and update the things which will give the most "bang for the buck."

On my Real Estate Tips staging thread, you can see before and after photos:
http://www.cafemom.com/group/93270/boards/read/6554182/What_is_staging_and_does_it_help

The dark and dated home now feels like a model home and all the sellers did was change the light fixtures, kitchen flooring, kitchen knobs and window treatments. The most expensive was the sheet vinyl they had professionally installed for about $2,000 (including basement stairs & basement hallway.) The rest was cleaning, moving furniture and about $450 in trendy accessories (which the sellers get to keep!)