ADD VALUE NOW - Home Staging Tips
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Home Buyers only judge what they see. Typically, they lack the creativity to see potential that is hidden by any disorganized aspect of your for sale home. If you don't clean the carpet or don't take down the flocked wallpaper or the teenager's walls are painted bright purple, most home buyers won't, or can't, envision it any other way.
A quality staging job makes a remarkable difference in the time it takes to sell your home. "When staging a house that was on the market for six months, not changing the price, it sold in two weeks," is a common scenerio. Whether you want to spruce up your home for your own pleasure or boost its bottom line, stagers' advice can give your house an amazing new look. Here's how: |
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Start At The Street
"Curb appeal" is not just a fancy phrase created to boost landscapers' income. It's a crucial first impression that can make buyers either wary of stopping to preview your home home or eager to step take a closer look and step inside. A "golden rules" - be sure your lawn and gardens look great, trash cans and bikes are put away, house numbers are attractive and easy to see, the front door is spectacular - update the hardware, paint the door, please make sure the locks work easily and place attractive potted plants by the door. The front door is the first impression, the welcome, to your Moore County for sale home.
Remember The Foyer
The second first impression comes the minute a potential buyer steps inside your home. Coats on a rack, shoes underneath and keys and other doodads in a dish on a console table may mean you're a fabulous organizer, but it's not the way to sell a home. Put the coats and shoes in a closet, the keys in your purse and a vase of flowers on the table. Don't let your personal belongings become potential buyers focus.
Apply the 1/4 to 1/2 Rule
The vast majority of Moore County for sale homes have way (it's worth saying again, WAY!) too much furniture, knickknacks, and over all clutter. Don't just straighten up your clutter, remove it. Consider putting at least one-quarter of your furniture in storage, one-third of your books in boxes and at least one-half of your knickknacks away. Use the same rule with cabinets, closets and counters. If they're stuffed full, buyers will think they're too small. Keep them tidy and one-third to one-half empty (place just a few things on each shelf). Don't forget to pare down your outside furnishings and accessories, too. Make sure the potential buying visitors can see the house they are looking to buy -- not see your furniture and decor tastes.
Clean 'til You Drop
Or hire a cleaning crew to come regularly while your home is on the market, or at least for a one-time super-cleaning. Don't skip windows (inside and out), behind the toilet, bathroom grout, under sinks. Actually move your furniture to vacuum behind and under it. A coat of paint and a little attention to accessories turned this blah bathroom into something worthy of guests. Previewers take note and place value on a home that is well taken care of -- cleanliness is a tell tale sign of well taken care of house.
Arrange Furnishings to Highlight the Architecture
Take advantage of views and fireplaces. Spruce them up by framing or highlighting them, not covering them up or weighing them down. Put tall objects (furniture, vases, paintings or plants) against tall walls. Highlight, don't block, the traffic flow. Grab a couple of sturdy friends and play with different ways to arrange your furniture. Again, pay special attention to your friends' opinions.
Use rooms as they were intended
Take the exercise equipment out of the guest room and put a bed back in. Put a table and chairs in an eat-in kitchen. Get the home office equipment and filing cabinets out of your little-used dining room and set the table for company (or just put a nice vase of flowers on top).
Fix what's broken
Buyers look for flaws to help lower the sales price in negotiations. That wobbly stair rail may still support you and the crack in the ceiling plaster may not be structural, but it'll leave buyers wondering what else is not quite right. No matter how minor the problem, take your toolbox around and start fixing.
Update what you can
Tired home is often thanks to tired paint or furnishings. A new coat of neutral-toned paint is a buyer-pleasing backdrop. Remove outdated furniture; trade sofas with a friend or relative while your house is on the market, ditch yours and buy new, or store yours and rent or borrow a more contemporary style. Tired area rugs (or too many of them) detract from nice wood floors. Shag or other old-fashioned carpeting will turn buyers off. Replace it if you can; clean it if you can't. Update a tired kitchen with an inexpensive new countertop, new cabinet doors, or even just new cabinet hardware.
Erase your personality
Love Hummels? Bummer. Collect fishing lures? Too bad. Think that colorful painting is quirky and fun? At least half the people who see it won't. Box up your collections, your personal photos, and anything you wouldn't expect to see on the floor of a furniture showroom. (Nondescript art is fine; art with attitude is not.) And put away blow dryers, makeup and toothbrushes. Buyers need to imagine themselves in your home, not wonder what its current inhabitants are like.
Invite over honest friends
Ask two or three of your most forthright friends to look through your Moore County for sale house with the eye of a home buyer: What needs to change? The smell of pets? A cracked window? Not-so-clean appliances? What's acceptable for daily living isn't likely to impress a buyer.
Find storage away from your house
It's tempting to shove all the boxes of extras into the basement or garage, but buyers will be looking there — judging how big they are. Make them as empty as possible by renting a storage space or borrowing a neighbor's or relative's garage for a while. (For last-minute things — a stack of papers, a handful of dirty clothes — you need to put away before a showing, stash them in the washer or dryer or under beds; most buyers never look there.)
Moore County NC home buyers and sellers of for sale homes in Pinehurst NC, Southern Pines NC, Whispering Pines, Seven Lakes, Woodlake please call Andrews and Tepatti Real Estate - 910-295-3385 - for indepth information.
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Things to do Before Listing Your Southern Pines Area NC Home For Sale
1. Have a pre-listing home inspection. An inspector will be able to give you a good indication of the trouble areas that will stand out to potential buyers, and you’ll be able to make repairs before buyers start to tour your for sale home or at least be up-front with potential buyers and clearly state, "we have priced our home fairly knowing that these areas that may need attention by the eventual buyer, at their expense."
2. Organize and clean. Pare down clutter and pack up your least-used items, such as large blenders and other kitchen tools, out-of-season clothes, toys, and exercise equipment. Store items off-site or in boxes neatly arranged in the garage or basement. Clean the windows, carpets, walls, lighting fixtures, and baseboards to make the house shine for its sale debute.
3. Get replacement estimates. Do you have big-ticket items that are worn out or will need to be replaced soon, such your roof or carpeting? Get estimates on how much it would cost to replace them, even if you don’t plan to do it yourself. The figures will help buyers determine if they can afford the home, and will be handy when negotiations begin. |
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4. Find your warranties. Gather up the warranties, guarantees, and user manuals for the furnace, washer and dryer, dishwasher, and any other items that will remain with the house. Giving an organized - well taken care of - impression will go a long way to offer confidence to potential buyers.
5. Spruce up the curb appeal. Pretend you’re a buyer and stand outside of your home. As you approach the front door, what is your impression of the property? Is the front door in good repair, do the locks work well? Do the lawn and bushes look neatly manicured? Is the address clearly visible? Are pretty flowers or plants framing the entrance? Is the walkway free from cracks and impediments? Ask a trusted friends to be up-front with their opinions. |
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