Let’s talk about selling your homes.It’s a tough market out there today and if you are thinking of selling we offer lots of tips for you to get your home ready.If you want more than that we also offer our services to stage your home at no cost because Staging Works! Preparing a home for sale requires seeing it with new eyes.Staging is the art of preparing your home for sale.The way you live in your house and the way you sell your house are 2 different things.

Ok, these are the basic 7 C’s of staging!

• Clean- A house should be sparkling clean.Clean houses are more appealing and buyers will assume they are better cared for.“If you can smell it, you can’t sell it”.
• Clutter– Clutter makes it difficult for a buyer to mentally move in to a home.Most of us pack after we sell.But when you Stage your house for sale, it’s just the opposite.You’re going to be packing anyway, so you might as well pack now and your house will sell faster.Clutter is all the stuff your spouse wants you to throw out and you refuse to part with.It’s magazines, stuffed animals, clipped recipes, ceramic roosters, etc.It’s what makes you, YOU!So you needn’t throw it out but you must pack it away.Our staging mantra is “Less is more”.
• Color– A really great tip for staging is paint.Painting is one of the least expensive ways to stage your house.When you stage, each room should have a simple color scheme and the whole house should be cohesive.The color on the walls should be neutral and you can add splashes of color with accessories.I am a certified interior decorator who can help with color selection and we also have Benjamin Moore Big Chips to help you see what the colors may look like in your home with your own lighting.
• Creativity– The essence of staging is basically “use what you have” in new and interesting ways.We have been trained to be creative and we also have a warehouse of many staging items such as accessories, furniture, sofa covers, curtains, etc.
• Compromise– Many times you will need to compromise because there aren’t enough funds in the budget.For example, suppose that you have one room in good condition, but the tile is the wrong color.We have effective ways to minimize the color to make it look great.
• Communication– Effective staging communicates a message of space and openness.It sends a message of being Q-tip clean and having the right colors that invite people in instead of turning them away.The staged home brings in buyers and leads to a sale.
• Commitment– It takes commitment to get the house staged.The seller needs to be committed along with the stager/realtor. When all are committed, the house will be staged to its very best and that means a sale will follow because the buyers experience the home as spacious, open, warm, clean, fresh, pleasant and inviting!Buyers not only see the house as a place they could live in, they see it as a place they want to live in!

As a final note, here are a few basic tips to get you started.

• Paint the front door with a pop of color to welcome your buyers.
• Remove family photos…people want to see themselves in your home sodepersonalize your home.
• Clean your windows and take off the screens so more light can come in.
• Accessorize your entryway with plants or topiaries onyour front porch.
• For a spa like feel in your bathroom; roll up some white towels in a wicker basket.
• Remove all appliances from your kitchen counter; then accessorize with decorative items such as a bowl of lemons and a few cookbooks.
• In the dining room remove the leaf from the table and take away add’l chairs.Keep 4 chairs at the table and set the table with dinnerware and napkins.
• Make the bed every day and layer it with lots of pillows and quilts for a homey feel.
• And finally, keep litter boxes cleaned to prevent odors and hide all open wastebaskets.