Real Estate Information Archive

You've pumped up your curb appeal, now it's time to step inside your home. 

Open the front door and stand there a second.  Pay close attention to your senses.  What do you see?  This is the first thing the potential buyers will see when entering your home. Where does your eye go?  Is it a good or not so good feature?  Is it bright and open or dark and closed in?  What do you smell?  Over using perfumes, candles or Glade plug ins can be as offputting as smoke, animal odors and dirty laundry.  What do you hear?  The toilet running, the neighborhood kids or  the hamsters squeaking wheel? 

Realtors used to recommend soft lighting, scented candles, baking cookies or bread, soft jazzy music, etc.  Today, we have evolved to attempting to "neutralize" the property opposed to making it homey.  Bright, airy, odorless, and quiet are some of the key ideas. 

Now, look down.  When you crossed the threshold of the door, what did you step on?  If it was a soft cushy throw rug, you are on the right track.

More next time......

The "newest" marketing tool for selling a home in the current market is, you guessed it, HOME STAGING!

For those of you who don't watch HGTV, Wikipedia describes home staging as:

"Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence prior to going up for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to sell a home quickly, and for the most money possible by attracting the highest amount of potential buyers. Staging focuses on improving a property to make it appeal to the largest number of buyers by transforming it into a welcoming, appealing, and attractive product for sale. Staging often raises the value of a property by way of reducing the home's flaws, depersonalizing, decluttering, cleaning, improving condition items, and landscaping. For vacant homes, rental furniture is used to create a living space the buyer could "see" themselves in. Properly executed staging leads the eye to attractive features while minimizing flaws."

Of course, this is something we've been doing for ages.  However, this last year (2007) I finally took a course to earn a designation in home staging-Certified Home Marketing Specialist- of course, I passed with flying colors!

Statistics show that homes that have been staged sell 50% faster and on average for 6-10% more than un-staged homes.  Home sellers need a competitive edge to make their home stand out.

But where to start?  I will try to give you ideas here and there, stop back and check them out.

First, go outside and stand in the street (watch out for traffic) and take a look at your yard, house and the surrounding area.  Put yourself in the buyers shoes, would you stop and stare, or pass on by?  Are you curious to what is inside or have you already decided that it isn't for you?  Where does your eye go upon first looking at your home?  What architectural features are presented?  Are they accented?  Look at every single detail.  Roof, gutters, eaves, siding, windows, doorknob, doorbell, front door, lighting, shrubbery, grass, trees, basketball hoops, driveway, walkways, railings, fences, etc.  You get the picture...everything has to look welcoming, clean and well cared for.  For example, a flowering potted plant near the door, a clean, dark,  welcome mat, flying the  American flag; all these things say "I am proud of my home and take care of it".

Stay tuned for the next installment.....