STAGING YOUR HOME
If you are considering putting your home on the market, you may have heard about ‘home staging.’ This is a process that allows you and your real estate agent to present your home in the best light. Buyers can be easily distracted by things you don’t even see. It is important for a potential buyer to envision themselves living in your home. Home Staging can go a long way to make this happen.
To get a feel for how this works you might want to visit Model Homes. Contractors and builders usually enlist the services of a professional interior designer to present their homes as cozy, comfortable and homey. You won't see clothes lying around, old newspapers and magazines tossed about, dishes in the sink or dead plants. What you will see is furniture and lighting that are appropriately placed. Accessories which are neutral, not gaudy or intrusive. ‘Staging’ makes a house look like a home without all the personal clutter! Everything takes on a well-coordinated look that has a certain comfortable quality.
To get the effect of a picture perfect model home, you may want to consult with an interior decorator, a professional staging person or a good friend who can help you do some serious critiquing. If you need help finding someone, ask your real estate professional.
You want buyers to see your home and not its contents, so don’t get hung up on showing off Grandpa’s collection of trains, the kids artwork or your favorite piece of furniture. Concentrate on traffic flow. Clean and de-clutter the closets and organize your storage areas such as the basement and garage. Since you will be moving soon, you might want to box up the things you can live without and place them in a storage unit. Definitely do not leave these boxed items in the basement or garage. Removing all boxes and unnecessary clutter will give your home a more spacious appearance. And very importantly, clean and polish every surface. You want your home to sparkle.
Occasionally, a seller will lease artwork for the walls or other decorator items to enhance the appearance of a home. Don’t go to this expense unless you and your real estate expert decide it is necessary. If your rooms have strong colors, you may also want to consider repainting in light, neutral tones.
Once you have cleared out the clutter, cleaned out every corner, re-arranged the furniture and tastefully accessorized, leave your house. Go grab a friend and bring them over. Walk in together and pretend you are a potential buyer. Does your home look and feel inviting? Can you move easily from one room to another without bumping into things? Are you distracted by the stuff, or does this home appear clean and well cared for, a home you could immediately settle into? Is this a home you would want to buy?
