These Painting Tips Can Transform Your Tired Walls
As with any property up for sale, a fresh coat of paint throughout the home’s walls is a great idea. It is the best budget-fix to instantly bring life to your home and costs less than any other decorating tip. Choose paint colors wisely such as off-whites, grays, and beiges as neutrals, and consider adding accent walls that have a stronger hue to create visual interest. It will also make picking up the furniture and accessories much easier. Consider adding paint to any woodwork, cabinets, or trim that require a makeover, and dont just stop at the walls. Stretch your budget a bit and paint any woodwork, cabinets, or trim that require a makeover. Make your home painting easier and cleaner with these tips.
While many agree that staging an empty house is much more difficult than staging a fully furnished one, it really does not have to cost you a fortune. As unoccupied house truly gives you a blank slate. Whats important is to get creative. Use the above budget-friendly tips and gather ideas from model homes, retail stores, and online magazines. Also, make sure to update yourself with what potential buyers expect in that neighborhood and in that price range.
Repeat The Same Object On Every Shelf
For a simple, harmonious display, choose one type of decor item to repeat across every shelf. Riordan shares that Spade and Archers signature bookshelf display includes a set of unique typewriters or cameras. A repetitive design adds just enough interest in-person and looks amazing in listing photos. You can get the look by purchasing a selection of different shaped vases of the same color from World Market, IKEA, or second-hand shops.
Replace Old Fixtures And Fittings
If you consider yourself something of the handy type, why not consider switching over some of those dated fixtures like door knobs, tapware, lampshades and handles?
Its not always viable to do full renovations before an auction day, but changing up the small things, such as the taps in the kitchen and bathrooms, can make an old space feel new again, says Daniel.
Replace dated tap fixtures with modern options. Picture: Lisa Cohen
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Put Away Collection Items And Erase Any Trace Of Your Personal Hobbies
Pack up your Beanie Baby collection and roll up the Queen posters. Before you start repainting and arranging the furniture, put everything that has even a hint of you away!
need to see that most of your stuff is gone. Get moving boxesstart a giveaway, a throwaway, and a pack pile, suggests Sarah Carroll, a top-selling real estate agent from Boston, MA, who sells properties 50% faster than the average agent in her area.
As you make judgment calls about which items to take down in the process of neutralizing your home, remember three words: hunting, religion, and sports.
If youre selling a cabin in the woods, then fine, you can leave your deer head on the wall to greet buyers.
But when showing your suburban single-family house to people who may have no idea how to hold a rifle? Please, take down your prized antlers and lock your shotguns in a closet before you scare off any offers.
Same goes for religious-themed items and decor. No matter how important faith is to you, you want your home to appeal to the widest array of buyers from all walks of life. So take down any religious art, statues, and relics and replace them with nothing at all or something more neutral, like a fern or piece of art.
While youre at it, remove any sports memorabilia or special collections youve got displayed out in the open. Yes, it took you years to collect those baseball cards and sure, those baby angel cherubs are cute to you.
Staging A Home Is A Delicate Balance
Theres a fine line when it comes to decor in a home youre staging to sell. You want your home to feel cozy, inviting, and lived-in, but if you feature too many personal items then buyers wont be able to see themselves living in the space. When decorating your home to sell, it can easily become overwhelming, so you should do it on a room-by-room basis.
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Determine What Is Furniture And If Its Worth Selling
No matter how much you love the decor choices youâve made for your home, for your furniture to sell with the home, the buyer has to love those choices too. We all have different tastes, so donât be offended if a buyer isnât interested in your furniture. If you have newer furniture throughout your home thatâs in good condition and is tasteful, it may very well help you sell your home and can bring in extra money if the buyer wants to keep some or all of your pieces of furniture.
Chat with your real estate agent about what decor items are expected to be included in the sale of the home and what additional elements will count as furniture in the sale . Non-furniture items may also catch the eye of the buyer, such as art or electronics mounted to the wall, so donât forget to think about home goods besides furniture when you negotiate your home sale.
Clarity is key here, so make sure both parties are on the same page about what is included in the sale of the home.
How To Decorate Your Home
Moving into a new home can be one of lifes great joys, but it can also be a time of uncertainty, especially when it comes to decorating. How do you make your space look its best while reflecting your personal sense of style? Do it well and youll end up with a comfortable, happy home. Do it poorly and youll end up with a hodge-podge of furniture, fabrics and paint colors that never congeal into a pleasing whole. With a little planning, and by following the same steps used by professional interior designers, youll have a much greater chance of success.
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Harness The Power Of Networking
18. Join some Real Estate Investor forums .
19. Use the BiggerPockets Marketplace.
20. Join Connected Investors and let others know about your property.
21. Talk to some property management companies in your area. These people work with dozens of hungry investors and have tons of local connections.
22. Talk to your title company and/or closing attorney. See if they know of any buyers who are actively looking for new investment properties.
23. Bring coffee & donuts into your local realtors office. Tell the entire team that youll pay them a referral fee for any buyers they can send your way .
24. Make connections with some of the other sellers in your area. Leverage their networks to find buyers for your properties.
25. Talk to some building inspectors they often deal with some of the highest volume buyers and sellers in your market.
26. Talk to some appraisers. They will know some of the biggest names in the business and which investors are currently buying properties.
27. Reverse Bird Dogging. Call some of the well-known investors in your market. Give them your personal attention, tell them that you have some great opportunities and that youve been thinking specifically about them .
28. Search Craigslist for We Buy Houses listings. You should be able to find other wholesalers in your area that you can network with .
29. Join a local REIA club and announce your property to all of the investors who attend.
Hang At Least One Mirror In Every Room
“Mirrors can make a space feel brighter because they bounce the light around the room,” says Breining. But placing one in the wrong spot can be almost as bad as not having one at all.
Put mirrors on walls perpendicular to windows, not directly across from them. Hanging a mirror directly opposite a window can actually bounce the light right back out the window.
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How To Include Furniture In Sale Of Home
Whether or not furniture is included in the sale of a home varies from sale to sale. Many buyers will never think to ask to buy furniture from the seller, whereas others may specifically seek out a fully furnished home. The latter is more common in areas where vacation homes or investment properties are popular. That way, the buyer can rent the home out easily with it already furnished, or can pop in for a vacation without having to spend a lot of time and money to furnish and set up the home.
Fully furnished homes are also more standard in the luxury market, as many high-end buyers prefer fully furnished turnkey properties. First-time buyers may also see the appeal, as the process of furnishing an entire home for the first time can be daunting.
Many sellers may not find much appeal in the idea of selling off all of their furniture, but may be happy to part with a few pieces, especially if they were chosen to fit a specific space. To jumpstart the process of selling your furniture with your home, you can let your real estate agent know where you stand and if you will entertain offers to purchase your furniture.
These are a few factors youâll want to keep in mind when you sell your furniture along with your home:
Swap The Dresser Out For A Reading Nook
If realistic for your situation, pare down your clothes for the listing period so you can remove bulky furniture pieces like wardrobes and storage units from the bedroom. In their place, stage a reading area with two accent chairs joined by a small round end table, or an armchair with a matching ottoman and floor lamp.
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Tip #7 Know That Usable Outdoor Space Adds Value
Whether its a roof terrace, patio or full-blown garden, make the most of whatever youve got.
Creating a simple seating area is usually all it takes to show the potential for entertaining or relaxing outdoors.
Consider:
Staging Tips For Selling Your Home: Where To Start
Depersonalize:Remember, potential buyers want to be able to picture themselves calling your house home, and thats hard to do if all they see are family photos, personal items, and keepsakes. While it might be a bit emotional, take a run through your home and remove the decor items that make your house feel personally yours.
Erase signs of pets:You may love your cat, but potential buyers may not . Make sure to clean thoroughly and remove toys, food dishes, and water bowls.
Deep clean:As your mother would say, Clean like company is coming. In fact, you may want to go one step further. Aim to clean to a point where it looks like nobody actually lives in the home: no smudges on the windows, no dust bunnies on the floor, no water marks on the counters. A clean home tells potential buyers that youve taken great care of the property.
Staging a house for sale can make all the difference in how long it stays on the market. Photo from Shutterstock.
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Tip #1 Clear The Clutter
- Hallways can easily become filled with coats, shoes, umbrellas, bikes, post and any number of other objects.
- Find a place for all these things and keep them neatly out of sight. It makes your hall more welcoming.
- If your hallway is narrow, remove any furniture to further increase the feeling of space.
- You should be able to move through a hallway easily.
- If you have to sidestep any objects, remove them for the period of your sale.
What Goes What Stays
You know that people will open your cupboards and closets. Be sure they’re organized neatly and not packed to the point of overflow. They’ll look more spacious if you don’t try to show off your whole wardrobe or collection of china. They’re not buying that! Let potential buyers envision their own thing there. Will they fit, or will the space seem too small, since your own things don’t fit?
If your closets are stuffed, it’s time to weed through things. You can either sell or give items away or pack them up for your next home. Every storage area in your home — including display shelves — should be neat, clean, organized, and clutter-free.
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Set The Tone At The Front Door
If you want your house to make a great first impression, paint the front door a fun, glossy hue. “Red is a lucky color in many cultures,” says Lara Allen-Brett, a New Jersey-based stager. A red door meant “welcome” to weary travelers in early America, and on churches it represents a safe haven.
Two other hues gaining favor: orange and yellow, according to San Francisco-based stager Christopher Breining. Both colors are associated with joy and warmth. One thing that should go: an outdated screen door. Get rid of it or replace it with a storm door with full-length glass that you can switch out for a screened panel.
How To Style Your Home Like A Professional
Natasha Perera
Get your house ready for sale with these expert interior styling tips.
If youre thinking about selling your house, then its time to start looking at how to best present your property for sale.
Clever decorating tricks can help bring out a homes strengths and give potential buyers a better indication of room size. A well-styled room can also help paint a picture of how different spaces can be used.
Belle Property Sandringham director Jenny Dwyer says the first impression potential buyers have of your property is through photos, and this is where good styling can make all the difference.
The photos taken for your real-estate campaign are really your window to the world your first point of contact with the buyers out there, Jenny says. They are what make people initially want to come through the property. And of course once your house is looking pristine for the photos try to keep it that way for the property inspections.
Here are a few handy tips to get you started and help you style your home like a professional.
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What Do You Think
Did we miss any home staging ideas that work magic for you? If so, let us know! We cant wait to see what home staging ideas you think work best in your market. Be sure to share this article with other Realtors if youve found it useful!
If youre ready for a real estate website that works as hard as you do, check out LeadSites.
Be sure to share this article with other Realtors if youve found it useful! And dont overlook adding staging to your real estate business plan.
Living Area: Make Sure Your Sofa Talks To Your Chairs
Think of a nice hotel lobby: The furniture is arranged in groupings that invite conversation. When you place the furniture in your living room, aim for a similar sense of balance and intimacy.
A conversation area that has a U-shape, with a sofa and two chairs facing each other at each end of the coffee table, or an H-shape, with a sofa directly across from two chairs and a coffee table in the middle, is ideal, says Michelle Lynne, a Dallas-based stager.
One common mistake to avoid: Pushing all the furniture against the walls. People do that because they think it will make their room look bigger, but in reality, floating the furniture away from the walls makes the room feel larger, she says.
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The Very Personal Process Of Depersonalizing Your Home
But because youve lived in your home for years and years, youll find this process to be more difficult than you expected. Your judgment may be clouded by emotional attachment. Thats why a second or third eye on the big picture helps you spot which items need to go and what should stay with an objective lens.
A wrong choice here or there wont go unnoticed as perceptions are formed in the first 30 seconds they walk in. What you want to do is get them to spend more time picturing their stuff and life there, says Carroll.
Work with a real estate agent whos seen hundreds of homes of all different styles and tastes and can be the voice of reason you need. Find out what staging credentials or experience they have, or if they can bring in any stagers from their network to help you get the job done.
Then take it one flowered loveseat and family photo at a time. If your agent advises you to get it out of sightwell, dont take it so personally!
For more depersonalizing and staging tips, follow us on for design and organization inspiration!
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Cover Up Patterned Bulky Furniture Specific To Your Tastes
The living room and dining room are two places where the wrong furniture creates a big mental roadblock for buyers.
These are the spaces where families spend the most time and the rooms that Americans value the most. The right furniture, situated in the best spots in the space, is comforting and welcoming for home buyers looking to start a life with family.
So, imagine walking in to see your old family couch in that yellow 70s style you love with gaping rips and tears. The classic fish for old Halloween candy in the furniture game is a fun party trick but not an ideal visual for buyers. Neither is the bulky blue La-Z-Boy that over time molded into the perfect shape for napping.
You have a couple of options: remove these treasured but worn pieces of furniture and put them in storage , or cover them up with neutral fabrics.
These days you can get slipcovers that, like magic, hide your furnitures wear and tear and loud patterns without the need for you to go out and purchase a brand new set.
IKEA provides a vast selection of furniture covers that are neutral, modern, washable, and easy to slip on.
A post shared by A Bowl Full of Lemons on May 2, 2019 at 7:47am PDT
As for your dining room furniture, the nicks youve gotten used to seeing will only remind buyers that this is still your house.
You can cover up any food stains or scratches on your dining room chairs with chair cushions, like these from Wayfair, that are the simplest way to add some color and comfort.
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