Introduction to Home Staging

When people think of Home Staging, they naturally think of well-spaced-out groupings of furniture, artwork, and fresh flowers. However, staging isn’t just for the lived-in areas of your home. Your basement and attic, though unused, should be staged so that their potential for a prospective home owner won’t go unnoticed.

You don’t have to renovate to make your less-travelled areas look their best. Clean them with the same care as you took with your living space. People expect attics and basements to be somewhat dusty and dirty. If you present a space that is clean and smells fresh, it makes the entire property seem newer and in better repair.

This is an excellent time to get rid of old possessions that are no longer of any use or interest for you. Whether it’s a garage sale or a thrift store donation, get rid of them! For more unusual items, find out if your community has a Recycle Center that will take them. Many people are on the hunt for odd items and there is often a depot that will take these things for resale. Local charities also take many items, such as gently used furniture and clothing.

As for the remainder, utilize some plastic storage tubs or some shelving to store tools, out-of-season items and other things neatly out of the way. Make sure that the majority of the area can be accessed easily without a person having to step over or around anything. Stage your storage solutions carefully; they can contribute to the look of the area as a dry and safe place to store belongings.

Attics and basements can sometimes give people that ‘haunted house’ feeling due to poor lighting. Avoid this impression by installing lights or placing lamps in dark corners, angled so they provide light without shining into the viewer’s eyes. Any windows should be cleaned inside and out so that they let in as much natural light as possible. Basement windows can be obscured by shrubbery, so try to trim this away around windows.

You can also stage your attic or basement as a reading nook, recreation room or hobby area by placing things that evoke the image of comfort or amusement. A comfortable chair, bookcase and lamp will create a feeling of cozy afternoons with a book and a cup of tea or cocoa. If you have a work bench or table, highlight it in case a person who wants their own workshop comes to look at your property. A few bright posters, stereo system, table, chairs and a shelf full of family board games and other amusements can create a recreation room with little or no outlay of money.

The point of all of this is to open your prospective buyer’s eyes to the possibilities inherent in your attic and/or basement, which can make them into selling points for your home. With a lot of cleaning and a little staging, these seldom-used areas of your home can end up being the reason a buyer makes an offer for your home.

Mike Andruff
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/home-stage-your-attic-and-basement-for-a-better-impression-746400.html

A real estate agent can be a useful tool when selling your home. They can also aid you in purchasing a new home to move into. When you list your home with an agent, you want to be certain that you understand what their responsibilities are so that you can aid them in selling your home.

The real estate agent is responsible for listing your home and marketing it to the general public. They will negotiate the property on your behalf and can offer you advice on everything from setting a good price to staging the home to entertaining offers. An agent will list the home on the MLS, do your paperwork and complete the process of closing. For this service you agree in the Listing Agreement contract that you will compensate the agent with a certain amount of percentage in the form of commission if they bring you a buyer. The commission is provided to the agent during the process of closing on the home.

The MLS is a great tool that real estate agents have. This is a database that in on the Internet and has thousands of properties that are listed for sale. These are not only properties in your area but all over the country. A good agent will scan the database to find listings that will meet your needs. When you list your property on the MLS you are essentially making your home available to buyers and agents across the entire country. Many individuals will be relocating to new and different cities, this allows them and their agents to find homes that are in the area and for sale. Your home could be on their list of houses to look at it if your home is on the MLS. Your agent may also be able to find you a new home as well by using this database.

It is possible to sell your home without an agent, but you are taking a great deal of stress upon yourself by doing so. Only 20% of homes are sold without an agent. This is because you are not able to get your home listed on the MLS without an agent. You are also responsible for all of your marketing, paperwork and home showings. Most homes that are bought are found on the MLS. There are not many agents who will browse the newspaper looking for homes for sale. This means that your house could be missed if you are only able to list in the newspaper, because the wide majority of buyers will use real estate agents to find them homes to look at and those homes are found on the MLS.

Scott Hubbard
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/listing-your-home-with-an-agent-114721.html

When you first get started on home interior decorating, it is a good idea to have at least some notion of the kind of color scheme you might like. That is not to say that you can’t change your mind while you are working out a plan. It is much better to change at this stage than when you already have the paint on the walls.

Good, well thought out interior decorating can add balance to a room and bring out its best features. Interior decorating should form the background for the way you choose to live in your home. If you’ve got a lot of books then it stands to reason that you will want plenty of good shelving. Plain wood shelves look best for this but if you already have some and they are beginning to look past their prime then play safe and paint them white. Think about the lighting in a room because this can enhance or detract from its overall design.

If you are not sure what color to use then play it safe and go for a neutral cream or magnolia – you can brighten it up with your soft furnishings and well placed lamps and ornaments. Many homes are a hodge-podge of furniture and decorating styles. If you replace furniture try to bear in mind the particular effects or style that you are trying to achieve. A well-chosen and well-placed piece can totally alter the look of a room.

Home interior decorating covers many aspects of the tasks. A lot depends on how much time you have to spare and what your budget is – whether you just want to spruce up a room or give it a whole new look. It is surprising for instance what new bath mats and towels do for a bathroom. Try sprucing up your room with some new cushions and perhaps a mirror or two. Move the furniture around and add feature wall paper on one wall – make sure that it tones in with the existing color scheme and you’ll be surprised how much style this can give to a room.

Perhaps the kitchen is your bete noir? If it is you can do a lot with some new blinds and lampshades. Try some potted plants on the window ledge this can brighten most kitchens. If the paint-work really is past its prime then you need to decide whether you need a whole new paint job or whether you can get away with touching up the doors and base boards. If your bedroom needs a face-lift then try some new bed covers and toning curtains. Add a few cushions to your bed and you immediately have a more luxurious look.

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/home-interior-decorating-for-beginners-121233.html

Does your home have a façade only a homeowner could love? Selling a home can be an emotional experience, and people can lack objectivity when it comes to their own abode. Presenting a home in its best light is always important, but it’s imperative in our current competitive real estate market.

Professional advice and assistance can make the difference between “Wow!” and “Whaaa?” – a recent industry study found that staged homes sold for 6.9 percent more than homes that were not staged. Another study compared listing times before and after staging.

Homes that had first been offered for sale without staging were on the market an average of 4.5 months; the same homes sold within a week, on average, after being staged.

Below are 7 tips to ‘setting the stage’ and making your home more appealing to buyers:

1. Thoroughly clean from top to bottom, especially kitchens and baths.

A dirty house an immediate buyer turn-off. The two most important areas are the kitchen and the bathrooms. If you have not deep cleaned all counter and tile surfaces to a spotless condition, you stand the chance of having the buyers walk right back out the door.

2. De-clutter the entire house.

Clutter makes it extremely hard for the buyers to visualize moving into your home. The disorganization affects the buyer’s ability to focus on your home and they will most likely overlook your key selling features. In addition, clutter has the affect of making your home appear smaller than it is as the “open” feeling is gone.

3. Remove the personal memorabilia.

People are generally curious and when you want them to notice the beautiful entryway they may be focused on all the family pictures on the piano or all the “stuff” stuck to the front of your refrigerator. Your objective is to change the view of your home from “lived in” to “ready to move in.”

4. Neutralize inside and out.

The best way to present a home is for the wall colors to be painted a neutral color. This goes for the outside as well – a loud or non-neutral color may just keep the buyers from even stopping to see the inside.

5. Let the sun shine in with spotless windows.

Nothing is more distracting to a buyer than to be looking at a view through a dirty window. What you don’t see is often more important that what you do see.

6. Make your pets go away.

While your pets are a loving member of your family, for the buyers their presence, food and boxes are generally a turn-off. Every trace of their presence should be removed so, once again, the buyers are not distracted from the prime objective – viewing your home in the best possible light.

7. Add curb appeal.

A healthy, neat, trimmed and well maintained yard and flower beds are the keys to getting the buyers up to the front door. A well-maintained exterior translates to a well maintained home in the mind of the buyer.

Irene Gaffigan
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/making-your-home-more-appealing-to-buyers-672313.html

If you are planning on selling your home fast, in the current real estate market, it is important to be aware of the necessity of hiring the services of a real estate agent. A real estate agent, due to his expertise, can help you make a profit, by closing the deal to your benefit. Selling the house by yourself can make you vulnerable to the repeated reality of incurring losses. This happens for a number of reasons, the first being that you may not possess the adequate knowledge pertaining to this field and secondly, you may be unaware of the legalities involved in the process.

In addition, hiring the services of a real estate agency will ensure that most of the realtors who are a part of the MLS list will take notice of your home. Almost 90% of all the potential buyers utilize the services of agents to guide them during their search for new homes. It is profitable to hire an experienced and well-established professional, since he is capable of guiding you through the whole procedure. The assistance and services of the real estate agent is extremely important if you wish to sell your home fast, in any part of the world. An agent having a minimum experience of 5 years can help you strike a highly profitable deal.

How can a Real Estate Agent sell your Home fast for you?

Once you have established rapport with a particular agent, one whom you trust and rely on, give him the responsibility of informing you about the current market trend and position. Compare prices and decide on an ideal quotation for your home and property. This will provide you with a more realistic approach to the procedure at hand. It is advisable to set a slightly lower price for your home, a price that is lower than that of other similar houses in your neighborhood.

The agent should be fully equipped to present you with picture comparisons of similar properties that are also available in your area, from the local MLS office. Often, a prospective buyer will examine your home in just a few minutes and the price of the house is rarely discussed. However, prior to visiting the house, your agent briefs the buyer about the probable price for the house. A real estate agent provides information and advice on any renovations or changes that your house might have to undergo, in order to make your property seem more appealing and worthy of the price. This procedure of allowing for changes in the exterior as well as interior of the house is referred to as staging the house.

In addition, a real estate agent can also prescribe certain changes, like the factors that may be responsible for discouraging potential buyers from buying the property. A smooth and constant flow of potential customers is a healthy indication that your home is priced reasonably. Your home is displayed to prospective buyers regularly by the real estate agents. They are also responsible for pricing your home, depending on the current market situation.
Attempting to sell your home fast does require a lot of patience. However, with constant monitoring of the market, everything flows smoothly. Not only do the real estate agents ensure that you receive the most lucrative deals, but they also take on the responsibility of handling all the legal documents and liaisons involved in the process.

Kris Koonar
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/selling-your-home-fast-with-real-estate-agents-86875.html

Determining your Home Decorating style can be difficult, especially if you have never decorated anything before. However, with a careful examination of your personality, your color and hue preferences, and geometric shapes that you find pleasant, you can quickly begin to shape your use of furniutre and decorating personality.

The home décor you choose will reflect the things that you find pleasant in other aspects of your life. If you think back to when you were in school, you probably had a favorite subject. If you preferred math, you will probably prefer to decorate with clear, concise lines that imitate geometric shapes and can be measured in real numbers. However, if math wasn’t such a pleasant experience for you but you loved art class, you may like the more abstract, flowing type of design, with intricate weavings or carvings and delicate drawings and images.

Modern furnishings tend to be quite geometric, while the neo-classical furniture style takes into account the need for a contemporary design while still being compelled to love the ornate and robust. Neo-classical integrates the two cultures into one decorating style that can please those who are torn.

Home décor also reflects your moods and coloration. For example, if you tend to be an energetic person who never sits still, is always on the go, and has a need for adventure, the colors in your home will be bright and motivating – reds and deep purples, bright blues and sunny yellows. On the other hand, if you are laid back and tend to go with the flow, your decorating style will reflect this with choices of pastels, like delicate pinks, pale blues, and mellow yellows. Still another may be artistic and introverted, causing dark colors to appear, with black trim or navy blue décor. For those who love nature, the home décor will bring nature inside, with browns and greens, as well as floral motifs and oceanic designs.

Of course, you also have to take into account the size of the areas that are being decorated. For example, dark colors can be detrimental to the perception of an already small room, making it seem as though it is going to close in on you and even causing claustrophobia. You can open up a room like this by using light colors or at least backing off a shade or two to lighten your dark tones.

When you begin to consider all the aspects of your personality and your color and design preferences, your ideas for each room in the house will quickly start to take shape in your mind. Jot down your thoughts and save them because you can’t do everything at once, and you may want to come back to that thought later.

Lynn Weissman
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/home-decorating-style-do-you-have-it-138944.html

Do you look around your house and feel unsettled? Can you relax in your home without always feeling like you have to tidy up? Are you constantly looking for items you’ve misplaced?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then it’s time to reduce the clutter in your life and get organized. If your house is on the market, reducing clutter is the first step in staging a home for sale. After all, you’re selling a product and you want it to look its best. If you’re not selling, getting organized will just make you feel better, more relaxed and content with your surroundings. It will give you the feeling of being in control of your world. Life’s events will not feel so haphazard and random.

I can honestly say, I enjoyed my last home the most when it was up for sale. Everything was so clean and I was never apprehensive about letting friends see behind closed bedroom or closet doors.

Getting organized in all areas of your life will make you a happier person. Today, let’s start with your house and see how you can reduce clutter, step by step.

Kitchen:

Countertops are valuable work areas, don’t fill them up with things you don’t use on a daily basis. I don’t know about you, but I hate preparing a meal in a messy kitchen.

Find a spot for everything so you’ll know where to look for it.

Organize items in your drawers and cupboards with dividers. You may want to store your utensils in a caddy instead of trying to make them fit in a tray.

Use shelf hooks to hang measuring cups, and install pull outs to get to the back of your cupboards.

The kitchen seems to be the easiest place to dump your mail, purse or other personal items. Each day, make a habit of clearing off the counters by the time you’re ready to sit down for dinner.

Get rid of items you have duplicates of, or that are rarely used. Store those once-a-year items such as canning pots or Christmas cookie tins on a shelf in the basement or the back of a cabinet.

The Dreaded Mudroom:

Line a wall with shelves with coordinating baskets to hold all your stuff. Label the baskets so that you know where to look. Neither you or your friends should enter a room that looks like it’s been hit by a hurricane.

Assign a basket to hold things you don’t want to forget as you rush out the door, such as letters to be mailed, grocery lists, library books or school packs.

Get decorative hooks to hang coats, hats, keys, purses, dog leashes, etc.

Find an easy way to keep all the shoes in one place. If you have a bench, you may want to store them underneath on a tray. The wire mesh, tiered stands also work well.

The Family Room:

Consider how the room is used by all family members and plan the best ways to organize based on this. For instance, in addition to TV watching, this may also be the area for video game play or doing crafts. Find a cupboard or storage solution for all your activities.

Just as in the mudroom, line shelves with labelled storage baskets or boxes to hide your video games, movies, magazines, etc. Go through your magazines, keeping only one or two issues. Rip out pages you want to keep and store in a separate file.

Sneaky storage containers can be hidden behind a couch or big chair. Large hampers or baskets are attractive and store toys nicely. Coffee tables or ottomans with lift tops are also great for hiding stuff.

The Bedroom

Get a laundry hamper that should be filled with that day’s laundry by the end of every day.

Store seasonal clothing in clear plastic boxes under the bed. They work even better if they have wheels.

Blank walls are perfect for shelves for all those smaller items that soon overflow from nightstands.

If the same items are being piled up each week, you need to create a permanent home for them.

In kid’s rooms, use labeled baskets, hooks or wooden cubbies, installed at their height, to store items. They’ll put their things away if it’s easy to do.

Give them a place to do what they enjoy. Create activity centers such as a craft table with storage for glue, scissors, paper, etc. If they enjoy painting; set up an easel with paints, paper and drawing books nearby so that everything is ready to go when they are, and equally easy to put away.

Make sure your children understand where things go so that they can be responsible for tidy up.

The Bathroom

Tidy your linen closet and medicine cabinet for expired or unused items.

Store similar items in small baskets in your drawers. For instance, a make-up basket, first-aid, hair products, etc.

Where you’re not using baskets, use acrylic separators to keep items in place.

Place a roll of paper towels, a container of treated cleaning wipes and toilet cleaner in every bathroom for quick clean-ups.

Lauren Kline
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/get-organized-and-feel-great-748098.html

We all know that buying or selling a home can be a time consuming process. Although there are thousands of people looking to buy homes, it can be a tricky process finding the right person interested in your home. With hundreds of thousands of homes for sale in the United States, there is always some form of competition.

If you’re looking to sell your home fast, you’ll need to attract as much attention as possible. A real estate agent can help, although he can only do so much. He can show your home and help to get it out there to buyers, although he can’t make it sell. If you want to sell it fast, you’ll need to do some work yourself. If you put the effort into selling your home fast, chances are that you will.

The quickest way to sell a home is by staging it. Staged homes literally invite the buyer in, making him feel right at home. Staged homes are also appealing both inside and out, and are more or less ready to be moved into immediately. They don’t sit on the market for long at all, yet they bring a top dollar sell. If you are familiar with staged homes – you should know that they are among the fastest selling homes on the market.

If you don’t want to use a real estate agent, it’s still quite possible to sell your home – and sell it fast. You’ll need to do everything yourself, which involves getting your home out there to the market and showing it to potential buyers. You can always list your home in local newspapers, magazines, and put a “for sale by owner” sign in the yard. This way, you are letting buyers know that your home is for sale. Some buyers prefer homes that are for sale by the owner, as they don’t have to pay a real estate agent or deal with one directly.

When you sell your home, you should always make sure that the exterior is clean, the lawn is trim, and the interior is in superb condition. If you plan to live there until it is sold, you’ll want to make sure that you have the interior staged as best as you can. You want to give the buyer a great feeling, so he’ll stay and won’t leave. If your home is visually appealing both inside and out, a buyer will want to see more.

Once a buyer wants to see more of your home, chances are you have found the individual who will buy it. You should never make the buyer feel pressured, but instead make him feel that you are interested in his thoughts and opinions. If you show a buyer that you care – you will go a long way in establishing trust – which will help you sell your home.

Mark G. Estates
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/home-selling-advice-94679.html

As you page through Home Decorating magazines, stroll past furniture store windows, and search for decorating ideas the internet, what actually inspires you to take action? When do you say, “That’s the look I want”? What gets your attention and sticks in your mind until you must have the object of your attraction?

Product designers count on the latest introduction of colors to first catch your eye. A color you’ve never seen before or one resurrected from years ago may to your inspiration to redecorate. Colors are carefully planned to change throughout year. If this season’s colors didn’t grab you, perhaps the next array will do it. Eventually some hue in the seasonal rainbow will speak to you and you’re off to the paint or furniture store.

Just as with the inevitable changes in fashion’s hemlines and the width of men’s ties, some colors keep reappearing every few years. The avocado green of thirty years ago is back with a different descriptive name, so it’s now a fresh addition to a new color pallet for another generation.

Forms can also inspire. The alluring shape of a camelback sofa or the classic simplicity of a modern chair will set your mind to planning a whole new look for your room. May as well update those end tables and replace those tired lamps. Suddenly that lovely form that attracted you, that single impetus for change, has created a room transformation.

The shape of the beveled glass atop a dining table, the meandering curve of a sectional sofa, the off-beat lampshades on a chandelier are all examples of forms that attract and inspire a new way to see your home space.

A pattern will commonly inspire decorating action. The striking area rug festooned with a fabulous floral pattern inspires a new color scheme and becomes the centerpiece of the room. A richly colored rug with swirls cut deeply into the pile creates a pattern and flow to plan your room around.

The leopard print on a bedspread fabric may inspire you to create a bedroom jungle retreat. Spotting a drapery fabric covered with bouquets of blooming roses on chintz inspires an English cottage makeover. Patterns create pictures that inspire.

Art inspires the soul, but can also create a focus for your room’s décor. Begin with a focal point piece of art, something you love such as the picturesque Venetian scene that reminds you of your travels. The colorful gondolas and buildings reflected in the canals inspire your color choices. Naturally you are drawn to Italianate carved wood furniture, rich tapestry fabrics and Venetian glass to accessorize your artistic inspiration.

We are certainly not immune to design trends. What makes a look so trend worthy is its ability to inspire our own home decorating. Consider the Southwestern design trend of a few years ago. Did you furnish your living room with weathered wooden tables, mammoth overstuffed upholstery, and accessorize with striped Navajo blankets and dried animal bones? That popular look inspired the trend to adopt the desert lifestyle.

Inspiration for your home decorating does not just appear in the predictable publication and mediums. Music, movies, cultures and travel can get your creative juices flowing.

Be open to ideas that appear in unexpected places to liven up your home’s decor.

Sarah Crosset
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/home-decorating-what-inspires-you-714900.html

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