Staging your home to sell while living there. Part two.

This is tip #2 for staging your home (when you are living in it) to sell in this climate.  Yes, you can do it. But, you wouldn't want to live this way forever.  So, the goal here is stage to sell and sell quick, capture the buyers attention and keep it.


Tip #2:  Furniture placement and traffic patterns make an impact on your showings.  Your home needs to have an open flow of traffic, furniture should not block doorways or traffic patterns.  The potential buyer needs to be able to visually place their furniture in the space.  Create an "I want to live here" feel.  Take any excess furniture out.


Living Room:  If your entry door walks right into the living room try placing a small bench and hang a coat rack to create the feel of an entry.  Try floating the couch and chairs around a small coffee table and a rug to create intimate conversation spaces.  If you watch TV in this room and it is huge, (I know don't say it) remove it (you can do it, just think of how motivated this now makes you to sell your home quickly).  Showcase the fireplace and create a cozy spot for reading.  Think relaxing and inviting.  If your sofa or chair is old and ratty, get a cover, they make surprisingly cute ones now a days, google it.  And, get a nice soft colorful throw that compliments your decor.  Two or three brand new throw pillows add a soft layer.  


Dining Room:  The table cannot be too big or too small but just right.  Float the table to create an open feel.  Do not crowd the chairs.  If you need to, borrow a table that is just right.  There's no need to "set" the table, but have a nice center piece.  


Bedrooms:  The bed must be on a wall that is adjacent to the door (we are talking Feng Shui here).  You want to walk in and have the headboard opposite of you.  Create space on each side of the bed with a small nightstand.  Get a brand new comforter and shams, make your bed everyday.  Take out large dressers.  Look in your closets (because the potential buyer definitely will) and take out all the off season clothing, that will free up a lot of space.  If you have a walk in closet, actually being able to walk in is a huge plus.   You want to feel calm in this space and be able to walk around.  Sheers on windows soften the room.

Bathrooms:  Think spa in this room (it doesn't matter how big or small your bathroom is, it can still feel spa like).  Take off that over the toilet cabinet, unless its a nice built in unit.  If your floor isn't the greatest get a nice big fluffy rug.  Take everything off the counter (yes that includes your tooth brush, yuck).   Sometimes taking out a big vanity and replacing it with an original style that was made to fit that bath.  The photo shown did not have a rug because the beautiful hexagon subway tile was the star of this room.

Before

After

Last but not least, complement your homes architecture.  To get inspiration, buy a home magazine that showcases your homes style.  If you're not sure, please consult an expert!  


 Tip #3 will be on Paint, lighting and floors.....stay tuned

Staging your home to sell while living there. Part one.

This is tip #1 for staging your home (when you are living in it) to sell in this climate.  Yes, you can do it. But, you wouldn't want to live this way forever.  So, the goal here is stage to sell and sell quick, capture the buyers attention and keep it.

Remember, you are creating "the dream" for someone else.  So take your tastes and lifestyle out.

Homes not only have to be priced perfectly to sell quickly they also have to look better than the competition.   So how do you do that when you are living in the home?  Here are my top 1 of 5 tips for staging.

Tip #1:  Clear the clutter!  You want clean open spaces so the buyer can image their furniture in the home.  If you have too much stuff it will feel cramped and small.  Take out extra furniture pieces.   Box up all your collectables, you may love those beannie babies, but the potential buyer? Not so much.

Clear the clutter out of your closets.  How many towels do you use anyways?  I know this sounds like a daunting task, so break it up into days.  Do one closet every couple of days so that you're not over whelmed.   Use baskets to organize and take out everything you won't be needing during the time your home is on the market.

Clear the clutter off of your walls.  Take down all family pictures, you want the buyer to image themselves living there and not invading your life.   If you have a large wall, hang the largest photograph/art that you have, borrow something if you have to.  It will create drama.  Think out of the box on what to hang on your walls, do you have something old?  Like an old sign or candy mold...it adds interest and that element of cool.

Clear the clutter out of your fridge.  Yes, buyers will look in your fridge.  They will say they want to see what the fridge looks like inside, but really they're curious about you...the seller....are you a beer drinker or a vegan?   Plus, make that fridge smell good by adding an open box of baking soda, we seriously cannot smell what we live in everyday.  A home that smells bad is a tough sell.

Go room to room.  If a buyer is serious they will look in closets and in cupboards, your goal is have those spaces feel roomy.  Don't get rid of everything (you need to live), but get rid of all the extra's.

I could go on and on in this category!   It's always good to get a second opinion by someone who's going to be brutally honest with you..."does my house smell like burnt BBQ?  Should I take down my nick-nack shelves with my prized 150 count salt and pepper shaker collection?" Why yes, yes it does, and yes you should.

After Staging

Before Staging

A Popular Question "how's the market...really?"

Well, that's a loaded question...

If you're a buyer...things look great, interest rates are low and stats indicate we should be riding the bottom. Why not buy if you can? Remember real estate is a long term investment. Some houses are flying off the market, some are sitting.

If you're a seller...the market prices today are the same as they were in 2005. If you bought between 2005 and now, its a good chance your home has depreciated (aka: appreciated then depreciated), unless you've done some serious remodeling. If you're thinking of "moving up" to a bigger more expensive house, then things are better than they seem. Although the home you own has depreciated, the more expensive home you are going to buy has depreciated as well. Keep in mind, the more expensive home will also appreciate more (in dollar amount) than the house you just sold because you are gaining appreciation on the banks money (and more of it). For example if you owned a home today worth $400,000 and it appreciated 10%, you would gain $40,000. If you owned a home today worth $600,000 and it appreciated 10%, you would gain $60,000. Something to think about.

Real estate is cyclical and people will always have life changing events where they need to buy and sell real estate.... So, how's the market? That is a very individual, specific question that needs to be answered on a per situation basis.

This graph is showing what the market has done the past 10 years per stats from Case-Shiller, peaking in mid-2007 and riding back down to 2005 prices.

Application for your Smart Phone

Hello All, I am starting off the New Year with a new blog. Wish me luck!

Have you downloaded my free App yet? It is awesome (If I do say so myself!). Text livsea to 87778 and you will receive a text back with a link to the app. Download it to your phone, type in your phone number and you're on your way.

It works with the GPS unit in your phone. Let's say your driving around town and see a killer house for sale (you say to yourself "I want to live there", or "that looks just like my house, I wonder how much it is selling for?"). You open the app, click on MAP CLOSEST HOMES or LIST CLOSEST HOMES, find the house you are sitting in front of, click on it and the listing details, pictures, features, schools and similar recent solds link will pop up. You can even save the listings to your favorites. You can search by address, city/neighborhood/school, MLS # or zip code.

It's very cool....enjoy!