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THE SUMMER SELLING SEASON IS IN FULL SWING. A PROPERLY STAGED HOME CATCHES THE BUYER’S EYE AND
MAKES A MORE FAVORABLE IMPRESSION THAN AN EMPTY PROPERTY. HERE ARE TEN TIPS FOR STAGING A HOME TO SELL.
Top 10Ways TO STAGE A HOME TO SELL
(1) In this market, it is wise to get a pre-inspection. Based on the results of your pre-inspection, schedule appointments with reputable vendors to get professional estimates on what repairing any major problems would cost. You and your buyer don’t want any surprises.
( 2 ) Identify the demographic of your most likely buyer. Keep them firmly in mind as you prepare to put the home up for sale. Is it for young couples starting a family? Is it for baby boomers downgrading after their kids have moved out?
(3) Buy new house or apartment numbers to replace existing ones if they’re dated or damaged.This is the first thing that buyers look for (tomake sure they’re at the right place), so of course it’s the first thing they notice. You don’t want to start off with a bad impression.
( 4 ) If the home has a yard or garden, tidy it up: prune, weed, mulch, edge, and mow.Make sure no shrubs are blocking windows or paths. Don’t worry about having an impressive garden — high maintenance can be a big turnoff — just a well-kept one.
(5) Replace each existing doormat with a plain, neutral- colored mat.Consider your first step into someone’s home. What does it say about them? What do you want to say to the buyer? How will they imagine themselves taking the first step into their new home?
(6) Purge.Have the homeowner spend twenty minutes in each room putting anything they want to give away into a pile in the middle of the floor and have a trash bag handy for things they’re going to throw away. This is the first step towards packing, and the seller’s first step towards say- ing goodbye to the home.
20 Georgia REALTOR®
(7) Store away.Have the seller pack up all photographs, mementos, and personal items they can live without while the home is on the market. Put the small, personal items that the family needs (such as medications) into closed containers out of sight, so that buyers won’t see them. Buyers want to imagine themselves in the home, and they can’t do that look- ing at pictures of another family and of someone else’s med- icine labels.
(8) Pack. In each room, pack two boxes of belongings — clothes, books, utensils, and so on — that the family can do without until the home sells. Focus on removing items from built-in bookshelves and from closets or built-in drawers that buyers will be opening.
(9)Clean the home as thoroughly as possible.Not just your standard scrub, and go beyond the spring cleaning. Don’t forget to clean the front door and all windows. Re- member that sunlight sells, so you want curtains or blinds open and light streaming in through a spotless window.
(10) Remake all beds with white sheets and pillowcases if you have them.Think of it as presenting a black slate to buyers who may not have your taste (there’re always more than you think).
Starr C. Osborne is the owner and founder ofTailored Transitions, Philadelphia’s premiere home staging, moving-management, and design company. Their diverse work with realtors, developers, and private clients has included The Bank Building, Parc Rittenhouse, The Residences at Wood Norten, The Hill at Whitemarsh, Inde- pendence Seaport Museum, and Natural Lands Trust. Tailored Transitions has been featured inUSA Today, The Real Estate Pro- fessional, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Learn more at
http://stagingstarr.com/.
JULY/AUGUST 2010
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