Home Staging TNT

My branding coach always says that I don’t want to just attract clients, I want to attract the right clients for me and my message needs to align with my ideal clients expectations. Selling your house is really no different. Your house has to align with your ideal buyer’s wants and needs. And, most likely, her buyer is going to be someone younger than her looking for a fresher feeling space.

Attracting the right buyers is great. Aligning with their expectations is even better.

I believe that you can sell your house quickly in any market. You just need the right tools and information. So what can you do to attract today’s buyers and make them really, really want your house when they come to see it? Here are some Home Staging tips that buyers in 2013 love to see:

Lots of Pictures

20-25 photos will really display your property and give buyers plenty of information to consider a visit. You know that happens when you do that? You know that when someone is coming to your house, they really liked what they saw online and you are more likely to get an offer.

Kitchen Updates

Now, if you have a recently updated kitchen, you are in great shape and just need to follow these Home Staging tips for your photos and showings:

– clear your countertops for your photo session.

– remove all accessories that are placed on top of cabinets, including plants. Honestly, that is more likely to turn off buyers than the older model refrigerator.

– remove all magnets from the refrigerator

– remove the banana tree-I see this so often and always wondered who bought those things. um… everyone it seems.

Once your photos are taken, I am more lenient about what you can keep out just don’t make it look like you are having an appliance or tchotchke yard sale! That said, keep the stuff off the tops of the cabinets. It really dates your house and turns today’s buyers off.

If your kitchen is older and full of oak cabinetry, your first thought may be to add granite counters. Honestly, you would be amazed what just painting the cabinets and updating to stainless appliances can do when Staging your kitchen. Buyers today love lighter kitchens. 9 out of the top 10 kitchens on houss.com last year had white cabinetry-and all had stainless appliances-so dig out your paint gear and get going!

Neutral Paint Colors

Do you have a room (or two) that even you are questioning may be turn off to buyers? Go with your gut on this one! I’d rather have you put in extra work now than be left sitting with an unsold house later. There are some great neutrals that can work beautifully with a lot of color schemes.

Bathroom Updates

Buyers today love a spa like setting in the bathroom. You can Stage it by:

– painting a neutral color

– adding white towels (not embellished with chords or trim or themed)

– adding a white shower curtain

– making sure everything is off the counters

– removing bathmats or rugs of any kind on floor or toilet seat cover

– removing the plunger from next to toilet

– painting dated tile

– changing out the mirror and/or light fixture

– adding a frameless shower enclosure

Window Updates

I’m strictly talking about the decorative element of windows here. I see so many outdated window treatments in my line of work and they are probably the things that I change most often in my clients’ homes. Valances, swags and jabots, and fat verticle blinds really make your house feel tired and old. Buyers today like straight panels that reach the floor and natural woven shades. Now, I know that buyers can easily change out the window treatments themselves, but honestly, they can’t visualize how your house could look hip and fresh with the outdated ones in place. Invest in some reasonably priced ones from Target and Ikea-my go to sources for inexpensive fashionable window coverings-and they might even ask to include the treatments in the sale.

I hope that these tips will work for you!

The Texas real estate climate weathered the recession well and population centers like the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex are drawing more and more relocation traffic. Buyers are increasingly attracted to bedroom communities like Frisco, a community of 100,000 lying just 25 miles north of Dallas. Named one of the nation’s fastest growing suburbs by Forbes in 2007, single family homes are selling well in Frisco, putting extra responsibility on existing owners to showcase their properties to maximum advantage.

When listing a home for sale, divorce yourself from the emotional attachment you feel toward the house and everything in it. While most listing agents will agree that a furnished home sells better than an empty one, those same agents will also tell you that almost every home has too much clutter and too much furniture.

** Things to Do Before Staging a Home **

Staging a home, even one in which the sellers are living while it is being shown, is a matter of creating illusions to stimulate the imagination. Before you even consider the elements of that illusion:

– Clean thoroughly. No one wants to buy your dirt.

– Declutter. Don’t leave “mail mountain” on the hall credenza or let hubby’s “gimme cap” collection remain in plain sight.

– Depersonalize. For as much as they mean to you, family photographs and cherished “treasures” should be removed. You want buyers to see the home, not be distracted by your interests and eccentricities.

– Repaint areas that show accumulated dirt, like door frames and cabinets. Paint is cheap and can hide a multitude of sins!

– Make minor repairs. It may not bother you that one of the shower handles is broken. It will bother a prospective buyer.

Only when these kinds of problems have been addressed are you ready to consider staging the home.

** Start Staging from the Outside and Work In **

The absolute worst case scenario is to have an agent pull up at the curb only to have the buyer say, on first glance, “No thanks.” Curb appeal is important. Make sure that:

– The yard is free of clutter, the edges trimmed, and the grass mowed.
– The shrubs and trees are neat.
– Any faded paint has been freshened up.
– Items like listing rain gutters or crooked mailboxes have been repaired.
– Flags or signs pointing to school or sports affiliations are taken down.
– The house numbers are clearly visible.

Plant flowers or strategically position blooming plants in pots. Bright colors immediately attract the eye and create a welcoming feel.

** Rent a Storage Unit **

Dramatically reduce the amount of furniture in the home, removing or rearranging those pieces that block lines of sight or impair free movement from room to room..

The basic idea is to include only those pieces that clearly illustrate the purpose of any given room. If, for instance, you have a bed in the living room, buyers will be left scratching their heads. You may have a perfectly good reason for the bed to be there, but people looking at your home will neither know or care what that reason may be

Group remaining furniture in appealing vignettes and stage them with accessories. For instance, you might drape a satin throw over the back of a chaise lounge. Buyers are attracted to luxurious fabrics. Use unique elements sparingly and only to highlight a feature of the room, for instance an interesting piece of sculpture might draw the eye to the handcrafted wooden mantle piece.

** Use Room Appropriate Accessories **

Remember, you’ve taken out your own clutter and memorabilia. Don’t replace it with “cutesy” kitsch that’s just as bad. Think about what accessories add to a room according to the function of the room. For instance:

– Put out scented soaps in bathrooms that add a nice fragrance to the air.

– Arrange bowls of fruit in the kitchen beside a stack of cookbooks.

– Instead of framed photos, place candles in brass candlesticks on the piano.

Keep these displays simple and avoid the urge to over-do. The rule is, no clutter.

** Don’t Neglect the Backyard **

If you go to the trouble to work on your home’s curb appeal, don’t forget to stage the backyard. If you have a deck, make sure you have deck furniture. If there’s a pool, it should sparkle. Use flowers in pots or even consider setting the table to hint at how lovely evening meals would be in the setting. Remember, your goal is sparking the imagination of the potential buyer.

As a community, Frisco, Texas will sell itself. Residents enjoy an active local life and a strong, well-tended economy fostered by the Frisco Economic Development Corporation. There is currently a strong buyer’s market for relocating to North Texas and existing owners need only present their properties well to command good sale prices.

article submitted on behalf of author Darrell Self.

With the real estate market on the downturn, it is tough to sell a house these days. It could be a simple problem called “curb appeal”. If potential homeowners drive by and see your house, they will generally make a first impression, split second decision on whether or not they will continue to look further. They may even come inside for a second look, but first impressions count. Here are ten home staging ideas to make your house more noticeable and inviting for potential homebuyers, and increase your likelihood to sell.

Step 1
Polish up the exterior. The look of the exterior of your house will have a lot to do with how much potential home buyers will consider your home. Its the first glance of your home and therefore it needs to look its best at all times. To do this, either use a pressure washer to clean any stains, or paint the exterior of your home if necessary. This will greatly add a fresh look for curb appeal. Many of the tools needed can be rented or purchased from a local hardware store.

Step 2
Lighting. Light up the houses front pathway and landscaping. Outside lighting will contribute greatly to the alluring qualities of your exterior. Lighting will add to the attractiveness of the home and adds security features.

Step 3
Landscaping using colorful plants and flowers. Include a few plants and flowers where it will accentuate the look of your house. Select colorful plants and flowers, or shrubs that align with the walkway or accent the front door and lighting. Before you decide on a final location youre your plants and flowers, take a step back and take a look from a distance. The flowers and plants shouldnt cover up any strong accent points like windows and doors. It is also a good idea to regularly maintain your landscaping.

Step 4
Looking through windows. Windows should be spotless, and it good shape. Repair any damaged window parts and tighten any screws. Regularly clean your windows too. Curtains and blinds may be added if windows are not in tip top shape.

Step 5
Add outdoor furniture. Entice potential home buyers by adding furniture to your porch of front area. A few chairs and a table will do. Add a nice table cloth to the table and a vase with beautiful orchids or other flowers of your choice. Make potential home buyers imagine their self sitting at the table having lemonade on a hot summer day.

Step 6
Polish up fences. If your fence needs a boost, scrape and repaint it. A fresh coat of paint can brighten the look of the fence and add to the look of the entire yard or front area.

Step 7
Repair lighting. Its a good idea to repair or replace any broken lights. Consider adding solar landscape lighting along the sidewalk and the driveway. Solar landscape lights are inexpensive and come in a variety of styles. For the inside, consider adding compact fluorescent light bulbs which can save you lots of money. According to the Energy Star government site, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Step 8
Welcome your guests. Its always great to see a nice welcome mat at the front door. This will give potential home buyers a welcoming feeling, as if it was their own home.

Follow these simple home staging ideas and you can achieve a great looking curb appeal that many potential buyers can admire and appreciate as they drive by. Remember, homebuyers can continue driving by or stop and take a closer look inside.

Seamus Heaney was the son of a farmer who worked 50 hectares of land and kept cattle. His mother was an Ulsterwoman who never stopped talking while his father rarely spoke. So, early in life, Seamus Heaney found himself stood between speech and silence. Soon he learned of other divisions in Ireland and the world, and that greater world landed on the doorstep in 1943 when Americans built an airfield by the Heaneys’ farm. It was a staging post for the invasion of Normandy. In ‘Making Strange’ Heaney recalled this glimpse of otherness as akin to a field of alien corn and himself as pig in the middle caught between two selves.

I stood between them
the one with his travelled intelligence
and tawny containment,
his speech like the twang of a bowstring

and another, unshorn and bewildered
in the tubs of his wellingtons,
smiling at me for help,
faced with this stranger I’d brought him.

The first time away from home came at the age of twelve when Seamus won a scholarship to a Catholic boarding school in Derry. Here he learnt Latin and Irish, and went on to study Anglo-Saxon at university along with English Literature. His parents died when he was in his teens, leaving nine children to be brought up by uncles. Yet, although he travelled a long way from home, rural County Derry remained for him the country of the mind.

He graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast, in 1961 then trained to become a teacher. While teaching in a secondary school he married Marie Devlin and they subsequently had three children. His first book entitled Eleven Poems appeared in 1966 and the following year he took up a lectureship at Queen’s Belfast which he held until 1972 – by which time the Troubles had started in Northern Ireland and Heaney moved to Dublin.

The recipient of many literary awards, Seamus Heaney has held the post of Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard and was appointed Professor of Poetry at Oxford 1989-1994. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. On the death of Ted Hughes in 1998 he was offered the Laureateship which he declined. In 1999 he rendered the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf into modern English in a parallel text edition.

Read more on English Literature at literature-study-online.com

In this tough real estate market, it is imperative that anyone who is trying to sell their home do everything possible to present that home in the absolute best state possible. The way to achieve this goal is by staging the home for sale. Home staging is the process where the seller or someone else, such as an interior decorator, professional home stager or real estate agent, takes action to get the house in showroom condition. People quickly form an opinion about a space within seconds of setting foot inside the door; therefore, the house needs to make a positive impression at first glance.

Paint
Paint is one of the most inexpensive ways to change the look and feel of a space. Since a fresh coat of paint will make a room appear clean, the right paint color is very important. The walls in the house need to be a neutral color so it is appealing to the largest number of people. While the current homeowner may love the color blue, a potential buyer may be turned off by the color, as well as the prospect of having to paint over that color if they do indeed purchase the house. Certain colors and shades of a color can make a room appear smaller than it actually is. This is because the paint color may make the walls appear to close in around anyone standing in the room. Many people think that white would be the best color choice, but white can appear too cold and generic looking. The prime choice for paint, when staging a home, is a slightly warm yet neutral color like an ecru, which is a warm off-white, a light green, which will reflect the color of nature or a pale yellow, which is warm without being too bright. The only exception to this rule is in the case of a small powder room, bedroom or a dining room. These are rooms that can look inviting if presented as cozy and intimate.

Modern Furniture
Because modern furniture tends to have clean lines, it is the best choice when staging a home for sale. Again, this goes back to the theory that potential buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the space and modern furniture will work with many different design styles. The use of modern bedroom furniture, which has sleek lines and contemporary finishes, combined with neutral bed linens can easily remind people of a luxurious hotel. In the living room, sofas with streamlined frames and nondescript fabrics allow visitors to see the large windows and architectural details of a room, instead of focusing on a dated, wooden floral couch or an unappealing recliner. One last tip about furniture is the arrangement in relation to traffic flow. People need to be able to easily walk around furniture without having to squeeze past it, otherwise the room will appear small. If possible, pull some of the furniture away from the wall so it appears to be floating. It does not always have to be pushed up against a wall. This is another way to help a room to look larger. Position the furniture into groupings such as around a coffee table or facing the fireplace.

Remove Clutter
The idea is to remove or store all clutter and any personal items like family photos, pet beds or children’s toys from the home so that anyone viewing the house can easily picture themselves living there. This will, again, make a room appear larger. Too much stuff and too many tchotchkes interfere with the look of a room. These things can also make a house look dirty and too lived in for a buyer’s tastes. To enhance the allure of the house, only keep the most tasteful artwork and innocuous items on display. The items that are removed from the space can be sold or stored in a rental storage facility or at a friend or relatives house. It is not a good idea to simply box everything up and put it in the attic, basement or a spare room because potential buyers need to see the entire house in the best state.

Staging a home before potential buyers view it is the most effective way to get the house sold as quickly as possible. It will also ensure that the seller gets the best and highest price possible. Therefore, it is, without doubt, worth the extra time and additional expense to stage the house for scrutiny.