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10 Tips from a Professional Home Stager
10 Tips from a Professional Home Stager
How to Prepare Your Own Home for Top Dollar SaleBy Barbara Meglis, CID, HSE The home-selling season is upon us and competition is fierce for prospective buyers. Let the following 10 tips inspire you to prepare your home for sale the way a professional home stager would, for quick sale and top-dollar.
1) Remember bedrooms are for sleeping. Dining rooms are for dining. If your office has taken over the dining room, it's time to box it up. Potential buyers will expect to see a table and chairs in what is supposed to be an eating area. Be clear about the intended function of each room.
2) Neutralize your walls, but neutral doesn't mean white. Although many personalized color schemes may not appeal to all potential buyers, whitewashing your walls will only make them look grey and cold. Soft taupe and sage green are good neutrals for the public spaces in your home.
3) Raise the roof (or at least the ceiling). To make low ceilings seem higher, hang your valances and drapery rods at the ceiling level. The valances will cover less of the window and the long vertical drapes will add much needed height to the room.
4) Resist the urge. Leave some shelves empty. Edit your bookshelves and entertainment units and box up as much as you can. Since you're moving anyway, now is the time to sort through your library and think about what you really need to take with you. For that matter, all excess items and furniture should be stored. It's time-consuming, but it's worth every penny when your house sells.
5) Focus on features. If old area rugs are hiding your hardwood floors, roll them up. If heavy window treatments are blocking a beautiful view, take them down. Remember that buyers want to see all the selling features that distinguish your house from the one for sale across the street.
6) Think model home. Box up your family photos and other personal items. This is really hard for sellers because your personal items are what make your house a home. But prospective buyers need to picture themselves in your home. De-personalizing it now will pay off.
7) Change the knobs and counter the clutter. In the kitchen, consider replacing old cabinet knobs with new ones to give your kitchen an instant boost. Box up all unused appliances, remove artwork and magnets from the refrigerator, and clear off all horizontal surfaces. Make sure there are no cooking odors and that the trash has been removed. The kitchen should be absolutely spotless.
8) Create a spa retreat. In the bathrooms, remove all personal items and place them in baskets or drawers. Hang fresh towels in one color-white works great. Make sure the bathroom is absolutely spotless and fresh-smelling and you've addressed the view behind the shower curtain, sometimes a deal-buster. Replace the vanity lights above the mirror to give your bathroom a more contemporary look.
9) Lighten and brighten. Open all shades on windows and make sure windows are clean. Remove screens if possible to let maximum light in. A white slipcover over a dingy old sofa will give it an instant lift. Think light, airy, and open. That's what buyers are looking for.
10) Set up conversation areas. Try to avoid lining the perimeter of your living room with furniture like you might see in your doctor's waiting room. Pull the furniture away from the walls and create functional groupings: a cozy reading nook, a conversation area in front of the fireplace, or a table and chairs by the window for chess. Accessorize with items of similar nature in odd-numbered groupings but avoid knick-knacks. One large piece on a coffee table is more dramatic than ten little ones.
Final note: Don't forget the curb appeal. Trim hedges, sweep walkways, and repair what's broken. Prospective buyers will form an opinion about your house before they even get out of the car. Make sure it's a good one.
If you need coaching or someone to stage your home to sell, call Barbara Meglis, Your Home & Color Coach, at 978-266-1158 for a free estimate. www.yourhomeandcolorcoach.com
Barbara Meglis is a certified interior decorator and home stager who lives in Acton and has served as a decorating coach to homeowners in the Boston Metro West region for the past 6 years. She trained with Lori Matzke of Center Stage Home in Minneapolis, MN, and earned her home staging expert certification.
Home Copyright 2001-06 Barbara W. Meglis. All rights reserved.