When real estate agents talk about staging your home, they’re referring to a method of decorating that is designed to showcase the home’s best assets, impress buyers and sell quickly for the highest possible price.

Because not all sellers stage their homes, especially homes in lower price ranges, you’ll be at an advantage if you do. Read on to find out how.

Why Home Staging Is Important

Although staging is optional, it really shouldn’t be. When you’re dealing with such a significant financial transaction, you don’t want to be lazy and settle for a lower selling price or a longer marketing period than you have to.

Relative to the amount of time and money involved, staging may be one of the most lucrative projects you ever undertake. Potential buyers aren’t just looking for a structure to inhabit – they’re looking to fulfill their dreams and improve their lifestyles. Staging helps sell those dreams and creates a more emotional purchase that can generate more money for the seller.

Home staging is also beneficial because potential buyers don’t want to see work that needs to be done upon moving into the home. For every problem they see, they’ll deduct its cost from their offering price. If they see too many problems, they’ll pass altogether.

Staging How To’s
While there are plenty of room-specific staging tips, if you’re on a limited budget, it’s best to focus on big-picture improvements and on the areas that will make the biggest difference in your home’s selling price.

These include the exterior and entryway (both heavily impact a buyers’ first impressions), the living room, kitchens and bathrooms, the master bedroom and outdoor living space, such as a back patio. The following techniques can and should be employed in as many rooms of the house as you can afford and have time for:

Clean
In the kitchen, potential buyers love to see new appliances that come with the home, but if you can’t do that, make the ones you have spotless. No one wants to see splattered spaghetti sauce, films of grease or piles of crumbs in their potential new home. Likewise, make sure your bathroom sparkles, from the corners of the tub to the sink drain to that spot behind the toilet you don’t think anyone can see. Your goal should be to make everything look new.

Declutter
There are two major problems with clutter. One is that it distracts buyers from your home’s features. The other is that it makes it seem like the home doesn’t have enough storage space. Put away knickknacks. Keep in mind that buyers will be interested in your closet space, so tossing everything into the closet to hide it away may not be the best strategy.

Depersonalize
Buyers need to be able to envision themselves in your home, so remove all the family photos, items with family members’ names on them and refrigerator art. Also make sure to put away all the toys and anything else that is highly indicative of the home’s current inhabitants.

Remove Odors
Pets, kids, what you ate for dinner last night, a mildew-covered bathroom and many other conditions can make your home smell. You are probably immune to your home’s smell, so you’ll need to have a friend or neighbor help you out with this one. Inexpensive tricks for ridding a home of odors and giving it an inviting aroma include baking cinnamon-coated apples in the oven, burning vanilla-scented candles, or throwing some slice-and-bake cookies in the oven. It’s also a good idea to grind half a lemon in the garbage disposal to remove sink odors. While you could use a spray to deodorize your home, it might give it a cheap, institutional bathroom smell, which is hardly the image you’re going for. If you’re a smoker and you normally smoke indoors, start limiting your smoking to outside the home and take extra steps to deodorize indoors. Finally, don’t forget to take out the trash.

Define Rooms
Make sure each room has a single, defined purpose. Also make sure that every space within every room has a purpose so that buyers will see how to maximize the home’s square footage. If you have a finished attic, make it an office. A finished basement can become an entertainment room, and a junk room can be transformed into a guest bedroom. Even if the buyer won’t want to use the room for the same purpose, the important thing is for them to see that every inch of the home is usable space. This includes alcoves, window seats, corners, breakfast nooks and so on.

Wallpaper/Paint
It is unlikely that a potential buyer will like your wallpaper. Your best bet is to tear it down and paint the walls instead. Don’t even think about painting over the wallpaper – it will look shabby and send red flags for the buyer about all the work he or she will have to do later.

Custom paint colors are the same way. You may love your orange bathroom, but people’s tastes in colors are very specific and highly personal. While you might think that white walls would be ideal because they create a blank slate that allows buyers to envision their own décor and gives them an easy starting point, it’s actually better to paint your home with warm, neutral colors that appeal to the masses and project the homey image you’re trying to sell.

Flooring
No one wants to live with dirty, stained carpet, especially when someone else made it that way. Linoleum is passé and looks cheap. Though pricey, hardwood floors add value and elegance to a home. They are also low-maintenance, provide great long-term value and are perfect for buyers with allergies. In other words, they appeal to almost everyone, and if not, they’re easily carpeted over by the buyer and preserved for the next owner.

In kitchens and bathrooms, go with ceramic tile or stone if you can afford it. If not, use high-quality vinyl tiles that mimic their more expensive counterparts. If you can’t afford to do that, stick to common areas like the living room, dining room and kitchen. Bathrooms should make the cut too because they have relatively little floor area and therefore won’t be too expensive to upgrade.

Lighting
Take advantage of your home’s natural light. Open all curtains and blinds when showing your home. Add supplemental lighting where necessary. Outdated or broken light fixtures can be cheaply and easily replaced. If you think your existing fixtures are fine, make sure to dust them, clean off any grime and empty out the dead bugs.

Furniture
Make sure furniture is the right size for the room, and don’t clutter a room with too much furniture. Furniture that’s too big will make a room look small, while too little or too small furniture can make a space feel cold. Don’t use cheap college furniture, either. You don’t have to pay a lot of money to switch out your existing furniture and you may even be able to rent it, but the furniture should look nice, new, expensive and inviting. You’ll also want to arrange the furniture in a way that makes each room feel spacious yet homey. In the living room, for example, seating should be set up in a way that creates a gathering area around the fireplace.

Walls and Ceilings
Cracks in the walls or ceiling are a red flag to buyers as they may indicate foundation problems. If your home does have foundation problems, you will need to either fix them or alert potential buyers to the problem. That said, a fix would be better in terms of getting the home sold. If the foundation only looks bad, but has been deemed sound by an inspector, repair the cracks so you don’t scare off buyers for no good reason.

Exterior
Your home’s exterior will be the first impression buyers get and may even determine their interest in viewing the inside. Make sure your lawn, hedges, trees and other plants are well-maintained and neatly pruned and eliminate any weeds. To brighten windows, wash them well, and consider adding flower boxes to brighten them up further. If you can, power wash your home’s exterior – it can make it look almost freshly painted but with less effort and expense. Make sure the sidewalk leading up to the house is clear and clean, and purchase new doormats for the front and back doors. If you have a pool, showcase it by making sure it’s crystal clear. Creating some sort of outdoor living space in the backyard, such as a deck or patio with outdoor furniture, is another way to use the exterior of your home to its greatest advantage.

Last Touches
Just before any open house or showing, make sure that your staging efforts go the full mile with a few last-minute touches that will make the home seem warm and inviting. These include fresh flowers, letting fresh air into the house for at least ten minutes beforehand so it isn’t stuffy, adding a pleasant scent as discussed earlier, and putting new, plush, nicely folded towels in the bathrooms.

Bottom Line
Even if you have plenty of cash, don’t put too much money into the staging process. You want to emphasize the home’s best features, but keep in mind that what sells the home and what will make the home usable for the buyer are not necessarily the same thing. Overall, to get the most bang for your buck, your home staging efforts should be designed to appeal to the widest possible range of buyers. The more people willing to submit purchase offers for your home, the higher the selling price will be.

Source

Your home’s been on the market for a while now, and you’re not getting any offers. Your real estate agent has suggested professional staging, but that’s just not in the budget. What’s a desperate home seller to do?

You might consider a staging consultation. Many home stagers will provide room-by-room assessments for homeowners, offering tips about paint colors, furniture placement, improving traffic patterns and more. Most consultations last about two hours and won’t break the bank at $150 to $250.

Or, you can use these five low-cost, do-it-yourself staging tips to create a space that sells:

No. 1: Cut the clutter

Get boxes and tape, and start packing. Clothes, books, toys, extra pots and pans – pack up everything you don’t absolutely need during the next two or three months. Remember that potential buyers will be opening closets and drawers; if it looks like there’s not room for your things, buyers will assume storage will be tight for them as well.

Too much furniture can also make a space look cluttered. Your home will look bigger if it’s not jam-packed. Go through the house room by room and ask yourself what you can live without. See if your friends are willing to store your things until the house sells, or consider renting a short-term storage unit.

No. 2: Let the sunshine in

“I advise homeowners to open all their window coverings,” says Maureen Bray, owner of Portland, OR-based Rooms Solution Staging. “Don’t just open the blinds — raise them to the top to allow people to see the view and let in light. Home buyers love light, bright rooms.”

Of course, that means windows must be cleaned inside and out, and window sills need to be wiped down.

Got a view you’re not so crazy about showcasing? Consider blinds that can be angled to let in light, or hang sheer panels.

What if you have those heavy, expensive, custom drapes and valances that were popular 20 years ago? “Take them down,” says Bray. “You got your money’s worth out of them. Today’s buyers want light.”

No. 3: Clean, then clean some more

“I always tell people, ‘Clean like there’s no tomorrow.’” says Bray. “A really clean house gives buyers the impression that it has been well-maintained.”

Unfortunately, a one-time cleaning won’t do the trick. You’ll need to keep at it until your house sells. Knock down cobwebs, wipe counter tops, scrub grout, mop floors, wash light fixtures and repeat.

If cleaning bathtubs and wiping down baseboards is simply not your area of expertise, consider hiring a weekly cleaning service. Yes, it’s an investment, but if it shortens your selling time, it’s money well spent.

No. 4: Set the scene

Want buyers to fall in love with your house the moment they see it? First impressions matter. Your lawn must be mowed and edged, bushes must be trimmed, and flower beds must be weeded and topped with fresh mulch or bark. Add colorful flowers near the front door, either in flowerbeds or pots.

You’ll make your home even tougher to resist if you borrow or rent a power washer to clean grimy sidewalks, driveways, stairs and decks. Remember: You want everything to look fresh, fresh, fresh.

No. 5: Take new photos

Once you’ve decluttered, cleaned and planted flowers, take new photos of your home.

According to a 2011 survey, 88 percent of buyers say their home search relies, at least in part, on online listings. It’s important that the photos used in those listings and printed fliers reflect the improvements you’ve made to your home. Photos that showcase your decluttered, squeaky clean, curb-appeal-laden abode will appeal to a broader range of home buyers.

Provide by Har.com Blog

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE HOME SELLING/BUYING FRENZY HAD ENDED……

We all thought it wouldn’t last! After all Houston’s real estate market has not seen this kind of activity since 2006 (per HAR). Home prices continue to rise and inventory continues to shrink creating the best opportunity in years for home owners to sell with a maximum return on their investment. As a REALTOR specializing in Houston’s Inner Loop neighborhoods I commonly see listings receive multiple offers and many times before the pictures are even uploaded onto the MLS site.

With all of this surge in activity, bidding wars and limited inventory the temptation for many sellers is to take the marketing/preparation of their home for granted. This is a HUGE mistake! The work must still be done.

Sellers should always understand that location is paramount. If you live in an area that’s in demand there will always be buyers. However, in order to secure the highest sale price in the least amount of time with the potential for multiple offers I would like to suggest the following:

1. Do Not Overprice Your Home! In the past if a home was on the market for 2 to 3 weeks it was not a big deal. Now with many homes going under contract in the first 24 to 48 hours those 2-3 weeks will look like eternity to a buyer.

2. Open Houses can still be an effective tool, don’t forget the basics. Effective, quality marketing could secure multiple offers and potentially over the listed price.

3. Make sure the REALTOR you choose is familiar with using the internet and social networks to create an on-line interest in your home. According to recent studies an est. 80% of all home buyers previewed the home they purchased on the internet.

4. Clean the interior, remove all clutter and have the home professionally cleaned. Buyers will be less likely to want to compete with other buyers if your home feels dirty and not well maintained.

5. Create a reason for the buyer to get out of the car with appealing curb appeal and exterior. Buyers know there is limited inventory and that they may be paying over the list price so they are going to be picky.

Provided by Har.com Blog

With record home prices and lots of job growth, it’s no surprise that Houston again placed on a national list of improving metro regions for residential real estate.

The Bayou City was one of 255 U.S. metropolitan areas included on the July National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index.

The group tracks housing markets that are showing signs of improving economic health across three sectors: job growth, house-price appreciation and single-family permit growth. It includes regions that have shown improvements for six months since their respective troughs.

July represented the sixth straight month in which at least 70 percent of U.S. metro areas qualified for the improving market index, the group reported. The number was down slightly from 263 metros on the list in June, but more than triple the number of regions on the list a year ago.

Here’s how Houston stacked up against other metropolitan areas on the list.

Houston home prices shot up 11.9 percent since the low point in August 2011, based on house price appreciation figures from Freddie Mac. Only 39 metro areas on the improving markets list had higher gains. Phoenix was up the most with a 35 percent gain since its low in June 2011.

Houston added 11.3 percent more jobs since its low point at end of 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only 15 metropolitan areas on the list of improving areas showed higher job growth rates since their respective troughs:

1. Midland, TX    09/30/09    30.4%
2. Odessa, TX    08/31/09    29.5%
3. Columbus, IN    07/31/09    22.1%
4. Elkhart, IN    06/30/09    21.4%
5. Cleveland, TN    11/30/10    15.5%
6. Provo, UT    12/31/09    15.1%
7. Holland, MI    06/30/09    15.0%
8. Nashville, TN    09/30/09    13.5%
9. Bismarck, ND    12/31/07    13.2%
10. Austin, TX    09/30/09    12.7%
11. Winchester, VA    10/31/09    12.6%
12. Grand Rapids, MI    07/31/09    11.5%
13. San Luis Obispo, CA    07/31/09    11.5%
14. Longview, TX    10/31/09    11.5%
15. Fargo, ND    04/30/09    11.4%
16. Houston, TX    12/31/09    11.3%

For house permits, Houston’s growth rate was similar to San Antonio, San Diego and Goldsboro, N.C., according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

New to the U.S. list this month are Cumberland, Md.; Saginaw, Mich.; Farmington and Las Cruces, N.M.; Kingston, N.Y.; and Olympia, Wash. Only one Texas city, Sherman, was among the 14 metro areas that dropped off the July list.

Provided by Chron.com

Chron.com’s Prime Property asked readers last month to vote on whether it was it was a good time to sell a house. The results were close, with 52 percent of folks saying it was not a good time because prices would continue to rise. (That may help explain why our inventory is so incredibly low.)

The poll was based on a survey from Fannie Mae that revealed more Americans thought it was a good time to sell. Today, Fannie released results from a new survey that shows more Americans expect mortgage rates and home prices to climb, potentially spurring home shoppers to act.

The share of respondents who said mortgage rates will go up during the next 12 months jumped 11 percentage points to 57 percent, the highest level in the survey’s three-year history. Those who think home prices will go up in the next year also hit a survey high of 57 percent.

Local experts say the recent spike in mortgage rates isn’t going to do much to move the dial on Houston’s already hot, inventory-constrained market. But clearly the rate hike is having an impact on many consumers.

Provided by Chron.com

What do you think?