Help for Staging a House to Sell

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Help for Staging a House to Sell

by Senga
(United States)

Hello, I'm under the first time homebuyers plan in three years. We wish we were not!!! We wouldn't do it again!!!

We still have 1 year and a half to go. Is there things we can do now to prepare for selling?

I can't wait to sell our home, I hope you can give us a few tips for a quick sale!!!

Thank you very much - have a blessed day
Senga

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Help for Staging a House to Sell

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Apr 05, 2011
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Hoping for a Quick Sale - you'll be well prepared!
by: Charlotte

Hello Senga

Thank you very much for contacting me - but so sorry to hear you are not happy in your current home.

However, it's a very good idea to take the time to prepare your house for sale thoroughly, and starting well in advance will mean that you can take your time over it, and do the work when it suits you.

Yes, there is lots you can do that can help to prepare your home for it's best chance of a quick sale.

Start by making sure all home repairs are up to date and completed. Take the time to fix all those little unfinished projects (if you have any) or any areas of damp, stains, cracks, loose fittings etc, so that your home is in a good and well cared for condition. This all helps to ensure that potential buyers see your house as a home that has been cared for and well maintained - you wouldn't want to buy a home that has been badly neglected!

If you've personalised your home with bright colors or strong style statements, take some time to de-personalise and neutralise these aspects. Here I'm talking mainly about wall color (or other bright colors or very personal design features in your home).

You needn't go a bland cream all over - warm and pale neutrals are something to aim for - especially in rooms you'd like to feel welcoming - particularly living room, dining room, bedroom and hallway.

A light yellow is often a good choice for entrance hallways, as yellow is a very warm and welcoming color - so immediately gives a welcoming feel immediately your potential purchaser steps through the door.

Beiges, taupes and coffee colors are all warm neutrals you might want to base a scheme around - or you can still use some color if you keep it pale and subtle, and choose well to blend in with existing furnishings.

It's best to keep colors very pale, as this means they reflect more light around the space, so making it feel lighter and more spacious - everyone wants to feel like they are getting the most amount of space for their money!

This is particularly important if your home is a little on the small side - in this case cream is an excellent choice, or even a 'cool' color such as a very pale blue or green can give the greatest feeling of space.

Continues on comment below...

Apr 05, 2011
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Continues from above comment
by: Charlotte

Pale colors are also less 'in your face' than deeper and darker colors, so are more acceptable and attractive to a greater percentage of potential purchasers, so your choice of color won't put people off!

Cool colors (with blue tones) can work quite well in bathrooms and kitchens, where you want to evoke an air of cleanliness and good hygiene - although by no means discount warmer tones if you feel this suits your home better.

If your home feels large and echoey, warmer colors (still quite pale) could suit - (orange undertones) to make it feel more cosy.

Even with pale and neutral tones as the basis for the scheme, still include small touches of color in accents - it will make the house look more attractive and 'alive' - and buyers will still want to feel that someone has taken an interest in making this house into a home, and to be able to envisage that it could make a similar home for themselves.

Make sure flooring is in good condition - pale is good, again to make the space feel lighter and brighter. People look at expensive items that they might need to find to bring the house up to their own expectations of living - and if they think the home will need new flooring or carpets, they will factor this as a large expense, and it may put them off.

This is also true for kitchens and bathrooms - an old bathroom suit or tatty kitchen can put people off very quickly, as they think it will be so expensive to re-fit. But the truth is, it doesn't have to be - you can fit an inexpensive new bathroom suite, you can tile over old tiles, paint them, regrout, use a grout pen.

You can fit new kitchen cupboard doors to existing units, you can paint the cupboard doors, and/or fit new handles - to create that smart new look without breaking the bank.

If you are re-doing items like these inexpensively, that may suffer some wear and tear before sale time comes around, you might want to schedule them in for towards the end of the project timescale, so that they are still relatively new when buyers come round.

The other big thing you can do is start to clear clutter - you don't want to be moving with any unnecessary boxes if you can help it, so try to spend the next few months gradually sorting through all your bits and pieces and selling or donating to charity what you don't reasonably need.

Any surplus can be put into storage as the time approaches for the house to go on the market - try to remove too many personal items, such as family photos, or very striking artworks or collections - while you want your house to feel welcoming and homely, you don't want too much of your own personalities showing through, as you want purchasers to be able to envisage this as their home - not yours!

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Apr 05, 2011
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Continues from above comment
by: Charlotte

Do include pictures on the wall, and neatly arranged accessories and plants - not too many, not too few - and keep your color scheme in mind when choosing and arranging these. This is, of course, something that you'll do a lot closer to the time, but you might want to bear these points in mind now, as something to work towards, and you might be able to devise color schemes around existing items.

You don't necessarily need to buy all new items - existing bits and pieces you already have will surely work well - you might want to start with an audit of what you've got of furniture, curtains, fabrics, accessories and see what colors you've already got, to plan what your color schemes and accents will be. If you do need to buy anything new, remember you will mostly be able to take it to your new place.

Although furniture and accessories won't be included in the sale, buyers will still look at and assess yours, to see if it fits in with the style of home they are looking to purchase.

You can look to makeover any furniture that needs smartening up - re-upholstery, painting (wood furniture can all be painted cream for a nice, new, smart and light feel (to create a more spacious look) and even melamine furniture can be given a new look with specialist melamine paint.

You can sew smart covers for dining room chairs to go with your overall look (if you have the space, a seating area for eating is always a big advantage - set the table for a sumptuous meal (settings not food!) to create the picture in buyers' minds).

If budget allows and/or you feel existing furniture is just not suitable, you can even hire in furniture for the right look, just for the few months your house is on the market, or ask family and friends if you can borrow something of their for a short while.

As you are starting with plenty of time to prepare, take the time to make sure the outside (if you have one) is neat and tidy too - the garden doesn't need to be a horticultural delight, but make sure it is neat and appealing, with a few flowers or shrubs, and somewhere to sit.

Pay special attention to the front of the house, and work on its 'kerb appeal' - making sure that it looks attractive and welcoming to any potential purchasers driving past, and as a first look to buyers arriving at the front door for the first time - first impressions count!

Paint the front door, and if possible include pots of flowers or trees either side of the door - and make sure the front garden, or approach to the house is well maintained, neat and basically looks well cared for.

I hope these ideas help. You have plenty of time to prepare, so you can make a very thorough job, and do it in a more relaxed way.

Continues on next comment...

Apr 05, 2011
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Continues from above comment
by: Charlotte

Remember that any money you spend you are investing in your home and in your sale, and in your plans to move out and move on - but at the same time, don't get too carried away in fitting expensive fixtures, or the best of everything - although quality items are always good - remember that ultimately you are preparing it for someone else.

I hope this helps and I hope when the time comes the sale comes quickly! And at a good price for you!

There are lots more ideas at my section on Staging a House to Sell

But please do feel free to come back and ask more questions if anything isn't clear, or if you need more help.

You can also check out the following sections for more help:

Decorating on a Budget

Fast Fixes

Clearing Clutter

Here's hoping for a quick sale for you! And wishing you every happiness in your new home - it will be worth the wait!

Charlotte

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Help for Staging a House to Sell

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Help for Staging a House to Sell