Produce Props

Grocery store props are great for the kitchen.  Apples in a decorative bowl add a great smell and color to the room.  Place lemons in a glass bowl to add some needed color to a dark corner in your kitchen.  Oranges or grapefruit add a great punch of color.  Remember when using produce as a staging prop to remove the stickers from each one.

The Laundry Room

Remove all clutter and clean everything.  Create a place where you can do your sorting and folding if possible.  Put up shelving and a rod for hanging cloths. Store your soap and cleaners in decorative canisters.  If you have the space us decorative baskets for sorting. Put a nice rug on the floor in front of the washer and dryer. If you have wall space add a decorative focal piece with the laudry room theme. Keep the area clean and organized.

Add a Rug

Add a rug with color to tile, wood, or laminate floors.  Never put a rug on top of carpet.  Place a rug in front of the kitchen sink and in front of stove, depending on how large the room is.  Add rugs to cold tile floors in kitchens and baths. When adding color to floors make sure it goes well with the flooring.   Place rugs inside of exterior doorways, make sure they do not move easily.  Here are some ideas to keep the rug in place.  Buy either a felt carpet pad (can be purchased from carpet stores), or buy Incorporate laytex webbing, can be purchased in rolls and cut to the size of your rug.  You can buy rugs with a rubber backing.  In addition you can use self adhesive velcro to attach the rug in place.

Appeal To Their Emotions

95% of the time a buyers decision is based on their emotions.  Make your home feel warm and inviting. Make the home smell good.  Open all the windows for 15 mins and let the home air out. Then close the windows and burn a candle with a nice not so overwhelming smell.  Turn all the lights (bedrooms. kitchen, hallways, baths, laundry, stairway, and even storage areas).  You do not want the buyers to feel like they are in the dark.  Turn on accent lighting such as lamps and wall lights.  If you have a fireplace turn it on.  Make sure beds are made and pillows arrange nicely.  Make your bedrooms feel like an oasis a place to rest and enjoy.  Make sure bathrooms are clean no garbage in the waste basket, no soap in the shower, no dirty towels hanging over the shower.  You can even go so far as to have a set of towels to put out when you are showing your home.  They buyer does not want to know anything personal about your bathroom.  The bathroom should look and feel like a hotel or model home bathroom.  Arrange seating areas to have a smooth flow, a good layout in the room.  In the dining area add a flower arrangement to the center of the table.  In the kitchen nothing should be on the counters not soap, washcloths, or dishes.  And a fruit basket to the counter.  Keep things simple and clean.

Home Staging

Home staging is becoming more popular. Homes are sitting on the market longer and sellers are starting to see the benefits of home staging.  When you are in competition with other houses in your market, you need to make yours stand out.  Staging your home to appeal to potential buyers.  The key is to look at it from a prospective buyers point of view.  It is helpful to depersonalize your house.  Taking down family and personal photos may not seem to be that big of a deal but it is important for the buyers to see the house as their home.  It is also very important to start by cleaning and decluttering your home.  Cleaning and organization might mean you need to make some needed repairs.  Start with the noticeable and small things and work you way up to the big projects.  Repair holes in walls touch up paint.  Remove stains in carpet if you can.  Fix broken items.  Once you have done your cleaning start decluttering.  Rent a storage unit if needed.  Start to remove excessive furniture, clothing, and storage items.  Make the space in your home feel more roomy.  Once you have done these main steps you can start to decorate and rearrange to make the rooms more appealing to buyers.

Tip Of The Day

I liked this tip it is simple and effective.  To make a room feel and look like it has a higher ceiling hang straight curtains on both sides of your window(s) mounted right at the ceiling, hanging down all the way to the floor.  This is a neat trick to add interest to your room.

De-clutter

It is amazing how much junk and unwanted things we hold on to.  Now is the time to get rid of those items.  Clean out junk in drawers, closets, cupboards and anywhere else it is accumulating.  De-cluttering can actually be very liberating.  If you have not used it, worn it or knew you still had it, in a year it is time to throw it out or donate it.  Clear off shelves, tables, dressers, and counters of stuff that does not need to be there.  The rule of less is more is a good rule to follow.  Think of it this way when you pack to move you will be going through everything this just makes moving and selling a little easier.