Home Staging

11 07, 2014

Feng Shui 101: How This Ancient Art Can Help Improve Your Home Staging

Feng Shui 101: How This Ancient Art Can Help Improve Your Home StagingIt is a buyer’s market, making home selling a challenge that can range from relatively simple to downright frustrating. Boosting ones’ chances of selling their home can be done in a number of ways. One simple way is to utilize the art of Feng Shui – an ancient Chinese art, used to manipulate the flow of energy in your home.

Feng Shui can be as inexpensive or as costly as you would like. Using what is already on hand is one way to keep it free, but sometimes a simple coating of paint on the front door or a few decorative pieces can make a big difference in the room.

The Entry Way

First impressions are everything, so one of the most important rooms in the home is the one that is entered into first by potential buyers. If the entry way is followed by a hallway, making the hallway look as wide as possible is important, as open, spacious rooms have better energy flows. Using a long, runner rug is one way to achieve this look, as well as brighter paint colors on the walls.

The Main Living Area

The living area will be one of the main draws to potential buyers. They should be able to envision themselves spending time there, reading a good book or entertaining guests. Upon entering the room, buyers should not be looking at the backside of furniture. The furniture should be outward facing, in an inviting way. A simple table in the middle of the furniture arrangement keeps the flow going, while also allowing for utility and style. A few simple art pieces on the walls or on shelves are a nice addition, as long as the space does not look cluttered or ill-kept.

The Bedrooms

Electronics have a negative effect on energy flows, so keeping electronics out of the bedroom during the staging process is important. The bed should be in full view of the door, but the headboard should not be against the wall that is directly in front of the door. Allow as much natural light into the room as possible.

The Bathroom

In Feng Shui, drains are seen as energetically negative, so toilet seats and shower curtains or doors should remain closed. Again, natural light is important, as well as uncluttered counters. Mirrors should be easily accessible and have a good source of light, preferably natural.

The Kitchen

Many counters and tables are magnets for junk – keeping these spaces clear and free of clutter is essential to a nice energy flow, as well as successful staging. Fresh flowers add a nice touch to the room, and make it seem more open. Yellow is considered good for digestion, so painting the room a nice shade of yellow, or adding touches of yellow here and there can be beneficial.

Home staging is a vital, but sometimes overlooked aspect of house selling. Feng Shui can be a great way to interest more buyers, and sell a home quicker. Energy flow is the basis of Feng Shui, and both natural lighting and arrangement of furniture make a difference in the energy levels of a home.

15 05, 2013

7 Tips To Make Your Living Room More Appealing To Home Buyers

7 Tips To Make Your Living Room More AppealingEveryone knows that first impressions are important. By carefully staging your home, you can positively influence the feelings your potential buyers have when they are viewing the property.

Staging is the art of decorating and arranging the spaces within your house to make it more appealing to buyers. If you can adapt the rooms to create an attractive and welcoming zone that home buyers can see themselves in, they will be more likely to buy your property.

One of the most important rooms to stage is the living room, because it is such a central part of the house. This is where a lot of the social activity occurs, so it should appear comfortable and welcoming.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when staging your living room before the next showing of your home:

  • Clear out the clutter. The most important step is to de-clutter, because a mess will turn off potential buyers. Clear away any papers, toys and other items to make your living room as clean and minimalist as possible.
  • Go zen. The main purpose of a living room is for relaxation, so make the space look as comfortable as possible. Try a soft throw on the sofa, plush cushions and a big chair that is just begging you to come curl up with a book.
  • Strategically place furniture. Arrange the living room furniture to create areas of conversation, such as two sofas facing each other with a low coffee table in the middle.
  • Depersonalize. Remove your personal items. If you have too many family photos and personal effects in the room, it can make it difficult for your potential buyers to imagine their own family living there.
  • Remove the bulk. If your living room feels small, you can remove some of the furniture to give it the illusion of being bigger.
  • Channel your green thumb. You might want to consider bringing in some plants to make the space feel fresh.
  • Brighten it up. If your living room has dark corners, invest in upright lamps that will help illuminate the space and provide an aura of intimacy.

With these seven tips, the living room in your home will be much more appealing to potential buyers.

If you are ready to make a move to your next home, call your trusted mortgage loan officer for a personal consultation to get the best home mortgage loan for your purchase.

26 04, 2013

7 Tips To Get Your Home In Tip Top Selling Condition

Study Shows 568% ROI On Home Cleaning InvestmentA clean, uncluttered home is very likely the single most important thing to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar.

In fact, a recent survey by HomeGain showed a whopping 568% return on investment for money put toward cleaning and organizing a home for sale!

And other experts say that a well-put-together home can shorten the time on market drastically as well.

Before your real estate agent lists your home, it’s essential for it to look its best.

7 Tips To Get Your Home In Tip Top Selling Condition

Examine your living space and see it as a buyer would — then double check this list of staging tips to make sure you haven’t overlooked these important details.

  • Clear out the clutter. Tidy up counter tops, bookcases, garages and closets.
  • Pack up your sentimental items. Personal photos and knick-knacks should be boxed up for moving day.
  • Get a storage unit. Open up space by moving furniture and boxes into storage — it will make the rooms appear bigger.
  • Remove appliances and fixtures that you want to keep. If you are taking the dining room chandelier or the built-in microwave, remove them before the house goes on the market.
  • Make minor repairs. Check that faucets don’t leak, doors close properly and holes in the walls are patched.
  • Make it pretty! Windows, floors and bathrooms should be sparkling. Dust every surface, hang up fresh towels in the bathroom and make sure there are no lingering odors.
  • Don’t forget the yard. Curb appeal starts at the curb — go figure — so mow the yard, wash down walkways and add some bright flowers near the front door to trigger the emotion to buy.

There are so many different ways to give your home an advantage over the competition in the spring buying market.

Plus, nice looking properties are more appealing for real estate agents to show their clients, so your well-taken-care-of home may get a lot more exposure.

In the end, the better your property looks, the faster it’s going to sell…and get you the most for it.

19 03, 2013

Great Staging Tips To Set A Buyer’s Mood At Your Home For Sale

Home Staging Tips And TricksStaging is the art of preparing your home for sale before showing it to prospective buyers.

The point of staging is to highlight the house’s strengths, downplay its weaknesses and make it more appealing.

With the right decorating techniques, you can win buyers over the moment they step through the door.

Below are a few staging tips to help make your house irresistible to potential buyers.

Put Everything Away

The first step is to put away anything that is not essential. This will open up the house so that it appears more spacious.

Even if you have to rent a storage unit, finding a new home for all of your family’s projects and collections should clear some space and help buyers imagine their own belongings in your home for sale.

Pay special attention to entryways and narrow hallways to improve your prospective buyer’s sense of spaciousness.

Get Rid Of Clutter

Be sure to clear off the things that gather on kitchen counters and surfaces, such as old magazines and stacks of mail.

Also, emptying out your closets of half of the things inside them will make them look much roomier.

Use this time as an opportunity to thin the number of largely unused items that your family has collected over the years.

And look on the bright side; moving into a new house will be much easier after you have donated your unneeded items to a charity.

Fresh Scents Make Sense

You would be surprised by how much the sense of smell comes into play when buyers are viewing a house.

To avoid turning buyers off with pet or smoke odors, make sure you give each room a deep clean, including the air vents and carpeting.

Just covering up stale odors with air fresheners won’t do the job.

Let In The Light

Buyers are looking for spacious rooms with a lot of natural light, so make sure you open the blinds and turn on all the lights.

If you have rooms that are a bit dark, you can add floor lamps to make them brighter or flowers to suggest sunlight.

Home staging can make a big difference in how potential buyers see your home for sale, so make sure you set the mood to make it as attractive as possible.

26 11, 2012

Simple, Inexpensive Ways To Prep Your Home For Sale

Tips for better home staging

When homeowners get ready to list, advice will often come from all corners of their personal and social network — what within the home to upgrade; what to repair; what to replace.

And, although some advice remains valuable, much of it can be ignored.

The costs of an expensive upgrade are rarely recouped at the time of sale and studies show that smaller, simpler actions can yield a bigger return on your investment of time and money.

Here are four inexpensive, yet highly effective, ways to prepare your home for sale.

Improve the curb appeal
It’s not just the inside of your home which should be inviting to buyers — the outside of your home should be, too. Trim hedges, maintain the lawn, power wash the walls and try to inject some color, where possible. Your yard is your home’s first impression on buyers. Make it a great one.

Lighten up the place
Extra sunlight lends an airy feeling to your home, and interior lights provide cozy glow. Therefore, wash your windows, pullback your drapes, replace burnt-out bulbs, and add outdoor lighting to your landscaping, if possible. Also, keep your home lit in the evenings in the event that potential buyers drive by after-hours. With the lights on, your home will look cheery instead of dark and gloomy.

Store unnecessary furniture and personal objects
Less can be more when it comes to showing your home so put your knick-knacks, your stacks of books and your fridge-covering artwork in storage. Be sure to avoid stashing personal items in closets because buyers expect closets to be clutter-free as well.

Paint a pretty home
A new coat of paint will freshen up any room so paint where needed. However, stick to neutrals such as grays and tans. Also, consider repainting rooms bathed in bright, fun colors — this can divert a buyer’s attention away from the home and toward money-costing “projects” that would come with buying the home.

With the help of your REALTOR® and a little hard work, these tips should help you increase your home’s appeal to a wide variety of buyers without breaking the bank. It may even help you sell your home more quickly.

2 11, 2012

How Choosing Kitchen Colors Can Affect Your Eating Habits

Kitchen colors influence eating habitsHave you ever walked into your kitchen and instantly felt hungry?

Rarely do people think about the colors that they choose to paint their kitchens. They are often too busy worrying about whether the kitchen will match the rest of the home, or whether the colors will be satisfactory to the rest of the household.

However, when painting and decorating your kitchen, you may want to think about the process in a way many people do not — how the colors you choose will affect the way in which you eat. As behavioral psychologists have documented, the presence of specific colors your the kitchen can change your eating habits and your cravings for food.

Here are some examples :

  • The color red increases your appetite. This is why so many restaurants paint their walls red. Although associated with romance and passion, red is also a color which promotes hunger. Furthermore, it has been noted that the color red in your kitchen can influence high blood pressure.
  • The color blue is calming, which can slow your eating speed, and prevent you from over-eating. When decorating your kitchen and dining room, therefore, using blue wallpaper or blue paint; and blue placemats, for example, can result in “slower” eating and fewer feelings of fullness.
  • The color orange is a “stimulating” color; increasing oxygen supply to the brain and providing a mental boost. An orange-themed kitchen may stimulate your appetite, therefore, and make over-eating more likely.

Then, there is gray. Gray can be an ideal appetite-suppressing color for your kitchen. This is because, psychologically, gray is calming and relaxing, and it neutralizes anxiety. Gray can arrest binge eating and impulsive snacking. It’s also a color which home stagers recommend for its neutrality.

Whether you’re a home buyer , a home seller, or just getting ready to remodel, consider the influence of colors in your home. They do more than just “match the next room” — they affect your food and drink cravings as well.

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