Month: September 2018

Home staging, which recreates the look of a model home, has been shown to improve sales – both in speed and price, but sometimes the thought of staging your entire home as you try to live there as well can be a bit daunting.

At least stage the biggest room.

Your living room might have a big TV and be comfortable. In addition to a thorough cleaning, put away the clutter and family mementos, and only leave out one remote. Set out snack and drinks before they arrive. Adjust the lighting as you would if you were getting ready to watch a movie or a big game. Keep it brightly lit. The buyer will keep this image in their minds.

Maybe you have finally put together a chef’s dream kitchen. Clean and declutter well. Then think about how it might look if you were going to cook for a party, but hadn’t made a mess yet. Some fresh vegetables or fruit on a cutting board, a few utensils set out ready to use, maybe some flowers on the counter like they were headed for the dining room, and suddenly your kitchen comes to life.

Focus on the dining room. Put a fresh flower arrangement out and put out your best dishes.

You may have a great bathroom, and want to accentuate it. Set the scene as though you were planning on a long soak. To ensure the relaxed feel, you can put a book or a glass next to the tub.

Your kid might have an awesome room. Play that up. Clean the room, but then set out some toys or electronics that complement the room’s theme.

Outdoor living might be your biggest asset. You can set aside some drinks on a patio, or add life to the pool by adding some floating toys.

Once you start staging your home with one room, you may find the process is enjoyable and decide you want to do the whole house, or it could be something you build on as you discover what each room needs to bring it to life. Maybe this week the living room, next time two rooms and soon the whole house.

Home staging in London is the latest way in which home and property owners are improving the market resale value of their properties in the British capital. They are also reducing the time for which their properties sit on the market place without being sold with faster turnaround times for sale of homes.

These companies also provide a laundry list of other services in addition to rented furniture that are sure to make your house look much better and stand out from the rest. They offer services like rental of household equipments, vacuuming of carpets, cleaning and polishing the faucets in the bathroom and kitchens and polishing hardwood floors. Now you may think that you could do almost all of these things by yourself but before you grab a brush and get down on your knees, you should probably do the math and work you how much of your precious time all this may take. Chances are that you will find that these services provide package deals that are truly worth it and not just in terms of the time and effort saved.

There is a lot of evidence that points to the fact that most houses that home staging services have prepped, sell for higher prices that not only cover the cost of the services but provide a fair margin over and above the costs. These houses also sell faster which is great for the owners because as anyone who has ever sold a house will tell you, nothing is as frustrating as having an unsold house languish on the market for a long time. The upkeep and cleaning and the endless showings can take a huge toll on the owners. Prospective buyers too are usually spooked when they learn that the house they are looking at has not sold for a while.

Nowadays in the United Kingdom the practice is so prevalent because of its proven benefits that it is hard to find properties on the market that have not been improved through home staging services in London. So the pressure on sellers who do not opt for these services is even greater to just keep up with their competitors. The first impression that potential buyers have is often one that sticks with them, so it is important that they have a great one if you are going to make a sale.

In this tough real estate market, it is imperative that anyone who is trying to sell their home do everything possible to present that home in the absolute best state possible. The way to achieve this goal is by staging the home for sale. Home staging is the process where the seller or someone else, such as an interior decorator, professional home stager or real estate agent, takes action to get the house in showroom condition. People quickly form an opinion about a space within seconds of setting foot inside the door; therefore, the house needs to make a positive impression at first glance.

Paint
Paint is one of the most inexpensive ways to change the look and feel of a space. Since a fresh coat of paint will make a room appear clean, the right paint color is very important. The walls in the house need to be a neutral color so it is appealing to the largest number of people. While the current homeowner may love the color blue, a potential buyer may be turned off by the color, as well as the prospect of having to paint over that color if they do indeed purchase the house. Certain colors and shades of a color can make a room appear smaller than it actually is. This is because the paint color may make the walls appear to close in around anyone standing in the room. Many people think that white would be the best color choice, but white can appear too cold and generic looking. The prime choice for paint, when staging a home, is a slightly warm yet neutral color like an ecru, which is a warm off-white, a light green, which will reflect the color of nature or a pale yellow, which is warm without being too bright. The only exception to this rule is in the case of a small powder room, bedroom or a dining room. These are rooms that can look inviting if presented as cozy and intimate.

Modern Furniture
Because modern furniture tends to have clean lines, it is the best choice when staging a home for sale. Again, this goes back to the theory that potential buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the space and modern furniture will work with many different design styles. The use of modern bedroom furniture, which has sleek lines and contemporary finishes, combined with neutral bed linens can easily remind people of a luxurious hotel. In the living room, sofas with streamlined frames and nondescript fabrics allow visitors to see the large windows and architectural details of a room, instead of focusing on a dated, wooden floral couch or an unappealing recliner. One last tip about furniture is the arrangement in relation to traffic flow. People need to be able to easily walk around furniture without having to squeeze past it, otherwise the room will appear small. If possible, pull some of the furniture away from the wall so it appears to be floating. It does not always have to be pushed up against a wall. This is another way to help a room to look larger. Position the furniture into groupings such as around a coffee table or facing the fireplace.

Remove Clutter
The idea is to remove or store all clutter and any personal items like family photos, pet beds or children’s toys from the home so that anyone viewing the house can easily picture themselves living there. This will, again, make a room appear larger. Too much stuff and too many tchotchkes interfere with the look of a room. These things can also make a house look dirty and too lived in for a buyer’s tastes. To enhance the allure of the house, only keep the most tasteful artwork and innocuous items on display. The items that are removed from the space can be sold or stored in a rental storage facility or at a friend or relatives house. It is not a good idea to simply box everything up and put it in the attic, basement or a spare room because potential buyers need to see the entire house in the best state.

Staging a home before potential buyers view it is the most effective way to get the house sold as quickly as possible. It will also ensure that the seller gets the best and highest price possible. Therefore, it is, without doubt, worth the extra time and additional expense to stage the house for scrutiny.