Monday, November 30, 2009

Tips on sucessfully staging your home to sell.

In today's buyer's market with tons and tons of houses for sale, staging your home so that it is appealing to buyers is essential if you want to sell your home quickly while still getting the best price possible. Besides pricing the home right, staging your home is the most important thing homesellers can do to make their property favorably stick out in the eyes of potential home buyers. Here is a list of tips for staging your home before you put it on the market for sale. Follow things tips and price your home right, and the showings will come which will lead to selling your home.

House Exterior:

  • Your front door greets the prospect. Make sure it is fresh, clean and newly painted, and if needed, has a new coat of linseed oil ( furniture polish)
  • Hose off exterior wood and trim. Remove any wasp nests or cobwebs. Clean out gutters if needed. If safe enough, sweep the debris from the roof.
  • Repair any torn screens or replace missing ones.
  • If gutters or wood trim are in need of paint because of obvious cracking, peeling, or chipping, it is best to repaint those areas.
  • If you have window air conditioning units, wipe them clean and remove any rust which may have accumulated around condensation areas.
  • If you have an outdoor patio or deck, be sure it is kept swept of leaves or pine needles. Any lawn furniture, gas grills, or exposed wood should be clean and in good repair. Mildew should be removed.

House Interior:

  • Examine all woodwork, door frames, and doors to be sure they are free of fingerprints, dust or dirt.
  • Keep oven, stove, or surface units, and all porcelain or stainless steel clean. Formica counter tops and cabinet doors should be spotless. Fix any faucet leaks and keep sinks clean. Kitchen accessories on top of counters should be kept to a minimum and be neatly arranged.
  • Whether you have any hardwood floors, wall to wall carpeting, linoleum or any combination of these, keeping them clean is important.
  • Bathrooms are difficult to keep straight and clean, but they are of great importance in their overall appearance. If grout between tiles has cracked, mildewed or chipped out, re-caulk and use a good cleaning product.
  • Replace old furnace or air conditioning filters, and remove any dust accumulation from heat registers or vent covers.
  • If doors stick or folding doors are off track, repair them. Review items such as vent covers for loose or missing screws and replace them. Storage is important to any prospective home owner. Crowded or cluttered closets and other storage areas may suggest a storage problem. Clean out closets where possible. It may be a good time for a garage sale! A spacious appearance in any storage area is extremely important.
  • If any rooms within the house are dark during daylight hours, keep drapes or curtains open, and if necessary, keep a lamp on. Replace burned out bulbs.
  • If repainting on the inside is absolutely necessary, use neutral colors.
  • Gleaming, clean windows say a lot about your home and you. Use attractrive curtains, freshly laundered, and keep fresh bedspreads in the bedrooms.
  • Don't dump paper or trash in the fireplace. Keep as neat as possible.
  • Tighten door knobs, window fittings, and other hardware.
  • Don't try to hide problems. Cracks in walls, concrete, broken appliances, roof leaks, wet basements, ect, should be repaired.
  • Be sure all steps are free of hazards.

Yard and Grouds:

  • Keep the lawn cut and trimmed. Trim Shrubs, if needed. Remove clippings.
  • Keep area around garbage cans neat and free of trash.
  • Stack wood piles neatly.
  • Keep drives and walks swept clean and free of branches, pine needles, leaves, ect.
  • Keep surface water drainage areas or natural streams free from debris that may cause water to stand and stagnate.