Actively Raining Thoughts-Room Service Home Staging

The hard part is over. You've sold your home.  Now all you have to do is pack up and begin your new adventure in your new home.

But what are some things you can do to help the new residents of the home?  Nothing?  In some states you may have a legal responsibility to leave your home in a certain condition.  Usually that means leaving it in the condition it was in when the contract was executed.  In any event it is best to read your contract as well as ask your Realtor.

However, whether you've met your buyer or not, it's always a good idea to try to maintain a good relationship with them even after the closing.  Keep in mind that after you move you may still receive mail or packages at your old address.  A nice relationship could help insure that you get them. 

10 Things You Can Do Before You Move!

1. Gather any directions or instructions you may have for appliances such as the oven, air conditioning unit, washer/dryer, refrigerator, etc.  And, if you have service records that may be handy it's nice to leave them in a file. 

2. Leave extras of paint, tile or flooring in the corner of the garage.  

3. Garage door openers- many of us have cars with a remote built into the car.  If you're one of them and have thrown the original door opener out or if you just can't find it you can go to the local hardware store and purchase a universal remote for your garage door. 

4. You'll be packing your lamps so the only light will be from any in the bathrooms or ceiling fixtures.  Do a good turn and make sure the bulbs that are left are working.  After all it may be the only light the buyer has until they get everything unpacked. 

5. If you have the time, it's a nice touch to patch any holes in the walls left by your pictures.  Not everyone does this and in many cases they don't have the time.  

6. Provide a list of the phone numbers and if possible addresses of recommendations for local services such as the hospital, dry cleaners, drugstore, house cleaners, yard service, etc.                                    

7. Leave a file of take-out menus. 

8. Clean the house as best you can.  Some States will refer to this as "broom clean".  It's always a courtesy to make sure the floors are vacuumed or swept, bathrooms clean, the refrigerator clean and wiped down, etc. If you are leaving with the movers then make arrangements to have a service come after you leave.                                                                                                            

9. Remove any trash and items you are not taking with you.  Set aside trash bags for this purpose.  As you walk through the house before you leave pick up packing tape, trash and any other odd items left behind.  

10 Leave a note along with some self addressed stamped large brown envelopes for your mail that they may receive. 

Nothing is etched in stone, but it's a nice thing to do. 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

If your house is on the market, there are FIVE factors that could affect the sale.  Knowing what these are and what you might do to change them could determine how long your house is on the market and the sale price.   The first 2 factors are many times not within your control, however, you can control the last 3.

The FIVE P's

Prevailing Market Conditions:  I bet there are many homeowners who wish they had sold their home sometime before 2007.  You can't beat yourself up too much... maybe you weren't ready yet.  However, there are many who find themselves in the position of placing their home on the market in these less than favorable conditions.  What you as a Seller need to do is recognize this and if you must sell, then accept the current market conditions and move on.

Product Placement:  Better known as Location, Location, Location.  Okay, so you failed to listen to your friends when they suggested you NOT buy that lot that backed up to what was once a lovely wooded area but is now home to condos that tower over your back yard!  Reality is what it is and there are just some things you can't change.  What you'll have to do is play up what drew you to the area in the first place (let's hope it wasn't the lovely wooded area) and take action on the 3 Factors that you CAN control.

Pricing or List Price:  This is the first thing over which you have some amount of control.  Before you decide upon a List Price for your home be sure to take into consideration the first 2 FACTORS and listen to the suggestions of your Realtor.  They will know what other homes have sold for and can also show you similar homes in your area for comparison.  You will also want to take the "Let's place a high price on it and see what happens" Price and toss it out the window. 

Well, you'll do this if you want to sell your home in a timely manner. If you enjoy living in a model-home ready house and having strangers walking through just as you're about to have dinner then go ahead and price it high!

PERFORMANCE:   This is the condition of your home.  How will it perform when compared to the others? Does everything work?  What deferred maintenance must you now tackle?  You can help overcome Location and Market Conditions with a well maintained house.  Buyers today want a move-in ready house.  If they are walking through your house and tallying up how much they will have to spend on the items they can see that need repair and wondering what they're NOT seeing then your home might go to the bottom of the "Must See Again" list.

PERCEPTION:  Buyers will need to see themselves in your house; they will need to see how their furniture might fit; how they will use a particular room.  Counter-tops, closets, space, square footage, use.... these are important to your Buyer.  For this you will want the services of a Professional Home Stager who can provide a thorough consultation and personalized report of how you can maximize each showing.

If your home is unoccupied and vacant you will need to consider staging at least the major rooms in the house.  A   HomeStager can offer suggestions and supply inventory.  

Expensive? Not when you consider that this investment is LESS than the cost of Your First Price Reduction!     

Remember, you can control the Sale of your House...

Just Don't Forget the 5 P's!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  
You hear about Curb Appeal when selling or buying a house, but what is it and how do you get it?
Does it means the house has nice curbs?  Well, that's a good start  but Curb Appeal to the buyer means that when they see a picture of your exterior on the MLS, a mental "check mark" is placed by your listing.  
 
Curb Appeal means that when  a Buyer drives by your house, they want to schedule a viewing appointment through their Realtor.

Curb Appeal means that when Your Buyer pulls up for their appointment, they want to go in and they are eager to see the rest of the house. 

Curb Appeal sets the tone for the rest of the viewing.  Your Buyer is now predisposed to want to like the house.  They are hoping the interior will match what they just saw.                                                                                                                                  

So, how do you get it?  Here are  10 points to consider:

1. Take a Walk!  It's not just a healthy thing to do, but sometimes we're complacent with our surroundings.  So, take a walk (or slow drive ) around your neighborhood and look at the curb appeal of your neighbors.   You might see that your lawn is not really green but yellow/brown/green when compared with your neighbors.    Make note of the houses that appeal to you and  what stands out.  

                                                                    

2. Pay Your House a Visit!   Most of us enter our homes through the garage or back door.  When is the last time you "called on" your own home?  What you see is what your Buyers will see.  Don't be shy.  Start at the driveway or by the curb and pretend you're  looking at your home through a buyer's eyes.  Take a critical look.  
     Cracks in the sidewalk?  Are you dodging overhanging limbs?  And what does your Welcome Mat say??  One of my favorite mats was at a friend's back door.  It said "Go Away" .  I love it, but.... not for welcoming your buyers.  
     If you have planters and pots who have been waiting to host a new, healthy plant for a few years now, then ditch them.

                  
     
3.  Off with their heads (or legs).  Take a look at your poor neglected flowers.  Time to "dead head" them.  Remove the flowers that have seen their best days.  And particularly here in Florida where plants can grow several feet overnight, it's important to take a look at some of those plants that have gotten too leggy .  You know the ones I mean.... you start to see more stem and branch then green leaves.  Trust me, those stems are just going to get leggier and the green will be at the very top of the bush.  
     Why is this so important?  Neglected landscaping says to your Buyer that there are probably other areas of or in the house that have also been neglected.

                                                                                                                   

4.  Color My World!  Like your interior paint scheme, adding "pops" of color in your landscaping takes it from being all green and bland to exciting.  
     You can take a large clay pot and fill it with whatever colorful flower is in season.  Caution: Do not plant anything that will take daily watering and care if your schedule will not permit that.
     
5.  Cover it Up!!   It's amazing what a layer of fresh mulch does for dirt.  Think of a 3 layer chocolate cake with raspberry filling.  Without the ganache frosting, though, it's just cake.  Add the frosting and now you have a beautiful dessert. Same thing with mulch.
                                                                                           

6.  Get a Handle on it!   Your buyer walks up to your front door with her Realtor.  More than likely they will spend some time there as the Realtor has to fidget with the lock box or whatever and then fiddle with the keys to open the door.  
     What are the Buyers doing???  They're eying the place!  They have plenty of time here to notice that your once beautiful door handle is now rusted or tarnished.    Or they may see your former beautiful wood door is discolored and fading.  
     Time to hit Home Depot or Lowes.  It's a very small investment for the return you'll get.

7.  Oh what a Tangled Web We Weave.... As mentioned in #6, your buyers will have plenty of time as they're waiting to enter your home to size it up.  If they have to walk through spider webs to even make it to your front door, then unless they're into long nature walks, this is not a good feature.   Also look up by your door and garage.  Check out the corners for those pesky webs.  

                                                              

8.  Heads UP:  What takes up a large part of a buyer's visual space when they approach your home?  Your roof!  It has to pass inspections anyway so take care of whatever needs to be done BEFORE you list it.  Can it be cleaned?  Re-shingled?  
      What you don't want it to say to the Buyer is:   "That's another $30,000 we have to put into the house if we buy it."

9.  Mail Call!  In front of some of our houses here in South Florida  stand manatees with mailboxes for their mouths.   Now I love manatees but in reality, they're not a pretty animal.  I've also seen mailboxes that finally got tired of being straightened after being endlessly hit and have now given up and have a defeated look to them.  
     Get my drift?  Sellers, your mailbox is one of the first things your buyer will see.  Make it count.

                                                                                

10.  Valet please!  Everyone in the family has a car now.  There's probably one waiting for your 10 year old when he or she comes of age.  Unless you have a super-sized driveway and front yard, filling your driveway with all of your cars thus making your buyer have to walk a maze to get to your front door detracts from the experience.  
      When showing your house, arrange to have your cars either in the garage or elsewhere.  Let your Buyer see the house!

What all of this boils down to is that you want the viewing experience for the buyer to be a positive one and that will start with the curb appeal of your house.   The investment you make can pay off with a quick sale.
 
For more information enlist the services of your local professional home stager.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Selling your house is never easy but in today's market buyers want to be shown WHY they should buy your house.  They need to see just how they will live there. 

That's where a  real estate stager can provide you with tools and information on how to make your home more competitive and therefore attract a wider range of buyers.  We can show you what upgrades or repairs need to be done; if walls need to be painted and if so, what colors.  Of course we will suggest you declutter your home.  (What home doesn't need it?)

We may recommend landscaping improvements; where to hang artwork; what additional lighting may be needed.  The list may be long and even the best DIY seller may become overwhelmed. 

This is when you call in the troops.  Room Service! Home Staging recently provided a home staging consultation for a homeowner ready for a lifestyle change after many years in her beautiful Timbercreek community home in Boca Raton Fl. 

The homeowner was able to tackle the decluttering, painting and packing but like so many sellers reluctant to purchase or rent additional furniture until they moved into their new home.  Because of their work schedule and health limitations, the yard work and some other chores were put on the back burner. 

The clock was ticking however, and the selling season was coming to a close.

Enter our seller's very dear friend!       She offered to loan our seller her love seat and a small table for the eat-in area.  She even helped her Stage the table with her own accessories!

Next our seller enlisted the aid of a local college student she knew to help with the landscaping tasks: trimming, weeding, mulching and planting.

Sellers, staging your home doesn't have to be expensive.  Call upon family or friends to help with "To Do" tasks. Three people packing extra books, photos and "trinkets" can get the job done in less time.  See if you can borrow additional art work, accessories, or furniture you might need. Most will be flattered you thought of them.

If you need to store packed boxes or extra furniture and public storage is prohibitive, ask a friend to "borrow" space in their garage or basement.  (Just make sure their home isn't on the market too!)

Friends like to be asked for help.  I know I do.

And, Stagers are your friends too.  We can rent inventory for less than your purchase price or suggest affordable resources

Sellers, don't let the thought of selling your house overwhelm you.  Think of a staging consultation as an investment in your selling your home and thus an investment in your future.

  Almost forgot to add this: Our seller had a contract on the house in  5 weeks!!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com