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Curb Appeal Matters

by Filed Under: staged to sell, tips

You have only one chance to make a first impression. And the first impression is usually a lasting one. If your home doesn’t look good from the outside, buyers are going to believe it is not well maintained and the inside doesn’t look good either. They will not click on your online listing to see the interior photos or they’ll just drive away.

1. Clear the clutter

  • Keep grass mowed and edges trimmed regularly
  • Remove and replace any dead or dying shrubs
  • Consider removing or trimming any excess large trees or shrubs, especially those blocking the windows
  • Weed yard and garden
  • Remove plant debris
  • Remove and store garden equipment, kids’ toys, etc
  • Hide trash cans out of view
  • Keep driveway clear of extra cars during showings. (park down the street)
  • Remove excess clutter from garage and neaten it up
  • Wrap up your hose or hide it altogether in a hose storage pot or wheel
  • Remove excess furnishings from front porches, decks and patios to create spaciousness

2. Clean

  • Remove mildew and cobwebs from eaves and lighting fixtures
  • Power wash any mildew off house, walkway, front door area, patio/deck, awnings, and driveway
  • Clean windows, front door glass, outdoor lights
  • Clean garage floor
  • Clean pool, hot tub, or any other water features
  • In fall, rake the leafs

3. Repair

  • Paint exterior if needed
  • Re-paint trim
  • Paint or stain the deck
  • Repair or repaint front door
  • Polish door fixtures, numbers, mailbox, light fixtures
  • Remove or replace unattractive awnings
  • Replace burned out bulbs
  • Repair or replace broken garage or shed doors
  • Align downspouts with gutters
  • Repair cracks in foundation, sidewalks
  • Repair or replace broken deck or fence slats
  • Repair or replace any other broken or worn items

4. Small changes that that bring the “WOW” factor

  • Paint the front door a contrasting color to the house such as red, black, etc. This is one place where it’s OK to use a bright color when selling your home.
  • Paint the garage door
  • Update mailbox, house numbers and front door lighting fixtures
  • If you have a porch consider adding a bench or chairs and a small table
  • Add or replace doormat
  • Update lighting fixtures on walkways, pool area, patios, decks
  • Update the planters
  • Add color using pots with flowers
  • Plant flowers in the front and back yards – flowers do wonders!
  • Add fresh mulch to the flower and shrub beds to provide contrast and a neat look
  • Add shutters or window flower boxes to accent windows

    • Tips on How to Choose and Hang Artwork – part 1

    by Filed Under: decor, tips

    Having beautiful artwork pieces or family pictures is something that most of us enjoy but many times we are worried about choosing the right art and where to hang it on the wall. And then there are those who have no idea their pictures are not hung properly.

    Here are some helpful tips to eliminate the second guessing on how high a picture should be hung.

    1. As a generally rule of thumb, pictures should be hung at eye level of an average person, and while is hard to get it right in every case it is a good guideline to keep in mind.

    If there’s a grouping of pictures always look at the grouping as a whole.

    2. Relate to the size of the wall.
    Choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger works for big wall spaces. A rule of thumb is to have the art fill two-thirds to three-quarters of the wall. For contemporary art, size matters: bigger is better to maximize impact.

    3. The height at which art has to be hung should relate to the height of the furniture and not be hung too high. One of the most common mistakes is hanging art too high and when there is grouping to far one from another. Keeping the bottom edge of the frame 6-12 inches above the furniture piece should do it.

    4. The width of a piece of art or group of pictures should be a at 3/5 the length of the piece of furniture it is hanging over, and should not be wider than the width of the furniture it is hanging over. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule but usually it looks like the art is overpowering the furniture and the whole room.

    If hanging two or more pictures next to each other, the ideal spacing is 3 to 4 inches between them but no more than 8 inches.

    5. To make it easier to hang a grouping of pictures side by side evenly you can use a laser level. A laser level will make things easier but it is also important to take in consideration the frames and where they have their hooks and/or wires.

    Home Staging Myths

    by Filed Under: home stager, home staging tips

    Even though they know the importance of Home Staging, a lot of Realtors have a difficult time bringing up the subject and when they do they find that clients are going to be skeptical and resistant for many reasons. Here are some of the most common myths:

    Myth 1: I Don’t Need to Stage:  My Realtor will sell my house anyhow 

    Maybe, but the question is how long are you willing to have your house on the market and how much is that going to cost? And the cost doesn’t include only the financial toll but also the emotional part. And always, the longer a house sits on the market the lower sale price will be.

    Myth 2: Staging is Decorating/Staging is a Critique About How You Decorate
    Staging is NOT decorating. Staging is a marketing tool.

    While decorating and home staging have elements in common, the way you decorate is to express yourself, and to fit the personalities of your family. When staging a home you will make it look more appealing but  one should not be able to to profile who lives there. The way you live in your home is different from the way you sell your home.

    Myth 3: Staging is Only for High End Houses

    You would think so…but regardless of the listing price of the home, home staging is always beneficial to the seller. The only difference between an “average” priced home and a high end home is the amount of staging that has to be done. In the average home, it just might be as simple as de-cluttering and re-working the existing furniture.

    According to a HomeGain study, the number one thing that added value to a house was de-cluttering which added an average return on investment of a ridiculous 403%!  
    The key is how to de-clutter, how to de-personalize and how to make emotional connections, and using a professional Home Stager can give you the direction that you need.

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