staged to sell – Interior Design ReImagine Interiors

Home Staging Chester County, PA|Should I have my house professionally staged?

January 18, 2016 by magda Filed Under: home staging, staged to sell

What is home staging?

One of the popular beliefs is that Home Staging and Decorating are the same thing, but staging a home for sale is far more than decorating.
Home Staging is the best Marketing tool one can have. It’s about real estate and making a profitable sale!

Home Staging is preparing a house for the reak estate market using creative design elements to merchandise it to the potential buyers. The more buyers are interested in a property the more offers and the quicker the sale. The ultimate goal is to maximize the return on the sale of the most valuable financial asset one has.

Home Staging is getting more money on your property!

Goals of home staging include correcting any perceived design flaws, drawing attention to the positive aspects of the property, downplaying the negatives and making the space appear as large and light as possible while creating emotional connections for potential buyers.

Location. Condition. Price. Today’s buyers want a well priced home in a good location that looks move in ready, and when these three factors are in place a home sells fast and for the most. Outdated homes seem neglected, and don’t leave a good impression on home buyers and this is why they have a hard time to sell and sell for less. We create lifestyle and purpose to each room. The curb appeal, exterior and interior will be market ready and look attractive, memorable and desirable. Each piece of furniture or decor item will be strategically placed.

Between two products equal in price, function and quality, the better looking will out sell the other. – Raymond Loewy

Why should I have my home professionally staged?

It is very difficult to be subjective about something as personal as your home, and we can help you see it through buyer’s eyes. For a home to be staged successfully it requires not only creativity, but also design, merchandising and real estate knowledge. Knowing how to emphasize the positives while downplaying the negative as well as what expenditures will bring maximum ROI (return on investment) is crucial and this is why you should reach out and hire a professional stager.

Another advantage of hiring a professional home stager is thinking outside the box. We see the home with fresh eyes and we have the ability to do make changes that haven’t been considered before in order to create great results that make your home sell.

Each house is unique and requires a creative talent. The properties staged by ReImagine Interiors are tailored to reach the target buyer. It is important to create an atmosphere that helps buyers to feel home, and make them want to submit an offer.

Is home staging expensive?

Staging doesn’t have to be expensive. An investment in staging can cost as little as a few hundred dollars for a consultation to several thousand dollars for full staging services, furniture and accessory rentals or purchases, and minor repairs and updates, such as repainting and updating lighting, plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware.

Staging has been proven to get a home sold sooner (staged homes sell 73% faster than unstaged houses) thereby saving money on taxes, utilities, maintenance and mortgage. Almost always the cost of having your home professionally staged it is going to be less than the first price reduction.

If you are ready to sell your home faster and for maximum profit, contact ReImagine Interiors today at (484)318-5629 or send us an email at info@reimagineinteriors.com.

Home Staging Tip: Don’t leave anything to buyers imagination

March 13, 2015 by magda Filed Under: home staging tips, staged to sell, vacant home staging

Are you selling your home in Chester County? Here’s an important staging tip: don’t leave anything to buyers imagination. And don’t make your potential buyers guess if their furniture will fit in the space or how could they place their furniture.

For more than 90% home buyers it is very difficult to walk into a room and see the possibilities. If there is no furniture there’s no reference. This is why the feedback for vacant homes on the market is usually is that the house feels “cold and barren”. Buyers have a hard time imagining themselves living there and empty rooms usually look smaller. Having a few pieces of well-chosen furniture helps tremendously.

Let’s take this bedroom as an example. Would you take a nap here? 🙂 What would a buyer think about this room: it fits a bed for sure, but is it a king, a queen or a twin?

Same bedroom from the same angle and it’s clear that you can fit a queen size bed in the space, 2 nightstands and still have space to move around.

A vacant home leaves no impression on the home buyers, they rush through the house and sometimes focus on posible negative details.
When you have a home professionally staged, you allow potential buyers to see how large the rooms really are and most importantly you help them to fall in love with your home and give them a vision of a home that can be theirs.

Curb Appeal Matters

February 8, 2015 by magda 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.

Traditional Exterior by Tampa Photographers Mina Brinkey

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

Traditional Patio by Tarrytown Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Westover Landscape Design, Inc.

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

Traditional Landscape by Newmarket Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Woodburn & Company Landscape Architecture, LLC

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

Bathroom Make-Over Without A Renovation

January 8, 2015 by magda Filed Under: Chester County Bathroom Makeover, Chester County Staging, home makeover, quick updates, staged to sell

Whether you’re looking to sell your home or just to improve it you’ve probably asked yourself if there are ways to make a bathroom show better without a complete renovation.

While a complete renovation is not what I recommended when selling your house because the buyers would more likely want to renovate for their own tastes and preferences, we all know kitchens and bathrooms sell a house. So the objective becomes to remove the buyers turn off and to update the space enough so the potential home buyer will think they can move in and live with the way it looks until they’re ready to take on the renovation.

Most important a bathroom should be CLEAN.

Get rid of mold. Almost every bathroom contains some form of mold, especially in corners.
If wallpaper is peeling, steam it off the walls and paint the walls with a light-colored semi-gloss. Even if it is not peeling I always recommend removing it. Home buyers see it as outdated and a lot of work!
Throw out worn, frayed, or outdated rugs and towels.

Think hotel! Or spa – you get the picture! When showing the home the bathroom should be sparkling clean and free of any personal toiletries, shampoos, toys, etc.

The biggest impact in updating a bathroom without spending a fortune is changing outdated or items in poor condition like

Lighting fixtures and cabinet door/drawer handles.

Fix leaky/dripping faucets or change them if they are really beaten up

You don’t have to go high-end on any of these items. You can find nice things at Home Depot, Lowe’s or even on Ebay I found nice cabinet hardware at really good prices

Bathroom Before Updating

Bathroom After Updating

On the list of biggest impact for less is to paint the walls and paint really freshens up any space. But if the tiles are white, don’t paint the wall white. There should be a little contrast otherwise it may look like a hospital.

If you have one of those large, frameless mirrors that span the length of the vanity like in this example consider either removing it or adding a frame. These are screaming 80s! and if adding a frame/trim around it seems too much and you repaint anyhow adding smaller framed mirrors are more in fashion these days.

If the tub is in poor condition, or of a dated color(think pink!), it can be re-glazed by a professional and it would be much cheaper than removing and replacing the tub.

If the grout between the tiles surrounding the tub is mildewed or crumbling (which is most of the times) keep in mind that a re-grouting can do wonders. If the grout is really not that bad but could use a face lift there are quite a few products on the market that can be used to paint and seal the grout and the end product will look like you just had new tile installed.

If you have an outdated oak vanity, like my clients did here painting it or staining it in a darker color with a semi-gloss finish, and adding new hardware will go really help to get an updated look. Or you can just choose a paint color that is going to tone down the oak and just tie everything in so it wont scream at you anymore 🙂

Then there comes the fun part, the finishing touches: new shower curtain, bath rug, and fluffy towels, accessories, and shampoo’s/oils placed in a tray or a basket with rolled up towels, but

Keep it Simple! If you’re tempted to add a few too many cute touches resist it! and stay focused on your goal, a quick and profitable sale!