July 23rd, 2011 10:41 AM

Home staging is a lot of work, but the effort pays big returns. Huntsville AL Homes for saleI

 

t is important to declutter your home. Home sellers don’t even notice how much clutter they have accumulated. Homeowners accumulate items like furniture, pictures, vases, vacation mementos and other knickknacks and then find places for them in the home. Your rooms should be tidy and uncluttered Stowing away knickknacks, mementos and family pictures helps depersonalize your home, which is actually a good thing:  To get decluttering right,remove all items that are smaller than a breadbasket Be aware that clutter may also come from crowding larger items, too. Look for clutter on floors, walls and even in closets.

You only need three pieces of furniture to stage a room and three decorative items (of varying size) to stage a surface, such as a mantel or dresser," she says. Apply the rule of three with flexibility. For example, in the living room, the rule of three applies separately to soft and hard furniture

Photos, trophies, and kids' artwork should be replaced with simple, classic decorYou want potential buyers to picture themselves living in your home instead of being distracted by your personal effects. Get rid of anything that blocks pathways or clutters up side yards, backyards and patios. This includes toys, excess furniture and tools.Consider renting a temporary storage space rather than stuffing your packed boxes in your closets or garage, which will make them look smaller.

A buyer needs to be able to imagine their own life in your home. Vacant homes don't show well buyers have trouble seeing beyond what’s in front of them,” An empty room either looks too small or too overwhelmingly big for a buyer’s furniture. Create the space for them with rental furniture. you may want to temporarily store outdated and oversized furniture. Rent new, modern pieces to create a simple and clean design.

With the clutter gone and the space opened up, the next phase of staging turns the house into a home. focus on making it warm, bright and clean. Most of the warmth in a room comes from painted walls and lighting, as well as fabrics such as window treatments. buyers go for walls that are neutral or painted in soft palettes.

Get rid of heavy curtains, rugs and furniture, and painti the walls a lighter color. Add new light fixtures; clean windows, remove screens and take treatments down to let in natural light; never hide good views or scenery behind window treatments;

Broken and chipped tile, missing and loose handles, and wobbly handrails are all red flags to a would-be buyer. Hardwood should be polished and carpets shampooed or, if they're in bad shape, replaced. Repair any broken tile or linoleum Be sure that you do any minor repairs before showings.If you've neglected your home, you face a tough choice. You're unlikely to recoup much of the cost of your repairs in the form of a higher sales price, since buyers are unlikely to pay you a premium for maintenance you should have been doing all along. Yet not making the fixes may turn off buyers altogether. Talk with an experienced real estate agent about which projects you should tackle before listing your home.

Consider having freshly baked cookies or other goodies filling the air.that it smells clean. However, avoid harsh chemical smells, such as bleach. Many buyers may be sensitive to these smells and will want to make a quick exit

Pet owners and smokers may have their work cut out for them. Smoke can infiltrate furniture, carpets, and even walls. And with many buyers suffering from allergies, you may need to send Lassie to doggy day care for the day. To remove odors, clean carpets and repaint walls.

When you're done staging furniture and décor, there should be ample space to move into, out of and around furniture in each room. Also, the pieces you've selected should illustrate a purpose for each room (i.e. don't blend office furniture into your living room).

 

Landscaping makes a huge difference in how people perceive your home. Whack back overgrown bushes and trees so your house is visible from the street. Plant colorful annuals in the flowerbeds. Keep the lawn green and trimmed

Portable lighting such as floor or table lamps enhance both warmth and brightness. "Lighting is so important, "just putting a table lamp in a room immediately makes it feel cozier." Also, colored bulbs are an inexpensive tool to perk up dull, dark or small rooms. Use blue daylight bulbs to brighten and pink bulbs to warm and flatter.

Painting exterior doors and window trim can freshen your home's look without the huge expense of a complete exterior repainting. Shine or replace worn door knockers and hardware. Replace or remove torn screens or damaged storm windows. Make sure exterior lights are working and have fresh bulbs

 Huntsville AL MLS homes for sale real estate – Huntsville Alabama MLS search, Huntsville Alabama Real estate Automated Real Estate Search, HomeValue and Real Estate Market Updates

Type the characters you see in this picture, click "Submit" when finished.

		This helps us prevent automated programs from creating bogus contacts and adding them to your contacts database.