So you've Staged your home, now what?

Imagine your house just went up on the market for sale. You've worked hard to get it in order, by a professional Home Stager or by yourself. Now the question is: How do you keep it in order?

We all know, the most crucial selling point is the visit. Statistics show buyers make their decision about a home in the first 3 minutes of the visit. Here's some tips to keep buyers in your home longer and help them feel "at home".

1. Refresh and repeat - Every morning and just before a visit, open your windows for a few minutes to revive the energy and air in your rooms
2. Curtain call - Keep all your curtains open and blinds raised during visits. The only exception to this is if you have a particularly displeasing view.
3. Light bright - Light creates space. Turn on lights, even accent lights in your rooms. If you have dark corners, the room will not look as large to visitors, so considering moving your lighting around to brighten up these areas.
4. Clear the way - Be sure to put away shoes, jackets, school bags, and just about everything else that clutters up an entry. These spaces are usually small so do your best to move visitors quickly out of this space and into the rest of the home.
5. Under lock and key - Do not leave out any valuables during visits. This includes: keys, wallets, purses, phones, jewelry, money, etc.
6. Details, details - a quick wipe down of kitchen and bathroom sinks and counter tops as well as sanitizing the toilet will give visitors the impression that your home is well cared for. It should also be noted that anything laying around (dishes, books, magazines, mail, clothes, etc) will catch the eye of visitors and give an unkempt impression of your home.
   
7. Unfriendly odors - If you feel your home has a particular odor due to pets, smoke, cooking, moisture, etc. Use an odor absorbing product such as Febreze. Alternately, you may choose to light scented candles, however, beware if children are present. The most effective method of dealing with odors is to simply air the home out regularly.
   
8. Better than a welcome mat - Brewing a pot of coffee and having a few cups set out for visitors and accompanying agents is a simple and welcoming touch for visitors. Not only does this keep visitors in the home a few extra minutes but also gives them time to imagine themselves living in the home while enjoying their coffee.
   
9. Alive and kicking - Brighten up your room with fresh flowers. The bouquets don't need to be big or elaborate. The objective is to accent your interior with something fresh and colorful.
10. Your home is your spokesman - If you or your professional Home Stager have done a good job Staging, then you shouldn't need to say a word to potential buyers to add value to your home. It should speak for itself in arrangement, color, lighting, and use of accessories.

I hope these tips help you better prepare for visits and lead to a quick and profitable sale. If your home is not yet on the market, but you want to get it ready to sell, let Relook Interiors Stage your home. Contact us for more information.

Staging your home for sale

You've decided to sell you home and want to make it the best before putting it on the market. There is no secret to creating a home that sells. It requires just a bit of time and a minimum budget.

Home buyers are looking for a place that is in ready to move in condition. That being said, most people have a hard time projecting how they will live in a new home, let alone making repairs and putting their style into it. That's where Home Staging comes in.

Through out the home it is important to capture the buyers attention, this is especially important in the foyer or entry of the home. You have 60 seconds to impress that potential buyer and it starts at the front door.

Everyone knows Home Staging is about cleaning, getting rid of clutter and eliminating personal items, but there is more to it than that. Here are some other tips:

• Neutralize your home's decor - tone down bold colors with neutrals and remove any large collections.
• Likewise, edit your home's amount of furniture. If you have to turn sideways to fit through a passage, then it's time to rethink the layout of the room and the amount of furniture in it.
• Bathrooms and bedrooms should have a "hotel room" feel. If these rooms are too personalized, people will not linger there long enough to picture themselves living there.
• Show off the storage space your home has to offer by removing and storing (boxing up and moving to the garage, basement or attic) off-season clothing, shoes, linens and anything else occupying that valuable space in your home.
• Keep in mind you are selling the house, not the things in it. Creating a focal point to highlight your fireplace, beautiful view or architectural features will help buyers focus on what they are getting when they buy your property.

When someone decides to visit your home, you know they chose it because it meets their criteria (location, size and price range). Your job, and the key to selling your home, is to help that buyer make an emotional connection to your home. Applying these tips will give them the comfortable "at home" feeling needed to turn a visit into a sale.

You need an interior professional if...

Do you need the expertise of an interior professional?

That depends largely on YOU. Do you have the time and patience, creativity, resources and interest to take on a decorating or organizing project? Here are some common interior dilemmas that lead to people hire a professional.

• You have little or no free time to take on a relooking, staging or organizing project.
• You need to prepare your home to sell, but don't know how to give it the "model home" look.
• You need help with lighting.
• You want someone else to deal with the hassles of organizing your home.
• You need help choosing furniture that is ideal for your room.
• You want to have quality work done, but don't have your own list of reliable workmen.
• You want to get your home organized once and for all.
• You've tried to decorate your home and have purchased some nice items, but really need help pulling it all together.
• Your move date is coming up quick and you feel overwhelmed by everything you need to pack.
• You want to create a cohesive style in your home that reflects you.
• You've just moved in and need help getting installed
• There is something not right with your rooms, but you can't get your head around how to improve it.
• You and your partner can't seem to agree on anything for the home.
• You're tired of buying things here and there without an overall plan.
• You have pack-rat tendencies and need help deciding "what stays and what goes" in your home.
• You want to add some color into your interior, but you're not sure what will look the best
• You've just inherited furniture and need help incorporating it into your existing decor.

Perhaps one or many of these sound familiar to you. Relook Interiors specializes in relooking, organizing and staging solutions that respond to your dilemmas. Don't put it off, give us a call - make your home livable again.

Why Stage your home for sale?

Home staging is the process of transforming your interior into an appealing space for potential buyers. Staging your home before putting it on the market will:

• Prepare your home for a fast and profitable sale.
• Make your home stand out among its competition.
• Prepare you for your upcoming move.
  

In the current real estate market, only the best properties gets sold quickly. Home Staging accelerates the sale of properties by creating an interior that potential buyers WANT to live in. Statistics prove that Home Staging also reduces the negotiation of price. It is difficult to justify a price reduction if you present an impeccable interior that is orderly and spacious.

Potential buyers visit several properties and decide within the first 90 seconds if they like it or not. Home Staging helps you go beyond the theory of “buying the 4 walls.” It draws visitors into your home and leaves them imaging themselves already living there.

Staging helps you prepare for your upcoming move by identifying the excess, the broken, the unneeded or the unwanted. A good Home Stager will leave no drawers unturned. Buyers are picky about what they see and don’t see. Storage and organization are essential to potential buyers.

Home Staging services vary by the professional, most work on a duel service basis. The first being the consultation and the second being the implementation of the recommendations from the consultation. Of course, staging comes with a price, however, it is quickly absorbed by the fast sale and profit you make from selling your home for the value it is worth. Staging also has the added benefit of giving you the piece of mind and direction to pack and prepare yourself for your upcoming move, and that is a price worth paying...

Home Staging Works!

When Home Staging started showing fruitful benefits in the United States as far back as the 1970's the rest of the world took notice. However, France has taken a bit longer to recognize that Home Staging really DOES work.

In July 2009, while in the throws of the economic recession, the first statistics on Home Staging in France were released. The outcome:

• Homes that have been staged reduce the average percentage of negotiations from 11, 42% to only 3,24%.

• The average UNSTAGED home stays on the market for 127 days. A home that has been STAGED sells in an average of 19,5 days!
  

Home Staging is a proven way for home sellers to save thousands of euros. Contact me at Relook Interiors for more Home Staging benefits.

Maison à part - July 2009