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Staging to sell makes hot homes items
On HGTV's Designed to Sell, an "ugly duckling" house
is transformed for $2000 into a beautiful swan in preparation
for putting it on the market. As a home stager myself,
I find this program very entertaining to watch. The
real estate experts on the show can be very blunt,
even insulting, about the house's features and decor.
When I meet with homeowners, I am very kind and gentle
about the changes they need to make. This is their
home, after all-- the place where their kids grew up;
the place they decorated with loving care. But maybe
kind and gentle real estate experts would not be as
interesting to watch on television. The point is that
the moment you decide to sell your house, you must
put your emotions aside and think of your house as
a product on the market.
In this current real estate market, it has become
very important for sellers to put more time and effort
into preparing their homes for sale. Most realtors
recommend doing property inspections early on and making
repairs and upgrades before the "For Sale" sign
goes up. This is excellent advice. Don't show your
house to buyers until it is ready. This has been a
good year for home stagers, as sellers look to us to
make their houses look as attractive as possible to
prospective buyers. Savvy sellers know that if a house
looks great and is priced right, it will sell faster
than the plain house down the street.
On Designed to Sell, the design team sometimes
makes big changes, such as installing French doors
and knocking out walls. (Remember, their two thousand
dollars does not have to pay for labor!) Much of the
time, however, changes are smaller-- removing clutter,
painting, and purchasing new accessories. Don't underestimate
the impact that these changes can make. Both on Designed
to Sell and in my business, we strive to add color,
style and personality each house. Sometimes we enhance
the furnishings the homeowner already has, and other
times we start from scratch, bringing in furniture,
artwork and accessories.
Most of the houses I see have one of two problems.
They either have too much stuff, or not enough stuff.
Fortunately, both problems can be solved. If there
is too much stuff, such as clutter and extra furniture,
it should be stored, packed up, given away or thrown
away. Good stagers make the most of what remains, rearranging
furniture and repositioning art and accessories. Sometimes
we add extra decor, such as green plants, throw pillows,
new towels and bedding.
Other houses don't have enough stuff. They may have
basic furniture, but very little in the way of decor.
Adding artwork, lighting and accessories can add a
lot of warmth, personality and style to the house.
Vacant homes can feel cold and uninviting. Again, adding
furniture, art and accessories can do wonders. Just
like on TV, the time, effort and money you spend in
preparing your house for sale will pay off in the end.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on Oct. 28, 2006.
Go
back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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