Staging New Hampshire

As a stager I end up in a lot of homes.  On any given day I can find myself in a cute cottage or a multi-million dollar mansion. One thing that is common among every single home I walk into, no matter the size, location, or price is the need to be clean when your house is on the market.

 

You would never go buy a nice dress, find the perfect shoes and jewelry, have your hair and nails done and forget to take a shower, would you?  Then why hire a Realtor, pay for a stager, rent furniture when necessary, leave the lights on for showings and not clean the house? 

Putting your house on the market without giving it a good deep cleaning is like going to the prom without taking a shower.

 

 

 

So, let's talk about some of the common areas home owners miss when they put their home up for sale:

                                      

1.Windows - Good clean windows let the sunshine in and open up a house. Dirty fingerprints, smudges from dog noses and kids stickers can block the outdoors from coming in and also make the house feel small.  Give those windows a good cleaning inside and out and don't forget to clean the sills.

2. Cabinet Doors - Years of cooking in the kitchen can leave cabinet doors with layers of dirt and grime. Wipe them down with a good cleaning agent, including the handles. Bathroom cabinets can accumulate the dirt too. Years of opening and closing along with toothpaste spills can be hard on the doors.

3. Baseboards - It's amazing the kind of impression good clean baseboards can leave with a buyer. It's one of those things a buyer won't notice if it is done, but they will notice it if it is not done.

4. Return Air Vents - This is an area that collects a ton of dirt (especially in the Middle Tennessee area). Wipe down the vent and go ahead and change the filter while you are at it - unless you are one of those homeowners who changes their filters every month. ;) When a buyer sees a dirty return air vent they wonder if the hvac system is in good shape.  Don't plant a negative seed in the back of their mind!

5. Light Fixtures - Yep, get up on that ladder and clean out that dead bug collection you've had for years. While you are up there you can change the light bulbs too. Buyers like light and bright not dark and dirty.

6. Door Handles - Especially if you have little ones, door handles and the area around them can mysteriously collect the sticky from jelly, candy, and who knows what else the little hands get into. Cute when it is your kid - not so cute when it is someone else's.

7. Showers/Tubs - Keep the science experiment at school and remove all the mold and grime that is growing in the shower and tub.  Bathrooms are considered money rooms and can make or break a sale. Don't lose a buyer because your bathroom can be mistaken for a science lab.

8. Tile Grout - Here is another opportunity to dazzle a potential buyer. When tile grout looks old and dingy it makes the bathroom seem dirty and cheap. To clean grout mix 1 part baking soda to 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Grab an old toothbrush and scrub away. In no time your grout will sparkle like a new set of pearly whites.

9. Kitchen Appliances - Yes, buyers will look inside your refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher. Toss out old food, wipe down the doors, and don't forget the top of the fridge.  Years of melted cheese pizza on the bottom of the oven can send shivers down a buyer's back. You may not have the most updated appliances, but super clean will go a long way.

10. Exterior - Many times houses with siding can grow fungus in areas that don't get much sun throughout the day. Rent a power washer and remove all signs of it. Mold is a dirty word in real estate and will run buyers off faster than a speeding bullet no matter what type or if it is harmless.

 

Taking care of the little things (like taking a shower) can make all the difference in the world.  If you want to have a good time at the prom or entice the buyer to write an offer on your home a good, deep cleaning is a must. 

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Anthea Click is the President of Fresh Perspectives Property Merchandising Services specializing in staging vacant homes, model homes and owner occupied redesign in the Middle Tennessee area including:Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Spring Hill, Fairview, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, and Lebanon. She is also a certified CSP Elite instructor, educating agents on how to incorporate staging into their business. For information on staging your home for sale contact us at 615-465-8086 or visit our website www.fresh-perspectives.com.

                                              

 

I'll admit I love my flannel  jammie  pants, they are very comfy; but when I'm going out, they certainly stay at home and I am dressed.

Yesterday, when I went grocery shopping, I was amazed at how many people wear their flannel jammie pants to the store!  

There were jammie pants people in the cereal aisle and jammie pants in produce, in fact I probably saw 5 or 6 pair on my shopping excursion and the store was not that crowded.

There are two ways to look at this: "It's terrible, people should really learn to dress for success and look their best no matter where they are going" or the alternative: "Just be who you really are."

In real estate, sellers who are doing their very best to keep their housekeeping up and have their homes in show ready condition at a moments notice are dressed for success.

Sellers who cannot or will not do this are like jammie pants people - they just want the buyer to accept their house for who/what "it really is."

Jammie Pants People, if your home is on the market, you need to dress it for success, price it right and do your part to present it to buyers in the very best light.

I know it's not easy and it requires a lot more effort and time, but in the long run it will be worth it.   Just like jammie pants don't impress me in the grocery store, that same attitude won't impress a buyer seeing your house today.  I'm only telling you this to help you sell your home.

 

As for the grocery store, it's a free country!

Really, who am I to judge?

In my opinion there is no excuse to wear your flannel jammies to the store unless it's midnight and the baby is out of formula.

 

But then again, maybe I'm just jealous because I left my jammie pants at home.

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Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country  Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.redfeatherlakes.com ---800-531-2195

"A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul"

The information contained in Mary's blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed, and the opinions and    views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

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avoid foreclosure: call the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline 1-877-601-HOPE

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When I do Pre-Market Consultations as a Home Stager, I often see -- and smell -- a variety of scented products throughout the home. There's the plug-in variety, the spray variety, the stash-in-a-corner-and-please-absorb-the-smell-in-here variety.

I often ask about their presence . . . is there an issue in this room? Are you worried about an odor problem? Most home owners shrug and say that they think it's just prudent. You know . . . just in case.

The problem is that these products designed to "add a pleasant scent", are themselves usually way too strong and generally unpleasant. I mean, I'm pretty sure "mountain breezes" don't usually smell like eau de toilet in real life! And I don't really want every cell in my olafactory glands hyper-stimulated with "Freesia Fantasy", thank you very much. (Plus, I have to wonder about the health implications of all these chemicals floating around in the air I breathe).

Worse yet, the presence of these products often alert a potential buyer that there may in fact be an odor causing issue that you are trying to hide. And besides, no product out there is going to hide wet dog. It'll just make for a hideous . . . and I believe, probably toxic . . . combination of scent molecules.

Okay, I exaggerate (slightly), but according to About.com, the number one turn off for a potential buyer is strong odors in the home. Um, so think pets, smoking, cooking, mold, mildew and anything basically musty, soggy, and otherwise stale or disgusting.

So instead of masking your home's odors, embrace them! Tell yourself -- as the home owner -- there is no such thing as a bad smell. It is your friend, and very useful information, telling you to take action!

First of all, get an objective opinion about your home and it's inherent smell (that you are totally incapable of detecting . . . trust me). And please, don't kill the messenger or kick this gift-horse in the mouth! Thank them for their honesty, because it will allow you to make your home more marketable.

Secondly, find the source of the smell and deal with it. By "deal with it", I mean, obliterate it. Spraying Febreeze on the sofa isn't going to do it. If this means calling in the professionals, or replacing carpet, you just have to do it. The cost before you go on the market will be far less than the discount a buyer will demand to remedy your smelly problem--if they are even willing to take it on.

And lastly, go on the market with confidence. Once you've addressed this huge deal breaker, not only will buyers respond much more favorably to your home, maybe . . . just maybe . . . you'll enjoy living there a little bit more yourself.

 

 

 

Deena Cottingham

GreenApple Staging & Images
Serving Calgary and Okotoks, Alberta

©GreenApple Staging & Images, 2010
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