STAGING YOUR HOME THE DO'S and DON'TS

When you decide that the time is right for you to sell your home PLEASE do your self a favor and right then realize that your "relationship" with the place you live has gone from a HOME to a HOUSE and the EMOTION needs to go OUT THE WINDOW!
That is right....you now have a HOUSE to sell not a HOME, and you need to have some professional opinions made on what should stay and what should go. We all know how it felt when we first walked into the place we now call home...it was great we could easily see ourselves already in the space RIGHT? Well that is how you want the new BUYERS to feel when they walk into your house. They need to see themselves NOT you! So my first professional suggestions is to REMOVE ALL PERSONAL ITEMS. By personal I mean photos, and clutter that mean something special to you but to anyone else is just plain distracting. So the first word to remember when starting to get ready to sell is DE-PERSONALIZE. All of the things that make your home special need to go with you when you move so start packing up those items, all of the pictures of the kids that line the walls of your home and replace them with GENERIC nice decorative items that are gender neutral and style neutral. By style neutral I mean just that....South Western, COUNTRY, Frilly Lace Curtains...you get it right? I mean really not everyone likes those styles and you WANT to sell your home. That means you need to appeal to the broadest spectrum of buyers possible.

FACT MOST HOME BUYERS DECIDE TO BUY WITHIN THE FIRST 2 MINUTES...YEP!
So you need to make that first impression count. That is why Realtors like myself try to make sellers understand how important curb appeal is and the all important front door and entry of the home. If it Smells when you walk in that is the memory the buyers will have when they think of your house. If the front door has cobwebs or a lock that won't open...BAD FIRST IMPRESSION. The all important photos....another first impression. Where are you right now? On the computer looking on HAR at homes and advice...so are your buyers. They will research homes online BEFORE they go see them and that means the photo gallery online is a make it or break it moment. If the buyer doesn't like the photos then you can bet unless your home is a steal that they will not even waste their time looking at it. So staging your home before you get photos done is also a fantastic idea. That way you are putting your homes best foot forward to the buyers that are seeing it for the first time. Ask yourself a few questions, What was the best part of your home that sold you....the spacious living room that is now cluttered with toys and furniture that you can't see the spaciousness???? The masterbath that boast a beautiful walk in shower and seat, that is now covered with limescale and mold and is the new home to a million beauty supplies....???? REALLY??? Make the small effort to do #2 on my list NOW.....DE-CLUTTER! It is easy and is the most affordable way to get your home ready to show to buyers. Get boxes now and start with pulling out the trash and TRASH IT, then make a pile to giveaway, a pile to sell, a pile to keep and start boxing. Once you let go of the stuff that we all collect and Don't need you will have a much easier time setting up the home to show. Take a day to go walk through some Model Homes for some great ideas. Check on a POD so you can store what you want to keep and eventually move to your new home so that your current HOUSE can be SOLD. Consider hiring a professional stager, that can play up your homes best features and use what you have and add items you need for your HOUSE to show the best. This is money well spent when you calculate the loss of time and money listing a home that isn't ready to sell and that sits on the market FOR MONTHS. You can do this. Your home will be less stressful to live in, easier to get ready to show and will sell faster if your MINIMALIZE your home. It is really that simple. And those items that you know need to be fixed, (the squeaky door, the lock you have to turn just right to open, the sliding door that always gets stuck...etc) this is the time to get those little items fixed now. Deep clean your home, dust and clean AGAIN, and air out your house....these are very inexpensive things you can do TODAY to make your home sell Tomorrow!
So good luck my future sellers and may you get more money for your home faster by doing these simple things PRIOR to listing your home. And as always if you need a professional - honest- dependable-get it done REALTOR with a proven track record of Customer Satisfaction then by all means PLEASE call ME! I have a TEAM of professionals from Contractors, to Home Cleaners that can make staging and selling your home a snap while getting more for your home than letting it stay as is. Leave the AS IS sales to the foreclosures and get the most for your home NOW!

Kimberly McCampbell, REALTOR
Corporate Mobility Specialist and Premier Service Professional with GMAC HOUSTON HOME SALES REALTY.....soon to be Real Living because Real Estate is changing and SO ARE WE!



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