PineFarmMom Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 We put it on the market yesterday. It's clean...as clean as it can be with 4 kids. I'm going to declutter and organize cabinets today. I plan on doing a few little staging ideas that I have. What are some good, inexpensive home staging tips to make everything look good? I already have flowers in the beds out front...I may add more, though. I need to declutter some outdoor toys and shine things inside. Anyone have any great ideas? Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 My husband and I have a call in radio show on real estate and this is our most asked question! Decluttering is key and if you can smell it, you can't sell it. :D People really do have trouble seeing past little things and with all the homes on the market right now, you really have to work hard to make sure the buyers don't see any obstacles to their loving your home. I recommend keepingi it as clean and showable as humanly possible all the time. You need to let realtors show it on a moments notice. Don't use potpouri and Glade, use natural stuff like COOKIES in the oven, it really works. Make sure the animals aren't home and neither are their litter boxes, etc. Just work on it a little every day, get rid some things, paint a little, do a little all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Declutter *all* the toys outside. Your dc will survive.:D No stuff on the refrigerator, very few family pictures on the walls and horizontal surfaces. Clean, clean, clean, especially the kitchen and bathroom. Make beds. Make sure any curtains are hanging neatly and properly (and that they are clean). I used to wonder why stagers emphasized decluttering so much, until one show I saw where there are videos of people going through homes before and after the destaging. One house had an amazing, beautiful Southwestern-style fireplace; it also had an amazing, beautiful collection of...roosters. Yes. So in the before, people went through the family room and were commenting on all the roosters; afterwards, with all the roosters gone, one woman said, "Wow! What a beautiful fireplace! I didn't notice that before!" So although some people can look through a homeowner's clutter (or beloved possessions, as the case may be :D) there's a strong possibility that many people will just be sidetracked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Make the closets appear spacious. That means moving things out. The person looking at your home may have less items than you but if your closets and cabinets are busting at the seams they will think there isn't room for their stuff. Have a routine to get your house in show condition in 15 minutes. Throw things under the bed, in dressers (where clients shouldn't be looking), in the trunk of your car, empty the trash, and practice it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) Potential home buyers WILL open cabinets, drawers, and closets. Take most of the stuff out of those and organize the rest of the stuff in them. You don't want crowded, stuffed closets. It makes a home buyer feel like there isn't enough storage in the house. And that goes for linen closets too! Leave a few towels, a set of sheets, and a few other items, but take out everything else! Oh, forgot to mention painting! If you have any room or wall in your house with a bright, not too common color, you should tone it down to a neutral color. What looks fabulous to you may seem garrish to someone else. Potential buyers want to feel like they can move right in without a lot of work. For example, my kitchen has a jalopeno red on the walls that looks amazing!! But when we get ready to sell this house, I'm going to paint over it with a very neutral color. I just can't trust that someone else will love that gorgeous deep orange red like I do! Edited April 17, 2009 by Night Elf painting tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Have a routine to get your house in show condition in 15 minutes. Throw things under the bed, in dressers (where clients shouldn't be looking), in the trunk of your car, empty the trash, and practice it. :iagree: I used a couple of clothes baskets to pick up kids toys in a hurry and stuck them in my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Decluttering is key, we also invested in refrigerated cookie dough for me to throw in the oven one hour before a showing (I would leave the cookies on a plate for the potential buyer). We got an off-site storage unit and put a ton of our stuff in there--anything to make it look like 6 people didn't live in our house! The only other thing that hasn't been suggested (I don't think) is painting. If you can spare the time and money, paint makes a HUGE difference. White or neutral, preferably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Rittenhouse Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) I am the buyer from hell. I view 100-200 homes before buying. Most realtors hate me to see me coming. I will view the basement and garage first. Cluttered basements and garages, where I can't view the condition of the house, are a complete turn off. I'll walk right out if I can't find your utility connections, view your fuse box or take a guess at the age and condition of your heating and airconditioning units. If I see water, mold or insect/pest infestations, it doesn't matter if the living room is staged to perfection, I'll walk. I will also walk from a cluttered badly kept house with a completely clean and freshly painted basement. Nothing says your hiding something big better than cleaning your basement from top to bottom without cleaning the rest of your estate from top to bottom. I will look in your refrigerator, your kitchen cabinets, and your oven and dishwasher. I am looking to seek if you have enough room, the condition of your kitchen cabinets and how your take care of yourself and your home appliances. If you care about yourself more often than not you will care about your home. I will peek behind your entertainment center to see if it is hiding holes in the drywall. I will run my finger along the baseboard behind your couch, to see if your trying to hide that you own a cat or dog. I will also note any very large awkwardly placed photos or posters as these often signal problems with the wall. I will inspect the grout in your bath and look to see if you clean behind your toilet. I will open the lid of your toilet tank. I will open your medicine chest to check for size and condition. (I don't want to see mildew, rust, rot, or stains from spilled hair dye. If your bathroom is carpeted I will feel the carpet near the bath and toilet for dampness and odors. I want to see room in your linen closet. I will open your closet and I will randomly part your clothes to see the condition of your closet walls. If your clothes cannot be parted or are covering the floor, I will walk. I will pry up the corner of the carpet in a bedroom closet to see if there are really hardwood floors as it says on your property sheet. I will randomly pick windows to look at. I'm looking for clean glass, clean screens and working hardware. I don't want to see water, dead bugs in the window sills. I don't want to see cobwebs on your curtains and I will smell your drapes to see if you are smoker, even if you are taking all your window treatments with you. If we get to the attic....at this point I've walked from 50% of the properties I've viewed...I'm looking for access, water, ventilation, and pests. Do you have the proper amount of insulation? Do you have too much? Is the attic broom clean and reasonably organized like the garage and basement. If you are serious about selling your house you can have as little as 30 days to closing....you should have gone through your stuff and look like your organized to move. Packed completely? No but neatly ready for packing, yes. Outside....are your soffits and gutters in good order? Are there cracks in the masonry? Does the realtor know what's under the vinyl siding or are you just covering up the asbestos shingles from the 50's. I will walk your yard. I'm looking for established plants, not ones put in by the landscapers for showing the house, but plants that survive and thrive in your yard. I will be observing fencelines, the drainage of your lawn and how wet your septic field is. I will be looking for signs of water issues...to little as well as too much. I will be looking at your neighbors' backyards. The condition of your garage, your garden sheds and the place were you keep your garbage cans all reflect upon the condition of the property. Clean up after pets. Remove dead leaves from under your deck and don't stack your firewood in your house or garage. Edited April 18, 2009 by Anne Rittenhouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I am the buyer from hell. I view 100-200 homes before buying. Most realtors hate me to see me coming. I will view the basement and garage first. Cluttered basements and garages, where I can't view the condition of the house, are a complete turn off. I'll walk right out if I can't find your utility connections, view your fuse box or take a guess at the age and condition of your heating and airconditioning units. If I see water, mold or insect/pest infestations, it doesn't matter if the living room is staged to perfection, I'll walk. I will also walk from a cluttered badly kept house with a completely clean and freshly painted basement. Nothing says your hiding something big better than cleaning your basement from top to bottom without cleaning the rest of your estate from top to bottom. I will look in your refrigerator, your kitchen cabinets, and your oven and dishwasher. I am looking to seek if you have enough room, the condition of your kitchen cabinets and how your take care of yourself and your home appliances. If you care about yourself more often than not you will care about your home. I will peek behind your entertainment center to see if it is hiding holes in the drywall. I will run my finger along the baseboard behind your couch, to see if your trying to hide that you own a cat or dog. I will also note any very large awkwardly placed photos or posters as these often signal problems with the wall. I will inspect the grout in your bath and look to see if you clean behind your toilet. I will open the lid of your toilet tank. I will open your medicine chest to check for size and condition. (I don't want to see mildew, rust, rot, or stains from spilled hair dye. If your bathroom is carpeted I will feel the carpet near the bath and toilet for dampness and oders. I want to see room in your linen closet. I will open your closet and I will randomly part your clothes to see the condition of you closet walls. If your clothes cannot be parted or are covering the floor, I will walk. I will pry up the corner of the carpet in a bedroom closet to see if there are really hardwood floors as it says on your property sheet. I will randomly pick windows to look at. I'm looking for clean glass, clean screens and working hardware. I don't want to see water, dead bugs in the window sills. I don't want to see cobwebs on your curtains and I will smell your drapes to see if you are smoker, even if you are taking all your window treatments with you. If we get to the attic....at this point I've walked from 50% of the properties I've viewed...I'm looking for access, water, ventilation, and pests. Do you have the proper amount of insulation? Do you have too much? Is the attic broom clean and reasonably organized like the garage and basement. If you are serious about selling your house you can have as little as 30 days to closing....you should have gone through your stuff and look like your organized to move. Packed completely? No but neatly ready for packing, yes. Outside....are your soffits and gutters in good order? Are there cracks in the masonry? Does the realtor know what's under the vinyl siding or are you just covering up the asbestos shingles from the 50's. I will walk your yard. I'm looking for established plants, not ones put in by the landscapers for showing the house, but plants that survive and thrive in your yard. I will be observing fencelines, the drainage of your lawn and how wet your septic field is. I will be looking at your neighbors' backyards. The condition of your garage, your garden sheds and the place were you keep your garbage cans all reflect upon the condition of the property. Clean up after pets. Remove dead leaves from under your deck and don't stack your firewood in your house or garage. Wow, will you come with me when it is time to buy a home?:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Rittenhouse Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Oh and if I view a house that is decluttered to perfection, completely freshly painted, perfectly new carpets, completely empty closets, is staged as if it's a NYC penthouse and smells of freshly baked cookies....I'll walk also. That house tells me nothing about how a family uses and manages in the space and layout. Your possesions and how they are placed and used tell me as much about how you use the house as the house itself. Sooo clean up, clean up well....but don't make it a show house unless the house is empty for a legitimate reason. I am very sceptical of highly staged homes and I understand that this is not the case with most buyers. If I intend to make a serious bid on your property I will schedule a second viewing. I will inform you that this second viewing will take at least one hour and I always enjoy having both realtors on site to answer questions. During this viewing I will look very carefully at each space and room. I will take notes and measure rooms sizes. I will count windows, note age and condition of appliances. Note repairs to be made and estimate costs of renovations. I will take pictures. ALL before making a bid. I will expect you to come to closing in 30 days and your house should reflect that you are motivated buyer. After an accepted bid, I have money on the table and don't wish to loose it by not having a good idea about what I am buying. Only after an excepted bid and earnest money, am I allowed to bring in my paid experts. This is expensive....and I haven't yet been able to afford a failed negotiation. Most buyers get nasty surprises when it come to the home inspection reports, I have yet have any unexpected surprises...more information about a concern yes, a surprise...not yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Oh and if I view a house that is decluttered to perfection, completely freshly painted, perfectly new carpets, completely empty closets, is staged as if it's a NYC penthouse and smells of freshly baked cookies....I'll walk also. Anne, you are a very thorough buyer, but I have to wonder if you're a rarity? I have purchased 3 houses and we didn't do as much as you did, and yet we've been happy. To the OP, don't let Anne's post wig you out. If someone like that looks at your house and chooses to walk, it's probably better that they do so. I'm sure the next steps of selling to someone like that would be a nightmare! No offense Anne, but sellers can be and should be picky too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I am the buyer from hell. I view 100-200 homes before buying. Most realtors hate me to see me coming. PLEASE, Please, please, will you post pics of where you live now? Would love to see what you bought :001_smile: or are you still looking??????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Try to look at it in terms of first impressions. Walk down your street and take in other homes, then look at the sweeping impression that yours makes. More flowers may or may not make any difference, for instance, in a "big picture." They are details that can add to the big picture, but may not at all. Then walk inside. What is the "big picture?" That is the first impression. Do that with each room, then go take a walk around the yard. The "big picture" is why paint makes so much of a difference, and why neutral colors are important. People can say to themselves, "We can always repaint," but that first impression still influences. I had a neighbor who hid things in her oven if people showed up unexpectedly and her kitchen wasn't clean! Very few people would look in an oven--they look at the oven and it's placement. I thought it was a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Rittenhouse Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) I'm sure the next steps of selling to someone like that would be a nightmare! No offense Anne, but sellers can be and should be picky too. :) Actually, the answer is no. I have a clear understanding of the condition of the property. My request list for sale is often very short. I do not want "quick and dirty" repairs done to the property at move out time. I specifically request that when pictures are removed from the walls that the holes or hanging hardware to be left as is. I request that no more further painting or renovation be done after the accepted bid. Often the last minute requests are for information such as copies of your septic pumping bills, or a copy of the contract you had for the last year's roof replacement. I think the only time I've asked for work to be done was to have a chimmney cleaned before being reinspected. The entire point of my buying process is so that I don't have to be a "wigged out nightmare buyer" going into closing. Those properties which are not ready for sale don't get a bid. I'm looking for a seller who has done their propery maintenance all along through the years and not just a quick spruce up for sale and by looking carefully I know who has done it and who hasn't. Closing with us is easy. Most property only gets a 15 minute walk through on the first showing because most propery owners don't do their homework on a regular basis. We don't bid unless we are serious and will take the property in a "AS IS" condition. The "burden" on the seller is very small for a buyer like me. I want complete disclosure, ie., information. In general, I want no further repairs and I want a quick closing. I understand that folks who are moving have a million and one things to do and I don't wish to add to their lists. The "burden" is carried by my real estate agent who has been instructed to line up 10-20 house showings for a me for a single day. Of those twenty showings 5 will be drive bys. I won't even need to get out of the car. Five to seven more will be thrown out by looking at the basements. Five more will be thrown out by going through the first floor. The final bunch might have one property of interest and then I will turn to the agent and say, "Let's see twenty more tomorrow." Edited April 18, 2009 by Anne Rittenhouse language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 This is my 2 cents. Clean, declutter, paint. Then pray. I sold a house 10 years ago by owner. We didn't declutter or paint or really anything. I cleaned as I usually did. Sold it in about 6 weeks for almost asking price. In 2007, we finished every stinking project on our house, put at least a third of our stuff in storage. Painted, cleaned, baked cookies, you name it... we did it. House sat for sale for 9 months. Rented said house for a year. Now it is vacant and back on the market. This time we tried the pricing well below the other house strategy. House is sitting not selling. It is clean, it is move in ready, it is price right. The market stinks! Only time will tell, but I am done trying to figure out what sells a house. I honestly believe that most (not all) people walk into a house and pretty much know if it is the right house within a few minutes. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Rittenhouse Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) No, I'm not still looking. I live overseas now and rent because my husband's visa terms makes it very difficult to own property here. I prepared my last home for sale to my standards as a buyer. We sold in 4 days, at more than asking, and had four competing offers to choose from. We sold in 2008 at a time when properties in our area were in a free fall for pricing and were not moving. For renting the current property, we looked at 40 properties over 4 days. I'm told this was an large number as most xpats will settle after seeing about 10. We had some specific requirements, such as room for a model railroad layout. Edited April 18, 2009 by Anne Rittenhouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Thanks for the tips, everyone. We're trying to go through room by room and do some things I've seen here. The outside toys are being taken care of. ;) Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Wow, yeah, I am a little whigged out by Anne's posts, but we are in our 4th house and sold the last 3, so I am trying not to stress. We may list our house next year. For our sales, it has been far more about WHERE the house was than even the condition of the house or how clean it was. Our last 3 homes were sold within 2 weeks' time. One sold in literally 24 hours, the other two within 14 days. But, that was in a market that is far better than where we are now. I do think this house will sell because of its location though, but that is another issue. Now that I think about it, for me, buying is about location too though. We like privacy and so any homes that looked into the neighbors' houses we wouldn't even consider. I am getting side-tracked.... We DO plan to: Make sure the house has good curb appeal.....keep the lawn mowed, the flower beds with fresh wood chips. Make sure the front porch is clean, inviting, has chairs that look clean......inside we plan to put about 1/2 of our stuff into storage. Our house isn't really cluttered, but we want just a few boxes in the attic, a few boxes in the basement storage area, that sort of thing. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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