The Stage Is Yours, Staging Your Home

We have all heard the term "it is a buyer's market," especially with the current economic climate. But what if you are selling? How can you market your home to your advantage? One simple "trick" that has come into vogue in the last several years is "staging" your home. What is staging? Simply put, home staging is preparing a residence for sale in real estate. How your home is staged to prospective buyers can make a difference in how those potential buyers react to your property. The good news is that staging your home is relatively easy. Your two must haves?

1) Convenient and accessible storage - a self storage facility close to your home, with flexible leasing (after all, you have no idea if you will be staging your home for a day, a week or a month) is ideal!
2) A can (or several!) of neutral paint

Staging Steps

• Pack all of your personal collections and move them to your storage unit. Do the same with children's toys if they are scattered about;
• Paint your walls; warm neutral colors are best. Although you love the Chinese Red you selected for your dining room, your potential buyer may not…;
• Trim all woodwork in a bright white color, which will make your rooms appear brighter and more open;
• Remove all evidence of pets (food dishes, toys, etc.) from your home prior to each viewing. Some people prefer a "no animals" household, and any evidence to the contrary may cause fear of lingering pet odors and damage in the minds of potential buyers;
• If there are smokers in your home, insist they refrain from smoking indoors so you can "air out" your home. Some people are allergic to cigarette smoke, so the scent of it could potentially kill the sell;
• Use a critical eye on all of your outside landscaping. Keep the lawn cut and manicured consistently; a prospective buyer may do a drive by. Paint the trim work, if needed, and keep the front entrance clean, clear and attractive. Curb appeal cannot be overemphasized! If the front of the house is a mess, potential buyers will keep on driving;
• It may sound corny, but baking a batch of cookies or brownies just before a viewing is always a good idea; it makes the house smell good, and it gives the house a sense of "home."

By: Holly Robinson

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Holly Robinson works as a "staging expert" for a national real estate company, who has recently moved from a fast-paced metropolitan area to slower-paced suburbia. Holly covers the storage industry and has recently been examining self storage in www.extraspace.com/Storage/Facilities/US/Texas/Houston/Default.aspx"> Houston.