Kitchen Color Trends 2010 http://ping.fm/LOA5A

The Importance of Home Staging

In today's real estate market, a home owner needs to pull out all the stops in order to actually have their house seen, and eventually sold. The more visually appealing a house looks, the more tempting it will be for a buyer to sign those papers. I'm sure in your search for the best home, you have come across a house which looks cluttered, doesn't have much natural light coming through those dreary curtains, and sometimes it might have a certain smell to it that just turns you off. Home Staging® can be thought of as an important marketing tool that sellers use to merchandise their property.

Buying or selling a house could quite possibly be the biggest investment a person could ever make. The property should be presented in a way to attract a buyer. No matter what the selling price is, it is important for the house to be immaculate and flawless in appearance. The objective of Staging® a house is to have a potential buyer walk in, and immediately envision your house as their home, and become emotionally connected to it. A good way to do this is to imagine yourself as the buyer, and modify different things that you don't find appealing first. You have to look at your own home through a potential buyer's eyes, and treat your home as a product you want to sell. Through making the house look visually alluring, it will help the guest feel like the owner as soon as they walk in the front door.

Home Staging® is very effective because it highlights the strengths and reduces weaknesses of the house. Presenting a well maintained and cared for home will give the potential buyers a great first impression, and also helps them realize if their checklist of what they want in a home works with your home. Staging® a home to create instant and enticing curb appeal can help a buyer sell their home fast, and may also increase the value. Just to give you an idea of how important Home Staging® is, a recent survey done by Staged Homes, an accredited Home Staging® training company, found that 94% of correctly staged homes were sold within a month of being on the market. This number alone should give you the motivation and drive to take the time to stage your home and sell immediately.

While Staging® a home, pay mind to lighting, color, furniture position, clutter, and unnecessary objects. By maximizing the natural lighting, de-cluttering, paring down, positioning your furniture in a more pleasing way, and capitalizing on great color, a seller will be able to market, and sell their house quicker and more efficiently. Overall, Home Staging® is an effective way for a buyer to sell their home, and increase the value of it.

http://www.ballantynehomestaging.com/  | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Staging: Every Bit Counts

A friend of mine was recently looking for a housemate. He owned the home, and had spent a lot of money to upgrade many parts of the home. He had put in beautiful wood floors, new appliances in the kitchen, landscaped a bit in his small backyard, and painted almost every room an appropriate color. The only room he left unturned was the room he decided to rent. Being a considerate fellow, he thought that the NEXT occupant should be able to furnish and paint it in their fashion. But he had no luck finding a tenant! Nobody bit!

Eventually, he realized the problem. Most of us lack the imagination to really understand what a room can achieve. We need some help. After the advice of a professional stager, a coat of paint and moving some nice furniture into the room, he found he had no problem renting it out! He actually had escalating multiple offers.
This type of Staging® is on a small-scale of what you can do with your home. You can’t just expect your house to sell without giving the possible buyers something to understand. Furniture will give you an idea about the space, paint will give you a reflective mood, flowers or plants can bring life to room. If people have trouble understanding how a room can accommodate a queen-size bed, the put a queen-size bed into the room!

Staging® is key in any real estate transaction. It might cost you a few bucks extra, but you won’t regret it! Staging® will help you move the space quicker and make you happier in the long run!

http://www.ballantynehomestaging.com/ | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Hilarious blog on ActiveRain. Staging 101: A Day in the Life.
http://ping.fm/dJkvA

Pressure Washing: Make a Good First Impression

Mother Nature is not always a kind woman.
Plus, our grubby little hands and some dirty and nasty pollens and pollutants make anything that has to stay outside too long a target for some serious build-up. When we go to sell our homes, sometimes this becomes all too obvious. Nothing quite turns off potential buyers as much as stains and grime!

From concrete to asphalt and everything in between, your driveway and patio surfaces tend to take the brunt of wear and tear out of all outdoor surfaces. By adding detergent or degreaser to water and projecting with a high-strength pressure washer – it is easy to remove oil, rust, and most weathered stains!

(Pressure washing also eliminates the hard-work of cleaning your motor- boat, RV or sports utility vehicle. Spend a day spinning your wheels in the mud on your ATV? No problem with some solid pressure washing!)

If you use inadequate pressure with a pressure-washer, you won’t get the paint/dirt/mold off – but if you use too much pressure – you might take off some important bits of your beautiful home. This can be a delicate process and is often done best by professionals!

One of the first things I will recommend to many homeowners is to take a critical look at the outsides of their homes. Mold and stains on a home's siding will give the impression that a house has not been taken care of... you might never get a prospective buyer to come in if they get a bad first impression!


www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com