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Oct
18
Posted by Debbie Leavitt
Another great article from Kathleen Cragun on “Staging Your Home for Sale”.
Can you go from this. . .
To this: ………………………………………………………………………… In 6 days?!??????????????
Yes, I know the room isn’t the same but the concept is. My kitchen didn’t look as bad as this office (Larry’s) but I don’t recommend trying to get your home ready for sale in six days. As I preach in my staging articles Fix In, Fix Out, Clean Up, Clean Out and all that entails, is generally more than one (or two) can do in such a short time. What I wouldn’t give for Harry Potter’s magic wand! Nevertheless, our home is for sale. An opportunity arose and we had to strike.
This brought to my mind that I had promised one more staging article on “Showing Your Home”. After you have done all that stuff I suggested in my posts, http://www.issaquahundressed.com/tags/staging-your-home-for-sale/, each day your home is for sale you should set the stage. For her 7 point list. . .
And yes, I know this “mad stager” personally.
Thanks again Kathleen.
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Sep
21
Posted by Debbie Leavitt
Another article on Staging your home for sale by Kathleen Cragun
Before I get to that rocket science part, I want to refer to an article in last Sunday’s Seattle Times (June 3). In the Real Estate section was an article on tips to make your house sell fast, introduced by a huge picture. Much good advice was given BUT a few things made me cringe, so I just want to warn you what NOT to do. Do not paint your kitchen cupboards Gloss white. I already mentioned not to use gloss white on walls in an earlier post. When was the last time you saw a new model home that had GLOSS white cabinets? White maybe, but NOT gloss. If you are redoing old cabinets Gloss white will show every flaw, every brush stroke, every imperfection! It is a finish that should only be done by professionals ( sprayed on) but also one that is not really a “with it” thing to do. If your cabinets are stained wood, there are products you can get, like Cabinet Magic, Liquid Gold, that will cover scratches and revitalize cabinets, sometimes miraculously. They are also easy to apply, most are rubbed on with a soft cloth. Oak cabinets almost always look bad painted. Regarding painting anything, it is very important that it be done well. If you can’t do it well, you shouldn’t do it yourself. It takes time and patience and skill to do a good job. Prepare to give it that. It isn’t called sweat equity for nothin’.
Other advice in the article regarding fixing up Kitchens and Bathrooms, “You can do all this for cheap.” If it looks like you did it “on the cheap”, it will not help you sell your house. A very good bit of advice given was to hire a home inspector yourself to go through your home and get a list of things that need to be fixed. That way you shouldn’t have any unpleasant surprises when your buyer’s inspection is done. I have done this and it was very helpful and brought peace of mind.
The idea of staging is to present your home to stand out from the rest. It should be a well-maintained home, not just looked like one on the surface. We want the buyer to be happy living in the home, not just happy buying it, don’t we? No cover ups, no law suits.
You have to keep reading. . .
Preparation is Key.
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Aug
27
Posted by Debbie Leavitt
Another Staging Article from Kathleen Cragun.
See Part 1 and 2 for previous information before - Clear Out: After you have fixed and repaired it is time to declutter! And you can’t just stuff it all in the closets because people do want to see how the storage stacks up. They open up drawers, cupboards and closets if they are even somewhat interested in your house. Spend some time tidying these up and cleaning. You will have far less to do when you start serious packing, so it will help in two ways. The best solution is to rent a storage unit. Start packing up the things you don’t use very often, if at all. Too crowded with furniture, store it! 2nd best, pack up smaller stuff in boxes and put in the garage, but a garage isnt too impressive stuffed with excess furniture. Get a storage unit. Call the Salvation Army or St Vinnie’s.
Things to make disappear: Most of the stuff on your kitchen counter tops, i.e. kitchen appliances, except for a toaster; that dead plant you keep trying to revive, any cleaning supplies, soap, dish rags and so on. Only a few stratigic attractive items should be left. Banish as well that pot rack and hanging pots, refrigerator magnets and notes, dishes in the sink, toothbrushes and personal grooming items, towels in bad condition and uncoordinated colors, ugly shower curtains, stuff on window ledges, scatter rugs, too many plants, too many pillows, too many cars, too many accessories, too many of anything! If the things left are arranged with skill, less will be more. It’s the KISS principle. Keep It Simple Staging! If in doubt, throw it out! (Continue).
Thanks again Kathleen!
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Aug
09
Posted by Debbie Leavitt
Part 2 of an article about staging your home by Kathleen Leavitt-Cragun
In my first post on staging your home in preparation to putting it on the market, I mentioned Clean up…Clear out…Fix In…Fix Out. Let’s start with Fix Out. Backwards, yes but the saying sounds better that way! Take a note pad with you and go outside. Better than that go across the street and look at your house. Pretend you don’t live there. Can you see the house? Does it look inviting? Is the yard mowed, trimmed, clear of stuff. Is the paint peeling or does the driveway, sidewalk or the roof have moss on it. Imagine the For Sale sign out front. If you (remember you don’t live here) drove by and saw that sign would the house beckon you to take a look? We are talking Curb Appeal.
Read more.
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Aug
01
Posted by Debbie Leavitt
When you are selling your home, it immediately becomes a product that buyers compare with all the other homes they look at. Preparing to have your home look its best is a very smart idea. However it is easy to spend time and money on things that may not help all that much, and could even have a detrimental effect. A lot depends on the price range of the home. Hiring professional help to put your home’s best face forward is a relatively new phenomena.
Most Interior Designers think they can stage homes and most Staging Professionals think they can do Interior Design. There is some crossover, true, but the philosophies and purpose are very different. There is much more training, talent and skill needed to be an effective designer than most Staging Professionsl possess. On the other hand, many designers don’t really understand the common sense or purpose behind Staging. Read more. . .
This is part one of a series of articles. Thank you Kathleen for your wonderful insight.
