If you are in the market to sell your property sometime in the near future, you might want to start thinking about staging your Barrington home and presentation ahead of time. There are several things you can do, from a quick spruce up and tidying to a full staging company taking control and furnishing and decorating your home to sell. Of course I have my own opinions but that’s not the point of this page. I like to give you all the options available so you can decide for yourself.
The Simple Tidy Up
This falls into the heading of preparation. Starting with the outside and remembering that location likely got your buyer to your house, you don’t want to kill that enthusiasm with poor curb appeal. Make sure your yard is presentable, bushes and grass appropriately trimmed, dead leaves or pumpkins removed, seasonal decorations relevant, and the pathway to the door unencumbered, especially if there is snow.
Moving inside and I am sure you have heard this before: declutter. Every room should be kept tidy, any excessive photographs or trinkets packed away and if you are over loaded with furniture, do the best you can to thin it out a little. Strong smells are a deterent, no matter what they are. I like curry but I don’t want to smell it in a house I might buy.
Of all the properties I view with buyers it’s a fair statement that most properties listed for sale adopt this method. Even vacant homes.
Staging Your Barrington Home Yourself
If you have ever watched HGTV you might have seen those fix it up crews that come in and with $2,000 transform the homes. Staging your own home does not need to incur cost, sometimes it is a matter of looking at your furniture and asking yourself, is this a cohesive look, do my rooms flow or for the sake of a sale or should I move things around a bit? What do I mean by that? An example might be a three seater sofa placed in front of a huge picture window because it’s a better place for TV viewing. Or an office being used as an extra bedroom, and vice versa.
There are some cost items you might want to consider before listing.
- Paint is the most common budget friendly fix. Bright rooms can be toned down for $50 of neutral paint.
- Wallpaper is liked by few and those that do probably won’t like yours. Where at all possible have it removed and get back to neutral, it’s just not what you want buyers to remember about your home.
- Door handles and light fixtures. Brass is out, bronze is in and brushed nickel always accepted. It’s amazing how changing these can bring an old home into today.
- Torn, worn or stained floors and carpets. Leave them if you want your bottom line affected. Repair or replace to maximize your sale price.
Professional Staging
Not done my many it can be of great advantage in vacant homes or new construction to help connect your buyers with the emotional aspects of a home. It’s hard in a sterile empty home to exude character or feelings. If your home is well furnished a full staging program may have less perceived value but it never hurts to have a company show you what they could do. It might just be a matter of re-organizing what you already have, adding some rugs, lamps and color co-ordinated extras to pull your rooms together.
By the way, if you do decide to have your home staged, there’s no rule that says the entire house must be done. Select the most commonly used rooms in the house for this super makeoever.
I hope this has given you some ideas. In my book it’s your home, you make the decisions. Whether or not you do a quick spruce up or a full makeoever is up to you, but I’ll gladly point out any glaring problems if I see them as we tour your home.
Are you ready to sell your home? You can find more helpful information in our sellers tips. Give us a call at 847-363-3686 or complete our simple form for an appointment.
