Durham Real Estate Tips: Staging your Preserve @ Jordan Lake home to sell Faster for Top Dollar  Here is advice for staging the inside of your home form Barb Scharz, the interior designer turned real estate professional who first coined the term "Home Staging".  Barb advises that you try looking at your house “THROUGH THE BUYER’S EYES” as though you’ve never seen it or been there before. Any time or money invested on the following will bring back more money in return, she says, and hopefully a faster sale. You can check out other Tips for Home Sellers at Barb's site PrepareYourHomeforSale.com/ or call or email Vicky [919-225-1498] Mailto:Vicky@VickyOlive.com for suggestions on local resources for staging your home.

         Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items.

         Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn’t been used for three months... put it away! Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, pictures, etc. (A sparse kitchen helps the buyer mentally move their own things into your kitchen.)

         In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes,perfumes etc.., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.

         Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. As owners, many times we have too much furniture in a room. This is wonderful for our own personal enjoyment, but when it comes to selling, we need to thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear larger.

         Take down, or rearrange certain pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.

         Review the house inside room by room, and
a.   Paint any room needing paint.
b.   Clean carpets or drapes that need it.
c.   Clean Windows.

         If you need room to store extra posessions use the garage or rent a storage unit.

         Leave on certain lights during the day. During “showings” turn on all lights and lamps.

         Have stereo FM on during the day for all viewings.

Durham Real Estate Tips: Staging your Preserve @ Jordan Lake home to sell Faster for Top Dollar.  Staging the outside of your home for curb appeal sets the mood for buyers and invites them into your home. This is the all important first step of staging your home.  Check out these and other Tips for Home Sellers from Barb Scharz, the interior designer turned real estate professional who first coined the term "Home Staging" at her web site PrepareYourHomeforSale.com

         Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., into the garage.

         Check gutters and roof moss and dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.

         Look at all plants... prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows. “YOU CAN’T SELL A HOUSE IF YOU CAN’T SEE IT.” Plants are like children — they grow so fast!!

         Weed and then mulch all planting areas. Keep lawn freshly cut and fertilized. Remove and dead plants or shrubs.

         Clear patios or decks of all small items. such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys. etc.. (Put them in the garage or a storage unit.)

         Check paint condition of the house — especially the front door and trim. “CURB APPEAL REALLY WORKS!”

Home staging involves the commonsense advice that real estate agents have been giving home sellers for decades, but with some fresh additions. The process takes preparations for getting a house ready to sell a bit further, showcasing a house so that home buyers can visualize living there.

Professional home stagers are available for hire in many areas. For recommendations in Durham or Chapel Hill call Vicky at 919-225-1498.  Some home stagers work with your own furnishings to create a new look, while those who do home staging in larger cities often have a warehouse of furniture and accessories to draw from.

Home staging may be one of the hottest trends in real estate today. Advocates say that home sales for staged homes are often faster and at higher prices than similar unstaged homes. Just what is home staging and how can it help you sell your home? Staging is a process of cleaning, organizing, rearranging, updating, and preparing your home for sale.   Staged homes often sell faster and at higher prices.

Whether you live in Croasdaile or Preserve @ Jordan Lake, generating curb appeal and using model home staging techniques are better ways to spend your money than loading up on major home improvements when it's time to sell your home in any market. Both market conditions and your home's condition dictate what additional projects you should complete before you open your home to prospective buyers.   Should you make home improvements when you plan to move anyway?.