10 Suggestions to Help Sell Your Home

An Attractive Home Exterior -  Decor Pad

 

As a professional home stager, I’ve staged many homes here in Jacksonville, Florida.  Many of my friends ask me what  my top 10 suggestions are  for selling a home quickly and for top dollar. I thought I'd share with you what I 've told them.

1. Make sure the exterior of your home is attractive.  Buyers know within 15 seconds of seeing your house if it’s a place they’d consider  a home.  Is your front exterior welcoming?  Is the paint color attractive?  Does the front door have a complementary color and is the door hardware in new or like-new condition?  Are your landscaping beds  mulched?  Do you have attractive flowers outside to add color?  Has the clutter been removed from  walkways or driveways? Are your shrubs and lawn in good condition and well-manicured?  First impressions count! 

A Welcoming Front Door

Freshly Mulched Landscaped Beds with Colorful Flowers

2.  Paint colors in your home will be one of the first things buyers notice as they enter.  Will your paint colors appeal to a wide range of buyers? Is there a harmonious flow of color throughout your home?  It’s best if the exterior  paint colors transition nicely  into the interior .

3.  Clean and declutter your home. If you have a lot of clutter,  donate what you don’t need to a thrift shop and rent a storage unit for anything that you wish to keep.  It will be well worth the money spent.  A cluttered home reduces the spaciousness of a home.  I always tell my clients to remove 50% of what is in their closets and have nothing on the closet floors.

4. When decorating bookshelves, tables,mantles, or walls, think less but bigger.  Remove all personal pictures so buyers aren’t looking at your Aunt Emma instead of your fabulous floor plan! Group accessories in odd numbers and mix in glass, wood, ceramic, metal, and rattan for an appealing look.

Notice the Different Shapes, Textures and the Addition of Greenery on This  Dresser

Larger Artwork and an Odd Number of Accessories

5. Have your home staged before your listing pictures are taken.  According to  Active Rain, a real estate blog and marketing site, 94% of people research their home purchase on-line before contacting a realtor and 75% buy a home they originally found on the Internet – it’s like an Internet dating game. Buyers know what they want and if they see beautiful pictures of what they're imagining their next home to be, they’ll be sure to view that home.

6. If you have to move before you sell your home, schedule two moves and leave some of your furnishings in the home you are selling. It’s really not that much more expensive to do.   According to Home Staging Resource, only 10% of buyers can visualize their furnishings in a vacant home.

7.  Hire a professional home stager to prepare your home for sale. Most home sellers cannot view their homes objectively.  A home stager knows how to create the atmosphere needed to form an emotional connection with a buyer.  They know the demographics of your neighborhood and who might likely purchase your home.  If you’d prefer to stage it yourself, they can also provide you with a staging report informing you about what changes need to be made.

8. Make sure your home is not outdated.  If your paint colors, wall coverings, appliances, flooring, cabinetry and appliances don’t reflect life in the 21st century, update them.  That means get rid of that harvest gold refrigerator from the 70’s or that mauve carpeting from the 80’s!

Outdated Paint Scheme  Which Won't Appeal to Buyers

9.  Have a home inspection done to identify any major structural, electrical, or plumbing, etc. problems that might exist so there are no surprises. I’ve  seen a few deals go “down the drain” due to surprises resulting from the buyers’ home inspections.  Have any major problems addressed by a professional contractor if necessary.    

10. Hire a proactive realtor who will a.) correctly price your home based upon a competitive market analysis of your neighborhood; b.) market your home aggressively to attract buyers to view it; c) keep you informed of the feedback that is being received from buyers viewing your home.

Are you selling your home?  Would you like a copy of my report entitled 5 Secrets You Should Keep from  Buyers When Selling Your Home?  If so, follow my blog publicly and leave a comment  on this blog post that you did so.  Include your e-mail address and I will forward the report to you.

Price + Presentation + Location = Two Home Sale Offers in 2 Days!

9684 Wexford Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32257

Can you believe it? I staged a home last Thursday and by Saturday  there were two offers on it!  "Amazing," you say.  I say the sellers were just following the recipe for a successful home sale. They just happened to have a Jacksonville, Florida Keller-Williams agent by the name of Paige Wajsman who gave them excellent advice on pricing their home properly and preparing it for sale.  Paige is a big fan of staging as a great home marketing tool  because she knows that presentation is so important.  The property actually went under contract for more than the asking price!  Terrific news in this market!  Think about the money saved in home maintenance costs that these sellers will realize by selling their home so quickly.  It  will more than pay for the staging.

 A Beautiful Great Room with  Bamboo Hardwood  Flooring

This property is located in the Beauclerc/Mandarin section of Jacksonville, a lovely area with mature trees and a charming Southern feel. A few miles away you have a great shopping district, access to major highways, and good schools.  Put that ingredient into the bowl.

An Earth-toned Color Palette Creates Ambience

Next, you have an asking  price of $274,900 for this 2,701 square foot home based upon a competitive market analysis of the neighborhood - a realistic marker for selling the home. Pour this into the mix.

A Beautiful Bow Window Keeps the Dining Room Light and Bright

Finally, you have a home whose presentation  has been improved by painting, cleaning, decluttering and home staging.  Let's also add in this savory bit and we have the ingredients for a successful home sale.

Plenty of Storage Space in this Oak-Cabineted Kitchen with Separate Pantry Room

A Spacious Master Bedroom 

 A Cozy Seating Area in the Master Bedroom

Pops of Color in the Master Bathroom

An Inviting Soaking Tub for Relaxation

An Attractive Side Waterview

If your home has been sitting on the market with no traffic or you are thinking about selling your home, contact me so I can add the presentation ingredient for your quick home sale.  Home staging makes "cents"!

Staging a Home to Attract Mr. and Mrs. Buyer



10519 Kenwell Glen Court, Jacksonville, Florida 32256



I received a call from a new business acquaintance of mine to help her stage her mother’s home. Her mom had passed away  and she felt she was too close to the situation to stage it herself. Didn’t feel she could be objective enough. Many times the closer you are personally to the property for sale, the harder it is to emotionally disconnect from it. That’s why hiring a home stager makes “cents”!




Kitchen Breakfast Bar Before




Breakfast Bar After





A Closer Look  at the Breakfast Bar 



A Wine Vignette Above the Kitchen Cabinets

The property for sale was a 1900 square foot ranch situated nicely on a corner of a cul de sac with a beautiful water view in the back. Upon entering the vacant home, I could see the cozy potential it had. My goal was to create a setting that would help some eager buyer emotionally connect with  it. The owner and I discussed staging the kitchen, dining room, living room, master bedroom and bath, guest bath and another bedroom.

Living Room - Before







Living Room - After

 When staging, my mind is reviewing my existing inventory for pieces of furniture and accessories that would fit the color scheme, mood, and theme I’m trying to create. I decided on a red and gold color palette for most of this home. In the master bedroom and bath, I developed my color scheme and mood from two framed floral prints the seller had. This color scheme was cream, green and pink. In the guest bath, I did a beachy theme in aquas and tans.

Master Tub- Before





Master Tub - After



Master Bedroom - Before



Master Bedroom - After



Corner and Plant Shelf in Master Bedroom - Before



Highboy Fills the Corner and Greenery Brings the Eye Upward to Appreciate the Plant Shelf - Master Bedroom- After 



Reading Corner - Master Bedroom - Before



Reading Corner - Master Bedroom - After

Guest Bedroom/ Home Office Before

Ready for Business in the "After" Home Office



Another "After" View of the Home Office



Dining Room Before

Creating an Ambient Mood in the " After"  Dining Room

A Cake and Champagne for the New Buyers!

As I was staging, I had to be mindful of rhythming the accent colors throughout the adjoining rooms to unify the décor. If I used red on the fireplace mantel, I wanted to repeat that red throughout the room. Since the kitchen and living room were open to each other, I carried the red and gold into that area also. As you can tell, staging takes a lot of concentration – you have to remember a lot of little details that will make it all come together in the end.

Back Wall of the Living Room - Before

Back Wall of the Living Room - After

Another View of the Living Room - After

Every time I stage a property, I wrestle with the question, “How can I make the buyer remember this house? How can I distinguish it from its competition?” I went to the Dollar Store and purchased a wine glass and a glass plate for a grand total of $2. I then glued them together with a fantastic craft glue called E6000 to make a unique cake plate. After placing the cake plate in the center of the dining room table, I placed a white doily and my fake chocolate cake on top. To further enhance this celebrative mood, the homeowner contributed her champagne flutes along with a bottle of champagne, a cake server, two beautiful glass plates, and a greeting card made out to Mr. and Mrs. Buyer congratulating them on the purchase of their new home. Now how could a potential buyer forget that? We’ll have to wait and see how long it takes for Mr. and Mrs. Buyer to find this little dream home. If you live in Jacksonville or know someone moving here who is looking for a charming well-built home that is located near major stores, the library, medical facilities and has quick access to all major highways, this is the home for them.  For more information on this beautiful property, go here.





7 Ways To Enlarge Your Rooms When Selling Your Home



Neutral Tones - Enlarge a Space - Decor Pad

When you are selling your home, room size is paramount. How can you make a small room appear larger?

Using Leggy Furniture Opens Up A Room -Decor Pad

Scale down the furniture. Reduce the amount of furniture in the rooms. Use smaller scale furniture over big chunky pieces. Choose furniture with legs showing as opposed to heavily upholstered pieces. This allows one to see through the furniture to the floor underneath to open up the space.

Large Artwork in Model Home

Minimal Bathroom Accessories - Model Home

Decorate with fewer but larger accessories – too many small accessories crowd a room and overtake it. Do groupings of larger mantel/ table accessories which are overlapped. Avoid crowding walls with too much artwork. Use larger pieces of art to fill the walls. Ensure minimal accessories are on bathroom and kitchen countertops.

Patterns Which Don't Overwhelm the Room - Decor Pad

Avoid overly busy patterns. Too many bold patterns in a room with fabrics and accent pieces can make a room feel smaller. Big prints, bold plaids, and large floral patterns can be too busy for a small space. Stick to solids and use texture in fabrics to add interest.

This Large Rug Defines the Sleeping Area - Decor Pad

Limit the number of area rugs – too many area rugs make the space look smaller because they chop up the flooring. By removing excess rugs, you can open up the flooring space and make the home look larger.

This Neutral Color Scheme Enlarges the Space - Coastal Living

Lighten up – Dark colors absorb the light making small rooms look even smaller. Lighter colors on walls, such as creams, light blues, light greens, and soft yellows expand the the room.



The Large Palm Tree in the Corner Draws the Eye Upward - Decor Pad


Add height – vertical lines do make a room look bigger. Use tall trees and bookcases to draw the eye upward. Hang the drapes above the normal window top level. To widen the windows, tie the drapery back to lighten the room and make it feel open and airy.

This Large Mirror With Circular Shapes to Match the Lamps Reflects Light Enlarging the Space - Decor Pad

Use the reflection – hang mirrors on walls to add visual space. Mirrors reflect light and can make a room feel open and airy.

If you need help making your home look and feel larger to sell it quickly and  you live in the Jacksonville, Florida area, contact me for a home staging consultation at 904-553-0366.

Property and Furniture for Sale - Just Move In!

In today’s post, I’d like to feature one of my staged homes located in the gated golf course Cimarrone community in Jacksonville. This beautifull landscaped property sits on a private wooded cul de sac and has a beautiful built-in pool complete with waterfall and paver patio. As you approach the home, two beautiful leaded glass front doors welcome you.  Having 1518 square feet, this  charming property features three lovely bedrooms and two tastefully decorated bathrooms, an inviting foyer, cozy living room, modern kitchen with eat-in area and a large palladium window graces the  dining room. A spacious two-car garage is also included. The freshly painted home is tiled and carpeted and features plant shelves to showcase accessories in the bedrooms and master bathroom. Most of the furniture is included in the price; the artwork and most of the accessories are negotiable. If you know of anyone interested in this turnkey deal, please check the listing out on http://www.trulia/ .com. The address is 4604 White Dove Court, Jacksonville, Florida 32259 and the listing price is $249,900.  Below are a few of my photos of this home.

A cozy place to watch television in  warm Sherwin Williams Invigorating Cream

This entertainment center and coffee table are included

The spa-like  master bathroom in Sherwin Williams Grassland

This soothing master bedroom color, Sherwin Williams Ancient Marble , coordinates with the master bath color

Beautiful new vanity , faucet, mirror  and granite countertop in this guest bathroom

A beachy theme in this inviting guest bedroom swathed in Sherwin Williams Tradewinds 

Your guest can stay the night in this restful bedroom featured in Sherwin Williams Biscuit - a neutral color for any decor

Bon Appetit - Beautiful Ambience in the Dining Room