Staging Your Home For Success

Sell It Quicker (scroll down)

Maximize Curb Appeal (scroll down) - Feng Shui

Perhaps just as important as pricing your home right, staging your home properly can make a huge difference in the marketing success of your home.  Here are some tips from a professional stager to help maximize your homes' appeal:

1.Introduce Holiday Aromas and sights.  Bake cookies, apple pie for showings, keep a pot of cinnamon, oranges, cloves, and vanilla in some water simmering on the range, add potpouri with different fragrances in a few choice rooms.  Decorate the dining room table with a pumpkin and groud centerpiece or put fresh seasonal fruits - apples, oranges, and cranberries- in large bowls along the table.

2.Arrange a gift-wrap center.  Set up a corner of a room with a gift-wrap center.  When people walk in at and see a tidy station with boxes, colorful wrapping papers, ribbons, and gift cards, they'll think: "This is a happy house."

3. Add Light. Since brightnesss sells, additional lamps may be needed.  Three out of four corners of a room need to be lit by lamps, except in smaller rooms.  Uplights in large plants, indoors and outdoors, are a nice touch, also.

4.  Update Doorknobs.  Old hardware on front and interior doors gives homes a dated look.  A simple Georgian-style round knob is burnished pewter or bronze - but not shiny brass - will add a chic touch without breaking the bank.

5.  Add Warmth.  If there's a working fireplace, light a fire before prospects arrive.  Use real wood logs for their pleasant aroma.  Or arrange candles  along a table or on a mantle, using no color for great impact.  A grouping of 12 candles in three sizes makes the most dramatic effect;  work down from 16-inch to 12-inch, 9-inch, and 6-inch tapers.

6.  Remember Real Flowers and Greenery.  Arrange tall branches of fresh evergreens in vases in different rooms.  Cover the tops of the plants with moss and pine cones.  Use a range of colors rather that just red and green.

7.  Add Mood Music.  During showings/open houses, play classic Frank Sinatra for a blast of retro-cool.  To be hipper, play jazz:  Miles Davis or Wynton Marsalis.

8.  Don't Forget Stars and Flakes.  String and suspend tiny stars and snow flakes in rows from your entry ceiling or around a dining room chandelier to add sparkle.  Make them yourself;  homemade wins more hearts.

9. Have a garage sale before the home is listed. Get rid of clutter to allow the buyer to really see your home. Pack away everything you can and clean out items you won't need in your next home. Homebuyers will expect you to be preparing to move, so a few packing boxes here and there can be used to your advantage. They could be a good visual stimulant to someone who is "on the fence;" they show that you are moving and are serious about finding a buyer.

10. Welcome the buyer at the entry. Put out a new doormat, but avoid mats with cutesy sayings. Clean and polish the brass door knocker. Put potted flowers on the porch. Make sure the front entry floor is always sparkling clean and the porch and steps are always swept. YOU GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION AND ONLY 15 SECONDS TO DO IT! MAKE IT COUNT.

11. Stimulate buyers' imaginations. Set the dinner table with your best china. Use the coziness and romance of the fireplace to advantage. Put a pair of wine glasses and a vase of flowers on the coffee table in front of the fire. Your goal is to set a scene that will encourage buyers to imagine themselves living in your home.

12. Be ruthless about odors. If there is a smell, your house won't sell. Use cleansers of all kinds to make the home smell fresh, from carpet freshener to potpourri. Deodorize cat litter and scoop litter daily. Put cedar chips inside the closets. However, be careful when using room sprays as they can irritate allergies. You can also use the sense of smell to your advantage by having fresh-baked cookies on the kitchen table, creating a welcoming sensual environment for your potential buyers.

13. Create a spacious feeling. Make sure that all doors, cabinets and drawers open all the way without bumping into anything or sticking. Clean out the entry closet and put only a few hangers in it, so that the buyer can visualize winter coats. Move oversized furniture to a storage facility. Make sure entrances to all rooms have an open flow.

14. Make the most of views. Disguise unsightly views. Put a screen or a basket of flowers in front of a fireplace if it isn't in use. Let breezes move your sheer curtains at the window. Make sure the interior is visible from the street. All windows must be crystal clean and clear.

15. Create counter space. Store away extra appliances. Put away dish racks, soap dishes and other clutter. Decrease kitchen clutter further by removing magnets from the refrigerator.

16. Avoid eccentric decor. De-personalize your teenager's room, the game room or other areas by removing wild posters or any decorative item that could be construed as offensive. Remove decorations which might not appeal to the masses, from hanging beads in doorways to jars where your children store their spider collections.

17. Let there be light. Increase the wattage in light bulbs in the laundry room, kitchen and bathrooms. For showings, turn on lights in every room.

18. Show how your family made the house a home. Put photos of your family enjoying your home in at least three different places.

Now, step back, stand outside the front door, as much as 30 feet away, and evaluate the feeling you get.  Is the house warm and inviting? Does it feel like home? If so, then perhaps it will to buyers, too. Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference.

Here's a few more quick tips:

1)  Have a Dining Room Table and 4 chairs (even if there isn't one currently in the dining room).

2) Have a Large Basket of Fruit or Breads - real or faux.

3) Living Plant should be next to front door, just as you step inside

4)  3 x 8 white rug should greet guests

5)  New white towels for all showings

6)  All lamps should have the highest wattage bulbs in them and all rooms should be well lit

7)  Middle of all larger pictures should be at 60" from floor

8)  Furniture pattern should flow;  not stop the eye

9)  Paint/Clean Both Sides of Entry Doors

10)  Painting the front door with an inviting accent color

11)  Changing or upgrading the front porch light fixtures

12)  Placing an appropriately styled bench, seat or other three diminensional piece on the porch, or in the front yard or garden

13)  Keep all walkways and entrances swept and hosed off

14)  Providing potted plants on the front porch in keeping with the exterior style

15)  Adding a clean stylish new entrance rug or mat

NOW, HERE'S HOW TO SPEED UP THE SALE OF YOUR HOME:

1.  Price your home right.  Set a price at the lower end of  its realistic price range.

2.  Be flexible about showings.  It's disruptive to show your house on the spur of the moment, but the more your home is available for showings, the sooner you'll find a buyer. 

3.  Be ready for the offers.  Decide in advance what price and terms you'll find acceptable.

4.  Don't refuse to drop the price.  If your home has been on the market for more than 30 days without an offer, be prepared to lower your asking price.

5. Make sure you have all those little projects done before your house goes on the market.

NOW, HERE'S HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR HOMES CURB APPEAL:

There are two main goals to maximizing a home's curb appeal:

1. Remove or reduce the quantity of "red flags" in view from the curb.
2. Create the most enjoyable trip from the curb to the front door as possible.

Here are some ideas:

1. A Visible Address is a Must
Make sure the address is clearly visible from the street. Preferably, the numbers should be in a horizontal line versus vertically, or on a diagonal line and be lit at night - at least while the home is listed.

2. Maximize the Front Door Appeal
The front door equals the mouth of that home's body. Energy must be able to find it easily and then enter. The trip from the street to the threshold should be easy to navigate; ie: no "trips" in sidewalk, no thorns grabbing you along the way, no cob webs to go through, no dead plants in pots along the way.

The actual front door should be clean and fresh. If there is a screen door, it must be in tip-top shape and dust-free. If the door is in shadow because of solar orientation, keep the porch light on. Add color and fresh items such as foliage to attract energy towards the door.

If the door is not visible from the street, hang a metal chime somewhere near the door on the non-hinged side of the door. The actual door should be able to open fully, and not stick or squeak. A welcome mat is always welcomed here.

If there is a doorbell - it must work. If there is no doorbell, consider adding a knocker to the door.

3. Make the Plants Work for You
Nothing says "creepy" like ill-maintained plants. Their weak and droopy energy tells the story of how life will be if you buy this home! Plants should be clean, and their droppings picked up.

Plants can be up against the walls and foundation, but not "touching them." Trees touching the eaves and roof, and vines clinging to the walls takes away health energy from those living within the home. There should be no white flowers touching the building - long story - it's just a traditional feng shui thing. Happy, healthy, and colorful and well maintained plants say "someone cares," and "this home is capable of taking care of you."

If there are sick, weak, or poorly trimmed plants (I'm thinking of trees that have been "topped" and look like a big trunk with a few sprigs growing out of the top) they are distractions to buyers as well as weak energy and should be removed. In this case, less is definitely more.

If there is a tree, shrub, boulder or any other landscape item directly in line with the front door (say, within at least 50 feet or so,) it's best to have it removed. This subconsciously creates blocks with the home, as if it is hiding from the very people who want to buy it! It also makes the home struggle to hold health energy for those who live there. A gate is the exception here.

4. Have a Clearly Defined Edge Between Lawn and Planting Beds. This Boundary Mirrors Boundaries in Life
Grass growing into the planting beds not only create a maintenance problem, but it also shows up as lack of boundaries in life. Clearly define planting beds with mow strips (any material is fine) and you will help buyers subconsciously understand this home's front yard. They will subconsciously "feel safe."

5. Use Color to Your Advantage
Color can be an easy way to add energy to a home's curb appeal. Red attracts - use it when the door is out of view or the home seems "lost," or people have a hard time finding the home. Yellow evokes friendly and clear communication, green is simply the color of life, and blues are more introverted and quiet - perhaps what a home on a busy street needs. Orange is subjective, but can create boundaries and a healthy appetite! I would not usually recommend a lot of white.

6. Balance Offensive Neighboring Buildings and Landscape Issues
If there is a church, cemetery, funeral home, school, commercial building within the visual "neighborhood" of the home, try adding landscape screening to block these views. You may want to hide a mirror in the landscape facing the negative item in question with the intention of deflecting its energy away from your home. (No one has to see your secret cures to make them work!)

If the offensive building (or even a tree, or "T" of the street) is directly in line with your front door, hang a mirror above the door facing the item with the intention of pushing it away if you can't do anything about it (like removing the tree.)

If you have significantly taller buildings next to your home and your home is "in its shadow," apply a mirror on that side of the house and face it towards the taller building with the same "pushing away" intentions.

7. Clear the Clutter
Clutter is one of the more obvious "red flags" and should be removed immediately. Extra cars, pots full of dead plants, the kids bikes, garden tools, old holiday decorations (get the lights down!) all need to go. The trash cans should not be visible from the street. Basically, any "personal affects" other than a fresh plant-filled pot or a working water fountain should go.

8. Check Lighting Levels Both Day and Night
Landscape, security, and aesthetic lighting should be in good working order to put the home "in it's best light" for a potential buyer. If the home sits lower than the street, consider placing an uplight on each corner of the home, with the light pointing up at the eave. Keep this light on at all times (at least while the home is for sale.)

9. Attend to General Maintenance Issues
Peeling paint, dead spots in the yard, broken pickets in the fence, etc. will not give you that warm and fuzzy feeling as a buyer! Dripping hose bibs and broken irrigation heads won't either. The front facade and front yard MUST appear in good working order.

Also, take the five senses into consideration: If you can smell a compost pile - it has to go. If you can hear the train next door - cure it or any other offensive noise by hanging a chime between the house and the noise.

10. If You Have the Chance To Design the Front Yard From Scratch, Consider Shape and Element-balancing Characteristics of Walkways, Planting, and Other Front Yard Amenities

Now is the time to put all your feng shui knowledge to work.

1. Consider free-form and undulating shapes (like sidewalks) and water element items in the front yard.

2. Make a "transition space" (like a porch) between the walk and the threshold to "slow down" the chi before entering the home.

3. Use color to your draw attention towards your door.

4. The sidewalk should connect the street and the door - not just the driveway and the door.

5. Create strong mow strips shape and lines within the landscape.

6. Appeal to all five senses.

7. New sod goes a long way to make the home look fresh.

8. A moving object like a flag, whirligig, chime, water fountain in the front yard can attract new buyers!