On the Wire - Styled to Sell
Preparing a home for sale requires seeing it with new eyes -- a bit of a challenge when you've lived in and loved a space for years. You've grown accustomed to its ins and outs and learned how to step around undone repairs, but a prospective buyer brings a completely different view to the scene. Though they're aware your home isn't brand-new, they’re looking for a like-new space that reflects care, quality and cleanliness.
This is where home staging, the art of styling your home for the buying audience, comes in. Industry surveys show that staged homes sell faster and at higher prices than those that aren't, so the effort and minor expense invested in the process can definitely put dollars in your pocket at closing time. Real estate agents often include the services of a professional stager in their marketing package, and this can be invaluable in gaining an objective view of a home and grooming it for sale. To give you an idea of what's involved as well as a head start in preparing your own home, consider the following:
Tour with a buyer's-eye view
- DRIVE BY -- Grab a pad and pen, hop into your car, and do a drive-by viewing of your home?s exterior. What do you notice first: a haphazard collection of family bikes scattered across lawns and walks, or a welcoming, tidy facade? Make notes on what needs to be cleared away, cleaned up, repaired and repainted.
- INSPECT -- Follow with an interior tour of your home, taking a step back from your usual traffic patterns to note the dominant features of every room, planning touch-ups to make the best shine.
- BE NOSY -- If you've been home-shopping yourself, do a little research during visits to open houses and model homes. Take note of what's displayed and what's not, the extent of furnishings used and how architectural elements are highlighted.
Interior touches
- CLEAR CLUTTER -- Begin by clearing away the personal clutter, including everything from paperwork to photos to collections. Remember that the potential buyer needs to visualize themselves in the space, and your particular brand of "lived-in" may not match up with theirs (you could also end up making a negative connection by reminding them of the clutter clean-up that awaits them back at their current home).
- CHECK FURNITURE FLOW -- Edit furnishings for the kind of just-right balance that would suit Goldilocks. There needs to be enough in place to suggest proper scale and capacity within each room, but not so much that traffic flow is hindered and architectural elements are obscured.
- TONE DOWN -- Neutralize walls and floors to create a backdrop for buyer imagination. Replace patterned wall coverings with off-white paint, and install low-grade tan wall-to-wall carpet.
- TIDY UP -- Clean, clean, clean! Ensure that every inch of your home sparkles for a fresh, welcoming appearance, from ceiling cobweb hideaways to windows to floors. After all, soap is cheap.
- CLEAN SMELL -- As part of your cleaning program, address and banish odors resulting from pets, cooking, smoking and the like. Anything offensive or even the least bit memorable will override all your efforts in the visual department, so don't underestimate a buyer's sense of smell.
- FIX-UP -- Touch up interior trim, repair or replace inoperable hardware, and make sure all light fixtures are clean and loaded with brand-new bulbs.
- REDUCE ART - Limit wall decorations to fewer and larger pieces of artwork, again keeping a subtle, neutral look in mind (this is no time for dramatic artistic statements). Also include a few strategically placed mirrors to expand the space and reflect its best assets.
- ACCESSORIZE SPARINGLY -- When re-accessorizing rooms with pared-down selections from your collection, remember the rule of threes to create pleasing, uncluttered groupings of items. A few plants placed within main living areas can also add welcome vitality.
- CLEAR GARAGE -- Garages are a big "bonus space" for new home buyers so make sure yours can be seen. Clear away corner cobwebs, sweep floors, dust surfaces and pack up any straggling tools and project materials.
Guaranteed curb appeal
- GREEN SCENE -- Lush landscaping is one of your home's best exterior assets at selling time, and according to the Professional Landcare Network, it can add as much as 15 percent to property value. So get out the mower, fertilize all turf and plantings, weed diligently, and add seasonal color to flower beds.
- GARDENS -- While you?re in the garden, apply the same staging eye you did indoors to any outdoor accessories. Large, idiosyncratic sculptures can be off-putting, and too many garden ornaments can add up to clutter rather than whimsy. Also ensure that water features are clean and operable, as their look and soothing sound will contribute positively to exterior impressions.
- PACK UP ---Stow away all athletic equipment, gardening implements and surplus furniture, and neatly coil and rack hoses.
- TOUCH UP - Touch up trim and other exterior surfaces as needed, and repair any loose or damaged shutters and ornamentation.
- CLEAN UP -- Clean windows and operable, sparkling lighting fixtures will both reflect positively on your home, so make sure they're on your to-do list. Soak up any driveway oil stains, and sweep away grass clippings and other debris.
- FIRST IMPRESSIONS -- Finally, create a grand and welcoming entrance with a perfectly swept walk, freshly painted door and trim, polished hardware and address numbers, tidy doormat, and a few pots of colorful blooms on the front porch.
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Got A Question About Your Money Pit?
You can do-it-yourself but you don't have to do-it-alone. Getting in touch with us is as easy as 1 - 2 or 3!
- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.moneypit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
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On the Air - Housing Market Mayhem
Are you looking to buy a home? Maybe your FIRST home? Navigating the current housing market can be tricky. You don’t want to end up like hundreds of thousands of Americans are facing right now… FORCLOSURE. On the next Money Pit home improvement radio show, Bob Vila joins the program with some expert advice. You won’t want to miss it! To find out how to tune us in near you, or download our podcast, visit www.moneypit.com.
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Dot Common Sense - Smarter Hot Water
Every home is unique, and so are everyone's hot water needs. Regardless of your home’s size or hot water needs, Rheem has a water heater for you. Their tankless whole home systems are ideal for providing low cost hot water whenever and wherever you need it. They also have a variety of traditional tank systems for any size home or business. To start your search, visit www.SmarterHotWater.com. This site has some great features. You can compare lots of different types of water heaters, calculate energy savings, even find a qualified installer in your area. It's a very comprehensive site, so take a look and relax, it’s Rheem.
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Fun Fact - Pass the Salt
Seasoning slippery sidewalks with salt WILL cause ice to melt -- but the wrong kind of salt can also cause sidewalk surfaces to disintegrate. When buying salt for sidewalks -- always choose salt made from potassium chloride. This type of salt will melt ice without damaging concrete surfaces the way sodium chloride does. For best results, purchase potassium chloride well in advance of winter storms, mix it with playground sand and keep a supply stored near each entrance of your home.
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Short Cuts - Many Happy Returns
You'd prefer not to have to, but we all know it happens. You get a gift you wish you didn’t, and have to face the post-holiday return runaround. So what are the ground rules? Do you really need that sales slip? How long can you wait? According to Consumer Reports Holiday Giving Guide, yes, it is important to hang onto that sales slip. But even without it, you can often succeed in returning goods even if you don't play strictly by the rest of the rules. Remain polite, and don't assume that the first "no" you hear is the final word, since people in the same store sometimes provide contradictory information about return policies.
To maximize the chance of a successful return avoid cutting off any tags or discarding any packaging as long as there's any chance an item will have to go back. Many companies have a stated return policy ranging from seven to 90 days, while others set no deadline at all. Apparel merchants, department and discount stores and catalogs tend to offer the longest grace periods, while electronics and appliance chains have the shortest return periods, along with tough rules on opened packages and restocking fees. However, with persistence and politeness, it's often possible to make a return even after the deadline. Some online and mail-order companies will even pay the shipping costs associated with a return, since they know buyers can't examine merchandise until after they've bought it.
Visit www.ConsumerReports.org for more information.
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Copyright 2007 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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