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staging

The Importance of Home Staging

October 27, 2013 by Dargan

We cannot stress the importance of staging your home using the right methods.  It’s one of the single most important things a seller should do before they list their property for sale.

Let’s look at a few statistics.

  • According to the NAR (National Association of Realtors), the average staging investment is between one and three percent of the home’s asking price–which generates a ROI (Return on Investment) between eight and ten percent.
  • 90% of buyers begin their house hunting online. Listing your beautifully staged home with high definition photos, as well as quality videos, will force it to stand out from the competition. As a result, your showing numbers will increase significantly.
  • 95% of homes that are professionally staged sell in 30 days or less! Homes that have not been professionally staged remain on the market for an average of 145 days.
  • Homes sold in the first 4 weeks average 1% more than asking price;  4 to 12 weeks average 5% less; 13 to 24 weeks average 6.4% less; and over 24 weeks average more than 10% less.

YOU DO THE MATH.

Staging your home is actually based around behavioral psychology theories and understanding human behavior. It’s less about decorating and more about knowing how to get your buyers to envision themselves living in your home. You are selling a fantasy. Get rid of anything that detracts from that viewpoint.

Depersonalize. Remove personal pictures and anything else that makes the home feel more like ‘yours’ versus more like ‘theirs’. Clear off counters and shelves, pack away books, and take pictures down off the wall.

Keep furniture to a bare minimum if at all possible. You want just enough furniture to define a room’s purpose without making it feel crowded.

Aim for a cheerful and bright mood. If it’s a sunny day, open the curtains and blinds to let the sun in (but ensure the windows are spotless). If the windows look out into the yard, make sure the lawn has been trimmed and the hedges have been cut. If it’s a gloomy day, turn on the lights in every room to lift the mood.

Fresh flowers are one of the easiest ways to liven up the mood in a home; they make everyone feel good. Use them both inside and outside the home. Flower beds add to your home’s curb appeal, and a walkway lined with beautiful flowers can’t help but impress your buyers before they even walk through the door. Place a tasteful arrangement on a small table near the entry, a bowl of flowers or fruit in the middle of the dining room table, or a vase of flowers on a bedside table or dresser.

Neutral paint schemes create a blank canvas. No two buyers have the same personal preferences and a neutral environment showcases the potential of a home.

Appeal to all the senses. Keep the thermostat set at a comfortable temperature. Make sure your house smells fresh and clean. Sprinkle cinnamon and fresh orange peels in a pot of water and allow it to simmer on the stove for twenty minutes before a showing. Remove it from the stove and put away “the evidence” before the potential buyer arrives.

Bathrooms and kitchen sell properties. Make yours count by replacing old shower curtains and ensuring all fixtures, mirrors, porcelain, and floors shine.

Filed Under: Myrtle Beach real estate, Myrtle Beach SC real estate Tagged With: advice, selling, staging, tips

Declutter & Gain Interest In Your Home

September 14, 2013 by Dargan

Presenting the best version of your home is crucial to securing the interest of a potential buyer.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to improve the look and feel of your home is by getting rid of unnecessary items. Buyers like to envision themselves living in a home and making it their own when they tour a property. It’s not easy to do that if the current owner has too much stuff.

Think about it this way. The less stuff you own, the less you have to clean or maintain. Respect your possessions and maintain them well, but don’t let them weight you down (or more importantly, discourage a potential buyer!)

The thought of decluttering an entire house seems overwhelming for everyone. BUT–we’re confident if you use the following methods, your home can be pristine and clutter-free in no time!

*You must really commit to the process though. Getting rid of a few items you no longer need isn’t going to make a real impact. You must get rid of everything in your home that doesn’t serve a true purpose.

 

GUIDELINES FOR CLEARING OUT CLUTTER

Stop bringing in new stuff NOW. If you decide you need to purchase something new, find two things you can toss or donate in its place.

Schedule a date and time to start the declutter process and stick to it! Work in 30 minute sessions to avoid getting distracted or discouraged. Keep the process going at a slow but steady pace.

Focus on one section at a time. Start in one corner of the room and move your way around. Focus on the stuff you can see at first. Get rid of everything that isn’t absolutely essential to keep, you don’t love, or you don’t use often. Go back through and sort through the stuff you couldn’t see the first time (inside the cabinets, drawers, cupboards, etc.).

Access your storage situation. Find unique and efficient ways to organize by searching the web. You can also find great ideas by looking through home decor magazines or by visiting stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s.

Organize first; buy second. Don’t buy organizing bins, baskets, or boxes before you know exactly what you need. Otherwise, you’re wasting your money.

When storing items, put those you use in easily accessible areas and others in harder-to-reach areas.

The 4-Box Method: Separate clutter into 4 piles: give away or donate, sell (on eBay or Craigslist), store properly, and toss.

Ask yourself the following questions to help decide if items should be kept or tossed:

Have I used the item in the past year?

Do I have another item that serves the same purpose?

Do I absolutely love it?

Would I buy this item today?

Am I only keeping this because I feel obligated or expected to keep it?

Am I saving this item just in case?

Is it worth the time I spend cleaning or storing this item?

 

ROOM AND ITEM SPECIFIC DECLUTTER TIPS

Bedroom

Make the bed EVERY DAY. This quick and easy step improves the look of your bedroom dramatically.

Drag everything out from under the bed. If anything needs to stay there, put it in a clear plastic container. Revisit the container in six months. If you haven’t used anything in the box, get rid of it.

Living Room/Den

Purge your entertainment collection regularly. For every four or five DVDs you decide to keep, get rid of one.

Limit magazine subscriptions to three or less.

Paper

Stop receiving junk mail. Register on Direct Marketing Association for $1 and remove your name and address from all marketing lists. You can also call them at 888-5OPT-OUT! This will remove 75% of the junk mail you receive within 90 days.

Opt out of your phone book delivery by contacting HTC and/or YellowPages.

Switch to paperless billing.

File, don’t pile. Utilize hanging folders for a clear space.

Designate places for unopened mail, bills and receipts, and important personal information. Put mail and bills near your storage of stamps and envelopes.

Electronics

Recycle old electronics, cables, and cords by dropping them off in a box at Best Buy.

Utilize electronic clips to prevent jumbled wires.

Clothing

Keep classic pieces that fit and are in good condition. These items can be recycled over and over again.

If you haven’t worn it in a year, get rid of it.

 

*Even if you aren’t planning to sell your home, these methods are great to learn for when and/or if that day comes. The most important thing to remember is to maintain your clutter-free home after you complete the declutter process. Pick up items that don’t belong in a particular room on your way out. If you purchase something new, get rid of something in its place.  

Filed Under: Myrtle Beach real estate, Myrtle Beach SC real estate Tagged With: sellers, staging, tips

10 DIY Home Decorating Projects

July 17, 2013 by Dargan

Last week, I posted a few simple things that can be done to stage your home in a way that entices buyers. I recently read a great article on Better Homes & Gardens website that listed several DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects that are quick and easy. I thought I’d share a few of them, along with a few Pinterest finds, for more ideas on adding that extra oomph to the decor in your already great property!

1. DIY Pouf

For approximately $50, add extra seating or a footrest with style to any room by making this DIY pouf. Download step-by-step instructions and take advantage of BHG’s free pattern here.

DIY Pouf

 

Photograph Source: Better Homes & Gardens

 

2. DIY Lamp Revamp

Add your own personal style to an old lamp by using ribbon and spray paint. Spray paint the base with a metallic colored paint and wrap shiny ribbon in fun, bold patterns around the lampshade. Secure the ribbon with a hot glue gun or pins. Paint your favorite quote, poem, love note, or Bible verse with acrylic paint around the lampshade instead, like Micheala at Happy Apple did in the picture shown below.

DIY Lamp Writing

 

Photograph Source: Happy Apple

 

3. DIY Photograph Masterpiece

Find simple objects you love and take pictures of them. Play around with the hue, saturation, and brightness of the photograph with an online photo editing tool. (Clueless about photo editing? PicMonkey offers a free online editor that doesn’t require a user login and is fairly simple to use.) After you’ve created the perfect picture, order large prints and frame them on black mats with white frames for a sleek modern touch.

DIY Photograph Masterpiece

 

Photograph Source: Better Homes & Gardens

 

4. DIY Bathroom Wall Design

Randomly place wall decals for added flare to your bathroom walls. They are relatively cheap and create a completely new look.

DIY Bathroom Wall Decals

 

Photograph Source: Better Homes & Gardens

 

5. DIY Roller Shade Accents

Find your favorite fabric, ask a retailer to cut the shade to fit your windows, and insert a curtain rod in the bottom pocket. Read the entire DIY description here.

DIY Refreshed Roller Shades

 

Photograph Source: Better Homes & Gardens

 

6. DIY Marble Art

Marbleizing is so trendy right now. Create your own personal marble art by marbleizing paper, scanning it, and sending the design to a print center to be printed on canvas. Waterpaper color works best for this project.

DIY Marbleizing

 

Photograph Source: Better Homes & Gardens
 

Directions: Fill an aluminum baking pan with about an inch of water and place it outside or on top of a drop cloth. Drop generous amounts of acrylic paint into the water in a range of coordinating colors across the surface. Mix the colors gently with a stirrer or toothpick. Too much stirring creates muddy colors so try to swirl the paint instead. Gently place a piece of the paper on top of the water and carefully lift it off. Rubber gloves will keep your hands clean. Add more paint after using three or four sheets. Alternate with contrasting colors and shades. Place the dipped paper on newspaper to dry or hang it on a clothesline with clothes pins. After the paper is completely dry, flatten it overnight by pressing it between two books.

7. DIY Patterned Furniture

One of the easiest DIY home projects is simply painting a piece of old furniture. Freshen it up a bit by replacing the knobs or handles and painting patterns or designs on drawer fronts or tabletops with paint pens.

DIY Patterned Furniture

 

Photograph Source: Better Homes & Gardens

 

Craigslist Dresser

 

Photograph Source: Pin found on Pinterest of Craigslist posting

 

8. DIY Candle Cylinders

Transform a candle into a beautiful centerpiece by wrapping pre-punched paper found at craft stores around a glass cylinder. Voila!

Prepunched Paper

 

Photograph Source: WeHeartIt.com

 

9. DIY Stone Tub

You must admit, adding stone to a bathtub is pretty genius. Blogger Rachael at Lovely Crafty Home created a brand new tub by applying a lightweight stone to it with adhesive!

DIY Stone Tub

DIY Stone Tub Complete

Photograph Source: Lovely Crafty Home

I’m sold! On the project AND the home!

10. DIY Crate Bookshelf

Build your own crate bookshelf with crates found at any craft store. Spray paint them any color you choose and secure them together with bolts. You can find complete step-by-step instructions from the blogger and inventor herself, at Calm Cradle .

DIY Crate Bookshelf

 

Photograph Source: Calm Cradle

 

Filed Under: Myrtle Beach real estate, Myrtle Beach South Carolina Tagged With: decorating, diy, home decor, photograph, staging

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