Staging to Live (or Sell!)

“Make the change while you are still in the home”

As a Real Estate professional and a “Chief Picture Hanger” at Sell or Dwell?  -  I see more and more often people making changes to their homes when they are trying to sell the home. My thought is, “Why not make the change while you are still in the home and enjoy the changes?”

There is a lot of discussion about the benefits of staging a home for sale. Some realtors say it is not worth the money, others do quasi-staging with a few basic instructions to the seller and others are “all-in” with a complete home make over. Something to think about is:  to look at your home with an eye to marketing your home for sale every day. Let’s face it, unless we’re bequeathing it to our children, most of us at some point, are going to sell. So, why not enjoy the benefits of having your home look its best -  while you’re living in it - don’t just make the house look it’s best for someone else!

Enjoy the benefits of having your home look its best

Take a look at your kitchen, bathroom and floors. Are there things that you can do that would make the home a better place to live today and at the same time make it more marketable to the next person to purchase your home? Can you do a basic bath update and update the current counter top and replace it with granite, marble or quartz? Are the light fixtures and mirrors still the builder grade that were installed a decade ago? What about the cabinets – are they “builder oak?”

Some of the things people are looking for in a bathroom today:

·         91% of people are looking for high-efficiency toilets

·         91% of homeowners replace their master bathroom sink

·         58% of homeowners aged 45+ install two sinks

·         61% of people who remodel the bathroom start from scratch

·         79% of people prefer a glass shower door over a shower curtain

Live those pictures everyday instead of letting the next occupant of your home enjoy the makeover

Many of these things seem like common sense but why do we wait to do them until your realtor walks in with fresh eyes and asks you to make the changes? It is your house to live in and enjoy today! You should be the one to benefit from those upgraded fixtures and beautiful granite counters. Why can’t your home be the envy of the neighborhood instead of the envy of the home buyer?

At Sell or Dwell? we do home styling and staging as part of our real estate service. We get to see homes in all stages and ages and we truly believe that the impression your home makes in pictures on the internet matter. Live those pictures everyday instead of letting the next occupant of your home enjoy the makeover.

Thanks for reading and as always,

Happy Staging!

Home Styling and the 80/20 Rule!

Like many of you, I love the "before and after" on HGTV. The smiles (and sometimes tears of joy!) from the homeowners when they arrive home and poof their home has been magically transformed! If only it could be that simple in real life!

Most of our customers have realistic
budgets and timelines!

Often we do one day make overs. But, we work in the real world!

Yes, the home is transformed when the customer returns from work that evening! However, all the work is often not done in just one day. The most successful re-designs require up front communication with the customer, at least one visit beforehand to measure and take photos of each room and of course shopping for home decor. The actual decorating can often be done in one day - but, it's not HGTV magic, we've done our homework! 

A few years ago, we came up with the idea of applying the "80/20 Rule" to working with customers who wanted to re-design their home. By using at least 80% of the customer's existing furniture, art and accessories accomplishing the "one day makeover" is much more achievable both in terms of time frame and even more importantly budget!

Decorating your home does NOT mean throwing everything you own out the window! 

Remember, you bought that piece of furniture, lamp or picture because you loved it. Why not use it? But, allow someone else with an objective viewpoint to help breath new life into your home!

The "new 20%" can help you fall
back in love with the "old 80%!"

Happy Styling!

Adrienne