Prepare to Sell

What is Staging®?

Staging® is the process of preparing any home for sale, regardless of price or location.

How you live...		How you sell...

Using a proven set of guidelines, the house is reviewed for ultimate and maximized impact on buyers.

Once the recommendations are implemented, the home is designated a Staged® Home.

Showcasing your home's best features takes more than de-cluttering the house; it's creating favorable impressions everywhere the eyes rest.

Everything needs to be revviewed starting at the curb, moving throughout the house and to the very back edge of the property.

Why Stage® Your Home?

Thoroughly preparing your house for sale makes a great impression on prospective buyers!

• The message they receive is "This house won't be on the market long. If we want it, we had better put an offer in NOW!"
• Prospective buyers make a decision within 5-10 seconds of walking through your front door, then spend the rest of the tour confirming their decision (favorable or not).
• When you decide to "stage®" your house for the re-sale market, you gain a huge marketing edge over other homes for sale.

Suggestions to Prepare Your Home for Showings

• Your yard (especially the front yard) is the first thing buyers see. Dead shrubs/trees should be removed. In the summer, the lawn should be mowed; in the fall, leaves should be raked.
• In the fall, clear sidewalks and driveways of leaves and pinestraw.
• Opening blinds and draperies can add extra natural light to the house. If you live in a wooded setting, removing window screens helps make rooms appear even brighter.
• Place scented room fresheners throughout your house to help create a pleasant atmosphere. Citrus scents (lemon, orange) are preferred over flowery scents.
• Put valuables (money, jewelry and handbags), breakables and items with sentimental value in a secure place.
• Remove area rugs to make rooms (including bathrooms) appear more spacious.
• Check to see that all light bulbs are in a working order.
• Remove clutter and unnecessary items from tables and kitchen counters.
• Arrange furniture and accessories so traffic flows smoothly.
• Limit the display of personal photographs.
• Clean kitchen appliances and remove knives from view.
• Put away items that contain personal information such as names of family members, appointments, and creditors. Magazines and newspapers should be out of sight, too.
• Clean all bathrooms (especially sinks, bathtubs/showers, and toilets). Caulk tubs and showers if needed.
• Repair any dripping faucets, squeaky steps and loose doorknobs.
• Clean fireplaces of ashes and debris.
• Remove items on the floors of closets and pantries so they appear larger.
• If you have a garage, stack items vertically against the walls so buyers can visualize how much parking and storage the garage will provide.
• Replace your furnace filter for home inspection.

These suggestions have been successful in the sale of many of our homes, but they are by no means a requirement for the sale of your home.