Most buyers today are looking for homes that are move in ready.
This is why it is a wise decision for home sellers to remove their dated wallpaper and either lift the wall to wall carpet to show off existing hardwood floors or replace it with fresh carpeting.
If you have ever tried to remove wallpaper, you know that it can be a daunting task depending on whether the wall had been sized properly before the paper application. Sizing is applied to the wall as a glaze to seal the porous surfaces.
Unfortunately, if this step was skipped in the paper hanging process, to remove the old wallpaper can be a tedious chore. Not many buyers relish the thought of spending a lot of time stripping wallpaper. This is even a more immediate project when the paper has a design that went out of vogue in the 1970’s or 80’s. Red apple borders and pink country hearts may have been the rage in those eras, however, they aren’t going to set too many hearts aflutter in the kitchen or bath designs of today.
Instead of taking the chance on a potential buyer sharing your love for cute designs in the kitchen or large cabbage roses scattered all over entire bedroom walls, play it safe. Remove the paper and paint a neutral shade. Neutral doesn’t mean the whole house should be hospital white. Soft beige/tans or grey/silvers are contemporary and allow the new owner to move in knowing their furnishings will be able to work with the existing shades. Although they might eventually paint the rooms a bold red or a rich brown it isn’t an immediate task.
Wall to wall carpeting was once a sign of prosperity. To have hardwood floors was a house feature better hidden. Today, allergies to dust and mold are a concern for many buyers. Potential buyers with this concern are not going to be interested in homes that are carpeted all over. Buyers with children may be hesitant to have their precious toddler crawling across a floor that has an unknown amount of accumulated dust and dirt imbedded in the carpet fibers. If you have ever removed carpeting, you can attest to the fact that even the cleanest homes with carpet harbor a large amount of dirt under the surface.
Many homeowners are surprised to lift old carpet to find that they have hardwood floors beneath that are in excellent shape and require little to no refinishing. This is an added selling feature. Removing old carpet is a messy job, but not impossible, even for the most novice of DIY homeowners.
If the old carpet is over basic floorboard or the existing hardwood is in poor condition, it might be too expensive for the present owner to refinish the hardwood or add new wood flooring. Although the likelihood of return on the house sale will be higher in doing so, sometimes the budget won’t allow for such a renovation project. In this case, a neutral shade Berber carpet will make the space look and feel clean.
Ultimately, the completion of these projects before you list your home will be worth the trouble. As much as you dread the wallpaper removal or the flooring update, a buyer will dread it even more. In a market with so many homes in the selling inventory, it is better for the homeowner to address these issues or the home might be viewed as dated or in need of too much work for the busy family of today. That elusive buyer may not even want to take a look at your otherwise lovely property and purchase your neighbor’s house down the street.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Give Those Rooms Definition
A mistake so often made by sellers is to move out and leave their former home vacant. The homeowner thinks by doing this a buyer will be able to get a better feel for the space.
In some cases, a buyer does have good spatial abilities and can visualize whether their five piece sectional, two armchairs and large, oak coffee table will truly fit in the vacant living room space. From experience, I can tell you this is more often not the case. Many buyers will eliminate a property that they feel is too small even if the square footage says otherwise. Without the requisite furniture pieces, the room’s layout isn’t apparent.
This happened in a particular home I staged several years ago. The home was a new construction. It had three bedrooms located on the second floor. Now I wouldn’t believe a newly built home would have three rooms on the second floor designed to be bedrooms yet not allow the space for today’s standard of at least a queen size bed. Well, guess what? Potential home shoppers questioned their being able to fit their bedroom furniture in the rooms. By staging the space and showing the rooms with queen sized beds the home sold at the first open house. Staging solved the problem.
From personal experience, I remember looking at homes to buy that were vacant. Now I will mention the fact that they were not only empty but the heat was turned down so low frost was forming on me as I viewed inside the property. It just happened to be like the weather we are dealing with right now--single digit temperatures. I told the realtor not only was the place uninviting, but the temperature made it unbearable to stay in for any length of time. It could have been a great home but the vacuous rooms and below comfort level of heat forced a quick exit. What did these owners think they were saving? That house continued to sit vacant for a very long time. During this time, the homeowners still had to pay a mortgage, upkeep and taxes. Staging and a temperature that was reasonably comfortable would have given the rooms a feeling of home and would have gone a long way in getting the house sold.
Gone are the days of going to a realtor’s office and being handed an oversized, cumbersome book that took forever to look through. Anyone who has bought a home in the not so distant past will remember those MLS books with one or maybe two very fuzzy, black and white photos of the property for sale.
Currently, a homeowner receives pictures either taken by the stager or their realtor for potential buyers to view on the Internet. With the click of a few
keys, a property for sale comes to life through a musically enhanced, virtual tour and a large array of photos of every room in the offered home. A buyer can almost imagine living in the featured home and will make haste to view the property.
Having your home professionally staged is well worth it. STAGING IS AN INVESTMENT. It puts your property in a prime position. The misconceptions that staging is only for high end homes or that the cost is exorbitant are incorrect. Ideally, since the whole house is for sale it is suggested that the entire home is staged. When budget is more limited, key rooms can be professionally staged and the other rooms can be tackled by the homeowner. If the house is presently furnished, I prefer to work with as much of the existing pieces as possible. This cuts down on the need for my inventory and the owners cost. In the case of a vacant home, my company, THE WELL DRESSED HOUSE has an extensive inventory of furnishings in all styles, sizes and colors to fit the home. I have yet to stage a property that the owner’s are not totally impressed by the transformation. Many jokingly ask where I was when they first bought and moved in. Others question their desire to move, since their humble home now looks as good as many seen on home improvement shows.
During this cold snowy winter that is keeping us all bundled up inside, take a look through your local MLS listings and see if you can tell if a home has been staged. Check out the vacant properties and try to imagine what living there would be like. Let me know whether a vacant property has you rushing out to unroll the welcome mat or is it the staged home that beckons you to visit.
In some cases, a buyer does have good spatial abilities and can visualize whether their five piece sectional, two armchairs and large, oak coffee table will truly fit in the vacant living room space. From experience, I can tell you this is more often not the case. Many buyers will eliminate a property that they feel is too small even if the square footage says otherwise. Without the requisite furniture pieces, the room’s layout isn’t apparent.
This happened in a particular home I staged several years ago. The home was a new construction. It had three bedrooms located on the second floor. Now I wouldn’t believe a newly built home would have three rooms on the second floor designed to be bedrooms yet not allow the space for today’s standard of at least a queen size bed. Well, guess what? Potential home shoppers questioned their being able to fit their bedroom furniture in the rooms. By staging the space and showing the rooms with queen sized beds the home sold at the first open house. Staging solved the problem.
From personal experience, I remember looking at homes to buy that were vacant. Now I will mention the fact that they were not only empty but the heat was turned down so low frost was forming on me as I viewed inside the property. It just happened to be like the weather we are dealing with right now--single digit temperatures. I told the realtor not only was the place uninviting, but the temperature made it unbearable to stay in for any length of time. It could have been a great home but the vacuous rooms and below comfort level of heat forced a quick exit. What did these owners think they were saving? That house continued to sit vacant for a very long time. During this time, the homeowners still had to pay a mortgage, upkeep and taxes. Staging and a temperature that was reasonably comfortable would have given the rooms a feeling of home and would have gone a long way in getting the house sold.
Gone are the days of going to a realtor’s office and being handed an oversized, cumbersome book that took forever to look through. Anyone who has bought a home in the not so distant past will remember those MLS books with one or maybe two very fuzzy, black and white photos of the property for sale.
Currently, a homeowner receives pictures either taken by the stager or their realtor for potential buyers to view on the Internet. With the click of a few
keys, a property for sale comes to life through a musically enhanced, virtual tour and a large array of photos of every room in the offered home. A buyer can almost imagine living in the featured home and will make haste to view the property.
Having your home professionally staged is well worth it. STAGING IS AN INVESTMENT. It puts your property in a prime position. The misconceptions that staging is only for high end homes or that the cost is exorbitant are incorrect. Ideally, since the whole house is for sale it is suggested that the entire home is staged. When budget is more limited, key rooms can be professionally staged and the other rooms can be tackled by the homeowner. If the house is presently furnished, I prefer to work with as much of the existing pieces as possible. This cuts down on the need for my inventory and the owners cost. In the case of a vacant home, my company, THE WELL DRESSED HOUSE has an extensive inventory of furnishings in all styles, sizes and colors to fit the home. I have yet to stage a property that the owner’s are not totally impressed by the transformation. Many jokingly ask where I was when they first bought and moved in. Others question their desire to move, since their humble home now looks as good as many seen on home improvement shows.
During this cold snowy winter that is keeping us all bundled up inside, take a look through your local MLS listings and see if you can tell if a home has been staged. Check out the vacant properties and try to imagine what living there would be like. Let me know whether a vacant property has you rushing out to unroll the welcome mat or is it the staged home that beckons you to visit.
Don't Confuse The Buyer
A much needed, yet often overlooked aspect of readying your home for market is the necessity to clearly identify the purpose of each room in the house. When we live in the home many times it works better for everyday living yet can be very confusing for a prospective buyer if the original intention of the room is altered.
Empty nesters or childless couples won’t relate well to toys scattered where a dining table should be located. Nor will an elderly couple see the need for a room full of weight lifting equipment instead of a spare room for their adult children to be able to spend the upcoming holidays.
Eat in kitchens should allow for just that. I have seen homes that either do not have the requisite table and chairs at all or the table is piled so high with old newspapers and mail that one would be hard pressed to find room for a single fork let alone an entire meal.
Spare bedrooms that are used for an office are almost commonplace in our contemporary homes and lifestyles. However, a home office in you living room or worst yet your dining room is definitely a turnoff when marketing your home. A potential buyer should not be privy to personal finances left out in common rooms.
Another confusing room is the bedroom turned closet. Either the bed no longer even exists in the room or it has been hidden behind hanging wardrobes and mounds of clothing. This set up can be convenient to a homeowner when closet space is limited. However, to a minimalist or a man whose wardrobe consists of a few shirts and slacks this room will be a lost cause. Do you want to advertise the lack of closet space? This is a sure way to do it.
Porches and sunrooms should invite the buyer to linger and imagine themselves sitting there on a warm spring day. Bicycles, garden supplies, garbage pails and your old sneakers do not evoke such thoughts. Nor do boxes piled to the ceiling with items not yet unpacked since you moved in ten years ago. If it is still packed, do you really think you need this stuff?
So when you are ready to market, re-shift those rooms back to their former selves. As much as sellers want to believe buyers can see past these room makeovers, why chance it and add any confusion. Make the room’s purpose obvious. It might be what it takes for a quicker sale.
Empty nesters or childless couples won’t relate well to toys scattered where a dining table should be located. Nor will an elderly couple see the need for a room full of weight lifting equipment instead of a spare room for their adult children to be able to spend the upcoming holidays.
Eat in kitchens should allow for just that. I have seen homes that either do not have the requisite table and chairs at all or the table is piled so high with old newspapers and mail that one would be hard pressed to find room for a single fork let alone an entire meal.
Spare bedrooms that are used for an office are almost commonplace in our contemporary homes and lifestyles. However, a home office in you living room or worst yet your dining room is definitely a turnoff when marketing your home. A potential buyer should not be privy to personal finances left out in common rooms.
Another confusing room is the bedroom turned closet. Either the bed no longer even exists in the room or it has been hidden behind hanging wardrobes and mounds of clothing. This set up can be convenient to a homeowner when closet space is limited. However, to a minimalist or a man whose wardrobe consists of a few shirts and slacks this room will be a lost cause. Do you want to advertise the lack of closet space? This is a sure way to do it.
Porches and sunrooms should invite the buyer to linger and imagine themselves sitting there on a warm spring day. Bicycles, garden supplies, garbage pails and your old sneakers do not evoke such thoughts. Nor do boxes piled to the ceiling with items not yet unpacked since you moved in ten years ago. If it is still packed, do you really think you need this stuff?
So when you are ready to market, re-shift those rooms back to their former selves. As much as sellers want to believe buyers can see past these room makeovers, why chance it and add any confusion. Make the room’s purpose obvious. It might be what it takes for a quicker sale.
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