Most Popular Home-Staging Suggestions
In a slow market, it's particularly important to get a house ready to sell quickly. How do you help a client get their home in prime shape for showings?

Beverly Tracy of Beverly Tracy Home Design in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., walks through a client’s home and sticks Post-It notes on things she believes they need to do to get their home looking its best. Here are some of her most frequently made suggestions:
  • Fix any visible problems that might be a red flag for potential buyers, including repainting stained walls.
  • Cover damaged kitchen or bathroom floors with inexpensive peel-and-stick vinyl floor tiles — if a more expensive change seems out of the question.
  • Repaint public rooms that will garner a lot of a buyer's attention, including the kitchen, dining room, and living room.
  • Clean up the exterior of the house, added potted plants, repair damaged walkways, and put a fresh coat of paint on the front door.
  • Rent a storage unit and get rid of about half the furniture and most of the personal items.
  • When showing the property, turn on every light in the house and tune radios on each floor to the same classical music station.
  • Suggest that the owners refrain from doing much cooking (baking sweets is a good idea, however) and put good-smelling soaps in all the bathrooms.

Source: Albany Times Union, Stephanie Earls (04/05/07)

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