Does your house look like Angelina Jolie?

The way you LIVE in a home and the way you SELL a home are two different things

Condition is no longer a quick once over with the vacuum cleaner, or creating a "mood" with cookies baking in the oven and classical music playing on the ipod. Condition is about "staging" a property so it really stands out. Now, this does not have to cost a lot of money, but it does take some expertise and know-how.

If you don't have it, hire it!
I encourage my taste-challenged clients to hire a stager. They work in many different ways, but if you're tight on funds they will come over and tell you what to do for a flat consulting fee. I've seen a good stager turn a hopeless house into a dream house by painting, accessorizing, and by moving furniture. We're all so used to our surroundings that we don't look at our homes the way a buyer will.

If you don't have money for a "stager" turn on the tube and watch HGTV's show Designed to Sell which shows you how to get a home ready for the market. You'll get great ideas from this show. I always want to rip up something in my house and start over after watching it!

De-clutter!
Remove 70% of the stuff on top of counters, dressers, bookshelves etc. Since you're planning on moving anyway, start packing NOW. A great way to organize is to make three piles: one to give away, one to box up and one to keep. When in doubt throw it out! There are so many great "benefit" stores in Chicagoland that will take your old furniture on consignment or you can donate it to a good cause. For example, I volunteer at a consignment shop in Barrington called "Belongings" that benefits the Wellness Place - a non-profit dedicated to cancer support and education. Belongings is a gold mine for affordable accessories, furniture, paintings etc. They will take your belongings on consignment or as donation. A great way to de-clutter and donate to a cause.

Pay attention to details
Look critically at walls, doors for scuff marks. Paint is cheap. Home Depot has a "return bin" where you can buy paint at discounted prices to freshen up the walls in your home. Removing those scuff marks goes a long way.

Copy good ideas
Go to Barnes and Noble and glance through the glossy home magazines to see what's in home decor, then copy it.

Don't kill the messenger
Last but not least, don't kill the messenger. As I've said before, most Realtors have your best interest at heart. When your Realtor tells you to lose the purple passion color on the walls or get rid of the oversized, ripped Barcalounger in the family room, listen. And remember- it's to help you set the stage so your home will appeal to a broad base of buyers.

Don't forget, the way you live in a home and the way you sell a home are two different things. Try to think of your house as your product and you want your product to really be presented at its best.

After completing a staging process, I've had more than one client say, "Why didn't we do this years ago?"

Good Luck with the process and try to have fun with it. Let your creative juices flow. Oh, and about the cookies baking in the oven and the classical music playing on the ipod? It's STILL a nice way to welcome people to your home.

See you next Wednesday!

Pam, the Real Estate Mom

Home Staging Resources:

-The Stagers - a show from HGTV that goes inside the world of professional stagers and shows before & after. One the website are features such as "Top 10 Rules of Staging"

-Home Staging Rants & Ravings- this blog from Real Estager has many tips and before and after photos and videos.

-Belongings- consignment shop in Barrington, IL (one of my go-to places)

-Fine Diving in Chicago - a blog by Diana Durkes who is a fellow ChicagoNow blogger. Her ChicagoNow blog is Garage Sale Warrior. On Fine Diving in Chicago she gives "new life to the tossed and found." Her fabulous tips in turning the old into new can be applied to your home and staging to sell.
 
-IAHSP - the Chicago chapter of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals