Dix Hills Blog and Long Island Living » Home Staging

Home Staging Tip For Long Island Homeowners: The Master Bedroom

cgrossman — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:48:08 +0000

When preparing your house to sell, don’t overlook the importance of the Master Bedroom for today’s Buyer! Master bedrooms are retreats from the daily grind, so they should be relaxing, welcoming and comfortable – but also elegant. Create a sanctuary similar to a luxury hotel suite that appeals to both genders.

First, your master bedroom should look like a bedroom and not a space for work or exercise. Remove anything from the bedroom which does not have a sleeping or relaxing purpose, such as desks, computers and exercise equipment.

Declutter. Remember to think "less is more" when staging your master bedroom. Remove items on top of dressers and tables except for a few necessary items or a vase of fresh flowers. Declutter your closets and make them appear larger by only using 2/3 of the closet space and keeping everything off the floor.

Depersonalize. Remove any personal family photos. An attractive mirror over a dresser can replace any hanging pictures that were removed. Otherwise, buyers will feel that they are just visiting someone else’s home and could have a hard time picturing themselves living in your house.

Cleaning your Master Bedroom. Be sure to clean the windows, light fixtures, bed linens and dust under and around the bed. Steam-clean the carpets and replace any worn rugs. Open a window in the morning to let in some fresh air. Make the bed and remove laundry from the room every day.

Brighten your Master Bedroom. Clean windows and replace nonworking bulbs in light fixtures to brighten the master bedroom. Be sure to use the highest wattage bulbs allowed for the major lighting fixture. You want as much light to come in as possible – yet maintain a sense of privacy. Draw back any heavy curtains and use well-pleated sheers as window treatments.

Make Minor Repairs. Check to make sure that all the switch plates and outlet covers match and that none of them are broken. Replace if necessary. Also check the trim, repair any nicks and consider repainting. Patch any nail holes in the walls if hanging pictures have been removed.

Setting the Stage. Create a relaxing sanctuary by setting up the room like a high-end hotel suite with a tranquil color scheme, a spacious feel and a luxurious bed.

A bedroom color scheme should be tranquil rather than bright or loud. Choose a comforting, natural-tone color to paint the walls such as warm brown, beige, cream, soft greens, powder blues and gray. To select a color scheme for bed linen, pillow and window treatment accents, choose colors from the same paint chip sheet for a monochromatic scheme or use a color wheel to select harmonius color schemes. Harmonius colors are adjacent on the color wheel and complimentary colors are opposite each other on the wheel. Use complimentary colors as accent colors.

To make a room appear more spacious, remove any excess furniture. The only furniture you need is a bed, two nightstands (or equivalent) and lamps, a dresser/bureau and possibly a chest of drawers/armoire. If there is room for a reading area, then you can set up a chaise lounge or a couple of plush chairs with a small table. Also, to create a more spacious feel, pull furniture two to three inches out from the walls and make sure that all four corners of the room are visible. Installing hardware for window treatments eight inches or more above the window frame or adding ceiling-height plant can add the perception of height.

The bed should be the focal point of the room and easily seen from the doorway. Create a luxurious bed by adding a headboard and new bed linens. Choose a solid color duvet, in a silk, chenille, down or sateen fabric, with a coordinating bedskirt that reaches the floor. Thick, high thread-count sheets and pillow cases with fluffy pillows, shams and throw pillows along with coordinated window treatments will complete the upscale hotel look.

Staging your master bedroom as a calming sanctuary will help buyers picture themselves living comfortably in your home.

Home Staging Tip : Can Your Closets Sell Your Home?

admin — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:58:28 +0000

Selling your home? These tips will help you prepare your home for the market.

Don’t underestimate the importance of staging your closets! Potential buyers will inspect closets so that they can determine the amount of storage space in your home.

You don’t need to put a lot of money into an expensive closest system or into custom shelving. The best way to stage your closets is to declutter, clean, brighten and organize!

Decluttering your closet can make the space appear larger. If potential buyers see your closets filled to the max, then they will perceive that your home does not have enough storage space. So, go through all the items in your closets and remove anything that you don’t use on a regular basis or anything that is off-season. The goal is to only have two-thirds (or less!) of the closet space filled. Consider packing up the extra items and renting space for them at a storage facility.

Clean your closets by sweeping/vacuuming the floors and dusting any light fixtures in the closets. Try using the Magic Eraser by Mr. Clean to remove marks off the closet walls. (Be sure to test the magic eraser in an inconspicuous spot on the wall first.) Painting the closet interior is an easy way to freshen it up.

Along with cleaning the light fixture in your closets, you can brighten the space by making sure that you are using the highest watt bulb recommended for the fixtures.

When organizing your closet, think perfectionist! All hangers should be the same kind, size and color. Use high-quality hangers, no wire hangers! And, all hanging clothes should be facing the same direction. Group similar clothing items together (jackets, pants, long-sleeved shirts, short-sleeved shirts, skirts). Clothes can be hung according to their color, going from light to dark. Make sure everything is up off the floor. Use racks to store your shoes. This will help the closet space appear larger. Avoid using extra storage boxes, but if you have to then use the clear ones. Also make sure you don’t have any worn or dirty clothing in the closet.

An added bonus to a neat and well-organized closet is that buyers will perceive you as someone who takes good care of your property… which includes your house!

Why should I stage my home?

admin — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:25:47 +0000

Home staging can result in a more timely and profitable sale.

In today’s competitive Long Island housing market, staging your home is important whether other sellers do the same or not. If a majority of other sellers in your area stage their homes and you don’t, then you could be at a disadvantage. Your home will not look as good compared to similar priced homes on the market and buyers could consider your home as overpriced. On the flip side, if other unsold homes in your area aren’t staged and yours is, then your home will really shine and look like a great value.

When there is a surplus of houses on the market, buyers tend to focus on houses that look great and are move-in ready. Homes that look good also get shown more by real estate agents, which translates into greater market exposure.

The basic idea behind home staging is to showcase your home in its best condition and to make it appealing to as many buyers as possible by de-personalizing your space. The goal is to make the house look less like your home and more appealing to buyers so they can picture themselves living there.

At the very least when selling your home you should clean, depersonalize, and remove any clutter and excess furniture that makes the room look crowded. New paint, floor coverings or light fixtures can also freshen up the look of the house. For even more competitive housing markets, hiring a professional home stager can help your home stand out above the rest.

Staging Your Home!

admin — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 09:16:25 +0000

The importance of Home Staging when you sell your home in today's market.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Home Staging

Thinking about selling your home in the near future? Want your home to stand out against the competition? Then you have work to do before you let a buyer through the door! You need to “Set the Stage” for your home’s “Grand Premier Opening!”

In most cases, the basics of home preparation will be sufficient. Eliminate clutter. Add light. Add brightness. Freshen it up. Make the house more spacious. Pack it up. Work on curb appeal. Then Clean, Clean, Clean! Doing these basic steps will put money in your pocket when you sell your home. Remember, you are not preparing your home the way you want to live in it; you are preparing your home to sell. Two good resource books are Dress Your House for Success and Designed to Sell. For more details on the above suggestions: Download “Cheryl’s Preparing Your Home for Sale Tips”.

Sometimes, a home may need a professional to stage the home. In these cases, the expense of paying a staging professional and following her/his advice can make the difference between selling your home at market value and having to drop the price considerably to attract a buyer. When I feel that a client needs to consult with a professional to stage their home, I offer to pay for the first 2 hours. Selling a home is a partnership between the homeowners and the listing agent. We have the same goal in mind, “To sell their home”, and we need to work together to achieve it.

The following link uses before and after photos to illustrate the difference that “staging a home” can make in showcasing a home: http://www.sixelements.com/housefluffingtips.html