“Home staging” was coined by Barb Schwarz back in the early ’70s, and the concept has become well known as “house fluffing,” “dressing to sell,” and “home presentation” to name a few, but the concept has not taken hold among home owners when selling a home because many people do not understand the idea or cannot create a workable plan for staging their home correctly.

The focus of staging is to make a home more marketable by creating the most appealing home to the greatest number of prospective buyers. It should be impersonal enough not to infringe on a buyer’s own sense of style.

Decorating is optional. Staging, on the other hand, is essential – that is if you want to sell your house for the most possible money in the shortest amount of time. Staging – it is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.

Since home staging is truly an essential part of selling your home, I wanted to share these 50 Tips To Get You Started on Your Home Staging Journey.

1. Be sure that your home is staged before you or your realtor takes the photos for the web. Over 70% of all new apartment/home searches are started on the Internet. It is imperative that the property looks good in the photos so that it can attract as many people as possible to see the real thing.

2. You should not have one person look at your house until it has been staged completely. It should not go through the broker walkthrough, MLS, open houses, or anything. Stage first!

3. Kate Hart of Hart & Associates Staging and Design LLC knows that home staging works for all properties regardless of the price point because home staging is about preparing your home for a faster and more profitable sale and marketing your property to the most potential buyers for its target audience. “I have staged homes ranging from $100,000 to $10 million and have had the same result- the homes sell faster and for top dollar compared with the competitors within their price range.”

4. If you have dark cabinets, a light colored handle or something in shiny gold will enhance them. If you have light cabinets, you can give them the sleek look by using handles of the same color so that they are hardly noticeable or by using brushed silver handles. With light wood, you can also use darker handles, gold, bronze, or even colors.

5. Sometimes renovations are needed. However, here are five that you should avoid:

– Adding high end appliances to a modest home
– Adding hand painted tiles to the bath or kitchen
– Adding a central vacuum
– Adding air conditioning (unless you are in an area that all homes have it)
– Replacing windows with newer models

6. Be sure to check with your city or county building inspector before beginning a new project. Many departments require permits, even for things as simple as changing a dishwasher.

7. Everything in its place is a good motto to remember. Always find appropriate places to store your items. Litter boxes in the kitchen and trashcans in the pantry are just two examples of inappropriate placement.

8. Julie Dana of The Home Stylist has the following tip: Do not have any cleaning products visible. You want the buyer to think that the house cleans itself. You do not want to remind buyers that there will be work to do in this house, so put away laundry baskets and dish drainers as well!

9. Lisa Wonsey of Space/Lift explains that selling an empty home can be a huge mistake. Buying or renting furniture is especially vital in an empty home. Empty homes do not show well and can sit on the market for months until a buyer with a good visual imagination comes along, or until the seller drops the price so low that the home is a steal.

10. Your refrigerator will need to be cleaned, even if you are not leaving it. People will still look inside and a dirty refrigerator will turn them off. If you are taking it with you, you may as well clean it now. If you are leaving it, then it is imperative to have it sparkling.

11. Ruthanne Hatfield of Art of Interior Placement emphasizes that taking away items is needed, but adding back is essential, too: Each room should be embellished with accessories artwork, mirrors, accent tables, silk trees and florals, as well as dishes, bedding, and towels so all areas look inviting.

12. Check for unusual odors in your house. It may come from a pet or even from your upholstery.

13. Cleaning is rarely fun for anyone, but it does not have to be a terrible chore. Play some fun, lively music. Before you know it, your adrenaline will start pumping and you will be dancing your way through the house.

14. To clean those irritating stains in the bathtub, make a paste by using hydrogen peroxide and cream of tartar. Use an old toothbrush to rub the mixture into the stain and rinse thoroughly.

15. To clean the microwave, fill a paper cup with water and a few tablespoons of baking soda. Nuke it for about 30 seconds, or until you see the contents explode. Then just take a paper towel and wipe it all off. The explosion spreads the cleanser over the entire area, and you can even use the moistened rag or paper towel to wipe outside the microwave and its surrounding area.

16. Mary Larsen of Larsen-Trochlil Designs offers the following professional tip: Do not offer money towards painting or installing new carpeting. Remember, if you are not willing to do it, your buyer is not likely to either.

17. Take a look around you. Do you have items in your home that are unused and have no real sentimental value? If so, get rid of them! These types of items can often be found in closets, cupboards, basements, and garages. Sometimes they are on bookshelves or even in your everyday living space. The more you are able to move out the more the next buyer will want to “move in.”

18. If you do not have a plan for what to do with the stuff you no longer need, it will get put in the basement or the attic or the garage or simply stay in a pile in the room where it began. If this happens, then you really did not get rid of clutter – you just moved it to another location. When you are clearing the clutter for home staging purposes, you will have many different piles. Some things may go to a thrift store such as the Salvation Army, some things may go to the dump, some things may go into storage, and some things may be set aside for a garage or yard sale. Knowing what you are going to do with the extra clutter is essential to really decluttering your home.

19. Sylvia Beez of m.a.p. interiors inc. reminds us that: A home for sale should always be presented in its best light and immaculate condition, which is not the reality of everyday life. Potential buyers do not want to see how you live, with your children, cats and dogs, and mess. They want to see themselves in a perfect house under perfect conditions and that is how a home on the market should always be presented.

20. If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers – even your refrigerator – look jammed packed, it sends a negative message to the buyer. This message is that there is not enough room in your kitchen. If they were looking for plentiful storage space, after opening your crowded cupboards, they will believe that they will not find it in your kitchen. The best way to change this negative first impression is to have as much “empty space” as possible.

21. Marlene Feldman of Marlene Feldman Associates has the following suggestion for small dining rooms: If the dining room has an oversized china cabinet, consider removing it. Or, if has a top and bottom, remove the top. This will open up the space considerably

22. Take a look at your bathroom. If you are like most people, you will find half-used shampoo bottles, a jumble of hair accessories, a curling iron, foam curlers, several cans of shaving cream, tub toys, lotions, medication, books and magazines, oils, candles, toilet paper, and on and on and on. The amount of stuff we store in our bathrooms is far greater than the storage capacity for these small rooms, especially, if like many bathrooms, you have just a medicine cabinet and a very small vanity. The “stuff” that is not in use needs to be boxed up and moved out.

23. Katie Joanow of Star Staging explains that: You should remove extra chairs from the tables. Unless you have a massive space, you will not need more than 4 chairs around a table. Also remove extra leaves from the table. This will make the room feel larger.

24. Buyers want to see your carpet or your hardwood floor or your linoleum. Most home stagers suggest removing all area rugs, unless you have a large area of hardwood, where one rug is acceptable. Area rugs make spaces seem more crowded. Without them, your floor plan opens up.

25. Closets are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not think of it as clutter. Perhaps the clutter is wrapping paper, or Christmas items, or an old sewing machine. Maybe you have some keepsakes, or photo albums. Then of course there are the extra clothes and shoes. None of these things are likely to be in the throw away pile, but they should not be in your closet if you want to reduce the look of clutter.

26. Gail Greer of All Rooms Great and Small gives this tip about painting your home: You need to be willing to change paint colors. There are certain universally accepted colors and these should be used when repainting your home. Yellow or shades of gold are warm and inviting. You should also accent with yellow. Your eye absorbs more yellow and therefore sees it first. Green or blue in the bedrooms are great colors because they are restful.

27. Stand a few feet away from the entrance to the bedroom. What do you see? Whatever you see is the first thing that a buyer will see. Is it pretty? Is it bulky? Does it make the room feel small? Move anything from the doorway that is not inviting.

28. A spare room should be viewed as a bonus. It is a “plus” feature of your home, but only if the buyers can view it as such. For example, if your spare room is used mostly as an office, then, during the selling process,you need to make it just that – an office! Get rid of the spare bed and the extra dressers full of last season’s clothes. Get rid of the boxes of storage items in the closet. Keep the essentials of your office such as a desk, filing cabinet, bookshelf, and a nice chair in the corner with a small table and lamp.

29. Holly Weatherwax of Momentum Realty explains that whenever possible, she recommends leaving the garage free from storage. If people see that the seller does not have enough storage and has to use the garage, they will begin to wonder if the same thing will happen if they buy the house. People like to think that they might actually be able to use a garage!

30. Find out what organizations in your area pick up items. Such organizations often include Goodwill, The Salvation Army, veteran’s associations, and other local organizations. Another good way to get rid of items you no longer need is to use Freecycle. Here, you can list items you no longer need and then choose someone from a list of takers to have them. The best part is the person wanting the items comes to your home on your timetable to get them. You can find a freecycle group in your area by going to www.freecycle.org.

31. Get everything off the counters. Everything. Remove all appliances from the countertops. Even the toaster. Doing so will make you kitchen look larger and more spacious. It will also keep the buyer’s eye from stopping on a particular item rather than getting a full view of the room. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and drawers.

32. Charlie Ann Taylor of C.A.T.’S ROOMER has a lot to say about these focal points in your home: The kitchen and baths need to be model perfect because the kitchen and baths sell the home.

33. Have you taken away so much that your home no longer has any sparkle? Although YOUR personality needs to be removed, the personality of the house still needs to come through.

34. One of the most important factors to consider when placing items into a room is the idea of transition. As your eye moves around the room, you do not want it jumping from place to place or piece to piece. The movement of the eye should flow – not bounce. To accomplish this, you want to avoid abrupt changes in height.

35. Gail Jackson of Weichert Realtors explains that home staging does not need to be expensive: Paint is very inexpensive and gives you a big bang for your buck. Although a bit labor-intensive, painting is not expensive and gives your home a new, fresh, clean look.

36. Give each room a touch of the unexpected. This can be done with artwork placed in an unusual way, using a piece of furniture in a way that you normally would not use it, or adding a dash of color where the eye least expects to find it. Be creative.

37. Follow the “like-with-like” rule of the thumb. Tall with tall, small with small, wide with wide, and narrow with narrow will guide you throughout the decorating process. Mimic the shape of each space you are decorating. For example, a sofa should be accessorized with horizontal art so you are complementing wide with wide.

38. Marcia Smart’s (Smart Interior Styling) tip is to: Recognize that your major competition comes from newer homes. People will take a newer home over an older home if all else is equal. That is why it is essential to give an older home something that puts it above the rest.

39. My favorite decorating tip is to look outside the box. You do not always need to use an item for its intended purpose. For example, do not just use a tablecloth for a table; make it a slipcover for your ottoman. It can save you lots of money and time when you purchase a tablecloth at a local chain verses buying yards of fabric and by purchasing the correct size it can become a no-sew project. Always keep your eyes open for new uses for everyday items.

40. Select a focal point for your room and subtly orient other furnishings and some lighting toward it. If there is a fireplace, it will nearly always be the focal point; other focal points might be bookcases or built-in shelving to house lovely collectibles, or a sofa with a striking painting on the wall above it.

41. Donna Reynolds of Home Rearrangements explains that there are two times that you can angle furniture: In a square room and if a room already has an angle in it, like a corner fireplace or a bay window.

42. In a bedroom, unless you have no other choice, you want to see the foot of the bed when you walk in. You do not want a bed to cross the doorway because it blocks the flow and makes the room look smaller. It is better to see the foot so that you can see the pretty pillows.

43. One of the easiest ways to create color is to add beautiful accent pillows to any room. Introducing a complementary accent color in a room can make a room “pop” and come alive. Accent pillows not only add color but texture and warmth as well. By adding throw pillows in a coordinating or contrast fabric to a couch chair, bench, or bed, you can transform your room and add instant warmth inexpensively!

44. One way to see if your home has curb appeal is to walk across the street and have a good look at your house. where did your eyes go? They should be drawn to the front door and entryway. If they are not, then you need to do something about it.

45. Kimberly Cash of ASPM Tidewater Home Staging Consultants, Inc. offers the following advice: People do not see their house as a product that you have to market and sell. However, selling your home is like packaging. People look at the outside before deciding to come in. Then they look at the inside before deciding to buy, and it is mostly based on looks. It is packaging. You need to wrap up your product, your home, like a beautiful package.

46. Once you have gotten the front yard in shape, it is time to work on the backyard. The most important areas of the backyard are the patios, decks, and porches. Getting these areas up to date will give the buyers a feeling that they are getting bonus space.

47. New window treatments can make a world of difference. They can add value and style to your home and be something the buyers view as a bonus – something they will not have to buy or replace when they move in. The caution, however, is that you keep the treatments neutral (keep your personality out of the room) and that you make sure they do not block the amount of light that comes into a room.

48. Debra Blackmon of Blackmon Design offers the following suggestion for your windows: Many homes have the louvers of the blinds turned down to face the floor. A more enhancing way to use blinds is to turn the louvers up to reflect much-needed ambient light onto the ceiling.

49. Sometimes, refreshing a room can be as easy as changing a light bulb. Bulbs like GE Reveal filter out yellow rays common in ordinary light bulbs, making colors, fabric, walls, and artwork appear richer, crisper, and more vivid.

50. Add pampering accessories! Things like bath bubbles, fluffy towels, and candles not only add the pampering feeling you are trying to achieve, they offer visual comfort with color and texture as well. Psychologically, we all crave that long soak with a good book, and even if we are only in the bathroom for 10 minutes to whip on some make up, just seeing those items displayed promises wonderful baths to come!

As you know, your home becomes a house – a product for sale. Staging your property gives you a more competitive edge in today’s market by transforming it into a marketable product. A staged property helps you sell your investment for top dollar and is the first line of defense over lowering the price. Do not settle for less at the closing table simply because you did not understand the value of staging or did not want to take the time or spend the money to do it properly.

In this world of busy buyers, a property has to be staged to appeal to the their imagination. They want to be able to look at your home and know that they can live there. They want to know that their furniture will fit. They want to know that everything is in “move in” condition. That is why staging is so important. It allows buyers to imagine themselves living in your home with their stuff, not yours.

Presentation is everything and staging is presentation! The result is improved functionality and complementary space. Following the techniques in this book will maximize your equity while reducing the market time for your home.

Author Bio
Teri B Clark is a professional writer and published author. Her most recent book, 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought, explains these tips in more detail and offers many, many others. To learn more about Teri’s latest book, visit http://staging-your-home.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com – Free Website Content

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Nutley is one of the most preferred places for people living in New Jersey. This small town is away from the noisy cities and therefore is a common choice of people who want to buy a house away from the bustling cities. The town is known for its parks and museums. The town is also rated as one of the best places to live. If you want to buy a house in this small, beautiful place then check out the real estate agents who can offer you some of the best Nutley Homes for Sale.

The Nutley Homes for Sale are available at affordable prices. You don’t have to break into a bank to buy a house nowadays. There are many types of properties available at Nutley and depending on whether you want to buy a commercial property or a residential the price of the property differs.

Nutley town is popular historical museum that attracts visitors from various places. All those people who love shopping should visit Franklin Avenue. For best food and shopping this is the right place. You can shop till you drop and grab some sumptuous meal at this place. Clifton Commons is also a popular place for shopping in Nutley. This small town has lots to offer to its denizens. Therefore, opting to buy a property in Nutley is a wise decision.

You can know about the properties that are available for sale online. For residential properties you can check out the Nutley Homes for Sale agents who can offer you best deals. After all, buying a house is known to be one of the best kinds of investments. Whenever you want to take a break from your city life, spend a weekend at Nutley.

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In recent years, the average time to sell a home has dramatically increased. This is largely due to the unemployment rate and credit crunch, which are limiting the number of first time home buyers entering the market, as well as the increasing number of short and foreclosure sales. According to the Accredited Seller Agent Council, the average time to sell a home in the U.S. is 10 months. However, there are many factors that can impact how quickly your home will sell.
Factors Affecting the Average Time to Sell a Home

Home listing price – An asking price that is either too low or too high can dramatically reduce the chances of selling your home on a timely schedule. Your agent should be familiar with the local market and provide you with local comps (comparable homes that have recently sold) to help determine what your asking price should be. Whether you take or ignore this advice is a contributing factor to the length of time the house will remain on the market.

Condition of home – The condition of your home during viewings or appraisals is also a contributing factor. When anticipating a showing or other appointment, your home should be spotlessly clean and tidy with no visible flaws. Nail holes, carpet stains and other defects must be patched, cleaned or corrected. Many agents also suggest you ôdepersonalizeö your home by removing personal items such as photos, memorabilia, etc. If you own pets, they should be contained in a separate area of the house with no evidence they live on the premises. Home buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the home – the less clutter or distraction, the more likely it will sell.

Location of home – Location is always a top factor in the desirability of a home, especially in a soft or surplus market. A home that is adjacent to a busy road, a messy neighbor, or a busy shopping center will be more difficult to sell than a home with open range, unobstructed views, or better school districts. If your home is not in a desirable location, it may take a price reduction as well as additional time to sell.

Region – Home markets vary from city to city based on the employment rate and inventory of available properties. For that reason, the average time to sell a home can vary by months depending on what city or market it resides in. According to ClearCapital, the average time to sell a home for soft markets such as Miami, Las Vegas or Detroit could be 10 to 12 months, whereas in a healthier market such as Washington D.C. or Houston, it can take as little as one to two months.

Home Seller Flexibility – A flexible seller who is willing to accept spur-of-the-moment or random viewings may be more likely to receive an offer than those who limit the schedule or frequency of potential buyers to view the property. Likewise, a seller who is flexible on the price of the property will be more likely to accept a reasonable offer. The seller needs to be realistic and understanding that, in order to sell a home, compromises are needed.

Type of Home Sale – The type of home sale is also a contributing factor in how quickly a house will sell. If the property is a short-sale or foreclosure, the process can take six months to a year (or more). However, if it’s a traditional home sale with a quick close, it can take as few as two to four weeks. Unfortunately, in these scenarios, the seller has little control over how long the process will take, as the majority of acceptance and paperwork lies with the lender and title companies.

Clearly there are a variety of factors that affect the average time to sell a home. Being aware of these factors, making the necessary adjustments, and having flexibility and patience will help smooth the process and bring your home to a close within a desirable time frame. If you want to get a better estimate of how long it will take to sell your particular home, let me know. Agents are happy to take these requests even if you aren’t sure you are selling your home.

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The mortgage settlement process, often referred to as the mortgage closing, can sometimes seem confusing and a little overwhelming. Whether you are buying a new home in Nutley or refinancing an existing home in Nutley, there are various fees to be paid and steps to go through. Two steps that are often confused by homebuyers are the home appraisal versus home inspection.
Remember the Difference: Home Appraisal versus Home Inspection in Nutley NJ

One easy way to remember the difference between an appraisal versus a home inspection is that a home inspection is for your protection. A home inspector will not estimate the value of your home in Nutley.

Typically, home appraisals are for lenders; home inspections are for buyers.
What is a Home Appraisal?

A home appraisal is a document that provides an estimate of a property’s price, otherwise known as its market value. Your home will serve as collateral for the mortgage, so a lender will require an independent appraisal on the property prior to the approval of your mortgage loan application. This is to ensure that the mortgage loan amount is not more than the value of the home and lot you want to purchase or refinance. Most lenders will loan you no more than 95 percent of the appraised value of the home or purchase price, whichever is less.

The person who conducts the home appraisal is called an appraiser. This person will consider several factors in developing the home appraisal, including location, square footage, recent sales of similar properties, and construction quality to estimate the property’s market value.

There is a fee associated with getting a home appraisal. Some lenders and brokers will include the appraisal fee in the loan application fee; you can ask the lender for a copy of the appraisal. If you are refinancing and have a recent appraisal of the property, some lenders may waive the requirement for a new appraisal. If you are in this situation, you could save a few hundred dollars by using the existing appraisal.
FHA Loans Appraisal

Many mortgages are insured by the federal government through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA.) The FHA requires lenders to get an FHA loans appraisal on properties prior to loan approval. According to the FHA, they require appraisals for three reasons:

To estimate the market value of the property.
To make sure that the property meets FHA minimum property requirements/standards for health and safety.
To make sure that the property is marketable.

An FHA loan appraisal document will indicate property defects that are easily noticeable and found not in compliance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s minimum property standards. These defects may not be the same as those items noted in the home inspection report. The estimated cost of a property appraisal is $263 to $444, with a nationwide median cost of $292.
What is a Home Inspection?

There are two types of home inspections, those required by the lender and home inspections initiated by the buyer.
A Lender’s Home Inspection

A lender, especially one that offers Veteran’s Affairs (VA) or FHA-insured mortgages, may require a home inspection and an analysis by an engineer or consultant to check for things like water damage, termite damage, and the structural condition of the home. In rural areas, lenders may want a test of the septic system (if applicable) and a water test to make sure the well and water system will maintain an adequate supply of water for the house. These water tests usually will check for water quantity, not quality. The health department of the local city government may require a water quality test as well, but this might be done outside of the mortgage settlement process and require a separate payment. Keep in mind that a lender’s inspection is for the benefit of the lender, not you. You may want to ask for a buyer’s home inspection to make sure the property is in good condition. The cost of a lender’s home inspection will likely be between $300 and $500.
A Buyer’s Home Inspection

Often, a buyer will make the purchase offer of a home contingent on the results of a home inspection. You will have to pay for this inspection. The cost varies by region, but spending hundreds of dollars could save you thousands.

When you make a purchase offer, sometimes called a binder, contingent on the results of a home inspection, it allows you to cancel closing on the deal if an inspector finds problems with the home or property. If deficiencies are found with the home, you may want to renegotiate for a reduced price or require the seller to make repairs to the home. If you are getting a VA or FHA loan, you will need a certificate from a qualified inspector stating that the home is free from pests such as termites and rodents. In this case, you can also make your purchase offer contingent on pest inspection results.

Similar to the lender’s home inspection, an inspector should examine the home for structural soundness, water damage, and pests. In addition to these basic home inspection criteria, you may want to have the home inspection include an examination of the condition of the roof and the plumbing and electrical systems. It is also wise to have the home tested for environmental hazards that may not be visible to the casual observer. This may include testing for radon gas emissions, water quality, asbestos, lead-based paint and other toxic materials. If you are making your purchase offer contingent on the results for environmental hazards, make sure this is stated clearly in the conditions of your offer.

Remember, the easiest way to know the difference between an appraisal versus a home inspection is that an inspection is for your protection!

Sources

http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/settlement/default.htm

For more information about buying or selling a home in Nutley NJ

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