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Staging 101


When you’re ready to sell your house (and move to the Caribbean), there are many things you can do to facilitate a timely sale near your asking price.  While renovations are great, one of the least expensive and most effective things you can do is properly stage your home.  Here are some staging rules to follow:

1.  The house should not look lived in.  It should look like anyone could live there.  

Hide your toothbrushes!  No potential buyer wants to see all the clutter of day-to-day life.  In bedrooms, bathrooms and closets try to stash anything that looks busy or overly personal in storage bins.  This means books, DVDs, etc.

One of the most important places to eliminate clutter is in the kitchen.  Clear off counter-tops leaving only a few small appliances, the knife block, etc.  Stash food and dishes in the cupboards or pantry.  This allows people (especially buyers with a young family or who like to entertain) to envision themselves preparing three meals per day there.

2.  Keep things neutral to appeal to a broad audience of buyers.

While neon green may be your favorite color, that is not the case for everyone.  Your paint colors should be neutral.  Re-painting strongly colored rooms is one of the quickest, most cost effective, high impact projects you can do when preparing your home for sale.

Decor should be broadly appealing too.  Stage your home with a variety of pieces including photographs, paintings, sculpture, mirrors, plants, etc.

Removing personal photographs allows prospective buyers to think of the house as potentially theirs, versus feeling like a guest in someone else’s home.

3.  Re-invent your spaces.

If a room in your home has accidentally become the stash-all storage area, consider re-purposing it into something more useful.  Be open to re-arranging furniture, even room-to-room, to change the flow and feeling of the house.

Another great way to re-vamp a room is with proper lighting.  Change window treatments to let more natural light in and upgrade to high wattage light bulbs.

If you want more info on staging, consult the experts at Home and Garden Television (HGTV).

Sold your house and ready to live the island life?

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