Distinctive Homes Magazine Boston - Vol. 4 Issue 7 - (Page 14)

HOW TO gET YOUR HOUSE REaDY fOR SaLE! Where do I begIn? ThaT Is The fIrsT quesTIon homeWners ask When They sTarT ThInkIng abouT sellIng TheIr home. If you have lived in a home for 1 year or 25 years, getting your house ready for sale is overwhelming. It is probably the biggest task you have ever undertaken because your home is usually your largest asset. In many cases the scope of the project leads homeowners to decide not to sell. This is a sad decision because procrastination is holding the homeowner back from an important life choice - downsizing, moving to a warmer climate, health issues, job change, family relations, economics. The key to a successful sale is a strategy and timeline. At Decorate To Sell we help homeowners with this tough process. Here are some examples of our success stories. To see more before and afters visit our website at www.dectosell.com This was a beautiful home going on the market. The homeowners have young children and were overwhelmed with the process of packing and relocating to their new home. The fireplace was the focal point of the room and it was lost in the MLS photo – we highlighted the fireplace with symmetrical use of greenery and artwork which allowed the fireplace to become a proud architectural feature success: Property was under agreement within 3 weeks of staging by decorate To sell. This property was on the market for 2 months before Decorate To Sell arrived. Don’t let your television dominate your rooms or your MLS photos. Soften it! We flipped the furniture from one side of the room to the other, switched up the window treatments and bed linens. Now the room is light and bright – which buyers want! success: Property received offer at open house the following weekend. Property was going on the market and the homeowner was very excited to help out by setting the table for the MLS photos. Staging is not decorating. Staging is about editing. We removed the table settings and red candles – which clashed with the yellow walls. success: Property under agreement within 10 days of staging This is a small condo on the North Shore – Buyer and Realtor were concerned that the tv should be removed. The television is usually not the problem – clutter is the problem. Edit your belongings – Buyers come into a property they want to know where to put the television and flat screen. But keep it tidy – they want to see your tv not your dvds. success: Property was one of 5 other units on the market – this unit was under agreement first. Bathrooms have a lot of cold hard space – soften it up! Make it warm and appealing! Do it with textiles. Hotel style shower curtains – pulled to the side, throw rugs – on tub side, greenery, lighting, rolled towels. Use a sign – sometimes we have to tell the Buyer what they can do with a room! Decorate to Sell Many times homeowners think they have to paint – they don’t! Simply switch up your accessories and it makes a big difference. Dining Room - Homeowner had 6 chairs and a table leaf in her dining set. This was an important walkway because it had a traffic pattern to the front door. The table leaf was removed and stored under the bed, 2 chairs were also removed and stored on hooks in the storage unit. We turned the table lengthwise against the wall and visually anchored the table with a focal point using the homeowner’s artwork. Dress up your kitchen and downsize your countertop appliances. If your buyer sees your microwave on the counter it will signal that you don’t have high end appliances. Tuck them away. Our homeowner never used her microwave anyway – she used her new stove. Note that her new stove was covered with dishtowels from Walmart – get rid of those. Your stove is a very expensive appliance – don’t hide it! Show it off ! We staged an office space in a closet. This property was a reconverted school house and the original classroom coat closet ran front to back with doors at either end and a window. We packed up the homeowner’s clothing and using the homeowner’s furniture created an office space – She loved it and wished it had been done years ago! New Construction - Buyers have a lot on their mind – Staging helps them see the potential a property has to offer them. Our developer’s property languished on the market – comments of “cold” and “bowling alley” were used to describe it. High-end furnishings and sophisticated lighting techniques allow the property to glow! Now dining, entertaining and reading spaces allow the buyer to look forward to moving in! MaRgaRET INNIS Owner & Principal of The Decorate To Sell Team Master aSP Home Stager Dewey Color Consultant & Instructor Toll free: 1-888-656-7376 Direct: 1-508-572-8225 Website: www.dectosell.com Email: margaret@dectosell.com All inquiries are strictly confidential 14 • DistinctiveHomesOnline.com http://www.dectosell.com http://www.dectosell.com http://www.dectosell.com http://www.DistinctiveHomesOnline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Distinctive Homes Magazine Boston - Vol. 4 Issue 7

Distinctive Homes Magazine Boston - Vol. 4 Issue 7 Journey's End Lexington William Raveis Properties Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Lo Pilato Construction GEV Design, Inc Renaissance Realtors, Inc. Chobee Hoy Associates Bilus on Boston Residential Real Estate Atlantic Associates Real Estate Lillian Manor Signature Properties Dalton & Fingold LLP Ellen Munick Realtor Graebel Movers Keller Williams Realty Decorate to Sell Nazzaro Auctions Colonial Manor Realty Goodfellas Construction Tips for Lowering Your Monthly Energy Bill Julie Sprindzunas Realty Middle Oak Insurance Realty Guild Supreme Homes Boston Business Consultants Carey Real Estate Equine Homes Waterville Valley Real Estate Prudential Verani Realty Blue Water Realty group Loon Mountain Real Estate REMAX Setting the Space Premier Staging Company REMAX Advantage Real Esatate

Distinctive Homes Magazine Boston - Vol. 4 Issue 7

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.