Archive for the ‘Selling Your House’ Category

Staging Tips for Selling Your Home Faster

By Sheila on August 30th, 2011

Most experts will tell you that an empty house will not sell as quickly as a house with furniture. However, I don’t think that is exactly true…based on my experience in Fort Bend county…especially in the Sugar Land real estate market. Here’s what my experience has revealed:

A beautifully decorated home will sell faster than a home with ugly or out-of-date furnishings and decorations.
An empty home will sell faster than a home with ugly or out-of-date furnishings and decorations.
A well-staged home will sell faster than an empty home.

Bottom line? If you have unattractive or out-dated furnishings and decorations, then move out first (if possible) and then let me stage your home for you. If you can’t move out first (most people have to sell their current home in order to qualify for a loan on a new home) then let me show you how to declutter, arrange, and decorate your home so that it is attractive to the largest quantity of prospective buyers. My Sugar Land staging services are free of charge to most clients.

Basic Staging Tips

Remove all family photos from the home. Prospective buyers need to visualize their own family in your home…not your family.
Remove all rugs from the floors. Prospective buyers are not buying your rugs…they are buying your floors.
Remove all but three (at the most) items from your kitchen counters. Prospective buyers are buying your cabinets and counters…not your kitchen appliances.
Remove all personal items from your bathroom counters. No one wants to see your toiletries. Put them in baskets and store them inside your cabinets for easy access.
Pack up your collections. I know you are proud of them, but you’re not selling your collections…you’re selling your house. Collections tend to distract prospective buyers from noticing your home. Plus…you don’t want anything to happen to them during showings.
Clean all the windows so they sparkle…and open up all the shades and curtains. Let people see the view outside and let the light in.
Clean the kitchens and baths so they sparkle too. Prospective buyers don’t want to buy a filthy home.
Clean carpets and floors. Prospective buyers don’t want to buy stained floors.
Remove or seal and paint wallpaper…it’s definitely “out” of style these days and prospective buyers think it costs too much to deal with.
Install bright light bulbs in all light fixtures…not higher than that allowed.

Click here for a detailed checklist for getting your home ready to sell.

Below are some examples of my work. Some were empty, and then I staged them with my collection of staging items. Some were lived in, and then I staged them to show at their best. Some were even slightly remodeled and then staged.

By the way, I have totally remodeled several homes, so I can help you with both minor and major projects. The fact is that most buyers want a move-in-ready home, so you should do everything you can to make your home move-in-ready BEFORE you put it on the market.

UNSTAGED		STAGED

Tags: home staging, staging services sugar land, sugar land staging services

Need Rental Furniture for Living or Staging?

By Sheila on May 5th, 2010

I just got off the phone with a fabulously helpful man at Hoffer Furniture: Peter. Not only is Hoffer “The Largest Furniture Rental Store in the World” they make it super-easy to get what you need at their Shopping Cart Web site: http://hofferfurniture.com.

They have a huge showroom at 8100 Westpark Dr, Houston, TX 77063…just between Fondren and Hillcroft…and everything there is also for sale. They even have a clearance area in the back.

Here’s more info from their Website:

Select quality furniture and furnishings your way.

Delivery and installation is fast and hassle-free with our professional, experienced furniture handlers and typically takes no more than two business days. Hoffer also offers advance telephone notice for delivery times.

Online: Shop for your furniture rentals using our Rent Request Cart. As you add to your cart, your selections travel with you as you shop for items. You can check the images in your cart quickly without leaving an item page so you can mix and match your choices easily.

Email Us: Complete our Contact Form to set a date and time for a Hoffer furniture specialist to call you.

Call 713-780-4647: Need help making your selections? Call one of our decorating professionals to help you create a package or to find the perfect item to match your needs.

Visit Our Showroom: See, touch and enjoy the beauty of our huge collection of quality furniture in the largest rental store in the world. Map to Store.

Interior decorating coordination to help you select your furnishings is available from our interior decorating professionals when you call or visit our store.

So if you need furniture on a temporary basis, such as staging your home to sell, then check out Hoffer Furniture.

Thanks Peter!

P.S. For all my Seller Clients I offer my staging services for FREE…you just pay for the furniture/accessory rentals. Check out some Before and Afters I’ve done…