Selling Your Home - Is it Dressed for Success?

Price and condition are critical factors in selling in todays market. The staging tips below will make your Peachtree Corners-Berkeley Lake home the one that sells.

There is an Open House at  5515 Colbert Trail in Peachtree Station that shows curb appeal and staging done to perfection. This is a home everyone wants to see, so stop by Sunday, July 17th between 2 and 4.

For hints to help you be the best dressed home, the following tips will give you the edge.

1. Buyers want crisp, clean and neutral. I have purple walls in my living room. I love the look but, to compete in this market I would have my home painted in a neutral color. Is your carpet stained? Two of your best investments, with the biggest return, are paint and carpet.

2. Wallpaper. Get rid of it. I know you love it. I love it too. Buyers do not love it. They want a canvas where they can make it their own.

3. Walk into your kitchen and think about what you are seeing. Do you have Formica? Remember in the '80s when ladies wore giant shoulder pads and everybody loved the look. That was then. Would you buy a suit today with giant shoulder pads? If your answer is yes, then keep the Formica, if not, then consider granite. Granite is preferred in all price points. What color are your appliances? Would it be reasonable for you to replace them? Stainless and black are the most popular choices.

4. Brass, Brass, Brass. We all wanted beautiful shiny brass in our beautiful shiny homes. Brass chandeliers, brass shower enclosures, brass hinges, brass faucets. What happened?  No one wants shiny brass anymore. Check with your Realtor, maybe they  can help you not be so brassy. There are things you can do such as replacing a few light fixtures that will make the brass not so apparent.

5.Remove personal photographs. Remove wall arrangements composed of lots of little pieces of art. This works for decorating but not for staging. The more you see of the wall, the bigger a room looks.

6. Throw rugs, all over your beautiful floors make your rooms look smaller. Eliminate the rugs or some of them and your rooms will look much larger.

7. Let the sun shine in. Open blinds.

8. Furniture placement is critical. Think of the traffic flow when your home is being shown. If you have to walk around furniture then the room feels small.

9. Buy matching hangers for your closets. Make sure there is space between each article of clothing. Clear off shelves and put your belongings in matching baskets or decorative boxes.

10.  If you can smell it you cannot sell it. Smells will kill you. Ask a trusted friend or your Realtor if your home has an odor. Two of the hardest to get rid of are pet and cigarette smell.  

11. Stand at your mailbox and look at your home. You should stage the exterior and a good Realtor will insist you do. Make sure the area around your front door is pristine. Buyers will decide, as they stand by door, if your home is the one.

12. DECLUTTER. Clutter will eat your equity.