By Stephanie Decker, Staged Marin Homes
Curb Appeal in real estate terms used to mean how appealing your home is to potential buyers when they view the home’s exterior. It was the first time they were seeing your home, and it sets the stage for the rest of your home. But this has changed with the use of Web sites such as Realtor.com, Facebook, and the local and national real estate agency Web site that is listing the house for sale.
The appeal of your home comes long before a buyer even gets to your front door — it starts online. And it is not just your front door that sets the stage, it is your entire house that the buyer can see, long before ever getting to your house.
So the first item of business: Make sure your photos are capturing your listing from the very best angle!
The photographs real estate agents use for a home on the Web are crucial. It is best to use a professional photographer who specializes in taking photos of homes for sale but if you can’t afford one, there are several things to consider. Real Estate Blogger Web site recently released an article listing the Top 10 Tips of Photographing Your Home for Sale.
Among the blog’s tips:
- Try a tripod. It will not only help you keep the camera steady, but it will also allow you to concentrate on more important things—like getting that perfect picture.
- Watch your lighting. Don’t turn on all of the lighting in the room and close the drapes, you’ll get “halos” around the room’s lamps. Use the camera’s flash to get an even photo. Also, take photos of the outside gardens in the shade—it’ll look better than when taken in the bright sun.
- Haul the clutter away. Take down the personal photos, too.
Remember: The photographs are your calling card. So if the photos aren’t representative of your home’s appeal than the buyer will never get to your front door. There’s always another house just a mouse click away!
Once potential buyers are lured by your photos, you’ll want to make sure the home’s curb appeal doesn’t let them down when they’re there in person.
Take these steps: Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Can you still design a chic room without being a designer? I recently stumbled upon this article by Pedro Arrais, Guidelines for Home Design: Helpful Suggestions From the Experts, that breaks down good design for amateurs.
He offers several simple design principles for sprucing up interiors that might inspire you for your listings — he covers everything from where to place the furniture and artwork to how to bring balance to a room.
Among the tips:
Don’t match everything. Instead mix your colors, fabrics, and textures in a room to add more visual interest and make it more memorable. Also, vary the height of the furniture.
Beware of neutral overload. We love to reach for the beiges and tans to make homes move-in ready but you can also risk it being too blah. Mix neutrals with some vibrant pops of color. Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
The National Association of REALTORS® launched a new Web site this week that helps home owners make smart decisions when it comes to maintaining and increasing the value of their homes. The Web site — HouseLogic — allows you to plan and organize home projects as well as access tips and how-to advice on how to tackle each project.
You can register at the Web site for a free account and you’ll then be able to customize the site by creating your own to-do lists, setting project reminders, and finding ways to save money and increase the value of your home. You’ll also be able to take some quick, fun quizzes on many of the housing tips offered on the Web site to see if you mastered the topic.
Check it out: www.houselogic.com
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Nearly 50 percent of American adults say that their New Year’s resolution for 2010 is to go green, and even more said they are going to strive to reduce their household energy usage this year, according to a new survey by Move.com.
If they hold true to their “green” desires, Realtor.com offers some help in narrowing their search for a home. Home-shoppers can now customize a search to include energy efficient homes on Realtor.com.
By Charlene Storozuk
Just as your eyes are the mirror to your soul, the “soul” of your house is mirrored by your windows. Make sure you don’t neglect them when preparing a property for sale.
In fact, Feng Shui principles view the windows as the eyes of a home.
Here are a few pre-listing tips for making the most of your windows:
1. Make sure that every window sparkles — both inside and out. Not only will it give a property that well-kept look, it will also let more light into each room which is very important for showings.
2. Replace any cracked window panes.
3. Repair and neatly paint weathered window frames.
4. Inspect all windows to ensure that they open. Make sure that all paint is removed from the panes. A razor blade, used with caution, will usually work well to scrape off unsightly paint.
5. All windows should have window treatments. A ”naked” window gives a room a cold, unwelcoming feel. Select a treatment that is suitable to Continue reading »
“Green” is a buzz word in the real estate industry. But how much do you really know about this eco-friendly way of design? Take REALTOR® Magazine’s new green real estate quiz to see if you make the grade.
We had a great webinar last Thursday on how you can stage your listings without breaking the bank. In case you missed it, you can playback a recording and download the slides at REALTOR® Magazine.
Our speakers—staging pros Terrylynn Fisher and Christine Rae—provided attendees with dozens of staging tips and even provided ideas on how you can spice up those REOs. During the webinar, we ran out of time for questions but our speakers offered to answer your questions here.
Many real estate professionals and stagers have furniture they use from listing to listing. A lot of that furniture may be cheaper and is fine for many of their listings. But how about your high-end listings? Should you use the cheaper furniture in those listings or will that do more harm than good?
Christine Rae
CHRISTINE: Absolutely not, cheap looks cheap and sends a message of cheap. The whole essence of staging today is to target the buyer who is likely to purchase—they don’t want to see cheap anything. People buy aspirationally whether it’s a $100,000 or several million $$ property they want to fall in love with—feel special and attempts to skim/slough speaks volumes….not just about the house but also about you.
The biggest challenge we face as an industry is lack of complete understanding of the craft. Staging started as a clean and fluff sort of thing, but it is way more refined now…before it would be like painting walls with primer and not finishing the job.
Terrylynn Fisher
TERRYLYNN: I agree with Christine. If you use cheap items what kind of buyers are you attracting? The buyer who can qualify for a high-end home has high-end furnishings and won’t relate to cheap décor. It will diminish the home you are “showcasing” and you aren’t really “showcasing” it.
For ANY property you need to be sure the furnishings you use match the décor and style of the property. Like a Victorian or country farmhouse vs. modern or traditional. The curb appeal we spoke of needs to be stellar, but the insides have to match as well so that when they walk through the door they get what they expected—only better. Congruity is important.
Who traditionally pays for staging: Seller or the real estate agent? Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
So what home features are buyers asking for the most in their search for a new home?
AVID Ratings Co., a firm that provides surveys and employee training to home builders across the United States and Canada, conducts an annual survey of home buyer preferences.
The company found the following hot home features reign supreme in today’s market:
1. Large kitchens with an island.
2. Energy-efficient appliances and high-efficiency insulation and windows. (These were the most sought-after “green” features from buyers.) Continue reading »
Recent Comments