Home Staging in Portland Oregon Blog

Summer is a wonderful time to maximize the Curb Appeal of your house. We know all the standard Curb Appeal Do's such as water the lawn, trim the bushes, power wash, etc.  I see a lot of houses on the market that have followed all the tips and their homes look, how shall I say..."very well groomed " That's a great thing...its better than weeds in the landscaping and a dirty front door, however, sometimes it just looks well...standard and kinda boring. 

• Yard is green and mowed (check!),
• bushes trimmed (check!), 
• 2 flower pots on either side of the front door (check!),
• and new mat (check!...double check!)....you get the idea here.  

The Curb Appeal can be "neat" but sometimes lack personality.  Summertime gives you that opportunity to create Curb Appeal that will have potential Buyers hearts pounding as soon as they pull up in your driveway!   

 Use these Summertime Curb Appeal Tips that sing "WELCOME HOME!"

Flower photo by Jenny Walters Home Imagery

• Tip #1:  FLOWERS...FLOWERS...and more FLOWERS!      Pick a nice color scheme of flowers that compliments your front door and shutter color.  Plant flowers in your landscaping, group pots together in groups of 3 and use those plant stands to achieve various heights to add interest in a corner of a porch, patio  or deck area.     Fertilize, water, dead-head and baby those plants! Keeping them beautiful, fresh  and blooming big all summer will be KEY to creating irristable Curb Appeal.  There's nothing worse than brown, limpy, dying plants by end of July.
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• Tip #2: A FRIENDLY FRONT DOOR!     Give your front door a fresh coat of paint, polish up the hardware or replace it with new, same goes with the light fixtures...if its seen better days, replace it., look up and check for cobwebs, clean the doorbell or replace with a shiny new one, add a shiny brass knocker and a beautiful summer wreath.  Be sure your wreath is new and updated for the season. There's nothing worse than a faded and dated wreath.
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• Tip #3: HAVE A SEAT AND STAY AWHILE:  Does your front door area have a space for a pretty, weather-proof piece of furniture?  This is a perfect way to welcome potential buyers and give them a preview of whats to come inside!  A pretty chair tucked in a corner, a pair of rocking chairs, or bench with a few colorful pillows visually invites your Buyer to have a seat and stay awhile!
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• Tip #4  CHARMING LITTLE EXTRAS: Don't overlook the little charming extras that can make your Buyer fall in love with your house.  Put out a tray of fresh lemonade and cookies if you have a porch with chairs and a table, add a book, magazine, or rolled newspaper by the tray. Fill your bird feeders, hang a small windchime, add fluffy pillows and even hide away a sachet of lavendar close to the doorway for a subtle hint of fragrance that says welcome.
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• Tip #5 MAINTAIN IT!:  Let's face it...Summertime can be busy with vacations, entertaining, running the kids, etc....and on top of it selling your house!  No matter how busy it gets, maintaining your Curb Appeal has to take priority and is critical to a successful sale.  Create a scheduled time each day and week to water, mow, sweep, fertilize, trim, etc.  Making a plan keeps you organized and on top of it.

 

Creating Curb Appeal that goes above and beyond what is standard is key to creating an unforgetable first impression in the minds of your potential Buyers.   Taking the opportunity to use these Summertime Curb Appeal Tips that will have your house singing  "Welcome Home!" and you'll be asking "Where do I sign?" when you get that offer!

Happy Staging!

 You can use this article in your ezine, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

Teresa Meyer is the Owner and Lead Staging Designer at Stage a Star, Cincinnati's Premiere Real Estate Staging company located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Teresa is an ASP, Accredited Staging Professional and CSPE, Certified Staging Professional Elite and Ohio Certified CSPE Trainer to real estate professionals in Cincinnati. She is a member of RESA, Real Estate Staging Association and currently is the State of Ohio RESA President.   Teresa can be reached at 513-379-5488 or by email: teresameyer@fuse.net to answer your questions about the staging process and looks forward to assisting you in preparing and staging your house for the Cincinnati real estate market.

I have two listings almost ready to go on the market. One Seller is a previous client, so she knew to expect "assignments" from me. The other Seller is a referral, so at our first meeting, I was faced with the difficult task of itemizing what they needed to do to prepare their home for sale: paint this, re-carpet that.

Unless impossible from a financial standpoint, I like to get my listings move-in ready. The inventory of homes is so high that Buyers will not spend a minute considering a home that has dingy carpet, hot pink walls or outdated curtains. When Buyers walk into your home, you want them to say, "Oh my gosh, this is perfect and I don't need to do a thing!"  Your home must "WOW" the Buyers in the first ten seconds, which is why your front lawn/garden and entry way are critical.

Buyers also must see themselves living in your home. They must feel comfortable that their furniture will fit in your living and dining rooms and that your closets are large enough for their home. Realtors don't ask you to empty 40% of your closets because we think you have nothing better to do - if your closet is crammed, the Buyer will think that there is not possibly enough room for their clothes. If your kitchen counters are cluttered with canisters, spices, toasters and mixers, Buyers will think that there is not enough counter space for them to prepare dinner.

Hiring a home stager for a consultation can pay off in the long run. We know that your favorite 20 year-old recliner is exactly where you want it to watch television, but is it making the room appear crowded? The National Association of Realtors reports that staged homes bring almost 7% more in price than homes that were not staged. So, while your furniture is arranged the way you want to LIVE, it may not be arranged in the best manner to attract a Buyer.

Yes, it's an inconvenience to store that toaster if you are use to keeping it out, but wouldn't you store it if it would decrease your days on market and increase the price you could get for your home? So, consult with your Realtor about what you need to do to prepare your home for market. Typically, fresh paint and new flooring will be the least expensive improvements that will immediately increase the value of your home.

Remember that in addition to selling homes, we work with Buyers. So, we know what turns Buyers on and what turns them off. Get your home 100% ready to sell before your Realtor puts that sign in your yard!

Selling a house is a stressful process.  Preparing a house for sale is a lot of work.  Living in a house for sale can be very inconvenient.  You may have to rearrange the furniture or even worse, move your favorite recliner to storage. 

If you are going to sell your house, here's the first question you need to answer:

What's more important to you -  that you be comfortable in your favorite chair or that you sell quickly without having to reduce the price?

I find it quite amusing when sellers take a firm stand, arms crossed, a look of defiance on their face, and refuse to remove the giant TV from the master bedroom  because they just can't give up watching  TV from their bed.  Or, they refuse to move the monster bag of dog food from the kitchen to the garage, because it would be too inconvenient to store it out there.

I actually had a seller look me in the eye and say it would be "disturbing to their routine" to have to remove their personal products from the shower on a daily basis.

If you believe that it's your right to live in your house comfortably and that buyers will just have to see past your stuff, and you have made up your mind that you will give this "staging thing" a try, but only for one month and then you are going back to living "normal" then this message is for you:

It doesn't matter to me how long your house sits on the market.  I'm not making the mortgage payment or paying the taxes.  I get paid for my consultation and get the same amount regardless if you sell tomorrow or a year from now. 

I am here for one reason only, to tell you how you can make your house more appealing to buyers, which will help you sell faster and increase your odds of making more money.  You can follow my advice or choose not to.

  We are on the same team.  We both want the same end result.

  I'm not the one who is going to lose or gain depending on the outcome, you are!