Thursday, May 29, 2008

What is Home Staging and How Might it Help Sell My House?

In the last few years, home staging has become an increasingly popular method of preparing a home for sale. However, home staging involves far more than the cleaning and minor repairs required to put your home on the market. The process of staging a home is actually an in depth dressing of a home to make the property seem as appealing as possible to prospective buyers. Home staging professionals use a variety of methods to help homeowners sell their properties, incorporating both amenities already inside the home and a number of special products. When preparing to sell your home, you may want to think about some of the home staging methods outlined here to help you find the right buyer.

At its most simple, home staging is about setting the right mood for prospective buyers. By decorating and arranging a home’s interior to present an ideal way of life, buyers are assisted in visualizing themselves in your home. Whether you undertake the process of staging your own home or decide to consult a professional, there are a number of different “props” that may be used around the home. For example, to add a vibrant sense of life to the home, many home staging professionals recommend using different types of potted plants and arrangements of flowers and fruit. Throughout the home, they tend to utilize soft, luxurious fabrics – such as satin, lamb’s wool and silk – to create an atmosphere of comfort. This process can also extend to the exterior of the property, where patio furniture can be added in the backyard and colorful flowers or unique accessories outside the front door.

Many home staging professionals come from interior design or art-related backgrounds. Hence, when working on staging a home for sale, these professionals utilize a number of visual tricks to capture the attention of potential buyers. For instance, furniture is always arranged very carefully to simulate the ideal living space. In living rooms, home staging professionals often use loveseats and ottomans in lieu of large couches to create the illusion of added space. Likewise, mirrors are often placed throughout a staged home to make the living area seem larger to potential buyers. In areas where you hope to focus a buyer’s attention – like a hand built stone fireplace or a remodeled kitchen – staging professionals can place unique artwork or accessories to catch the eye.

One of the most important steps in home staging is the exchange of your personal decorations with more neutral furnishings. Beyond replacing family pictures with more design-friendly items, a successful home staging will attempt to eliminate any idiosyncratic tastes and represent a living space that has broad appeal. Though this process may feel like a slight on your family’s home, you should hardly take offense. This commonly used tactic simply helps potential buyers view the property not as someone else’s home, but as something they can call their own.
Most real estate experts claim that home staging is especially important when the home is empty. Without any furniture or amenities, even a home for sale in the most attractive area can make potential buyers feel uncomfortable. If you are trying to sell your home and have already moved out, you may want to consider working with your agent to stage the home’s interior. With the assistance of your agent and a home staging professional, you could quickly transform a lifeless house into dream home.

In the end, home staging is about making the most of your home’s potential. If the staging of your home is completed effectively, it is also possible that your home may receive better offers from potential buyers and spend less time on the market. By minimizing the flaws of your home and making the living area seem larger, brighter and more appealing, home staging may be one of the most important steps in selling your home quickly and at the right price.



The staff at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC writes select articles about important topics related to real estate. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit ColdwellBanker.com today.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Tips to Ensure a Smooth Move

For many families, moving can be a very stressful event. Besides coming to terms with your new life in a new home, you and your family will also need to think about moving day. Too often, families get caught up in various activities before moving day and fail to make the proper preparations. If you and your family are preparing to move, try to stay calm and organized throughout the process. For a few extra pointers on how to make your moving day a success, consider the simple advice outlined here.

Make a detailed checklist

It can be difficult to keep track of all the tasks associated with moving. Hence, you should try to organize your days leading up to and beyond moving day. If you have a reminder of what needs to be done and where you need to be, you are more likely to have a smooth moving day.

Prepare for day 1

Prior to packing all of your boxes, you may want to assemble one box of necessities for the whole family. As most families finish unpacking their trucks late in the evening, there is often little desire to open several boxes to find pillows and toothbrushes. To prevent a stressful first night in your new home, try to place anything your family might need in the first 24 hours in a separate box, mark it clearly and keep it accessible during moving. Also, if you have any valuable or irreplaceable items – such as jewelry and personal keepsakes – you should try to wrap the items well and keep them with you while moving.

To help with your checklist, you should try to include all of the following items in your day 1 box:

Personal toiletries
Soap
Toilet paper
Snacks and drinks
Flashlight
Screwdriver
Pliers
Set of plastic plates and cutlery
Paper towels or tissue

Pack manageable boxes

Unless you have lots of large, lightweight items – such as down comforters and blankets – you shouldn’t need too many oversized boxes. Oversized moving materials often force homeowners into packing boxes that are too heavy and unmanageable. Instead, try to find plenty of midsized boxes and distribute weight evenly. Furthermore, if you are moving yourself, make sure you have all the necessary materials on hand before packing, including bubble wrap or packing peanuts for fragile items.

Label every box

When packing your boxes, try not to place items for different rooms in the same box. After sealing up each box, simply mark which room the items belong in. When you arrive at your new home, you will be able to take each box to its rightful place and each family member can spend time organizing their own space.

De-clutter as you go

As you prepare to move out of your home, try to organize your belongings and set aside unwanted items. After unpacking in your new home, you will be happy having more space and fewer items to arrange. Before moving out, you can hold a yard sale or make a charitable donation to get rid of your unwanted belongings.

Get the family involved

If you have children, help them get excited about moving. With something to look forward to – like the chance to decorate a new bedroom – children often get more involved in the moving process. Also, you may want to ask your friends and family for help on moving day. Even if no one is able to move furniture with you, a family member could watch your pet for the day or take care of errands.

Though moving day can be a very overwhelming time for families, proper organization can make help turn that stress into excitement. If you follow your timeline leading up to moving day, you and your family will have no problem approaching the big move with confidence.





The staff at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC writes select articles about important topics related to real estate. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit ColdwellBanker.com today.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Award Winning DiVinci Model Awaits You: Oakland Hills Drive - Las Vegas, NV

Comfortable elegance welcomes you the moment you enter this luxurious home. Relax in the inviting center courtyard with an impressive fireplace, stunning water feature and designer slate tile. Personal veranda, custom pool, patio and spa overlook expansive views of the Southern Highlands Golf Course.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Top Tips To Help You Sell a Vacant House

Curb Appeal - Remember first impressions are important and the better the curb appeal of your home, the more attractive it is to prospective buyers.

  • Spruce up landscaping before you leave. Plant some new shrubs, lay down some fresh ground cover, or add contrast with some colorful annuals.
  • If you have a lawn, keep it mowed. Hire a neighborhood teen or local landscape service to keep it maintained.
  • If you have an automated irrigation or sprinkler system, you'll want to leave it on, or ask a neighbor to water for you. This is especially crucial in Las Vegas.
  • Trim overgrown bushes, weed beds and add a fresh layer of mulch.
  • Clean your front door and repaint if needed.
  • Add a fresh doormat

Utilities.

  • It's important that the electricity, water, and gas heat work when your home is being shown to a prospective buyer.
  • Buyers will want to see homes in the light and test appliances to make sure they are working.
  • Replace all installed light fixtures with fresh bulbs with as high wattage as possible.
  • Provide floor lamps for rooms that don't have ceiling lights.

Cleaning - Empty houses have a way of attracting dust balls, so make sure your home is as clean as possible. For most buyers, dirt equals stress and the last thing most buyers want is more stress in their lives.

  • Get carpets professionally cleaned once everything is moved out. (If the floors aren't taken care of, the prospective home buyer may wonder, what else isn’t.)
  • Pressure-wash the driveway and sidewalks.
  • Clean windows inside and out
  • Pressure wash decks and patios
  • Hire a cleaning service from time to time

Paint - the condition and color of the paint can make a huge difference in how buyers react to your home.

  • Go through every room of your house, paintbrush in hand, and touch up any walls that have been scuffed or marked up.
  • After moving furniture out, you're sure to find a slew of such marks.
  • Walls painted in bold, bright colors are wonderful attention-getters when complemented by furniture, rugs, and accessories. However, in an empty room, these bold colors may put buyers off.
  • You may want to consider painting neutral colors throughout the house before you sell.

Replace Worn Carpet - Dirty carpet is unsanitary and nobody will be able to overlook your worn carpet. Replace the top layer with inexpensive neutral colored carpet and you will always recoup the investment.

Stage your home – See our article on home staging

Miscellaneous Tips

  • Don't set your deserted house up for potential break-ins. You may want to invest in exterior sensor lights that automatically turn on when it gets dark and turn off at sunrise.
  • Cancel your newspaper subscription and forward your mail.
  • If you have a security alarm, use it.
  • Be sure you review the provisions of your homeowners insurance. Many companies have a cap on how long coverage will last while the property is vacant.

Friday, May 9, 2008

ONLY SALE YTD IN THE ENTIRE SUBDIVISION

8381 Las Lunas - Las Vegas, NV

  • Sold this home in under 90 days
  • Generated buyer through our online marketing efforts
  • Only home sold in this subdivision for this year-to-date

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

"JOE & SHANNAN SOLD MY HOUSE SO FAST, I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO CUT THE LAWN AGAIN!" (seller's quote)

36 Living Edens - Las Vegas, NV

  • Sold home in 13 days for 98.8% of the asking sell price
  • Generated 4 offers from buyers for this gorgeous home

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Find Out What is Happening in Your Neighborhood


REAL ESTATE MARKET IN LAS VEGAS: Over the past several months we have recieved numerous requests from clients searching for information on current home sales and values in their neighborhood.

In an effort to provide on-going superior customer service to all our clients, past - present - and future, we have partnered with a leading real estate market research group. Together, we are able to provide you:

  • market activity, with current up-to-the-minute data on homes in your area
  • inventory counts
  • days-on-market
  • and more . . .

To view your personalized Las Vegas Real Estate Market Snapshot, please click here