| Ever
since there have been people trying to sell their homes, sellers have been
preparing their homes for sale - planting, patching, painting and clearing
out clutter. But it's only within the
past 5 years that the concept of professional styling has begun to take
hold.
Styling, also known as staging, was pioneered
in the 1970's by real estate practitioner-turned-speaker Barb
Schwarz. House stylists arrange, accessorize, and light the home in
a way that gibes buyers a sense of the possibilities.
 Here are some of the best tips from stagers
and real estate pros - things you can do for little or no expense, to put
a home in prime showing shape.
- Clear out closets and clutter, sellers can give away or pack up
toys, linens and small kitchen appliances to store offsite. Buyers
are also forgiving of storage boxes neatly tucked away in a garage or
basement.
- Focus most on the most visible areas, the foyer, kitchen, living
room, master bedroom
- Depersonalize the home by removing photos, mementos and dated items.
- Use plants in colorful pots or inexpensive wicker baskets to fill in
empty spaces.
- Look
to home catalogs for little details on beautifying the home.
- Try angling one or two pieces of furniture slightly and move
furniture 4 inches to 6 inches from the wall to create more interesting
room spaces.
- Put away large collections, porcelains, plates and so on.
- Remove valuable, prescription medicine, collectibles
and breakables.
- Trim trees, prune shrubs, and make sure the lawn is
mowed and watered regularly.
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- I
 n summer, turn on the sprinklers for five minutes, 30 minutes
before the open house, it makes the lawn and driveway sparkle.
- Ask sellers to refrain from cooking anything that leaves a
distinctive odor
- Hire a professional service to clean the home, including the carpets
and the windows
- Set the dining room table with attractive linens, dishes and
stemware.
- Arrange fresh or silk flowers throughout the home.
- Light a fire in the fireplace in fall and winter.
- A mirror in a pretty frame can make a small room feel more open.
-
Use as much natural light as possible, add extra lamps in dark rooms
or corners.
- Make functional repairs, fix dripping
 faucets, sticking doors and
broker fences
- Bring in another pair of eyes, even if it's not a professional
stylist, they may see problems that were missed.
Creating harmony the
feng shui way in your home as well as having positive chi (energy) is very
important. Energize your home the chi...
- Clutter clocks the flow of energy through homes, sending a message
to buyers that the sellers aren't ready to move, clean it up.
- Offensive posters in a teenagers room give off negative energy.
Replace them with uplifting artwork.
- Furniture with its back to a room's doorway blocks energy.
Turn it to face the door and welcome buyers.
- Drains suck energy from a room. Add candles in bathrooms
for energy and balance.
- Remove or push aside window coverings that bock sunlight.
Light creates positive energy buyers can feel.
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