Home staging greatly helps sell a house by making it more appealing and attractive.

A stager knows what buyers are looking for and helps you have those aspects in the home. Homes that were staged sell faster and and get higher bids than those that were not. A picture of a staged home looks better then one that was not, so it gets more potential buyers to come look at the home. These homes even have an edge over competitive property,  even

sway buyers to chose  the staged home over the competition.

Staging is an art or an illusion.  It’s more than cleaning and decorating, it’s creating a mood for the buyer. It can take away from the negative areas of some more difficult homes, by lighting, mirrors or many other tricks stagers use. Home staging is what you do after the cleaning, painting and repairs, it is dressing the house up for sale. It’s all about making people want to buy a house by making it look bigger, brighter, warmer, and more loving.  Really, it’s about creating a place where your buyers can see themselves living in.

No, not the rock band; the philsophy. Keep It Simple, Silly. Well, that second S varies, depending who you ask, but we’ll leave it at that.

We know you live in your house. Prospective buyers know you live in your house. Well, really, deep in their subconscious, prospective buyers try to envision themselves living in your house. Having as few personal effects visible as possible makes it a whole lot easier for them to do so.

With this in mind, pack up and store all but the most prized nick-nacks. Then, go back and pack up half of what you left out. If it’s something you’re likely to use before you move, or packing it away would leave a wall or display case completely bare, by all means, leave it. But, if it’s not in a display case or it’s not the last thing hanging on that wall, pack it and get it out of the house. Storage units aren’t that expensive and many are climate controlled and feature gated access and on-site security.

You’ve just made your house a whole lot more inviting to buyers and, as a wonderful side-effect, protected your most treasured posessions from damage or theft.

If you have pets, there are a few things you definitely need to keep in mind when selling your home. I know you love them and don’t want to be without them, but your options are limited if you want to get top dollar for your home and sell as quickly as possible.

When a prospective buyer sees a cat or dog, the first thing they think is pet stains. You know, those stains and odors which (although there are a number of products on the market that remove them permanently) everyone just knows will never come out. That thought alone is often enough to turn someone off of buying your home.

If you’re living in your house while you sell it, ask a friend or family member to take care of your pets. If you can’t find someone willing to watch them for a while, find a reputable kennel or pet motel where they can stay in the interim. If you’re moving out of the house while you sell, all is good, take them with you.

Once you have your pets out of the house, you’re almost home free. Be sure to vacuum everything, carpet, rugs, hard floors, drapes, furniture, lamps; everything. You want to get up every bit of pet hair.

Once you’ve done this, look around for anything that may have been scratched or chewed by your favorite furry (or hairless) friend and get it out of the house. If what’s been damaged is part of the house, repair it.

If there are any pet stains, use an enzyme-based product, such as OdorOut-222, to remove them. OdorOut does not contain any alcohol or perfumes, it does not hide or mask stains or odors; it chemically breaks them down, removing them permanently. There are many other products on the market that can do this, but I’ve used OdorOut and know it works, not just on pet stains, but on smoke odors and nicotine film, as well (I don’t smoke, but the previous resident of my apartment did). A little off-topic, but it also does wonders for cooking odors that may have been absorbed into walls.

Once you’ve moved your pets out, buyers can picture themselves moving in. You’re well on your way to selling faster, for the highest price you can get!

So far, I’ve written about 9 color picking tips. I’m pretty sure I promised you 10, so here’s the last one…

If your home has windows, what’s outside them is something you should definitely consider when selecting colors for what’s inside them. Look out the window, find a color out there that you like and have some paint color-matched to that color.

If your color of choice is a dominant color through your window, make it a dominant color in the room by painting at least one wall that color. If it exists more subtly in the landscape, go ahead and use your new color on moldings and baseboards, like I mentioned in the previous tip!

Of course, if your house doesn’t have windows, I hope you at least get out a lot.

If you’ve been keeping up with my color picking tips, you’ve probably been waiting for this one. If you’ve just come across the series, you might want to start at square one.

If you’re thinking of using a bright tone like yellow or orange but the idea of your entire room being that bright frightens you, there’s a simple solution. If you paint the walls white and put your color of choice on doors, moldings and baseboards. You really can have your cake and eat it too!

Want more? Sorry, you’re going to have to wait for it. Don’t worry, I’ll have it for you soon!

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Hey, I said I’d have it soon, didn’t I? Here it is!

If you’ve been keeping up with my color picking tips, you’re in for a treat with this one. If not, please read my previous tips!

There are literally thousands of paint colors available from the catalogs of almost every business that sells paint. That’s absolutely wonderful when you’re not sure which color you want! Even more wonderful, when you want the absolute perfect color in a room is that most places will color match almost any item you bring them and sell you paint in that exact shade, usually for no extra charge!

Find your favorite color somewhere, bring it with you and get a color nobody else has by ordering outside the catalog!

I have two more color tips for you, check out the next one!

Many of you have been following my series of color-picking articles. Those of you who have not, please start from square one. Everyone else, please, read on!

If you truly want to create a space you can love, start with something you love! Look at the predominate color in whatever you pick. That’s the color you should paint the walls. Accents should be colored after the remaining colors on the object of your affection.

The only limitation on what you can pick from is this; please, pick something you love, not someone you love. Trust me, it won’t turn out as well as you think it will.

That’s not all, read on to find out how to get any color you want, even if it’s not in the catalog!

Many of you have been following my recent series of posts regarding choosing paint colors. Those of you who haven’t should probably start from the beginning. Those of you who have, probably noticed that I’ve run out of alliterations for the titles of these articles. Sorry about that. If you’ve been following along, please, read on.

If you have a favorite place, be it somewhere you vacation, a store you love to shop at, even a restaurant you dine at frequently, you can pick your favorite colors from that place and incorporate them into your home. It will help to remind you of that favorite place, in turn helping you relax and making you feel more comfortable.

If you would like more color tips, please, read on!

Many of you have been keeping up with my recent series of posts regarding picking paint colors. If you’re just finding this blog or haven’t been by in a while, I might suggest starting from the beginning. If you’ve been following along, please, read on.

If you’re going to be bringing several sources of color into a room, maybe you should consider painting the walls one of the many hundreds of clean shades of white.

Furniture, bedding, accent pillows, photographs, paintings, sculptures, even a window with a view can bring all the color a room needs.

If you’d like more color tips, please, be my guest!

Recently, I began posting tips on picking the best colors for a room. If you’ve been following the series, good for you! If not, you can get caught up, by starting here, before reading on.
You’ve picked the colors you want in your house and, now, just can’t decide what color to put where. Don’t worry, this is more common for the average homeowner than you probably think. This simple guideline should help you decide!

You want to make a statement to people coming into your home. One way, perhaps the best way, to do this is by painting your entryway a bright color. Strong colors, which would be suitable for such an area, should be kept out of a kitchen, however. There, you should use white or a very pale pastel. Dark or extremely bright colors aren’t relaxing enough for use in a bedroom. You’re better off with a neutral or softer color where you sleep. Pretty much anything goes in the bathroom; it’s such a small space that you can get away with almost anything. Except dark colors, that is. They make small spaces look even smaller.

Interested in thinking bigger? Read on!