If you are planning on selling your home in Boca Raton, it is no longer enough to clean it and give it a coat of white paint. Today's Buyer's want as close to Move-In Ready condition as they can get.

In this 4th in a series on Preparing Your Home for Sale in Boca Raton,  I'll discuss what to do after you've prepped, repaired and cleaned everything in your home. For by now, you're probably wondering what to do with all of your "stuff".. your treasures, your collections.  And this is the big dilemma all sellers must face if they want any Buyer to be able to SEE the space...SEE what they are buying.

Edit> Donate> Pack Up> Hide

Edit-it makes no difference whether you've lived in your for 1 year or 10, we all accumulate things  and often have no idea what to do with them.  So they end up on shelves, in bookcases, stuffed in closets, and hung on our walls.   
Decide what you absolutely must have in your house while it is on the market. You can't possibly read every book you have on all the shelves.  And, if you have children, you have to admit that there are some toys and games that could be packed up and saved until you reach your new home.

Donate-Why move things that you no longer need, clothes you cannot fit or no longer wear, and toys that your children have outgrown to your new home?  If you are paying for a mover, then remember you will also be paying to move these items.

Pack Up- You've heard this before... you're going to be moving soon anyway, so why not get a head start and pack up unnecessary items. 
That said... do not stuff your closets and spare rooms with boxes and anything you're planning on moving.  How can a Buyer see your space??? Depending upon how much you have packed consider renting a storage unit.  These rent month by month and are much less than you'd think.  Besides, if you've prepared and priced your house well, your home will not be on the market that long.

Hide- no, don't stuff everything in your closets, but you can go to Pier 1 or Target and find attractive file boxes for television remotes and files.  Buy a few small plastic bins for toilet items and place these under your sink.

Remember: Buyers are looking at your space and square footage.  Anything that distracts or detracts from this needs to be addressed.

Room Service Home Staging can provide a

Home Staging Consultation to help you

in Preparing your Home for Sale in Boca Raton.

Give us a call!!

Selling your house whether in Boca Raton, Delray, Boynton, or anywhere else in Palm Beach County takes more than placing a "For Sale" sign in your front yard. As I discussed in Parts 1 and 2 in this series-Preparing Your Home for Sale, it is important to view your house as a product that you will have to market.  And, the competition is tough.

Step 3..Clean...Repair..Replace -!!

Clean- You'll want to  think of your favorite aunt or your mother-in-law coming for a visit.

Trust me... clean makes a huge difference. You'll want to scrub, wash, sweep, dust and vacuum every surface you have.  And don't forget the areas that often get neglected like behind the refrigerator, your oven, everything!

If you don't have the time or inclination to do this, hire professional cleaners. It's also a good time to make sure carpets,  sofas, window coverings and anything else that is covered in fabric is cleaned.  Fabric can trap all sorts of cooking odors.

And, don't forget your windows! We all love living in Florida because of the weather; we want to see the outdoors.   Make sure your house shows its best with lots of light to brighten the rooms.  To do this, you'll want to remove or pull back your window coverings.  So... the last thing you want your buyers to see is a "smudgy" view of your patio.

Repair- You know... all of those deferred maintenance projects you meant to take care of... somewhere down the road.

When you have an offer on your house and you and your Buyer come to terms on the price, one of the next steps will be an Inspection by a professional Home Inspection Service. Therefore, if you know an appliance doesn't work, or something that will be staying with the house is broken... fix it!

Roof repairs, improper installations, structure integrity, and the list can go on.

Don't let something like a minor repair derail your sale.

Replace- I know the last thing you want to do is spend money on a house that you'll be leaving but you need to think of it as an investment.

If your flooring is worn or damaged,  replacing it will help with the perceived value of your house.  On the other hand, items left undone could mean either a non-interested buyer or an offer that reflects the condition of the house.

Look at your lighting as well.  Replacing your fixtures with something more updated can add value to your house.  Are your fixtures at your front door pitted from South Florida's salt air?  Replace them!

With a small investment in new carpet, look how this room is transformed.

Don't go away... Part 4 is coming soon and you'll

want to find out what to do with everything!

Home Staging-Boca Raton-Preparing Your Home for Sale. Part 2Home Staging-Boca Raton-Preparing Your Home for Sale -Part 2

Now that you've decided to sell your house and understand that it's important to view it now as a product to be marketed, the next step is to see your house as others will see it.

That's not as easy as it sounds because we're all accustomed to seeing our house every day and looking past some of its imperfections.  We're comfortable in it. However for Buyers, we have to allow your house to show off its architecture...to show the space... and allow others to see its possibilities.

In Part 1 of  Preparing Your Home for Sale we suggested you take photos of your house, including the front and back yards. This is one of the best ways to see your house as others would see it.

Chances are the first time your buyers are going to see your house is on a computer screen. It is from these photographs of your house that Buyers will decide whether or not they will want their agent to set up an appointment to see your house.

For example, when we enter our family room, we're probably looking forward to turning on a movie or football game, kicking off  our shoes and just relaxing.   However, a Buyer seeing this room for the first time may be wondering if there will be enough room to fit their furniture.

The next step is to enlist the services of your best friend, relative or neighbor.... someone you can count on to be brutally honest. Ask them for their impressions of your house.  Ask them for their impressions just as if they were thinking of buying it.   Tell them this may be  the one chance they have to tell you that they can barely get into your family room because it's so packed with your furniture!

Follow the series Preparing Your Home For Sale.
Step 1 :  Home Staging Your Home For Sale-Start thinking of your home as a product you're going to market.

Home Staging- Boca Raton-Preparing Your Home for Sale   Step 1

If you are selling your home in Boca Raton, there's more that you can do besides placing a "For Sale" sign in  the front yard.   If the last time you bought or sold a home was before the Millennium then be aware.... Buyers expect more.

It's not enough to clean your home and give it a fresh coat of paint.  To be sure , those things help but  a changing economy and  tough competition mean you need to be prepared to market your home just as you would if you were selling a product.

And that's the first step if you are selling your home in Boca.... you need to switch gears and begin thinking of your home as a HOUSE.... a product that you will need to market.

It has been said that about 90% of Buyers will begin their search on the Internet.  That means they will be looking at MLS pictures to  decide which house they want to see.   Often they do this before they've even contacted a Realtor.

Step 1:  Grab your camera and start taking pictures of your home!

The first step in preparing your home for sale is to get a good look at your product/house.   You need to see what others will see.

*Stand at the curb and take a picture of your house.. the whole house.  Take it from different angles as well.

* Now stand just outside your entry and take pictures there, just as if you were a buyer waiting to come in.

*Do this for every room and in addition, take a photo from every corner.

* Don't forget your outside deck or patio and the garage.

Now upload your photos to your computer, sit back and take a look.  This is what potential buyers will see when they first view your house online.

Remember-the first step in preparing your house for sale in Boca Raton is to begin to think of it as a product that you will be marketing.  Begin viewing it this way and the rest of the Home Staging process will be easier.

Boca Raton Home Staging- 7 Tips to Help You "Declutter" You Home.

When  I'm providing a Staging Consultation for a client one of the first questions they have for me is where do I put everything you're telling me to get rid of? Trying to sell your home, whether you're in Boca Raton, Delray Beach or Boynton,  can be stressful.   And, while you're trying to sell your home and work and take care of your family, now you're told to edit or declutter your home.

That's easy to say but how?  You're still living there; where do you put everything?  I've listed 7 tips to help you declutter your home.   Most will cost you nothing more than your time and energy.

7 Tips to Help You Declutter Your Home:

1.  Grab some heavy duty trash bags and start throwing things out.
Start with one room and move from room to room.  For example, how many cleaning supplies to you really use? Cleansers you've tried but no longer use can be thrown out or given to someone else.  If you're using a Professional Moving Company many items are not allowed on the van so now is the time to do some editing.
Outdated magazines; expired food products in the pantry; and anything else that would be a good candidate for a trash bag... toss it now.

2. Donate it!
As you go through your home and see items that you no longer want or need but are still useful to others consider donating them to Goodwill or Faith Farm, for example.  If you're one of the many people who just can't part with anything, look at it this way.  By donating it you'll be helping someone who really can use the item.

3.  Pack it up!
You're going to be packing and moving when your house sells so why not start now.  If, for example, it's summer where you are, pack up your winter clothes.  How many books are you going to read between now and when you move?  Pack them up. 
Moving is hard on children and it's understandable that you'd want to have their toys around but take a step back.  Do they play with all of the toys all of the time.  And, face it, some toys are never touched anymore.  Start packing.
TIP:  You can keep your eyes open on Craigslist for free or inexpensive moving boxes from people who have just moved.  They will often have wardrobe boxes, moving paper and special boxes for your art.

4.  Store it!
I wouldn't recommend getting a POD and placing it in your driveway.  Think about what that would do to your curb appeal.  And people do look in garages, so placing it all in your garage is not a good idea either. 
You can ask family members if they have some extra storage space but renting offsite storage is a good option and you can rent month to month.  Prices range from from under $100 a month.

5. Sell it!
There may be some items you can sell, either on eBay or Craigslist.  And there are some consignment shops that may sell your items.  You can actually make some money, which will help you in your move.

6.  Hide it!
No, don't bury it in your back yard, but there are some items that you need while you're still living there so you won't be able to pack them up.  Your toiletries can be placed in a small plastic bin and placed under your sink.  Papers you need don't need to be out for the eyes of others but you still need them.  Target, Home Goods, Michael's.. all have attractive file holders and bins for organizing your things.

7.  Distribute it!
If you're planning on giving some of your treasures to your children or whomever, why not do this now.  If you're not going to be using them in your new home, why pay to move them?  I had a client with an extensive collection of crystal, china and other items that she no longer used or wanted.  She laid them out on her dining room table, had her children over and said take what you want now otherwise it's going.

Remember... Buyers need to see your space, that's
what they're buying.  Get a head start now
and take the stress out of selling your home.

Look What this Boca Raton Seller Did with a Little Help From Us!

All of my clients are favorites of mine but I remember this particular one because he told me to be “brutally honest with him.”

I provided a Staging Consultation for Mr. Dream Client and take a look! What this shows you is that it doesn’t have to be perfect AND it doesn’t have to break your budget.

In an ideal “Stager’s World” we would have turned this chartreuse wall into a more “buyer friendly” taupe but doing some of our suggestions got this buyer an offer in 3 weeks.

Their wall of photos was perfect for Them but we wanted the buyers to write their own story.  You want buyers to be able to see the space and not your things.

Staging or Styling your house doesn't have to look like a carbon copy of every other staged home.  What you want is for the Buyers is for the Buyers to see the possibilities of the space ....you want them to be able to envision themselves living there.

National Scrabble Day is Friday the 13th! Celebrate the Day!

Posted by kathy on April 13, 2012 in Stage it! | 0 comments

National Scrabble Day is Friday the 13th!  Celebrate the Day!

April 13th is National Scrabble Day in honor of the birthday of Alfred Mosher Butts, who created the game of Scrabble in 1938, although it was then called “Criss-Crosswords”.

And today, people young and not-so-young are playing “Words with Friends” on their Smartphones and Facebook.  You don’t even have to know  the other player… all you have to do is sign in.  I’m not sure my friend’s children who play the game have ever seen a real Scrabble board but that’s ok… as long as they’re playing the game.

Of course that means that they actually have to learn and use words ….real words, and not ‘u” for “you” or “c” for “see”.  Parents:  this is a great board game to play with your children.

Did you know:
Scrabble is sold in 121 countries.
There are 29 different language versions.
The highest recorded single word score was 365 points for “quixotry”.

So what are you waiting for?  Call the kids and get out the Scrabble Board!