Clark - 301 simple things you can do to sell your home now and for more money than you thought: how to inexpensively reorganize, stage, and prepare your home for sale

301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought

How to Inexpensively Reorganize, Stage, and Prepare Your Home for Sale

Teri B. Clark

301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought: How to Inexpensively Reorganize, Stage, and Prepare Your Home for Sale

Copyright 2006 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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ISBN-13: 978-0-910627-06-1

ISBN-10: 0-910627-06-1

Clark, Teri B.

301 simple things you can do to sell your home now and for more money than

you thought : how to inexpensively reorganize, stage, and prepare your home

for sale / by Teri B. Clark.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-910627-06-1 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 0-910627-06-1 (alk. paper)

1. House selling--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title. II.

Title: Three hundred one simple things you can do to sell your home now and

for more money than you thought.

HD259.C54 2006

643.120973--dc22

2006035443

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Table of Contents

Author Dedication

A number of years ago, circumstances found me in a small house with mostly basic furnishings and a budget that did not allow for extras. I was satisfied with all my rooms except the living room. It was difficult to arrange because there were doors on two walls and a wide archway on a third, but I did my best to make it homey.

One day I had a visit from a friend who just happened to bring along her sister, Betty McDonald. She and I seemed to hit it off immediately and were soon talking like old friends. I learned she was an interior designer and a highly regarded one at that. I took a deep breath and said, What can be done to make this living room more attractive without spending any money?

Her eyes quickly darted all about the room. She stood up and began making suggestions involving rearranging furniture, placing pictures and wall hangings in different places, and using some indoor plants in unusual ways. I could not imagine what the room would look like. As soon as she left, I went to work on her recommendations, which included spending about $10 on some candles.

The outcome was spectacular. The room was more comfortable and homey, had better traffic patterns, and the furnishings no longer looked out of place or the wrong size for the room. Over the coming weeks, my friends could not stop talking about how beautiful this former ugly duckling room had become. Many asked what I had bought or if I had repainted or other things that would have cost a lot more than the candles.

Later, I was to learn that what she had done was to stage my room. Her placement of furniture created a foyer when entering the house, her rearrangement of pictures created focal points that were attractive, and the room had better traffic flow. Most impressive was the way she had used lighting to make the room look much larger.

It was this experience that created my interest in home staging and other techniques for making a house into a home with little or no effort or expenditure. In the meantime, home staging has become more popular and one of her specialties. She laughs and says, Home staging is usually more effective than remodeling when selling a homeand it is easier on me and my clients.

She graciously consented to serve as a technical consultant for this book and has been of tremendous value in dealing with the wide range of creative ideas presented by those interviewed.

For her staging of my living room years ago and the contribution of her time and talent to this book, it is dedicated to Betty McDonald.

Foreword

Real estate and staging go hand and hand. Some time ago I came to the conclusion that almost 100 percent of the homes for sale in todays market need to be staged. Staging is necessary whether the property is vacant or furnished.

Staging your property does not necessarily mean bringing in the professionals. There is a simple strategy involving the proper placement of furniture and accessories to maximize the space in your house. Whether you have an eye for this sort of thing, and you probably do, this book can give you many inexpensive ideas. I have been amazed at how many sellers do not take advantage of the concept of staging because it brings value to the property and usually more money than it costs.

A common misconception with sellers is that staging is disproportionately expensive and they do not want to put any more money into a home they are selling. In reality, staging is a wise investment. Most sellers will reduce the price of their property once, twice, and sometimes three times, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 per drop. Why not stage your home for a fraction of the cost? It only makes sense!