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As my last article discussed the staging techniques of an empty house, I thought it appropriate to present the staging challenges and benefits of a lived in property.

Home Staging is a real estate service which focuses on increasing the value of a property by making it look its best. Home Staging helps to sell a house quickly and for most money.

Most people continue to live in their home until it’s sold. So, staging a lived in home presents its challenges, as it’s not always possible to make and KEEP it perfect all the time. But there are some basic things that can and need to be done.

First and, probably, the most important tip is – Declutter! As you’ll be moving soon, this task will have to get done at one point or another, so why not start now? Go through the house, room by room, and take everything out but the essentials - decide what to throw out, what to donate and what to put in storage. Keep only the items you’ll need to get you through the next season. You will create more space in your house and you will feel better!

Then, proceed with cleaning and cleaning and cleaning some more! Even if you’ll need to continue with a regular upkeep and cleaning, the effect of extra clean walls, ceilings, carpets, windows and all visible surfaces will last for a while, hopefully long enough to get your property sold.

Using services of a Professional Home Stager should be the next step. A stager will look at your house from the buyer’s point of view and will provide recommendations on what needs to get done to increase the VALUE – minor repairs, depersonalization of the space, furniture and accessories positioning, lighting, appropriate paint colors, etc. She/he will work with the things you already have and might add some accessories from his/her own inventory. You’ll be amazed at the difference it will make and will wonder why you haven’t done it before.

Once everything is put in order and staged, you’ll have to try to keep the house looking that way (or as close as possible). A tip: make and keep a list of the quick «to do’s» before every visit. For example, make sure that the beds are made every morning, the bathrooms are clean and the toys put away in plastic containers/baskets which can be quickly hidden. For a scheduled visit, put new and fluffy towels and bathroom mat out, open the windows, turn all lights on and, if possible, set a vase with fresh flowers or a bowl of fruit on a table. Make sure your house always looks clean, spacey and well decorated.

Remember, Home staging pays for itself many times over at the sale time. Stage your house – sell your house!

This article written by Sveta Melchuk from Decora Solutions, a Montreal firm that specializes in Home Staging and Interior Re-design services, www.home-staging-montreal.com.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 8:46 am and is filed under Home Staging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.