Staging Your Home – A First Impression Could Be the Last Impression

Are you thinking about listing your home or condo for sale?  While there are many aspects to consider when deciding to sell a property, one of the most important considerations a seller ponders is whether to show the home furnished or empty?  Answers to this question vary among experts in the market place and opinions on both sides of this argument offer valid points.  However, the scales tip slightly in favor of leaving a property furnished when showing to perspective buyers.

The Argument for Staging

First, leaving a property furnished, takes the “guess” work out of how an individual may layout and best utilize particular spaces in a home or condo.  Buyers need not wonder if the wrap around couch would fit in the family room or where to hang the big screen television.  They can easily picture how the master bedroom furniture may be arranged.  Another reason is a furnished home with the right style of furniture and layout adds aesthetic appeal and charm to the property.  This concept is apparent in the new trend of professional staging.   Hiring a professional stager to decorate and maximize a home’s potential is always an added benefit, but not all sellers are in the position to seek that type of expertise.

Clean and De-Clutter

When you can’t hire a professional to help stage a home, it is essential a potential buyer’s experience be positive when first seeing the home.  If the property is cluttered, dirty, or emits an unpleasant odor, the seller can say goodbye to any expectations of a written offer.  Bulky or lack luster furnishings and tacky decor may leave a potential buyer unimpressed and uninterested.   The first impression of a property will always determine if a second showing or a written contract is a possibility.  Keeping this in mind can help guide both the realtor and seller in the decision to keep the home furnished or show it empty.

When a seller can’t afford to hire a professional stager, it’s best to try to think like one.  As a seller, if you do decide to keep the property furnished THINK: less clutter, cozy comfortable layouts, neutral interior paint, lighting counts, clean, pleasant odor, and depersonalize.  A potential buyer will take all these things into consideration when viewing a property to purchase.  The first impression must be the best impression.

What Do the Experts Think?

So, why do some experts believe leaving a home unfurnished is better?  One consideration for leaving a home unfurnished is that it allows a potential buyer to view the property as a blank canvas.  Someone else’s belongings in a home, can lead to a buyer relating the property to the previous owner and never personalizing it and seeing it as his or her own.  Also furnishings and decor in a space may not appear attractive to the buyer because personal taste and styles vary among individual home owners.  An empty space enables the buyer to be creative and imagine the exact layout of his or her own belongings arranged in a multitude of ways.  They begin to personalize the space.

Another argument for leaving a home unfurnished is that it provides potential buyers the flexibility to move in as soon as closing occurs.  It also removes the concern that the property could be damaged by the former owner when moving out.  Finally, an unfurnished home provides the buyer more assurance that there is no hidden damage, such as a hole in the wall behind a headboard, or a stain on the carpet beneath the couch.

Pluses and Minuses

Regardless if you are working with an agent, or selling a home for sale by owner, these are important points to take into account when determining if it is best to leave a property furnished or empty.  Both options present compelling sides, thus leaving room for open discussions and different conclusions from the experts.  More professionals in real estate agree that leaving a home furnished is the best way to sell.  This eliminates any conclusion that an empty property means a desperate seller, thus decreasing value.  Also, experts’ site that an empty house can surprisingly feel smaller than one furnished.  Regardless a seller can rest assured that all experts agree; the first impression could be the last impression.  Whether your home was listed and shown furnished or unfurnished, always leave the best impression on the potential buyer, therefore increasing the success of a sale.

Renovations for Home Sale or Home Enjoyment?

With the warming weather underway and your Spring cleaning recently accomplished, now is the time many homeowners start considering tackling those major home improvement projects.  If you’re feeling particularly handy, or have brought in the professionals, to undertake a major home renovation this year, you know the importance of coming up with a game plan.  But before you draft those blueprints for your new addition or masterpiece built in fish tank meets wall unit, take a few minutes to digest a bit of handy guidance on renovations and home value.

Are You Looking to Sell?

Before commencing any remodel on your home, consider when and if you will be looking to list your home on the market in the future.  If your intention is to remain in your home for 5, 10 or more years, you will have more flexibility and a greater amount of time to get a return on your investment.  Do keep in mind that life can sometimes bring the unexpected.  Despite your best laid plans, you may find your job and family relocating sooner than you considered.  While this shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your home now, you may want to keep resale value of any major improvements in mind.

Modern Trends or Timeless Classics

On the topic of resale value, there are numerous factors that will impact your improvements addition (or subtraction) to the value of your home.  We’ve all heard of the obvious considerations here.  Adding or subtracting bedrooms or bathrooms or spending money in high value areas such as the kitchen, are points addressed in most major home improvement magazines.

What is less talked about is the overall look, feel or aesthetic of any improvement you may undertake.  When renovating with an eye to resale it’s better to avoid modern trends and stick to timeless styles.  That all black vinyl counter top may be all the rage this year, but it also instantly dates the renovation and may be a fashion faux pas five years down the road.  Neutral colors and quality materials will always be in style.  If hiring a contractor, consult with them prior to importing that sapphire blue Italian marble, or similar trendy item.  Chances are they’ve worked in quite a few homes in your area and can offer feedback on keeping things classy either now or years later.

The Personal Touch isn’t Always Best

Another overall theme to consider with your renovation is whether you are personalizing the home “too much.”  If you’ve designed the newly refurbished basement to be a home gym, complete with built in weight machines and mat flooring, it will be very difficult for future buyers to change the space to be used for another purpose.  If you don’t have enough perspective buyers that are also gym rats, this can mean you won’t get a return on investment for your upgrade.  For extremely specialized upgrades, future buyers may even consider them a liability or a change that devalues the home.

Making improvements and placing finishing touches on your property is a large part of what makes a house a home.  While making the space your own should always be highly encouraged, if you’re considering a home sale in the near future you may need to rethink your strategy just a touch.  Renovating, refurbishing or other construction on your home is a major undertaking.  Spending a few minutes up front to plan not only the individual logistics of your job, but also the long and short term impacts to home value or resale ability, will return major dividends in the end.

New Construction or Tried and True: Pros and Cons of Buying a New vs Older Home

Life is full of tough choices.  Chocolate or vanilla. Cats versus dogs.  Jelly or Jam.  Okay, so maybe these either-or scenarios might not exactly have life altering effects if you make the wrong choice (dogs are always the better choice) there is one decision you’ll need to make that will have a long term impact on your life.  When it comes to house-hunting, choosing between a new construction or an existing older home will have distinct differences in your overall living experience.  They will also affect your pocket book in varying ways.  Keep reading as we break down the pros and cons to homesnew and old.

Money Well Spent – In Different Areas

One of the primary considerations when making any home purchase is your budget.  With a new home the majority of your investment will go directly into the purchase price.  Generally speaking, new construction will have little to no work needed to get your new home move-in ready.  Homebuilders typically prime new walls to provide a blank palette to new owners so you may need to invest in a few gallons of color, or the services of a professional home painter.  New construction will also usually come with a home warranty good for one to five years, which will cover anything that may go wrong.

An older home on the other hand may need repairs, from minor to significant, in order to make it livable.  Walls are typically painted in colors that aren’t your preference, but at least they are painted before move in.  Unless you have a motivated seller, you generally won’t receive a home warranty which means buyers will be on the hook for potential fixes in the years to come.  A thorough home inspection will be important and can help uncover these potential pitfalls at a time when you are still able to ask for concessions, repairs or credits from your seller.

Established Neighborhood or Build Your Own

Another major consideration is whether or not you will be buying into an established neighborhood.  While some new construction is the result of tear downs of existing homes, many times you will be buying in a brand-new neighborhood next to neighbors that have purchased either shortly before or after you.  This can mean that your neighborhood will lack a sense of structure and community and relationships must be built.  This may take longer to create from the ground up.  On the other hand, in long standing neighborhoods it may be difficult to break into the local bridge game or weekly dinner parties with families who have known each other for years.

Things Can and Will Still Go Wrong

Whether buying new or old, keep in mind that the unknown can and will still happen.  New construction will often settle over the first few years, creating minor, cosmetic cracks that won’t be covered by your typical warranty.  Bigger issues may be covered under your home owners or warranty policy, but only if they have a major impact on your ability to live in your home.

For older homes, appliances and systems have a finite lifespan and even the best inspector may have a difficult time anticipating when a furnace or hot water heater will go bad or when, exactly, that roof will spring a leak.  On the other hand, a solid foundation that has lasted for 30, 40 or 100 years will most likely stand the test of another 50, and older houses were built using wood grown before the modern movement of fast growing trees for construction meaning your materials are more dense.  There is, after all, a reason people throw around the whole “they don’t make things like they used to” line.

Morale of the story, whether new or old, each home will have its own peculiarities.  The important thing for homeowners to consider is each individual prospect’s individual charms, then weigh these against other properties that may have made their way onto your final picks list.  Homes are much like people with individual characteristics and personality.  Spend some time getting to know the quirks of your potential new home before purchase for the best chance at avoiding buyer’s remorse.

Its Big Game Time: Are You and Your Home Ready to Host a Party

You’ve felt it coming for the last few weeks.  Aisles in the grocery store have been filling up with chips, dips and more canned beverages that you can shake a stick at.  Everywhere you turn a distinct sports theme has begun to permeate everything from bakery cupcakes to commercials to (heaven forbid) real estate website blogs.

This epidemic of favorite-team-colors induced madness happens about this time every year and doesn’t end until you and a host of friends hash out your differences around the television this Sunday.  While the Football game of the year may be about just who will come away the pigskin victor, its also a traditional reason for friends to get together, alternating hosting duties for gatherings of friends.  If you’re in charge of the game day party this year, read on.  We have a host of tips for getting your home big game ready.

Seating, Seating and More Seating

Whether it’s a football viewing party or an elegant dinner party, the first thing to consider when having people over is where will everyone be parking their tushes during the festivities.  The easiest solution would involve a quick trip to your local home décor or big box retailer for a host of folding chairs.

If you’re short on storage space though it can seem a bit inefficient to store extra seating for the other 364 days of the year when you don’t have guests.  If you have the time and forethought, consider stocking your living areas with convertible seating such as ottomans with built in storage.  Converting a bay window into a sitting area is also a simple project that can help take the load off your guests and maximize on space in smaller homes.

Separate Viewing Rooms

While most of your guests will be there for the football festivities, consider a separate viewing room in your home for those that want to step away from all the yelling, screaming and popcorn throwing that will be going on in the third quarter.  Another room in the house, such as the kitchen or dining room, with a smaller television turned to a lower volume, can provide a place where your guests can keep an eye on the game while enjoying a glass of wine or a few minutes of conversational catch up.  This is also a great way to allow the less enthusiastic fans in your group to socialize while not feeling like party poopers.

There’s Always Next Year

Let’s face it, there will come a time when your social circle outgrows your current even hosting capabilities.  Whether the kitchen is too small or there’s just no way to cram 30 guests into your one bedroom unit, this is the perfect opportunity to start making plans for next year’s big game.  Super Bowl season marks the beginning of the hectic spring selling season in most communities.

Spend a few minutes this game day perusing the current available listings or making a wish list of items for a new home.  Narrowing down some basic broad details such as neighborhood, approximate size and whether you need room for that outdoor grill, can all make the home buying and shopping process smoother.

The Final Analysis

Whether hosting a couple of friends or a dozen, don’t despair.  Stores are packed full of items from snacks to seating that can help make you game day party a smash hit.  And if you find yourself sitting at someone else’s place, playing Monday morning quarterback on all the ways you could have thrown a better party, don’t despair. Homegather.com has all the resources you need to help get you into the place of your dreams in time for next year’s football extravaganza.