Home Staging: How It Can Help Sell Your Home Faster

by: Richard Rigor

Home Staging is often done when you sell your home. Staging a home can bring you a much higher selling price.A home staging professional can be hired to tour your home and direct you to make the changes that will increase your homes marketability. Make sure the stager you hire is accredited.

Staging a home is not redecorating it. Redecorating a home focuses on the seller and their personality. Staging focuses on the buyer. It provides the current home owner with the knowledge to rearrange the furnishings, pictures, accessories, etc. in the best possible manner to enhance the rooms function, appearance and balance.

The seller of a home has a strong emotional attachment and often times lacks the objectivity to know what's best to enhance their homes looks.

Real Estate agents will often hire a stager as part of the selling package because they may be uncomfortable disclosing to the seller that their home needs work and avoid upsetting them.

The main purpose of the staging professional is to help the buyer see themselves and their belongings fit into the home they are viewing. They do this by rearranging the home to appeal to a broad base of purchasers. Stagers can be expensive, so if you want to go it alone please follow the tips below.

The first and most important consideration to prepare your home for sale is to unclutter. There should be NO clutter anywhere in your home. Go through each room and remove any clutter you see. Organize toys in decorative boxes that are hidden away in a storage room (perhaps a room for storage in the basement). You can always take them out again when you don't have any booked showings. Bookcases should be neat and attractive interspersed with a few ornaments. Closets shnuld be cleaned out so that only clothes are visible. Remove storage at top and bottom of closets. Place clothes out of season in storage.In fact, place any clutter you have found in storage as well. You have to move anyway and you will have to pack less later when you do move!

The foyer provides the buyer with the first impression. It should be clean, uncluttered, bright and inviting. If any rooms are dull brighten them up with higher wattage bulbs in lamps.

Remove personal photos from all rooms if possible and replace with prints or ornaments. You want the buyer to focus on your home, not your personal life. This can be distracting.

A fresh coat of paint is mandatory. Paint your home in a neutral colour (white or beige is best).You can ad a splash of colour with colored accessories, pillows, throw rugs, candles, etc.

Bathrooms should be sparkling! Counters should be clear with no personal items visible. Tub tile grout should be clean and shower curtains and glass shower doors should be free of mildew. Hang fluffy, colorful towels on the towel rods.

Kitchens must be spotless.Remove all notes, magnets, etc.off the front of the fridge. Keep counter space clean and clear of all items. Clean out under sinks and organize the pantry. Paint outdated cupboards with a neutral colour and put new modern knobs on doors for a fresh look. Dishes on the floor for pet food should be eliminated during a showing.

Furnishings should be simple and minimal.Leave space between pieces and remove nick knacks. Your most attractive piece of furniture should be placed on the wall you see when you enter a room if possible. Tuck away Cd's, videos, etc. Hang pictures at eye level. Group accessories in odd numbers (one, three or five).Fireplace mantles should be depersonalized by removing pictures. A flower arrangement, mantle clock or piece of art would be appropriate here.

Garages, front and back yards should be cleaned as well. Plant flowers or shrubs in the yard for a welcoming effect. Prune any shrubs you may already have.Don't leave bikes or toys around the yard. Clean the pool if you have one. The lawn should be cut and watered to give the home a well cared for look. A coat of paint on the outside of the house may also be in order.

If you can afford a stager it is well worth the money. If not, just make sure you clean and unclutter! A spring cleaning will definitely pay off.This can not be stressed enough! A coat of paint will do wonders. Have lights on in every room (even during the day) and soft music playing before a showing. Spray a nice gentle room spray around the house to freshen it up. Be careful it is gentle or the buyer will think you are covering up something.

About The Author

Richard Rigor is a REALTOR and mortgage loan consultant. He lists and sells residential properties in Birmingham, AL and surrounding cities.

http://HomeBuyersReview.com - http://HomeSellersReview.com




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Bathroom Floor Plan Remodel - Help Is At Hand

by: Martin Smith

A bathroom floor Plan remodel project can be a daunting task --not generally a task for the do-it-yourselfer. There are some amenities that you see in the bathrooms for multi-million dollar homes that can be incorporated into your master bath for between $400 and $8,000. One of the easiest jobs to tackle is the lighting. The recessed bathroom lighting is so popular with contractors will cause shadows over your bathroom vanity unless you have some additional light source.

Remodel a bathroom floor plan by having a floor heating system installed under your bathroom floor. Imagine stepping out of the shower onto a warm custom heated floor. The floor heating will help to warm up the bath with floor to ceiling warmth. Another inexpensive element that can be included when you remodel your bathroom is an chromo-therapy system. Streams of color can be shown through either standing or running water. This helps to relax you. You can buy bath, shower, and sink systems with chromo-therapy options. Multiple shower heads with differing sprays and jets to massage and relax you can bre installed in your bathroom. The cost of this shower systems can run between $3,200 and $5,500 depending on the kinds and number of heads you choose.

Another interesting bathroom option when you are remodeling your master bath is a stream shower. This system provides a mist of steam that makes your skin feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Most of these projects require someone very knowledgeable in plumbing and laying of pipe. Before you remodel your bathroom, check to see if your local building codes allow you to make these changes.

About The Author

Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for homebuyers on purchasing a variety House Plans, his articles provide a resource of interesting and relevant information. http://www.1st-4-house-plans.com.





Improving your home and your life only at Home Improvement Idea : http://home-improvement-idea.blogspot.com

Hiring An Home Improvement Trade Online

by: Kris Koonar

Have you ever tried to hire any type of construction trade over the last 5 years? If so you know that it’s next to impossible unless you are some billionaire developer with his own T.V. show. The simple fact is that trades are just like any other business and follow the money. There is nothing wrong with the trades trying to please their biggest customer or taking care of customers that they expect will continue to build once the housing boom is over. In fact if you want a major non-essential renovation on your home, you may want to consider waiting until the housing boom slows down.

Very simply all reputable housing trades want to earn the most amount of money they can while the housing boom lasts. Again nothing wrong with this. Ask yourself what you would do in their shoes? or their boots.

What if you need housework done now?

Here are some quick money saving tips

1. Consider hiring a general contractor vs. doing it yourself. The idea is that a general contractor will have a full time loyal crew working for him. Often he is able to pay his crew less in return for steady work. So by hiring a contractor its often cheaper that trying to hire the trades yourself individually.

2. Pair your needs up with a friend and offer the trade both jobs. DO NOT, I repeat do not insult the trade with an offer like “if you do a good job on my house I will recommend you to many others”. When I first started in business I believed this empty promise and never end getting one lead from anyone who said this. Now as a seasoned business person I would just answer that for every new paying customer they bring me I will deduct X amount off their bill.

3. Due Diligence—there are lots of way to find new contractors and trades. Try looking online or searching a home improvement directory

About The Author

Kris Koonar is President of Crack Marketing leading a team of Internet Marketing Consultants with over 5 years of experience and 100's of projects. He is also writer of an Internet Marketing Course called "The Website MBA"

crackmarketing.com

Kris can be contacted at 1.877.270.7170 or kris@crackmarketing.com

Improving your home and your life only at Home Improvement Idea : http://home-improvement-idea.blogspot.com

Find Out Why Stainmaster Carpet Is Your Best Choice

by: John Murray

If you are in the market for new carpet chances are you have plenty of questions about which manufacturers are best, which carpets have the best warranties, what to look for when buying carpet, and the list goes on. Of course there are several excellent carpet manufacturers but one that really stands out is Stainmaster Carpet. Find out why Stainmaster carpet is your best choice.

Stainmaster carpet offers it all. Exceptional service and a first class product with plenty of styles to choose from, and a superb warranty.

Stainmaster is known as an industry leader when it comes to innovation and carpet fashions. They've got hundreds of colors and styles to choose from. They're very proud of their latest member to the family the Tactesse nylon fiber line which is even more luxurious than wool.

Stainmaster is very proud of the carpet construction which is second to none. They use bulked continuous filament which means that the yarn is formed from continuous strands of nylon which is textured to create a fuller rug as well as provide curled fiber as well as straight.

Each carpet fiber is then wrapped to provide a tighter twist and a more resilient carpet. It also resists crushing from footprints, matting, and texture change.

After the fiber is twisted it is then treated with a heat system to lock the twist into place. This means your carpet is less likely to snag and unravel or crush from heavy traffic.

After the fiber has been heat treated it is thread onto large carpet needles and then stitched to the backing. How dense the carpet becomes is determined by the amount of yarn that is used.

It is then saturated in a liquid dye solution followed by a solution that sets the color, then it is dried. Finally it is saturated with the stain guard solution and it is once again dried. Finally it is coated with Stainmaster's unique Teflon® solution. The end result is a carpet that's gorgeous, able to repel stains, and dirt, and will last a long time.

Stainmaster Carpet offers a variety of styles. The Cultured Beauty Line is their most popular line offering a warranty that guarantees it won't wear more than 10% in ten years during normal home use. It also has been engineered to retain its texture and not flatten down. The stain guard guarantees against most household type stains for a seven year period and it's also guaranteed to not change color due to soil for a seven year period. It even has an anti static warranty.

Some of the most popular carpet styles in the cultured beauty line are beach comber, birch bark, champagne bubbles, chenille white, and ice crystal. In their vibrant colors there is earth violet, crab apple, faded denim, nocturne, ocean reef, confetti pink, and a host of other choices.

Four very other popular styles are the 352 Rhett, 353 Scarlet, 358 Romeo, and 359 Juliet all with the Teflon solution, the wear warranty, stain and soil warranty. These four lines are rich and plush providing a full bodied carpet in a wide range of fashionable colors. Durable and beautiful all in one!

Carpet is a big investment so be sure you check out Stainmaster Carpet and see what they can offer you!

About The Author

John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To learn more and receive your free mini-course visit: http://www.carpets-guide.com.

Improving your home and your life only at Home Improvement Idea : http://home-improvement-idea.blogspot.com

Save Money and Buy Wholesale Carpet

by: John Murray

If you are in the market for some new carpets you are probably already aware of how costly that can be. There are many ways you can get better pricing for your carpet such as buying remnants or flawed carpet. But why not save money and buy wholesale carpet? Yes even you as a consumer can buy wholesale carpet.

Many people hear the word wholesale and believe they must be a business, dealer, or high volume purchaser to get wholesale pricing. That's simply not true. There are various types of wholesale carpet plans around. You just need to find the one that works for your situation.

Carpet Wholesale Distributors have low overhead and great buying potential. You'll not find any store fronts here, just a basic large warehouse, lots of concrete, and lots of carpet. This type of carpet wholesaler is in business to supply carpet to carpet retailers. They may also deal with large corporate clients that buy large volumes of carpets. For instance developers of condos, home builders, or commercial office builders. There pricing is competitive and their goal is for there to be enough room for the retailer to add their mark up and still be competitive. They are quick to deliver their product.

Wholesale carpet retailers are open to the general public. Yes this means you! You can safe a substantial amount by buying your carpet from wholesale carpet retailers. Besides the savings there are other benefits like quick delivery and installation. You'll save both time and money.

There are a couple of reasons why these retailers can offer carpets at wholesale pricing while other retailers cannot. They have massive buying power so they order large volume and obtain the maximum discounts from the supplier.

You'll not find fancy show rooms, snazzy lighting, or any other cosmetic perks. What you'll find is a big concrete warehouse with rolls and rolls of carpet. This reduces their overhead dramatically

Most of these operations are looking to move volume at a reduced price so they are willing to work on a much smaller profit margin.

They purchase seconds and thirds meaning they have imperfections. These imperfections can be small or large. They might be a dye lot that was off, snags or runs, or a host of other items.

When buying from a wholesale carpet retailer you'll want to find out the answers to these questions.

Make sure you understand the warranty and whether any warranty claims will be dealt with at the wholesaler level or whether you'll need to deal with the manufacturer of the carpet.

You'll also want to know if the carpet you are buying are seconds, Normally too small to notice but you'll need to make sure. The last thing you need is a nice long line of missed looping that runs right through the center of the carpet. Just be sure to have a really good look if you are buying seconds. You'll also want to find out if the manufacturers warranty is still valid.

Remember if a deal sounds to good to be true, 99.9% of the time it is. So if the price is just to good find out what's wrong with the product before you jump the gun and spend your money on an unsatisfactory product.

Make sure you get your pricing with underlay and installation. No sense in getting cheap carpet if they soak it to you on the underlay or install. So be sure to get a full package price.

Buying wholesale carpet can save you a ton of money. So if you don't care if there's a fancy show room, and you don't need someone to hold your hand while you pick out your carpet, and you just care about basic service this is a doable option. So remember save money and buy wholesale carpet! Think of all the money you'll have left for other home decor projects.

About The Author

John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To learn more and receive your free mini-course visit: http://www.carpets-guide.com.

Improving your home and your life only at Home Improvement Idea : http://home-improvement-idea.blogspot.com