Our Top 5 Easy and Inexpensive Home Staging Hacks

1) Hot Water Heater: Scrub It!

How: Go look at the top of your hot water heater. Chances are, it's covered in dust and grime. If you want to prepare your home for selling at top dollar, you need to scrub the top of your hot water heater, including the connecting pipes and tubing. 

Why: Buyers are afraid of two things: missing out and making mistakes. To avoid this, they will check every room of the house, including closets. Buyers are particularly hesitant to purchase homes that they think might have plumbing or electrical issues, and seeing a thick layer of dust on a hot water heater will make them question what else is wrong with your house. Are there more issues underneath the dust? Has important maintenance been deferred? Ease those fears before they arise: scrub that hot water heater!

Cost: Aside from the use of some cleaning supplies you already have, all this home staging tip requires of you is a little bit of time.

2) Window Screens: Remove Them!

How: You know those screens on your windows you hardly ever think about? Before listing, remove them from your windows. Put them somewhere out of sight, like in the garage or a closet.

Why: Most buyers look at photos of houses online before they even consider viewing them in person. In photos of indoor spaces, window screens obscure the view outside that could prove enticing to your buyer. If you have a beautiful coastal view outside, for example, it may read as nothing more than a bluish blur if the photo is taken through a window screen. You want your buyer to admire blue skies and greenery on the HD screens of their phones and tablets while viewing online. Also, once your buyer arrives for the in-person viewing, screenless windows will bathe your rooms in light, making them appear larger and better-lit.  

Cost: The best part of this staging hack? It's totally, 100% free.

3) Bathroom Fixtures: Caulk Them!

How: Check the caulking around your bathtub, sink & toilet. Does it look yellow, peeling, or worn out? Completely revitalize the area with a quick caulk job!

Why: Over time, the caulking around bathroom fixtures will start to show its age. The high rust content in Florida water means the caulking (even in well-cleaned bathrooms) may start to look pink, orange or yellow. As the caulking gets wet and dries repeatedly, it also starts to shrink away and create gaps. This allows water and grime to make their way into these spaces between the caulking and the fixture.  

If you want to properly prepare your home for sale, you need to show your buyers that the home is well-maintained. Re-caulking makes an older toilet seem freshly-installed, reassuring the buyer that they won't have to immediately invest in expensive new bathroom fixtures. In addition to newer-looking fixtures, fresh caulking makes your bathroom look clean and well-maintained. 

Cost: This is our first home staging tip that costs money, but it's still cheap! For under $3, you can buy a caulking gun. Refills will only run you about $2.50 to $6.00 each. Pretty cheap for a brand-new looking bathroom! 

4) The Air Handler: Clean and Re-insulate!

How: When's the last time you thought about your AC's air handler? Clean the tops and sides of the air handler on your air conditioning system. Replace the old, cracked foam insulators to make the entire system look brand-new and fully-functioning. 

Why:  Every home buyer has heard a nightmare story about a new home gone wrong. Maybe their friend purchased a house with an old AC unit that needed to be replaced two weeks after closing. They'll be on the look-out for clues about expensive replacements and renovations.

Just like with the hot water heater, a dirty air handler will signal to your buyer that the home has not been properly maintained. Because of the constant condensation around the air handler, foam pipes will start deteriorating relatively quickly. When your buyer sees this, they'll wonder what else is dirty and falling apart. Keep this fact off your prospective buyer's mind with proper home staging, which will present it as move-in ready.

Cost: Foam insulation is relatively inexpensive. For under $10, you can cover 6 feet of pipe!

5) Under the Kitchen Sink: Clean & Line!

How: Check out the space under your kitchen sink. We open and close this door so many times that we may get Visual Amnesia: we don't even notice how dirty or cluttered it's gotten! If you have a mess down there (which, let's be honest, many of us do), spend a few minutes de-cluttering and scrubbing. To really present the absolute best under-the-sink condition, you can even consider new shelf liners. 

Why:  Remember that your buyer is looking at everything in your home with critical eyes. It's a fact: while women will always check out the bedroom closets, men will check under the sink! Cleaning products kept under the sink spill and create stains, but buyers don't know that, so it makes them suspicious of plumbing problems. Also, your goal in presenting a new home is to make your buyer feel like their life will be easier, cleaner, and more organized right off the bat. You can do just that with this home staging technique!

Cost: For a classy look under $15, check out these easy-to-install graphite sink shelf liners.

Make Your Home a Buyer's Dream & Get Top Dollar!

Moving from one house to another is a symbolic gesture: out with the old, in with the new. The new buyer wants to think that the bathroom will always stay clean, the closets will remain orderly, the spice rack will remain stocked and organized, and every sock will find its drawer. They want a dream home.

As a seller, make sure your house projects that cleanliness and organization. These simple and inexpensive staging hacks will show buyers the best of your home, ease their anxieties, and make them look forward to a clean, bright, and organized "new" house. This will present your home as the dream home the buyer is searching for, setting up your house for selling success and setting you up to get top dollar for your property.

Tired of Empty Promises From Realtors?

If you've taken these 5 staging hacks and applied them to your house, but you still need help to get the money your property deserves, don't waste your time looking at other realtors - Blackburn Coastal Realty is absolutely who you should turn to! We will help your home find a happy buyer and make sure you get the money you deserve! Click below to get started:

                    Positive comments are welcome (especially from relatives who do not owe me money) and will be posted on our website. Negative comments will be posted on my dartboard office wall. 

The Beach is HOT!

Coastal Living magazine says the hottest real estate markets are on the beach. Not a surprise, right?  But having our own Beach and Bay area rank #4 of the Top 10 coastal areas? That's what I call big news!

The Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater metro area is sometimes referred to as "Tampa Bay" because of its proximity to Tampa Bay, on Florida's Gulf Coast. Across the globe, the average citizen may associate the Gulf Coast of Florida with one of those awesome cities -- Tampa, St Petersburg or Clearwater - but they might not recognize the names of the many smaller beach towns on the barrier islands of the area. That's a shame because they are quaint, sometimes quirky and definitely affordable!

Click the boxes below to see what's available right now.

Don't wait - the best deals sell quickly! Call or text (727) 599-5418 right away if you'd like to see any of the properties featured in the links above. 

Make this your year - the year you finally buy the beach condo or cottage you've been dreaming about!

Positive comments are welcome (especially from relatives who do not owe me money) and will be posted on our website. Negative comments will be posted on my dartboard office wall.

Photo Credit: Michael Tunnell 

Take a look at this absolutely stunning condo - there's no way it had to be staged to be sold, right? Wrong! Read this article to understand why home staging is so important, and then we'll revisit this gorgeous home...

If you have started looking into selling your home in the last year, you have probably noticed that buyers are scrambling for opportunities. In the real estate world, this is known as a Seller's Market, meaning that the ratio of homes for sale to buyers is distinctly in the seller's favor. In waterfront areas especially, home prices are rising steadily and many sellers are seeing an avalanche of favorable offers, often within the first month of putting up a listing. Between people buying up and holding onto investment properties and the increasing number of successful families looking for a second or vacation home, there just aren't enough beachfront opportunities for everyone!

What to Expect in a Seller's Market

But what exactly does a seller's market mean for you and your home sale this year? It's not quite as cut-and-dried as it seems. A seller's market means that there's a high demand for homes, but it doesn't automatically result in buyers falling in love with your property and committing to a purchase as quickly as most sellers would like. Even if you get a flood of interested buyers immediately after listing, that interest can dry up just as quickly if inspection or appraisal results aren't perfect or if a more appealing option appears within an hour of your location.

While it may seem like your property is going to fly off the market, in reality, unstaged homes in a seller's market often go back on the market multiple times, at lower and lower values, as uncommitted buyers retract their offers after realizing they're not really in love with your property.

The List vs The Love - What Really Sells a House

When wondering how to deal with your fickle buyers who show interest but then disappear, ask yourself how you would buy a house. There are two major factors in choosing a new home that are known in the real estate industry as "The List" and "The Love". The List is what the buyer thinks they want from a home and what they'd tell a real estate agent to find for them. The Love, on the other hand, is when the buyer starts imagining their new life in a home before they even count the bedrooms!

To sell your home, you want to do your best to appeal to both The List and The Love. While everything about the home should be as updated and polished as possible, what you really want to do is show your potential buyers what it'd be like if they already lived in the home. You want them to feel "at home" the moment they step through the door, and that's where staging comes in. Buyers who are in love with a home will agree to higher prices, overlook minor flaws, and commit fully to buying your house without a second thought.

Staging Reveals the Human Side of a Home

Standing empty, a home looks like nothing more than walls, floors, and a few appliances. When touring an empty house, no emotional connection is established. All your buyers see are empty rooms and echoing footsteps, not a welcoming place to relax. Home staging completely changes that. With the addition of a few strategically chosen pieces of furniture and subtly neutral but targeted decor, you can transform those empty rooms into a cozy residence.

A little applied interior decorating like updated wall paint, color-coordinated accents, and subtly inviting furniture arrangements make it clear that someone with style could live in the home you're trying to sell. The real magic, however, is in the little touches. A pair of martini glasses on the sun-drenched balcony, a bowl of fruit on the kitchen island, and a breakfast tray on the master bed leave the impression that a truly relaxed homeowner just stepped out... and that your buyers could step right into their comfortable life in your home as easily as they can breathe in the lovely lingering scent of cinnamon.

Why Stage in a Seller's Market?

When buyers are lining up at your door to for showings, it can be easy to wonder if home staging is even worth the effort. After seeing hundreds of buyers go through this experience, let me assure you: It is! Staging helps buyers to see your house not just as a residential property on the market, but as a home they will be happy in. Buyers who fall in love with a house are nearly 30% more likely to be alright with minor issues with the inspection or appraisal and agree with your assessment of home value because they can see the charm and comfort that the property has to offer.

How Can Blackburn Coastal Realty Help You?

Let's revisit the condo from above. That stunning condo was built in 1980, but had been completely updated by the owners. Everything was neutral, timeless, calming. It was really beautiful. The owner had excellent taste. But decorating is not staging and vice versa. I knew it needed something to make the rooms look bigger so it would photograph better, with an arrangement of furniture that would instantly draw buyers into the room toward the view. I brought my staging assistant and we worked non-stop for 2 ½ hours, moving furniture, switching artwork from one wall to another, and re-arranging accessories.

Guess what?

We had 3 showings right away and were under contract by the 12th day with a buyer who was on a cruise when she checked her email and saw the video (shown below) sent by her Realtor. That's right - they made an offer without having seen the home in person. They paid cash, no contingencies, $555,000 - the highest price paid for a 2 bedroom beach condo in that building since the real estate bubble. 

That's the power of home staging, and that's the power of Blackburn Coastal Realty. The reason for preparing your home for sale is purely financial. It is so you can sell your property for more...and faster than you would have otherwise. Now that you know why home staging is so important in a seller's market, don't let that knowledge go to waste - contact us today!

Blackburn Coastal Realty is your first source for selling property on or near the Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay, and we guarantee to make the home staging and home selling process a breeze.

The Beach is HOT!

Coastal Living magazine says the hottest real estate markets are on the beach. Not a surprise, right?  But having our own Beach and Bay area rank #4 of the Top 10 coastal areas? That's what I call big news!

The Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater metro area is sometimes referred to as "Tampa Bay" because of its proximity to Tampa Bay, on Florida's Gulf Coast. Across the globe, the average citizen may associate the Gulf Coast of Florida with one of those awesome cities -- Tampa, St Petersburg or Clearwater - but they might not recognize the names of the many smaller beach towns on the barrier islands of the area. That's a shame because they are quaint, sometimes quirky and definitely affordable!

Click the boxes below to see what's available right now.

Don't wait - the best deals sell quickly! Call or text (727) 599-5418 right away if you'd like to see any of the properties featured in the links above. 

Make this your year - the year you finally buy the beach condo or cottage you've been dreaming about!

Selling a home is a complex process. Not only do you need a real estate agent to manage the marketing, paperwork, and industry side of things, you may also want help preparing your home for sale. Most home sellers have found that professionally staging their homes drastically increases buyer interest while selling houses faster and at better prices.

Here are 3 home services every home seller needs to consider:

1) Professional Deep Cleaning

The first step in preparing any home to sell is to get it back to a pristine, non-resident condition. This means that everything from the carpet pads to the textured ceiling needs to be refreshed back to as new a state as possible.

Home sellers may choose to do a little renovation by replacing old floors or repainting during this stage, but the absolute minimum is a deep clean. Ideally, you will consider several services and sort what you can and can't do for yourself. Polishing every surface and steam cleaning the carpets is a good place to start, but you should consider cleaning everything from the AC vents (when buyers see clean air conditioning vents, they conclude the AC system has been well-maintained) to pressure washing the driveway. The more your house looks brand-new, the better!

Home Prep Cleaning Services:

• Maid Service - One time deep clean, sometimes called "spring cleaning".

• Carpet Treatment - Restore color and remove stains.

• Air Duct Cleaning - Clears out years of built-up dust, improves interior air quality

• Landscaping - Make your yard inviting and add curb appeal. If landscaping the whole yard won't fit your budget, sprinkle some red mulch around trees, shrubs & flower beds to give your yard a polished look for less. (Ask me why it HAS to be red mulch!)

2) Full Home Inspection

The home inspection is the #1 killer of signed contracts in the home selling process. Having a professional inspection before the home selling transaction begins takes the emotion out of the home inspection process by eliminating the unknowns that can delay or sabotage the home sale. So don't wait until your home is under contract to look ‘under the hood’ - take the guesswork out of the home selling transaction! Before listing your home for sale, have it fully inspected from the roof to the appliances you're leaving. If there are any issues, resolve to fix them or sell 'as is'.

Another benefit of the home seller's inspection is that having the home inspection report available to potential home buyers makes your home stand out next to the competition. It's the difference between buying a used car and buying a certified pre-owned car. This level of transparency can shave 10-15 days from the time between contract and close because it eliminates the need for a home inspection contingency (photo courtesy of Quigley Inspection Services).

3) Staging Service

Finally, when your home is completely pristine and certified as comfortable and safe to live in, it's time to prepare it for photos and home tours.

Whether your home is occupied or vacant during the home selling period, a professional staging service is essential in making the home selling process easier because it helps your home appeal to the largest number of buyers. A home staging service will drive your home selling price higher by showing off your home's best features while minimizing its flaws and allowing the buyer to make a psychological connection with the home you are selling. It also makes your home look significantly better in online photos. Remember, Web Appeal is today's Curb Appeal!

When buyers walk into a home that smells fresh, has neutral colors that make it feel move-in ready, and has a furniture arrangement that makes it easy to walk around each room, they will have an easier time picturing themselves living there. Did you know that buyers linger longer in a furnished room? And the longer buyers stay in your home, the more likely they are to make an offer. Buyers need a place to sit and "drink in" the surroundings and develop an emotional connection with the property. 

Consider pictures you may have seen in magazines or on television of beautiful rooms. In the process of home selling the way the furniture is placed, the items on the tables, and even the way the carpets are vacuumed is a type of visual merchandising known as staging. 

Are you looking to sell your home? Do you need help determining which services are right for you? Please contact us today - we're the best in the business and we'll make the home selling process easier than you ever imagined it could be!

Jaw-Dropping Transformation

Before and After

I know home staging works wonders in getting homes sold quickly and for the highest price (based on my personal experience and oh, about a dozen TV shows!), but I never get tired of seeing before-and-after photos of how space can be transformed to appeal to more buyers.

<<<Click this photo to see more!

 To find out how we can transform your space to get Top Dollar without spending Top Dollar, call or text (727) 599-5418 or jennie@blackburncoastalrealty.com

Home staging offers a distinct advantage for sellers: a speedy sale.

Sixty-two percent of sellers’ agents believe staging a home cuts down the time it spends on-market, with the majority believing it “greatly” reduces the window, according to the new 2017 Profile of Home Staging from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Seventy-seven percent of buyers’ agents believe staging a home helps buyers envision themselves living in it, and 40 percent believe it prompts buyers who first saw the home online to visit it in person.

Staging can also have a positive effect on home value. Thirty-one percent of buyers’ agents and 29 percent of sellers’ agents believe it adds anywhere from 1 to 5 percent, while 13 percent of buyers’ agents believe 6 to 10 percent and 21 percent of sellers’ agents believe 8 to 10 percent. The cost of staging is often fronted by the seller or sellers’ agent.

Buyers’ agents caution, however, that staging is only beneficial if the home is staged to appeal to general, not specific, preferences. Most buyers’ and sellers’ agents believe the living room is a key space to stage, as well as the kitchen, the master bedroom and the yard. They also believe decluttering, depersonalizing and a deep clean—beyond staging—are essential for a show-ready home.

Thirty-eight percent of sellers’ agents stage all of their listings before placing them on the market, while 14 percent only stage listings that require it. A near-even 37 percent do not stage their listings at all.

“REALTORS® know how important it is for buyers to be able to picture themselves living in a home and, according to NAR’s most recent report, staging a home makes that process much easier for potential buyers,” says NAR President Bill Brown. “While all real estate is local, and many factors play into what a home is worth and how much buyers are willing to pay for it, staging can be the extra step sellers take to help sell their home more quickly and for a higher dollar value.” 

For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.

Getting your property in "Show-Ready" shape is one of the many pre-marketing services we provide to our clients and is included in our fees, which are paid at closing. For more information, all/text Jennie (727) 599-5418 or email jennie@blackburncoastalrealty.com.

~For a quick look at your property's value:

Instant, Accurate Home Valuation

~To search for your dream home:

Property Search

~To see what people are saying about our service:

Testimonials

I want to give you the insider’s perspective on how to get the most from your home sale (as well as to clear up a few misconceptions).

Even if a home sale is not a current concern, I’d recommend filing this information. You never know when it will be time to prepare.

Here’s the Inside Scoop

Let’s clear something up right now-- putting too much emphasis on pricing a home in order to ensure its sale is a mistake. Yes, a competitive and market-relevant price holds value. But it’s not the only factor.

Merchandising -

Is the art of presenting a product so it stands out and is crucial for distinguishing your home from its competition. It’s what we use to trigger an emotional response from prospective buyers so that they put your home at the top of their list of “must see” homes for sale (click here for an example). Merchandising is not only what sells homes, it’s what sells homes for more.

Marketing -

An artful presentation is worthless if the word doesn’t get out that your home is for sale. That’s why a no-holds-barred marketing strategy is vital. Marketing allows us to deliver your home to its maximum number of buyers. More prospects = more potential for multiple offers.

Put simply, the value of a property is determined by what a buyer is willing to pay for it. This bears repeating: Buyers set the market price. If the combination of merchandising and marketing has multiple buyers making offers, you’ve upped your home’s value. With the right strategies in place, buyers will see your house as a great value for the money, and they’ll want to snatch it up before someone else does!

Up Your Value

Most considering selling their home start planning months in advance. This includes making improvements that may increase their home’s selling price.

Don’t throw your money away on fixes that don’t add value!

I beg you-- get in touch with me first. If you’re thinking of selling your home and would like to make some changes, give me a call (727-599-5418). I’ve seen many, many unnecessary upgrades that did not lead to great returns. Don’t throw your money away on fixes that don’t add value!

However, it’s amazing how a few fresh coats of paint can transform a space-- if you’re painting with the right colors. With tens of thousands of paint colors to choose from, how do you know which will be the most updated, appealing colors to homebuyers? Every home is different -- how do you know which colors to choose for YOUR home? One paint color does not fit all. If you’re even thinking about painting your home to prepare for a potential sale, get in touch with me. Really. Because I have an actual toolkit that I use to determine the best colors to make the most positive visual difference in your home. This is a service I provide for free. I’ll be happy to swing by anytime to help: Call or Text (727) 599-5418. 

During the home buying and selling process, showing your abode can be both stressful and exciting. It’s your chance to present your space at its best so that potential homebuyers can picture themselves making it their own. Let us help you break down the home staging and prep process so that you can tackle the cleaning, organizing, and arranging in a manageable manner. With just a few easy tips for selling your house, you’ll be ready for a real estate showing or open house in no time.

1. Remove Personal Items

Walk through your home with a box, and remove any photos displayed on tabletops or hung on your refrigerator. It’s important to keep personal items out of sight so that the families walking through the home can picture themselves there.

2. Keep Things Squeaky Clean

When your home is being shown to potential buyers, it’s vital for the space to be as clean as possible, and that doesn’t just mean boxing up the toys and fluffing the pillows. Be sure to vacuum the floors and carpets and wipe down all surfaces. (It also doesn’t hurt to take a second or third run at everything with a broom and duster, just in case.)

3. Showcase the Selling Points

Think about the most attractive features of your home, and try to showcase those as much as possible. If you have great hardwood floors, don’t hide them with rugs. If you have a beautiful mantel, don’t draw attention away from it with bold art or showy design objects.

4. Empty the Trash Cans

No one wants to encounter strangers’ trash when they’re touring a home, so be sure to empty all of the home’s garbage bins the morning before the showing.

5. Add Fresh Flowers

A few vases of fresh flowers can go a long way to making your home feel warm and inviting. Arrange a simple vase of flowers on the dining room table or wherever it feels natural and organic to display flowers in your home. Stop by the grocery store for a few bouquets, and follow our instructions for making the most of inexpensive flowers.

6. Make Sure Your Home Smells Lovely

Scent is a strong sense, and when people walk into your home, you want it to smell fresh and clean, but not overwhelming. Open the windows the day before the showing to air out any odors, and add subtle fragrance in key areas, but only if you need to. Don’t spray any super strong scents. Keep things neutral and natural, fresh and clean.

7. Keep Clutter to a Minimum

One of the most important features for potential homebuyers to see is the architecture of your home. While you may love some of your interior design choices, pare down any extraneous distractions, whether that’s a mass of pillows, objets d'art, or bulky storage features. Get rid of anything than can be construed as clutter so that visitors’ eyes are focused on the basics.

8. Act Like a Buyer

Walk through your home as if you were a potential buyer. This will allow you to notice any awkward furniture arrangements or any impediments to the flow of movement through the home. You certainly don’t want anyone to trip over a hidden ottoman.

9. Stow Your Valuables

Lock away any valuables, like jewelry, electronics, or important paperwork. Anything you wouldn’t want a stranger to access should be hidden away—or powered off, in the case of desktop computers.

Get an Instant, Accurate Home Valuation or Find Your Next Home today!

<<Reposted from SouthernLiving.com>>