Pampering Yourself Pays - Staging a Home for Sale

Often people who are contemplating a move don't buy anything new for their current homes.  But indulging yourself with little things that make you feel pampered can create a feeling of comfort and ease that will appeal to potential buyers. The bathroom should have pretty, fluffy towels and a new bath mat.  The kitchen can be dressed up with attractive dishcloths and a pretty teapot.

  

Think about the things you're planning to do for your new house, and decide what's practical to purchase now.  You may want to buy new linens for the bedrooms.  If the sofa is a standard size and you're fairly certain that you'll keep it but it needs a new slipcover, consider purchasing one right away.   

You can begin to make plans for your new home while you are living in your old one.  Having some idea of the fabrics that you will be using will make it much easier to decide upon paint colors when the time comes.  If you see something that you would love to have in your next house or apartment, be sure that the scale would allow it to fit into a fairly small space.

Most of the time, effort and money that you put into your home while it is on the market should be spent on things that will give you pleasure both now and in the future.

By doing things that increase your own enjoyment of your house or apartment, you will automatically be making it more appealing to a potential buyer.  Homes are like people.  When they are loved, it shows

First Steps - Edit, Edit, Edit

Congratulations!!! You're moving to New York City --- one of the most vibrant, exciting places on the planet.  It seems that almost everyone wants to live here. But because New York City is so popular, space is at a premium.

If you're relocating to New York City from almost anywhere else and want to live in Manhattan or one of the other boroughs, odds are that you'll have less space than you're used to.  It's likely that your new home will have fewer and smaller rooms, less closet space, and a smaller kitchen than your current one.  So it's very important to look over all of your possessions and edit, edit, edit.

There are several reasons to start editing as soon as you decide that you are moving.

• Starting early can reduce stress. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to determine what you want to keep most, and to find good homes for things with sentimental value that you won't have room for. 

• Knowing what you really want to keep in advance can help you evaluate potential new homes, and even new neighborhoods. Even if you pare down your possessions significantly but want to keep a cherished possession that's quite wide or tall, it's important that your new home have an appropriate spot for it. Often real estate professionals say that the three most important things in evaluating property are "location, location, location."  So although your ideal location might be the upper east side, if you decide to keep a concert grand piano and all of the furniture that your grandmother left you the suburbs might be a better choice. 

•  Paring down the possessions in your current home will make it more attractive to potential buyers. You can increase your chances to sell your home  faster and for more money. Often people buy a new home because they need more space, emotionally and physically.  Rooms and closets will appear more spacious if clutter is eliminated. Pretend that you are moving tomorrow, and decide what you are taking with you.  Anything that you will not be keeping should be sold, donated, or thrown out right away.

• Editing your possessions in advance will save you money. You'll spend less on moving expenses.  Arranging to sell some of your better pieces through an antique or consignment shop and holding a yard sale for the rest can make you a tidy profit.