Tag: staging

7 Must Haves for an Open House

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

Having an open house is your chance to make your home shine and sell it right away. There are a few aspects of an open house that should not be over looked. It will help you sell the home fast. Selling it fast means more money. The longer the house stays on the market, the longer you are paying the mortgage.

1. Informational Packets

It is important to have informational packets available. Potential homebuyers will want information and some do not wish to hold a thirty minute conversation to get their answers. It will also help you with the sale. Having the information on hand will keep it fresh in their minds.

2. Business Cards

Business cards are extremely important. If they do not make their decision during the open house, they may talk about the decision later and decide they would like to make an offer. They will need to have your contact information to place their bid.

3. Refreshments

RefreshmentsRefreshments may be seen as a more of an old tradition when performing an open house. However, it offers a sense of comfort. They will be grateful for the snacks and it will also add to the nice aromas that help sell a home.

4. Stage the Dock

If the home is a waterfront property and there is a dock, make sure you don’t forget to stage it. Have the boat in the water, patio furniture on the dock, and any other items that promote the lake lifestyle. People want to buy on the lake for the experience and memories, highlight these things!

5. Air Freshener

It is a great idea to bring air freshener to the home. Arrive early to spray the home. You are to arrive early so that you can spray the home and allow it to dissipate some. This is so the air freshener does not seem overwhelming when they arrive.

6. Positive Attitude

This may seem like a no brainer, but the person holding the open house should have a smile on their face and offer greetings as potential buyers arrive. It is important to be friendly and warm during the open house.

7. Details

Potential buyers may need to have some questions answered. They may not have received the information they needed before coming to the open house. The information can include information regarding the area, pricing, what the seller is willing to do, and other information.

Ensure that you follow the list. Be inventive with your open house. Selling a home is never easy, but it is definitely worth it in the end. Letting a house sit on the market will cost you money in the long run.

5 Indoor Decor Ideas For Your Lake Home

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

Living on the lake is a wonderful place to live. However, it is important to the appeal of the home to be decorated in a proper manner. Depending on your personal style, you can choose from a list of different styles. Here are 5 decor ideas that are bound to suite every taste.

Bright White Lake House Theme

bright white decor ideasThis type of theme offers a crisp and clean area to relax in. It is bright and inviting. Create this by adding in white chair covers, table clothes, and more. Other pieces of furniture that are not white should be black metal.

For example, if you are decorating your dining room, the chairs should be black metal and the table should be covered with a simple white tablecloth. This theme gives a soft, yet clean feel to any room of your lake home. It is often used for the family room, dinning room, or guest room.

Playing Up the View

You can make the most of having the lakeside view by keeping your windows and sliding doors free of drapery. Purchase furniture that matches the serene lakeside view.

For example, if you have location that provides many trees, then the best furniture type is made of wood and not metal or other unnatural colors. Keep the colors to a natural tone and it will add to the amazing view that your property has to offer.

Durable Furniture and Matching Scenes

There are many people who choose wicker furniture to offer a homey scene. However, wicker furniture will not stand up to vigorous usage. There are other options for this like rattan furniture. It offers a wicker pattern using a more durable material.

These come in different colors like grey, black, and brown. In order to mesh the scene the outside and inside has to offer, purchase brown rattan furniture. It will help the flow of view and offer cozy seating for you and your family.

Modern Style with Earth Tones

Earth tone decor ideasIf you like the more modern styles, then you can still have this. If you use earthy colors, you can still offer a mesh of the surroundings from the outside and in.

Shades of greens and browns are great. You can purchase pillows and other items like table clothes that includes a modern pattern, but still sticks to the earthy tone of the lake home surroundings.

Unique and Cozy

If you want more color when it comes to your décor and furniture, then paint your walls white. Having red pillows with any other color of wall will offer chaos to your eyes.

Keep the walls white should you choose a more exciting and busy theme. For a cozy appeal, you can purchase a comfortable brown sofa and place mixed pattern pillows on it for a unique and personalized style.

No matter what you choose for your lake home, it is important to keep in mind that you can use the outside to add to your theme. If you use drapes to add color, then keep them open to include the outside view, while you relax on the inside.

Prepare Your Lake Home for an Open House

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

If you are looking to prepare an open house for your lake home, then you need to get a lot of things in order so that the entire process goes through smoothly.

There are lots of people who end up making the wrong decisions and then have an open house for their lake home that doesn’t provide them with the results they expected. So in order to help you avoid those costly errors, here are the top things you should be doing when preparing for an open house.

Repair or Replace the Docks & Decking

lake dockIt is very important to present a good first impression on your open house and therefore you should get to work on docks & decking by replacing broken boards and decks. You should reapply paint on them, and spruce up the surrounding area to make it more presentable for buyers. It is important that you don’t have any broken boards or decks when the buyers come for the open house.

Clearing the Beach

If you have a beach area you should remove all weeds and rake the area surrounding the beach prior to the showing.

You can also add children’s toys and build a small sand castle in order to entice prospective buyers. This will add a nice touch to the property, while multiple parents are checking out the lake house. A nice clean beach near the lake house will always ensure that the entire property looks enticing to the buyers.

Clean the Boathouse

If you have a boathouse at your lake home, then you should have it cleaned and painted as well.

Make sure that there are no animals residing in the boat house. Also, remove oversized boats from the boathouse, since it will make the boathouse appear smaller and cramped. Have the boat parked outside the boathouse so that the buyers can have a good look inside of it as well.

Staging the Waterfront

Dock staged for open houseThe most important thing to do when preparing for an open house is to stage the waterfront properly. This will raise the appeal of the entire lake house.

You should place flower pots on strategic places such as shorefront decks and patios. Then carefully set up lawn furniture and try to create multiple entertainment area, since that will paint a pretty picture in the minds of the buyers. You can even set up a BBQ area. And, if possible, have the waterfront area landscaped by a professional.

Maximize the View

People are very perceptive when they are purchasing property, particularly if it is a waterfront property. Therefore, to increase the odds of having a successful open house you will have to maximize the view from the lake house. Try to remove things that may block the view. Clean all the windows that are facing the water to maximize the view.

Apply for New Permits

If you are hoping to sell your lake house home in the near future then you should apply for any additional permits for the following (if available):
• Perched beaches
• Permanent docks
• Breakwaters
• Boathouses
• Covered boat docks

This will ensure that potential buyers don’t have to face any hassles and will also add value to the listing price of the lake home as well.

5 Tips for Staging the Outside of Your Lake Home

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

Selling a home can be a lot of work, and a lake home is no exception. While many people think about staging the inside of their home for potential buyers, the outside of a lake home can be just as, if not even more important.

So to help you sell that home faster, here are 5 tips for staging the outside of your lake home to make it more enticing for buyers.

Have a Well-Defined Pathway to the Water

Water pathwayMost lake home buyers generally consider the pathway to the water to be important, and therefore you should make preparations in order to make the pathway more attractive and welcoming. This will ensure that you make a good impression on the buyer, who will be more interested in purchasing your home.

Staging your dockCheck the Docks and Deck

Replace any loose or rotting boards and nail down any protruding nails from both your deck and your dock. For many, this area will be the “living room” for their lake experience, the place to spend the majority of their time with family and friends.

Increase the Curb Appeal of the Shoreline

The shoreline near the lake house can quickly catch the attention of potential buyers. If you want to sell your lake home faster, then you will have to spruce up the shoreline.

Make sure that there is no debris or muck floating in the water and that your shoreline is in immaculate condition. Make sure that the landscaping in your lakeside lawn is as good or better cared for than the front yard!

Lifestyle Staging

Kayaks People who are interested in purchasing lake homes are mainly interested in the type of lifestyle that they can lead if they choose to purchase a lakeside home. You need to help the buyer visualize the type of life they will be leading at your particular lake home, and therefore you should stage the shoreline with fishing equipment, kayaks, fire pits, beach towels, and more.

Don’t go overboard with the lifestyle staging though, since you don’t want to force your lifestyle onto them and want to them to be able to see themselves enjoying the lake!

Offer Lake Tours

Another thing you can do is to take prospective buyers to a lake tour around your lake home. This will provide them with a good view of the home, as well as give them a fair idea about what it will like being on the lake. The excitement of launching a boat from what could be their future lake home is sometimes enough to make a prospective buyer decide to take the plunge!

When it comes to selling a lake home it is all about selling the lake experience. Create a fun, inviting atmosphere in which your potential buyers can see themselves and their family enjoying the lake for years to come!

How to Make the Most Money When Selling Your Lake Home

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

Selling your lake homeReal estate professionals will tell you the two most important ingredients for a profitable home sale are location and curb appeal.

A lake home has both, in a big way, but there are still a number of things you can do to when selling your lake home to bring in the highest possible price.

You’re selling the lake, and the lakefront lifestyle

The lake has both aesthetic and functional sales value – it provides a lovely view, from indoors and outside, and is typically also a source of numerous recreational opportunities.

Everything about your property needs to be shipshape, all the way down to the water’s edge. This is whether you have lawn, beach, a rocky shore with dock-only access, or a combination of these.

Fix things in your lake home

The lake may be #1, but you’re selling the home, too. Make sure it lives up to the appeal of the lake, whether it’s a three-bedroom getaway or a multi-million dollar mansion.

All those little “detail problems” you conveniently overlook will be glaringly apparent to potential buyers. Many can be fixed quickly and inexpensively, so there’s less chance of quibbling over them later. Instead, your home and property will appear move-in ready, a big positive for buyers.

For decks, docks, boathouse, and shoreline, everything should be snug and clean. Repaint or stain, remove weeds and debris, and rake the sand. This way the area looks fresh and ready to enjoy, rather than unattended. Too, double-check pathway lighting to be sure it’s working properly.

Stage your lake home to appeal better to buyers

Purchasing any home is an emotional event. The more welcoming your home feels, the more desirable it will be. Your lake is the first thing buyers will want to see, so make it your focal point.

Create outdoor living “rooms” on the dock or overlooking the lake. Include things such as seating, a BBQ prepped with accessories, a cozy fire pit, and potted flowers. Your goal is to show off the home’s versatility as well as create a pretty picture. Keep it in scale, so it looks comfortable, not crowded.

Set out sports gear that’s water-related or appropriate for the area – a kayak, bicycles, a croquet set, etc. Be sure to include child-size equipment and a sand pail and shovel to let parents and grandparents see your lake home is perfect for all ages.

Take photos of your home as seen from the water. Better yet, give serious buyers a short boat tour so they can see for themselves and imagine giving their own tours for visiting friends and family. Photos of the lake in other seasons will reinforce your home’s year-round appeal, so even second-home buyers will see it as a top-notch investment.

Choose a real estate agent who is experienced selling lake homes

They’ll help you get top dollar by marketing your property to maximum advantage. That should include creating an inviting online presence for your home. A virtual tour is the best way to show off your in-home and outdoor lifestyle amenities.

Get advice from a professional real estate appraiser as well as your real estate agent to set a listing price, because valuing a lakefront property can be more complex than pricing a traditional neighborhood home. Reaching for the moon may be tempting, but it can backfire, leaving your home lingering instead of generating a lucrative sale.

Each of these details can add to the value of your home where it counts most – in your prospective buyer’s eyes and mind. The more you focus on that, the more money you’ll make when the sale goes through.

Top 10 Turn-Offs for Potential Home Buyers

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

empty lake homeIf deciding to sell your home, there are a number of things that you need to do before listing it to potential home buyers.

You need to make your home as attractive as possible to potential buyers. Part of this is making sure that there’s nothing about your home that will turn off potential buyers.

The following are ten of the top turn-offs for home buyers you should avoid when putting your home up for sale:

  1. Unpleasant odors – A house filled with unpleasant odors will turn the buyer off immediately. This can be anything from the smell of cigarette smoke to the smell of your pets. If there are unpleasant smells present in your home, you need to get rid of them before you begin showing your home. Open up the windows to get some air-flow and have a professional cleaner come to your house to help get rid of the smell. An unpleasant smell will rush the buyer. His or her mind will be fixed on leaving as soon as possible instead of looking at the rest of your home.
  2. A converted garage – If you’ve converted your garage to a home office, an extra bedroom, a personal gym, or anything else, then convert it back to a garage. Do this before you begin showing your house. There’s a good chance most buyers will want the garage to be a garage. Especially if street parking is at a premium.
  3. Pools – Don’t be mistaken into thinking that your outdoor pool is a feature that will attract all buyers. Most buyers will consider a pool to be a major eyesore. This is especially true for above-ground pools which tend to leave dead spots in the grass. Even an in-ground pool is a huge turn-off due to the high maintenance required to care for a pool. Not to mention the liability involved with owning a pool. Having a pool can even increase the homeowner’s insurance premiums that the next homeowner will have to pay.
  4. Outrageous color design – You may have a unique taste in interior design which you may have celebrated by choosing some bold colors or patterns for your home. Though, this doesn’t mean that everyone else will share your tastes. Re-paint those lime green walls using a neutral color scheme instead.
  5. Wallpaper – Wallpaper almost always looks tacky. Especially if it’s been up there for the better part of the decade or if you have specially designed “fun” wallpaper in your child’s bedroom. Not only is wallpaper extremely personalized, it’s also quite hard to remove. This adds to the “things to do” list that a homebuyer will have if he or she decides to purchase your home.
  6. Personal décor – You may think that the family portraits in the living room or the kids’ drawings tacked up on the fridge help to add a homely and inviting feeling to the atmosphere of your house. Though, all they’re doing is making buyers feel like they are walking in someone else’s home. You need to decorate the home so that buyers can pretend like it is theirs. This will give them a better sense of what it would be like to live there. Having pictures of someone else’s kids all over the place won’t help to achieve this.
  7. Meddlesome sellers – There’s nothing more annoying than having a seller lurking around during a showing.  Many sellers that do this will try to walk around the house with potential buyers in order to provide their thoughts and feelings about the house. Most buyers want to be able to privately tour the home without the added pressure from the seller. Having the seller around makes it difficult for potential buyers to talk privately. Let the realtor do his or her job and stay away from your home showings.
  8. Dirty homes – Nobody wants to walk into a home that has clutter everywhere, or even worse, that’s dirty. Make your home presentable by getting rid of clutter and doing a whole-house cleaning. Place special emphasis on the bathrooms and the kitchen. Hire a cleaning service if you have to.
  9. Misrepresented homes – Nothing angers buyers more than showing up to a home that was misrepresented in ads.  Whether because the house is located in the middle of a trailer park, or because that third bedroom is a glorified closet space. You’re not doing yourself any favors by tricking buyers to try and get them to come to your showings.
  10. sad dogPets – If you’re planning a showing, remove your pets from your home. Buyers don’t want to have to deal with dogs or cats chasing them around. Too, some buyers could potentially be afraid of animals, or have allergies.

These are ten things that turn off homebuyers so be sure to avoid them!

Staging Your Lake Home Property for Sale

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

Selling a lake home can present certain challenges and opportunities that you may not find with a house away from the water. Staging can help tremendously to secure the highest price for your home and also help to sell it more quickly.

Staging your lake home provides a unique opportunity to tie in elements of your home with the lake or, at a minimum, put the lake on the forefront of a potential buyer’s mind relative to other properties in the area.

Outdoor Staging

The exterior or a home should showcase the fact that along with the house, the buyer will be purchasing the chance to take full advantage of the lake nearby. One of the best ways you can do this is to put some kind of boat either by your dock, or on your beach, depending on how you gain access to the lake.

While any kind of boat will do, from a kayak to a pleasure boat, it is important to take into account what the rest of the neighborhood is like. If everyone else has nice looking boats moored to their docks, you probably want something similar, even if you don’t own one, you may want to think about renting one for the period of time that the house will be shown.

Family/Living Room

here is a good chance that one of the main living areas in your home will have a very nice view of the water. Position your furniture to make that view the focal point of the room.

If you have more than one room with large windows and an excellent view, you don’t necessarily need to do the same thing with each of them. Potential buyers know that they need to be able to put a TV somewhere, and they’ll also want some level of privacy at night as well.

While it may be tempting to go with a nautical theme in a lake house, you might consider alternative design motifs that are less overstated. There is certainly nothing wrong with a few nautical-themed pieces throughout the house, unless you know for certain that your potential buyers are very water sports-minded, sticking with a theme that showcases the lake is a safer strategy.

Kitchen

If your kitchen has windows that face the lake, be sure to completely open up the curtains or blinds, letting buyers know that they have a great view waiting for them every time they use the kitchen.

For a kitchen that opens up into a dining or living area, display a few fresh fruit items or a small bouquet of flowers on the table. You won’t need anything elaborate, just a small bowl of fruit or a small bouquet of freshly picked flowers is all you need.

The important thing is to help convey the feeling of freshness to someone looking at the home, you want to try and convey the feeling that the home is vibrant and welcoming.

Bedrooms

Staging a bedroom in a lake house is a lot like staging one in any other house – you really want to maximize the appearance of space. This means a bed, a couple of pieces of furniture, and not much else on the floor.

People want to know that they are going to have plenty of space in their bedroom and what you are giving them is the maximum amount of space possible.

When the buyer moves in, they know that their items are going to take up more space than what you have in the bedroom, which is its so important to convey the appearance of space within the home, even in small areas.

Bathrooms

As opposed to the rest of the house, a bathroom may be a great place to put up a few nautical motifs. Toothbrush holders, hand towels, soap dishes, boat pictures or anything that can provide a pop of color and give a bathroom a little bit of character.

When someone walks through a house, the last thing they want to see is a bathroom that lacks cleanliness or character. If it’s messy or uninteresting, that thought could start to creep into their mind about the rest of the house. That’s not the lasting impression that you want to leave a potential buyer.