Today’s trend is to bring your indoor setting outdoors. Let me explain…everyone is looking for more living space and one great way to do that economically is to create a comfortable living space outdoors.  Think of your living room or family room.  You have furniture, lighting, and accessories.  For your outdoor living space, you will want the same elements. 

If your patio is directly off your den or family room, consider tying to the two spaces together.  For example, if your family room is primarily decorated in blue and brown then use blue and brown in your outdoor space as well.  Find comfortable and durable resin furniture (brown) and accessorize with blue pillows and blue flowers.  This will visually extend the inside room and make it appear larger. 

Also, don’t forget the grill.  Is your grill clean?  Think of the message you are sending when buyers see a dirty grill.  If your grill is sparkling clean then they will think the same of your home.  What is the condition of your grill cover?  If it is tattered and worn then it’s time to get rid of it.  If you know in advance that your home is being shown that day then remove the grill cover and let your sparkling clean grill shine to all the buyers to tour your home.

The top three benefits of staging your home include:

1) Studies have shown that staged homes usually sell for more money than unstaged homes. Often the additional gain is many times what the cost of the staging was.

2) Staged homes usually sell much more quickly than unstaged homes. If you are being transferred, have an estate sale, doing a 1031 exchange, or want to sell quickly for any reason, staging will usually help.

3) More satisfied buyers mean less chance of a deal falling through.

Can anyone recommend a home stager in Central Pennsylvania?

Most buyers make a decision about a house within the first 15 seconds walking in the door.  Did you know that others make their decision before leaving their car?  First impressions are extremely important when selling your home so don’t forget about “staging” the exterior of your home as well.  Some helpful hints include:  remove the clutter, apply fresh paint where its needed, trim those overgrown bushes and pull those weeds.  For an added touch, place a few flower pots by your front door and buy a new welcome mat.  A few dollars can go along way…

Sometimes stagers will also help reduce the negative impact of some challenge the house may have. For example, if there is traffic noise from a nearby busy street, they might put a fountain in the yard to create a more pleasant atmosphere. One may think that buyers make logical decisions, but often emotions guide buyers to what just “feels right”. Creating a warm, inviting and attractive atmosphere can make a huge difference to the seller of a home (and put more money in their pocket).