Tag Archives: home staging

Attention to Details

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Your home is for sale and you’ve had plenty of showings, but no offers. You know that it is priced competitively, so, what could be the problem? It may be time to call in an expert, a staging professional, to help provide attention to the details in order to obtain a sale.

Staging a home goes deeper than de-cluttering and applying a fresh coat of neutral paint. It is also highlighting a home’s positive attributes and downplaying any potentially negative aspects of the home. Here are some staging details to make sure your home looks attractive to potential buyers.

Enhance the curb appeal. The potential buyer’s first impression occurs as soon as they drive up to the home. Make sure the front yard impresses them. All bushes, trees, and grass should be trimmed and maintained. Flower beds should be weed-free and colorful. If possible, plant annuals, like impatiens, to bring color to the yard. The potential buyer will be noticing the pretty flowers, not that the yard is small.

The front porch is another opportunity to create an inviting atmosphere. Make sure you have adequate front porch lighting for those night time showings. Also, the front door and porch railing should have a fresh coat of paint and be in good working order. Outdoor decorative elements made from metal or ceramic materials and plants in decorative containers can liven up the front porch space. Creating an outdoor sitting area is another special touch that potential buyers will surely appreciate. Additional space is important, even if it’s outside.

Create the wow-factor for the entry way. When a potential buyer enters the home, you want them to say, “Wow.” You can make a good impression by creating a focal point. One idea is to place a small table at the entry way. On top, you can place fresh flowers or a framed decorative picture (not of family members, but of scenery or an inspirational quote). Another suggestion for creating a dramatic entryway is to hang a large piece of art in the foyer. An enlarged photo in a powerful frame or an interesting painting can make the right impression on potential buyers.

Add special touches. If a bathroom needs updating, but it is not economically possible to renovate it before you sell, there are some inexpensive ways to improve the space. Updating the cabinet hardware, the fixtures, and the lighting can do wonders for the bathroom. Decorative accessories, like pretty towels, candles, and soap dispensers can help buyers from thinking, “This place needs updating,” to “Aww, those are pretty.”

Knoxville area home buyers and sellers turn to experienced Realtor Judi Starliper who works with a knowledgeable team, including a professional home stager who can help turn showings into offers.

Creative Fixes for Challenging Spaces

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Natural light brightens any room

Most homes have some sort of design challenge, like a small room, or a room that doesn’t get enough natural light. When listing your Knoxville home, it’s important to tackle these design challenges and make the most of the space.

Here are some design tips to improve common problems:

For a small room, furniture placement, paint color, and lighting are important.

Home staging experts suggest to scale the size of the furniture to the size of the room. This means that in a small room, large bulky sofas or chairs should be avoided. Also, furniture should never block walking pathways. Placing the furniture against the wall allows visitors a clear visual into the next room, which also helps to make a room look larger. If you don’t like the all the furniture against the wall, try placing it at an angle. This creates a diagonal line, which seems longer, thus creating the illusion of a larger space. For table suggestions in a small space, try a glass tabletop. This provides an open feeling to the space.

Natural lighting really opens up a space. Make full use of light from windows to make a small space appear larger. Sheer curtains or pulling back the drapes will bring the outside view into the room, which will make the room look more spacious. If the view is less than desirable, a hanging plant will divert the attention.

Natural light and a plant opens up this space

A common misconception is that small rooms must be painted white to appear larger. Some design experts suggest bold colors for a small space. However, if staging a home to sell, a sunny or warm shade may be the right choice.

For rooms that seem dark and cave-like, paint color should be selected wisely. Contrary to popular belief, pale paint colors do not necessarily brighten a dark room. Design experts suggest mid-tones which are the colors located on the middle of the paint sample. To brighten up dark rooms, light and neutral-colored furniture and accessories will also help. For example, if it’s a bedroom, light linens will bring pizzazz to the space.

For more tips on how to sell your Knoxville home, contact an experienced Realtor like Judi Starliper and the J-Star Team. The website offers many Buyer/Seller Tips.

Steps to Organizing Your Closet

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Is your New Year’s resolution to become more organized? Are you thinking about listing your Knoxville home for sale? Or, perhaps, opening your closet door results in being bombarded by its contents. No matter what reason you have for cleaning out your closet, you can make it a manageable task if you have a plan. Here are some simple suggestions to organizing your closet:

Remove everything and sort. Cleaning out your closet will not yield the desired results unless you do some serious purging. One way to sort is to make three piles, one for things you need, one for things you can donate, and one stack for items you’re on the fence about. When sorting through your items and trying to decide whether to keep or donate, try asking yourself questions like, “When is the last time you wore/used the item?” or “Does it still fit?”

Sorting keepsakes and memorabilia can be emotional. Ask yourself if it duplicates a similar item or if a picture captures the same memory.

After the sorting process, make sure to follow through with the donation process. Don’t be tempted to put it off until later because it’s likely you’ll move the items from one closet to another.

Organize the remainder. Clear plastic totes are helpful because you can visually see what is inside the tote. If using colorful totes, make sure to label the boxes.

To organize clothing items, find a system. Some people organize their hanging clothes by season or by item type. Find the system that makes sense to you and then stick with it. This step is easier if you have enough sturdy hangers.

A clean and organized closet can do wonders. It is rewarding to see a visible difference. It might even inspire you to organize other areas of your home, like your pantry or storage shed.

Meet the J-Star Team

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Judi Starliper and the J-Star Team

Being competitive in the Knoxville real estate market takes hard work. It also takes a team and Judi Starliper and the J-Star Team have years of experience in helping both buyers and sellers in the Knoxville area.

The real estate transaction is more than listing a house on the market or making an offer to purchase a home. With an internet marketing specialist, a professional home stager, a photographer and videographer, a loan closing specialist, buyers’ agents and an office manager who holds it all together, the J-Star Team can handle any and all of your real estate needs.

Staging to Sell

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When a homeowner wants to sell their home in today’s market, nothing gives an advantage like staging the home for a sale.

Some people think that an empty home is easier to sell. However, potential homeowners sometimes have trouble envisioning furniture placement in an empty home. There is a reason that model homes are furnished. It helps potential buyers picture themselves living in the home.

For example this Great Room is empty and uninviting.

It is amazing what a difference home staging makes.

This Breakfast Room is a blank slate. Potential home buyers will wonder what a table and chairs will look like in this room.

Furniture transforms this space.

If you are thinking about selling your home and would like to discuss a staging plan, contact a Realtor who can help. Judi Starliper and the J-Star Team can help you reach your goal.