The Home Decor Genie!

The Home Decor Genie Home Staging Tips! You Don’t Need Lots of Furniture!

Are you ready to sell a home and need to get it ready for the very competitive market now? If you are, home staging can give it an edge so you’ll sell quickly and get the price you want!

Here is one mistake I see people make when they stage their home: Too much stuff! If you are living in the home while it’s on the market, try to eliminate some of the furniture by either packing it up and storing it OFF SITE…or…give away what you don’t think you’ll use in the new home. That goes for all the day to day stuff we all have laying around. You know – the magazines, stacks of papers, bottles and jars or “who-knows-what” and on and on. Start now to pare down the clutter. You’ll be glad you did.

If you are trying to sell a vacant home and want to show it staged (always a good idea), make do with a lot less furniture than you would normally use in each room. For instance, a simple table and 2 chairs may be all you need in a kitchen’s dining space. In a family room, consider using just a love seat or two chairs instead of a roomful of furniture. You won’t need all the “extra’s” either such as bureau’s, shelves, and extra furniture. That’s good news if you’re renting furniture.

Fill in with nice accessories. Wall art will lilven up dreary walls and plants perk up dreary corners and draw the eye. A few well-placed vases or other items may be enough to bring your room to life. Use an area rug to group furniture on. Place one large piece of art on a wall as a focal point. One item on a display table may be all you need there.

Think “less” when you stage vacant property. Keep the flow of traffic going and don’t place any furniture in the path. Make bathrooms luxurious with fluffy towels and a few small touches. Kitchens will sell themselves if they are updated and clean. But if they need a little help, a basket of goodies or a nice wine rack will add interest.

Home staging is all about keeping it simple yet elegant. Keep this in mind to stage your home like a pro!

Want more help? Download my E-book instantly. It will be $27 but you can get it now for only $19!!
You’ll find step-by-step help to stage your home.

Home Decor Genie Home Decorating Tip: Create A Focal Point In Each Room or area.

 

A focal point is the first place your eye goes when you enter a room.  Having a great focal point is a basic home decorating technique.  Having lots of points – or too much to look at is not good!  Instead of looking interesting, it looks cluttered and confusing.  Your eye doesn’t know where to stop – or go to next!  You want the person’s eye to be drawn to a certain area and then, progress around the room.

Vary the height or the width of items in your room.  Being all the same or being too symmetrical, can be boring.  By adding interesting heights, textures and colors, your rooms are enlivened and more interesting. 

• Play up a fireplace – center furniture around it.  Don’t block it with furniture, toys, or other junk.
• Do you have great windows or a spectacular view?  You should enjoy it!  Frame windows with beautiful window treatments and coordinate with your room’s furnishings. 
• Showcase your favorite artwork.  A well-chosen piece of wall art looks great over the sofa; or over a fireplace.  One or two large pieces will usually look better than many smaller pieces.

Don’t know where to start?  Find something you really love about your room.  Then, build on that.  If it’s a favorite piece of art, draw colors out of that to decorate your room.  If it’s a piece of furniture, coordinate other furnishings, artwork and accessories with that.  A fireplace or window is a natural home decorating feature!  Make the most of what your room has.

Try Virtual Home Decorating: Get a “Designer’s Eye” on your rooms!  You’ll get feedback to make the changes that make you happy!

Selling your home?  A Virtual Home Staging Consultation will give you tools to prepare your home for a quick sale!

Home Decor Genie’s Home Decorating Tips: Does Your Entrance Welcome People Into Your Home?   Lead family and guests to your home’s entrance and make them feel welcome.  

• Get a fresh welcome mat – let it express your personal style!  For holiday home decorating, try a seasonal welcome mat! Go funky, wacky, traditional, or whatever your style is!
• Add pots of flowers – flowers and plants add life and color.  You could also hang a seasonal wreath on the door.   Try pine bows, holly or poinsettias for the Christmas season.
• Make sure it’s lit at night – lighting is critical at night, so make sure you have bulbs in the lights and keep them clean.  Again, a holiday tip: brighten up your entrance with fancy lights.  Don’t you just love the variety?

Whatever your home decorating style is, carry it through to the entrance.  People’s first impression of your home is made when they pull up to the curb.  Give new friends and aquaintences a hint of your personality right up front!  And for old friends and family, make your entrance say: “Hi, I’m glad you stopped by!”

Time for a home decorating update? Try my Virtual Home Decorating Services!  Send in your photos and we’ll “talk” either by email and or phone and you’ll get a “Designer’s Eye” on your rooms.  It may be all you need to get going on that home decorating project! 

Or, if you need to sell your home – try a Virtual Home Staging Consultation!  We’ll go through your home and see what we can do to get it sold!

Home Decor Genie Suggestions for Creative Wall Art!  Want to jazz up your walls with some different and unique art?  Decorate your home with what you love!

Frames can be very inexpensive if you watch for sales.  I pick up a few whenever they go on sale at my favorite stores.  Like right now, Target has 11×14 black or bronze wall frames on sale for $9!

 

 

Anyway…what to put IN the frames?!!  Well, let’s see…you could frame:

• 

  Framed Colorado Poster

A favorite poster – I know, it’s been done, but put it in a really NICE frame and give it a place of prominence on your wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your kids newest artwork or something you especially like.  They’ll love you for it and some of it can be quite a conversation-starter!

How about a really unusual magazine cover?  Maybe not the latest “Women’s Day” or something like that, but something fun or odd, or thought-provoking!

• 

  The Home Decor Genie's NatureArt

  I like to arrange pressed fall leaves in a frame.  I usually use a black background with a fall-color matt to make them really stand out.  I call it The Home Decor Genie’s NatureArt! (Coming soon, you can special order yours!)

 

Now, what do you do with all this art once you have it? 

• Line up similar pieces on a wall or going up a stairway wall.
• Make a collage out of several pieces.  You can get a collage-template at art supply stores that help you figure out where to place your art so it looks good.  (Michael’s and Hobby Lobby carry these)
• 

  Large, framed picture as focal point in home staged living room

  If you have one spectacular picture, give it a place of prominence and make it your focal point in the room. 

• Take your color cues from this art and scatter the color around the room in furniture, pillows, rugs, accessories, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

So, whether you’re staging your home to sell in this real estate market or just want to decorate your home so you love it, try sprucing it up with these wall art ideas.  It’s  a great alternative to just puttin’ up lots of family or vacation photos. (nothing wrong with that, but if you’re ready to move on to a different home decorating style…you may like these suggestions!)

Staging Your Home to Sell? Make your rooms more gender-neutral!  If you want to appeal to more potential buyers, you don’t want to appear too feminine.  Here are some tips to make your rooms more “man-friendly!”

• Use plain, neutral-colored fabrics.  Minimize patterns and florals that appeal more to women.  Use natural, woodsy, or basic colors.  Cover your furniture with slip covers to save money.
• Get rid of the frills in the room.  No lace or filmy curtains.  Pack up the cute, ruffly or fancy throw pillows.  Take down the wall art that isn’t neutral.
• Create simple lines and more open space.  Don’t crowd furniture into your rooms.  Less is more when it comes to home staging  – or home decorating for that matter!
• Get rid of the clutter and collections.  All that cute, collectible stuff sitting around may mean something to you, but potential buyers will either be distracted by it or they will be overwhelmed by it!

As I always say, “when staging your home, simple is better!”  Start your packing and clear out the rooms.  A little furniture and even less personal stuff in the home is better for getting your home sold!

Want more help with staging your home?  Get my new e-book: Stage Your Home Yourself – Insiders Secrets That Will Get It  SOLD! 

Home Staging: Improve Your Curb Appeal!  If you’re selling a home, this is the first thing a buyer will see!

Staging your home to sell?  If prospective buyers don’t like the outside of your home, they may never go inside!  So, make sure that the front is inviting.

What is the yard like?  Are there toys scattered all over?  Or do you leave the trash cans sitting within sight of the curb?  Are flower beds and shrubs neatly trimmed and weeded?  All these things may seem like picky things, but if you want to sell your home quickly, you must present a home that is neat, clean and polished.

Home staging is a principal that will help you feature your home in the best light.  For instance, has it been awhile since you’ve painted the front door?  And check it for spider webs and debris.  Scape any loose paint, sweep it away and then give it a coat of paint.

Keep the lawn mowed and neat.  In the fall, be sure to pick up leaves and sticks, and add some grass seed if needed.

If you have a front porch, give it a little ambiance with a chair or two and some colorful plants in pots or hanging down. 

Your goal is to get buyers into your home and see what it has to offer.  Most people will not want to deal with bad landscaping, peeling paint or dirty entrances.  Do what you can to make it welcoming and inviting!

 

 

For more help preparing your home for sale, get my ebook:

“Stage Your Home Yourself – Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD!”

• Get my exclusive “home staging checklists” to stage each room!
• “Going Green” tips that you can feature in your home sale
• Help to budget your home staging project
• Lists to help you prioritize your home staging and get it done!
• Good design principals that you can use in your new home.

The Home Decor Genie’s Storage Solutions To Control the Clutter in your home or office!

 

What do you do with all the stuff that we all have?  Is there a way to get it under control and manage it?  Well, you say, it’s a constant battle!  It is for me too.   But there are some strategies you can use to conquer clutter and free your mind!

Does this office look yours?  It’s a very busy room with the background mural and all the piles of paper scattered around.

 

 

 

By painting the wall a neutral color it quiets the room down.  Then, it’s important to come up with storage solutions for all the rest!

 

Let’s take a look at some ideas for organizing your rooms:

 

 

1. Choose closed storage whenever possible!  If you can put stuff in a drawer, behind doors or inside, it’s out of sight.  Some suggestions would be:
   1. Entertainment centers with drawers and closable doors
   2. Coffee tables that are a trunk or have drawers/doors to hide magazines, and other clutter
   3. Bins in childrens rooms to hold toys and games
   4. Underbed storage for shoes, accessories, extra bedding, etc
2. Cut down on what you have to store!  This is a big one for most of us – me included!  Our family could learn to live with a little less stuff!  Go through things from time to time (maybe twice a year?) and throw out, give away, or donate items that you no longer use.
3. Decide if you have too much furniture in your rooms.  I’ve seen bedrooms with 3 or more dressers!  And they usually don’t match!  Get rid of furniture and open your rooms up.
4. Fold items that can be folded.  They will fit more easily into closets or on shelves.
5. Use up consumables before you buy new!  Do you have 3 or 4 laundry detergents, spray cleaners, floor mops, shampoos, etc?  Don’t buy again until you use up what you have or throw away a product if you don’t like it.
6. Also, make room in your cupboards by using up food before you buy again.  If you know that you’ll never cook it, eat it or serve it – why save it?  Get rid of it!
7. Same goes for the garage – start to manage some of the excess by getting rid of things you never use!  It will be much easier to organize the rest!
8. For more storage solutions, go to my page on storage needs and find your solutions!

Stage Your Home With My “Going Green” Tips!  Want to help our environment and give your home an edge when you stage to sell?

Here are some of my “Going Green Tips” as featured in my ebook,

“Stage Your Home Yourself-Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD!

 

• If you’ve put in native plants, or landscaped to take advantage of your areas natural features, let your realtor know and make it a selling point!
• Use low VOC paints, available from many manufacturers, to cut down on toxins added to the environment.
• Recycle your unwanted furniture: you give others a chance to use it and help us all.
• Replace old flooring with renewable flooring such as bamboo.  It’s also beautiful!
• Plants are the epitome of going green.  Use them well, and they enhance your rooms.  But, used to excess or not taken care of, they actually detract.
• Replace bulbs with energy-saving ones and let your buyers know that you care about the environment. Use long-lasting fluorescents wherever you can to cut down on the usage.
• If it’s time to replace appliances, buy energy saving ones. It will save you $$ and it’s good for the environment!
• Replace old bedding with renewable fabrics like bamboo – they are luxurious and feel wonderful!
• Use less paper and keep more on the computer.  Don’t print it out if you can help it. 

 

These are just a few ideas.  You can probably come up with more.  If we all do our part, we can make a difference!  Go Green!!

So, why should you stage your home to sell? 

Real estate agents, home stagers and decorators know what sells and what doesn’t so you’ll want to listen and take their advice.

Here are 7 of the top reasons that home staging will pay off for you:

1. First of all, first impressions stick.  Do you know that people make a decision in the first 5 minutes of seeing your home?  That doesn’t give you much time to “WOW” them or explain why you haven’t seeded the lawn.  Or why you haven’t fixed the front door.  Your agent’s goal is to get them inside and show them around your house.  If the outside, or curb appeal isn’t good, they may never even go inside!
   

   A cute little entry scenario with a birdbath and planter of irises

2. Buyers shop online.  Today, approximately 80% of all homebuyers start with the Internet.  They start looking in the privacy of their own homes and their agent may give them access to a search program that lets them narrow down their search by what they see online.  So, you can see where great-looking photos will either make or break your home’s chances of being seen.  Stage your home before you take the photos!  This is your customer’s first look and it has to look good!  If you’ve already put your home on the market, insist that your real estate agent re-take photos after it’s been staged!  Even if you have to pay for these, it will be worth it because a picture really is worth a thousand words!
3. Buyers buy on emotion.  Do you remember when you bought your home?  Most likely you bought your home because you fell in love with it, and if you’re not a “do-it-yourself type of person,” you wanted a home that was ready to go!  Like you, most people have strong visual attractions to certain homes.  If you play up your home’s best points, many people will choose your house because of what it does have and overlook what it doesn’t have!

4. 

   Stage Your Home Yourself

   You’ll get more money for your home.  Don’t you want the most money you can get for your home?  Realtors know that certain features will help you sell your house.  Kitchens are big.  Bathrooms are important.  Lots of space and lots of storage help sell homes.  So, give your home an edge and play up its good points.  So, what if you don’t have large, roomy bathrooms?  Or your kitchen is a little out of date?  Follow the guidelines in my ebook to enhance your space, find more storage and show people why your house is their next home.

5. A well staged home will keep you more sane during the selling and moving process!  Sounds crazy?  Well, we all know that having your home on the market is stressful.  You have to be ready at a moments notice to show it and if you’re at work when the realtor calls and wants to bring someone by, your home may not be in showing condition.  Don’t lose a sale just because you didn’t have your home in top shape.
6. Your home will sell faster than un-staged homes.  If your home is “move-in” ready, it will appeal to more buyers than a home that needs paint, repairs, carpet, yard work and so on.  Unless you want to sell your home for lowest dollar to an investor, home staging will pay off in the long run.
7. And one more point in favor of home staging, you start your packing early! 
   

   Country bedroom with white drapes

   Pare it down to just the basics and your house is easier to clean, easier to find storage, and easier to make ready when it’s show time!  Now doesn’t that sound better just thinking about it?

 

Whether you use a professional home stager , opt for Virtual Home Staging, or do it yourself, home staging makes a lot of sense when selling your home.  Most people would rather find a home that is “move-in” ready, so give them what they’re looking for!!

What is home staging?  Why Should You Stage Your Home to Sell? 

Home staging is all about getting your home ready to sell.  You want it to sell it in record time and get a good price for it.  Whether the economy is good or bad, preparing your home for sale just makes sense for many reasons.  It may seem odd to spend money and time to stage your home to sell when you will not be living there anymore, but the benefits make it all worthwhile.

If it’s time to market your home, you have some options:

• Don’t do anything, it will sell eventually…maybe
• Just listen to your realtor and do the absolute minimum…you’re moving afterall, he/she can do the work!
• Get serious about getting the best price for your home and getting it sold quickly!

If you want to sell now and sell at the best price, get yourself a great, professional home stager!  They can quickly assesss your home and tell you exactly what you need to do. Of course if you’re in the Denver area, I’d love it if you call me to stage your home.  But if you aren’t in Denver or the Front Range, check your area for a good one.

But, maybe you’d rather do it yourself.  That’s certainly an option.  It may save you money, you’ll have control over the project and you can set the budget. 

Right now, you can get my ebook at a special price!  Stage Your Home Yourself-Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD!

Instead of $27  you can get it for a limited time for only $19!   Download it  instantly to your computer. 

You can print out the parts that you want and use them as a guide to stage your home!  You’ll get:

• My exclusive “home staging checklists” that will guide you as you work
• “Going Green” tips that you can feature when selling
• A way to plan out and prioritize your home staging
• Help you set a budget so you know your costs!

Whether you plan to use a home stager or do-it-yourself, home staging is just a good idea.  Statistics show that homes that are staged sell much faster than those that are not.  Afterall, if you are looking for a home, don’t you want to see those that are well-kept and maintained, are not cluttered, and look like you could “just move right in?”  Most people do.  So, hedge your sale in your favor and do the work.  Some realtors even help with the cost of staging your home!

 

Debbie Fiskum, The Home Decor Genie is the owner of

Perfect Transformations Home Staging and Decorating in Denver

She specializes in staging occupied homes and provides many different levels of service to fit all budgets!