If you’ve made the decision to put your home on the market, your Realtor® has probably told you that staging plays an important part in the sales process.  You have a little painting you’d like to do, as well as do some work in the kitchen, but a full house staging just isn’t in your budget. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of having to fork out a lot of money to make your house looks perfect–there are inexpensive ways to stage your house, and here are just a few: 

• Discount department stores are full of inexpensive home decor: faux plants, decorative pillows, framed art and mirrors.  
• Sheer window panels cost less than half the cost of new curtains, allowing natural light to shine through, which is a huge plus, as a dark house isn’t on very many house hunters’ lists. 
• After cleaning carpets or even refinishing hardwood floors, an area rug or runner to brighten and protect them may be necessary.  

• The bathrooms can be given a fresh look with new shower curtains and a set of fluffy white linens in each room. 
• Big box stores are the source for inexpensive cabinetry hardware, light fixtures, as well as faucets that you may choose to replace. 
• A vase of fresh flowers brightens any room!  Discount bouquets or even single blossoms can be purchased in department store produce sections or flower markets and can last a week or more if cared for properly. 
• If you’re planning on placing a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter, purchase oranges or apples instead of lemons. They can be eaten by the family, which saves money, as they won’t be tossed out! 
• On the outside, inexpensive mulch can transform the flowerbeds.  Pots with annuals planted in them are all you need for a splash of color on the front steps. 

If you must use what you have, like many homeowners, ask your agent if they can recommend a stylist that specializes in redecorating with what is available. The cost would be much less than using an interior decorator, not to mention less stress for you.   

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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You’ve taken the plunge, and put your home on the market.  How do you stage it for potential buyers, and keep it looking great while living your day-to-day? Follow this guide for some practical ideas. 

• Look at your front entry closely. Paint porch rails and columns, and your front door, if necessary. Replace the door, if necessary.  
• Landscaping is extremely important for first impressions–clean out the flowerbeds, put down some new mulch and fresh plants, if the time of year is right. 
• Get rid of clutter and anything that isn’t necessary.  Go ahead and pack these things for your potential move so you’ll have one less thing to do when the time comes. 
• Clean out closets, and throw away, give away or store anything that you’re not using or haven’t used in six months. Buyers will look in closets and cabinets to see how much storage is available. 
• Clean, clean, clean.  Your home needs to be spotless, but once it’s done, it’s easy to keep clean for realtor showings.  If you don’t have time, consider hiring a cleaning agency. 
• Using decorative containers to store things that you need while living in your staged home is a great way to hide extra clutter. Totes, benches with storage, and inexpensive shelving with baskets are great ways to hide your can’t-live-without things. 
• Rearranging furniture to make rooms appear larger is a huge plus–even taking out lesser-used pieces makes a big difference in how open your rooms will look.  If you’re unsure of this step, ask your realtor for the name of a decorator who specializes in rearrangement and using what you have to improve the space. 
• If your decor is bold and bright, go ahead and give the walls a fresh coat of neutral paint colors.   
• You don’t need to purchase new furniture once you’ve toned down the wall paint–slipcovers are an inexpensive way to make your pieces look like new. 
• Remove personal artwork/photos from your walls and replace with mirrors, inexpensive prints of landscapes or animals.  

Once you’re ready for your realtor to schedule showings, give everyone in the house a responsibility schedule, and stick to it.  Be diligent about keeping furniture dusted, floors vacuumed, countertops wiped off, and dishes stashed in the dishwasher. If you just take out an extra twenty minutes every evening or morning, your home will impress your potential buyers. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Some Highlights:

• The National Association of Realtors surveyed their members & released the findings of their Annual Profile of Home Staging.
• 50% of staged homes saw a 1-10% increase in dollar value offers from buyers.
• 77% of buyer’s agents said staging made it easier for buyers to visualize the home as their own.
• The top rooms to stage to attract more buyers are the living room, master bedroom, kitchen, and dining room.

By: KCM Crew

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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So you have your house on the market and you are eager and ready to sell it as quickly as possible?  Here are a few tips for keeping your house ready to show at any given moment throughout the day or night.

1. If you are a busy working person in society it is likely that you don’t have time to keep your house spic and span twenty four seven.  However you CAN make the house look as if it is clean all the time by simply getting rid of some of the clutter.  Two of the main rooms you should concentrate on to accomplish this are the bathrooms and the kitchen.  Make sure that all counter space is clean and free from any clutter in each of these rooms.  Also a good way to make the kitchen look less cluttered is to take any and all items you have posted on your refrigerator off while you are trying to sell your home.
2. Another way to keep your house ready to show at any time is to clean eye catchers first.  Items you should clean first are such things as the ceiling fans, floors, countertops, stovetops, ovens, trash cans and bathroom fixtures.  These places can get dirty quickly and will be noticed by folks who come to tour your home so make sure they are clean at all times.
3. Do a few extra things like adding a touch of color to each room with pillows to make the space pop. Also if there are any beds left unmade or any areas of the house that need a quick pick me up do your part to make that happen on a daily basis before you head out the door.
4. Another tip for keeping your house ready to show at anytime  might be to use an essential oil diffuser in the main room of the house so that it always smells fresh and clean.

These are just a few tips for keeping your house ready to show at any time of the day or night.  You never know when you might get a call to show your house at the last minute and by doing these simple things you will always be ready.  This doesn’t mean you will be guaranteed an offer by any means but it does mean that your chances may be greater!

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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If you have your house on the market you likely already have everything arranged neatly and perfectly throughout the house.  The one area of your home that you may have forgotten about however is the basement.  Below are a few tips for staging your basement so that those who come to tour your home may be more willing to make an offer.

1. One tip for staging your basement to make it “show” ready is to pick up all of the clutter off the floor.  Most of the time when folks have a basement in their home they tend to use it as a catch all and therefore many items get tossed down the stairs without a second thought.  If you want the house to show the best it possibly can, be sure to put all of your basement clutter away neatly into storage bins.
2. Another way to stage your basement for a viewing is to paint the basement floor with a sealing paint. You could use the same paint folks use to paint their garage floor with or you may want to do something fancier such as decorative concrete. Whichever you choose, cleaning up the floor of the basement is a great way to make a statement during a showing.
3. Another good way to stage your basement in order to possibly have a better showing is by finishing the walls with sheetrock. This is not a huge project to undertake and is one that you can likely do yourself without breaking the bank.   Finishing the walls in the basement can make a really big difference in the way the basement looks.
4. Yet another way to stage your basement is to do your part to get rid of that typical basement smell. Use air fresheners and or fans to circulate the air the basement when you know that someone is coming to look at your house.  You can also use a diffuser with your favorite essential oil to make the basement smell nice and fresh.
5. If your basement is not well lit, you may want to add a few lamps before a showing. This is a great way to brighten up an otherwise dreary part of the house.

These are just a few ways in which you can make the basement of your home more appealing by staging. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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If you’re considering selling your home in the near future here are some things to be thinking about. Staging your home most commonly refers to paying attention to how your home shows on the inside to buyers. Curb appeal refers to how it looks to buyers on the outside. Staging and curb appeal are often thought of as separate issues.

However, if you think of them together the results will often be more than just the sum of the parts. The things you do to improve on by staging and curb appeal may even enhance your enjoyment of your home for the time before you sell. Let’s consider staging for selling in this blog…

There are a of lot things you can do yourself without spending big dollars, especially if you start well ahead of selling. “Streamlining” is a new term that encompasses “de-cluttering.” Things that we all get used to living with do not always make a positive impression on a buyer. So, look around your living environment and be honest about what you could maybe do without, especially for the short term.

You might find that you would enjoy a little less stuff around right now. That includes things that are in storage. If you haven’t used something in 2 or 3 years maybe you could do without it? For the things that you really do want to have handy, is there a better way to store them? Here are some easy staging ideas you can do yourself.

Talk with your favorite Realtor to get some suggestions. They may even know a reasonably priced staging professional who can help. But, if you’re the type to do it yourself there are all sorts of tips on the internet. A good start is to do some planning. Make a checklist for yourself to help organize the effort for the big picture.

Also think about things that can make a big impression. An example of a high impact effort that looks at both indoors and outdoors is dressing up the entry into your home. That idea and 12 other tips are included in an article you can access here. Work your way through your checklist and keep thinking inside and outside together. Over a relatively short period of time you’ll find you are making significant changes toward selling your home.

Information courtesy of Orlando Real Estate Expert Teri Isner and the Orlando Avenue Top Team.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently. You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Learn the one quick and easy thing you can do to make your Orlando FL home sell for more money. But first, watch this short video for up to the minute real estate sales statistics provided by Keller Williams.

What is the one thing you can do to make your house sell for more money? Invest $250 in staging your home to sell. Statistics show investing $250 for staging a home valued at $200,000 will result in a sales price 2% higher than a non-staged home. That is a $3000 return on your investment.

Contact Teri today for help staging your Orlando FL home. 407-566-1800 or teri@teriisner.com.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home shopping website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!