News affecting Kinston Real Estate

Kathy Riggs October 19th, 2009

Last week I again touched on the need to de-clutter your house if it is going on the market anytime soon and I told you to tune in this week as I begin to focus on “Staging.” Between cable news shows and real estate-related websites, there’s no doubt you have heard about “Staging.”
I’m sure you have heard, “if you want a house to sell faster and at a higher price, have it Staged.”
It’s true, Staging works. But, it’s important to know what it is and what it isn’t.
Staging is making a house appeal to a typical home buyer; “typical” is the key word here. Staging is not hiring an interior decorator to come in a create a home that mirrors your personality.
If you are a seller and don’t have access to a professional home stager, here are a few concepts to keep in mind when you put your home on the market.
First, keep things to the cosmetics – if something is not feasible you may not want to do it. Remember to work with the integrity of the house. Don’t try and turn a Craftsman bungalow into an entirely different style. With staging you are trying to create a warm, “lived-in” look, but not cluttered nor sterile. In other words, your goal is to create balance.
One of the simplest tasks in staging a home will be to clean windows and reflective surfaces to allow more natural light into your home. Adding light has a bonus, it creates the illusion of additional space. While speaking of additional space, stagers use the 50 percent rule. In other words, 50 percent of what is visible in a room can be packed away. If you are not using it, store it.
Updates – in today’s market updates sell; however, staging does not mean remodeling the kitchen. It means taking down the dated accessories and replacing with newer more modern ones. A quick walk through a home improvement store or the home decor section of a department store can give you lots of ideas.
Another goal of staging is to find a focal point in each room and highlight it, remember the old song’ “Accentuate the Positive”? Well that’s what you do with staging. A professional stager can also help create an emotional connection to each room.
Finally, one of the most important things in Staging is lighting. Lighting creates warmth and mood…I’ll devote a future post to this subject.
on the lighter side…
A real estate agent whose office was situated in the middle of an office complex was concerned when a new firm moved next door and posted a sign, “Best Agents.” Then another firm opened on the other side and erected a sign, “Lowest Commissions”. The original real estate agent took advantage of being between the two and put up a new sign, “Main Entrance.”
SHAMELESS PLUGS
Time is running out for the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit, call me. I have some clients very interested in purchasing several tracts of 60 to 80 acres of farm land.
Call me at 252-939-2432 or email me at kriggs@kathyriggs.com for more information.

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