Welcome to the "Z" Team!

Waiting a few years to sell? Make a few changes for your desires?  Many home owners are opting to tackle improvement projects around the house, according to a new survey of 1,500 adults by American Express Spending and Saving Tracker.

Seventy percent of home owners surveyed say they intend to take on a home improvement project this year, and they plan to spend about $3,500 on sprucing up their home, according to the survey. That’s an increase of about $100 compared to last year.

The projects will primarily concentrate on the indoors, according to the survey. More than one-third of those polled say they are devoting some of that budget to home accessories, such as throw pillows, or on appliances and new furniture.

The top home project they have lined up? Painting, which 37 percent of those surveyed say they plan to do this year. Twenty-four percent said they will do landscaping projects. These could be improvements or upgrades to increase value for a future sale?

Also, more home owners this year compared to last year say they’re going the do-it-yourself route, with plans to refurbish their houses themselves rather than hiring a professional to do it. In the survey, 43 percent of owners say they’ve been inspired to tackle home projects themselves by watching design shows on television, followed by seeing in-store displays or from viewing online design and do-it-yourself Web sites.

Source: “Home Decision 2012: Improving or Moving?” American Express (3/12)

Is your home dressed to sell?

Staging the interior.

Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items. In general, a sparsely decorated home helps the buyer mentally ‘move in’ with their own things.

Rearrange or remove some of the furniture in your home, if necessary. Many times home owners have too much furniture in a room. When it comes to selling your home, thin out overcrowded rooms to make the rooms appear larger.

 Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn’t been used for three months…put it away! Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, magnets, pictures, etc.

 In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from the countertops, tub, shower stall and commode top. Keep only the most necessary cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels in one or two colors only.

 Take down, reduce, or rearrange pictures and objects on walls. Patch and paint all walls, if necessary.

 Review the house interior, room by room, and:

1. Paint any room needing paint.

2. Clean carpet and draperies that need it.

3. Clean windows.

 If you need room to store extra possessions use the garage or rent a storage unit.

 Leave on certain lights during the day (your agent will show you which ones). During showings turn on ALL lights and lamps.

Staging the exterior.

Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., to the garage or, if applicable, take them to the dump.

Check gutters and roof for dry rot and moss. Make sure they are swept & cleaned.

 Look at all plants. Plants are like children…they grow so fast. Prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows: “You can’t sell a house if you can’t see it!”

 Remove any dead plants, weed all planting areas and put down fresh mulching material.

 Keep your lawn freshly cut, edged and fertilized during the growing season.

 Clear patios or decks of all small items, such as little planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbeques, toys, etc.

 Check the condition of the paint on your home, especially the trim and the front door. The first

impression, or ‘curb appeal,’ is very important.

Try to look at your house “through a buyer’s eyes,” as though you’ve never seen it before. This exercise will help you see what needs to be done. Any time and money invested on these items will usually bring you the return of more money and a quicker sale.  For additional staging ideas or if you are in the market for a professional home stager, give us a call, we would be glad  to help.