Friday, December 16, 2016

Time for a White Christmas!

Most people love to decorate for the holidays. It creates a bright, cheery atmosphere to entertain friends and family. It can also pose some challenges for people who want to sell their house.

Everybody knows that when selling your house, clutter is supposed to be eliminated to make the house appear more neutral and larger. Yet most people still want to enjoy the holiday traditions - even when selling their house. 

Sadly, some holiday decorations can overwhelm a room and make a house look small and cluttered. In addition, all the pretty colors and sparkle could distract your buyers from actually looking at your house!



how to sell house now
Colorful decorations can overpower a room and feel heavy


So, if colorful decorations can be overwhelming and look chaotic, how can a seller decorate for the holidays without overwhelming a buyer, or making the house look small?

Most experts will say to keep decorations to a bare minimum. This is very good advice for most people, but if this is your last Christmas in your house, that advice is a little hard to take! For families with young children, this may be even more difficult to adhere to. Young children may not understand why the house is bare. They may think Santa forgot them! No one wants that!

What if there was another way to decorate your house that was less overpowering?


Time for a White Christmas!



how to sell house now


A wonderful solution to discrete holiday decorating is to use white decorations. They are chic, light and airy. They are still very festive and when used with a touch of silver can be very magical and sophisticated. Using one neutral color will be less of a distraction to buyers!




Not convinced?


Here are some curated images to help you see the beauty of this idea and be inspired to create your own look!


This image of white decorations illustrates the idea of white decorations perfectly!




There is a lot going on in this photo:

The fully decorated tree
The reindeer
The polar bear
The white boxes, and 
The mantel's floral and candelabra decorations

Yet it feels bright and sophisticated. 

The eye takes it in as a whole scene, and extends the theme to the houses' own architectural features: the white mantel and moldings.



Still think there is no difference between an all white and colored decorations? Take a look and consider these three multi colored trees. 

The first tree is truly multicolored while the second tree focuses on red, green and gold. These trees are lovely, but they would dominate any space with their bright colors and shine.

need to sell house now

The third tree is designed in a monochromatic scheme of blues. It 's range is from turquoise to a deep and gorgeous blue. This tree is very similar in the style of decoration to the last one, and yet the turquoise and blue seems much more massive and draws more attention than the white one. 

Compare all the trees and notice how the white one still appears very festive and yet looks less obtrusive. That is a very important feature if you want your buyers to focus on your house and not  your tree!


This principle can be applied to decorations throughout your house.


Using white and silver can bring holiday sparkle without overpowering the space.


Here are some lovely examples of holiday design elements:


This surface is all decked out!




The sparkle of glass combined with silver accents creates a lovely display for the holidays. 

While red and green are typically used for Christmas, and white and blue are often used for Hanukkah, the neutrality of white and silver means they are all-inclusive. This is very important so that your buyers may imagine enjoying their celebrations in your home.


White Mantels


Here are three inspirational mantels decorated with white. Decorations can be classic, contemporary or just playful. 




White ties everything together into a beautiful presentation!



White Is A Small Space Solution


If you decided not to put up a tree in order to maximize your space for visiting buyers, think again before leaving that room bare! 


Having some decoration for the holidays is important to show buyers that they will enjoy a warm, wonderful lifestyle in your house.

It is an important part of staging to sell.

If space is a real concern, consider using white lights to create some festive wall art!

It will brighten the room and give the space an inviting, warm glow.

In this image a few strands of lights create a clever Christmas tree that barely takes any space at all!




White Dining


Dining rooms decorated with white can be very chic. There is no limit to the design style. 


need to sell home fast

Dining rooms may be decorated in contemporary, classic or country within a white theme.



Outdoor Whites


In many parts of the country, a great advantage of white decorations outside is that they blend in with the snow. Here is a lovely example of how white lights that look like snow sculptures can create some subdued winter magic for your house.



An added bonus is that these lights will help buyers find their way when they come to visit at night!



Living in White


Here are three lovely living rooms decorated with white:



must sell house fast

This is a great example of how white decorations can help you. 

This room is lovely and the white decorations do not overpower the room. 

In addition, the clever use of the mirror makes the room look larger and adds more holiday sparkle!


Very elegant!






In the image below, a white color scheme can also be applied to a country-style decor. this room is subdued yet very welcoming.









In this example, white is mixed with beige to create a soft, natural warmth. 

The room is filled with decorations and yet they are not overpowering. 

That is the power of white!










Decorations To Go!

If white decorations really are not your taste, consider using trays to make your decorations portable. You can create one with your favorite colorful heirloom pieces and exchange them for white ones when buyers come to visit. In this way you can enjoy your traditional colorful pieces and still show buyers what your house will look like decorated for the holidays with the more neutral white decorations.



need to sell home fast


Trays and large bowls are wonderful tools!


Above all, the holidays should be celebrated and enjoyed with loved ones. If you start to stress about your house sale, take a moment to remind yourself that if you don't sell now, there's always next spring.





Happy Holidays 

from your friends at Turn My House To Sold!




If you have come to the realization that it is time to move right now to have a better life, but your house isn’t ready for the traditional market, we can help. 

If you are juggling too many responsibilities to sell your house yourself this winter, then there are people who specialize in the sale of properties "as is" - usually within a week to resolve the situation quickly. We have a team of professionals able to assist you immediately.


Contact us for details.


So thanks for reading my post. I'm so glad you're here! If you have a question you would like answered, just let me know! 

And I really look forward to getting into more great stuff in future posts -- so that you can 

Turn Your House To $OLD!



Feel free to ask me any questions through the contact info below. I would be very happy to help.




Linda  623-335-2662








_____________
Article Sources:

Lynda Bathory

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Holiday House Selling Strategies Your Agent Won't Tell You

The holiday season between November and January is often thought to be the worst time to put a house on the market. It is bittersweet for the seller as buyers often downgrade their house-buying activity during the festivities. 




While the thought of selling your house during the winter months may dampen your holiday spirit, rejoice because the season does have its advantages! 

Any buyers looking at properties during this time of year tend to be more serious. In addition, your competition may be taking a break during the holidays leaving fewer houses on the open market. So, if you really need to sell during the holidays, here are some strategies to help your New Year be in a new home!

Deck the Halls!


A house is never more beautiful than during the holidays. Holiday decorations can turn an average house into a showpiece. At the same time, sellers should be careful not to overdo it. This is not the time for The Great Christmas Light Fight! 

Be tasteful in how you decorate. Look to top design and home keeping magazines to see what is trending this year. It may surprise you, but if a buyer thinks your decorations are out of date, they may consciously or subconsciously think the same thing about your house. 

Decorations that are too large in scale for your house or are everywhere a buyer can look will make your house seem small and crowded. It can also distract buyers. Try to stay with themes from popular culture in order to avoid offending buyers who may be sensitive to, or even offended by religious themes.  Autumn leaves, harvest produce, winter greenery and even snow are good choices regardless of faith.

Create an Entertaining Oasis


Keep your house entertaining ready at all times. That way you don't need to scramble if a buyer wants to visit.

Set the dining room as though you are expecting your guests at any moment. Use your best linens, dishes and glassware. Have bottles of wine or other festive beverages ready to go. Put out snacks or hor d’oeurves. The more elegant and appealing this display is, the more buyers will secretly envy your happy and successful lifestyle. 

They will want that lifestyle, too!

Make your home feel cozy and inviting during visits and open houses by keeping the temperature just a little too warm. If your buyers have to take off and put on their coats, they will have to stay just a little longer ;) 

Light candles, turn on any holiday lighting and play soft holiday or classical music. If your family prefers the convenience of an artificial tree, bring in some real pine boughs or wreaths. Simmer some apples with cinnamon to create a natural holiday scent.

Offer your buyers some holiday treats. Keep them fuss free and universally appealing. Avoid anything that could crumble, stain or melt. 

When you encourage buyers to spend more time in your house, you also give them more time to consider themselves living there and to admire its best features.


Curb Appeal is Still Important in Winter


When autumn leaves fall, maintaining the exterior of your home becomes even more important. Keep yards clean and well groomed. Don’t count on snow fall to cover things up! Bare trees also mean a more exposed house. Touch up the paint, clean the gutters, siding, and windows. 



Spruce up a bare yard with holiday decorations, potted flowers or other ornamental plant that can weather the temperature changes. If you live in an area with snow, keep your entrances shoveled and crisp. Your buyers may be coming at night so keep safety in mind by making sure entrances and paths are well lit and free of snow, ice, and leaves.

Hire a Professional Photographer


These days buyers are likely to start their house hunt by browsing through listings on the Internet from the comfort of their homes. This is even more likely in winter when weather can be challenging. It’s important to make a good first impression by offering lots of flattering, high-quality photos of your home. If you have the time, offer holiday decorated and undecorated photos of your home so buyers can see how it looks at other times of the year.

If your photographer is versatile, have them create a video tour for the Web. Posting a walk-through of your house on YouTube, Facebook and other sites can increase your exposure exponentially. 

In addition, if the weather is bad in your region, you may get less actual traffic though you house during the holidays and perhaps all winter. Posting a video tour on the Web may attract house hunters who don't have time or inclination to physically see your home during bad weather conditions.

Talk It Up!


You have decorated, prepared for guests, and spruced up your yard. Now it’s time to tell everyone you know your house is up for sale! Mention it at any holiday party or business function you attend. Tell everyone. Let people know how to contact you and where to find pictures and info for your house.

You might want to have some business cards made just for this occasion with contact info and a great photo. 

There are companies that will print these for free in exchange for advertising themselves on the back of the card. Pass them out to everyone who is interested!


Above all, the holidays should be celebrated and enjoyed with loved ones. If you start to stress about your house sale, take a moment to remind yourself that if you don't sell now, there's always next spring.

If you have come to the realization that it is time to move right now to have a better life, but your house isn’t ready for the traditional market, we can help. 

If you are juggling too many responsibilities to sell your house yourself this winter, then there are people who specialize in the sale of properties "as is" - usually within a week to resolve the situation quickly. We have a team of professionals able to assist you immediately.


Contact us for details.


So thanks for reading my post. I'm so glad you're here! If you have a question you would like answered, just let me know! 

And I really look forward to getting into more great stuff in future posts -- so that you can 

Turn Your House To $OLD!



Feel free to ask me any questions through the contact info below. I would be very happy to help.




Linda  623-335-2662








_____________
Article Sources:

Lynda Bathory

Friday, October 14, 2016

Don’t Let Your Spring Sale Haunt You!

Most people know that selling a house can be a long process. Once that For Sale sign goes up, days can seem like years until the right buyer comes along.


Need to sell house fast
Don't Let Your Spring Sale Haunt You!


But did you know that the longest part of the process happens before that sign ever goes up?

A smart seller knows to take care of the essentials before putting the house on the market. The fall is the perfect time to get started for many reasons. Here are the top five target items to get your house sold in record time.

And some interesting tricks and treats why you probably need to start NOW!

Get Your House Inspected


Most people don’t consider getting their own house inspection. While it is true that a serious buyer will most likely hire a professional house inspector (unless they are one or are a contractor) you probably don’t want to wait for that potential buyer to surprise you with any bad news from their report!

Home Inspections Help Sellers Prepare to Sell House Fast
The cost of an inspection is usually around $250-$500. It is a wise investment. If you have someone interested enough in your property to pay for one, it is better to be prepared. You want to know about any issues before the buyer starts to lower their original offer with a counter offer based on an unfavorable inspection report, or worse yet, back out of the deal completely!

Think of it as an early warning system. If you get an inspection soon, you will have plenty of time to make repairs before the spring. It is to your advantage to know what the inspector is going to find and be able to fix it -- and pick who will fix it. 

You can shop around for the best price instead of perhaps paying an inflated “rush” price later on when you will have so many other things to think about.

It also gives you the opportunity to coordinate with the work you had already planned on doing. You would probably be very unhappy if you just put in new landscaping and then found out you had to redo your roof. Large repairs can often have a big impact on the area – or areas around them. As careful as any trades person may be, the dumpster and new materials have to be placed somewhere.

Find out what the inspector thinks, review the report and make a list of necessary repairs and projects. Then get started now.

TRICK: Many trades people experience a lull during the holidays. This may be the perfect opportunity to negotiate a discount for work you need to get done!


TREAT: Your holiday photos will be extra special with the fantastic updated look of your house!

Curb Appeal


Everybody knows that curb appeal is important when selling a house. Fall is the perfect time to review your garden’s performance. If your house is not inviting from the street, buyers may not even get out of their cars to look inside! Get the opinion of your friends and neighbors – the ones that will give you an honest answer.


Curb Appeal Helps Sell Your House Fast


Note any outdoor maintenance, repairs or improvements.  See if you will need to remove dead branches from trees, pull weeds, prune and freshen as needed. Check the paint on fences, decks, trim -- and everywhere else. Decide if you will need to paint or if a good pressure washing will do. An inspector may not comment on driveway cracks if they are not structural. Fixing them will keep your house from giving the impression that it's not maintained.

If your budget allows for more than basic maintenance, think about improving the landscaping. Depending on where you live and your landscaping style, consider new mulch, add gravel, sharp edging, show a healthy lawn and beds of flowers. Make sure you will have a clean entry way. Plan to sweep or pressure-wash the front walk and porch (you will probably need to do this anyway if you decide to paint). Will you need to polish the outdoor metalwork, clean the windows and glass and replace any burnt-out bulbs in outdoor lighting? Would it help to add planters with flowers?


TRICK: Getting a start on your garden now will mean you will have less to do in the spring to get your house ready for sale when time will be at a premium. Most plants are easier to remove in the fall when they are slowing down for the winter.

TREAT: If you prune and remove anything that didn’t perform well over the summer, it will be less likely that you will have to deal with mushy damaged or dead plants in the spring.

Evaluate The Interior


To sell your house fast update old featuresEven if you got an inspection, the report may not address outdated features if they were working well. Are your kitchen and baths more than 10 years old? Do you need to paint the whole house, just a few rooms or touch up the trim or doors? Do the floors need to be updated? Are the carpets worn? Will any wood, tile or stone flooring stand up to the scrutiny of a buyer? 

There are a lot of areas in a house that can get outdated easily. Take an objective look to see where improvements will help you sell your house fast and make a list. If you can, do all the work. If your budget doesn't permit it, take care of the worst offenders.

TRICK: Fall is a great time to take care of this work. The cooler weather will make it more pleasant to get the work done. For painting projects, you can cut dying time – and quickly eliminate paint odor – by turning the heat up a notch and opening windows to let the moist, pungent air out.  

TREAT: You will get to enjoy the fresh, updated look during your holidays rather than just paying to make it nice for the next owner.


Declutter


Everyone knows that when you have buyers touring through your house, you don’t want them distracted by clutter. You want them focused on the HOUSE you are trying to sell and not your nick-knacks!

Declutter to help sell your house fast

And some buyers will have attitude. They are expecting to see your house at its best. They are “visiting” after all!

In addition, removing anything unnecessary will give the impression that your house is bigger, brighter and airier. Buyers look and pay for space and light. There will be couples and even families plus their agent, or if you are lucky, multiple families walking through your house -- so make sure they can get around easily! If you are thinking you will “just stuff it in the closet when they come” - guess again! Buyers will expect to actually walk into those "walk-in" closets.

Think positively of this process. You are going to a new home and a new start in the spring. Has your family outgrown it? Will it fit in your new place? Is it time to get something new anyway? Do you really love something enough to PAY to move it!

TRICK: As you are changing over to your fall décor, take a good hard look at your spring and summer items. If they are outdated, worn or frumpy, now would be a good time to get rid of them altogether! You wouldn’t want buyers to see anything less than perfect during your open houses next spring. Why take the time to carefully pack, store and prepare to move something that has already seen its best days?

TREAT: Send your unnecessary items off to your local charity and give someone else the opportunity to receive a great gift for the holidays.

Clean


Most people know that buyers have little tolerance for dirt. You're never going to be able to sell your house fast without cleaning it first.  While this is a stage for later in the process, objectively look at it now so you can record any major issues. Do it yourself or hire a crew. Just remember that even professional maids may take a pass on a heavy-duty cleanup of a neglected house.

If it's been a decade since you washed the blinds, plan to clean them or remove them. Same for any drapes or curtains.  Expect to pull the stove out and clean behind it every couple of months until the house is sold. Come up with a plan to keep all the appliances sparkling.


Cleaning is the secret to a fast home sale


You may be used to a particular smell, but for a fussy buyer, an unusual smell may signal the end of a potential sale! Look at the bathrooms and decide how to keep them spotless and glittering.  Make a strategy to be sure the floors are always clean – you never know when a potential buyer might want to see your house. If you have forgotten about those dirty windows, you can be sure a potential buyer won't!  If any of these things are dirty, buyers will question whether the house is well maintained.

TRICK: Once you have done the majority of the heavy cleaning, take note of how long the project took so you won’t be caught in a time crunch in the spring. Make a list with scheduled cleaning times and needed supplies so you will be ready for those buyers in the spring! This way you can always be ready for visits until the house is sold!


TREAT: If you can manage to get the majority of the work done this fall, your family and friends will enjoy an impeccably clean house over the holidays. And with the big projects done now, you will have less to do in the spring and may get by with a few light touch-ups when you will be at your busiest.



Need To Sell House Fast


Fall is indeed the perfect time of year to get ready for your spring sale.



If you have come to the realization that it is time to move right now to have a better life, but your house isn’t ready for the traditional market, we can help. 

If you are juggling too many responsibilities to sell your house yourself this summer, then there are people who specialize in the sale of properties "as is" - usually within a week to resolve the situation quickly. We have a team of professionals able to assist you immediately.


Contact us for details.





So thanks for reading my post. I'm so glad you're here! If you have a question you would like answered, just let me know! 

And I really look forward to getting into more great stuff in future posts -- so that you can 

Turn Your House To $OLD!



Feel free to ask me any questions through the contact info below. I would be very happy to help.


Linda  623-335-2662








_____________
Article Sources: