Staging Reminders ……

Clean:
 Your home must sparkle! Consider a professional ‘clean sweep’ at least once before showing your home.  Also, there is just something remarkable about professionally cleaned windows.
 
Fix:
Is there a dripping faucet, cracked tile or HVAC not efficient?  These will send the wrong message to potential buyers.  Attention to the basics before you put your house on the market is a smart idea.  Think about a Home Inspection BEFORE your Open House so there are no surprises and reflects a well maintained home.  Gather your Home Maintenance Plans and Receipts over the last year.  Start a folder.


De-personalize:
The "50% Rule" suggests that you eliminate the clutter in your home by at least half.  This may be the hardest rule of all! Let’s call it ‘your decorative touch’….those favorite items which reflect your memories, hobbies, and values…time to pack them up. Decorative and personal accessories often make your home seem smaller, disorganized and most importantly, says “your home” instead of….”I could live here”.  For example….. political and religious items, personal photos, refrigerator magnets and calendars, piles of magazines, children’s artwork and ‘collections’. Buying a home is an emotional decision, and you want potential buyers to make an emotional connection with your home by being able to "see" themselves in it.  One of the tenets of the ancient practice of Feng Shui emphasizes the elimination of clutter …..personal and generic.
 
Curb Appeal:
What potential buyers see when they drive up to your house will be their first impression.  This is a good place to spend a little extra time and money.  Plant flowers, trim bushes, weed the grdens, pick up leaves, repaint your front door, replace tarnished house numbers or a dented mailbox, and get a brand-new neutral doormat.
 
The Entrance:
The first glimpse inside your home should give potential buyers a positive, uplifting feeling.  Make your entryway as light and bright as possible.  Leave all the lights in the house on.  Get rid of all small area rugs.  Please limit family photos.

Kitchen:
Kitchens sell homes, so the importance of making your kitchen appealing is of the upmost importance.  Clean and de-clutter!  Anything taking up counter or floor space must go.  Anything displayed on the refrigerator must go.  If your cabinets appear old…. try rubbing an oil (see recipe below) for a quick fix.  If your cabinet knobs are old or out-of-date, replacing them can be a relatively inexpensive "facelift."  Get a wood tone touchup stick from your home supply store and fill in any nicks and scratches.  Shelves and pantries must appear orderly and very spacious.  Put those extra items in your newly rented storage unit or give them away!
 
Bathrooms:
 Again, clean and de-clutter!  Pay attention to anything with mildew/mold.  If you have a glass shower door, squeegee it after every shower.  A mold-and-mildew remover and a soap scum remover can work wonders (environmentally safe recipes included). Glass cleaning products do a good job of cleaning windows and mirrors (commercial cleaners - be careful if you have brass fixtures since ammonia will cause these to pit).  We are happy to suggest tile and grout cleaning services.  Do not display any personal toiletry items!  Remove all deodorant, mouthwash, electric toothbrushes, etc. and put them in your cabinet.  Pick up all bath mats/rugs.  Keep your soap dishes pristine.  Have a few bars of new decorative hand soaps on hand for each showing.  Get a new set of high-quality, neutral, fluffy towels and display them for each showing.
 
Rest of the House.  Clean, Repair, De-clutter, and De-personalize!

• Remove enough items from your closet so you can hang a garment without touching the garment next to it (if possible!) …..extra and out-of-season clothes go to your newly rented storage unit….or Goodwill (don’t forget your receipts for tax deductions).  Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
• Remove small area rugs.
• Drapes open and shades or blinds rolled up.
• If your houseplants are anemic, replace them.
• Take a hard look at your carpets.  Are they stained or worn?  Replacing carpets is often an excellent investment.  Select neutral and natural fibers.
• Leave all the lights on….use Energy Star CFL bulbs!(If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars).
• Keep wastebaskets empty.
• Gather all information and receipts regarding appliance warranties and home maintenance.
• Please, no pets inside.
• Soft background music can provide ambience.
• Leave your home before potential buyers arrive.

 
 
 
 
 
SAFE and GREEN DAILY CLEANERS

Window Cleaner
1/4-1/2 tsp liquid detergent
3 tbs vinegar
2 cups water
spray bottle
Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.
Creamy Soft Scrubber
Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn't leave grit.
Tip: Add 1 tsp of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise, just make as much as you need at a time.
Oven Cleaner
1 cup or more baking soda
water
A squirt or two of  liquid detergent
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface it totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top, then let the mixture set overnight.
You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn't work for you it is probably because you didn't use enough baking soda and/or water.
Mold Killer
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse.
Furniture Polish
1/2 tsp oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.
 
NOTE:
Lavender and tea tree oils are natural antiseptics!