Home Staging Tip

Here are some handy dandy household uses for dryer sheets.  Some would be quite helpful for quick clean ups when showing your home.

1. Freshen smelly shoes. Insert a dryer sheet into the offending pair and let sit overnight. 
2. Remove static from clothing, hair, TV screens, and computer monitors. Wipe the surface with a sheet. 
3. Clean pet hair from the floor or furniture. Rub a dryer sheet over the spot where Fluffy left her fur. 
4. Replace a sachet. Keep a dresser drawer smelling fresh and clean by placing a dryer sheet on the bottom of it. 
5. Loosen caked-on food from a pan. Place a fresh sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be easier to clean in the morning. 
6. Tackle suitcase and gym-bag odors. Place a dryer sheet in your suitcase or gym bag so your clean clothes won’t take on the odors of the dirty ones. 
7. Prevent old books from smelling musty when in storage.Stick a dryer sheet between the pages of your beloved copy of Pride and Prejudice. 
8. Wipe up sawdust after working in the garage. Rub a dryer sheet over the fine wood particles. 
9. Prevent thread from tangling when sewing. Run a threaded needle through a dryer sheet right before you begin your handiwork. 
10. Dust venetian blinds. Close the blinds, then wipe up and down with a dryer sheet.

credit: www.realsimple.com

Smart Move Design, a home staging and redesign company serving central and northern NY

Staging and Redesign Tip of the Week

Choose a focal point

Try to give each room a focal point, whether it's a fireplace, a window with a great view, the television, a bed, etc.  Determine what your focal point is and then rearrange furniture to bring attention to it.  A focal point will make the room look more unified.

Smart Move Design, a home staging and redesign company serving central and northern NY

Bring the outdoors in

Now is the perfect time to bring some nature into your home and add a little "wow" 

Cattails make a dramatic display -  Cut them down to place in a vase on your mantle or table. 

Leave them long and put them in a large vase in a corner of the room.  

Add some of those feathery reeds you see along the side of the road. 

You can also turn your bed at an angle in a corner of the bedroom and place your display in the corner behind it.  Don't forget to coat the cattails with hairspray so they don't explode! 

 

For another look - pick up some dead tree branches and spray paint them. Put them in a vase,  alone or in an arrangement. Black is dramatic, but don't stop with black - experiment with different colors and coordinate with a set of dishes, a decorative pillow, a throw, etc.  

Pinecones are plentiful now and look great in a bowl as a centerpiece. Add some acorns and nuts. Use individual pine cones as place card holders at your next holiday dinner.

Smart Move Design, a home staging and redesign company serving central and northern NY

Home Staging Tip of the Week

When getting your home ready to sell, giving your rooms a fresh coat of paint has a big payoff. HomeGain surveyed 2000 Realtors and statistics show the return on investment for painting interior walls is 150%.

Pick a neutral color palette - this does not have to mean white or beige! Try Benjamin Moore's Adam Gold, Celery Salt and Richmond Gray. Or Sherwin Williams' Divine White, Softened Green and Humble Gold.

Flat and eggshell paint tends to work best when selling -it hides imperfections and dries to a smooth finish.

Adventures in color

Is choosing paint color your worst nightmare? For many homeowners it is.

Amy Wax, author of Can't Fail Color Schemes, says color combinations you feel most comfortable with will make up your unique signature palette.

Take a cue from nature and your surroundings. Collect items with the colors you love and you will begin to see a pattern. Think about the mood you are trying to project in each room.

Calm and serene? try shades of blues and greens. These are calm, cooling and relaxing.

Optimistic and happy? Yellow is the color for you -and it can stimulate conversation and memory.

Passionate, energetic and stimulating? Red and orange colors are great for eating, socializing, and feeling confident!

There is a wealth of information in books and on the internet to help you nail down the colors that will work for you and your home. But if you are not a do-it-yourself type of person - hire a redesigner, color consultant or interior designer - they can help.

True Value has a fun color quiz for you to take to get you started - click on the link and it will bring you to the quiz. Color Quiz

Lisa Ryan is the owner of Smart Move Design, a Home Staging and Redesign company serving Central and Northern NY.

What you see (and smell) is what you get

(photo from hgtv.com)

At least that's what most buyers think when viewing a home for the first time.

That's why, when selling, making your home neutral is so important.

If your home has distracting colors, strong decorating elements, or noticible odors (food, pets, tobacco, etc) then a buyer will have a hard time visualizing their things in your house.

So neutralize the bold wallpaper, paint colors, & carpet.

Take down those political, religious, personal "statements" & family photo groupings.

Put away the cat litter box, refrain from cooking with garlic, onion or curry before a showing, and smoke outside.

Make your home the kind of home that ALL buyers walking through the door will see themselves living there.

Lisa Ryan owns Smart Move Design, a home staging and redesign company serving central and northern NY

Home Staging Tip of the Week

Let the sun shine in.

Buyers love light and airy living rooms. Open up your window shades to let some light in. Cheat some sunshine with a light-colored paint and lots of artificial lighting. You can never have too many lamps. Uplights are an inexpensive way to add lighting behind furniture and plants. Last, arrange the space with lightly colored furniture, and you'll have a living room that brightens your chances of a sale.

A recent vacant staging lighting dilemma -

This charming room had nice big windows in the front and these two side windows shown in the picture. Unfortunately, the three large front windows opened to an enclosed porch which darkened the room. It also had no ceiling light.

Light paint, light furniture, and 3 floor lamps placed in a triangular pattern helped give this room a nice glow, especially in the evening.

Smart Move Design is a Home Staging and Redesign company located near Syracuse, NY and serves the Central and Northern New York areas.