Page 39 - Bourn Property 3214 S Nolan Court818

How to Live in a Staged Property How to live in a Staged Property

Model homes make us dream about living there, but living in your own property
while it is being staged is tougher than it looks. The key is to easily contain and hide
your personal items – not just to showcase your property better, but also to keep
your personal life, well… personal! Here are a few tips.

Kitchen
In the kitchen, keep the countertops and sink clean. It is fine to have 1-2 appliances
that remain on the countertop, assuming there is ample space and they are in
good condition. Try to get in the habit of keeping dirty dishes out of the sink by
either washing the dishes or placing them in the dishwasher immediately after use.
Ideally, the counter dish drain should be hidden from view, but as long as it is neat
and not bulging with dishes, it can remain on the counter during showings. Keep
that pantry clean and neat as well. And, yes, expect that buyers will open doors to
kitchen pantries, so prepare accordingly. On the kitchen floor, reduce the number
of scatter rugs to ONE in front of the sink, preferably in a solid color, and toss all of
the others. Too many rugs in all types of patterns can make the floor look like it
needs work, even when it doesn’t!
One more thing about kitchens – cooking! If you tend to cook with lots of spices,
fry often or prepare foods with heavy scents, have a plan to neutralize the scents
immediately afterwards. There are easy ways to do this like boiling a few sliced
lemons on the stove or leaving out cups of white vinegar to absorb the scents and
odors overnight. It is important that your home smells fresh for prospective buyers
and not like last night’s meal.

Bathrooms
Remember living in college dorms and sharing bathrooms, which meant having to
tote bathroom items to use in the dorm bathroom? Yep, it’s time for the bathroom
tote to make its return to keep the bathrooms neat. Give each family member a
tote to store their toothbrush, toothpaste, wash cloth/hand towel and all creams,
gels, sprays and makeup that normally lives on the counter around the sink, tub
and/or shower. Use the tote to store items under the bathroom sink, in closed
door bathroom cabinet or linen closet, thereby keeping the bathroom countertops
free from personal items. Start using the totes daily – it will save you lots of time
and worry.

Bedrooms
Most of the clutter in the bedroom is found near nightstands and closets. To help
remedy the clutter, hide items in a closed cabinet or nightstand. Or, purchase a
basket with a lid that will slide easily under the bed. Place all of
your bedroom clutter in the basket – tissues, reading glasses, pens, journals, gels,
creams, etc. You can leave 1-2 books on the nightstand with your lamp and alarm
clock but anything personal should be hidden from view. It also goes without
saying that you should make your bed EVERY DAY once you rise to keep your
bedroom looking its best.