Page 35 - NC Spring 2019

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By Darleen Mahoney
Once it’s been decided that potentially ‘heart of the home’ rooms first. That’s usu-
downsizing for retirement living or mov- ally the kitchen, living room, and family
ing into a senior living community is on room, which tend to be the most cluttered
the horizon, the most stressful aspect and contain items with the greatest emo-
can be selling the home. There are many tional value and everyday use. Make four
things to consider outside of the emo- piles-keep, donate, give to family members
tional tolls of leaving a home with years of and trash.”
memories attached. There is also the real-
ity that the house itself is most likely the Other things to consider while staging is
largest source of income/equity, therefore, touching up paint, changing out hard-
its very important to sell the house at the ware, new blinds, replacing burned out
best price that the market will allow. lightbulbs, adding fresh flowers or potted
plants, fixing visible issues around the
Staging a home and making it more ap- house that a buyer would notice, and
pealing to a wide range of buyers is a best rearranging furniture to create the look of
practice and that may be challenging for a larger space. Best practice is to keep in
some Seniors while they are still living in mind that when a potential buyer walks
the home. There are a few options for stag- through your home, they need to be able
ing a home. It can range from keeping liv- to picture their own personal items and
ing spaces very organized and decluttered sense of style as well. If there is a strong
and quick paint fixes to having a profes- color palette in the home, it may be neces-
sional “stage” the home for sale. Typically, sary to re-paint a more neutral palette to
a service will stage a home to make it look assure that the potential buyer is seeing
larger, utilize neutral colors and will take the actual house and not just the wall
any personal items of the current home- colors.
owner and put them away. These services
may replace existing furniture and other Also, consider the front of the house. A
personal items which can be stressful for potential buyer should never drive up and
Seniors but can also raise the value of the before they even enter the house think,
home. Buyers should not focus on the cur- “what a lot of work” before entering the
rent homeowner’s taste, style and personal home.
choices. Remember the most important things in
staging with Seniors is that there may be
If a Senior is moving to an Assisted Living
community, they will most likely need to more emotional attachments to their per-
downsize right away. This can be such sonal tastes and their personal items. It’s
a taxing process both emotionally and important to be cognizant of that and walk
physically. According to AARP https:// through the process at their pace while
www.aarp.org/work/retirement-planning/ explaining why “staging” will only benefit
info-08-2011/retirement-downsizing.html , them in the long run.
it’s recommended that you plan to, “hit the