Sprucing up the home for sale? Don’t forget the garage

Realty Times’s latest edition contains some hints about one overlooked part of the home- the garage.

“They’re for more than parking cars, stacking boxes, and holding trash bins. The garage can help sell your home if you stage it right. Most homeowners might think of staging their kitchens and bedrooms, but the garage is a feature that is playing an increasingly important role.”

To increase the appeal of your home here are some garage related tips:

• Entice buyers with a garage that is organized, kept up and shows off its most important features. 
• Use walls and ceilings for storage. Consider having one or two loft-type storage areas built into the garage.
• Next, add lighting. It’s relatively inexpensive, but it makes a huge difference in increasing a garage’s appeal. Replacing the single center bulb with a strip of lighting is a fantastic way to spark a buyer’s interest.
• You might also consider coating your floor. A concrete floor in the garage can show off the wrong things, such as those icky, ugly oil stains.
• Make sure your garage door and opener are working quietly. The first automatic garage door openers became commercially used back in the 1950s and if you're is an original, it's time to upgrade!
• Next, finish your walls and ceilings. Many garages are not finished, but if you put up wall board you can complete the look of the garage. Finished sells better.
• Finally, add a coat of fresh paint.

When it comes to selling, a garage should be spacious, organized, and a place where buyers can imagine easily storing their own stuff!

 Read The Garage Can Help Sell Your Home by Phoebe Chongchua.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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Tip for home sellers - don't let your emotions get in the way

Carla Hill, writing in Realty Times advises Sellers: Don't Let Emotions Rule

It can be easy for the selling experience to become clouded by emotion. A homeowner may have years of memories stored within the walls of a home. They look at a room, and instead of resale potential, they see a baby's first steps and early Christmas mornings. When the time comes to sell, however, the time has also come to sever emotional ties with a house.

Emotions can cloud your reasoning. And they can misguide you during a very expensive and important business transaction. Sellers sometimes overvalue their homes, adding in sentimental value on top of property value. They refuse offers that, while reasonable, don't add up to the value of their memories. Or they turn down a potential buyer, because they don't garden and won't "leave the rose bushes," or aren't the "type" of person they'd like living in their home.

For a smooth transition, hire an experienced real estate agent. Once you've turned yourself over to their guidance, you can then turn your focus onto the new phase of your life. And agent can help you establish a fair, and unbiased, asking price. They find the sellers. They show the house. And they help you sign on the dotted line. The middle man is extremely beneficial in separating from your emotions.

Your emotions may surface as soon as you list the house for sale, since many agents will suggest you remove many of your personal items from the house for staging. This is neither a personal attack on your decorating nor your memories. Staging is a wonderful way for homeowners to see the house as their future home, instead of seeing your house and your home.

Don't fret over lost memories; take pictures of your home and make a scrapbook. Channel your emotions into the joy of moving. And have fun imagining the new memories you'll make in your new place. This is not a time for mourning, instead it's a time for celebrating!

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

Sphere: Related Content