1. If you're thinking about putting your home in
Chicago on the market you've probably heard
about staging. It's a common "first step" for
home sellers and is highly recommended as a
way to prepare your Chicago home for sale.
Whether or not you're an HGTV fan who
watches every home makeover show there is,
you can employ basic staging techniques to
significantly improve your home's curb appeal
and selling points without spending a lot of
money or hiring a professional designer. Since
we already mentioned HGTV, let's check out
what the network suggests with its "15 Secrets
of Home Staging"…
http://www.dhshardware.com

2. #1 Eliminate Clutter - Professional stagers generally take out half of the
homeowner's furnishings to make the home feel bigger and more
spacious So, box up that extra stuff and put it in storage while your home
is on the market #2 Group Furniture - Move furniture away from the
walls to create a sense of space and position pieces in intimate groups,
such as a sofa, chair and coffee table set in the living room #3 Play
Musical Chairs - Literally Furniture, accessories and artwork are not tied
to any one room Feel free to move pieces from one room to another for
the best look

3. #4 Give Rooms a Purpose - Every room in your house should have a
designated role in order to show the value of the space to potential
buyers For example, throw oversized pillows and a couple mats on the
floor of the basement to create a yoga studio An armchair and reading
lamp can turn any hard-to-use space into a study nook #5 Light It Up -
There should be three types of lighting in every room: overhead ambient
lighting, accent wall sconces or table lamps, and task lighting such as
under-cabinet illumination Total wattage should be about 100 watts per
50 square feet #6 Use Color to Enhance Size - Small rooms will appear
bigger when they are painted the same color as an adjacent room

4. It also helps to make the curtains the same color as the walls #7 Paint
Neutral - Stay away from bold wall color in the main rooms as it tends to
shrink the number of offers made on a home for sale Instead, paint the
walls with lighter hues of any shade you like (it doesn't have to be beige!)
#8 Be Bold in Bathrooms - Using darker colors in the bathroom, dining
room and bedroom can have a nice, dramatic touch Start with painting
just one wall, it may be enough to add flair and won't make the space
seem smaller #9 Vary Wall Hangings - Veer away from hanging every
piece of art at the same height, in the same place on every wall in your
house

5. Break up the monotony with different groupings, patterns and
arrangements #10 Rule of Three - It's best to place decorative objects in
clusters of three (or other odd-number groups) Position them in a
triangle-shaped bunch, as opposed to all in a row Vary the height and
width of the objects, with the largest/tallest piece in the back #11 Bring
Outdoors In - Fresh flowers are a great touch, but you don't need to
spend a fortune on weekly bouquets from the florist Just step outside
and clip budding tree limbs in the spring or sprigs of evergreen in the
winter

6. #12 Give the Bedroom a Boost - Make your bed a luxurious focal point
A double air mattress on a simple frame is a cheap staging trick that
gives the bed height Use a fancy sheet instead of a new duvet for an
inexpensive facelift Add throw pillows with color contrast to draw the eye
#13 Kitchen Makeover - Replace old cabinet doors or paint the ones you
have to give the kitchen a new look

7. Switch out tired hardware with sleek new versions Contact the
manufacturers of your appliances to see if there are face plates you can
purchase to update the look of your dishwasher and refrigerator #14
http://www.dhshardware.com Finish Fix-it Jobs - It costs less for you to
complete small repairs around the house than what a potential buyer will
ask for in concessions to get the job done by a professional #15 Polish
and Shine - Bathrooms are a big selling point of homes so it may be a
good return on investment to upgrade the fixtures, put in new tiling and
give the room a relaxing ambiance with spa-like accessories

8. http://www.dhshardware.com