This summer my husband and I decided to build a new home and sell the house we were currently living in for the past nine years. As we began the building process we also started the selling process of our current home. I was left to deal with the many details of getting the home market ready.
There was a lot that needed to be done! The laundry room was
never finished, the shed was a mess, and we had cracked siding where our son
played football against the house! We had the yard to get done, painting to worry
about and our list of “to do’s” was overwhelming! I decided I needed help. We
live in an isolated community, which is in the middle of nowhere, so we had no local
services that could help us get ready.
I decided to go with The Next Stage. Let me say upfront that TV shows makes it
look so easy and I thought when I began this process that I could do it myself.
Well, I was wrong! I knew that I had to de-clutter and clean but I had no idea
how to make things eye catching and appealing. It is harder then it looks!
Colleen began working with me when I had some out door work completed, like
lawn edging and shed cleaning and I had some clutter packed up and put in
storage.
I took pictures of each room and she went through each one and let me know what I could do to maximize the appeal of each room. I borrowed pictures, throws, accessories from friends and family and also bought items I really needed such as curtains. My curtains were old and tired and I didn’t even realize it. When I replaced them what a difference!
My daughter told me I should have done this years ago our house looked so nice! I agree, I should have done it long ago and I will be using Colleen to help decorate my new home. What a nice feeling to have a well decorated home that you can proudly invite over friends and strangers alike!
I also learned about people having to love your stuff in order to buy your house! No one complained about the small third bedroom, no one minded the old wooden windows. The shingles need to be replaced soon and they didn't even care about that!
Colleen talked to me about living in a staged house, keeping my costs down, and how to deal with potential buyers. Her background as a real estate agent was invaluable.
Lisa Densmore