How to Stage Your Bedrooms

There are a lot of important aspects that go into the process of selling your home. One thing to pay close attention to is staging your home's bedrooms before a showing. Why? Comfortable and enjoyable bedrooms are one of the most common things that homebuyers look for in a property. Here are a few proven tips for staging a bedroom for a successful showing.

1. Check the Lighting

The lighting in a bedroom should always be arranged in a way that keeps every surface in the room evenly illuminated. Bright rooms provide a welcoming ambiance that homebuyers will enjoy as they tour your home. Successful lighting can be achieved in a wide range of ways, including through the installation of overhead lights and chandeliers, dimmer switches, lamps and more.

2. Display A Modern Comforter

Upgrading the existing comforter in a bedroom is an inexpensive and highly effective way of making the space more attractive to buyers. Choose a comforter that blends in well with the existing design specifications of your bedroom. Keep in mind that one of the first things that people notice when they enter a bedroom is the bedding, so be sure to find a fabric print that you feel will set the tone for your entire showing.

3. Use Mirrors

A lack of mirrors is a common thing that homebuyers will mention about a bedroom that they didn't particularly enjoy. This is especially true when it comes to bedrooms that are small. Placing mirrors in the proper places around your bedrooms will go a long way to make the spaces look and feel larger than they really are, which can truly help in a showing and make homebuyers much more interested in what your home has to offer.

4. Create an Open Layout

Even a small amount of clutter can quickly damage a homebuyers impression of your home. Keep bedrooms free of any unnecessary objects, furniture or anything else that could impede someone's progress as they make their way through your showing. By drawing away their attention and causing them to question their interest in your living space, excess clutter can cause homebuyers to miss out on the best features that your bedrooms have to offer.

These tips will help you prepare your home's bedrooms for an upcoming showing. By offering bright and clear lighting, accenting your bed with a modern comforter, removing all clutter and adding mirrors in the right places, your showing will be a positive experience for everyone involved and get you one step closer to selling your home.

If you are selling a home in the Charlotte-area, contact A Fresh Look Design for a consultation.

Tips for Selling Your Charlotte Home Quickly

In a perfect world, every home seller would have weeks or even months to prepare their home, stage it for sale, and find the perfect Realtor to market the property. But many people don't live in that perfect world. Some might have to sell their homes because they found an incredible deal on an upgraded property. Others might be moving for an exciting new job. When your time is short and you're selling your home on a tight deadline, you need to employ certain strategies. Here are tips to help you sell your Charlotte-area home when time is short. 

1. Don't discount the benefits of staging

Research suggests that one of the best things you can do to reduce the amount of time a home is on the market is to effectively stage the property. If your goal is to attract highly motivated buyers who will put in a quick offer, then you need to present the home as move-in ready. Effective staging can help fulfill this goal. Whether you use a professional staging company or do it yourself, ensure that the home looks like it's ready to sell. 

2. Invest in professional photography

Use the power of the internet to get the ball rolling on a home sale. Sure your would-be customers will come by and check out your property before they pull the trigger. But they are also likely to browse the internet for pictures of your home before and after the visit. Hire a professional photographer to take photos of your home and touch them up with Photoshop. This will help you create the sorts of "wow" moments that lead to quick sales. 

3. Consider a lower asking price with a firm price floor

There are different theories in the real estate world on how to extract the most value out of a home sale. Some believe it pays to set the price higher in order to potentially reel in those buyers who aren't as discriminating on the issue of price. Others will tell you that when it comes to a quick sale, you must set the initial price low. If you were going to build some downward wiggle room into your price anyway, set the asking price closer to your price floor and eliminate that wiggle room. A lower asking price may entice more buyers to enter into negotiations with you, leading to quicker sales. 

4. Hire the right agent for faster sales

If you have plenty of time to burn, you can afford to go with an unproven agent. If your goal is to sell your home as quickly as possible, make sure you get one of the best agents in your region. More than that, communicate your expectations to the agent. If you're hiring someone with many properties, you run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle. Let the agent know that you're ready to move on a sale. The agent may communicate that to potential buyers, giving them more incentive to put offers on your home. 

Selling a home quickly is not always ideal — the longer you can wait, the more offers you will attract. But when you find yourself in a must-move situation, make sure you go through the home selling process with intentionality. Stage the home, don't skimp on photography, set your price points appropriately, and enlist a real mover and shaker as your agent. These things will help you sell your Charlotte property more efficiently.

A Fresh Look Design, Charlotte Partners with The Homes of Distinction Tour

I am thrilled to announce A Fresh Look Design, Home Staging and Design was asked to participate in the Homes of Distinction Tour in Lake Norman, benefitting the Levine Children's Hospital. The builder, Jay Robinette, is building a spectacular $2.2 million, 6,000 square foot custom home at 20000 Colony Point in Cornelius, NC. The home is open for tour to the public the first two weekends in December, where all proceeds benefit the Levine Children's Hospital, which is a charity dear to my heart. A Fresh Look Design will be designing the Great room and two additional upstairs bedrooms and their adjoining bathrooms.

I toured this beautiful home and met the home owner last week. I was super impressed with her generosity to open her home (and delay moving into this gorgeous home right on the lake) to help raise funds for the Levine Children's hospital. I will be partnering with AFR Furniture who will provide the furniture and accessories for the project. They provide stylish and affordable furniture to rent for homes or businesses. I will keep you posted as we go and feel super blessed and grateful for the opportunity!  Stay tuned!

AFLD Earns Best of Houzz 2016 Award

We are excited to announce that A Fresh Look Design of Charlotte won the “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. AFLD was chosen from among the many home building, remodeling and design industry professionals in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

Customer Service awards are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received. A “Best Of Houzz 2016” badge is a sign of commitment to excellence. Houzz helps homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area.

“Anyone building, remodeling or decorating looks to Houzz for the most talented and service-oriented professionals” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. “We’re so pleased to recognize Lisa Pacello of A Fresh Look Design, voted one of our “Best Of Houzz” professionals by our enormous community of homeowners and design enthusiasts actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”

Follow A Fresh Look Design on Houzz or contact Lisa Pacello about your project.

A Fresh Look Design Earns the Influencer Badge from Houzz

A Fresh Look Design maintains a presence on social media websites like Houzz because of the great relationship between homeowners and professionals. We love the ease with which everyone can find or give design ideas. Lisa Pacello recently earned the Influencer Badge as a mark of appreciation for our advice in discussions with the Houzz community. We would like to thank the Houzz community for your participation as well!

We work hard to exceed our client’s expectations. Book a staging consultation today or visit Houzz for more information.

A Fresh Look Design Named Thumbtack’s Top Modern Interior Designer

A Fresh Look Design was named the #1 Modern Interior Designer in Charlotte for Thumbtack’s Best of 2015 awards.

Lisa Pacello is thrilled to be presented with this award based on outstanding customer reviews. It is an amazing vote of confidence from our clients in the past year. As one of Thumbtack’s most highly-rated businesses, A Fresh Look Design offers 5-star service to Charlotte-area homeowners and businesses seeking home staging or interior design services.

Thumbtack helps you find qualified, dependable professionals for your projects. Just answer a few questions about your needs and then you receive a list of providers in your area. Compare profiles, reviews, and customized quotes to make a solid hiring choice.

We work hard to exceed our client’s expectations. Book a staging consultation today or visit Thumbtack for more information.

Home Staging is the Best Improvement says Zillow

The real estate market is hot and in full swing, and home sellers are recognizing the benefits of home staging. According to an April 2014 Zillow Digs survey of real estate professionals and interior designers nationwide, the primary enhancements when selling a home are curb appeal and home staging. It is advantageous for homeowners to focus on home staging which prioritizes minor improvements and brings the maximum increased value for mass buyer appeal. Professional stagers know the current market trends and can skillfully identify enhancements to increase market value and provide the best return on investment. Investments such as updated lighting fixtures and cabinet door handles, modern neutral paint colors, clutter free spaces and inviting landscaping all add value.

The other critical home improvement recommended in the Zillow survey is to enhance curb appeal and I totally agree! A Fresh Look Design clients in the Charlotte area benefit by receiving a 26 point curb appeal checklist that is incorporated into all our home staging consultations. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make it wow!!! (Read more about first impressions in this post). A clean entryway with a fresh coat of paint, new doormat, pots of colorful flowers, trimmed bushes with fresh mulch shows potential buyers you care for your home.

Stagers sell homes faster and for more money, by highlighting the features of a house while compensating for its imperfections. This survey reinforces the significant value of the cost Home Staging brings to sellers entering the real estate market. Again, the cost of staging is always less than the cost of your first price reduction on your home!