►    We will work together with you and your real estate agent, to enhance and transform your home.

► Training is an important facet to Final Touch Designs and courses are offered throughout the year to help real estate agents, students, and families. 

► We will provide detailed Written Evaluations for those wanting to complete work themselves.  Click here for more information on this package.

► We provide an Open House package so your home looks spectacular!  See our Home Staging page for more details.

► We offer Virtual Consultations for people who live outside our area or those who are willing to complete all projects on their own and in their own time.  

► If you want your home to sell quickly, it's so important to have a Certified Professional Home Stager package your home BEFORE putting it on the market.  Statistics have shown that a small expense up front will yield a large return in the end.  Why sell the competition by putting your home on the market in "as is" condition?

Think back to when you were searching for homes to purchase.  What things caught your eye to entice you to move forward into the next room?  What things did you see that turned you off from wanting to tour the home further?  Imagine walking into a home that has been occupied for 40 years by an older couple.  Nothing has been done to the home and years of collections fills each room.  While standing in the living room, you see too much floral furniture, outdated shag carpeting and tired drapes, family photos that cover shelves and walls, low lit lamps, and years of magazines and treasures all around you.  Does the room feel cramped, small, and "old"?  Did you think you might form an opinion about the whole house just by walking into that one dark, cluttered room?

Now imagine walking into that same home and standing in the same living room, only this time it has been prepared to sell.  You see freshly painted walls in soft neutral colors, beautiful hardwood floors that were exposed, updated window treatments that let light in, less furniture that has been given a simple facelift with neutral colored slipcovers.  You notice brightly lit, updated lamps that complement a cozy seating arrangement situated in front of a fireplace, updated artwork on only a few chosen walls, and no clutter!  Does the room "feel" larger, fresher, more inviting?  Does the room present a more uplifting atmosphere?  This is what Home Staging is all about -- part creativity, part psychology!

To understand why staging helps sell homes, consider why "model homes" sell new homes that don't yet exist.  Most model homes are well decorated; they look inviting and livable.  They fulfill a fantasy of the way many buyers would like to live.  Final Touch Designs prides themselves in working within your budget, helping you to learn how to set your house up from an objective, unbiased point of view, by removing many personal items and replacing them with things that buyers can relate to.   

Did you know that is has been proven that a staged home sells for approximately 15% higher than an un-staged home?  In as little at 15 seconds a perspective home buyer will make a decision as to their level of interest in your home.  That first impression is vital to having potential buyers walk up to the door, then stay long enough to really envision themselves living in your home.  If too many negatives catch the buyer’s eye from the very beginning, the less likely an offer will be made and they will move onto the next property for sale in your area.  According to the National Association of Realtors, the average investment for staging is 1 to 5 percent of the home’s asking price.  When you calculate the end results, you’ll notice that is an 8 to 10 percent return!   In other words, you cannot afford NOT to stage your home!
 

                                                                                                  w

How does a homeowner prepare their home to sell?

When a homeowner decides to put their home on the market they feel that “straightening up” inside and “cleaning up” the outside of their home is enough.  Many homeowners don’t understand how to get started and how important it is to “objectively” view their home. Closets, counters, and cabinets become catch-alls that homeowners don’t think buyers will look at, but the fact is if a buyer is really interested, they will open every door looking for all the potential storage the home offers.  Do you want to take a chance that they won’t look beyond all your personal things?  De-cluttering these areas gives the sensation of having more storage and space.  Clutter is more than just the little things that lay around your house, such as stacks of mail, children's school and art projects, plants, or shoes.  It is like having too much "noise" for the eyes.  Too much furniture and accessories in a room can make the room appear smaller as well.  If you find yourself in this situation, it's time to make a small investment and rent a storage facility to put unnecessary things into.

You want your home to engage buyers with only positive scenes as they continue touring through every room, looking for how this house will fill all their needs.  In this competitive market, those homeowners who take care of all repairs and de-cluttering of their homes, will sell their homes first!   Final Touch Designs knows how to package your home to exude positive feelings of cleanliness and spaciousness.  That’s why we provide organizational and space clearing services to help get you motivated --while you remain in total control right from the start.  Once your home sells, packing to move is quick and simple!  Why add frustration and fatigue to an already emotional process?
 

                                                                                                   w

How does a home seller LIVE in a home that is on the market to sell?

For some families, this can be a challenge.  Your home is your haven.  Almost as soon as you live in it, you become less objective about it.  As a result, we all tend to live in our homes with blinders on.  We begin to not see the cracks in the wall, the build up of dirt on the window sills, or the chipped paint on the door frame. 

It is vital for homeowners to understand that the way you actually live in your house is NOT the way you want it to look and feel when it's on the market.  In other words, you will have to look at your home as more of a “product for sale.”  This is very important to understand because the house should only contain the necessary things you will immediately use.  The art of creatively packaging a home that is irresistible to buyers’ means having around you only what you need to live on a daily basis.  This can be very difficult for some homeowners - especially if they run a business from their home or if they have many young children and/or pets, and a busy schedule on top of that.  This is why I mentioned earlier the need to invest in a storage facility to store all the extra furnishings and items you aren't currently using.  That small expense will turn into a higher return once your house sells.  You will see the difference it makes, and the buyer will feel the difference while they evaluate whether your home is just right for them.  We can show you how this is done effectively.
 

                                                                                                    w

What does packaging a home involve?

Many people don't think about the number of different people who will be walking through their home.

• You may have a number of Realtors walk through until you choose the one that's right for you.
• If you have an open house, you’ll have even more Realtors walking through your home looking at everything – and I mean everything.
• Don’t forget the Home Appraiser who will be venturing in to check out all the fine details that add value to your home.
• A Home Inspector will also need to do some detective work inside and out, checking out a number of places in your home that you never thought he/she would venture into.  All of those areas needing to be checked must be free of clutter and congestion so the inspector can easily get to them.
• Perhaps some Home Specialists/Contractors will be needed to make some repairs or changes that have been suggested by you or the home inspector.
• And last but not least, home buyers will be coming in to look at whether or not they can see themselves living in your home, fall in love with it, and offer you a great price to make that sale.

Before all of those people ever enter into your home, there are many things to consider when getting the home “prepared” to sell.  

Outside your home - How does it look from the curb?  Are windows covered with overgrown shrubbery?  Does the house need a fresh coat of paint or stain on the sides or trim?  Does the driveway need resealing?  Does the back porch need any repairs, painting or cleaning?  These are some of the questions that need to be asked and addressed before you even begin to think about putting your house on the market.

Inside your home – Are all the blinds and curtains on the windows drawn closed?  Is there a lot of clutter laying around on floors, tables and counters? Are the closets overstuffed with clothes and linens?  Does furniture look old and outdated?  Do the walls need a fresh coat of paint?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then there is a lot of interior work that also needs to be considered before you even begin talking to a Realtor.  Final Touch Designs offers a number of services by providing professional insight and help.

• Getting it all organized – What do you do with all that stuff? Decide what’s important to keep and what has meaning to you or your family.  Donate things that other people could use or sell it, and throw away those things of no value to you any longer.  Sounds so simple doesn’t it?  Final Touch Designs knows how difficult and overwhelming it can be to begin tackling such tasks.  We understand how many things can have emotional attachments for you and other family members.  We will help you make sense out of all the clutter and get you started on the road to organizing and space clearing.  Once things are organized in your home, you’ll be amazed how everything else will fall into place.
   We provide training on organizing throughout the year.


• Let the sun shine in – Too many people get comfortable with the privacy they get from blinds and draperies.  Windows may need to be cleaned and draperies updated.  More lighting possibilities can help spaces look brighter and more open.




• Bring on the color – New paint is a wonderful, inexpensive way to brighten and liven up the interior of your home.  Neutral colors are not the only colors to experiment with! How about a faux finish or textured finish, or touchup paint needed on doors and trim.  We have many tips,  ideas, and training to help you.




• The need for space – Eliminating clutter and opening up living areas gives a more spacious look and will give the feeling of better traffic flow and comfort.  This is a vital step when selling your home.  This is what we specialize in.

  Classes are offered to help you learn the ten most common mistakes homeowners make when decorating a room.


• Giving furniture that new look – Sofa and chair covers can bring a new feeling to outdated furniture, then add some colorful cushions.  It’s quick, inexpensive and easy.




• What a deal – Now it’s time to put the right price tag on your home.  You want to be sure your home is not overpriced so you don’t have to drop the price below market price.  Statistics have shown that a home that has been staged will sell faster and bring in more profit than an un-staged home.  Remember, the average investment for staging a home is 1—5 percent of the home’s asking price.  When you calculate the end results, you’ll notice that is an 8 to 10 percent return!   See for yourself how much more quickly homes have sold once they've been staged.  Click here.  In today's competitive market, you must have a product that outshines the other products in your neighborhood. 

We can provide you with a 2-hour staging consultation that explains our process for preparing your home.   Remember, we keep your costs down by using a green approach--using what you already have.  We help you prioritize the most important details first, then if you prefer, we'll help you get the work done quickly and efficiently!  If you are a Do-It-Yourself type, we offer a Staging Consultation & Written Evaluation.  This 20+  page "report" gives you all the details you'll need to get the home on the market quickly.  Let's help you get that home SOLD!