Visited a young couple the other day for a home staging consultation. It was a distinct possibility they might need to do a short sale in order to sell their home, but the agent who referred me believes strongly in staging.

The first impression I got was; there’s little to no parking space because two large pickup trucks and a trailer filled the driveway.

TIP  Park your trucks on the street if possible and keep garage clear for space to park at least one of your cars

Second impression was entry was not inviting. There were two chairs and a table on porch slab area and empty planters with dirt.

TIP  Entry has to be inviting. Simply set the scene by arranging any furniture to look as if it’s additional living space that can be used and add fresh seasonal flowers to your empty pots. Even in winter/early spring there are pansies or geraniums that will take some cold and are easy to pop into a pot.

Third impression walking in the front door. Every room was painted a different bold color.

TIP  It’s fun to experiment and personalize your home with color but realize that every buyer will have a different opinion on your choices. By asking buyers to accept your taste, you’re narrowing the number who will. It doesn’t have to be beige, but you do have to give the potential buyer of your home the ability to see how their furnishings and taste can live in your home. Neutral also makes your home larger and cleaner.

Top three TIPS for selling are: paint, prepack and clean.

No one wants to inherit a home that needs painting and cleaning. If you don’t want to do it, what makes you think your buyers will?

Prepacking takes the “you” out of the home and gives the buyer a chance to see your home as it could be if they lived in it.

The only cost here is paint and a few cleaning supplies which you probably have already. Don’t leave valuable money and equity on the table (even if you are looking at a short sale). The better your house presents, the better you will come out of any purchase negotiation. It’s your money, hang onto it!

Here’s the lowdown on granite. You can splurge or you can find some levels of granite that are very budget friendly. In fact, granite is not as expensive as most folks would think. If you pick out a lower “grade” you can still find a piece that will give our kitchen the WOW factor.

I don’t advocate spending a lot of money when you’re updating your home for sale and this goes for kitchen countertops. You will need to look at your competition in your price range to see if it’s smart for you to spend the money on granite.

If you decide to go ahead, find a reputable designer or contractor and ask if you can pick out the slab at the granite supply warehouse. Most granite installers do granite only. It’s a speciality. So be sure your installer is connected to a reliable source of granite and has a good reputation for installing and completing work on time.

There’s nothing like granite to add a sense of depth and richness to your kitchen. Take a peek at this video to learn more.

What is the one room that buyers always want to be perfect? And what is the one room that can have the highest budget to update when you’re getting ready to stage your home to sell?

I think it’s the kitchen. Oh other rooms such as the living and master bedroom are key rooms to attract buyers, but the kitchen is still seen as the heart of the home. Even if no one cooks in it! It’s still the gathering place for families and usually the most casual room in the house. Or at least the easiest to clean up with a mop.

Dated kitchens make buyers go “hmmmmm” and start adding in their head all the expenses of replacing old appliances and cabinets. Well so far there’s no way to update appliance reliably. Spray paint can do in a pinch but not for price ranges above $100K. But what about the cabinets? If the style is dated but they are in good condition, then paint is your answer. If you prep them properly, you will save a ton of money by painting instead of replacing. Solid wood cabinets are the easiest to paint. I would not suggest trying to paint solid surface, formica or fake wood cabinets on your own. That’s best left to a professional.

Take a look at these painted cabinets. Yes they are in gorgeous updated kitchens, but I think you’ll agree the colors are a little out of the box and a refreshing change from the usual white on white. Oh and don’t forget to update the hardware once you’re done!

Considering remodeling your home before you sell? Have you decided you really need to update your kitchen or bath to stage your home to perfection?

Or do you just need some great ideas on how to squeeze the most money out of your remodeling budget? Here are some great tips for working with contractors and staying within a budget.

One of the tricky parts of painting your home is doing the trimwork. Trim is anything that is not a wall. Doors, moldings, cabinets, stair rails etc.

Typically trim work is painted in a satin or semi or even high gloss paint because it gets the most wear. A paint finish with a slight sheen or gloss is going to repel dirt and fingerprints and is going to be easier to wipe clean.

Paints with sheen or gloss are a little more expensive than flat or matte finish paints but it’s well worth the investment. Trim painted with a gloss finish offsets a matte or flat wall finish very nicely and gives contrast.

Although it’s traditional to use a white or light cream trim, styles are changing and it’s now acceptable to paint your trim in a dark or contrasting color to your walls.

The trick to pulling this off is realizing you may only want to paint one room with an unusual trim color as painting it throughout the house may be too much visually. It also may be an issue if you are getting your home ready to sell. If that’s the case go with traditional white or bright white on your trim.

White trim contrasts very nicely with dark walls and woodwork and creates a clean crisp appearance.

How do you paint trim? Use your smallest brush and either a very steady hand or painters tape to tape off the walls surrounding your trim area. A brush with an angled tip makes it easier to cut into corners and tight spaces.

Should you use oil or latex (water based) paint for your trim?

The pros of oil based paint are:  Durable, durable durable.
The cons of oil based paint are: Have to clean with turpentine or cleaner, harder to clean up if spilled, odor. Takes longer to dry.

The pros of latex paint are: Clean with water, low odor, dries quickly
The cons of latex paint are: Chips easily if not applied correctly, not as long wearing as oil based

One thing to remember. Never paint latex based paint over oil or it may chip off.  Instead first sand and prime if you are painting over an old oil based finish before using water based paints. Same is true for the reverse. Oil based paints work better over latex but it helps to sand and prime first to make sure it bonds correctly. Here’s more information about paint from Bob Villa. Not sure if the paint you are painting over is oil or water base? Here’s how to tell.

So that’s all about painting for now. Remember if you are selling your home or staging your home, keep your colors fresh and neutral. It doesn’t have to be beige neutral but this is not the time to experiment with bright colors. You don’t want buyers to look at your walls and see all the labor it will take them to cover that bright paint!

Okay so you have your gallon(s) of paint, your brushes, rollers, paint tray etc. Now it’s time for the moment of truth!

Painting is one of those home improvement tasks that either makes you very nervous or very calm. I like to paint because it’s mindless, calming and so satisfying once that color goes up on the walls. You can literally change the whole feeling of a room in a day!

However I know some of you get a little nervous about picking up the brush for the first time. The important thing to remember is prep first. Make sure your drop cloth is covering the floor and the furniture. Keep a damp rag nearby to wipe spills or mistakes (so much easier to clean up paint when it’s still wet) or a roll of paper towels.

If you are painting walls but not the trim you can either tape off the trim with blue non-sticky painter’s tape or if you have a steady hand, you can just “cut in” first with your small brush without taping. Cutting in means painting around the edges of the walls, around doors and windows and along the ceiling first with your brush.

It’s your choice, I don’t think it matters whether you cut in first and roll second or roll first and cut in last. Either way you will be trying to overlap your painting so the paint completely covers your wall. When you roll first you will know exactly how much you need to cut in. It’s easy to get carried away with the roller so stay about 6 or more inches from the trim and you’ll be fine.

The best advice I can give is try and keep a continuous stroke or movement going. Just as if you were washing the walls you will use a sweeping motion with both your roller and brush to cover lightly with paint using medium pressure on your brush or roller.

Make sure your paint brush or roller is just saturated with paint but not dripping. Drips create more cleanup work. It’s better to have too little paint on the brush than too much.

Move your arm straight up and down and then a little bit on an angle up and down. Think of a W shape. If your wall surface is fairly smooth it shouldn’t take too long to cover the wall with your new color and cover up your old. Of course if your new wall paint is light and your old wall is dark you should use a primer paint first like this Behr paint primer from Home Depot. Primer is also a good idea if you are painting over wallpaper, paneling or any surface that needs the paint to really stick well. It’s worth the extra step and some of the primers can be tinted to your new wall color so it can be a one step process.

Try to paint a 3-4′ section at a time. Once you’ve painted a section, move left or right and do another. You’ll have a wide band of paint from one side of your wall to the other. Then go back to where you started and paint just below where you’ve already painted and  again paint left to right. Overlap the paint of each section as you go.

Most colors will require two coats unless you’re buying a very expensive “high hiding” paint or painting one light color over another. By waiting an hour or two between coats, you’ll not only have time to take a break for some lunch but you’ll be able to make sure you haven’t missed any spots. It’s hard to see those spots when the paint is wet, but once it’s dry you should be able to.

That’s all for today!  Next post we’ll talk about painting trim and the difference between latex and oil paints.