Green Homes

Staging Your Home with Green Thinking

  It's a buyer's market and selling homes for their maximum sale price is hard in these days of foreclosures and short sales.

  So many people are going green these days and to really sell a home you need to properly stage. But does it have to be expensive? No!

  Cleaning can be the stager's number one weapon. Nothing can take the place of soap and water when it comes to marketing your home. Clean homes smell better - even if you or the buyer doesn't notice it - and look better. There are many enviromentally friendly cleaners out there and some that smell very inviting such as orange or thyme sented. Consider having your home powerwashed if it is covered with vinyl siding.

  Consider repainting your home's exterior and interior to give it a fresh, new look. There are low- and no-VOC (volatile organic compounds - bad environmental juju) paints available and recycled paint made from bucket leftovers. Check with your local recycle center for paint and don't be scared if it says it is only for exterior because by law they have to rate it as such since they don't know if it was meant for a bathroom's moist environment.  Try re-using several old paintbrushes, drop cloths and trays.

  Reupholster, recover or repair old furniture rather than buy all new. Many chairs and tables only want a couple of turns of their screws to steady out wobbles and a new coat of that recycled paint can make them shine again. Slipcovers in complementary colors can do a world of good for freshening up your living room.  Secondhand, good quality bedspreads can completely transform the look of your bed, as can a coat of paint applied to most frames.

   By cleaning and re-staining kitchen cabinets it can mean loads of savings over buying new ones. When it comes to appliances though, you may want to consider putting the money into new ones. There are more efficient ones now with energy star savings and you can recycle your old appliances at your local recycling or reclaim center.

   In the bathroom, also conside ENERGY STAR rated appliances like low-water flush toilets and water-efficient shower heads which save a bundle on water usage are a great selling point. This is one room that cannot be too clean, given its purpose. Everything should be sparkling, especially the toilet! You cannot be too scrupulous in this regard.

   When getting ready to sell, you can make your home energy efficient and staged beautifully at the same time. Just adhere to the principles of "reduce, reuse and recycle" for an environmentally responsible home staging. For more information and help on staging your Durango CO real estate, contact our agents today. We specialize in meeting your specific needs to home selling success.