By: Kim Hinzman

Have you been trying to sell your home and have not had success? Have you tried every tip you can think of and still nothing has worked? Then you may need to stage your home with a decorating professional. Real estate has become a very competitive market, and home owners are sitting on properties that are not moving. This has become a serious problem in an industry that was once a seller’s market. Now perspective sellers are faced with how to get a home to sell in a tough market. Homes are now sitting on the market for an average of 60 days up to 12 months. This is a startling rise as compared to 2005 with an average of 30 days, when interest rates were falling. According to the National Association of Realtors, in 2007 the housing market nationwide is expected to be a very flat year. Now we have supply and demand tipping the scales. This creates a very competitive market and buyers are becoming very selective.

With these statistics in mind let us discuss a few tips that will help move your home more quickly. How would you make a home feel more appealing to a perspective buyer? First impressions are only created once. This is what I call your wow factor! It is important that you give them something to remember as they are house shopping. A great way to do this is to add some spice with color. Color is what I call the oxygen of decorating. You can add color with accessories such as art, decorative pillows, vases or even a great area rug, will do the trick. It is also important that you depersonalize your home and take out clutter. However, you do not want to be so sparse that there is no feeling to the interior.

It is very important to create balance and transition in each room. A great way to create balance is with proper positioning of furniture and accessories. This gives you a sense of balance when you walk into a room. It is also important to have transition into one room from the other. A great way to achieve this is through proper color selection. If the proper color is chosen the house will flow beautifully from room to room.

Another key element in selling a home is to play up features that you have. For example you may have a great fireplace and mantle. By adding accessories around your fireplace you draw attention to its beauty. Architecture can also be played up with proper color and lighting.

Window treatments can also brighten up a space and can add color. If you have treatments that are old or out dated then replace them with some thing that is new and fresh. Keep it simple don’t go over board with loud colors or lots of frills. Less is more when you are selling to a perspective buyer. Let them be able to imagine what else they could do to make it more their personal style.

Smell is also another factor in the selling process. Does your home smell pleasant? Fresh cut flowers are nice in a kitchen or foyer. Potpourri placed in powder rooms and bath rooms say welcome home. By creating an environment that is welcoming the perspective buyer can imagine themselves living in your home.

If you are currently working with a real estate agent and you are not getting your desired results then consult with them about home staging. Working with a decorating professional can make your selling process more pleasurable and less stressful. The professional can stage your home so that it is ready to sell. If this sounds like you then why not call a professional? A professional can save you time and money and in the end your home is sold.

Interior Elegance Designs – Kim Hinzman – 302- 697-9094 or 302-685-0297.

Kim Hinzman is a graduate of the City and Guilds London England in Decorative Arts and Historical Restoration. Kim has previously owned her own decorative painting company Interior Elegance for eight years. Kim suffered an injury on a job that resulted in closing Interior Elegance. Kim began working for her mother-in-law who owns her own decorating business for a short time. Kim then decided that she wanted to open her own business once more and renamed her previous Company Interior Elegance to Interior Elegance Designs. Kim has a very diverse back ground in the design industry some of her commissions include Gold Leaf Studios Washington DC for work in the Blair House Washington DC, Evergreen Studios NY for design and restoration of Conception Abbey Conception Missouri. Kim’s design commissions in DE include residential and commercial. Kim has recently completed the redesign of Powerhouse Ministries in Smyrna DE. Kim Hinzman has a passion for what she does and her customers cannot say enough about her creativity and vision.

Testimonial:

“Working with Kim Hinzman of Interior Elegance Designs has been a pleasure. Kim is very attentive of her customers’ wants and needs. We have received many compliments on the work she has done. She has an incredible eye for detail and we look forward to working with her on future projects. I would highly recommend Kim if you are wanting to work with a professional on a project.” ~Eric McGinnis, McGinnis Construction Services Inc.