Home Staging • Model Merchandising • Interior Design

While fall means warm sweaters, scarves, and boots, a time for cuddling up in blankets, sipping hot beverages, pumpkin spice, and enjoying comfort foods...it can also mean a slower real estate market. So, if you are selling your home this fall, use these 3 home staging tips to reduce your home's days on the market!

1. Focus on Lighting: As the days get shorter, the need to ensure adequate lighting increases. Use warm, soft lighting to create a welcoming atmosphere. 

2. Create a Cozy Ambiance: Introduce textures that will evoke warmth and comfort. Consider layering soft, tactile materials such as plush throws, knit blankets, and velvet or woolen cushions on sofas or beds. Does your home have a fireplace? Make it a focal point and showcase its potential for cozy fall evenings.

3. Highlight Outdoor Spaces: Utilize nature's color show to enhance your home's outdoor spaces. Keep the yard tidy, rake fallen leaves, and add seasonal potted plants to increase curb appeal.

Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design is honored to annouce that we have won 4 Best of Home Staging 2022 awards from the International Association of Home Staging Professionals®!

Best of Home Staging 2022 in Staging Excellence has been awarded to Joan Inglis.

Best of Home Staging 2022 in Client Satisfaction has been awarded to Joan Inglis.

Best of Home Staging 2022 in Staging Excellence has been awarded to Tanya Denchfield.

Best of Home Staging 2022 in Staging Excellence has been awarded to Sharol Christenbury.

Congratulations to Joan, Tanya and Sharol! For more information on how our award-winning team can help you with your home staging, luxury staging, interior design, and model home merchandising service needs, Contact Us or call 1-855-SPACES-5.

Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design has won a "Best of Houzz" award for Customer Service on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. Founded in 2004, by Master Accredited Staging Professional®, Joan Inglis, Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design was chosen by the millions of homeowners that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.7 million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals. 

This is the 10 year anniversary of the Best of Houzz awards program, and Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design's 5th win for Customer Service.

"We launched the Best of Houzz awards program over a decade ago to highlight the work of the most talented and customer-focused professionals in our industry," said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing at Houzz. "We are extremely proud of this year's winners, many of whom have won multiple times, and we're pleased to give them this recognition and a platform on which to showcase their expertise."

"Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design is very grateful to have been awarded 'Best of Houzz' for the 5th year in a row. We are thankful to our amazing clients, and humbled that our commitement to quality and customer service in our interior design, professional home staging and luxury home staging, and model home merchandising services has been recognized again by the Houzz community," said Inglis.

Originally Published on Rent.com. By Charlsie Niemiec.

Pick a shade, any shade — the popular paint colors for 2022 offer something for any aesthetic!

You've probably seen them by now, the many popular paint colors for 2022. From Pantone's Color of the Year Very Peri to Benjamin Moore's October Mist, the shades of 2022 offer something for everyone's aesthetic. Whether you live for bold and moody hues or you prefer lighter or softer shades, the popular paint colors for 2022 truly run the gamut — which is why we talked with interior designers and paint experts about the best ways to style your apartment using these trendy colors. 

Here's what our experts had to say about tying 2022's chicest shades into your current living space.

1. Open your arms and embrace change

"People are craving change in just about everything this year. One result of this need for change is the use of more color in interior design, which is a departure from the all-white design schemes that have dominated the last decade," says Aaron Hall, owner of Painter1.com. "Four of the biggest paint companies (Sherwin Williams, Pantone, Behr & Delux and Benjamin Moore) all chose a 2022 Color of the Year in either a blue or green tone. These muted variations evoke the ultimate feeling of serenity, which is exactly what we all need right now!

"Also, color tones that complement these muted blue and green shades are creamy whites, warm-gray whites, natural wood tones and light or deep hues of gold, orange and peach. Try accent pieces in bold green, mustard yellow, royal blue or poppy red. Often, a rug, a favorite piece of art or patterned upholstery can be a great source of inspiration for beautiful interior color schemes."

2. Make a statement

"2022 is the year of making statements! Show off your personal growth by expressing your boldness with an ocean of blues, greens and moody black hues," says Autumn Rose Interiors. "You can start by adding a pop of dark accents to bookshelves and table-scapes. Once you're ready, try long, dark, luscious drapes to provide a beautiful contrast to neutral light walls or take it to the next level with a surprise room — like a dark, moody powder bath or bedroom."

3. Paint the ceiling

“Warmed up neutrals are a great way to incorporate trends but in a way that's timeless, easy and renter-friendly because it'll be easy to paint over if you move out. I love creamier shades of white on the walls paired with bright white trim and moldings," says Kaitlin Madden. “Moody hues are big right now, especially blues and greens. For a look that's very 2022, paint both walls and the ceiling (check with your landlord first!). If that's not an option, try it with furniture. Paint a kitchen cart your favorite shade and use it as an island, for example."

4. Be bold

“We love using bold colors, such as the Van Deusen Blue from Benjamin Moore (one of Benjamin Moore's most popular blues), to create vibrant accent walls in a property, especially in dining room areas to add a dramatic effect and visual interest," says Pavel Khaykin from Pavel Buys Houses. "When paired with a neutral contrasting wall paint color, such as Benjamin Moore's Classic Gray, the combination brings great energy to a room and goes beautifully with wood floors, especially white furnishings and fixtures. A small cosmetic update like this is fairly easy and quick to accomplish and can make your property truly stand out."

5. Add a little pizazz with framed art

“Chameleon colors like Sherwin Williams Sea Salt or Benjamin Moore's October Mist allow renters to add relatively neutral colors to their space to make it their own," says Port City Paint in Wilmington, NC. "When paired with shades of linen or gray — either paint or furniture — your home becomes a personal reflection of you! Add a pop of color with yellow, blue or coral throw pillows or framed art to add a little pizazz. A home office or workspace painted with a complementary color like Benjamin Moore Crisp Linen gives brightness and a sense of calm to the space. Accent a spare bedroom wall, half bath or a wall in your office space with a pop of periwinkle blue to bring the palate full circle."

6. Frame your favorite wallpaper

"A really fun way to bring style and design into a rental home is framed wallpaper! It is less expensive than wallpapering an entire wall," says stylist and designer Becky McFarland Cox. "The key is coordinating the wallpaper with a contemporary paint color like Benjamin Moore's October Mist. Framing wallpaper gives a huge visual impact and the best part is you can take it with you when you move!"

7. Get dramatic with warm neutrals and dramatic depth

“When people hear terracotta they instinctively see an image of typical terracotta colored tiles which naturally leads to envisioning a southwest aesthetic. However, terracotta is so much more than that!" says the Crimson Design Group in Columbus, OH. "Start with a terracotta-colored base piece — think large pieces of furniture like a couch or cabinet — and use an assortment of colors in the terracotta family like oranges and reds for your accent pieces. Your space will become much richer and a lot more interesting!"

"Bringing in aquas or emeralds can be as simple as incorporating live greenery or accessories like throw pillows or vases into a more subdued space. It adds life and vibrancy!"

"Additionally, vibrant and earthy shades are an excellent way to incorporate color into your space, especially through our personal favorite, gallery walls! You can also use baskets, frames or plates to bring a vibrant earthiness to your space."

"People are often scared of black paint but they don't need to be — there is a reason it is known as the chicest color. It can be used to create a stunning moody romantic space that encourages intimate conversation. Use different shades of black to layer as the background with warm neutrals mixed in for a modern space. It can also be the perfect contrasting trim to white walls!"

8. Look to your lighting

"To get the most out of your moody hues, we recommend leaning into different layers of lighting. It's hard to feel “the vibe" that a room full of aubergines and forest greens creates when all you have is super-bright overhead light fixtures," says Kind Interior Design. "Add lamps for task and accent lighting in various zones around your space. Replace the bulbs in your overhead (ambient) light fixtures with smart bulbs to be able to dim your lights if your home isn't wired for it. Dark and moody hues like Benjamins Moores's Backwoods become rich and luxurious when adequately (but softly) lit."

9. Opt for complementary shades when playing with paint colors for 2022

"A soft and earthy shade easily harmonizes with your floors, furniture and appliances," says Sandpiper Listings. "Benjamin Moore's October Mist is light enough to make rooms appear larger and it pairs perfectly with accessories and fixtures. Its calming tone is ideal for walls, doors or cabinetry. This sophisticated and modern color is complementary to blues, purples and darker shades of green."

10. Play with greige undertones

“Evergreen Fog is Sherwin Williams' 2022 color of the year for good reason! This incredibly elegant, cool paint color can be used in bedrooms, bathrooms, accent walls or even cabinets to instantly give your home a more sophisticated look," says Brandon Griffin, founder and owner of Triangle Pro Painting. "For a bold contrast, try pairing Evergreen Fog with Sherwin Williams Alabaster, as they both share the same greige undertone."

11. Make your walls the main feature

"Our color palette typically consists of a white, a neutral and a dark pop. Oftentimes, smaller spaces and rental walls get neglected but we've found that by adding a punch color, not only grounds a room but can make it feel bigger and taller," says Terra Sol Design Co. "Here are our top choices for giving those walls the feature they deserve!"

• Sherwin Williams Modern Grey (7632) - A perfect mix of grey and beige
• Magnolia Home Fine Black - A grey/blue/black
• Sherwin Williams Iron Ore (7069) - A charcoal/navy/black

"Additionally, use light or white decor and wood furnishings against a dark wall for the ultimate wow factor."

12. Amplify your furniture style

Joan Inglis, a model home merchandiser, interior designer, and master staging professional shared three ways to incorporate paint colors for 2022 into your space:

"Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog is a muted green shade, it works well with terracotta and dark green colors. Since most apartment walls are initially painted white or off-white, Evergreen Fog can be a good choice as a soothing focal point wall behind the bed or in a bathroom." Look for Evergreen Fog in upholstery, pillows and artwork. Bring in deeper companion tones such as Sherwin Williams "Rookwood Sash Green" and "Rookwood Terra Cotta" in textiles, art and accessories. Both deep colors will function as attention-grabbers and will intesify the appeal of your décor."

"Benjamin Moore October Mist makes me envision the apartment-dweller sipping a cup of green tea on their balcony while enjoying the cooler fall temperature. Consider using the very pale sage green color of October Mist to paint outdoor furniture, pottery and vintage accent furniture pieces. Bring in medium and darker tones in compatible sandy tan and caramel-like Benjamin Moore "Sandy Brown" and "Etruscan." Both will pair well with October Mist in solids and patterns mixed with white, off-white and black."

"Blacks, charcoals, dark browns and navy work well in design provided you have enough white or off-white to create balance. Dark rooms can negatively affect your emotions. So you don't want to surround yourself with black walls, black trim, black draperies and very little natural light. Darkest colors work best in rooms flooded with light, like a sunroom, or used as an accent surrounding bay windows. Anywhere fixtures and surfaces are solid white, black and dark colors can work well."

13. Play with dimension 

"If you are looking to charm with a touch of elegance and yet still be trendy, aquas and greens are two jeweled hues that will give you exactly what you are looking for," says Justin Brown, owner of J Brown Painting, "Brighten up your homes to the soothing gentleness of the color aqua or if you are looking to add a rich dimension to your space, emerald green is your go-to. The versatility of these colors is guaranteed to make a statement."

Get to painting!

With so many popular paint colors for 2022, the possibilities are endless! What are you waiting for? Head to the store for paint, paint rollers, paintbrushes, painter's tape and drop cloths — the necessities — and get to work!

Carolina Spaces, LLC - an interior design, home staging and model home merchandising firm based in South Carolina near Charlotte, NC - is happy to announce the addition of a retail boutique in York, SC to their list of services. The boutique offers name brand, designer furniture and custom designed/locally handcrafted pieces, as well as home decor items for sale.

"Downtown York does not have any store that currently offers new, designer furniture for sale. We are happy to fill that void," said Joan Inglis, Carolina Spaces' founder, owner and lead designer.

"If customers can't find what they are looking for on our showroom floor, we are happy to work with them one-on-one to meet their needs, including sourcing items from our warehouse and design studio in Belmont, NC, or placing custom orders with our brand partners," Inglis said.

The Carolina Spaces boutique is located at Yorkville Marketplace, 108 N. Congress Street, York, SC. Hours are Thursday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM and Sunday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM.

View the full press release at PR.com.

As Published in the Charlotte Home ι Design section of The Charlotte Observer

By Moment Palmer

The homebuilding industry has seen a huge surge in using recycled materials and sustainable practices for both construction and design applications, and now it's trending in interior design, too. Home decorating trends change constantly, and many pieces of furniture are inexpensive - since they're only intended to last until the next season's style debuts - and can easily be tossed and bought again.

However, many designers are working to turn this industry into something that's not only budget- and eco-friendly, but also long-lasting and sentimentally valuable.

"Recycling/repurposing is a great way to save money and the environment, but the true rewards come when materials are thoughtfully used to develop a space that is warm, welcoming and personal," says MaryJo Camp, certified kitchen and bath designer and partner with DesignCamp. "Our homes reflect who we are, and the kinds of materials and furniture one chooses combine to define the spac

TRENDS

The key to working upcycled furniture and decor into a room so it's both functional and decorative starts with first selecting one piece - usually a large item like a bed or sofa - and adding to the room one piece at a time. This avoids the outdated matching furniture suite look, instead building a recurring theme with the use of color, pattern or shapes.

"Repurposed, eclectic design is definitely very trendy - it mixes time periods and styles into a cohesive look," says Joan Inglis, owner of Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design. "The challenge in designing with recycled items, whether you use a few key pieces or a roomful, is to bring those eclectic materials together in harmony." Inglis recommends using different woods in varying tones, assorted metals and a mix of contemporary and traditional styles with a central element that ties the room together.

Personalization and well-being are the two main global trends emerging in sustsinable interior design. Combine purchased recycled materials with materials or pieces that have some personal importance to you, like antique hardware rom your home or a bureau turned into a guest room vanity. "These choices satisfy the need for emotional well-being by connecting to the past." says Inglis.

PERSONALIZED REPURPOSING

Incorporating personal and sentimental items into one's decorating scheme is a huge trend in upcycling decor, such as including reclaimed heritage pieces and family heirlooms. For example, old luggage can be stacked to become side tables with hidden storage, or a large, bulky TV armoire cabinet from a few decades ago can be inexpensively repurposed into a baby wadrobe, utlilty cabinet or computer nook. "Designers who understand their client's needs will encourage their clients to combine new and repurposed materials for a personalized design that can be enjoyed by the entire family," Ingllis explains.

Using antique drawer pulls and knobs from an original space and augmenting them with complimentary current hardware is a great way to honor the past while providing a new space that better suits the homeowner and family.

ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Recycling and upcycling items into residential applications in furnishings, designs and home renovations not only benefit the homeowner's budget but also local businesses - and is also good for the planet.

"Purchasing locally from shops that carry American-made furnishings rather than buying imports online helps the local economy and has far-reaching environmental benefits." says Camp. "Think about the fuel used in shipping from foreign countries, then trucking from ports to distribution centers, and finally trucking to your door versus home delivery from a local business. The same is true for wood products that go into the construction and remodeling of homes. Always ask your contractor if they source materials locally or in the Carolinas."

Reusing materials from the existing space saves homeowners the cost of hauling to a disposal site and saves the environment the use of a landfill. It's also important to balance the cost of refurbishing a piece to make it appropriate for reuse. Consider reupholstering rather than buying a new sofa or chair. You can get the custom look you're after while making far less impact on the environment.

Using unique items repurpossed in creative ways can elevate a project from merely nice to exceptional, making it difficult to put a price tag on the improvement.

"Sustainability applies to decor as well," says Kelley Lentini, co-owner and designer at House of Nomad. "Instead of always buying new decor, look for vintage pieces that can be mixed in with your newer items to give personality and layer story into your space."

WOOD AND BUILDING MATERIALS

Some of the best and most popular materials to repurpose include recycled materials like barn siding, shiplap and wood flooring/cabinets. People also use wooden pallets to create indoor or outdoor furniture, shoe racks, pet beds or shelving.

Other trends that incorporate recycling wood (and other) materials include:

• Live edge tabletops - A live edge is a slab cut from the tree without trimming the sides straight. Most of these slabs would be discarded because of cracks, holes and bark, but this naturaly beauty is very unique for use in dining rooms, consoles, cocktail and side tables. They can be found at lumber distributors that carry specialty woods.

• Stained glass panels - Add to cabinetry or walls to enhance color and definition to spaces.folks

• Unique table legs - Made of metal, wood, or other interesting materials, these can be used to support islands or other large pieces of furniture.

"Many folks enjoy visiting antique, thrift and consigment shops, flea markets and garage sales. There are plenty of furniture items, textiles, artwork and accessories from different time periods to be found. With some basic knowledge of carpentry and painting, the average person can morph an item into something totally different," Camp said.

TEXTILES

In addition to wood, textiles are also a popular interior design element homeowners and designers enjoy incorporating into a space. "Many of the rugs we hand-select in Morocco are vintage - meaning that instead of selecting new products, we are repurposing handmade items that have both beauty and age," Berkeley Minkhorst, co-owner at House of Nomad, explains. "Our goal is not just creating one-of-a-kind, traveled spaces but that our designs consider the places these designs come from."

Two favorite items House of Nomad designers like to use to add vibrant color to a sofa or bedroom are kanthas (hand-crafted from recycled saris) and overdyed rugs (crafted by taking vintage rugs, shaving them down, and completely dying them in one color). "These pieces are sustainable because they are repurposing a vintage piece," syas Minkhorst.

Whatever your next interior design project entails, consider using recycled materials and pieces to create a stunning one-of-a-kind look that is kind to your budget and planet.

View this post on Blogspot.com.

Joan Inglis, Founder and Lead Designer of Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design - the leading home staging, model merchandising and interior design firm in North and South Carolina, was asked to provide her expertise in the September 6, 2020 issue of The Charlotte Observer.  Joan, who is a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, shared her wealth of real estate, interior design and home staging knowledge by contributing to the article "Sustainable Design" as featured in the Charlotte Home ι Design section.

The article discusses how repurposed and upcycled materials can create unique looks for every room.

Joan Inglis has been featured dozens of times on TV, online and in print.  She has won numerous local, state, regional and international awards since forming her company, Carolina Spaces in 2004. Carolina Spaces is the leading expert in Home Staging, Luxury Home Staging, Model Home Merchandising and Interior Design in the Charlotte, NC region and provides award-winning services throughout the Southeast. Model Home services for home builders are available nationwide. Call 1-855-SPACES-5 or Contact Us for more information.

Whether you are thinking about selling your home in the distant future or in the short term, design decisions on improvements that you make now will have a lasting effect on future salability. Following is a check list of minor home improvements that increase desirability and add value and will help your home sell quickly when you decide it's time to move on.

• Front Door - The front door reflects the home's personality. From modern to traditional, choose a front door style that is compatible with the overall architecture of the home. Select a complimentary color that is timeless such as ebony or walnut stain. ROI about 70%.

Joan Inglis, Founder and Lead Designer of Carolina Spaces Furniture & Design - the leading home staging, model merchandising and interior design firm in North and South Carolina, was asked to provide her expertise in the September 2020 issue of Lake Norman Currents Magazine. Joan shared her wealth of real estate, interior design and home staging knowledge by authoring the article "Design Elements that Increase Home Values" as featured in the Ask the Expert section of the magazine.

In her article, Joan provides a check list of minor home improvements that increase desirability, add value, and will help your home sell quickly when you decide it's time to move on.

Joan Inglis has been featured dozens of times on TV, online and in print.  She has won numerous local, state, regional and international awards since forming her company, Carolina Spaces in 2004. Carolina Spaces is the leading expert in Home Staging, Luxury Home Staging, Model Home Merchandising and Interior Design in the Charlotte, NC region and provides award-winning services throughout the Southeast. Model Home services for home builders are available nationwide. Call 1-855-SPACES-5 or Contact Us for more information.

So, you’ve evaluated your finances, thought about your lifestyle, and made the big decision to sell your home. Maybe you’re downsizing because the kids have finally left the nest, or you’ve gotten a job in a new city and need to relocate, or maybe you’ve just retired and want to head south to warmer climates. Whatever your reason, you’re ready to sell. Luckily, for you, we put together a comprehensive guide for first-time and seasoned home sellers. Continue reading to find out how to sell your house this year.

1) Hire a Home Inspector

You’re probably thinking, wait, isn’t that the buyer’s responsibility? You’re not wrong. When you’ve accepted an offer, the buyer will most likely request a home inspection of their own. So, why would you have one? First, if a home inspection turns up something that’s in need of repair, wouldn’t you prefer to resolve it before entering into negotiations?

In fact, if you end up needing to make repairs that take weeks to fix, you may lose that buyer altogether. Having a home inspection is a proactive approach to getting your home ready to sell. Known as a pre-listing home inspection, you can find out the exact condition of your property, what issues and repairs need to be addressed beforehand, fix them, and then focus on the next task to sell your home fast.

Also, knowing the condition of your property will further assist you during the negotiation phase with potential buyers. As you may already be aware, buyers often use their home inspection as a way of getting concessions from sellers, such as asking you to drop your list price. If you’ve already addressed these repairs, it is less likely that anything new will come up and impact your negotiation.

2) Make Repairs and Small Upgrades to Your House

After you receive a comprehensive list of repairs you should make, it’s time to get started either making the repairs yourself or contracting the right person to do them. This may also be a great time to make small upgrades to your home.

Understand Your Home’s Selling Points

First, try understanding your home’s selling points and then highlight those features to make them really stand out. Not sure what those features are? Just think about what sold you on your home when you first toured it. Was it the kitchen, the open floor plan, or that personal studio space? These are the features you’ll want to concentrate on because they are most likely to sell your house again.

Enhance Your Outdoor Space

When you are selling your house, you want to find ways to make it stand out and what better way than having the most beautiful entrance and lawn on the block. You don’t necessarily have to paint the exterior of your house to impress homebuyers. Simple things like trimming your hedges and a freshly mowed lawn will go a long way. Even freshly laid beauty bark and newly planted flowers can really make your yard pop! If these improvements seem like too much to handle while you’re trying to prepare your home to sell, look into hiring a landscaper to assist.

Brighten Your Home

Simple ways to brighten your home include painting your ceilings white and choosing a wall color that is brighter and more neutral. 

3) Declutter and Prep Your House to Sell

Decluttering and prepping your house are steps you should make a priority. Renting storage units is becoming an increasingly popular method of decluttering one’s house before selling it. The idea is to limit the amount of stuff in your house so that potential future owners can envision themselves (and their stuff) in that space. Even removing photos is a great way to allow potential buyers to think about what they would hang on those walls. If you’re looking for a quick turnaround, bring in a professional organizer. They can help get your house in order, while also preparing you for a stress-free move.

4) Find a Real Estate Agent

Finding a real estate agent is easy, finding a great real estate agent can be more of a challenge. Getting referrals and reading online reviews is a great way to start narrowing down your options. You’ll want to understand what you’re looking for when hiring a real estate agent to represent your best interests. Here are some questions to consider asking any potential candidate:

• How many clients have you served this year?

• Has a client ever filed a complaint against you?

• What is your fee? 

• What services do you offer beyond negotiations and escrow?

After you decide on a real estate agent, you and your agent should come up with a plan of action. It should include a timeline, from the pricing of your house and getting it listed on MLS to open houses. You and your agent should be on the same page at all times and a plan of action will help ensure that.

5) How to Price Your House to Sell

Now is the time to find out what price you should list your home. You can start by using online tools to help you get an idea of what your home is worth. However, you should never set your sights on a single number and expect it to happen. Market conditions change all the time and so too does buyer behavior. 

Another option is to conduct an appraisal. Home appraisers are licensed professionals that will assess the value of your house based on the state of your property and overall housing market conditions. They will look at the size of your property, the interior and exterior conditions of your house, any upgrades, additions or home improvements you’ve done, and then calculate your home’s worth based on the local market conditions.

Looking at comparables of recently sold homes in your area will also help you settle on a price. These homes should be similar in size, location, and sold within the last few months. Furthermore, you want to be strategic about your pricing. Instead of lumping the price of your house in with others in the area, strategize your pricing based on your home’s selling features. In other words, if there are three houses for sale in you’re area and they are priced at $350,000, you might be able to justify $360,000 or more because you have a larger lot size or maybe you’re located in a popular neighborhood.

6) Get Professional Photos Taken of Your Home

Nothing sells a house faster than professional photos. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. They are searching online, looking at every home that comes up for sale within their filtered interests the moment it’s listed. If your house is represented online by poorly shot photography, your listing will see very little traffic. Not to mention, it’s widely observed that houses with professionally shot photos, on average, sell for more money than other listings.

Furthermore, 3D walking tours along with aerial photography that show a bird’s eye view of one’s home and its surrounding area have become increasingly popular with buyers looking online. Many agencies include some or all of these services as a component of their overall services to you as a seller. Just remember, the better you represent your house online, the faster it will sell.

7) List Your Home to Sell

Your real estate agent will list your home online on MLS (Multiple Listing Service), in order for it to start showing up on real estate search platforms to potential buyers.

You may be wondering, when is the best time to list your home? If you’re thinking about waiting for a specific season, then you might be waiting for nothing. In 2016, Redfin analyzed more than 7 million home sales to identify specific seasonal trends. It was determined that while spring was slightly better for homes that sold within 30 days and for above-asking price, winter was surprisingly a close second. What plays a bigger role in a house being sold quickly and/or above-asking price has more to do with current market conditions than the season a house is sold.

Also, don’t limit the marketing of your house to your real estate agent and online search. Market your house yourself! Spread the word through your family and friends. Share your listing on social media and send out emails asking people to share your listing with others.

8) Have Open Houses and Personal Showings

Your first open house is what you’ve been working towards and now it’s about to happen. It’s time to step up your game and stage your home to sell. If you don’t deem yourself a design-minded individual, consider hiring a professional home stager to help. Here is a list of things to consider that will really help you make your house shine:

• Clear the clutter: You may have already transferred most of your belongings to a storage unit by this point. Now is the time to focus on cleaning up the clutter on countertops and tables. Put away newspapers, mail or magazines, or if you have children, help them pick up their toys.

• Deep clean your house: Nothing turns off buyers more than an unclean bathroom. That is also true for the rest of your house. Now more than ever is the time to wash your windows, windowsills, and scrub your grimy glass shower doors.

• Add white accents: White accents such as flowers or towels in the bathroom create a sense of welcome cleanliness.

• Arrange furniture: You don’t have to necessarily rent furniture to stage your home. You can most likely use what you have. The key is to limit the number of furniture pieces in any one room. Then arrange them in a way that’s inviting to people as they enter the room.

• Bring in light: Think about removing your curtains or keeping them drawn back to allow as much light into your house as possible. If you have rather large elaborate curtains, consider storing them away until you get to your next home.

• Highlight your floors: Floors are a key feature homebuyers are looking at, especially if you have wood floors. Show them off by removing any rugs or unneeded furniture so that more of your flooring can be seen. If you have wood floors, think about polishing them to really make them pop.

• Organize all closets and drawers: Homebuyers touring your home will most likely look in your closets to determine space and, frankly, to see if their stuff will fit in there. They will also likely open kitchen drawers and cabinets as well, so make sure everything is nice and tidy.

• Dust: Concentrate on all the areas that you’ve most likely have turned a blind eye to for some time, like ceiling fans, baseboards, on top of doorways, appliances, etc.

9) Have a Plan in Case your Home Doesn’t Sell Quick Enough

You and your real estate agent should have already gone over this beforehand, but not every house sells after the first open house. There are many factors at play and depending on the condition of the housing market for your area, your real estate agent may have to use some other strategies in their arsenal to get your house sold. If it’s lowering the price of your home or holding more open houses, you’ll want to agree on what the next steps should be in case your house isn’t seeing any offers.

10) Negotiate the Sale Price of Your Home

One thing to consider is that the buyer is trying to get the absolute best price they can, while you’re doing the exact same. There will be multiple factors to consider, as each home sold and purchased is different. For example, if it’s a buyer’s market, that means the buyer has the upper hand because there are multiple listings with fewer offers being made. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to make huge concessions in order to sell your house.

This is where your agent really steps up. They will help you navigate the negotiation process, and will give you their advice on how to proceed when offers are being made. Luckily, you interviewed and hired the right agent, so you know they have your best interests in mind.

11) Sign and Close

You and your agent have been working towards this moment. You’ve agreed on a price with the buyers, all inspections and appraisals of your home have been completed, and you are now signing the papers to sell your house. Congratulations, you’ve done it!

This article was originally published on Redfin.