Staging is a vital part of selling your property

Staging is a vital part of selling your property. Ask any of our experienced Cayman Islands real estate professionals at IRG Ltd, and they will confirm the utmost importance of staging when it comes to selling your home by making is irresistible to a potential Cayman Islands Real Estate investor. Through staging you can highlight your home's strengths, downplay its weaknesses and appeal to the greatest possible pool of prospective buyers with these easy home-staging tips. Here are a few suggestions from the IRG Brokers and Realtors that will make achieving the best possible price for your property easier: Conquer your clutter. Take a good look at your furnishings and accessories and ask yourself what you can live without. One of the major contributors to clutter is furniture. Make "less is more" your mantra. Any mixed feelings you have about tossing life’s accumulated detritus will quickly be replaced with a sense of relief and appreciation of your Zen-like new surroundings. Remind yourself that every square foot you free up is prime Cayman Islands Real Estate.

Remove personal photos as many clients are distracted by portraits of the sellers and they miss out on the key selling points of the home. Invest in a fresh coat of paint and get 150 percent green back on your investment. "Painting is the cheapest, easiest way to give your home a new look," says Jeremy Hurst, Associate Broker at IRG. Even if you've always had off-white walls, take a chance and try out a quart of paint in a warm, neutral hue. These days, neutral goes beyond beige to include a range of colors from warm tans and greys (also known as greige) to soft blue-greens. Make an entrance.You know the saying: You never have a second chance to make a first impression. "The outside of your home is the first thing guests see," points out Jeremy Hurst Broker and owner of IRG. Like it or not, it speaks volumes about what’s inside. A quart of glossy paint in a bold, cheerful color for the front door, new hardware, fresh coir or seagrass mat and a trio of seasonal potted plants on the landing will dramatically improve your home’s entry and make visitors feel welcome, Hurst says.

Float furniture. If your couches are clinging to your walls, you’re not alone. It’s a typical decorating mistake. "There’s a common belief that rooms will feel larger and be easier to use if all the furniture is pushed up against the walls, but it’s simply not true," says Jeremy Hurst. Float furniture away from walls, reposition it into cozy conversational groups, and place pieces so that the traffic flow in the room is obvious. In most cases, this means keeping the perimeters clear. Not only will this make the space more user-friendly, it will open up the room and make it seem larger. Let the sun shine in. The Cayman Islands has abundance of sunlight and jaw dropping views so make the most of the light and the surroundings. Allow natural light to shine into a room and makes any closed-in space seem larger. Light the way. One of the things that make staged homes look so warm and welcoming is great lighting design. To remedy bad lighting and make your home more inviting, increase the wattage in your lamps and fixtures. Aim for a total of 100 watts for every 50 square feet. Then install dimmers so you can vary light levels according to your mood and the time of day. And while you’re at it, be sure to replace those dingy, almond-colored light-switch covers with crisp white ones. "A combination of overhead, floor, table, and accent lighting creates great ambience," Jeremy Hurst from IRG believes. Paint it black. Using white-painted furniture is a tried and true tactic for freshening up a room, but don’t forget it’s opposite: A coat of satiny black paint can revive tired furnishings and lend a chic, dramatic flair to just about any space. "Painting an old piece black immediately updates it," says Jeremy Hurst. It’s a great punctuation. It has a graphic quality, provides contrast, and makes a real impact." Make your art sing. If your home is like most, the art is hung in a high line circling each room. That's a big mistake. Placing pictures, paintings and prints in such stereotypical spots can make them invisible. "Art displayed creatively makes the art stand out more and shows off your space," Jeremy Hurst says. So break up that line of art. Vary the patterning and grouping by:

• Hanging a row of art diagonally, with each piece staggered a bit higher or lower than the next. This is great for directing the eye toward an architectural feature like a window or arched doorway.
• Triangularly -- with one picture above, one below, and one beside -- a nice accent for a table-and-chair vignette.
• In a vertical line (perfect for accentuating a high ceiling).

Accessorize with flair. Now that you have your furniture placed, your rooms dappled with color and your art hung, it’s time to layer in accessories for the finishing touch. When it comes to eye-pleasing accessorizing, three is the magic number. And rather than setting your trio of accessories out in a row, imagine a triangle and place one object at each point. Bring the outdoors in. Cayman Islands staged homes are almost always graced with bountiful fresh flowers and arrangements, but you can get a similar effect simply by raiding your tropical garden. Take clippings of Bougainvilleas for example and put them in a large vase in the corner of a room to add height. IRG’s property professionals have a keen eye when it comes to architectural and interior design and they understand the benefit of this as it applies to the value of your home when you make the decision to sell. So when you do make the decision to find a Realtor for your beautiful home, make sure you find one that can not only assist you in the finer points of staging, but one that can make that same beauty irresistible to a prospective Cayman Islands Real Estate investor.