In today's economy, especially in Michigan, seller's have to pull out all the stops to sell their home. Staging has become an important piece of that puzzle. I don't believe that it is the magic key because there are other factors that come into play when selling a home

What Some REALTORS Advise. Is it Right or Wrong?

Just know that I'm not putting down REALTOR advice. We give advice to help you sell your home. The conflict comes in with knowing what the buyers are looking for. For instance, let's look at the dilemma with white walls vs. color walls. Some REALTORS believe that white walls will help sell a home because the buyer can then come in and choose the colors they want in the home. Of course, those buyers need to be good visionaries.

I tend to think like the buyer (realizing that all buyers are not going to like my tastes) but I feel that most people like to see color because it helps them visualize what their furniture can look like in that setting. Obviously, this does mean that you, as a seller, are taking a risk that the buyer might not like your sense of style, but people seem to be drawn to color, not white walls. Again that is my opinion and the opinion of stagers in the REALTOR magazine. Here's what they had to say...

Clutter is an issue that everyone deals with, unless you are like my girlfriend who moves every two years and therefore stays more on top of the clutter than the rest of us.  I'm currently "decluttering" my house and let me tell you this is one of the worst projects I've ever done, but I know in the long run it will pay off especially when we move and we don't have to go back through all that junk!

Here's the ABC's on Controlling Clutter

A - A Place for Everything

• Storage areas for the jackets, backpacks, boots, and dirty shoes.  A place to keep it looking neat and tidy.
• First Aid Kit should be readily available and organized for when the "emergency" appears.
• Medical Records should be easily accessible.  Once a year, you should see what medical items need to be taken care of and get them on the calendar.  For example, I know that I'm very overdue for my tetanus shot and was reminded to take care of that the other day.

I know that I've done several blogs on the importance of staging and curb appeal.  Why?  Because it could mean the difference between selling and not selling your home.  Plus, these articles are more meaningful when you are going through the process yourself.  Today, I'm cleaning my office, staining a deck and writing blogs.  We are getting ready to put our own home up for sale in the spring market but know we have a lot of "projects" to get done first.  The outside projects will be done before the end of this week!

As I'm reading all the information that I want to share with you, I'm making sure that I'm doing these things as well.  Here are some great points from an article I was reading.

Before / No Curb Appeal           After/Beautiful Curb Appeal

Comments for Selling a Home 

"People who prepare their homes-inside and out-before they put them on the market are the ones who have quicker sales and who receive top dollar." (Realtor magazine, August 2005).

"If the house shines like a pretty penny, it'll sell quicker." (Realtor magazine, August 2005.)

Minimum... and let me STRESS MINIMUM

• Anything a potential buyer may notice needs to be fixed or replaced: burned-out lightbulbs, broken doorbells, cracked glass, damaged trim.